Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

Hi, What is EWS? I have a RT but have not seen any atennas linked to the key?? My bike has also broken down but for other reasons, eg diff packed up, back shock packed up, the auto suspension adjustment button assembly packed up and whats left is absolutely fine... But the EWS? I have a 06 1200RT with 53000km so maybe it was built before EWS. Just curious. Don't waste space - live on the edge

The Aerial is concealed around the ignition switch, and picks up the microchip in your key. The problem as far as I am aware was only limited to 2008 RT's and GS's. Mine was replaced by Hamman earlier this year. No problems so far!! Andy1200 Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly!!!

It is not limited to any bike. It runs across the entire spectrum as both my 800ST and the 650GS have had this failure. It's inconvenient, yes, but it's quick to rectify. Atlantic sub-contract some of their On-Call work to Steve, the Bike Collector. If Atlantic cannot get their guy out, Steve is out within minutes. Lawrence Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safetly in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadsides, loudly proclaiming WOW, What a RIDE!

I know that this is not the site to bash BMW and it's dealers, and I fully agree with Charles' and Neil's comments on this matter which was raised on another thread. HOWEVER; This is the nth time we are seeing a comment on this site about bad service from BMW on call and I have to be 'Frank' here, I am not excited about the prospect of having to make use of their service anytime soon... Is there anyway that the club can raise this matter en-masse, (and with all the requesite tact and diplomacy) with BMW? Perhaps a nicely written letter signed by as many club members who have a bike under warranty as possible. It is sure to draw more attention to the matter than many individual complaints. I realise that since I am not a member of the club, it is bold indeed of me to make this suggestion, but there is strength in numbers and surely BMW on call is part of what we paid for. This service becomes all the more important when one realises that bikers are more exposed to the elements and to security risks on a broken bike, than a cage driver who can sit inside their vehicle. (Or lock it and abandon it.) While this service may not be lucrative to BMW on bikes that cost a fraction of the cars, they should 1) Either not offer it 2) Charge for it 3) Extend the cover period for a fee to bikes older than one year, provided they are dealer serviced and maintained. By having more people under cover (and paying fees), the system may become self supporting. Cheers Frank

It might be easy to rectify but not when one is sitting in the middle of nowhere! I purchased BMW believing in the reliability of the bike, together with the promised back up in times of need. I didn’t buy a badge! I also own a 2008 1200GS and a 2008 650 (twin) which from what you are saying Herminator the same situation could happen again at any time? I can’t afford that hassle. I’d rather get rid of the lot and buy Japanese.

I think the name you wanna try is Rob Holder - from what I've been told - good man to have on your team - BMWSA JHB.

Hi Chris, sorry to hear, but re your last sentance,Don't as Charles says their engines only last 29999.99 km:-):-)

Hi Chris Sorry to hear about your problems. The BMW Motorrad-on-call response is alarming. Was the EWS replaced when your bike was in to have the problem sorted? If so, either not done correctly or what? Mine was also replaced with 1ste service but now I am worried. It would be appreciated if the local dealers (sponsors) can come to the party and tell us what can be done to give us some confidence back in reliability of the BMW bikes. Currently confidence like the financial markets - all time low :) Attie

Guys, here we go again...One guy has had a problem..now its a national Crisis.... I received an email from Hamman and they told me to bring my bike in and they changed the aerial. If you are unsure, phone your local BMW dealer and get him to check via your bike serial number if your bike is affected or not... Andy1200 Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly!!!

Hi Andy, I don't know if you were referring to my post, and if not, please disregard this, but I believe that I was talking about a calm, measured response to a re-occuring problem. The idea is not to elevate anything to the level of any sort of crisis. I also had my bike recalled for the EWS problem and never mentioned it because it was quickly sorted out by the dealer. But we have to be honest here and admit that this is not the first time that questions have been raised about BMW on call. If we are not able to express any concerns, of any nature, no matter how carefully, then please excuse me, but I misunderstood the nature of the forum. I am sorry if my post upsets anyone, but I started with a caveat and I thought the language was accomodating, (it certainly was the intention). Regards Frank

Hi Andy I also apologize if my comments offended you. My EWS was also replaced without a problem ete etc. Thanks to BMW and Donford. The worry was that it seems that Chris's EWS was replaced but that the problems re-occured. ...and then obviously the unreliable response from BMW on-call. That could very well be a national problem (crisis). Kind regards Attie

Gentlemen please, I think Chris approached this in the right way - as fuming as he is, he gave a short description of his problem and requested details to relay his grievance to BMW directly - rather than rant and rave. He went on to voice his utter disappointment in the On-Call centre (which from what I've heard is a common occurence), Frank then was kind enough to, in as professional and structured a way as possible, highlight the reccurrence of the complaint regarding On-Call and suggest a route to take to escalate that group grievance. I don't believe there is any need to turn this into a member on member duel or a mudslinging match. Can we maybe just stop, count to 10 and give all posters the benefit of the doubt before replying - isn't it the gentlemanly thing to do?

