01245 49673901245 349367
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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.
Overtaking on the inside, cutting other drivers ‘off’ and hogging the middle lane… All of these bad habits have annoyed UK motorists enough that, in a recent poll, an overwhelming majority said they would support the addition of an ‘etiquette’ section as a component in the practical driving test.
I personally couldn’t agree more - with road rage (be it someone else’s or your own) being one of the things which makes driving often so stressful and frustrating for many, it would surely be of massive benefit to educate and train drivers a little more thoroughly at the early stage of their driving lives, to help minimise this unpleasant aspect of driving.
The whole thing got me thinking about so-called ‘bad habits’ which people develop in their driving that I personally find particularly grating, most of which result from laziness or a lack of confidence. Everyone must have their own similar list, with a few changes here and there… but one things for sure; if the etiquette section can reduce the frequency of these, we’d all gladly support its inclusion. Here’s my top driving frustrations:
- People who park on double yellow lines, especially on tricky bends near busy junctions. They always significantly reduce visibility and contribute to causing accidents - and always emerge blameless every time.
- Relatives and friends who drive in third gear at 50mph (I know quite a few believe it or not), and then complain that their cars really burn through petrol at a scary rate as the engine roars and strains under the groan of motorway driving in 4th…
- Middle lane motorway hogs AND those impatient and dangerous drivers who under-take them to make a point. Basically both categories here contribute to a considerable number of motorway accidents, all because one is too lazy or not confident enough (in which case should not be on the motorway) to change lanes, while the other is too impatient and stressed that they do an even worse manoeuvre just to make a point…
Anyway, the list could go on (roundabout non-indicating, mobile phone use etc etc) - feel free to add your own pet-peeves below: I’ll finish merely by saying that such an ‘etiquette’ section would clearly be very welcome, but it also begs the question of who is making these faux-pas that around 80% of drivers find so annoying? It can surely only be these very same drivers themselves?
Dejan Levi
bad driving habits, Dejan Levi, driving etiquette, UK driving test
Specialist coachbuilder Magna has felt the first tangible effects of Volkswagen’s takeover of Porsche: the German giant has cancelled a contract with Magna to build the next-generation Porsche Boxster and Cayman.
Instead, VW is set to move production of the new models to a former Karmann factory in Osnabruck, which VW bought in November after Karmann filed for bankruptcy.
Article continues over at Pistonheads online
BMW is pleased to announce the next chapter in the story of one of the most successful cars ever to have been produced. The new, sixth generation BMW 5 Series Saloon offers customers the perfect blend of class-leading powerplants, unrivalled driving dynamics and a sporting yet elegant design to set a new benchmark in the executive class.
The very first BMW 5 Series Saloon appeared in 1972 and every incarnation since then has raised the bar in terms of design, engineering or technology. BMW’s first diesel engine appeared in a Five, while other generations hailed the introduction of innovations such as all aluminium suspension, Head-up Display and Active Steering. The latest BMW 5 Series Saloon similarly sets new standards and is the first in its class to feature Auto Start-Stop, an eight-speed automatic transmission and a double-wishbone front suspension.
Full story continues over at BMW news online
A highly appealing and emotionally charged Cabriolet is the latest addition to the successful Mercedes-Benz E-Class line-up. The open-top two-door model, which goes on sale in the first quarter of 2010, features a classic fabric soft top, making for a stylistically pure cabriolet feeling.
“With the new Cabriolet we are complementing our successful E-Class family with yet another particularly emotionally appealing model,” says Frank Bernthaler, Director, Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Middle East & Levant.
The soft top can be opened and closed fully automatically within 20 seconds - even when driving at speeds of up to 40 km/h. The cabriolet roof is stowed in a special compartment behind the rear panel. A retractable cover separates the soft top compartment from the boot area which must be closed in order to close the soft top. If the roof is to remain closed, the cover can be slid rearwards, in which case the boot capacity is increased by 90 litres to 390 litres. A through-loading feature is included as standard for the new Cabriolet, as is EASY-ENTRY - a manually operated entry and exit aid for the rear passengers.
Article continues over at Ameinfo.com
Suffice it so say that the UK’s most well-known motoring journalist, Jeremy Clarkson (who else?), is something of a controversial figure. His sometimes slightly racist humour tends to attract a fair bit of press attention and, perhaps even more disappointingly, quite a few fans. But we are not here to discuss these matters in this blog; instead I’m interested in the question of Clarkson’s view of climate change - which is particularly significant when his position as a leading public voice on motoring affairs is taken into account.
To summarise Clarkson’s position briefly; he believes climate change is happening, but has nothing to do with humankind’s activities and can therefore not be affected by things such as our C02 emissions. Thus he often delivers ‘humurous’ insights on the consequences of climate change such as ‘Switzerland loses its ski resorts, the beach in Miami is washed away, North Carolina gets knocked over by a hurricane… anything bothering you yet?’.
Is this irresponsible talk from such a publicly prominent motoring authority? Such statements seem to revolve around an underlying lack of compassion or consideration for others, disguised as free-thinking individualistic rebellion. Don’t lots of people usually die in hurricanes and floods? Is this something we’re really happy to joke about?
I know Clarkson would call me a politically correct fool, but nonetheless he chooses to focus his joke on natural features for a reason (’a beach’, ’ski resorts’) rather than mention that actually it is the loss of human life that is most central and tragic when such events occur. If he was truly comfortable and happy with this as the basis for a joke, why hide the truth of death and suffering in such events? Why not just say: ‘thousands of people lose their homes in Bangladesh, floods kill yet more people in Florida, and a hurricane destroys half of a city in Mexico. Anything bothering you yet?’ Hahaha indeed…
I don’t doubt for a second that Clarkson truly believes what he says, though we should not forget that such views also serve quite a useful function of positioning his public persona as a ’speaks his mind, no messing about with pc concerns, anti-government rebel’ - which ensures quite the degree of popularity, as we can see from his quite extensive career success.
