As someone from really decidedly North, I want to say I understand and accept your reasoning completely. Any other decision would be business suicide. You *must* base your business where your critical mass of customers are located. The fact that the only things I like about London are that there’s a Pret every 200 metres and the Stansted Express, is completely besides the point. It’s your business and your home. Not mine and not anyone else’s. I wish you the very best for finding a great location. (And I wouldn’t want your ‘child’ to have to get used to a new home either.)
@@wiselyauto@kellypaws Well said. As a small business owner, surviving is hard. Growing sustainably is probably even harder. Well done for making the leap and boldly sharing your experience and personal subjective reasons, too. As an angry northerner with a service booked in soon, I'm excited to learn about the mobile service coming and looking forward to knowing the new location. Not least so I know where to drive 150+ miles to 😅
Phew, as a fellow Southener - I'm really happy (and fortunate) to have you at my doorstep. I'm new to your channel and if it weren't for yourself and Martin to demystify electric cars (and i3 in particular) I wouldn't be sold on the i3 wonder machine. I used to have a few A2s in the past and I always wanted something in the future to have it's presence once more! When the time is right I'd be sure to visit you guys and potentially make a purchase. Your dedication and meticulous attention to detail for the i3 does the car justice!
The shops for my cars are 2 - 3 hours drive each way. As yoy said, its not frequent - maybe on e a year unless problems show up. I like the distance as its a good excuse for a road trip to somewhere that I do not get to frequently. And for your own long term health and sanity, ensure that the new location is close to your home.
I can't see how it would make sense for you to move to Los Angeles as you're UK based, but we NEED someone like you over here. The lack of quality EV specialists is appalling - many are left to visit the stealership for minor repairs. I love the passion you guys have for these cars, particularly the i3. On my second one - a keeper for sure. It's truly wild how many i3s there are in London!
Whatever the land agents ask for as a deduction from your deposit contest it HARD. It looks as though you will be leaving those premises several orders better than when you took them.
Having just visited Munich, the complete and utter lack of i3s on the road there is appalling. BMW completely failed to sell the concept in their own hometown, which could severely use a car like the i3. Glad to see the Londoners totally got it! Also, that deposit must have been massive! That's £10K worth of refurbishment easily. Unbelievable that those real estate boys get away with this type of behaviour.
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When I bought my i3, I started driving through the city with my eyes wide open and was completely delighted to see that there were another 4 vehicles within a 500 metre radius of my flat alone. So Vienna should also be a good place for BMW i3s 😍
London is ridiculously expensive. A BMW indie I've used previously for coding rents a tiny garage arch under a railway line in East London, it's literally no bigger than two cars side by side, and the access to it is down a very narrow drive/accessway past all of the other arch shops that are trading, with no more than perhaps about 2-3 inches either side of your vehicle. I also used to work in a managed office near Cannon Street back in 2013 until late 2014. My boss ran a small business with 7 employees. Eventually he relocated the office closer to his home in Essex due to the cost. He told me once that he was paying £40k a year (£3,333 a month) to rent a tiny "shoebox" office which was deemed a "4 person" office but we had actually squeezed 6 people into. It was literally large enough for a long desk with computers either side, and 2 separate single desks for the director and his brother, plus a tiny cabinet in the corner and a large business multifunction printer.
I think you want to be outside the Congestion Zone.. Agree it's important to remember your customers, but don't forget the folks who decided the trip deep, deep into London wasn't worth the hassle. Those who haven't become customers yet. (I truly hate the Congestion Charge and I only live in Shepperton!) Like ChatGPT said.. Go West. Or more sensibly a little North of West. I know it's not ideal for your current home, but, as another guy said, the Elizabeth Line might offer some handy locations.
We weren’t in the CC zone, and won’t be in the future! But yes, it’s a good point. Worth noting a LOT of our existing service customers are not Londoners, but they work in London so they skip the train on service day, drive in, head to work, then collect the car at the end of the day to drive back home. By offering both a mobile and static service offering, the hope is that potential customers in broadly similar positions to yours can now choose whether to travel to us, or have us come to you. We are actually in TW17 next week as it happens! :)
I live in Liverpool and bought my Polestar from you. Even I think moving North is mad. Wherever you are i hope you continue to provide the same fantastic service I experienced!
Cheers for the update and "guided tour" of the smarter parts of London. Home is where the heart is and you have a 'target rich' environment judging by all the i3's and more in your film, so why move from there? Must be a brownfield site close by that could become the new Wisely HQ. Good luck!
Nice to see you in the Sunshine,looking cleaner and more relaxed. You look like a proper man about town. i3 spotting on a Sunday 😂 Nice work if you can get it! I suppose you could use the dart in the Map of the South East with your eyes closed Trick 😂 Hope all of you are feeling better after that difficult closure deadline. I’ve got a spare Henry Hoover I can drop off when I know your new address! Thanks for another great Video and so pleased you’re not moving far 😅 As a South Londoner ( with 3 F’s ) I’m already looking forward to visiting the new Premises. Best wishes and good luck.
