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Concerns about ALPINA and parts fitted by dealers |
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Norrie
Club Member Joined: 15 Jul 2012 Status: Offline Points: 4047 |
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Posted: 14 Aug 2018 at 11:57am |
Oh my word, why would any ALPINA owner not be a member? Many people join the BMWCCGB for many reasons, just the mag, the discounts, the events, no one is really sure and I am positive the Club has no critical data to support any specific reason.
Oh even join for the Club motor sport activity which some either participate or watch. I have been told that some people ( I do not hold this view) see ALPINA owners as elitist and different, with perhaps higher expectations than the Club offers? Some may see it as a rival to the M Power car, although I am not sure there is a direct comparison. The new 5 series B5 saloon is a 205 mph car and the touring 200 mph, these cars are expensive. The club is a broad church, the only entry qualification is the joining fee, one does not even have to own a BMW. In Germany ALPINA owners activity is a much higher offering, their track and 5 star hotel and Michelin rated meal event is around 1500 euros. The main issue is there are simply not enough UK just ALPINA gatherings, Sytner Nottingham only hold one every 2 years. There are some people outside the BMWCCGB who are seeking to arrange more only ALPINA meets and the last one at the ACE Cafe attracted more ALPINA cars than did the event with the Club at Silverstone or Gaydon. Perhaps your question should be directed to the Board of the Club, however the comparative small number of ALPINA members and the workload of the Directors may not go hand in hand. Plus the board has to consider all members and not just a few. We can only do what we can do and if the Club events appeal to individuals then I would encourage people to try them, like many things when one has been many and many times it becomes a bit stale and some people might be looking for some new offerings? Edited by Norrie - 15 Aug 2018 at 11:02am |
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telboy
Club Member Joined: 15 Aug 2014 Location: Bedfordshire Status: Offline Points: 6 |
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I was the member who raised the query via the Alpina Register Forum following another member's letter in Straight Six (what an excellent magazine that is).
Your reply is extremely useful and summarises the issue very well. I shall follow your advice and contact my usual BMW Dealer with a few questions as well as trying to attend some Alpina gatherings. Final queation - why would any Alpina owner not be a member of BMWCC ??????
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TelBoy
Alpina B3S Bi-turbo Convertible (2010) |
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Norrie
Club Member Joined: 15 Jul 2012 Status: Offline Points: 4047 |
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I believe one member has raised a concern that when he takes his ALPINA to a BMW approved dealership that perhaps the incorrect parts might be fitted? The concern is that when the car registration or original vin number is entered into the system it will only show the BMW donor car. The original vin is struck and replaced by an ALPINA Vin which should appear on the V5C. The ALPINA Vin is not in the BMW EPC System.
This is a valid query and it is true it is alleged this problem has occurred and in the case of cars with superchargers may have lead to failure of the component. How does an ALPINA owner find comfort? Firstly BMW UK Limited are not the importer for ALPINA, therefore whilst in theory any dealer can service the car, many will not have seen them or have technicians who have worked on them. Sytner are both the importer and the sole franchisee since 1983. Depending on where one lives it can be difficult and inconvenient, but for example I live in Sussex and used to take my car to Sytner ALPINA Nottingham. My tips are these, firstly establish if the dealer has serviced ALPINA cars and how regularly, if they have any ALPINA trained technicians? If they have the computer programme in the BMW EPC system which identifies the ALPINA parts by number. Speak to other ALPINA owners who have same model car and find out what they do and where they go. I did this and also got a list of specific parts which are non standard BMW but ALPINA with part numbers. I found a local BMW dealer who is happy for me to supply the correct Castrol oil (BMW now use Shell), the oil filter and the NGK spark plugs all of which are not the same for my car as the donor model. This does not invalidate any warranty as long as parts supplied are genuine BMW approved parts which the ALPINA parts are. It is not possible to expect any dealer just to know, they will not, also even at Sytner branches staff change and service advisers will not have been trained, do not assume they will know. Make sure they understand and if not speak to the Service Manager also pointing out that they are liable for any problems or damage relating to their ignorance. They can always contact either Sytner Nottingham parts dept, which is excellent or ALPINA Germany. The easy way is to make friends with other ALPINA owners and speak to them, it is the quickest and best advice. Hope this is of some help. You may wish to join my Facebook group - Genuine ALPINA Owners or also ask questions at thealpinaregister.com It is a fact most UK ALPINA owners are not BMWCCGB members so replies on this forum may be limited or even none at all. That it why it is always useful to get to any location where ALPINA owners meet and discuss issues. The recent Silverstone Classic was a good example over 30 ALPINA Cars and many different models with owners with a wealth of knowledge, far more than me as I am neither an expert or technically competent. Edited by Norrie - 13 Aug 2018 at 8:56am |
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