I don’t really want to enter into an actual debate on climate change and motoring here really, or the specifics of Clarkson’s actual views. What concerns me instead is the manner in which he expresses them - which relies upon an exploitation of underlying racism or unfeeling disregard for others, dressed up as plain-speaking humour.
Have a look for example at a recent article for the Sun which covers some key climate change and motoring topics, and in which Clarkson’s main point is that since we have no viable alternatives to fuel at the moment (in a widely market-available option) then it’s just tough since we have no choice but to drive. Nothing wrong with that - I might not fully agree personally, but really it’s a valid opinion and there’s nothing too controversial there. However here’s a little extract from the piece itself:
‘This week, eight rich old men in Japan announced it was “The End For The Petrol Powered Car”. The leaders of the G8 nations decided, over a delicious eight-course lunch, that the grubby little people who they represent must now eat mud and go to work every day in a Moulinex Magimix. My, I bet the eco-mentals were celebrating. They probably all had friends round to their yurts for a glass of nuclear-free South African peace wine.’
Basically the gist is this: extravagantly indulgent foreigners (those pesky ‘rich old Japanese’), who hold us in total contempt (apparently they reckon we should now ‘eat mud’ though they have an ‘eight-course lunch’), have decided once again what’s best for us, much to the delight of fundamentalist and deluded environmentalists who drink foreign wine (ewww) and live like semi-civilised primitives (yurts!), all because they are too fussy about damaging the environment (’nuclear-free’).
So, what is essentially a scientific issue (climate change) is actually situated along the lines of an opposition to foreigners telling us what to do; rich fat cats exploiting us for their own gain; and finally the wackjob environmentalists winning authority and status even though they are really just dirty, self-righteous hippies…
And that’s the problem really - there’s not too much real scientific engagement here from Clarkson, and instead the climate change debate really just becomes an opportunity for a populist political position, meanwhile the cause of encouraging intelligent debate and knowledge on the topic takes a very very back seat.
Some might disagree with my analysis of Clarkson’s writing and comments, and ultimately this is a wider issue facing all those journalists and bloggers whose topics touch upon the climate change issue, but when it comes to the particular case of our country’s most influential motoring journalist, maybe in the interests of professionalism, in future it might be better to not discuss the climate change topic in future if an intelligent and rational analysis is not on the cards.
Dejan Levi
climate change, CO2 emmissions, Dejan Levi, green motoring, Jeremy Clarkson
BMW has announced that the BMW Z4 sDrive35i is to be offered with an extra ’s’. This range-topper sharpens the roadster’s sporting pedigree by offering an even higher level of performance and adds to its sleek, sporty looks with some extra styling touches.
Premiering at the Detroit Motor Show in January and on sale in the UK in March 2010, the new BMW Z4 sDrive35is gains an extra 34hp over the standard car, taking output to 340hp. The 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine with its twin turbocharger technology and High Precision Direct Injection increases maximum torque to 450Nm with an extra 50Nm of torque available in the upper gears for extra power when overtaking. This is achieved by an extra short-time boost in turbo pressure.
Full story, plus photos, over at Carpages
In a strange move Mercedes-Benz has revealed early details of its E-Class Cabriolet prior to its official web and print unveiling next week.
The Cabriolet adds a fourth model line to the E-Class range, joining the saloon, estate and coupé models and giving wind-in-the-hair fans an E-Class choice.
With the saloon bringing its clever AttentionAssist driver drowsiness detection technology and the coupé its wind-cheating, super-efficient aerodynamic shape, Mercedes has made sure the E-Class Cabriolet driver isn’t left wanting for innovation, with the open-topped car getting head airbags and a new device that Mercedes calls Aircap.
Article continues over at Yahoo news
Bonkers is a relative term, when you think about it. Case in point: the 9ff GT9. With 973 horsepower and a 409 km/h top speed – that’s 254 mph, friends – this was already one bonkers supercar. And then 9ff comes along with the GT9-R, an even faster version with – wait for it – 1120 horsepower and a claimed 414 km/h (257 mph) top speed. That’s enough to outgun the 412 km/h (256 mph) record set by the SSC Ultimate Aero TT to claim the top-speed crown. That’s right: pending outside verification at least, this is the world’s fastest car. On the way, it’ll hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.9 seconds, 200 km/h (124 mph) in 7.4 and 300 (186 mph) in 14.9. Right, bonkers.
Although – like 9ff’s tuner cars – the GT9-R is loosely based on a Porsche 911, it only bears what could barely be described as a passing resemblance. Just about the entire thing is built from scratch, with a 4.0-liter boxer six all but completely rebuilt.
Read more at Autoblog online
Dear Peter,
I just wanted to record my thanks to you and the PMW team for all your hard work on my 318ti. Your persistance finally paid off and the car is now running better than it has ever done, and I really appreciate the helpful and considerate approach taken. I would particularly like to mention Daniel for all his support, cooperation and guidance. He really is a star!
Thanks again
David
And:
Hi Peter,
So many people moan about the motor trade, so it’s nice to find somewhere you can be really positive about, and where you get good old fashioned personal service mixed with the latest technology. You can quote me on that as well !!
Kind regards & a great Christmas to you and the team also.
David
