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Daniel, Peter and all at PMW, Where do I start? I guess I’ll tell the whole story! At 31 years old and on my fifth BMW I can’t believe it has taken me so long to find you! Having been messed around previously by a major BMW dealership I knew it was time to consider other options. I was introduced to your firm by a friend that owns an E90 M3 and was impressed by your service. In the same week, another friend recommended you. Two recommendations in one week, it had to be a sign. Both could not speak highly enough of your attitude, professionalism and end product. Time to call!…………… I originally spoke to Jayne who was warm, friendly and personable. I was passed to Peter and immediately knew that my car was going to PMW and nowhere else. Car rental was arranged and so when I dropped the car off, I had a car to drive away with and with minimum fuss. Having been dealing with main dealerships for so long, I predicted a call either at the end of the first day it was in the garage or the next morning. So, it came as a surprise to hear from Peter whilst I was driving home, some 30 minutes to an hour after I had dropped the car off. Peter knew there were things I personally wanted to do to the car, but suggested we prioritise works in order to mitigate the total costs. Hang on a second… A car garage worrying about MY money? This was getting too good to be true, surely. By the end of the first day, Peter had pointed out issues which he felt needed attention and we agreed to start works, costs were made clear before a spanner had been picked up. Whilst in the garage, I never had to call to find out what stage the repairs were at, I was always called and kept updated. Again, in stark contrast to my usual dealings with BMW dealerships. I picked my car up a few days later and Peter asked if I wanted to drive the car with him. I was just amazed that he was willing to take 5 minutes out of his day to make sure I was satisfied. Every garage should do it, but it really made it clear to me that PMW care about their clients. They care about their reputation and it shows in everything they do. The car was a dream, it just drove beautifully. A few days after the service, I booked the car into a BMW dealership to get the alloys re-furbed and a dent taken out. Having just been serviced by PWM, I only wanted aesthetic work done. So it came as a surprise when they called me (a day later!) to say the diff seals and gearbox seals needed replacing. Alarm bells ringing. Firstly, why are they checking mechanics when I didn’t ask for this, and secondly did PMW not do this work? I called Peter and he confirmed the seals were changed so back on the phone to BMW. I asked the BMW dealership what gave them the impression this work needed doing and they pointed to oil residue. I asked them if they had actually checked the seals and they hadn’t. After inspecting again, they (BMW) admitted the work had already been done and that they would have charged me for work that already been carried out. What a f******g liberty. I asked BMW not to look at my car anymore and to carry out the works I originally asked them to do. I have lost all faith in them, they really should be taking a leaf out of PMW’s book. The car was in the garage for three days for this work and I was called twice. Owning a business myself, my feelings are that any business shows it true colours when things go wrong, not when they are going smoothly. This leads to chapter two!………. Two weeks later, the car came up with a transmission fault whilst my wife was driving home. Straight on the phone to Daniel. Daniel agreed a tow would be best so as not to cause anymore issues and said he would arrange this immediately. He called me back within 15 minutes and the car was collected within the hour. Unbelievably efficient.The fault was found that day; a faulty pin in the transmission electrical plug. No bullshit, no messing around. An apology and the problem fixed within 24 hours. The entire situation was dealt with perfectly.I really cannot sing your praises enough PMW. I can only try to put into words how impressed I am and have been with your service, communication and the overall experience. Even my wife smiles like a Cheshire cat now and has asked me not to change cars as I usually do every 12 months. My Wife! Someone who just does not care about cars. So, not only have you made my car drive like a dream and made me the happiest car owner in London but you’ve also managed to make the wife happy as well, that deserves a bonus point.All my staff are bringing their cars to you (as you know). If I meet anyone in the street that owns a BMW, will be sending them you way, PMW are just on a different level. You are in a league of your own.Genuinely, keep up the amazing work Guys & thank you very , very much for everything. My car will not be going anywhere else in future, even if I moved abroad!Though I guess that’ll be a good excuse for a long drive?
Hi just wanted to leave some feedback to say thanks for dealing with my request
for swirl flap blanks so quickly. I ordered these at 12pm and they were with me
in the Western Isles before 11am the next morning! I needed to ask for some
advice when putting everything back together which I was given immediately over
the phone. All in all, a fantastic company which offered a customer service
level that was second to none!
