Are BMW Dealers that won't do a Track Inspection common?

[BimmFiniti]

The closest BMW dealer to me is BMW of Bellevue in Bellevue, WA. I have to go into the dealer to get some minor warranty stuff done and also need to get a track inspection for the upcoming season of track events.

Slight problem: BMW of Bellevue won't perform track inspections, even for BMW CCA events. So unless I find another more reasonable dealer to do both, I need to take my car in for the warranty work, then take my car in to another shop (Strictly BMW most likely) to get the inspection done. Man, that is annoying.

Do your local BMW dealers perform track inspections? Is BMW of Bellevue's stance common with dealers? It seems ridiculous to me. They even give discounts to BMW CCA members for service but won't do the inspection, presumably for liability reasons. Doesn't exactly reinforce the brand, does it?

[nmehta211]

Give the business to your Indie Bimmer repair shops. I actually prefer my shop in NJ over the many dealers around here.

[Nordstat]

Originally Posted by nmehta211

Give the business to your Indie Bimmer repair shops. I actually prefer my shop in NJ over the many dealers around here.

^ this. The small shops will often do it for free, too (from my experience at least), especially if you have a history with them.

[CBS]

^ Agreed but to answer your question the 2 Dealerships (local to here) both perform Tech Inspections without a problem.

[pseto]

Dealer doing tech inspection = Warranty fail

[BimmFiniti]

Originally Posted by pseto

Dealer doing tech inspection = Warranty fail

Good point. Perhaps it's best to keep this stuff under wraps.

I totally get the "support your indie shop" thing. I never take my car to the dealer for non-warranty work. In this case it's just a bit less convenient considering I was going into the dealer anyway.

[mdosu]

Originally Posted by BimmFiniti

Good point. Perhaps it's best to keep this stuff under wraps.

I totally get the "support your indie shop" thing. I never take my car to the dealer for non-warranty work. In this case it's just a bit less convenient considering I was going into the dealer anyway.

yeah, totally, give it to an indie.

BTW, there's specific instructions in our manuals that say we should get the car inspected at a BMW dealership service shop before going to the track. I read it and... , it's like leading sheep to slaughter and telling them to void your warranty.

[Elldon]

I'm pretty sure that if I took it to a dealership here for a track inspection, they would just nod as they always do, send it down to the mechanics who just barely finished their school, they would just look at it from behind their tables and be like: "eh, looks ok to me, job done".

[jphughan]

+1 on indy mechanics. My mechanic (who also happens to be a great instructor with the HPDE organizer I run with) does my car for free because it's still fairly new and low-mileage, so his inspection of my car is basically tire wear, brake pad thickness, engine compartment (for leaks and residue), and confirmation from me that I haven't noticed any odd driving behavior on back roads recently. He knows I'm responsible about maintenance, checking fluid levels, and other basic common sense measures. But when he does a full inspection for a car because it's older, he doesn't service it regularly, and/or it's owned by someone he doesn't know and therefore can't trust to sense when something might be wrong, he charges somewhere between $25-40 for a tech inspection.

[arter]

I take mine to and Indie and they do it for free.

Hoping you will give them some business later ( and I do.....).