fred_ 166 Report post Posted February 26, 2018 (edited) Evening all, Taking inspiration from the ///M CLUB Australia page, we have created a Facebook group to cater for all ///M owners across New Zealand. This group is also part of the ///M alliance which is a global initiative started by Paul Young (founder of ///M CLUB Australia) allowing us to connect with other ///M owners around the world. We're very excited about this and hope you are too! If you're an ///M owner and keen to join, please click the link below: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mclubnz/ Edited March 1, 2018 by leebske 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Young Thrash Driver 1020 Report post Posted February 26, 2018 If I buy an ///M badge from TradeMe, can I join too? 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m325i 709 Report post Posted February 26, 2018 Link doesn't work? (FB error; Sorry, this content isn't available at the moment) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fred_ 166 Report post Posted March 1, 2018 Updated Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neal 544 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 Membership of ///M CLUB is FREE however participation & attendance is limited to ///M cars ONLY. VIN numbers will be requested when registering for the FB page. We do not allow committee members of other clubs to be members of ///M CLUB. A nominal entry fee may apply to attend some events. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Sounding very exclusive and elitist. Policy perculudes a number of M cars be it BMW clubs or car / Motorsport groups from my knowledge, but good luck with getting it off the ground for NZ 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bandit 194 Report post Posted March 4, 2018 10 hours ago, Neal said: Membership of ///M CLUB is FREE however participation & attendance is limited to ///M cars ONLY. VIN numbers will be requested when registering for the FB page. We do not allow committee members of other clubs to be members of ///M CLUB. A nominal entry fee may apply to attend some events. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Sounding very exclusive and elitist. Policy perculudes a number of M cars be it BMW clubs or car / Motorsport groups from my knowledge, but good luck with getting it off the ground for NZ Quite so, as it should be. ///M not just any old letter.......... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eliongater 718 Report post Posted March 4, 2018 How do Z8, M535i, M635csi, 850csi fit in then? As they’re not //M(insert letter here), yet some obviously are M cars, others are the subject of debate 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted March 4, 2018 The elephant in the room is Facebook, not the application criteria - I can't even get that far. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted March 5, 2018 On 3/4/2018 at 10:02 AM, Neal said: VIN numbers will be requested when registering for the FB page. We do not allow committee members of other clubs to be members of ///M CLUB. A nominal entry fee may apply to attend some events. VIN Numbers - hmmm, and how do they securely store this information, once they've requested it. Still, easy enough to furnish an M-Car VIN, isn't it? More importantly - by excluding "committee members of other clubs" (BMW Clubs, Car Clubs in general, Knitting Clubs, Cricket Clubs, Cycling Clubs?) from becoming members of ///M CLUB, one has to ask: what have they got to hide? I mean, really... is the establishment of ///M CLUB born of dissatisfaction with http://www.bmwclubsaustralia.org.au or BMW Car Club NZ, or is it simply misplaced elitism? I expect they'll come under the magnifying glass of BMW Group soon enough. I for one like the easygoing nature of Bimmersport, and am hugely impressed with the egalitarian and social nature of the BMW Car Club NZ since joining last year. Cheers Olaf Disclosure: I won't qualify for ///M CLUB membership as I don't have an ///M car, and am a local committee member of another club (BMW Car Club NZ - Wellington). 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fred_ 166 Report post Posted March 5, 2018 (edited) Hi all, Clearly this post has caused some heat so let me clear the air. This page was first setup in 2014 as an M3/M4 owners club. I recently became involved as an Administrator and changed the description to cater for all ///M owners across New Zealand. The intention is to broaden the audience, not be elitist. I am not discrediting Bimmersport, BMW Car Club NZ or any other BMW group for that matter, however I think it is acceptable to form sub-groups which build on the BMW brand, of which this is an outlet to do so. The ///M CLUB Australia has built a fantastic culture which has a great relationship with other BMW communities, however it's also provided an opportunity for a more focused sub-group of BMW owners to meet. As for eligibility the group is aimed at ///M owners, including those which have a subjective history (i.e. Z8, M535i, M635csi, 850csi) and conversions alike. I personally am a huge fan of HELLBM's M creations and would not want to exclude such cars. I will update the description if this was not clear. On the point "We do not allow committee members of other clubs to be members of ///M CLUB," This is an oversight on my part. I took some of the language used (by permission) from the ///M Club Australia page. I don't see an issue with committee members of other clubs being part of this group so I've since removed. Apologies for this. I'll be discussing the purpose of this club with BMW Car Club NZ this week as they expressed concerns from a copyright perspective. If the wording of the club needs to change I'm happy to do so. I do hope this helps clear the air. My sole intention of this group was to build (on what I thought) was a fantastic concept formed across the ditch, which has had huge success. The original M3/M4 owners of the group thought this was a great idea so I hope of you also see the good intention here. Cheers, Alex Edited March 5, 2018 by leebske 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willy Sea 46 Report post Posted March 5, 2018 I'm unsure why BMW Car Club NZ would have copyright issues, with what you are proposing. Surely this could be a sub-branch of the Australian parent, if it became a problem for BMWCC NZ . Good on you Alex for trying to make something happen, and don't take it to heart too much if the vociferous armchair critics start slinging their lunch boxes all around the garage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fred_ 166 Report post Posted March 5, 2018 Thanks Bill - I've since spoken with BMW Car Club NZ who are happy to have us come under their umbrella as a sub group. I have since been informed the ///M Club Australia does not share the same relationship with BMW Car Club Australia, despite the organiser's ties with BMW Australia. I'm more than happy to comply with any rules and copyright that will ensure the club is compliant. Cheers, Alex Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted March 5, 2018 1 hour ago, Willy Sea said: I'm unsure why BMW Car Club NZ would have copyright issues, with what you are proposing. Surely this could be a sub-branch of the Australian parent, if it became a problem for BMWCC NZ . Good on you Alex for trying to make something happen, and don't take it to heart too much if the vociferous armchair critics start slinging their lunch boxes all around the garage. Simply, BMW Car Clubs - worldwide - are under the umbrella of BMW Group. They're the world's largest single-marque motor club, and use the BMW trademarks with permission of BMW Group, and are supported by the BMW Group. The copyright concerns would come from BMW Group; the local BMW Car Club would be doing the 'right thing' by making ///M group aware of this, such that they don't end up with lawyers letters from BMW Group. I used to belong to an active, well-organised and very financial club in the UK, BMW Driver's Club GB. Not sure what happened since I left, having a poke around on the inter web all I can find are companies house records with directorships changing to BMW GB and the club is no more. It's understandable that BMW Group would want to protect their trademarks worldwide. As for your charges of flying lunch boxes and vociferous armchair critics; interesting way to enter a party, on your sixth visit. We don't take ourselves too seriously here, prefer to leave that work to others! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neal 544 Report post Posted March 7, 2018 On 3/5/2018 at 1:51 PM, Willy Sea said: I'm unsure why BMW Car Club NZ would have copyright issues, with what you are proposing. Surely this could be a sub-branch of the Australian parent, if it became a problem for BMWCC NZ . Good on you Alex for trying to make something happen, and don't take it to heart too much if the vociferous armchair critics start slinging their lunch boxes all around the garage. Interesting view, But when you see the workings of Mini Cooper clubs that start agonising over correct washer bottle or correctly stamped period parts and dismiss any mini with a+ engines and then start seeing M only clubs then the bs starts. Been on various car club committees and typically organise runs for enthusiasts rather than sub brand niche clubs. To be called an arm chair critic after pointing out that M car members can’t be committee members of car clubs because we do stuff for a wider range of car enthusiasts is amusing. But I respect your view and look forward to eating my lunch out of a Tupperware container whilst sitting on my garage armchair viewing life via rose tinted glasses ? Seriously though leebkse good luck with the intent of the Facebook group. Had quite a bit of fun at the bimmersport e46 M3 dyno day held a couple of years back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
