Police BMW engine issues

[Armchair_Expert]

105.4 said:

I’ve always favoured being a small fish in a big pond, able to speak to the Big Cheese about any problems if needed, then at least I know exactly where I stand.

Of course it’s never going to be like that in the Police Force or any other Government department, which then screws us all over. The guys on the coal face, the service users and the taxpayers.

Is this something you and the many other disgruntled others have tried speaking to your local MPs about, or even the Police Union, (does such a thing even exist?).

I wonder how much money could be saved nationally by firing off a load of pen pushers and wannabe politicos? I wonder how many more proper Coppers that could pay for?

On second thoughts, I probably don’t want to know the answer. It would just boil my blood pressure.

Its just a culture, bred from working out that you can get away with doing as little as possible and be paid the same. There's no recognition for talent or ability, its a sausage machine where you get results by networking / knowing the right people then playing the game internally to progress.

For example the promotion process alone is a national tick box exercise that anyone can do, pass an exam, sit a board and be able to tow the "business" line, and if your lucky your through. Its a lottery. 2 years in, 28 years in, irrelevant. And none of the evidence is validated anyway.

The waste is huge, no private company would allow it. MPs cant change it, no police union, you have the Federation but they are also useless. Hence why we have now finally one a legal case against the government over the pensions ( 8 years ) which the Fed failed to act on. There is now a seperate case against the Fed themselves, for their failures.

[ED209]

Armchair_Expert said:

It is par for the course, and has been for years.

All you need to do is look at the news, and you see the same recurring theme time and time again, across many areas of policing. A history of problems within leadership and management.

The void now between the frontline officers and the middle management is huge. I don't even know what half of them do, other than pretend to care whilst sat working at home and feathering their own career path nest.

Exactly. I have been in several daily management meetings with about a dozen people on Skype where there has literally been three of us who were actually at work and not sat at home. Me, the other response inspector and the DI. Everyone else leading from their breakfast bars..

[Armchair_Expert]

It wont change, it will get worse,

Hence why I now feather my own nest. ( Shared attitude amongst the workers ).

[Ussrcossack]

I've just had a look at brightwells auction site.

There are 10 330 ex police BMWs up for auction.

Suppose the police need to dispose of vehicles every so often.

However these are 21 plate cars all with under 20 yes 20 miles recorded

[105.4]

Ussrcossack said:

I've just had a look at brightwells auction site.

There are 10 330 ex police BMWs up for auction.

Suppose the police need to dispose of vehicles every so often.

However these are 21 plate cars all with under 20 yes 20 miles recorded

20 or 20’000 ?

[Strangely Brown]

Ussrcossack said:

I've just had a look at brightwells auction site.

There are 10 330 ex police BMWs up for auction.

Suppose the police need to dispose of vehicles every so often.

However these are 21 plate cars all with under 20 yes 20 miles recorded

Is that 20 miles on the replacement engine?

[jonwm]

Strangely Brown said:

Ussrcossack said:

I've just had a look at brightwells auction site.

There are 10 330 ex police BMWs up for auction.

Suppose the police need to dispose of vehicles every so often.

However these are 21 plate cars all with under 20 yes 20 miles recorded

Is that 20 miles on the replacement engine?

They normally get delivered to the police with more miles than that on

[daydotz]

https://www.brightwells.com/timed-sale/5321/lot/58... look box fresh seems usual

[normalbloke]

‘sold as seen’.

[Ussrcossack]

normalbloke said:

‘sold as seen’.

Normal auction rules

[Armchair_Expert]

Stock bought by police that either have now been taken off the cost books and need disposing of, or the parameters of buying have changed meaning no longer required.

The cuts mean lots of surplus in all areas - cars v easy to sell and recoup some money. Police budgets will have broke even or made a small profit, at their cost price.

[nordboy]

Our force has been told by the legal dept, that they're not to sell any of our old engine affected BMW's on to the public. The engines will be filled with molten metal and scrapped.

Pretty much a total loss to the force. I'm not sure if they'll sell the chassis etc on for parts.