Thank You!
After a bodged repair by a local London garage to my swirl flaps and deep concerns about my 2001 BMW 530D Touring I consulted Peter from pmwltd about the condition of my car. My regular mechanic whom I have known for 20 years simply took out my swirl flaps and replaced the shafts with bolts. This at some time later, only (900 miles) caused an ingestion into the chamber and ruined my piston and valves and looked like a very time consuming and costly repair. After completion I took my car to peter at pmw and discussed the works. He had his guys strip out the existing bolts that were very unprofessional and replaced with his swirl flap blanking plates. Now I have heard a lot about these plates and swirl flap damage and I can tell you as an ex AA Patrol man that if not done correctly as Peter has done you will cause serious damage to your beloved engine. This is a guy with a great team and a wealth of knowledge behind them who know their stuff, not your usual bit mechanic who ”
knows a bit about engines”. I drove down from Lewisham London to his workshops in Chelmsford and it only took an hour and was easy to get to. If I was you I would call them for your piece of mind because you know like I do that you don’t want just anyone tinkering with your pride and joy. Its worth the drive knowing your car is in safe and knowledgeable hands at pmw. He,s not a rip off either, he is a very reasonable honest mechanic and cheaper than the main dealers out there. Thanks peter.
BMW Senior/Master Technician required at our busy Chelmsford premises.
Full time position available due to workload and continued re-investment.
Candidate must be self motivated, able to work without supervision to a very high standard. Teamwork also very important.
The successful candidate will benefit from working in a busy and professional environment, technical training courses and a generous financial package.
Applications in writing with full CV should be addressed to: Mr Daniel Bearman Esq C/O PMW Ltd.
BMW Series 3 is earning its rankings by reaching the second place in popularity amongst reviewed upmarket midsized car models. This sedan is the one of most luxurious midsized cars on the market today and although it is luxury model its performance doesn’t luck the punch. Series 3 line is based around the powerful motor and has an exemplary suspension that makes everyday driving into a relaxed experience. But in comparison with Lexus ES, BMW Series 3 lucks in terms of ultimate luxury, but it outshines Lexus ES in terms of performance.
A very strong in luxury midsized sedan market is abundance of safety features and BMW Series 3 is a leader in that field. Out of all the available safety and reliability features BMW scores 9.2 out of 10 in the review. Series 3 comes in all the popular body styles: coupe, sedan, wagon and convertible. As well, customers can choose between the rear or all wheel drive transmission. So it is no wander that Series 3 is the BMW’s top seller in United States market.
The new 2011 BMW Series 3 has a few improvements over the previous Series 3 predecessor. It is slightly heavier, a bit faster and it has an updated look. New car is focused on performance and this shows in the design of the interior. One can immediately see that design was optimized for driver involvement, although interior is still pretty cozy.
If you want to drive a car that will turn heads, then you have to be ready to dress to impress. Not yourself, the car. This is exactly what BMW’s design team, lead by Chris Bangle, has achieved with BMW’s GINA roadster. This concept car ventures further than many petrol head’s imagination will ever go, so we might safely say that it will never see serial production. But we are sure that it will be very popular with car magazine editors.
The fabric that is used is water resistant and translucent, polyurethane coated Spandex. Spandex is well known for its durability and resistance to stretching even if exposed to either low or high temperatures. Actually, Spandex is used in a clothing industry under the different name, known as Lycra. So, most people who are interested in outdoor sports will know about it.
In the features department, GINA’s skin offers some surprises. It is not simply a roadster that is covered by fabric, it is a car that can change shape as well, James Bond style. Although not yet on a level of the Transformers, but more in kind of semi-practical way. For example, fabric and frames around headlights form the shapes similar to eyelids. So when you turn the headlights on, hidden electrical and hydro-electrical actuators get into action until those ‘eyelids’ open. Another feature is, that depending on the speed, you can raise a rear wing, to get a more speed hungry look.
As well, doors are shaped like scissors and they literally roll up, as you open them. And fittingly enough, if you are possibly looking for any indicators or brake lights, they are only available in a hide-and-seek mode. That is to say, they are hidden under the fabric, which is translucent enough. Whatever was the design brief, but it looks very cool.
