Service test at the motorcycle dealer

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Service test at the motorcycle dealer
mps photo studio

Service test at the motorcycle dealer

Service test at the motorcycle dealer

Service test at the motorcycle dealer

Service test at the motorcycle dealer

16 pictures

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
mps photo studio

1/16
Everything was possible between 2400 and around 4300 euros. And in any case understandable, because anyone who already has four identical Boxers in the store is not necessarily keen on a fifth grandfather clock.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

2/16
MOTORCYCLE FINKL
86156 Augsburg
CONCLUSION: Great selection, fair prices, solid expertise – the general conditions in Augsburg are absolutely right, but the “shopping experience” is somehow a little different.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

3/16
LIMBaCHER & LIMBaCHER
70794 Filderstadt
CONCLUSION: That could have been eye-catching. But lucky fortune: There is also with L&L near Stuttgart, real “passionate salespeople” like Florian H., who represent the brand and company very well.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

4/16
STADEL MOTORCYCLE
74076 Heilbronn
CONCLUSION: The supposedly so inapproachable brand BMW has in Peer F. an employee who proves that it is mostly people and not marketing that make success. A top address in Heilbronn.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

5/16
KAWASAKI SOUTH HESSE
64331 Weiterstadt
CONCLUSION: Sometimes it helps if you listen to stories in their entirety. Seat, coffee, contact details? You can, but you don’t have to – 20 somewhat unsatisfactory minutes in Weiterstadt.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

6/16
MOTORRADHAUS STOCKSIEFEN
64569 Nauheim, Germany
CONCLUSION: After 15 minutes we were back from the yard. Clear questions, clear answers – that’s how people like it here. There are fairy tale hours elsewhere, at Stocksiefen there are good prices.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

7/16
HARLEY-DAVIDSON FROM THE HEART
51063 Cologne
CONCLUSION: Low trade-in, full list price – you still feel very comfortable here, everything is explained in detail and openly. Coffee and contact details? Clear. The people of Cologne are professionals!

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

8/16
MOTORCYCLE OIL
45886 Gelsenkirchen, Germany
CONCLUSION: Delivery times and colors? Still unclear, but Heike F. does some research and calls us as promised. Fits the overall impression: a solid family business in the middle of the pot.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

9/16
HARMS & HERRMANN
26389 Wilhelmshaven
CONCLUSION: No, Hans-Jurgen H. did not want to talk us into the Speed ​​Triple. He’s just still passionate about the brand. And makes BMW prizes entirely without a computer. Perfect!

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

10/16
WELLBROCK & CO
28865 Lilienthal
CONCLUSION: What began rather moderately, developed into a very pleasant and detailed sales pitch. But here – at least initially – the active customer was in demand.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

11/16
TEAM WAHLERS
27383 Scheessel
CONCLUSION: Not ingratiating, very well-founded. The team boss knows the market and motorcycles very well and is able to confidently steer customer ideas in the desired direction.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

12/16
BMW KNOWLEDGE
29640 Schneverdingen
CONCLUSION: Very professional, friendly and obliging. 30 minutes in a relaxed atmosphere and with a factual explanation of the prices called up. And the choice is immense!

Service test at the motorcycle dealer

13/16
Equipped like this, it could start: four days, four dealers each in the north, center and south regions.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
mps photo studio

14/16
Credibility is a prerequisite if you want to sell something. Therefore, according to the business card, these two gentlemen run the company WAU WIE? – a dog school and boarding house in the north German province.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
mps photo studio

15/16
Borrowed BMW, borrowed transporter, actually your own forearm rests – everything is ready for the MOTORRAD-“Germany tour”.

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Herder

16/16
MOTORCYCLE HUBER
83567 Unterreit
CONCLUSION: A perfect greeting, expert advice – the boss has set up his shop perfectly, but can be a little livelier himself when it comes to gasoline conversations.

counselor

Used purchase

Service test at the motorcycle dealer

Service test at the motorcycle dealer
Trade-in and purchase advice

What happens if an old BMW suddenly appears at the gates and wants to be traded in? Two undercover editors tried it out at various motorcycle dealers in Germany.

