My PCD Experience

sonus · 08-09-2011, 11:39 PM

Arrival
Despite a couple delays, my girlfriend and I arrived at Greenville airport around 1:30pm on Thursday, August 4th. A quick call to Marriott and a driver was dispatched to pick us up. He arrived in a tan BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, helped us load all our bags, and drove us over to the hotel. Our room had a nice view of the pool below.

The driver, Matt, was gracious enough to give us a ride to and from the nearby mall for some shopping in the afternoon. We cashed in our free drink coupons and spent some time lounging by the pool when we got back, and then went to dinner. The filet mignon at Giatu was excellent. The entire hotel experience was great; the staff were all very accommodating and friendly.

Delivery day began at 6:30am. Most people said that they could barely sleep the night before delivery; I, on the other hand, could barely get out of bed. It was extremely comfortable, and I was way tired after a day of travelling. We took advantage of the breakfast buffet and boarded the shuttle to the Performance Center at 7:45, and arrived around 8 to be welcomed by the staff.

We started the day in the classroom. Donnie Isley went over the exercises we'd be doing and emphasized NYC - Not Your Car. We would be driving BMWs similar to the models we were picking up, and were told not to worry about the tires and brakes. We were intended to push these cars to their limit to learn how our own cars would react in similar real-world situations.

We were split up into groups, a few couples per instructor, and headed out to the track to saddle up in (not) our cars. Instead of an instructor riding along in each car, he had a radio tuned to the same channel as one clipped to our lefthand door, which turned out to work very well. Our instructor was Ray Helms, who turned out to be a great teacher and one heck of a nice guy.

The Performance Center doesn't have any 128s, but they do have a bunch of 135s and we got to drive one of those. Not exactly my car, but I'm not complaining. The car was a blast to drive.

Autocross
The first event was a mini course involving a slalom, a tight turn, and a decreasing radius turn. Ray led us through the course in his M5 at a slow pace first, pointing out things to watch for, and then we got a go at it ourselves. We had about 5 laps per driver before switching places, with Ray egging us on to push it faster and brake harder with each consecutive lap. My girlfriend followed his advice to a fault, and we spun out into the grass when we tried to take the tight corner a little too fast. Awesomeness. NYC, remember?

Braking
Next was a braking exercise, where we approached a lane of cones and slammed on the brakes at the first cone to see how fast we could stop. At first we only got up to 35mph before hitting the brakes, but by the end we were up to 50mph and it was taking significantly longer to stop.

We learned that the ABS wouldn't help us stop any sooner, but would let us continue to steer while we held the brakes. We also learned that at 50mph, a small distraction (in the form of Ray chatting it up on the radio and then yelling "hit the brakes NOW!") added a second or more to our reaction time and nearly doubled our stopping distance.

There was a brand new 1M parked alongside the track.

Skidpad
The final self-driven event on the track was a spin around the skidpad. For this exercise we switched cars into a 335d dedicated to this segment. This time Ray rode with us individually.

We disabled traction control completely, and began to drive around the slick skidpad at 20mph. After a few seconds of this, Ray told us to floor it, which we did, and promptly spun out. We tried that a couple times, then we turned traction control back on. With DTC enabled, the car refused to spin. Countersteering got us back on track.

After the track exercises, we were split into two groups: one would take delivery of their new vehicle, and the other would do off-roading and a factory tour. After lunch, the groups swap. I was in the group to take delivery before lunch.

Delivery
The moment I had waited 4 months for had finally arrived! It turned out that Ray was our delivery specialist too. He led us into the room where my shiny blue 128i sat. All I could say was, "wow." We snapped a few pics and then Ray spent the next hour and a half going over every little feature on the car, helping my girlfriend and I pair our bluetooth phones with the car (an iPhone and an LG Rumor2), and setting up BMW Assist.

Lunch
BMW is serious about performance, but I can vouch that they're pretty good at lunch too.

The Performance Center has a chef on staff who gets to choose what to make each day. This particular Friday was pizza day, and it was delicious. I had the BBQ chicken pizza and a fruit cup. We even had tables reserved for us. Ray joined us for lunch.

The 1M was plastered everywhere. I thought this poster was especially fitting.

Hot Lap
After lunch, each delivery group was given a chance to go for a ride in an M5 for a "hot lap" with an instructor driving. This was (aside from delivery) the highlight of the day. Again we were paired up with Ray. It turned out he knew how to drive an M5 real well, too. I would imagine it's uncommon for one delivery couple/person to be paired with one instructor for the entire day, but I feel like we lucked out. Ray was great.