Down saarfff we shall remain :) Thank you for another kind comment, and we look forward to welcoming you once we have a roof over our head again! We have recently recruited Charles (Henry’s conservative brother) but thank you for the offer! ❤️
Looking forward to hearing how this goes! Being based in the midlands, it will be interesting to hear what the mobile service could cover - I wonder if some repairs/replacements are possible like motor mounts & suspension top mounts 😅
Getting giddy seeing you drive to North London and close to my house! The pilgrimage to Southwark was fine... But looking forward to a North London location🎉😂
Totally admire what you were saying about not over-scaling Wisely Automotive. We see, historically, so many businesses that grow beyond the original mission of the founder/s. Staying true to that mission is important, it is the very definition of the successful and well liked business. Locations: I am certain that we'd all love a Wisely in our local town, but totally impractical. You sure cannot please all of us at the same time. Do what is best for your business, your marvellous team, and of course you and family. Hoping to be a customer of Wisely again, regardless of where you are located. I still cannot pass an i3 without going all Toad of Toad Hall ... "toot toot" 😅
Please move in North-West region, preferably in Cheshire close to M6, so you can have wider access to are of the region, Warrington is more central if that helps
I think you can fix the nav in your i3 if you restore carplay again to trick it once more, or alternatively you can buy a new Fsc pack for about £20. Works on other BMWs anyway.
The big advantage of moving north of London is any premises you choose is likely to be considerably cheaper than like for like premises in London, the further north you go the less money you'll spend.
I like the Chat GPT answer. Unless you are willing to move from Greenwich/Blackheath, try and stay as close to home as possible, value your time. Ah and the end, well car collection is really valuable service. My Volvo dealer does it. Even better when working from home. It saves me from driving to the dealership, borrowing a car, worrying about getting it back to them on time.
The collection service is something we will look into once we have a static offering again. Does your Volvo dealer charge a supplementary fee for the service out of interest?
Have you seen the Segro Park units in Rainham? Pitched as sustainable with solar etc. EPC A with LED lighting. Worth a look. On with Jones Lang Lassalle.
Last comment! Love this video! 1. I got excited with Twickenham/Richmond (granted, Bermondsey is literally just a few miles away!), but I think you’d end up getting sick of me coming in to just chat! Cannot wait for the next instalment (and yes, my family and I will dog sit/ entertain for you anytime if you move to Sw London/Surrey!)
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I think it's great that you will stay in the south of the UK, which makes the journey shorter for me...should I ever make it to you from Vienna 😁
Well I did suggest Surrey and Richmond used to be in Surrey ! I can't imagine how much a suitable location would cost to lease in Richmond or Twickenham though, even more so near the route you took i3 spotting! Given your old stomping ground I guess somewhere between Blackheath and the M25 might work and be more affordable. Owing to your transition I am using Cleeveley mobile for the first bit of servicing since I bought my i3
Likely just as expensive as London itself. Richmond, Twickenham etc are all notoriously "posh" and "Expensive"... anything with a "KT" postcode is pricey.
Respect - which car dealer , car sales , repair shop , or multinational car company would take time to research existing and potential new customers . Ref where to re locate their business optimised for their customer base G.
Consider Milton Keynes/Bedfordshire not a great deal from London just down the M1. I go north London a lot for work and i see loads off i3's in London.
It's probably not that convenient for you, but affluent North London has absolutely shedloads of i3s and e-minis. The combination of money and limited off-street parking space seems to make them extra popular.
I for one am glad you're staying down Sarf - & I don't even own an i3 anymore. As I suggested in one of your earlier vids, you need to take into account your own particular circumstances/ wishes before anything/ one else. You've a solid enough fanbase to afford this luxury (book them & they will come, etc). And now it sounds like you're going to offer a mobile service...........well, job done. Bravo, that's a genius idea. I do still think you should expand your fanbase outside of not only I3 & I-products but further afield BUT maybe that's too much/ too soon. I'm sure some shall inevitably comment on the fact that your Chat GPT thoughts centred solely on existing customers & not potential new ones. That's an inevitability, in some ways, I think - but you have to base your choice on something actual, rather than out there in the ether, huh. And doing so makes sense, anyway, seeing as you state you want WA to only get "so" big...
Thank you for another lovely comment, yes we did saw your previous one and it definitely resonated! We are fairly firm on keeping our specialty to BMW i and MINI electric products. While we don’t find the current offering anywhere near as compelling as the i3 and i8 were, BMW are doing much better than most manufacturers in terms of electrification so we will have an abundance of potential customers without becoming a diluted “jack of all trades, master of none” service centres. Thank you again for your thoughts and input. Hopefully a BMW or MINI EV take your fancy in the future, and we can assist you in some way :)
I rode a 400cc scooter from south east Herts to Lowestoft once to get the scooter serviced and some parts upgraded.. as I knew the guy there would be the best. Have wheels.. will travel. ATM I still have some manufacturers warranty on my i3 and also a 4 year service deal.. but when that'sup... I'll be knocking on your door ;-)
Are you moving to SE3? I'm in Greenwich/Lewisham so that's great news for me especially as I've just purchased a 2017 REX with 50k on the clock that has been converted to an NHS ambulance support vehicle and I planning on converting it back to stock. I'm definitely coming to you for a service.
Would be interesting if you did the post-code centralisation but outside of the M25. I'd guess somewhere along the M4 / M25 border as M40 isn't too far away for anyone wanting to travel down. Reading/Newbury for Elizabeth line?