The times when you had to depend on a few old cassette tapes to add to that feeling of freedom that fast driving gives you, had long gone. Now, your BMW is fully compatible with a panoply of indoor and outdoor portable entertainment systems, like iPod, iPhone, MP3 player and USB sticks. With a flick of few switches, you can choose amongst thousands of your favorite songs. The main advantage of this system is that they have a very similar user interfaces it is really easy to transfer from one device to another.
Actually BMW is actively working on evolving the iDrive into ConnectedDrive technology, which is a type of a networked car intelligently integrated into the services available in the outside world, like GPS and Internet. What this means in relationship to iPhone and Ipad, is that one will be able to not just listen to the preselected music from these devices, but he will be able to download and exchange the software applications between the car and his mobile devices. Also, according to BMW’s US Technology Offices senior engineer Robert Passaro, we will not need to wait longer than 2011 to see these goodies in action. System is going to be completely upgradeable, so users will have a complete access to the latest features and applications.
Nobody likes to be involved in a car crash and very few people can say that they have trained for such a situation. It is no wonder that technology is slowly taking over this hazardous situation. Taking into the account the speed with which modern electronics react, versus the speed with which an average human can react, it is no wonder that BMW started experimenting with those systems many years ago.
In the recent world premiere, the BMW 530d equipped with anticipatory assistance system successfully passed a so called “offset crash”. This system was integrated into an upgraded Active Cruse Control, which was extended with new sensors, like a radar. The whole system is designed in such a way that it doesn’t interfere with driver’s control of the vehicle until it is absolutely necessary to do something. So one doesn’t need to fear that car will suddenly start breaking, on its own.
The way it is done: a collision threatening situation is divided into several stages. First system will just pass a visual warning in a form of a lit up symbol on a dashboard or a small head up display. If situation continues to worsen, still without any reaction from driver, an audible alarm will sound off and at that point brakes will be pretensioned. Basically braking system will be prefiled with braking fluid and brake trigger level will be automatically lowered, all in order to reduce the time that is needed to engage the brakes. If finally, car enters into the third and last stage; where collision is imminent and unavoidable, the car will take over and activate brakes as required.
In the tests run at DEKRA, near Neumunster near Hamburg, the speed of BMW 530d that was approaching an offset obstacle was reduced, at the point of collision, from 60 km/h down to 40 km/h. That is great success for the new system since it reduces a kinetic energy absorbed by passengers by 33%.
Many times when US takes a lead, old Europe jumps on the bandwagon, just to prove it is still kicking about. We finally have a match for Tesla Motor’s Roadster and it comes from Mercedes stable, in a form of gull-winged SLS AMG E-Cell. SLS AMG E-Cell has a very similar performance to that of company’s 6.3 liter V8 engine model. E-Cell will go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.0 sec, falling behind only 0.2 sec in comparison with the petrol model. Definitely, environmentally friendly petrol heads will face a very few regrets.
One can only say that electric cars can do much better than that, since this performance is a whopping 0.3 sec behind Tesla’s Roadster, which can reach 60 mph in 3.7 secs. And at that, Tesla’s Roadster is production car, not just a prototype.
Other E-Cell’s numbers stuck up quite impressively: 526 bhp and 649 lb ft torque. Taking a huge 6.2 liter V8 out and replacing it with electric motors, built into each axle, enabled Mercedes’ engineers to improve aerodynamics by changing rear diffuser and front splitter. Those improvements resulted in a greater down force. E-Cell is powered by the same technology as laptop, or a toy RC helicopter: the now ubiquitous lithium polymer batteries. Those batteries are located under the floor, helping with a lower center of gravity. Lithium polymer batteries need a bit of additional weight of integrated cooling system.
This impressive car will be on sale in 2013. No indications of price had yet been disclosed.
There’s an interesting piece over at the Telegraph online from James May this week, in which he discusses the various complaints of motoring groups and individual motorists who had been of the view that the previous Labour government was somehow ‘anti-car’, as a result of the various escalations in the cost of driving during the last 13 years.
The fundamental point is that there is an inherent absurdity in this labeling - evident if we take another example, the sizable stamp duty tax on buying a house, and then decide that the previous gov’t was also ‘anti-houses’ (The whole ‘anti-car’ thing then starts to seem rather daft…).
