Ok, so I had resigned myself to waiting until week 20 (is that next week or the week after; "ASK MINI" hasn't a clue) or May 20th before my car enters production, and resolved not to call anymore until then.

So I get an email from my unhelpful, sullen MA with the topic "Let's track your MINI!" I'm thinking, did someone kick his butt and tell him to do his job? Has the status of my car changed? Is it somehow finally in production?

No, he's inviting me to a race track on May 29th so I can receive professional instruction on how to drive my new MINI.

He knows I've been autocrossing longer than he's been allowed to leave home on his own. He knows my car won't be here until late June or early July. He's doing this on purpose, isn't he? It's either that or he is paying no attention whatsoever.

I have declared him non-existant. Back to waiting.

 

Having to wait a month for your car to even start being built is bad enough w/o your MA taunting you. Whatta bum

 

I am at least seeing the humor in it. It was either that or have a stroke.

 

Oh that stinks that you won't get your car as quickly. But at least you're getting what you want. What happens to the other car they already started working on? Do they just absorb it into their inventory?

 

Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to stupidity, or in this case, inattentiveness. He has added your email to his customer mailing list, and just sent a mass mailing to all his customers. It may not even have been your MA that initiated the mailing, it could be a computer program run by the dealership.

Sorry you'll have to wait so long, I know how anxious I felt, and I didn't have as much of a wait as you. I don't envy your situation, for sure.

 

With all this bs, have you ever asked him why you have to wait so long or asked why they couldn't swap your production slot with one they already had? I'm just curious to know what he would say. Or what the sales manager would say if you asked him/her about it.

 

OK you know, now I agree that ASK MINI is just as useless as the OL. On Wed. the automated system said my car was being transported to the port of exit. Yesterday, it said it was at the port waiting for a ship. Today it tells me its being transported to the port. Which is it? Is it there or still on its way there? And you know if I ask to speak to a person they'll tell me they can't tell me which is complete bs if you ask me. I think today is email my MA day.

 

According to ASK MINI, my baby is now at the port and awaiting a ship. I see the Tijuca leaving Sunday bound for Baltimore. Hopefully we'll be on that one.

 

That's the boat I'm hoping to make, too. But I don't think I'll make it in time. If not, then the Patriot leaves on Friday for Bal'Mer...

Was this according to the automated message or a live person?

 

Ok, yeah, automated system is worthless.

2 days ago, it said "en route"
today it says "paint shop" (did it fail QA?)
yesterday, I was at status 153 assembly, which is AFTER paint shop

Oy vey

 

It was the automated system. For a couple days before that they had it as completed and enroute to port so the status has progressed logically. Of course the OL still has it as scheduled for production :-) As of yet it isn't showing up on the WW site and now I'm checking that like hourly

 

Hot Damn it just showed up on the WW site. Loaded on the Tijuca!! Now I have a status I can take to the bank. So she's sailing on Sunday. Oh yea..

 

Lucky!

Am I the only one that is getting (hoping to get) on the Don Carlos?

 

OK I tried the WW site just now. My baby was booked on the Don Carlos on 5/3 and was received on 5/5. Wooo! Yeah ASK MINI is lagging and OL is useless. The boat leaves Monday and will get to Jersey on 5/19. If I'm lucky, I'll get to pick it up on 5/22. Just keeping my fingers crossed that there's no delays.

 

Why "Snape" instead of "Sirius"?

 

Christo, my post was a joke about the verb "track." I don't have a problem with the wait. I didn't even ask how long it would take. With my Jeep they documented the price and gave me an expected delivery date. This process was meant to be fun and has become chaotic.

Sek, they did modify an existing order. It was created on 4/7 and modified 4/21. It has a stated priority of "stock" on it. If each order has a priority class, I doubt if they are all treated equally by the schedulers.

Now, can anyone tell me for certain when production week 20 starts?

 

Mine lists the priority as "1-Customer Sold". I'd call the MA and see about updating your priority.

I haven't had a chance to ask my MA about that but that's what I'm assuming will happen.

 

I'd call the MA and see about updating your priority.

Maybe not if you had my MA.

I turned him into the General Manager for lying to me. The GM bucked it down to the other sales manager. The other sales manager bucked it to the MA's sales manager. He bucked it to the MA. They have a long standing attitude of "If you want a car, you buy it here, pay our markup, and thank us for free floor mats." I'm thinking the less he does the better.

 

I don't know when week 20 is. I just know that your wait is ridiculous.

 

I don't think it's ridiculous. Two weeks seems to be average. My dealer is not exceptionally large and would have fewer standing orders for inventory. And they're making one third of the profit on my car they were making a year ago. Even less if they are partially underwriting the 1.9% loan. I don't expect above and beyond service after eating their lunch.

I would, however, like to know when my car is scheduled for production. Not knowing that is totally ludicrous. MA says May 20th. Order says 2010/05/20 under the heading yr/mo/wk. The most intelligent sounding of the service reps at ASK MINI had never heard of a production week. In any case, it has to enter production between 5/9 and 5/22 unless it's going to be bypassed because of the stock priority code.

 

I don't think it sounds unreasonable either, but your car will definitely take the full 8 weeks to get to you. I'm sure if your dealer wanted to, they could have tried to make the process a bit quicker for you. I ordered the same day as you (4/21), and my car will be arriving at the port on 5/12.

I'm guessing the 20th week will be the week of May 17th-23rd just based on the calendar. Hopefully they start it sooner for you. Good Luck!

 

I'm on my 3rd MINI, first a 2003 MC custom ordered, second a 2005 MCS purchased from a NAM member broken, and now a 2010 Clubman S.

It started production this morning May 7, 2010 at 8:01AM. My MA says I should see it by June 23.

Richard

 

Am I completely misunderstanding what you've been dealing with? I thought you had an issue not only with getting the getting something in writing about your order and locking in your interest rate, but if you ordered on 4/7 originally and you won't start production until 5/20, that's not a 2 week wait. That's 6 weeks. Even if you use the 4/21 date, its still a 4 week wait from the date of order. Yes its 2 weeks from now. But you've gone through significant hassle. I swear you have more patience then anyone I've met. I thought I had a lot of patience. But I would have taken my deposit back and found another dealer.

I truly hope this works out for you and that when you finally get your mini that you believe it was worth the wait.

 

Congrats to you!

 

Thanks!