@@wiselyauto ah yes - had not thought about that. Would something like a mini showroom in London for sales and service dropoffs - then have a larger facility just outside slightly further out towards Slough which is where parts/stock and the bigger servicing jobs take place? Could you get a flatbed & trailer for taking the cars out of London and then back in? I have no idea i'm just snowballing ideas
Fully understand your reasons for not moving 'up North'. Of course your main market is in London rather than, say, 'Huntingdon'! It is the Greater London Area where the greatest concentration of the i3/i3S, Electric Mini and the latest batch of BMW 'i' products are located. I doubt that us supporters of Wisely Automotive will be upset with the your final location. Commuting, well I can sympathise. I commuted from Huntingdon to London every day for 21 years with the quickest commute being 2 hours each way (car/train/tube/walk) or 3 Hours each way (car/coach/tube/walk) and your are correct in what you say, its no life! We will come to you, wherever you end up and make a trip of our visit, as you have suggested. Best wishes for your Relocation!
The main thing this video shows is how popular the i3 is. It is a great city car. I think I’d rather have heard about where you are moving to rather than where you’re not.
It may be a joke or not. Would it be very cool to run your mobile service in a mobile way? Everyone can neither be pleased or pissed. Note: I have never run any real business though.
ChatGPT has spoken: come to Richmond! The local Hyundai dealership, Ken Brown, has recently closed down and their premises will already be equipped to handle EVs...
Drove past there only a few days ago and saw that actually! Should we place bets on how many zeros are in that land’s value, and how many storeys tall the apartment block they will inevitably build there will be? ;)
Move to Los Angeles...they have a A LOT of i3's here...and I'd love to work with you guys given I've had 5 of them in the past. At least open up a Wisely Center here. You'd do very well.
@@wiselyauto Well if you do decide, I'd recommend an Orange County location and I'd be happy to manage it for you. OC is a nice location, plenty of space, wealthy demographic, and lots of i3's (and other EVs). Plus I think you'd be able to make more money here net-wise.
didn't you miss an i3 at 23:07 just before making that right turn? Living in the Stuttgart area and driving an i3 myself, I´d estimate my i3-count at around 1 other i3 a week. Amazed to see how many there are in London!
It’s quite incredible how many there are! We would have passed lots more which are trucked away behind gates / on courtyards so weren’t visible too! :) We are pretty sure the one at 23:07 is the one counted at 21:40 so we left it off the count. Very well spotted though!
it does indeed look like that's the i3 you counted at 21:40! 🤓 Unless a mobile version of Wisely might find its way to my doorstep, I'm tempted to (in a mad mood) bring my i3 over from Germany for a service one day. 🙃
Have a general question for you guys. I have a 2014 BMW i3 Range Extender. It has 145,000 miles on it. I kept getting a "drive train malfunction" but only when the car was in range extender mode, had never happened when running on normal battery. I have taken it to the dealer and they replaced the high voltage cable, and it still gives me the error. The dealer is saying the next step is to replace the ECU, which is 10K. Have you guys ever run into this situation with an i3? If so, what did you find was the cure.
@@wiselyauto Unfortunalty I am in the US. I was just curious if you guys had run into this type of thing before and if so, what were you able to find out?
I do I3 spotting on my school run :) (it keeps travel sick prone child looking out window) . just last week i spotted another melbourne red I3S woohoo.
I'm thinking you're going to set up a mobile service, a la Cleevely ev motors? Why not? Good for you, it will spread out your business without heavy overheads. Now which vehicle will you use, I wonder?
The most important issue is where you and family are happy, then where is your main customer base. If you move north and you are unhappy there’s no point ( from a northerner)
Thanks for your comment and understanding! ❤️ There are pros and cons to any relocation and like you say it’s about weighing up which are most important. There’s no denying the concentration of BMW i3 and i cars down here so this is something we have to keep in mind too.
Hi I’m a Mancunian and if in your place I wouldn’t even consider moving your business “up north” as you put it, you definitely need to be where the bulk of the customers are it makes commercial sense ! I see you’re considering a mobile service, this I think could be an expensive venture with all that’s involved ie a fitted out service vehicle complete with a multitude of spares, plus maybe overnight accommodation etc etc I know Cleeveley are doing it and apparently making it work but I’m sure there’s a high cost involved and they service any EV Now then about the north, it’s not the 3rd world up here we actually have a few comforts ie restaurants, theatres, pubs and even the NHS which actually originated here in Manchester anyway that aside, I used to operate a mobile coffee business and served quite a few “southerners” who had made the relatively short trip up the motorway to as one person put it a “completely different way of life” and wouldn’t think of moving back to the big smoke ! The grass really is greener on the other side of the M25 !!
❤️ Cheers, and yes those are some valid points. It’s quite like you say - the fact that such a large number of our existing (and potential) customers reside down here alone makes it a no brainer to stay South, even if you disregard all the other considerations. Actually, removing the business considerations from the equation and focusing purely on ones self / QoL, the way London is going you are 💯 correct that a better life could be had up North, or anywhere outside of London for that matter. Hope it came across that the M25 comment was tongue in cheek by the way! Ref Wisely Mobile Service - interesting points. More coming soon on the subject, explaining some clear differences between our offering and that of others who are already in the sector. Thanks again for watching!
The North remembers! I completely get the rationale for staying closer to the biggest customer base in the UK, but can't these well healed Southeners afford to jump on a train and get to experience a Martin road trip home with their new i3 😀 all jesting aside, it does make complete sense. Maybe a phase two Northern distribution / service / staging post location in the future?