Check out the video!

Understandably, they go through a lot of tires at the Performance Center...

Off-Roading
Next up was an off-roading course in an X5. This was a ton of fun, and we got to take the X5 up and down some really steep rocky hills to see what it could do. We also drove it through almost 2ft of water, over some big bumps, and got 2 tires airborne at one point. It was a blast.

Factory Tour
We ended the day with a tour of BMW's factory in Spartanburg, right across the street from the Performance Center. X3, X5, and X6 vehicles are built there, and we got to see how they come together. Pictures were not allowed during the tour -- the only part of the whole day where pictures weren't allowed.

Sadly, a large chunk of the factory's workforce was sent home early that day, and so part of the plant wasn't in production mode. Our tour guide seemed extremely surprised by this and was very apologetic. She said it was the first time she'd ever seen it happen. We found out from one of the workers that the factory apparently ran out of doors, and so production couldn't continue that day. Given how accommodating they were with everything else, I have little doubt they'd offer a free factory tour if I ever wanted to make the trek back to Spartanburg.

We did see a bunch of X vehicles sitting on a conveyor waiting for various parts to be installed. We also got to see a bunch of big robotic arms in action, piecing together the undercarriage of the vehicles and welding things.

Conclusion
Performance Center Delivery is the only way to take delivery of a new BMW. Well, that and European Delivery, which I hear is also great.

It was absolutely worth the wait.

We drove the 128i home to Boston over the weekend, winding along the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopping in Roanoke, VA for the first night and Lancaster, PA for the second night. One of the overlook points along the Parkway had this magnificent view...

A whole lotta trees and that sign. Wooo!

3 tanks of gas and 1047 miles later we made it home, and almost done with break-in!

coda72 · 08-10-2011, 11:18 AM

Great description and pics! Love the Montego blue. I'm getting the same color in a convertible, and I can't wait!

