[Kmanshek]

Please post your experience and comment and share with others.
exterior/interior, mechanical..,, etc.

[crono06]

1. Most obvious would be to check the exterior for scratches, dings, etc. This is important, as once you drive it off the lot, they can say that it happened elsewhere (and I'm sure it depends on the integrity of your dealer as well).
2. They'll probably sit in with you to teach you all the iDrive/car stuff. Make sure everything is functioning properly, and if you don't understand anything, don't be afraid to ask.
3. I like to drive home with the music/radio off to ensure that there are no strange sounds, creaks, rattles, etc.

I'm sure there's more, but I believe this is a good starting point.

[spuntyb]

Originally Posted by Kmanshek

Please post your experience and comment and share with others.
exterior/interior, mechanical..,, etc.

Listen to everything. Drive with the radio off (and on at some point), and open/close all the doors a few times. There shouldn't be any loud rattles, shuddering, or excessive wind noise in the cabin.

After that, inspect the paint closely. Get it in the light and look for swirls/whorls, spiderwebs, etc.

Then make sure someone sits in the car with you and goes over all the features and make sure they all work accordingly.

[Kmanshek]

what "light" we are talking about to check the body paint?

[crono06]

Originally Posted by Kmanshek

what "light" we are talking about to check the body paint?

Sunlight preferred. Otherwise one of those strong white flash lights used in garages/construction sites will suffice as well.

[spuntyb]

Originally Posted by Kmanshek

what "light" we are talking about to check the body paint?

Direct sunlight from different angles. The paint can look pristine (also any plastic trim parts) from one angle and then on further inspection from another angle, swirls appear. Check the detailing sub forum for examples.

[Aaaaaaaaa]

I know it's probably dealer dependent but do most dealerships do a decent job of prepping the car? I know I could request them not to do anything but wouldnt the car then be really dirty and make it harder to see paint damage?

[BimmerNo5]

That must be right. If you can't see any damage, then logically you can't prove later that it wasn't you that caused damage when you took the car away and cleaned it yourself.

[335BOY]

Originally Posted by pheerix

I know it's probably dealer dependent but do most dealerships do a decent job of prepping the car? I know I could request them not to do anything but wouldnt the car then be really dirty and make it harder to see paint damage?

Oh oh, youre about to hear how brutal all the"stealerships" are........My last BMW was the only car I have ever had delivered with problems...huge swirls all over it. They tried to fix it and couldnt so let me get it fixed elsewhere and then paid for it. I've never had another issue and wouldnt think about having someone else prep a new car. Dealer messes it up then dealer will fix it. Simple.

[Kmanshek]

What about mileage on the car? What number we should expected form a new car that built from Germany.
Will they display your car in the showroom and let others sit and play with it?
I saw some ppl bring their kids and jumping all around inside the car before.

[613Bimmer]

Originally Posted by Kmanshek

What about mileage on the car? What number we should expected form a new car that built from Germany.
Will they display your car in the showroom and let others sit and play with it?
I saw some ppl bring their kids and jumping all around inside the car before.

For mileage on my F10, I had 19 KM which I think is normal. Keep in mind that the car could have been test-driven a couple of times (harshly or not). If it was in the showroom, go over all the panels with as much detail as possible and look through the interior to make sure all the parts are in new condition. If they aren't, insist that they replace the parts. I had the IDrive screen in my F10 scratched upon delivery and my dealer changed it as soon as I asked.

[Vitoco]

Look for scratches on the instrument glass, easily scratched if they wipe it with too much pressure. That would suck. Sunlight reveals any defects. Also the small center console display that shows ac-temp and fan strength.

mine went from factory, to boat, to trailer and then into dealership lot. 7 kms.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Vitoco

mine went from factory, to boat, to trailer and then into dealership lot. 7 kms.

It actually did a lot more.
The delivery center resets the counter before sending the car to the dealer.
They can do this only once. (my last car had 1km on the dial arriving at dealer and 7 on delivery )

At first start the car also does not display 0km in the factory, its closer to the limit on the display that then goes back to 0 after a certain amount of KM (eg 999,980km then becomes 0 after 20km driven). (can be seen if you go on a factory tour)
The wheel alignment and dyno tests just after assembly add a couple Km, as does the ride to the delivery center and onto the trains/trucks/boats that deliver the cars

[Vitoco]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

It actually did a lot more.
The delivery center resets the counter before sending the car to the dealer.
They can do this only once. (my last car had 1km on the dial arriving at dealer and 7 on delivery )

At first start the car also does not display 0km in the factory, its closer to the limit on the display that then goes back to 0 after a certain amount of KM (eg 999,980km then becomes 0 after 20km driven). (can be seen if you go on a factory tour)
The wheel alignment and dyno tests just after assembly add a couple Km, as does the ride to the delivery center and onto the trains/trucks/boats that deliver the cars

That might be true, but I actually got to check mine out and start the ignition (didnt start the engine) right after it went down from the trailer at the dealership. 3 days before delivery, before they prepped it etc. had all the plastic wrapping inside and out, dirty as hell with a big bird turd on the moonroof :-) I even asked for permission to drive it to the detailer myself for the pre-delivery detailing, and made sure the detailer cleaned it on the inside and only gave it a very soft wash. Took it to a professional detailer of my own liking to have it sealed right after official delivery.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Vitoco

That might be true, but I actually got to check mine out and start the ignition (didnt start the engine) right after it went down from the trailer at the dealership.

Cool.
Just saying the KM would have been reset to 0 some time between the car starting first time at the factory and it leaving the BMW delivery center (VPC) for your dealer.

[Vitoco]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

Cool.
Just saying the KM would have been reset to 0 some time between the car starting first time at the factory and it leaving the BMW delivery center (VPC) for your dealer.

Ah, got it ;-)

[BMWrules7]

Originally Posted by Kmanshek

Please post your experience and comment and share with others.
exterior/interior, mechanical..,, etc.

1. Always walk around with camera and snap pictures or take video of entire car inside and out.

Why?

Sooner or later you are going to notice something and it's going to bug you to know if the car was delivered with the defect it if you did it on your watch. Make sure you get a picture of the dealers smiling face in a single, uninterrupted video of the new car inside and out 360.

Never accept a new vehicle with over 50 miles on the clock without getting some kind of concession in return.