First BMW Tuning Garage in the Middle East?

[Simon Motorsport]

Gentleman,

since the BMW community is one of the biggest in the Middle East i would like to ask you something..

We have alot of BMW specialized garages around, so you dont have to worry about maintenance...

BUT, do we have a garage where you can walk in and do the followoing :

- buy your Titanium or Stainless Steel Exhaust system
- get your car mapped, tuned and modified
- Purchase different stages of Modifications and get them installed
- Get crazy engine swaps done properly (V10/V8/V8TT, etc) with Warranty
- Get brake kits
- Get wheels
- Get supsesion
- etc

I am talking about a specialised and proffesional BMW Tuning Garage where you can get quality stuff for modifications and get them fitted on the spot as well.

Basically every BMW drivers heaven!!!

Do you think this kind of thing is required in the UAE? Do you think people would spend proper money in proper things, instead of buying expensive cars but buying cheap stuff for it?

Input please :bmwbest:

I just need some feedback

[meskovic]

i think there are a lot of shops already, the question is who is professional enough and affordable enough to cater for such nieche services. Personally, i think every enthisiast has enough knowlege on the know how or what they exactly need, not to mention the vast world of internet research , the bmw forum all over the world could be very useful, and we already have a great forum here. The club offers many advantages, such as group buys,etc. We also continuoisly have meets and events, HPDS and whatnot and we could see "live" results , if the internet research is not satisfying enough. I have done some mods on my cars, of course after intensive research and great support from the bmwclubuae. There are a lot of ppl on the forum who are really helpful and are glad to assist anytime. Many members have almost specialized in their field, from electronics to some really high mods, mapping,etc. We even have few members with turbos and supercharges :)
I personally think all of the above is already available now and i have my prefered service centre who does EVERYTHING (just to avoid adverts, pm me and i ll tell you who my prefered service centre is in UAE)

whoever wants / wanted to do any mods/upgrades, i am SURE the answer can be found right here on our forum , and thats the beauty of this club.

I just love this club and wouldnt change it for the world :)

[SSense]

:iagree: with mesko

[Ayham]

The word "First" is merely inaccurate....BMW tuning shops in the ME have been around for decades, offering exactly all of the above.

[Simon Motorsport]

Well i ment the first official BMW tuner with a Name,. not shops who are offering to order things for customers and fit them on their cars...

Honestly speaking.. this kind of thing wouldnt exactly focus on people who are in clubs or who believe in "do it yourself"

Oh and i dont think that any shop exists here who has their own brands and parts and do such swaps as fitting a 4.4 V8TT in an e92 or a V10 in any other BMW, and that with warranty. I mean in a proper way so that every little bit and piece works like if its from the factory...

I have spoken to alot of people.. private and business.. M5 owners.. M6 owners..X5m, X6M owners etc.. and most of them loved the fact that a well namend german tuner opens a garage here.

So if that is available.. where can i just walk in and have all those things on display??

I would like to see a Garage with Mechanics who have a BMW Masters Degree, with a Dyno, plenty of parts on stock and on display, and high standard equipment.. Dyno etc..Kind of like another workshop here in the UAE which is specialised in Evos and GTR's.. But this one would be specialised only in BMW.

I havent seen any garage here that fits the requirements above... Or where can i walk in and get a mabye a 5.7 stroker for an e60 M5, or a supercharger for a 92M3 or who can put a X5M engine in my e92?

[Naj]

Kinetic I think does what you want.. located in Shj and DIP run by a local who has a PHD. I believe he is dealing with some French tuners who are BMW worthy. They do the large swaps, tunes, etc etc etc..