[Sheepshanks]

Ussrcossack said:

I've just had a look at brightwells auction site.

There are 10 330 ex police BMWs up for auction.

Suppose the police need to dispose of vehicles every so often.

However these are 21 plate cars all with under 20 yes 20 miles recorded

The Police and BMW really must have fallen out - you’d think in the current market BMW would be keen to get these cars back to sell themselves.

[blueST]

nordboy said:

Our force has been told by the legal dept, that they're not to sell any of our old engine affected BMW's on to the public. The engines will be filled with molten metal and scrapped.

Pretty much a total loss to the force. I'm not sure if they'll sell the chassis etc on for parts.

Not sure about the molten metal part (seems a bit costly/extreme to me), but something similar happened a few years ago when the police decided Pan Europeans weren’t to be used. Instead of selling the bikes on they were stored for yonks then destroyed,

[edthefed]

Sheepshanks said:

The Police and BMW really must have fallen out - you’d think in the current market BMW would be keen to get these cars back to sell themselves.

But if they are built to "BMW Emergency Police spec they may well have numerous differences to a standard spec and BMW might not be keen on trying to retail them.

Nothing to stop dealers bidding at the auction

[surveyor_101]

Sheepshanks said:

The Police and BMW really must have fallen out - you’d think in the current market BMW would be keen to get these cars back to sell themselves.

BMW seem to be on a mission to churn out a lot of craps models with no real purpose to beat VW to the biggest spot.

The ultimate driving machine days seems to be fading, their stands at the good wood festival of speed were so mixed with djs on their M Car stand and the electric car stand in the court yard and The music was loud like a nightclub so you couldn’t really talk about the cars. They had merch sales on the M car stand £80 for a hoody and it’s was free for all god knows how much stuff got stolen but people could walk in and out easy.

They don’t seem to be about the cars so much anymore.

[surveyor_101]

edthefed said:

But if they are built to "BMW Emergency Police spec they may well have numerous differences to a standard spec and BMW might not be keen on trying to retail them.

Nothing to stop dealers bidding at the auction

Lots of ex police e60 in my area set a few regularly, they have uprated batteries and alternators, so brake cooling and low spec se interior with M sport suspension and brakes etc.

They aren’t that different

[edthefed]

surveyor_101 said:

edthefed said:

But if they are built to "BMW Emergency Police spec they may well have numerous differences to a standard spec and BMW might not be keen on trying to retail them.

Nothing to stop dealers bidding at the auction

Lots of ex police e60 in my area set a few regularly, they have uprated batteries and alternators, so brake cooling and low spec se interior with M sport suspension and brakes etc.

They aren’t that different

Add on potentially uprated suspension, modified wiring loom, telematics fitted, engine run lock fitted etc depending on which force and who was doing the conversion

Drove the things long enough

[Armchair_Expert]

Police spec means generally huge downgrades / ripping out of stuff to add hardware. It makes me laugh when people think the police spec means ECU chipping and performance upgrades, nothing could be further from the truth.

Weight is added in the form of hardware and additional batteries, leather is replaced with cloth, and in some cases buttons are removed ( TC off etc ). The police hand their cars to officers like a parent hands toys to a toddler, totally stripped of risk and fit for an idiot.

[Sheepshanks]

edthefed said:

surveyor_101 said:

edthefed said:

But if they are built to "BMW Emergency Police spec they may well have numerous differences to a standard spec and BMW might not be keen on trying to retail them.

Nothing to stop dealers bidding at the auction

Lots of ex police e60 in my area set a few regularly, they have uprated batteries and alternators, so brake cooling and low spec se interior with M sport suspension and brakes etc.

They aren’t that different

Add on potentially uprated suspension, modified wiring loom, telematics fitted, engine run lock fitted etc depending on which force and who was doing the conversion

Drove the things long enough

A traffic cop commented on this sort of thing in another thread that the days of manufacturers custom building cars are gone. IIRC he said they have trouble even with 5 Series not being able to carry 4 fully kitted up bobbies.

The cars in the auction, as far as can be seen, look unmolested.