The core issue according to James May is simply one of taxation - which any and every government will apply heavily to certain things, especially cigarettes, booze, fuel etc. None however will ban any of these things (which would be the true ‘anti-car’ position), but simply put a premium on consuming them which will go into the treasury budget.
Unfortunately the current economic reality for the incoming government would have been the same regardless of which party it was drawn from - that massive deficeit didn’t care if it was Gordon Brown, Nick Clegg or David Cameron in No.10, and hence it seems unlikely that any administration would have turned down the opportunity to generate the considerable income available from fuel and motoring taxes, just as no party would have suddenly turned around and slashed a coupe of quid off cigarette duties.
We have to recognise that fuel is more and more one of the core safe (but unpopular) sources of government income - in that as long as the rate of tax isn’t too steep, most of us will grumble slightly but continue to drive, though maybe with a smaller car, more efficient driving etc. Like beer and cigs (and unlike food for example), fuel/driving is something that will not directly be infringing anyone’s survival should they be forced to alter consumption habits significantly.
From the perspective of the motorist who thinks things are expensive now I have some bad news - in my opinion driving will never be this cheap again; in five years we’ll remember the £1.20 litre fondly while paying £2.10 or whatever. Looking at the the taxation trend on similar commodities (alcohol, cigarettes being the main ones) this conclusion is pretty obvious and the truth of the three main political parties’ stance on such is that there simply isn’t much difference - it’s not a point of party difference any more than the food they serve in the Whitehall canteens. If you like cheap driving I recommend instead a once annual holiday in Saudi Arabia where a litre of petrol will cost you around 20p right now, which is probably the amount fuel would simply increase by here while you’d be away…
Dejan Levi
With the Beijing Motor show (or Auto China 2010 as it was otherwise known) having taken place last weekend in China, it seems the web is a-buzz with a plethora of interesting coverage and comment. As always there was the usual array of futuristic eco-technologies and sexy conceptual models, as well as a strong showing from Chinese and Asian manufacturers, that tend to feature a little less in the other major shows - In other words, we had a little glimpse of what the future holds from some lesser known (but probably not for long) Chinese auto firms.
Without further ado, for those who couldn’t make it (i.e. pretty much anyone reading this I imagine) here’s a round-up of the next best thing: some highlights from what’s on offer on the web…
AutoBlog have posted an excellent podcast, downloadable for free, containing analysis and debate of all the major industry developments to come out of the show. Their experts cover everything from Beijing design innovation, public perception of automotive design, industry bailouts and more - well worth a listen for anyone interested in the current issues facing the industry.
The Telegraph online is a good place to pop over for a more visual experience - with the site offering a great picture gallery from the show with over 30 images. There some pretty bizarre conceptual models both from the realm of sleek sporting models to mini urban eco electrics.
Finally, the official homepage of the show itself is worth a look, showcasing more detailed info on the exhibitors and participants so that you can find out more on the aspects which might have taken your interest.
Dejan Levi
Oh dear - recently I bought a used car after my trusty old 1.3 Ford Escort finally succumbed to its old age and failed an MOT in spectacular style (£550 to get it on the road for another year - though I’m now starting to think that maybe wasn’t so bad). Basically I was a little naive about just how much running a car in 2010 was going to be costing, and now I’ve learned my lesson (albeit somewhat expensively).
You see the car I got was a bit of a bargain by the traditional markers - a 1.6 Daewoo Tacuma in great condition, only 29k on the clock, for just £1800. The problem is that the running costs for just one year of the car look set to exceed this by some way - and it is this that it seems we’re going to need to get used to when buying any sort of car in the near future.
In short, the price of the car itself is actually far less significant (assuming you intend to keep and run the car for more than a couple of years) than the costs of running it, and it is the latter that you really need to do your research on before you head to the dealership.
First of all, road tax has gotten super, super expensive for all mid- to larger cars (with higher rates of CO2 emissions). Check the latest information from DirectGov and be sure to know what you are buying in terms of tax category - my 1.6 Daewoo is in band K for example, as it emits quite a high 205g/km. Consequently it will now cost be a whopper £245 to renew the tax disc for another year (up £30, or roughly 15% on last year), while a new Tacuma would cost a staggering £550 a year under the new tax structure for new cars registered on or after April 1st 2010.