08-09-2011, 11:39 PM	#1
sonus Private First Class 18 Rep 123 Posts Drives: 2012 Montego Blue 128i Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Boston, MA iTrader: (0)	My PCD Experience - pics included! Arrival Despite a couple delays, my girlfriend and I arrived at Greenville airport around 1:30pm on Thursday, August 4th. A quick call to Marriott and a driver was dispatched to pick us up. He arrived in a tan BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, helped us load all our bags, and drove us over to the hotel. Our room had a nice view of the pool below. The driver, Matt, was gracious enough to give us a ride to and from the nearby mall for some shopping in the afternoon. We cashed in our free drink coupons and spent some time lounging by the pool when we got back, and then went to dinner. The filet mignon at Giatu was excellent. The entire hotel experience was great; the staff were all very accommodating and friendly. Delivery day began at 6:30am. Most people said that they could barely sleep the night before delivery; I, on the other hand, could barely get out of bed. It was extremely comfortable, and I was way tired after a day of travelling. We took advantage of the breakfast buffet and boarded the shuttle to the Performance Center at 7:45, and arrived around 8 to be welcomed by the staff. We started the day in the classroom. Donnie Isley went over the exercises we'd be doing and emphasized <strong>NYC</strong> - <strong>N</strong>ot <strong>Y</strong>our <strong>C</strong>ar. We would be driving BMWs similar to the models we were picking up, and were told not to worry about the tires and brakes. We were intended to push these cars to their limit to learn how our own cars would react in similar real-world situations. We were split up into groups, a few couples per instructor, and headed out to the track to saddle up in (not) our cars. Instead of an instructor riding along in each car, he had a radio tuned to the same channel as one clipped to our lefthand door, which turned out to work very well. Our instructor was Ray Helms, who turned out to be a great teacher and one heck of a nice guy. The Performance Center doesn't have any 128s, but they do have a bunch of 135s and we got to drive one of those. Not exactly my car, but I'm not complaining. The car was a blast to drive. Autocross The first event was a mini course involving a slalom, a tight turn, and a decreasing radius turn. Ray led us through the course in his M5 at a slow pace first, pointing out things to watch for, and then we got a go at it ourselves. We had about 5 laps per driver before switching places, with Ray egging us on to push it faster and brake harder with each consecutive lap. My girlfriend followed his advice to a fault, and we spun out into the grass when we tried to take the tight corner a little too fast. Awesomeness. NYC, remember? Braking Next was a braking exercise, where we approached a lane of cones and slammed on the brakes at the first cone to see how fast we could stop. At first we only got up to 35mph before hitting the brakes, but by the end we were up to 50mph and it was taking significantly longer to stop. We learned that the ABS wouldn't help us stop any sooner, but would let us continue to steer while we held the brakes. We also learned that at 50mph, a small distraction (in the form of Ray chatting it up on the radio and then yelling "hit the brakes NOW!") added a second or more to our reaction time and nearly doubled our stopping distance. There was a brand new 1M parked alongside the track. Skidpad The final self-driven event on the track was a spin around the skidpad. For this exercise we switched cars into a 335d dedicated to this segment. This time Ray rode with us individually. We disabled traction control completely, and began to drive around the slick skidpad at 20mph. After a few seconds of this, Ray told us to floor it, which we did, and promptly spun out. We tried that a couple times, then we turned traction control back on. With DTC enabled, the car refused to spin. Countersteering got us back on track. After the track exercises, we were split into two groups: one would take delivery of their new vehicle, and the other would do off-roading and a factory tour. After lunch, the groups swap. I was in the group to take delivery before lunch. Delivery The moment I had waited 4 months for had finally arrived! It turned out that Ray was our delivery specialist too. He led us into the room where my shiny blue 128i sat. All I could say was, "wow." We snapped a few pics and then Ray spent the next hour and a half going over every little feature on the car, helping my girlfriend and I pair our bluetooth phones with the car (an iPhone and an LG Rumor2), and setting up BMW Assist. Lunch BMW is serious about performance, but I can vouch that they're pretty good at lunch too. The Performance Center has a chef on staff who gets to choose what to make each day. This particular Friday was pizza day, and it was delicious. I had the BBQ chicken pizza and a fruit cup. We even had tables reserved for us. Ray joined us for lunch. The 1M was plastered everywhere. I thought this poster was especially fitting. Hot Lap After lunch, each delivery group was given a chance to go for a ride in an M5 for a "hot lap" with an instructor driving. This was (aside from delivery) the highlight of the day. Again we were paired up with Ray. It turned out he knew how to drive an M5 real well, too. I would imagine it's uncommon for one delivery couple/person to be paired with one instructor for the entire day, but I feel like we lucked out. Ray was great. Check out the video! Understandably, they go through a lot of tires at the Performance Center... Off-Roading Next up was an off-roading course in an X5. This was a ton of fun, and we got to take the X5 up and down some really steep rocky hills to see what it could do. We also drove it through almost 2ft of water, over some big bumps, and got 2 tires airborne at one point. It was a blast. Factory Tour We ended the day with a tour of BMW's factory in Spartanburg, right across the street from the Performance Center. X3, X5, and X6 vehicles are built there, and we got to see how they come together. Pictures were not allowed during the tour -- the only part of the whole day where pictures weren't allowed. Sadly, a large chunk of the factory's workforce was sent home early that day, and so part of the plant wasn't in production mode. Our tour guide seemed extremely surprised by this and was very apologetic. She said it was the first time she'd ever seen it happen. We found out from one of the workers that the factory apparently ran out of doors, and so production couldn't continue that day. Given how accommodating they were with everything else, I have little doubt they'd offer a free factory tour if I ever wanted to make the trek back to Spartanburg. We did see a bunch of X vehicles sitting on a conveyor waiting for various parts to be installed. We also got to see a bunch of big robotic arms in action, piecing together the undercarriage of the vehicles and welding things. Conclusion Performance Center Delivery is the only way to take delivery of a new BMW. Well, that and European Delivery, which I hear is also great. It was absolutely worth the wait. We drove the 128i home to Boston over the weekend, winding along the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopping in Roanoke, VA for the first night and Lancaster, PA for the second night. One of the overlook points along the Parkway had this magnificent view... A whole lotta trees and that sign. Wooo! 3 tanks of gas and 1047 miles later we made it home, and almost done with break-in! Last edited by sonus; 08-10-2011 at 08:19 AM..
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08-10-2011, 11:18 AM	#2
coda72 Private First Class 5 Rep 187 Posts Drives: 2012 128i convertible Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Glenside, PA iTrader: (0)	Great description and pics! Love the Montego blue. I'm getting the same color in a convertible, and I can't wait!
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