I suspect where the ideal place is …is just where Amazon will have built their latest warehouse. I.e good connectivity - transport links - and number one - cheap lease or rental. NorthWest London will be the hot spot. Inside M25 expensive - outside M25 less expensive. Southeast London is nice but population wise NorthWest London. Move house at the same time to a nicer life……? Don’t go up north.
You just need to be on good public transport links so that people can get to you via public transport, buy a car from you and drive home. There is an advantage being London centric because of transport links. Best to relocate to somewhere that works for you as individuals. If you keep promoting the business with your TH-cam channel people will travel to you. I'm not a customer, yet, but when we replace our second car (petrol Fiesta) we'll go electric with the second car and be looking for something second hand from someone we can trust...
Some where around Black Heath and Greenwich; that sounds like a good location, easy for us to get to you via public transport and a good area to spend a day if one popped a car to you for servicing,,,
Thank you for your lovely comment! 😊 Feel free to get in touch whenever you’re ready to go electric! Hopefully we’ll have a roof over our heads by then 😃
@@wiselyauto We've had a Zoe for 4 years and have no plans to buy another ICE car so when the Fiesta needs replacing as our second car we'll be in touch...
But why...? There are many, MANY i3 owners in the BMW Owners & Enthusiasts Facebook group from all ends of the UK who've bought from Wisely - they do deliver UK-wide.... 😉
As much as it kills me to have to admit it, your reasoning for remaining in the London area is self-evident... you go (or, in this case, stay...) where your biggest customer base is. However, I will cling with hope in my heart to the possibility of being able to book your mobile "on-your-doorstep" service offering - I had Cleeveley's come service my Leaf a few years ago and, other than being eaten out of house-and-home of packets of crisps, chocolate biscuits and juice, James Coates did a wonderful job and all for less than the local Nissan dealer would've charged - definitely a 'win-win' as far as I was concerned. Good luck and very much looking forward to seeing the concluding episode. PS... your 'baby' is absolutely gorgeous 😍
Years ago men would buy Haynes manual for their cars, if you were to produce a hard copy video of all DIY jobs on BMW i3's I would be first in the queue!
@@wiselyauto mate, I'm Italian and I feel "violated" by what you've said. if you're happy down south, good, but what's the point of all the mockery? still, I love the videos with Martin, bring him back
@@EmanuelePolimeniThat’s quite interesting. Living in Sheffield I would say that jesting about Southerners being ‘softies’ is just about universal. Isn’t it? Key word is ‘jest’.
@@EmanuelePolimeni We refer to such humour as 'Banter'! I'm a 'Northerner' (north of the M25) and feel honoured to be part of these exchanges. It's a part of British life.
![The Beginning of an End... [MOVING WISELY ep1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/k5it-OwvCEo/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Beginning of an End... [MOVING WISELY ep1]](/img/tr.png)
![Wisely MobileService is OFFICIALLY LIVE [MOVING WISELY ep4]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/lShgN3FNZ7U/mqdefault.jpg)
I will shocked if your old landlord deducts from any of your deposit. Your team left that place better off than when you first arrived.
We have our fingers crossed :)
@@wiselyauto And, very Wisely, you've videoed most of the process. That's your best chance for getting your money back!
agree! the video has the best proof
As someone from really decidedly North, I want to say I understand and accept your reasoning completely. Any other decision would be business suicide. You *must* base your business where your critical mass of customers are located. The fact that the only things I like about London are that there’s a Pret every 200 metres and the Stansted Express, is completely besides the point. It’s your business and your home. Not mine and not anyone else’s.
I wish you the very best for finding a great location.
(And I wouldn’t want your ‘child’ to have to get used to a new home either.)
Thank you very much for your lovely comment! :)
We love a Pret from time to time too.. Hoisin Duck wrap… ymm!
@@wiselyauto@kellypaws Well said. As a small business owner, surviving is hard. Growing sustainably is probably even harder. Well done for making the leap and boldly sharing your experience and personal subjective reasons, too.
As an angry northerner with a service booked in soon, I'm excited to learn about the mobile service coming and looking forward to knowing the new location. Not least so I know where to drive 150+ miles to 😅
Phew, as a fellow Southener - I'm really happy (and fortunate) to have you at my doorstep. I'm new to your channel and if it weren't for yourself and Martin to demystify electric cars (and i3 in particular) I wouldn't be sold on the i3 wonder machine. I used to have a few A2s in the past and I always wanted something in the future to have it's presence once more! When the time is right I'd be sure to visit you guys and potentially make a purchase. Your dedication and meticulous attention to detail for the i3 does the car justice!
The shops for my cars are 2 - 3 hours drive each way. As yoy said, its not frequent - maybe on e a year unless problems show up. I like the distance as its a good excuse for a road trip to somewhere that I do not get to frequently. And for your own long term health and sanity, ensure that the new location is close to your home.
I can't see how it would make sense for you to move to Los Angeles as you're UK based, but we NEED someone like you over here. The lack of quality EV specialists is appalling - many are left to visit the stealership for minor repairs. I love the passion you guys have for these cars, particularly the i3. On my second one - a keeper for sure.
It's truly wild how many i3s there are in London!
Just catching up. Sheffield would have been my vote, but hey ho, I wish you success wherever you go.