Klaus Herder

02/19/2015

The good news first: Uncle Heini is alive! Or to put it another way: He doesn’t even exist, and the sad story of his unexpected passing is fictitious from start to finish. Which brings us to the bad news: Twelve motorcycle dealers sacrificed more or less a lot of time and energy in 2015 to take a closer look at Uncle Heini’s heirloom, to determine a trade-in price and to prepare a new machine offer. And all in vain, because the two gentlemen who toured across Germany with Uncle Heini’s BMW did not want to trade anything old and neither did they want to buy anything new. The two heavily disguised MOTORRAD editors only wanted one thing: to randomly check the service quality of German motorcycle dealers in order to get a feel for whether the much-lamented “service desert Germany” actually exists in our industry. First of all: It went much better than feared. In our scene there are still enough convincing people who practice their profession with a lot of passion. And yet there is still a lot that can be improved.

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Trade-in and purchase advice

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But first things first: Anyone planning to complete a dealer test nationwide with the same motorcycle and always with the same line-up will quickly come across alleged inconsistencies that are difficult to explain at first. Why, for example, would someone want to trade in a motorcycle registered in Munich but not in his name in the far north of the republic? Or the other way around: Why do two guys who speak very North German turn up in the deepest part of Upper Bavaria with a motorcycle that they are not the owner of and that they have never ridden? And anyway: How do you transport a deregistered motorcycle as inconspicuously as possible, and how do you get inside photos at the dealership without arousing suspicion? Quite apart from possible questions such as “What do you do for a living?” And “How do you get in touch?” Motorcyclists and dealers are often very communicative people and you should be prepared for any question. Quite apart from that: Which motorcycle is actually best suited to playing the decoy across all brands?

The motorcycle question was quickly resolved


Service test at the motorcycle dealer


mps photo studio

Our editors and Uncle Heini’s bike.

The sweetheart couldn’t be too expensive, we didn’t want to scare anyone off. But not too cheap either, because the trade-in should cause some effort and pain. Not too exotic, not too little or too much, appropriate to the age of the alleged previous owner. In the end, the test team ended up with the classic BMW boxer: one R 1100 S. in original condition with ABS, heated grips, BMW suitcase and tank bag; First registration in spring 2003, since 2008 in third hand (Uncle Heini!); Almost 61,000 kilometers run, full service history at the same BMW dealer, last major inspection done 500 kilometers ago. Uncle Heini’s nephew Jorg L. inherited this motorcycle and picked it up from the BMW dealer in question by rental van, in order to bring the good piece back home in northern Germany. He is accompanied by his friend and colleague Claus H., who is severely restricted in mobility due to a severe knee injury and can only move with the help of forearm supports – which, by the way, was for once the truth and gave the whole thing a special whistle. The two gentlemen run the company WAU WIE? – Dog school and animal boarding – and are equipped with matching business cards.

Note: Nothing else can be talked about as innocently and in detail as about pets.

Full checkbook is worth money

Motorbike and Vita fit, we could start. And always according to the same pattern: park prominently in front of the store, go into the store or hobble and then take a leisurely look around the sales room. And quite specifically based on a certain model, because the story of the completely inexperienced motorcycle beginner who expects all-round advice with a needs analysis sounds a little too implausible if it is told far away from the alleged home and the nearest dealer. Anyone who sneaks through the sales room of a motorcycle dealer at the beginning of the year usually stays among themselves. The rush is generally limited. What some of the dealers used after a short waiting period to address the potential customer. Or not, with what we would be the first to do it better. There was busy driving around behind the counter, but certainly within sight; they were puzzling around on exhibition machines – but not everyone came up with the idea of ​​addressing customers.

But test buyers can be persistent and ask themselves. The request to trade in a BMW was welcomed everywhere, and the papers were examined. The most important finding: a complete checkbook is worth money – especially with a BMW, because many dealers knew how to tell BMW trade-in horror stories. The list of potential quirks was long, but thanks to the checkbook, the dealers were reassured and mostly left it with a brief visual inspection in the van.

Everything was possible between 2400 and around 4300 euros

www.mobile.de is the reference for price research for the majority of the dealers visited. The trade-in tariffs mentioned differed quite a lot. Everything was possible between 2400 and around 4300 euros. And in any case understandable, because anyone who already has four identical Boxers in the store is not necessarily keen on a fifth grandfather clock. And if you want to get rid of a demonstrator from the previous year, you can go through almost every mess in terms of price. The old business wisdom applies: each thing is worth as much as the next person wants to spend on it.

This was followed by the creation of a new machine offer, whereby some dealers used the delicately indicated willingness that it might also be a day approval or demonstration machine to make extremely attractive offers. However, not always sitting down: It doesn’t make a good impression if you let a (handicapped!) Customer stand around in the shop or only treats at the counter. It is all the nicer when you are offered a coffee (while sitting) as well as brochures and price lists – not a matter of course everywhere. From a retailer’s point of view, however, it is almost unforgivable if you just let the customer go without asking for their contact details. Because this is how you, as a retailer, give yourself the chance to follow up politely and to clarify any questions. For example, whether the wife who stayed at home liked the color of the motorcycle that was photographed in the shop…

This is how MOTORRAD tests


Service test at the motorcycle dealer

Test team on tour: 1300 kilometers net, around 1000 kilometers more with arrival and departure.

