Is BMW Montblanc pen a true 146? Or lesser quality?

[ajoe]

On 2/23/2023 at 2:13 PM, alexwi said:

Does it require a monthly fee for the ability to clip it to your pocket or post the cap?

 

Only if you want to activate the optional hand warmer.

[JCC123]

2 hours ago, NoType said:

Mine arrived with a dealer stamp of sorts, so  I will attempt a nib exchange with my local boutique and report back.

 

Edited to add:

Since my purchase date was 23 April, I skimmed the date stamp earlier and did not notice that the year stamped is three years prior, so needless to say I will not be attempting to partake of Montblanc’s free nib exchange program.  This can be considered to be my “report back.”

This is interesting, I guess Montblanc considered the sale to BMW to be the first sale? I guess that would mean that the sale from BMW to anyone else a secondary sale?

[NoType]

51 minutes ago, JCC123 said:

This is interesting, I guess Montblanc considered the sale to BMW to be the first sale? I guess that would mean that the sale from BMW to anyone else a secondary sale?

It is, indeed.  So much so that I will ask my local boutique later this week for clarification and let you know what I learn.

[JCC123]

15 minutes ago, NoType said:

It is, indeed.  So much so that I will ask my local boutique later this week for clarification and let you know what I learn.

That would be great as I would think you could make a case by showing the receipt from BMW and let the boutique know that it's really a first sale and should be entitled to a free nib exchange. Never hurt to ask.

[Seney724]

5 minutes ago, JCC123 said:

That would be great as I would think you could make a case by showing the receipt from BMW and let the boutique know that it's really a first sale and should be entitled to a free nib exchange. Never hurt to ask.

That's what I'd do, for sure!!!

Please let us know what happens when you speak with your local boutique.

Depending upon what your learn from them you might also want to consider calling Montblanc USA Customer Service at: (855) 221-8663

[NoType]

25 minutes ago, JCC123 said:

That would be great as I would think you could make a case by showing the receipt from BMW and let the boutique know that it's really a first sale and should be entitled to a free nib exchange. Never hurt to ask.

 

13 minutes ago, Seney724 said:

That's what I'd do, for sure!!!

Please let us know what happens when you speak with your local boutique.

Depending upon what your learn from them you might also want to consider calling Montblanc USA Customer Service at: (855) 221-8663

That was also my thinking.  Since it seems BMW commissioned the pen to sell to their customers, it will be instructive to see if BMW’s purchase date governs, or their customer’s purchase date does, in terms of the six-week window for a free nib exchange.  I suspect the former, but as it is an unusual case, I wish to be certain.  And yes, it never hurts to ask.

 

The other possibility with my specific pen is that the stamped date marks a previous sale to a customer, who then returned the pen for some reason.  My pen appears unused but could be a “pre-sold” item.

 

Yes, thank you @Seney724; it is a good suggestion to also contact Montblanc Customer Service.  I appreciate your kindly including their phone number.

 

I will report back on what I learn from my local boutique as well as Montblanc Customer Service.

[bunnspecial]

FWIW, mine is also stamped April 23rd 2020 in the booklet. I wonder if this is the date BMW NA took delivery of them.

 

I would like to get a nib swap on mine, but it's not the end of the world if I don't. I kind of like having a mostly normal(tire tread aside) platinum trimmed 146. With that said, a nib coloring reversal(as is done on platinum 149s) with a platinum border surrounding a yellow gold center might have been nice.

[NoType]

12 minutes ago, bunnspecial said:

FWIW, mine is also stamped April 23rd 2020 in the booklet. I wonder if this is the date BMW NA took delivery of them.

 

I would like to get a nib swap on mine, but it's not the end of the world if I don't. I kind of like having a mostly normal(tire tread aside) platinum trimmed 146.

That is also interesting.  You may be correct.  It seems highly unlikely that both our pens were previously sold to other customers on the same date, these customers then returning their pen without using it.  So I am dropping the theory that my pen is a “pre-sold” item.
 

(I tried, unsuccessfully, to find your previous post in which you described the radio silence after ordering, so I’m glad that you posted here again.  I experienced the same thing when I ordered, with the exception that since I happen to have created a FedEx customer account, and my local dealer chose FedEx as the shipper, FedEx notified me when the pen had been shipped, so I had a little bit of advance notice of its arrival).

 

Like you, not being able to take advantage of a free nib exchange is more akin to being deprived of the cherry on top rather than the dessert itself, which remains delicious at the discounted price.  I actually did not expect to be able to exchange the nib gratis, but my hopes were first raised and then dashed when I read (and then reread) the date stamp.

[JCC123]

It's weird but when I contacted the bmwpartspro site by email, the customer service person said that they don't stamp the warranty card. Did you actually buy it from that site or BMW directly?

