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.
A recent online article from UK comic (non-driver) David Mitchell about speeding fines has attracted a huge number of impassioned comments, some not without venom and a certain…ahem… ‘hot-blooded intensity’ (i.e. lots of swearing). Almost every statistic and perspective has been endlessly re-positioned, questioned, supported and dissected in the few hours since the post appeared. What fascinates me however is just how much energy we are wasting labouring a point so very wide of the mark…
After all there is one statistic that is being unfortunately ignored in the whole debate - it is that on average nearly one third of all Britain’s roughly 3,000 annual road deaths are comprised of cyclists and motorcyclists. The overwhelming majority of these involve collisions with a motor vehicle, be it a car, van, bus, whatever.
Now the big picture in the whole speeding fines debate is ultimately road safety - both for those who advocate the use of cameras etc - and for those that don’t (they feel the cameras do nothing to reduce actual road deaths but that this is instead used as an excuse for a revenue raising scheme). So basically the way I see it, if we had far fewer road deaths we wouldn’t need speed cameras and traps - and those who support them currently would have no need to call for them. So far, so obvious - but how to bring about this seemingly impossible situation of drastically reduced road deaths AND fewer speed cameras?
Well since overspeeding is only a factor in 5% of road deaths (gov figures) then clearly we are maybe guilty of over-emphasising the role of speed cameras in keeping roads safe. Instead why not look at the evident stupidity in mixing very large and fast vehicles like vans and cars, with small and vulnerable ones such as bikes, mopeds and scooters on our roads? Doesn’t it seem obvious that if we had proper dedicated cyclepaths alongside all major roads for these small and vulnerable road users, we could knock a good 600-700 off that annual road deaths figure pretty quickly?
It wouldn’t suddenly make road deaths a thing of the past, but it would comprise a very significant step in the right direction. Many would say that such a move would prove extremely expensive - but consider the massive amount saved from fewer NHS treatments of crash victims (it would cut not just deaths, but also treating expensive injuries in general - of which there are some 16,000 a year JUST in the case of cyclists, not including mopeds etc).
Nonetheless it would still costs a fair amount for the gov’t to launch such an initiative - but then isn’t the whole principle of a speeding fine that human lives are more important than a few quid?
Dejan Levi
David Mitchell, Dejan Levi, reducing UK road deaths, Speeding Fines, UK road safety
Following Chancellor Darling’s recent announcement of a UK vehicle scrappage scheme, Mercedes Benz UK has announced its participation, and the world’s lowest-emission cabrio leads the way.
The forthcoming smart fortwo cdi cabrio - with CO2 emissions of just 88 g/km - will be available to customers taking advantage of the scheme, including the full £2,000 saving. Other smart models including the invigorating BRABUS performance range will be available.
Additionally, every Mercedes Benz - from A-Class to S-Class - will participate in the scrappage scheme.
Full story at Carpages
Towards the end of 2008, the fifth generation BMW 7 Series went on sale. It was an event that saw the introduction of a host of innovative features and functions and a lengthy list of updates to the luxury saloon’s already mind-boggling array of technology.
Nobody manages to combine cutting-edge technology and comfort in a luxury saloon in quite the same the way as the Germans seem to be able. Consider the options; the Mercedes Benz S Class or the Audi A8. Both are loaded with goodies and house large but efficient engines under elongated bonnets, but with the new 7 Series, BMW have gone that little bit further.
Clearly, a large car, the BMW 7 Series boasts the longest wheelbase in the luxury performance segment, and that is just the ‘regular’ version - the long wheelbase model adds 140mm to the wheelbase for even more legroom in the rear of the cabin.
For full story and photos see CarPages
Speculation over the possible rebirth of the classic Porsche 928 is rife once again, the latest rumour frenzy following a ‘round table’ media grilling of Porsche execs at the Shanghai motorshow.
Apparently various members of the Porsche board have expressed positive thoughts about re-entering the front-engined luxury coupe sector, with sales and marketing director Klaus Berning reported as confirming such a car is of particular interest to the firm.
With global sales of lower-end Porsches like the Boxster and Cayman under pressure while interest in range-topping 911 and Cayenne models remains strong, it would seem to make sense for the Stuttgart manufacturer to investigate a flagship GT model based on the technically advanced Panamera platform.
Read the full article at PistonHeads