[meskovic]

Sorry, i dont get the point, are you looking for a swap, coz i am sure it can be done, also would this garage be hardcore tuning, because i am not sure if the UAE has the market for such events, if you are talking about huge swaps, you might also face issues from the traffic department, police, etc, UAE rules are a bit tight when it comes to tuning street legal vehicles. I think Hamman has an agent here who represents Hamman fully if you are into such things,in addition, it would be really difficult to have a garage that does "everything", we have a lot of enthusiasts who would love to do mods, and actually do them, but to have a "pit stop" for the whole nine yards would be impossible, i mean, who would stock so many parts initially and even of the massive swaps you are talking are actually feasible in this market, would the weather conditions allow it, coz we have seasons, winter seasons, where everything "blooms" and where everyone really enjoys all the cars,rest of the year we are all stationary more or less, not to mention that during winter all most of the other manufacturers (other clubs ). have all the circutes pre booked, therefore the question i think is do we really need hardcore swaps and hardcore mods,etc?? I think even in developed markets, it is really challenging having a "pit stop", i cant think of one place that "has it all" even out of UAE.

Currently, the BMWCLUBUAE does more or less everything, should one need such swaps or tuning, etc, God knows bmwclubuae has all the resources to do so already :)

Also, IMO UAE is not ready for such mods to be honest, and i doubt anyone would warrant the job, because of its complexity, but then again, that would really mean keeping a really expensive budget. If a research has already been done from the m3,m5,m6,mx5,x6 owners, then you got your answer :)

I believe primarily its the weather factor, then the budget issue, then the stocking and catering for all the bmws, that would mean huge investments and very long ROI, and if that is the case, then that means that all the mods, swaps, tunes (provided they are recognized by the traffic dept and the police regulations) would be costly, really costly.

With all that in mind, with those mods, this would mean strictly track use, which is an expensive hobby, i know , coz i ve tired it, and i am sure many members will agree.

Therefore, we have a dilemma here, is the UAE really ready for track cars with such mods?

On another note, if someone did open a center of that size, how many enthusiasts would not want to be involved in their cars set up from A-Z? the whole idea of being an enthusiast is DIY and education.
Currently available in UAE through the bmwclubuae :

-Dnyo
-Mapping
-Swaps
-Parts
-Group buys
-DIY
-Electrics
-Downgrades / Upgrades
-Body
-Custom jobs

and the list could go on...the whole idea of the club is to exchange ideas, projects, DIY, CUT DOWN COSTS and socialize , meet different people from different backgrounds, exchange experiences..

To answer your question : if you want any swap, bmwclubuae could do it, nothing is impossible..if you have the right money :) but who does nowadays :)

As for the "pit stop" even bimmerbrothers dont "have it all" :)

There is a shop in uae who did the swap of an e60 m5 v10 on a e46 m3, but whats the point, the car can not be driven ,other than the track and to be honest i havent seen it on the track or its capabilities, so as far as i am concerned, its a waste of money /time, maybe the shop is trying to advertise its capabilities or something, i really dont know.

The whole idea of owning bmws is to make the best of what the BMW factory already offers with many years of engineering , so we could do "safe" mods and enjoy the rides, IMO all the BMW are just right and give the ultimate driving experience, even if its a e21 318, which puts a HUGE smile on anyones face, even stock, after all the years..

If we talk about huge swaps, then, you would need many other things, chasis, gear, underbody, safety, power to weight, suspension, brakes..and the list could just go on forever, so the idea of swaps that size results in what exactly?

if an m3 needed to have an x5 engine, i am sure BMW would make it ;)

Again, i would consult the bmwclubuae for anything, the people are more than friendly and professional and absolutely DIY!!! whats the point of having so much power where it cant be extracted / used properly? There is an E36 M3 in our club that is build for the track and that beast could beat almost anything, and that car was completely professionally done in UAE.

Finally, with members joining in every single day,even from abroad, the club is here to cater for everyones needs, i think it is by far the best club with all the necessary resources in the region, and that can not be matched by any garage ;)

I still say, I LOVE THE CLUB for providing all the necessary answers, i have not had any unanswered questions / advice with the best prices (group buy, i love you :) )

If anyone needs any swaps and has the means and the budget, please post a thread and prove me wrong that it cant be done, right here in our club with the best prices and best expertise ;)

I would rather wait for 2-3 weeks for all the parts to come with the best pricing provided by the club (thats the whole point) rather than pay extra $$$ and have it on the shelf :)

Best Regards,

[Ayham]

A word to the wise. If you're planning on chucking some investment into this, then beware that all this alone WILL NOT cover your running costs...It sounds fancy and uber, which it is. But why don't you start with surveying how many people would be willing to build an autox E30 or an E36 track day car? You will be disappointed. "I like the idea", and "I wish we had this here" are rarely good enough to build your business plan on. Those interested would do it at their ease, not your shops rent due days, if at all.

