ASK-MINI said I was still at the port when I was at Bmore. I just called it for kicks, it says in-transit. Like I said, after you hit the port, ASK-MINI is useless. It's up to you to now track it, but until you get on a boat, there's not much you can do other than wait and try to crash the WWL site Also, if you get on a KLine boat, you're essentially in the dark. Even your MA can't help (which, btw, mine couldn't say much either...use this site and the shipping resources available. I knew Clubby was at the VDC before my MA even did! Which was great because she was able to get a 10/1 delivery so I could pick up the next day which was a Saturday). Frankly, some people on here have even seen nothing on the WWL site until the day the vessel arrives. So hang in there!

Clubby (it's a he, btw..girls are pokey-slow and finicky, so Clubby is a dude and he and I are best of friends now ) is doing just fine in the rain, I love having rear wipers (yup, two!) although I was out the other day when it started downpouring and I had to quickly figure out the wipers. I need to read through the manual on them again, they're kinda funky. The handling in the rain is really nice and with heated/dimming side-view mirrors, I don't have to worry about people blinding me with their lights. Those two features are by far my favorite on the car, they work flawlessly. Although, those auto-lights/wipers would have been nice because I keep forgetting to turn off my lights (the last four days have been solid rainy/gloomy weather). I had daytime running lights on my old car though so I don't mind it.

It's nice and warm out and no rain is in sight till Wednesday, so after work, he's getting a bath and a wax today and a nice wheel cleaning. He doesn't look dirty by any means, but I have a busy weekend ahead and the way the rain's been half-sheeting bugs me. This way I can get another coat on before the end of November to prepare for the nasty winters DC's been having recently.

The boat ride is a pretty mellow time for you, until it nears ports and then hits the VDC, then you go bonkers . Clubby, however, went crazy I'm sure.
It's funny...my car seems to be as happy as me these days. I look back after parking and walking away (ok, sometimes I take two looks) and it's sitting there all cute and giggly, patiently waiting for me to take care of my responsibilities, then get back in and have fun.
My friend summed it up well: I found a car that matches my personality And man, is it fun to amuse myself with it (yeah yeah yeah I know I'm crazy, and I'm okay with it)

 

Thanks for providing that info.

I called and apparently the estimated production completion date is 10/8 (tomorrow!).

I feel like an expecting father...

 

Welcome to the ClubCrazy. The best is when you bring it to work...you get to show it off and everyone oohs and aahs Make sure you check out the ship tracking info..now that your first-born has popped out, you'll wonder why it can't just teleport itself over Let the fun begin...

 

Alex,

If your completion date is tomorrow, we may well be on the same boat coming here. Of course, depending on where you live. Mine comes into Baltimore POE. Lil Guy is sitting at the Port of Exit right now, waiting, I presume. He's gettind kind of bored just sitting there, trying to tell those Clubbys to mind their own business. They can be kind of bossy if you know what I mean........

 

I haven't looked into the shipping info yet. When is your ship due at the MINI emigration (extradition? He he..) port in the UK/scheduled to leave? I imagine once production is complete it will take a few days for Jux to get to port.

 

take this with a grain of salt, as perhaps there are 33 dissenting views in the Detailing 101 section, but I understood the MINI paint job to be a bit soft for a few months, and that waxing shouldn't happen for x months lest you scratch it. WHo knows if that's true, but it was what I was told at the dealership. A few months later, around break-in or so, I gave it the first good coat of Klasse...

 

Whatever, the Clubbies are the cool kids on the block We're that forgotten child that once everyone gets to know, they realize how AWESOME we are

Thirdrail: I ended up not waxing it for that reason. I've heard 30 days is acceptable, so I'm going to hold off till next weekend or possibly the one after. I just don't want to wait too long because once the weather goes south around here, it could be weeks or months before I'd get the chance again. I'd like to apply two coats before the winter, preferably 30 days or so apart. If this winter is anything like the last one, it's going to be months of salt and grim
Clubby did get a nice, simple bath though. There was some residue left over on the windows I wanted to get off and I did polish the wheels to hopefully cut down on some of the brake dust/road crud that accumulates. Also did a RainX treatment on the windows. That, and he was dirty, and I can't have a brand new dirty car

 

Nice work! Do you keep your Clubby outside overnight or do you garage it?

 

It's outside for right now Will be garaged soon at my new place. Although it fits in the driveway right behind another car just fine

Took a co-worker on a lunchtime joyride. It was a blast. FINALLY realllyyy heard the pop/burble. We were sitting at a light and I just revved it in Sport mode and heard the sound...we both just looked at each other and laughed. Hit the lucky double 7s on some back twisties near my office

 

garaging it does wonders, in any weather, frankly.
the worst we get in the bay area is pollutants, not so much weather damage as you guys do. But I would wash and spruce up the car and in 2 days it would be coated in black particulate. I lived a block from the bay in an industrial area, and the stuff would sweep in with the bay winds... meh!