Then comes the question of insurance, which many are finding has also become a little more complicated as the cost of premiums has increased dramatically over the past year, often outweighing the reductions of another year of no-claims bonus. Again, this is something which young drivers especially will be encountering for the first time, so it’s important to be aware of which category your desired car model falls into, as anything exceeding 6 or 7 could start to be horrendously expensive - even with a few years no claims bonus.
I won’t go into the question of fuel too much - we all know the score on that (it’s super expensive, and will only get more so through the next couple of years), and you can find quite a decent breakdown of costs in a recent article in Telegraph motoring.
The important thing to remember is that this situation is not entirely unique in the UK when compared to close neighbours in Europe such as France, Germany, or Italy (also, with regard to fines and penalties many will find the UK again to be roughly on a par with the rest of the EU). Generally, driving (and transport in general) is becoming more and more expensive, which is a result of some pretty unavoidable factors, and a few we could maybe have side-stepped but haven’t.
I’ll take one example from each category here before I finish. Firstly, those pesky factors we can’t do anything about - namely, the fact that cars require petrol (oil) to run, and we don’t have any of this of our own. Moreover those that do have it know that its supply is limited and that the market generally will follow normal supply-demand principles - i.e. as it becomes rarer, it also gets more expensive.
Those that say the government could offset this by reducing taxes on petrol are advocating a remarkably blinkered policy unfortunately - as what would happen in 20 or 30 years when we are left with a completely oil-dependent infrastructure, economy etc and the stuff runs out? The chaos doesn’t really bear thinking about, instead the fact that we need to wean ourselves off the stuff over the next couple of decades is pretty evident, but the question remains about the best way to do this.
Now let’s turn to an arguably more avoidable problem with the cost of transport in the UK - that of the cost of public transport, which often doesn’t represent great value for money (though in coming years, when compared to using a private car, it no doubt will start to). I am worried that the rapidly escalating cost of owning and running a car, will translate also to rising rail and bus transport costs, mainly for the reason that these services could increase by some way in cost and still represent a cheaper option that a private car.
In any case, whichever government wins the upcoming general election, public transport must be a priority if we are to avoid a situation that would be very bad for business, for leisure, for general quality of life in the UK, whereby any kind of transport becomes a real luxury that many cannot afford.
Dejan Levi
cost of running a car in the UK, Dejan Levi, Fuel prices, Insurance costs, UK road tax
Every day we receive numerous phone calls from potential customers that ask the same question:
‘Why should I buy Swirl Flap Blanking plates from you, when there are other people/companies out there selling them for a few pounds less?’
The answer is quite simple; PMW Ltd originated the design for diesel Swirl Flap Blanking Plates. Our Blanking plates are machined to a very high tolerance to ensure that they fit each inlet manifold application perfectly.
*Our competitors simply ordered Blanking Plates from us and copied the design. These individuals/companies generally have no Motor Trade pedigree and can offer no technical support with regard to any technical issues arising after fitment.
PMW Ltd only employs factory trained BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche & Ferrari Technicians that are also ATA accredited. As a result of this investment we can offer full technical support to our customers (over the phone) when they need it most.
*Only recently we took a phone call from one of our customers that purchased Blanking plates from us following ingestion; Despite having the engine rebuilt and a new turbo fitted, he was experiencing ‘lag’ at mid range revs. His chosen repairing garage was unable to trace the fault. We told him what the likely causes were and talked his repairing garage through the issue. Within a matter of hours the vehicle was fixed. Another satisfied customer several hundred miles away!
*We have received many phone calls from private individuals that have purchased ‘Fake’ blanking plates from other sources and experienced performance related issues. They have been unable to speak with anyone from the supplier and taken it upon themselves to call us asking for assistance! Sadly we are not prepared to support counterfeit suppliers or their customers.
If you want piece of mind when carrying out Swirl Flap modifications; there really is ONE choice……. PMW Ltd.
*Fitting Blanking Plates will have no perceived effect on performance; however, certain underlying technical issues may become apparent after fitment? PMW Ltd will always interrogate the DDE fault memory prior to any Blanking Plate fitment in our workshop. It is strongly advised that when doing the job at home this procedure is followed.
