The following summarizes the ED of our 330Cic during March 2005. I hope it helps you.

1. Ordered car Dec. 17, 2004 for ED date of March 23, 2005. I could have ordered it later, but I wanted to lock in the Lufthansa 2 for free deal they were running from Jan. 1st to March 31st 2005.

2. Confirmed Lufthansa flights from LA to Munich and return Frankfurt to LA Dec. 28, 2004. Actually paid for tickets February 15, 2005.

3. Dealer notified me the car was assembled Feb. 14, 2005 and would be transported to ED center for March 23 ED.

4. Received ED packet from BMW March 16, 2005. I needed the dealer to contact BMW US about 2 ½ weeks before delivery since I had not received any solid confirmation from BMW US . The info packet contains a letter to present for ED pick up. Also there is a map with good ground transportation info from the airport to the ED center and a voucher for the ED bistro. I suggest you make sure to get the ED packet before you leave.

5. Departed LAX March 22,2005 through Chicago to Munich for an 8:30AM arrival the next day. The flight went smoothly with great anticipation about what was to come.

6. Arrived Munich 8:30AM (great airport), was out the door by 9:30AM and in a taxi for about a 30min ride to the ED center. Cab driver knew about ED and drove straight there. About 60 Euros with trip. Well worth it as our goal was to get in and out of ED center as quickly as possible.

7. Arrived ED about 10:00AM, no waiting, gave lady at the desk our BMW ED letter and passport. We were told it would take about an hour. The ED center is pretty Spartan, but they have a nice little bistro upstairs where they offer complementary beverages and light snaks.

8. Our car was ready about 10:40AM and we met with a delivery represenative who explained the essentials of the program, insurance, license, vehicle break-in, drop off procedure and so on. He then took us to our new car and explained how the controls, etc. worked. All very efficient. With a full tank of ED gas and directions we were on the A-bahn by 11:00AM. If you are not familiar with the controls on a BMW, I suggest you visit the website and study the manual for your car before your trip. There is a lot of info to digest in a short period of time and trying to figure our how your car works at 100+ MPH on the A-bahn is not a very good idea. (I also have a 530i, and with the website I was pretty well checked out before on the 330Cic we arrived.)

9. We drove to the Alsace region of France the same day and toured the wine country for the next week. Drove back to Germany for a couple days before we dropped the car off in Frankfurt. I suggest you make e-mail contact with the drop off point and confirm your timing before your arrival. This should reduce any surprises. Our drop off went very smoothly and we flew back to LAX the next morning (March 31st). Harms said it would take about 6 weeks for West Coast re-delivery and they were right on. I received a letter from BMW US about 3 weeks before re-delivery which had the name of the ship and when it was expected in port. Bottom line, dropped car off in Frankfurt March 30th, ship departed BREMERHAVEN April 13th , ship arrived in Port Hueneme May 5th and picked up at Crevier in O.C. on May 12th.

10. Waiting for re-delivery is the hardest part. Driving your new baby on the A-bahn and throughout Europe changes your life (for the better!) and you don’t want to come back to reality. Being reunited with your car in the U.S. is a great experience since it reignites the memories of your ED trip. Once you drop your car off, the information available on its journey home is spotty, at best. The drop off agent can give you a pretty good idea of your shipping date and if you check the ships exit port website you can get an idea of when it should arrive in the States. Also, I found that the stateside customs agent can confirm whether your car has been off loaded from the ship in the States. Your fellow Bimmerfest ED’ers are a great network for support and ideas for tracking your vehicle during this nerve wracking period.

11. I can’t wait to do it all over again!!!!

Good Luck!!

UBoat