[NoType]

10 hours ago, JCC123 said:

It's weird but when I contacted the bmwpartspro site by email, the customer service person said that they don't stamp the warranty card. Did you actually but it from that site or BMW directly?

I purchased from the website link provided by the original poster@23109VC: 

https://www.shopbmwusa.com/product/11193/MONTBLANC-FOR-BMW-FOUNTAIN-PEN

(I believe that bmwpartspro offers the pen for less ($410 vs $446.50), but I had thought the shipping costs would be higher through bmwpartspro, narrowing the price gap.  I now suspect purchasing from bmwpartspro might have been more cost effective after all.)
 

In any event, while shopbmwusa did not stamp the warranty card’s box for “Montblanc authorised retailer,” it is possible that someone at shopbmwusa filled the boxes for “Product,” “Ident no.,” and “Individual no.” with package labels, and also stamped the box for “Date of Purchase.”  
 

Did the customer service representative at bmwpartspro specify which boxes of the warranty card that they do not stamp, or did they say they leave the warranty card completely blank?  If the latter, then bmwpartspro’s practice may differ significantly from shopbmwusa’s, which is difficult to understand, although presumably the box for “Montblanc authorised retailer” of bmwpartspro’s warranty card is stamped identically to shopbmwusa’s warranty card.

 

[bunnspecial]

I bought mine from Bmwpartspro and the warranty card looks identical to the one @NoTypeshowed including, as I mentioned, the stamp date 

[NoType]

1 hour ago, bunnspecial said:

I bought mine from Bmwpartspro and the warranty card looks identical to the one @NoTypeshowed including, as I mentioned, the stamp date 

Thank you @bunnspecial.  From the fact that bmwpartspro’s and shopbmwusa’s warranty cards are identically stamped, and that bmwpartspro says they do not stamp the warranty cards, it seems reasonable to hypothesise that the warranty cards are stamped by Montblanc before the pens are shipped to BMW.  (That is, unless either another BMW entity or shopbmwusa itself fills out all the boxes on the warranty card other than that for the authorised dealer stamp for each pen, and then some inventory is distributed to others like bmwpartspro.)

 

By the end of the week I will have been in communication with both my local Montblanc boutique and Montblanc Customer Service, and I will report what I learn about the pens’ eligibility for a free nib exchange.

[Seney724]

15 minutes ago, NoType said:

Thank you @bunnspecial.  From the fact that bmwpartspro’s and shopbmwusa’s warranty cards are identically stamped, and that bmwpartspro says they do not stamp the warranty cards, it seems reasonable to hypothesise that the warranty cards are stamped by Montblanc before the pens are shipped to BMW.  (That is, unless either another BMW entity or shopbmwusa itself fills out all the boxes on the warranty card other than that for the authorised dealer stamp for each pen, and then some inventory is distributed to others like bmwpartspro.)

 

By the end of the week I will have been in communication with both my local Montblanc boutique and Montblanc Customer Service, and I will report what I learn about the pens’ eligibility for a free nib exchange.

One of the other questions which has been posed in this thread but not answered is whether or not the BMW 146's "tire tread" cap could be swapped out for a "normal" modern 146 cap.  Will that non-BMW cap fit and operate correctly?

 

Have either of you (or anyone else) given this a try?

[bunnspecial]

1 hour ago, Seney724 said:

One of the other questions which has been posed in this thread but not answered is whether or not the BMW 146's "tire tread" cap could be swapped out for a "normal" modern 146 cap.  Will that non-BMW cap fit and operate correctly?

 

Have either of you (or anyone else) given this a try?

I suspected it could, but didn't want to answer without trying. The only thing particularly unusual about this is the platinum trim and the design on the cap, but other recent special edition 146s like the Around the World in 80 Days have had fully interchangeable caps also.

 

Here it is with my 146C cap

 

 

[vieuxcarre]

In poking around the internet, I found this BMW parts outlet selling them for $382.39:

https://www.bmwpartshub.com/oem-parts/bmw-montblanc-for-bmw-fountain-p-809324-80245a072f6

[23109VC]

Sorry i haven’t posted as quickly..I’ve been super busy.  The pen showed up.  It came in a factory Mont Blanc box.  There were some additional stickers showing it was a BMW product, with a hologram sticker.  The pen had the exterior cream box, interior black display box, warranty info, etc.  The pen is 100% authentic.  It feels very nice.  There is a crisis cross Mont Blanc patter on the cap, the pen body is gloss black.  Etched into the cross cross pattern are the words “MONTBLANC FOR BMW”.  I’ll attach pics.