The trade-in BMWs were borrowed by the MOTORRAD testers from trusted BMW dealers, loaded into a rental van and then on a four-day tour of Germany. Four randomly selected dealers each in the North, Central and South regions were visited during normal business hours and without prior notice. The indoor photos were taken under the pretext “My wife would like to see the color” or as private souvenir photos, the outdoor photos were made secretly. The testers recorded the duration of the visit, quotes, statements on the ambience and seller behavior as well as all prices in a memory log immediately after each visit.

The trade-in and sales price did not play a role in awarding the top job logo, but instead the approach and support from the seller, his product knowledge, the ability to convey this and the flexibility to respond to customer requests. In short: what counted was an all-round feel-good shopping atmosphere.

The best dealers


Service test at the motorcycle dealer


mps photo studio

Read on to find out which dealers did a top job.

Harms & Herrmann


Service test at the motorcycle dealer


Herder

There would have been 3500 euros for the BMW.

www.harms-herrmann.de

THE OFFER:
TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE
EZ 3/2013, demonstrator, 3800 km
List price 11,960 euros
Purchase price: 10,500 euros
Trade-in BMW: 3,500 euros
Additional payment: 7,000 euros

This is how it went: The halls of the veteran Suzuki and Yamaha dealer, whose Triumph dealership has been terminated, have long since passed their prime. Smart showroom? Forget it! The shop doesn’t need it either, because owner Hans-Jurgen H. is exactly the type of thoroughly honest motorcycle dealer to whom you want to remain loyal for a lifetime. In a mechanic’s suit, he speaks to us in a friendly manner after a short waiting time and explains in detail why it unfortunately does not work with the Suzuki GSX-S 1000 and with a Yamaha FZ1 with ABS. But how about the Triumph demonstrator? The man is one of us!

Harley-Davidson by heart


Service test at the motorcycle dealer


Herder

Our BMW would have been worth only 2700 euros here.

www.harley-davidson-koeln.de

THE OFFER:
HARLEY-Davidson FAT BOB
Model 2015, new
List price 16,995 euros
Purchase price: 16,995 euros
Trade-in BMW: 2,700 euros
Additional payment: 14,295 euros

This is how it went: With an old BMW to the Harley dealer – is that going to work? And how, because after a friendly welcome from a young salesman (?) We come across two real experts: Andy H. and Detlef J., both ex-BMW employees, examine the boxer in great detail, explain exactly what would happen to it ( “Goes to a buyer for the same money and then presumably to the Czech Republic”) and make no illusions about the Fat Bob tariff: list price. For an hour, the two very close observers explain in great detail in a cozy atmosphere why and why buying a Harley would probably be the best thing that can happen to us. Great show. 

Stadel motorcycle


Service test at the motorcycle dealer


Herder

3000 euros were offered for Uncle Heini’s BMW.

www.stadelmotorrad.de

THE OFFER:
BMW R 1200 GS ADVENTURE
Company motorcycle, EZ 11/2013, 5900 km, full equipment
List price approx. 21,000 euros
Purchase price: 17,000 euros
Trade-in BMW: 3,000 euros
Additional payment: 14,000 euros

This is how it went: Would you have expected a very serious Swabian BMW motorcycle dealer to work as a sales consultant with a bearded cowboy who has been privately driving a Suzuki Intruder with great satisfaction for 23 years? We neither. Not enough with this – well – somewhat bizarre combination: Said Peer F. managed to represent his bread maker for a whopping 80 minutes in the best and absolutely credible way and, on this occasion, to give those interested in a new F 800 GS Adventure a slightly used R. 1200 GS Adventure redirect. We left the shop with a broad grin and excellent advice. That was a great job!

CONCLUSION

Service desert Germany? At least not with the motorcycle dealers we visited – if you ask friendly, you will be served friendly. Especially in the off-season: In our experience, the beginning of the year is perfect for buying in peace. Incidentally, whether we felt particularly comfortable did not depend on the stylish showroom, CI fuss or the last trade-in euro. The decisive factor was the open, committed and enjoyable nature of the counterpart. Add a smile, a coffee, a seat and an idea of ​​the product – the top job is done.

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