My friend just got paid $250 for doing a survey from BMW regarding his E class. They wanted to ask him why he chose the E class over their 5 series. It was a long process though. Basically it was a 3-4 hour seminar.

C class owners get $150 and only needed to stay for 2 hours.

Has anyone did this?

Apparent BMW sends out random mails with a phone number to call to participitate. I never got one but he is gonna give me the phone number to call.

 

I wouldn't mind doing something like this for 250.. can you share/pm the number???

 

I will pm you the number when I get it on Monday.

 

Can I get it as well? Like to give them my 2 cents also

 

I just did this, are you in Los Angeles? It was very interesting and I don't think they really like what I had to say about the 5 series LOL but there are just many things wrong with the 5 series

 

Please PM the number to me as well. I originally went to the dealer to purchase the Bimmer 550 and walked next door after the test drive to look at the MB options...never made it back.

 

PM me too ... I tried to buy a bmw (lowercase intentional) but ended up at MB for their superior product.

 

As I'm not yet an owner I can only provide feedback as to why I wouldn't ever consider a new BMW, and that would be due to their belief in "lifetime" fluids (at least I still believe they do). Based on the BMW no-charge maintenance design, the 5 series doesn't seem like a car meant for long-term ownership. I read a while back that there was a company here in the states that was loading up on rebuilt auto trannys - just waiting for the orders to roll in once second-hand owners started having problems. It's too bad, b/c the current 5 series is a beautiful car.

 

Could you PM me too please? Thanks

 

I think these surveys are specific to whoever they send requests to. I'm not sure tho.

 

I doubt that they are looking for volunteers.

If someone does get picked, please feel free to mention my show stopper on the 5 series...actually on every new BMW....the seatbelts are non adjustable on the Pillar so they would be lethal to my 5'0" wife in an accident because of how the seat belt sits against her neck.

BMW obviously knows this...the previous 5 series had a seatbelt that automatically adjusted the pillar position based on where the seat was positioned.

 

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While you're at it, please do me a solid and mention "unnecessarily complex gear shift controller", "HVAC comes on automatically at startup", "double pull door lock to exit car" and "Onboard TPMS meter (WHICH THE CAR HAS INSTALLED ON IT) not activated for U.S market".

BTW, E Classy, you must be talking about a different "5 Series"? This generations 5-Series is the best selling Executive Midsize Sedan in history so far. The F10 has taken more worldwide market share away from the E Class than any other Luxury Midsize in history. Why do you think BMW did a facelift that is incredibly slight and maintains the dignity of the original model, as they put it themselves "don't want to mess with a winning model". Why do you think Daimlers Executives demanded an about-face change to the E-Class during its facelift? Because market share is being lost to this generations 5 Series at a rapid pace. One must also take into account that this is the first generation that an "E Coupe" is factored into E Class sales and even with that the numbers are low enough to have warranted drastic facelifts, so you can imagine the Sedan on its own.

I know it's not what may want to be heard here, but the market share and sales figures are a fact.

 

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K-A when you speak of BMW share of world market, it's true that BMW has done a better job. The reason for this is because MB has done a poor job in China. That's where the volume difference is.

In Canada BMW has outsold MB only once in the last five years and that was by only 200 cars . The 5 series has never outsold the E in Canada.

That brings up the question why is BMW surveying E class owners. It's simple, they want to know why they are sucking a hind teat to the E.

I'll tell why I wouldn't buy a 5 series. I can't tell it apart from a 3 or a 7 series.

K-A I noticed you did not de-badge your 5 series but you de-badged your E350. You knew no one would mistake your E for a C and in your case because your car had the upgraded AMG wheels of the E550, people might think it was a E550. On the other hand you did not de-badge your generic 5 series because people might mistake it for a 3 series, a common mistake in the population at large

To conclude, a BMW is a nice car but it's simply not a MERCEDES. I think I said that before K-A.

For some of us, second best is not an option.

 

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Actually the 5 Sedan possibly/likely outsold the E Sedan in the U.S in 2012 (and is currently further "ahead" in 2013 I believe). The E Coupe is factored into the "E Class sales" and certainly sold more than 9K units. It's in the worldwide sales figure where the the 5 is really outselling the E in a drastic manner. I don't have it on hand, but can find it (who cares, really, we're enthusiasts, right, we should want our cars to sell less so they're not so common ), but it's a large gap, and the F10 pulled immediate worldwide market share acceleration against the W212 worldwide and a pace never seen before. Also, especially in the U.S, incentives play a huge part in sales, so it doesn't always say which car is the more "chosen" one, more-so the more "afforded" one in many cases. The W211 for the record outsold the E60 in worldwide figures.... then the F10 not only catches up, but accelerates way past the W212. The E facelift was certainly because of unhappiness with sales. M-B has been doing facelifts forever around language changes and never did anything like this. The elimination of the Ponton, quad headlights, etc. have nothing to do with design language (and other M-B's have kept the Ponton and even quads on the "E" Coupe). I find it unfort

Either way, I guess I thought you were referring to sales. As far as comparisons go, you can't put much weight into that as the W212 and Merc's in general get crushed in comparisons. Fact is, Magazines look for one thing: Sportiness, they don't care about refinement, luxury, etc. They call that "boring". The W212 gets last place often because they judge it by how it dances around cones, not by how great of a fundamental Luxury Cruiser it is. The F10 is on another level from the E60 as it has adopted Luxury characteristics never seen before in a BMW of this class, but of course, like Mercedes, it works against them in Magazine tests.... yet for them to real world customers like you and I.