I had the aerial transponder replaced, it still went down. Apparently I am not the only one. So if you have a 2008 RT get it checked out or it could be your butt sitting in the bush waiting for whomever to come to the rescue at a leisurely pace. And the primary complaint is the lack of professionalism from BMW On Call when one is in a situation where one believed that BMW provided a back up service for their product.

Mine too was replaced recently on my 2007 1200GS, makes me a little nervous - especially if I manage to plan that little Moz trip and can't get any support...

I tend to agree with Chris's 2nd post and with Frank, perhaps it is time to request the club's committee to approach BMW on these matters, there has been no clear feedback on these issues.

Just got some feedback..if your ring aerial has been replaced then the part number should end in 247, if not then it was probabaly not replaced. Also make sure that you do not have any other remotes that operate on an RF frequency attached to your bikes keyring as this can also influence this system. Chris did your consol indicate EWS? Andy1200 Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly!!!

Frank, Attie and Shaded.. I never get offended..I'm too thick skinned for that...:smile: I just like to see things kept in perspective. Maybe when I have had reason to phone On Call then I will sing a different tune :wink: As a matter of interest it might be interesting from a technical perspective to see how many people have had the ring aerial replaced, and how many have had subsequent problems? Andy1200 Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly!!!

F800S, purchased April, 2008. Hamman actually phoned me instead of sending an e-mail and stressed the importance of coming in asap, which I did. No problems, before or after replacement though. Cheers Frank

Andy 1200. The handbook stresses that no keys etc should be together on the antenna ring. So there wasn’t. And yes it did come up with EWS and the ring was replaced on the recall.

Steve the Bike Collector, good man to know when you are in a jam. 072 2929 198 I RIDE THEREFORE I AM!

I took my bike in to Hamman for 10 000 km service a week ago. 30 minutes later I was called. The gent asked a few questions, punch line the antenna ring on my bike (2008 RT) had not been replaced - nor had I been contacted by the dealer from whom I purchased the bike to tell me about this recall !! Just to clarify, I did not buy the bike from Hamman. Since I now work 1 km from Hamman I took it there for the 10k service. A few other things was also pointed out (die manne is DEEGLIK) - and sorted out by Hamman. It was my first business with them and I will support them again - but I am moving of the point here. As for the issue of "On call". I have yet to hear a single complaint of how a dealer dealt with sombody that needed assitance - once the dealer had been contacted by on-call. EVERY complaint that I have heard relates to the call centre. I have personally pulled over to help a gent with a stranded GS. After about 20 minutes of struggling to communicate with the "operator" I gave the gents wife a lift to their house where she got the bakkie and trailor. By the time we got back to the bike the operator was still clueless. I have previously (a few months ago) had a thread where I asked that we (the club) contact BMW regarding this issue - not to "Rant and rave", but to calmly express our discontent with the "on call issue".

Very well put Padlangs - this post is the epitome of how to provide positive and negative feedback. The on-call issue does not affect me directly because I can not afford new bikes. However, on the Merweville trip with JR, we had a shredded tyre out in the sticks. Reception was poor to start with, and the operator clueless as to where in SA we were - there are no landmarks out there. It did not help that she was not a native English or Afrikaan speaker either. Now, how could this service be improved? Let's think about it: # Better operators. How exactly - unless you hire people like us that have traveled most of the country and know where everything is. At the least I suppose people who are more fluent in English and Afrikaans. The problem is that call centres operate on a shift basis with entry-level staff - anything more and things get expensive. Do you want to pay more for your bike? # Better support for the operators. I'm thinking GPS software or Google Earth to help them locate the caller more easily (or integration with cell networks to trace the call?) This is feasible, but still requires an operator with skill/intellect. It also means that BMW can not make use of a generic outsourced call-centre. # Quicker response. The guys who get their quick response don't complain, so I'm guessing there is probably a high percentage of successful on-calls. The problem is that if you ''are'' 3 hours bike ride from civilization, you cannot expect a quicker response than that. Also, typically, '''all''' the riders are out over weekends or long-weekends and when there are two incidents in the same day, the vehicle on call is busy. The speed of the response then comes down to how quickly the operator can activate somebody else. A direct call to your dealer often gets a better response, but if we overload the dealers we will end up breaking them. I suppose in Germany the 'on-call' concept works exceedingly well. But South Africa presents a logistical nightmare.

In my opinion the most important issue here is the lack of communication skills the call operator had. Apparently, they do have GPS software loaded on their PC's. However, basic training with regards to main towns seems to be missing as well as how to use the software. The person Belinda spoke to had no clue as to where Swellendam or Caledon was let alone Riviersonderend. Maybe BMW On Call should do a deal with the AA as they have been doing this type of thing for years. Or at least ensure that there personnel have a basic knowledge of South Africa. We fortunately broke down at a Caltex garage. However, it could well have been in the middle of nowhere, since we ride on and off road. We live in a country where violent crime surrounds us on a daily basis, that’s no joke especially since Belinda and I ride together and have children at home. The idea of a call centre which offers help to those people travelling alone was one of the primary reasons we bought BMW bikes. It’s okay when one is in a group riding with back up, it’s another matter entirely when one is riding solo whether on tar or gravel. The price of safety for me isn’t an issue. If I can’t afford to ride safe them I won’t ride a bike at all. If BMW promote a service which promises 24/7 assistance in order to sell more bikes. Then let that service be 100% professional and in line with the BMW brand of excellence. If not then rather scrap it. We at least then know we are on our own and can thus make our own arrangements rather than being under the false impression that help is only a phone call away.

