Hi Guys,
Here is a letter I have written to BMW. I have sent it to every BMW address I have come across. I have had a few replies saying this has been forwarded to the right person but the right person has yet to make contact with me.
BMW Australia tried to help but they said they could not do anything as it happened in Peru. They said BMW Germany investigated this issue but BMW germany has never contacted me once.
BMW says it prides itself on customer service and satisfaction but when it comes to the crunch they obviously don't.
I just thought people might like to know what to expect service wise when something goes wrong with your BMW motorcycle overseas.

TO BMW

I will try to keep the as short as possible. In September 2011 I set out to ride my 2009 BMW r 1200 GSA motorcycle from the northern most point of Alaska to the Southern most point of Argentina. Four months into the trip on January the 14th 2012 I was riding through a desert on the Pan-American Highway about 200km south of Lima Peru. I pulled over and turned off the ignition so I could take some pictures. When I went to start the GSA again it would not start. A warning light flashed up displaying EWS! I got a mechanic to come and look at the bike and assess the problem. After a few phone calls we decided the bike had to go back the 200km to Lima. The Mechanic towed my bike to Commercial Gildemeister BMW Motorrad in Lima peru. There I met with the General manager Eduardo Hearne. We discussed the problem and Eduardo said it could be fixed.
The next morning the mechanic set about trying to fix my bike. They tested the ring antenna first but that was fine. Two days later they tested the wiring which they said were fine. Meanwhile I had got on onto a few BMW forums to seek help with the problem. All suggestions pointed to the wiring. I got onto BMW in Colombia and MAX BMW in the US and they both said it must be the wiring. I relayed this information to Eduardo Hearne and they checked the wiring again but still could not find a fault. They said it must be the BMSKP unit, there could be no other explanation.
I requested Eduardo to get me a new BMSKP unit and fix the bike straight away because as you could imagine I was pressured for time. Eduardo told me it would take 4-6 weeks to obtain the BMSKP unit form Germany. I could not wait 4-6 weeks so I got onto a friend Stephen Joyce in Kearys BMW, Cork Ireland and asked if he could send me the part. I told Eduardo I could have the BMSKP unit sent over from Ireland in 6-8 days. I asked him if he was sure I needed it and he told me it has to be the problem and to get the BMSKP sent over. Stephen done a remarkable job was able to have the BMSKP unit programmed to my bike in the post in 48 hrs. It would take 6-8 days to arrive in Lima Peru. Stephen also told me this would be non-refundable as it is now programmed to my bike.
Being short on time I decided to fly to Machu Picchu to see the 15th-century Inca site. Five days later I received an email from Eduardo Hearne at Gildmister BMW telling me not to bring the BMSKP unit as they have fixed the problem. They swapped the complete wiring harness between my bike and another and my bike started. They then figured it must after all be a wiring issue and stripped down my wiring harness and found a broken wire inside. They fixed the wire and replaced my wiring harness and the problem was solved. I was in fact a broken wire all along just as everyone had suggested. I was delighted and flew back to Lima two days later to pick up the bike.
The problem now was what to do with the unnecessary BMSKP unit I was told to buy. If it was collect it from customs in Peru it would attract a 60% import fee so I left it to be returned to sender. It arrived back at Kearys BMW Cork Ireland a few weeks later where it still sits today. I'm not wanting to blame anyone for this incident but I payed $1200 plus shipping costs for this BMSKP and had it ordered to Peru on the instructions of Eduardo Hearns at Commercial Gildemeister BMW Motorrad in Lima Peru. If they had checked the wiring properly before telling me to order this BMSKP unit there would have been no problem. This wiring issue cost me a lot of time and small fortune in hotels and flights while waiting for the issue to be fixed. I would like to get a refund for the unit as I have no use for it. It is still in its original packaging. I would appreciate a response to this email or if you could forward this to the relevant persons please. I have sent emails to other BMW addresses but yet received no reply.


Regards
Kevin O'K

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Ride on
Kev