Also, I agree that an N/A I6 should have been kept on board, but fact is, the Turbo I6 does things an N/A I6 will never do in power and efficiency, and as much as I hate that buzzy 4-banger in the 5-Series, it also outperforms the N/I I6 in many ways. Me personally, I'd take a sweet sounding, smooth as silk N/A I6 with a little less performance and efficiency over a horrible sounding, non-luxurious feeling great performing 4 cylinder any day, if I was in the market for a "lower level" 5-Series.

As for the MT 6-speed, that would have only worked against the 5-Series, unfortunately. BMW is one of the last car makers to keep supplying MT's to their Luxury Sedans, and every year they cut a model from Manual availability. They openly say that customers aren't ordering them, and if people want them to keep supplying them, they have to start buying them. I love the feel of a good MT, but fact is, the ZF 8-speed is just everything a Manual wished it could be when it comes to fundamental performance, and you can even put it in Manual Mode and shift with the paddles or shifter (depending on how the car is equipped). It doesn't feel nearly as connected as an MT, but for an Auto Tranny it's the closest to that "connected" feeling I've found (aside from Porsche's PDK which is also up there), and it really let's you shift and treat the car like a true Manual.

 

C'mon Petee, you're better than all this hyperbole.

You think Mercedes doesn't survey BMW owners? Lol. I've participated in these things. In fact, I JUST participated in one that Mercedes sourced out.

As for sales, fact is, even without China, the F10 is the first 5-Series to ever not even catch up to, but outpace the E-Class. Again, the facelifts of both tell the story about the momentum generated. You may not like to hear it, but it's the way the business works. As for U.S sales, that's a sketchy topic because we don't know how many E Coupe's sold, and we know that those relentlessly hideous 5 GT's are nowhere to be seen, therefore thankfully flops. Also, in the U.S, Mercedes provides incentives to the E Class that I've never seen before on any car, period. You can lease one for the price of what BMW leases out 3-Series', which plays more-so into sales than anything else.

As for your de-badge question, that's a good one, and made me lol. Maybe you are right..... or maybe I'm simply prouder of the "535i" designation.... I'll never tell.

 

K-A ,as usual, you are always more civil than I am.

Now about subsidies, you are not quite accurate. If I remember correctly, your BMW was much cheaper to lease than your MB.

 

Well, not always but thank you, I try.

Nooo not at all. Nothing is cheaper to Lease than my E-Class. I got the best, and I mean THE BEST deal on a 535i anyone will get (straight from the owner of Bimmerfest, with him saying in a thread it was one of the best deals he'd ever seen, other members agreeing), and it paled in comparison to the deal I got on my E which MSRP'd just a bit under it (well, about $5-6K). The deals people were getting on E350's with options were significantly under what the best deal given out on a 535i was all last year, and especially during Holiday Season when I got mine, and the E350's were getting those deals constantly (guys here reporting payments in the low-mid $400's with little to no down is unreal).

I've honestly never seen any car get discounted like the W212. I've been saying this since I had my first one, for the record, so it's not like it's something I'm saying now as a "BMW driver" to recklessly talk trash. I think E350's are cheaper to Lease than most 528i's and actually rival BMW's leases on 3-Series'.

 

waste of time and not worth the money.....

 

just bought an E350, easily could have bought a 5 series or an audi but they just didnt do it for me like the E class did. didnt really come down to features as much but how much i loved my C class and wanting a nicer, bigger version.

 

+1

 

I started at the BMW lot. I owned a 323i years ago and it was simply the best car I ever owned. I went to test drive a 5 and every car on the lot had "X" drive...which I did not want...but drove it anyways. I don't know what the did, but both of the 5's I drove that day drove like crap. The ride was harsh, the drivetrain rumbled, and both cars felt like garbage.

Went over to MB and fell in love with the E. I even like the "pontoons" everyone disses. Much better car IMHO.

However, that's not to say the E is perfect. The nav is garbage, the options are stangely packaged, the plastic seats are a joke for a car in this price range. Stupid high pricing on maintenance and parts...even for a luxo.

That being said, I though enough about MB quality that I bought the wife a GL-450.

Except for the ocassional toy, I can't see owning anything but MB's here on out, but BMW is still on the radar, especially the new "4's" and the "8"'s

 

call me crazy but i actually really like MB tex. for dogs, kids and hauling guitar gear its really tough and resilient. i think actual leather would end up looking like hell with what i do to it and the MB tex holds up great and always cleans right up.

i agree with you on maintenance and parts though, that is nuts.