 

DC smog will eventually catch up to you around here though. Currently the fall pollen is wrecking havoc. I JUST washed him yesterday and he's already got that yellow, dusty haze. Ugh

OH..and a bird pooped on him as I was driving in the upper 40s, and with RainX it's beaded all nice and starting to run up my windshield. ARG

 

Released to a carrier and on its way to the port of exit!

 

My "Lil Blu" is scheduled for Monday completion. Maybe our car will be friends before meet them.

 

I'm poking around on Wallenius' track and trace page, but I'm not sure I know where to track a vehicle based on VIN...

 

"cargo ID"
But you'll only get a nibble the day it's assigned to a ship...

 

Ah, that might be way. I assume it is the full VIN and not just the last 6 or 7 digits?

EDIT: I just tried the last 6 of the VIN and 8 cars showed up (all already delivered) that had those same last 6 digits. Interesting!

 

When you figure out how to do this, let me know. I'm kind of mentally handicapped with this.:

 

yeah, the instructions on their site DO technically say to search by last 6 or 7 of VIN, but on the advice I think of Wahoo I tried full VIN and it definitely works. To wit:

Note the full VIN to upper left.
Again, though, folks, it only shows up once
a) your boats in port and loading
2) your boat has accepted your car as a cargo item
d) you get lucky!
I knew I was at port waiting, and thought my next boat was 2 weeks out... I just checked back every evening out of habit, and discovered a new ship got up in there...

 

Well, I found the ship, I found where it is at this time, I found the dock, I think, but I don't see any Chili Red roofs with Midnight Black bodies. Did find alot of cars to be transported though. I am just curious as to when this Satellite shot was taken.

 

So hemi, are we riding the Fedora across the pond together?

Here is my itinerary...

 

Alex: I haven't been able to verify whether my Lil Guy has made the Fedora or not. My Motor Advisor hasn't been any help in this matter. She has been great, except for trying to find out if our guy has been scheduled for the ship. She became rather irritated with me when I pressed her on this. Beings as Lil Guy has been sitting on the Dock since October 7th, I would only assume that it will be on this ship. I've tried to put my VIN in the tracking and still can't find anything. So, I don't know.

If we make it together, we'll have to have a James Bond, old style that is, Martini, shaken not stirred with a twist of lemon.

 

I'm assuming you have your VIN? You may have already, but this is how I went about tracking it...

Go here: http://www.2wglobal.com/www/wep/ and select "track and trace" from the drop-down on the right. Try entering your last 7 digits in the "cargo ID" box and click the "track" button at the bottom.


I'm guessing you are on the boat. Worst case scenario if we are sailing over to the states:

http://blogs.motortrend.com/1008873/...eck/index.html

 

Hemi, Alex, I have to say the "Fedora" is a fairly cool name for a ship!

My MA was absolutely awesome and I was able to pickup my MCS (nick named Declan) last night! I panicked when she sent me a pic as it came off the truck because it looked like it didn't have the white turn signals!! Fortunately it was just the light catching the yellow bulb. Phew! My MA hooked me up with a few goodies (not sure how much was due to Motortober specials or her general good spirit having a birthday just a couple of days away), and I couldn't be happier.

Before we started the car she told me the pop and burble was not very pronounced and she was right. I drove an '09 JCW that had it to the hilt, and on my drive home last night it was barely noticeable on my 2011 MCS, maybe a 10th of what the JCW had.

The car still doesn't have stripes yet, and I'd like to get the windows tinted (anyone have a good recommendation for either in the greater Los Angeles area?), so I won't take a ton of pics yet, but will try to figure out how to post a few later today. I'll follow Wahoo's example and say if anyone has any specific questions or detailed picture's they like to see just let me know. Oh, Wahoo, didn't you confirm that as a safety feature the brake lights will flash during a hard brake? What did it take to get them to do that?

Thanks again to this whole support group: a great group of people, and a great bunch of cars!

 

I ordered my MCS on September 30, and it went into production on October 4. According to "Make", it's supposed to be completed on October 13. Then my little girl will be waiting for the voyage home -- not sure how long that will take, but can't wait to see her.

 

Congrats on your MINI! Here are the two pictures of your MINI just off the truck! *Notice the nice reflection of the lense in the signal which had me freaking out that Delcan came in wrong!
(I hope you are enjoying the MINI so far!!!)