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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.
Honda’s new Plug-in Hybrid vehicle (PHV) arrived for testing in the UK this week. The model is essentially a Prius which uses a combination of electricity and petrol, saving on petrol use by using exclusively electricity for short journeys.
The controversial feature is the Plug-in aspect which means the car can be charged using mains electricity, currently available roadside from one of 40 charging posts installed already in the UK by EDF energy. The car certainly offers a way to minimise the impact of high fuel prices, but beyond that is it no more than an eco-scam? What about the environmental impact of electricity generation for example?
The short answer is that Honda’s new model will simply transfer its carbon footprint to a few hundred miles away - wherever the nearest power station happens to be. It would be nice to think that the energy was coming from wind turbines or hydroelectric power, but statistically this is unfortunately highly unlikely in the UK.
It is hard to establish whether or not the electricity needed per mile from a coal-fired power station is more environmentally damaging than the fuel needed per mile with so many variables in the equation. The numbers are quite different if you drive a Jeep 4×4 rather than a Toyota Aygo for example. In any case it is much of a muchness (with the Aygo at least - the 4×4 comes in second best every time).
The second issue is that there is clearly something absurd about advocating the purchase of a new car (made from nearly one tonne of steel), not to mention one using a 30kg Lithium battery, in order to save the planet.
Some groups have also been quick to point out that the success of this scheme could spell the end of off-peak electricity prices (as has happened in Spain last year), ultimately raising heating and utility bills and further exposing economically vulnerable groups such as pensioners in winter.
The distinction must therefore be made between this car’s potential for saving money at the forecourt, and its ability to reduce the carbon footprint of motoring. Running this car on a daily basis makes economic sense (road tax is zero and fuel costs are lower), though it would be hardly cheap to buy from the showroom (think somewhere in the region of £20k). Once this initial cost is considered the economic appeal of this PHV is drastically reduced.
As for the environment it is hard not to feel that Honda is exploiting the gulf between the average consumer’s desire to be ‘green’ and the actual level of knowledge about the environmental impact of our day to day lives. The concept of buying a new car as an positive environmental gesture requires quite a level of doublethink, while the need for mains electricity simply represents a geographical transfer of emissions to elsewhere.
Perhaps the only way this car can make environmental sense is if charged exclusively by a renewable source, such as rooftop solar panels (seems a little unlikely here in the UK). However EDF’s scheme of installing charging points throughout London suggests Honda and the energy company already have other ideas.
In the end there are only two guaranteed winners if this scheme is successful; Honda and EDF. The economics for the consumer don’t really add up considering the car’s hefty price tag, and environmental concerns seem to be more of a marketing ploy than a genuine motivation in launching the car.
Dejan Levi