There's the place Naj mentioned in DIP. You can pay them a visit since they're the only ones that marginally fit your description. Remember, a full shop does not necessarily mean a profitable shop. And an empty one is defo not a profitable one.

Stocking parts, other than hot service items, is a huge expense on any such business. That's why, even wholesalers, would stock based on orders.

[INFAMOUS]

Pffft... well now that I am in the UAE anything is possible! I'll do it in my backyard too :P BAHAHAH.

Seriously tho, listen to what Ayham is telling you and don't take it as hating on your idea but on experience.

Everyone wishes they had/ran that dream shop! Let me tell you as someone that has built and done many things on my own and worked very closely with many large shops. You would really need a Niche market where people are willing to ship their cars to you for specific needs/requirements.

This type of reputation is not built overnight and the initial investment to get your name out there is HUGE! And remember, starting your own shop doesn't mean taking all the money and modding your own cars thinking that's all the marketing you need.

You will make NO money for a long time so make sure this is PASSION driving you and not just a "Get rich quick idea".

Also you kind of contradicted yourself in what you want to accomplish! BMW Masters Techs etc doing crazy motor swaps do NOT go together IMO.

Remember:

-Reliability
-Speed
-Affordability

you can only have 2 of the 3.

[maverick]

Well i ment the first official BMW tuner with a Name,. not shops who are offering to order things for customers and fit them on their cars...

Simon, i like the fact that i could walk into a shop and pick up something i want. I am an impulsive shopper when it comes to buying stuff for my cars and it helps to have a feel of the product that i am buying before i go all in. Now if that costs me a very small premium because the shop goes through the hassles of stocking etc, its a small price to pay. For example, I am now looking/thinking on a set of aftermarket light alloys that would cost me xxx shipped from the US. A very reputed company in UAE quoted me an additional 5k for the same. I would obviously purchase it myself. This is their commission. :hmm:

But if i were to find the same in UAE from a dealer for the same price that i would have to pay to do it myself, i would pick up the damn thing tomorrow. For this, the dealer would have to stock a huge range of alloys and like many companies in the US, deal with a range of alloy manufacturers. You will have to constantly keep shipping in container loads of these alloys, provided they sell like hot cakes. What you prefer to ship in, may not be to the taste or liking to walk in customers. And like Ayham pointed out, you will end up with a percentage of dead stock that you will have to sell at discounted prices. When you do business in such a grand scale, you get wholesale prices, less shipping, and with a price that i got charged to purchase a set myself, you can charge the same price to me and have a decent profit margin.

Cross selling between vendors is probably why we see many vendors online showing different and a variety of alloys on their product pages. This may be the case for small vendors, but big names will definitely carry their own stock. As an example, you can walk into any tire trading shop in Al Quoz and you will see what i mean.

This is just the case of alloys. Now since you deal with Eisenmann and Reuters, you will have to be prepared to order in a few stock mufflers for the popular range of cars like the E46 M3 and the E60 M5 for example. Walk in customers, would like to see and feel the product before they decide on purchasing. And simon, i am being very very subjective here. These views are mine alone, and will be very different from other customers. There will be customers who would pay without question realising the effort and trouble your company had to go through to maintain stock, deal with multiple suppliers specific to BMW and above all give in the walk in experience. But then, there would also be the other lot who will try and bargain and possibly even complain about prices being high. When you have stock of Eisenmann's or Reuters for example, you will end up with a few still in your inventory. You can argue that these exhausts are made to order, but i think UAE is a very different market and having these pre manufactured and in stock will be an added selling point in your new business. although it would have to be a very patient and long wait before you could manage to sell all of it and refresh your stock.

