Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott_in_FL
As several know, we're also in Europe right now (Bologna, Italy digesting at this very second from a full day cooking class... for the wife, folks... for the wife  ) and our ED is Thursday, so I'm also interested in hearing more about how the Munich tour compares to |
I did not get the chance to do the Munich tour since my delivery was on a Saturday. As for Dingolfing, Im not a big fan of groups so I booked aprivate tour for just my wife and I (100 Eur plus tax with CCA card) and it was pretty amazing for me. The plant itself works until 10pm so despite starting the tour at 5pm we still got to see all the robots and workers on the line. We started in the paint shop where we watched 5ers, 6ers, and 7ers being painted. The robots are fascinating, watching them closing doors and articulating their way around different models w/o reprograming. From there we went to the welding shop where on the way we happened to come across a carrier where we watched 4 RR Phantom aluminum bodies getting loaded for shipment to England. The welding shop was essentially all robots doing work, with few workers making sure the robots are running smoothly. We watched as small parts were welded into larger parts all the way into one final welded frame. The final stop was assembly - here we watched the cars go from a bare frame to its marriage with the engine. We walked the entire line as workers inserted seats, dashboards, steering wheels, etc. I even learned that drinking beer (available at the vending machines) is permitted while you work!
Although I cant compare it to Munich, there wasnt any fluff in Dingolfing, it was just the guts of the plant and how they operate, a must do for any BMW fan I think. Just walking around Welt today Im pretty sure I would not have liked the tour as much as there were so many tours, groups, tourists and kids. Since Dingolfing is a real plant experience and by appointmentonly, noone under 14 is allowed (nothing against kids, but if I'm doing a BMW factory tour, I dont want to hear screaming and crying). Thanks to JMH as I believe I booked this on his recommendation. Although I didnt get to see any M's built, I did see two completed M6 Gran Coupes going through the roads test simulations.
As JMH said, we also spotted two test mules in camo tape, no idea what they were. And I also saw what I thought was an X3M. It had the M stripes, quad tips, but no badging.
Sorry working off my phone so no pics to post yet, but ED was a blast, and now the wait. We spent 7 days eating in Italy as well, so detox is in order when I get back. Overall an amazing experience, but thanks to a stop at the Panerai store in Florence Ive already spent double my ED discount on this trip, guess no exhaust for me!