 

The pen looks nice, I really like hte pattern on teh cap - it gives the pen a somewhat unique look compared to a standard resin pen.  I own two BMWs…and I am a “car guy” so to me, the pen is a win win.  I got a great deal on a new MB, and the pen fits in with my likes/interests.  If I wasn’t a BMW owner, I might not want a pen with those words written on the cap, but at the same time - the wording is very subtle and hard to see, it blends in with the pattern… so I could see where someone wouldn’t really mind it, even if you weren’t a car person.

 

The pen is a medium nib.  It writes very nicely.  If you are looking for a new MB pen, like BMW’s, and have $400, this is a great deal.

 

[NoType]

4 hours ago, 23109VC said:

Sorry i haven’t posted as quickly..I’ve been super busy.  The pen showed up.  It came in a factory Mont Blanc box.  There were some additional stickers showing it was a BMW product, with a hologram sticker.  The pen had the exterior cream box, interior black display box, warranty info, etc.  The pen is 100% authentic.  It feels very nice.  There is a crisis cross Mont Blanc patter on the cap, the pen body is gloss black.  Etched into the cross cross pattern are the words “MONTBLANC FOR BMW”.  I’ll attach pics.

 

The pen looks nice, I really like hte pattern on teh cap - it gives the pen a somewhat unique look compared to a standard resin pen.  I own two BMWs…and I am a “car guy” so to me, the pen is a win win.  I got a great deal on a new MB, and the pen fits in with my likes/interests.  If I wasn’t a BMW owner, I might not want a pen with those words written on the cap, but at the same time - the wording is very subtle and hard to see, it blends in with the pattern… so I could see where someone wouldn’t really mind it, even if you weren’t a car person.

 

The pen is a medium nib.  It writes very nicely.  If you are looking for a new MB pen, like BMW’s, and have $400, this is a great deal.

 

Thank you very much @23109VC for these lovely visuals and text, both of which are spot on.  You’ve not only captured the cap’s engraved lettering and “exploded chevron” pattern very well indeed, but also described the pen succinctly and accurately.  The bonus of the glowing, figured cherrywood background is mesmerising.

[NoType]

On 2/27/2023 at 1:36 PM, vieuxcarre said:

In poking around the internet, I found this BMW parts outlet selling them for $382.39:

https://www.bmwpartshub.com/oem-parts/bmw-montblanc-for-bmw-fountain-p-809324-80245a072f6

Thank you @vieuxcarre for this great service for bargain hunters or bulk shoppers — is one Meisterstück LeGrand Fountain Pen with platinum-coated trim ever enough?  
 

Perhaps those mulling over the purchase of this pen —
 

shopbmwusa: $446.50* (41.6% off retail**)

bmwpartspro: $410* (46.4% off retail**)

 

— may be persuaded by

bmwpartshub: $382.39*** (50% off retail**).

 

(I am unaffiliated with any of the companies 

listed here and am merely an ordinary consumer.)

——————

* (excluding taxes (e.g., $34.60) and shipping

   charges (e.g., $20.02 to CA))

** $765 (excluding taxes)

https://www.montblanc.com/en-us/fountain-pens_cod22527730565448160.html

 

*** (no sales tax outside PA; excluding

       shipping charges (e.g., $37.10 to CA))

[NoType]

On 2/27/2023 at 8:34 AM, bunnspecial said:

I suspected it could, but didn't want to answer without trying. The only thing particularly unusual about this is the platinum trim and the design on the cap, but other recent special edition 146s like the Around the World in 80 Days have had fully interchangeable caps also.

 

Here it is with my 146C cap

 

 

Thank you @bunnspecial for taking the trouble to check cap interchangeability.  This is useful information.

[JCC123]

5 hours ago, 23109VC said:

Sorry i haven’t posted as quickly..I’ve been super busy.  The pen showed up.  It came in a factory Mont Blanc box.  There were some additional stickers showing it was a BMW product, with a hologram sticker.  The pen had the exterior cream box, interior black display box, warranty info, etc.  The pen is 100% authentic.  It feels very nice.  There is a crisis cross Mont Blanc patter on the cap, the pen body is gloss black.  Etched into the cross cross pattern are the words “MONTBLANC FOR BMW”.  I’ll attach pics.

 

The pen looks nice, I really like hte pattern on teh cap - it gives the pen a somewhat unique look compared to a standard resin pen.  I own two BMWs…and I am a “car guy” so to me, the pen is a win win.  I got a great deal on a new MB, and the pen fits in with my likes/interests.  If I wasn’t a BMW owner, I might not want a pen with those words written on the cap, but at the same time - the wording is very subtle and hard to see, it blends in with the pattern… so I could see where someone wouldn’t really mind it, even if you weren’t a car person.

 

The pen is a medium nib.  It writes very nicely.  If you are looking for a new MB pen, like BMW’s, and have $400, this is a great deal.

 

Thanks, is your warranty card stamped and filled out like NoType?