On the services side of the business, i would say it is a grey area as you will have to find and recruit people that share the same passion as you. you can end up with a very successful business in the long run when you incorporate products (alloys, exhausts, suspensions, tires, BBK, OEM parts (this you can source directly from BMW dealers with a 40% discount provided you hit a monthly target set by the agency's parts department), maybe some CF body parts etc etc..) and Services like you mentioned in your post (tuning, dyno, upgrades, flashing etc) and as Infamous pointed out, starting up because you have a passion for it is one thing, to do it for the business is altogether different in this case specific to this industry and the UAE. All of the above will require, warehouse space, contracts with manufactures that may require you to sell a certain quantity of their products to achieve sales targets so give you better wholesale prices, effective shipping rates, and above all, cost of having your own place, staff, and factor in dead stock. It is expensive, but hey if thats your dream, i don't see why it wouldn't work provided it is literally a one stop shop for all your cars needs. The investment is pretty HUGE! Hope my views helps you in your decision. If you do start up, i would pick an Eisenmann Race for my //M provided you have it in stock.:tiphat:

[Simon Motorsport]

Good Morning Gentleman,

first of all i would like to thank you for all the infos, but sadly some still didnt really got it.. Anyway.. as i said i am not talking about opening a shop and call it "I like bimmers" and order parts around the world...

The idea is to open another branch of a VERY well known german tuner who has and manufactures its own parts. A Tuner, which is know in Media, TV, etc

About the business.. i think i am pretty informed about the costs and how it works, provided that i am doing business in the UAE for almost 6 years.

Of course it wont be able to live out of tuning only.. especially not in the beginning, but i never said that we wouldnt offer maintenance. In fact i know a million people which would rather maintain their car in a nice air conditioned workshop, with Certified BMW Mechanics and BMW Mechanic masters, rather than in a dusty backyard shop like so many here..No offence to anyone. I am one of the people who would prefer even to pay extra if its done at a reputalbe and well known place. And best case szenario, if i can get the same price like in other Garages... now someone tell me you would prefer to go to the existing garages instead of a one described above. And again, i dont think that any existing garage here is cheap!!!! And anybody who said its not needed, you will be the first one to knock on the door, provided everything above will be reality...

Are there enough BMW Garages here? The answer is YES.. Is there ONE like mentioned above? No disrespect, but NO! Well one comes pretty close but it would still need some changes and additions. Me beeing German, i am sorry but i am just used to another work standard, work environment and service. Again no disrespect, but i think again its the mind of the people that may be different...

Beeing a BMWCLUB Member for more than 5 years now i guess i know what i can source through the club and what is available.. But personally i have never used the club for anything, except for a set of tyres...

I know that for some of you the Club is the world but its not the case for everybody...And as i said earlier, clubmembers wouldnt really be the people to focus on..

Oh and meskovic you said if an M3 need an X5 engine.. BMW would have done it.. Well, if an e46 M3 convertible needs lowering, BBS Wheels and an exhaust and a CF Diffusor, BMW would have built it that way :)

Again, i am not talking about focusing on crazy swaps, but i am talking about making it possible and providing all the other services...

[maverick]

my bad, didnt stream into your train of thoughts accurately late last night!! :yawn:

nice air conditioned workshop sounds appealing!! Best of luck :bmwbest:

Idea is feasible provided that; u have 2 million aed in ur pocket and a customer portfolio comprised of top class people who does not check the breakdown in the bill

U should also be ready to survive for at least 2-3 years w/o any profit

And servicing - modding mercs and audis also would be a better idea

[Simon Motorsport]

Idea is feasible provided that; u have 2 million aed in ur pocket and a customer portfolio comprised of top class people who does not check the breakdown in the bill

U should also be ready to survive for at least 2-3 years w/o any profit

And servicing - modding mercs and audis also would be a better idea

I didnt asked about the money i need... I asked about if its a good idea or not and if something is needed here or not...

[Nabil]

Something like hamman?