Whatever the land agents ask for as a deduction from your deposit contest it HARD. It looks as though you will be leaving those premises several orders better than when you took them.
Your latest company record suggests an old garage in Blackheath!
Up north would be great for us , but what about somewhere "bottom of M1" ideally before the m25 ?
Having just visited Munich, the complete and utter lack of i3s on the road there is appalling. BMW completely failed to sell the concept in their own hometown, which could severely use a car like the i3. Glad to see the Londoners totally got it!
Also, that deposit must have been massive! That's £10K worth of refurbishment easily. Unbelievable that those real estate boys get away with this type of behaviour.
When I bought my i3, I started driving through the city with my eyes wide open and was completely delighted to see that there were another 4 vehicles within a 500 metre radius of my flat alone.
So Vienna should also be a good place for BMW i3s 😍
Same in the Netherlands, we have over 9000 on the road!
London is ridiculously expensive.
A BMW indie I've used previously for coding rents a tiny garage arch under a railway line in East London, it's literally no bigger than two cars side by side, and the access to it is down a very narrow drive/accessway past all of the other arch shops that are trading, with no more than perhaps about 2-3 inches either side of your vehicle.
I also used to work in a managed office near Cannon Street back in 2013 until late 2014. My boss ran a small business with 7 employees. Eventually he relocated the office closer to his home in Essex due to the cost. He told me once that he was paying £40k a year (£3,333 a month) to rent a tiny "shoebox" office which was deemed a "4 person" office but we had actually squeezed 6 people into. It was literally large enough for a long desk with computers either side, and 2 separate single desks for the director and his brother, plus a tiny cabinet in the corner and a large business multifunction printer.
Our family love “Bella” our I3, and I wouldn’t let anyone else near her except Wisely. Glad you are staying local and exciting mobile times ahead! 💪🏻
I think you want to be outside the Congestion Zone.. Agree it's important to remember your customers, but don't forget the folks who decided the trip deep, deep into London wasn't worth the hassle. Those who haven't become customers yet. (I truly hate the Congestion Charge and I only live in Shepperton!)
Like ChatGPT said.. Go West. Or more sensibly a little North of West. I know it's not ideal for your current home, but, as another guy said, the Elizabeth Line might offer some handy locations.
We weren’t in the CC zone, and won’t be in the future! But yes, it’s a good point.
Worth noting a LOT of our existing service customers are not Londoners, but they work in London so they skip the train on service day, drive in, head to work, then collect the car at the end of the day to drive back home.
By offering both a mobile and static service offering, the hope is that potential customers in broadly similar positions to yours can now choose whether to travel to us, or have us come to you.
We are actually in TW17 next week as it happens! :)
@@wiselyautolet us know more and we’ll descend on you so you can get 15 i3s in one camera shot…
I live in Liverpool and bought my Polestar from you. Even I think moving North is mad. Wherever you are i hope you continue to provide the same fantastic service I experienced!
Very kind of you to say and thank you for your support! Hope you are enjoying your lovely P2 :)
Cheers for the update and "guided tour" of the smarter parts of London. Home is where the heart is and you have a 'target rich' environment judging by all the i3's and more in your film, so why move from there? Must be a brownfield site close by that could become the new Wisely HQ. Good luck!
The hunt is on! 👀
I will drive from Norway when I need i3 service 👍
Nice to see you in the Sunshine,looking cleaner and more relaxed. You look like a proper man about town. i3 spotting on a Sunday 😂 Nice work if you can get it! I suppose you could use the dart in the Map of the South East with your eyes closed Trick 😂 Hope all of you are feeling better after that difficult closure deadline. I’ve got a spare Henry Hoover I can drop off when I know your new address! Thanks for another great Video and so pleased you’re not moving far 😅 As a South Londoner ( with 3 F’s ) I’m already looking forward to visiting the new Premises. Best wishes and good luck.
Down saarfff we shall remain :)
Thank you for another kind comment, and we look forward to welcoming you once we have a roof over our head again!
We have recently recruited Charles (Henry’s conservative brother) but thank you for the offer! ❤️
Looking forward to hearing how this goes! Being based in the midlands, it will be interesting to hear what the mobile service could cover - I wonder if some repairs/replacements are possible like motor mounts & suspension top mounts 😅
Getting giddy seeing you drive to North London and close to my house! The pilgrimage to Southwark was fine... But looking forward to a North London location🎉😂
Be honest, yours was the pink one? 😅
Totally admire what you were saying about not over-scaling Wisely Automotive. We see, historically, so many businesses that grow beyond the original mission of the founder/s. Staying true to that mission is important, it is the very definition of the successful and well liked business.
Locations: I am certain that we'd all love a Wisely in our local town, but totally impractical. You sure cannot please all of us at the same time. Do what is best for your business, your marvellous team, and of course you and family.
Hoping to be a customer of Wisely again, regardless of where you are located. I still cannot pass an i3 without going all Toad of Toad Hall ... "toot toot" 😅
Please move in North-West region, preferably in Cheshire close to M6, so you can have wider access to are of the region, Warrington is more central if that helps
I think you can fix the nav in your i3 if you restore carplay again to trick it once more, or alternatively you can buy a new Fsc pack for about £20. Works on other BMWs anyway.
The big advantage of moving north of London is any premises you choose is likely to be considerably cheaper than like for like premises in London, the further north you go the less money you'll spend.