That is what I found as well. And a failure to call back was also noticeable and so easily remedied. That is an excellent idea - a partnership. I would join the AA if it meant I could get their support while on my bike. You might be on to something here. In fact, an AA package would be great for guys like me who ride older bikes, or people whose on-call has expired. Well put - I agree completely. Perhaps they don't fully realise the effect on-call has had on the decision to buy a BMW rather than a competing brand.

Some good news from BMW. Thanks for the additional info. We share your concern about the inadequacy of On-Call and in fact have been making plans to move the recovery operation out to a contracted service that has a greater number of recovery vehicles and service points than our dealer network. We are busy with this and should have it in operation by the end of the year. Regarding your specific case, I have asked the call centre to review the voice logs and to report back to me on what went wrong in this instance. As soon as we have some feedback I will let you know.

Glad to hear the positive development in this regard Chris - please keep us posted :)

When my diff locked up it took a hell of a long time trying to explain where Century City was on the N1, the person had a vague idea of what English was. Three hours on the side of the N1, 5kms from Cape Town, go figure, my cell phone battery went flat

I myself had some bad experience with the call centre, but the last time They where really helpfull and within a very short time I was put into contact with the mechanic who then came to fetch the bike. I even had a few calls from On Call to find out if I am OK and if everything was sorted. The following day I again had a call to find out if my bike is OK. It seems as if it just depends on the operator at the time you are calling. "If you can't amaze people With your intelligence.... ...Confuse them with your bullsh!t"

This RT saga is now at an end. Firstly, Donford’s have out done themselves with regards to service. There was a bit of a mix up between my 1200GS and the 1200RT. The 1200GS had the EWS fixed whereas the RT didn’t. However, Donford’s collected all 3 bikes and checked them all out, at no cost, to ensure that none of them will have any EWS problems in the future. They even fixed my pannier. BMW on-call apologised profusely concerning the lack of service. The letter I received confirmed that they had listened to the tapes and that concurs with the complaint. The MD of BMW informed me that they know they have a problem and are working very hard to fix it. It was confirmed that they will be extending the on-call service beyond the dealers in order to give a far wider and faster service in the future. At this point I think it would be a good idea for the Club to approach BMW with regards to those riders whose bikes are outside the 3 year free On-Call service. Maybe they could include a pay system similar to the AA for cars? Just a thought. Lastly, for those who thought my thread was nothing more than a moan. Well at least my so called moan culminated in a positive ending! Better than sitting on ones butt doing nothing, save for moaning into the air!

Congrats Chris, Glad you got a happy ending :)

Chris - it's all in the way you do it. Your intention was to improve things by making a constructive complaint - and it worked and we all benefit from it. Thanks - you have shown us how to be mature about it. Website Administrator [http://honeybadger.net Honey Badger IT Services]

Well done to the "moaners" on this thread. I was worried that the thread may get hijacked from the original point which was that even with a small, easily repaired problem, you can easily be left stranded. BMW obviously recognises that, and has put into place a facility which is receiving continual bad publicity as a result of poor service/bad communication skills. The complaints have obviously had their effect and something is happening from BMW's side. Excellent stuff. As Charles says - a mature expression of disappointment and request for solution/resolution eventually wins the day over emotional outburst (on both sides). Thanks guys, who knows, I may benefit from it one day ... although Dakars NEVER break down :-) ''If you can dream it you can do it!''

Congrats (and thanks) Chris. I LIKE your idea of the club approaching BMW to discuss an extended on call service.

I broached the subject with BMW by sending them this e-mail. Hi Kent Thank you for the letter. In the event that the On-Call service is extended outside the existing BMW dealerships. A number of BMW riders from the Cape Town BMW club have asked if it is not possible to extend the On-Call service beyond the 3 year limit. In today's economic climate many of the Cape Town BMW club members are not in a position to purchase new bikes. So they are hanging onto their old ones longer. Maybe a system similar to the AA, an upfront annual fee which allows for maybe 1 or 2 recoveries per annum?

Hi Chris thanks and WELL DONE!!!!:-)

They could link it to BMW Insurance as a retention tool. My Outsurance policy offers me free roadside recovery on any vehicle I have covered on it. Lawrence Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safetly in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadsides, loudly proclaiming WOW, What a RIDE!

I'm with Lawrence on this one - I too have a recovery option through the insurance (although I've luckily NEVER had to use it) - touch wood