Any BMW M3 is a special car, even if you go for the most basic model without options – any spirited driver would love to own one, regardless of doors, color and specs. However, M3Post member “b-thumper” explains that things are much more complicated and contrived than in the real world, and his story is quite an eye-opener.
Having owned an E46 M3 for eight years, b-thumper decided it was time to get his hands on the wheel of the latest V8-powered M3, so he set about trying to order one, but realizes deadline for the e90 model had passed on. So, he went for an E92, which he ordered through BMW‘s Individual program that allows buyers to choose special colors for the exterior and interior, and also opted for the European delivery program.
In his own words, “After spending about 4 years working on color and interior options (causing me to miss the E90 order deadline), I had a production number for my dream E9x M3. A 2013 E92 in Atlantis Blue with Blue deviated stitching and the Indvidual Piano trim. What could be better than to drive my dream car in Germany, Individually customized, and around the Nürburgring?”
Upon arriving in Germany, b-thumper checked into a hotel, and then went to the take delivery of his car. At the BMW Museum in Munich, he was looking through the cars that were being handed over to their owners, and noticed a US-spec M3 painted in a different shade of blue than the one he had ordered. The paint finish was Atlantic Blue (see picture on the right), when it should have been Atlantis Blue – a noticeably brighter and more vivid shade. And guess what? It was his car!
“I RUN to my laptop and check all my paperwork/emails. YES, they all say Atlantis Blue. Before I had narrowed it down to the final color choice, it even mentioned the paint code in earlier emails,” he writes on the M3 Post forums.
“At this point, I start to notify the front desk of my situation. They kindly refer me to the gentleman who will be doing my delivery experience. He could not have been nicer, but I made it clear; we have the wrong color car!”
Since the current M3 is reaching the end of the line, the order books have now closed. BMW offered at first to repaint the car and/or refit the unique interior into another M3 that was painted the right color. B-thumper refused both options.
“There is talk of possibly repainting the car (which I expressed as an impossibility). I want a new M3, as originally specified,” said B-thumper.
“Some options like swapping the interior from the existing car were offered, but much like repainting the car, it will never be 100% authentic and I can only imagine it will lead to a world of squeaks and rattles. It’s not a stretch to say that the Individual program is the very reason I am buying an M3 and to have the interior missing is unacceptable,” he added.
B-thumper said BMW told him they could not rectify the situation in full and build him a new Individual M3 to his precise specifications inside and out because production was ending soon and there’s no time left.
“At this point it would appear that BMW is so rigid in their production processes that they are unable to correct their own error. If the interior takes an additional 2 weeks lead time, call they supplier and have it rushed! If that is not possible, have the car stored until the interior is ready. It simply doesn’t take 8 weeks to make that interior. There is always a way to make this all work out,” he wrote.
B-thumper continued:
“While I enjoyed my time in Germany, it ended up being thousands of dollars spent on the wrong vacation. Nobody has offered to reimburse me for my airfare or offer me any financial compensation for the inconvenience. Unless you consider two free tickets to the BMW museum financial compensation.”
“In any event, this is not resolved at the time of this posting and I am posting my story as a cautionary tale and as a public plea to BMW to make this right. They are trying to make things right, but I am having some serious doubts. Here we are, more than 9 days later and I am left with a hope and a prayer that they can build my car as desired. It almost goes without saying that the outcome of my situation will greatly influence my desire to own any future BMW vehicles.”
Perhaps BMW is a victim of its own success, becoming too large and therefore cumbersome for its own good. While some M3Post forum members are calling this a first world problem, it is a problem nonetheless when you order one thing and you receive another, regardless of how much it costs or how much you make.
By Andrei Nedelea
Story References: M3 Posts via Jalopnik
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