Absolutely the case and certainly makes sense on paper! More to it than that though
I like the Chat GPT answer. Unless you are willing to move from Greenwich/Blackheath, try and stay as close to home as possible, value your time. Ah and the end, well car collection is really valuable service. My Volvo dealer does it. Even better when working from home. It saves me from driving to the dealership, borrowing a car, worrying about getting it back to them on time.
The collection service is something we will look into once we have a static offering again. Does your Volvo dealer charge a supplementary fee for the service out of interest?
Have you seen the Segro Park units in Rainham? Pitched as sustainable with solar etc. EPC A with LED lighting. Worth a look. On with Jones Lang Lassalle.
Last comment! Love this video! 1. I got excited with Twickenham/Richmond (granted, Bermondsey is literally just a few miles away!), but I think you’d end up getting sick of me coming in to just chat! Cannot wait for the next instalment (and yes, my family and I will dog sit/ entertain for you anytime if you move to Sw London/Surrey!)
I think it's great that you will stay in the south of the UK, which makes the journey shorter for me...should I ever make it to you from Vienna 😁
Well I did suggest Surrey and Richmond used to be in Surrey ! I can't imagine how much a suitable location would cost to lease in Richmond or Twickenham though, even more so near the route you took i3 spotting! Given your old stomping ground I guess somewhere between Blackheath and the M25 might work and be more affordable.
Owing to your transition I am using Cleeveley mobile for the first bit of servicing since I bought my i3
Likely just as expensive as London itself. Richmond, Twickenham etc are all notoriously "posh" and "Expensive"... anything with a "KT" postcode is pricey.
Fantastic video series!
Glad you like them!
I can't see how a landlord can issue a "schedule of dilapidations" and not sign it off when you leave, It's like holding your deposit to ransom.
Welcome to the Arch Co way of doing things! 🙃
Respect - which car dealer , car sales , repair shop , or multinational car company would take time to research existing and potential new customers . Ref where to re locate their business optimised for their customer base G.
Consider Milton Keynes/Bedfordshire not a great deal from London just down the M1. I go north London a lot for work and i see loads off i3's in London.
It's probably not that convenient for you, but affluent North London has absolutely shedloads of i3s and e-minis. The combination of money and limited off-street parking space seems to make them extra popular.
It’s funny you mention that… 😅
And yes, they are the ultimate parallel parking machines!
We’re ever your going I’ll come up 👍
We all want you near us, but of course it needs to work for you all. Come to Reigate and count the i3’s - lots and lots!
I for one am glad you're staying down Sarf - & I don't even own an i3 anymore. As I suggested in one of your earlier vids, you need to take into account your own particular circumstances/ wishes before anything/ one else. You've a solid enough fanbase to afford this luxury (book them & they will come, etc). And now it sounds like you're going to offer a mobile service...........well, job done. Bravo, that's a genius idea. I do still think you should expand your fanbase outside of not only I3 & I-products but further afield BUT maybe that's too much/ too soon. I'm sure some shall inevitably comment on the fact that your Chat GPT thoughts centred solely on existing customers & not potential new ones. That's an inevitability, in some ways, I think - but you have to base your choice on something actual, rather than out there in the ether, huh. And doing so makes sense, anyway, seeing as you state you want WA to only get "so" big...
Thank you for another lovely comment, yes we did saw your previous one and it definitely resonated!
We are fairly firm on keeping our specialty to BMW i and MINI electric products. While we don’t find the current offering anywhere near as compelling as the i3 and i8 were, BMW are doing much better than most manufacturers in terms of electrification so we will have an abundance of potential customers without becoming a diluted “jack of all trades, master of none” service centres.
Thank you again for your thoughts and input. Hopefully a BMW or MINI EV take your fancy in the future, and we can assist you in some way :)
Our family loves the I3 but we are in south Yorkshire
Just one thing…..I didn’t see any waving? No one do that in London?
Didn’t you hear, all forms of friendliness have been banned in London 🤪
I rode a 400cc scooter from south east Herts to Lowestoft once to get the scooter serviced and some parts upgraded.. as I knew the guy there would be the best. Have wheels.. will travel. ATM I still have some manufacturers warranty on my i3 and also a 4 year service deal.. but when that'sup... I'll be knocking on your door ;-)
We look forward to being of service! :)
Are you moving to SE3? I'm in Greenwich/Lewisham so that's great news for me especially as I've just purchased a 2017 REX with 50k on the clock that has been converted to an NHS ambulance support vehicle and I planning on converting it back to stock. I'm definitely coming to you for a service.
Is that the one we saw recently with the white arb moulded side panels in the boot area?
Nice in any case! Hope the project goes well 😎
@@wiselyauto I think that might be the exact car. Hopefully see you soon.
4:00 haha! So dry! Brilliant!
Would be interesting if you did the post-code centralisation but outside of the M25. I'd guess somewhere along the M4 / M25 border as M40 isn't too far away for anyone wanting to travel down. Reading/Newbury for Elizabeth line?
It’s a good point for sure, trouble is trying to get Londoners to leave the M25 is harder than getting non-Londoners to come into it! :D
@@wiselyauto ah yes - had not thought about that.
Would something like a mini showroom in London for sales and service dropoffs - then have a larger facility just outside slightly further out towards Slough which is where parts/stock and the bigger servicing jobs take place? Could you get a flatbed & trailer for taking the cars out of London and then back in?
