[BruceM]

I have the UCP installed. It has a clutch stop as well. The throw is shorter, tighter and firmer than stock. I have it in the middle setting--Sport--and now I can actually feel some resistance in the stroke. I don't like super light clutch actions, and although Sport is certainly not even close to heavy, it is at least somewhat firmer, and still linear.

Great mod, for my tastes. Especially combined with a good SSK, it significantly changes the shifting experience for the better.

[bobert]

Originally Posted by afwares

Hi again Bobert, thanks for following me from that other thread. Let me catch you up on what we know - and you'll realize that we know very little. Not saying that as a knock on the dealer, but this is all new info for us, and maybe it shouldn't be.

- Our SA took a $1000 deposit on October 21 and told us verbally that we had an allocation, that we were on the list and the dealer had enough allocations that we were getting a car
- We do not have a production number
- Our SA did not ask for ED dates - we told him the 11 day window we had available in May and that was that.
- This is the first we've heard about how BMW schedules its ED deliveries in terms of lead-time.
- I don't want to put words in our SA's mouth, but I can best summarize the tone of our exchanges as we would be hearing from the factory any day now about our May ED request.

The reason your info is critical is because we're flying my niece in from Florida to house-sit and pet-sit for us while we're in Germany. I can only get her for a specific window in between her graduation from UF in early May and her leaving for Moldavia (she was just accepted into the Peace Corps) beginning of June. So it's not even about us booking flights or making our own travel plans, or even just being able to get more excited knowing it's happening, it's more an issue of tying up my niece's last month in the states until sometime in 2020. These circumstances require that we know sooner, rather than later, whether our May window will happen or not.

We've been patient with our SA because we just want an M2 - we'll be happy whether we take delivery here or Germany. But if your info is accurate, we may be flying a little blind here, so to speak. Might be time for us to call that phone number you supplied. Thank you again.

Not saying your SA is being devious or that it won't work out, but you definitely don't have an allocation if you don't have a production number. At this point, they have $1000 from you and you are simply on a list awaiting an allocation. Not all dealers will take deposits before they give you an allocation, but it's not unusual.

It IS odd that he gave you the impression that you'd be hearing from the factory any day now regarding ED in May, which is not the case since you never gave him three date choices - unless he just picked three random dates in your given timeframe - but, as mentioned, BMW simply does not work that far ahead and he can't possibly request ED until you have an allocation.

I encourage you to insist on ED if possible, as it's a fantastic experience, and to also make sure you have it in writing now that they will sell you the car for the ED MSRP (5% off the base US price). If you don't already have that, or if they refuse, I would get the deposit back and look elsewhere. I'm not sure you're going to be able to get solid-enough confirmation as early as you seek though.

[Fear-Mongrel]

Thanks Bobert, all of this info is very helpful. We did get a verbal confirmation that pricing is MSRP - 5% for ED, but not in writing, and I recognize that level of trust can bite us if not careful. We're flying blind as first-timers regarding the ED process specifically, but not the car-buying process itself - my first job out of college was selling trucks for Ford, and I ended up selling for other dealerships here and there between jobs over the years.

I have requested the production number from our SA, let's see what that request yields. We travel to Europe just about every year, so the ED is not something we're intimidated by, and we're over the moon about it so we are going to do everything possible to make that happen. I remember driving past the Welt Center years ago while on business in Germany, but never thought I'd be getting a car there.

The good news is that I feel like there's time - if for any reason we need to shift gears and handle the process more aggressively we have the flexibility to do so between now and our requested ED window. In other words, we're not over a barrel and we can still control our situation.

[Fear-Mongrel]

Just wanted to post a follow-up and thank you to forum member Bobert. Everything he pointed out regarding timelines, ordering, production number, etc. was not only dead-on accurate, but helped us from getting too far into our purchase with bad info. One call to BMW NA Special Sales and a 10-minute discussion with Sabrina there revealed that very little of what our sales rep had told us was true and actually happening. We don't have an allocation, we don't have a production number, and a reservation had not been submitted for ED. We are just a name on the dealer's list.

The good news is that the sales manager has stepped in and taken over the process and will be our point person going forward. She has our dates, our order, and has confirmed the ED pricing discount. We know where we are on the list, where we fall in their quarterly allocations distribution, and she's assured us that all will go smoothly from here on out. Thanks again Bobert.

[bobert]

Originally Posted by afwares

Just wanted to post a follow-up and thank you to forum member Bobert. Everything he pointed out regarding timelines, ordering, production number, etc. was not only dead-on accurate, but helped us from getting too far into our purchase with bad info. One call to BMW NA Special Sales and a 10-minute discussion with Sabrina there revealed that very little of what our sales rep had told us was true and actually happening. We don't have an allocation, we don't have a production number, and a reservation had not been submitted for ED. We are just a name on the dealer's list.

The good news is that the sales manager has stepped in and taken over the process and will be our point person going forward. She has our dates, our order, and has confirmed the ED pricing discount. We know where we are on the list, where we fall in their quarterly allocations distribution, and she's assured us that all will go smoothly from here on out. Thanks again Bobert.

You're welcome - glad it was helpful - this site was instrumental in both of my BMW purchases.