MacSid

Having just changed work location from Hilversum to Leiden, I'm on the hunt for a new dealer near-ish to the office for my regular maintenance work. I tend to leave home in Amsterdam by 06:45 and be in Leiden by 07:30 every morning, so using an Amsterdam/Amstelveen dealer is not really workable for me - they aren't open that early.

I've done a little digging and found that the dealers nearest to me are now:

BMW Den Haag in Forepark
Hans Severs in Alphen aan der Rijn
Van Poelgeest in Katwijk.

Have any of you have any experience in dealing with any of these guys and if so, which would you recommend?

I bought my car at BMW-Den Haag, but have found their service guys rather stand-offish. To make things worse, they are having management vs. shop floor battles at the moment that are resulting in a minimum waiting time for a service appointment of 2 months!! They're at the bottom of my list at the moment, despite being a BMW-owned dealership. I just visited the other two and they appear to be really small, but friendly enough. Any input from any of you guys would be really appreciated, though.

LW78

My last car (330i e90) was serviced by BMW A'dam, but I personally dislike those large dealerships. Nobody knows you name anymore and there is no 'personal' contact anymore.

At most smaller dealerships, they usually know you by name and they tend to a bit extra for their customers. I think Poelgeest Katwijk is a bit smaller than Hans Severs. I'll advise you to drop by and if you got a good feeling about the place (and the personnel), service your car there!

xBMWx

I've used the BMW dealer in Gouda a couple of times for basic repairs / little issues when I've been there on business. They were polite, helpful and efficient. They even gave me one the sales' guys cars on the spot to keep me mobile on one occasion. Maybe another dealer for you to consider, it very close to the Gouda A12 exit.

MacSid

@ LW78 I fully agree with you re. the larger dealers! I used to use Jan de Jong in Hilversum, who seemed to be just right - not too big, nor too small, and great personal service. Unfortunately, Hilversum just ain't an option any more. I have just got back from visiting Severs and Poelgeest, and there's not a lot between them - staff are nice and friendly in both. Severs have a tiny workplace in Alphen, though - probably big enough for 4 cars at a time tops. It's a really tough choice between them, hence me reaching out for anyone who has actually dealt with them.

@ xBMWx Well dang, I just looked at map and realised that Leiden and Gouda are not really that far apart. Gouda's not really the most convenient place to do an early morning drop-off/early evening pick-up on a work day though (the A12/A4/N11 triangle is murder at commuting times), but they are definitely worth a quick visit. It is however close enough for lunch, or an evening get-together if you happen to be staying the night. You know how to find me

LW78

Perhaps you should try to find out what both their extra services cost. For example their rental cars (at BMW the 'loaners' have te paid).

You said that Severs has a small workshop, but imo it's an advantage!