I have no idea i'm just snowballing ideas
Fully understand your reasons for not moving 'up North'. Of course your main market is in London rather than, say, 'Huntingdon'! It is the Greater London Area where the greatest concentration of the i3/i3S, Electric Mini and the latest batch of BMW 'i' products are located.
I doubt that us supporters of Wisely Automotive will be upset with the your final location. Commuting, well I can sympathise. I commuted from Huntingdon to London every day for 21 years with the quickest commute being 2 hours each way (car/train/tube/walk) or 3 Hours each way (car/coach/tube/walk) and your are correct in what you say, its no life!
We will come to you, wherever you end up and make a trip of our visit, as you have suggested.
Best wishes for your Relocation!
Very kind, thanks for your understanding and support! ❤️
The main thing this video shows is how popular the i3 is. It is a great city car. I think I’d rather have heard about where you are moving to rather than where you’re not.
It may be a joke or not. Would it be very cool to run your mobile service in a mobile way? Everyone can neither be pleased or pissed.
Note: I have never run any real business though.
Wisely Mobile, Brilliant!
ChatGPT has spoken: come to Richmond! The local Hyundai dealership, Ken Brown, has recently closed down and their premises will already be equipped to handle EVs...
Drove past there only a few days ago and saw that actually! Should we place bets on how many zeros are in that land’s value, and how many storeys tall the apartment block they will inevitably build there will be? ;)
Move to Los Angeles...they have a A LOT of i3's here...and I'd love to work with you guys given I've had 5 of them in the past. At least open up a Wisely Center here. You'd do very well.
Tempting!
@@wiselyauto Well if you do decide, I'd recommend an Orange County location and I'd be happy to manage it for you. OC is a nice location, plenty of space, wealthy demographic, and lots of i3's (and other EVs). Plus I think you'd be able to make more money here net-wise.
Dear Wisely and Martin - forget LA, we need you here in New Jersey!!!
Hoping the Mobile Service will extend as far as Valencia Arthur! :P Would welcome you and team over anytime.
There might be a bit of a surcharge 😅
How far in advance would I need to contact you to book a service? Not due until June so no rush 😃
Our bookings calendar usually runs about 6-8 weeks ahead.. there’s no upper limit though, so no harm booking early! :)
@@wiselyauto good to know, thanks. I'll be in touch!
didn't you miss an i3 at 23:07 just before making that right turn? Living in the Stuttgart area and driving an i3 myself, I´d estimate my i3-count at around 1 other i3 a week. Amazed to see how many there are in London!
It’s quite incredible how many there are! We would have passed lots more which are trucked away behind gates / on courtyards so weren’t visible too! :)
We are pretty sure the one at 23:07 is the one counted at 21:40 so we left it off the count. Very well spotted though!
it does indeed look like that's the i3 you counted at 21:40! 🤓
Unless a mobile version of Wisely might find its way to my doorstep, I'm tempted to (in a mad mood) bring my i3 over from Germany for a service one day. 🙃
Have a general question for you guys. I have a 2014 BMW i3 Range Extender. It has 145,000 miles on it. I kept getting a "drive train malfunction" but only when the car was in range extender mode, had never happened when running on normal battery. I have taken it to the dealer and they replaced the high voltage cable, and it still gives me the error. The dealer is saying the next step is to replace the ECU, which is 10K. Have you guys ever run into this situation with an i3? If so, what did you find was the cure.
Hi! If you are UK based, drop us a line and book in for a diagnosis :)
@@wiselyauto Unfortunalty I am in the US. I was just curious if you guys had run into this type of thing before and if so, what were you able to find out?
I do I3 spotting on my school run :) (it keeps travel sick prone child looking out window) . just last week i spotted another melbourne red I3S woohoo.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
LEVC TX counter next video - they are ReX too right?
All will be revealed soon :)
I'm thinking you're going to set up a mobile service, a la Cleevely ev motors?
Why not? Good for you, it will spread out your business without heavy overheads. Now which vehicle will you use, I wonder?
Here’s a clue - “You can have it in any colour so long as it’s black”.
(Actually though, ours is silver 😅)
@@wiselyauto a decommissioned LEVC taxi?
It was a good guess, but no. All will be revealed in a few episodes time :)
@@wiselyauto that quote's attributable to Henry Ford... so an electric Ford Transit...?🤔
Failing that, a ex-hearse a la "Ghostbusters"-style...??? 🤣
The most important issue is where you and family are happy, then where is your main customer base. If you move north and you are unhappy there’s no point ( from a northerner)
Thanks for your comment and understanding! ❤️ There are pros and cons to any relocation and like you say it’s about weighing up which are most important.
There’s no denying the concentration of BMW i3 and i cars down here so this is something we have to keep in mind too.
Hi I’m a Mancunian and if in your place I wouldn’t even consider moving your business “up north” as you put it, you definitely need to be where the bulk of the customers are it makes commercial sense ! I see you’re considering a mobile service, this I think could be an expensive venture with all that’s involved ie a fitted out service vehicle complete with a multitude of spares, plus maybe overnight accommodation etc etc I know Cleeveley are doing it and apparently making it work but I’m sure there’s a high cost involved and they service any EV
Now then about the north, it’s not the 3rd world up here we actually have a few comforts ie restaurants, theatres, pubs and even the NHS which actually originated here in Manchester anyway that aside, I used to operate a mobile coffee business and served quite a few “southerners” who had made the relatively short trip up the motorway to as one person put it a “completely different way of life” and wouldn’t think of moving back to the big smoke ! The grass really is greener on the other side of the M25 !!
❤️ Cheers, and yes those are some valid points.
It’s quite like you say - the fact that such a large number of our existing (and potential) customers reside down here alone makes it a no brainer to stay South, even if you disregard all the other considerations.
Actually, removing the business considerations from the equation and focusing purely on ones self / QoL, the way London is going you are 💯 correct that a better life could be had up North, or anywhere outside of London for that matter. Hope it came across that the M25 comment was tongue in cheek by the way!
Ref Wisely Mobile Service - interesting points. More coming soon on the subject, explaining some clear differences between our offering and that of others who are already in the sector.
Thanks again for watching!
Was Martin just driving round in the opposite direction parking up a Stormtrooper i3 every so often?!
Rumbled!
Why on earth would you move away from LONDON ?
The North remembers! I completely get the rationale for staying closer to the biggest customer base in the UK, but can't these well healed Southeners afford to jump on a train and get to experience a Martin road trip home with their new i3 😀 all jesting aside, it does make complete sense. Maybe a phase two Northern distribution / service / staging post location in the future?
76% of Londoners have never left the M25. Fact (probably) 😜
Not a bad shout having a small base in London, combined with something larger outside 🤔
Dude that alarm 😂
Tell me about it - I was there!! 🫨
I'm in Inverness and follow your videos 😊
We appreciate your support! :)
I3 is worth to keep. New bigger batteries will be a good solution to keep.
If you think that anywhere north of the M25 is "the North", you'd better stay down in London! 😂
The ultimate megacity car!
I suspect where the ideal place is …is just where Amazon will have built their latest warehouse. I.e good connectivity - transport links - and number one - cheap lease or rental. NorthWest London will be the hot spot. Inside M25 expensive - outside M25 less expensive. Southeast London is nice but population wise NorthWest London. Move house at the same time to a nicer life……? Don’t go up north.
You just need to be on good public transport links so that people can get to you via public transport, buy a car from you and drive home. There is an advantage being London centric because of transport links. Best to relocate to somewhere that works for you as individuals. If you keep promoting the business with your TH-cam channel people will travel to you. I'm not a customer, yet, but when we replace our second car (petrol Fiesta) we'll go electric with the second car and be looking for something second hand from someone we can trust...
Some where around Black Heath and Greenwich; that sounds like a good location, easy for us to get to you via public transport and a good area to spend a day if one popped a car to you for servicing,,,
Thank you for your lovely comment! 😊
Feel free to get in touch whenever you’re ready to go electric! Hopefully we’ll have a roof over our heads by then 😃
@@wiselyauto We've had a Zoe for 4 years and have no plans to buy another ICE car so when the Fiesta needs replacing as our second car we'll be in touch...
Good luck lads for me it means I won't be buying from you😢
But why...?
There are many, MANY i3 owners in the BMW Owners & Enthusiasts Facebook group from all ends of the UK who've bought from Wisely - they do deliver UK-wide.... 😉
As much as it kills me to have to admit it, your reasoning for remaining in the London area is self-evident... you go (or, in this case, stay...) where your biggest customer base is.
However, I will cling with hope in my heart to the possibility of being able to book your mobile "on-your-doorstep" service offering - I had Cleeveley's come service my Leaf a few years ago and, other than being eaten out of house-and-home of packets of crisps, chocolate biscuits and juice, James Coates did a wonderful job and all for less than the local Nissan dealer would've charged - definitely a 'win-win' as far as I was concerned.
Good luck and very much looking forward to seeing the concluding episode.
PS... your 'baby' is absolutely gorgeous 😍
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I checked and you wouldn't have enough points to move to Yorkshire, sorry.
Did we get any though!? Would hate to hear we’re completely pointless 😅
@@wiselyauto Apprentley your score was just below hairdressers and estate agents !
Ouch! Hopefully just above main dealers though 🤞😅
@@wiselyauto they didn't make the list
"Anything north of the m25 is North" is pretty damning honestly.
Was meant in sarcastic jest! :)
Years ago men would buy Haynes manual for their cars, if you were to produce a hard copy video of all DIY jobs on BMW i3's I would be first in the queue!
You couldnt possibly move north of Watford as its wastelands with no electrickery....you Londoners🤪...carry on paying your premium prices.😂
Even Watford is dangerously close to the North/South divide in our eyes 😜
your racism towards northeners is astonishing
We hope that’s a joke! 😳
@@wiselyauto mate, I'm Italian and I feel "violated" by what you've said. if you're happy down south, good, but what's the point of all the mockery? still, I love the videos with Martin, bring him back
@@EmanuelePolimeniThat’s quite interesting. Living in Sheffield I would say that jesting about Southerners being ‘softies’ is just about universal. Isn’t it? Key word is ‘jest’.
@@EmanuelePolimeni We refer to such humour as 'Banter'! I'm a 'Northerner' (north of the M25) and feel honoured to be part of these exchanges. It's a part of British life.
@@BiscuitPlacer dummy, I've been living in the UK since 2010, I don't need your stupid "North of the M25" explanation. and that is not banter