great thread! thanks,, always wanted to know how does the VDC looks like in Port Hueneme.. because my mini will visit the port 2moro.. cant wait!

Excellent pics. Scary though how much damage can be occur and not be disclosed.

Wow. That's quite impressive. Anyway to arrange a tour? And perhaps a test drive?:grin:

Tours at the VDC are pretty rare.

So is the "candy blue" the same color that ended up being "oxygen blue"?

another one here....

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=46863&st=0

Wonderful photos! I'd never seen this thread before and here I am about to take delivery of my third MINI.

Many thanks!:thumbsup:

Thanks Dave!

I so hope they don't damage my mini. It's a hard call - I'm getting so impatient waiting that I think if it was minor damage I would rather them fix it and send it on its way to me (and maybe not tell me about it... won't I don't know won't hurt me?). Having to wait an additional 6-8 weeks or so to get a replacement would be torture.

Dave , Awesome Pictorial . I too feel for the owner of the caved in roof.

I do not think I would take it if it was disclosed to me that the roof was crushed then repaired.

I purchased a new SAAB in 2003 and in 2005 the paint on the front fender started peeling! Apparently it was damaged in shipping and "fixed" at distribution. It should have been disclosed! Re-re-paint paid by SAAB - but never looked right again :sly:. In my humble opinion, all after factory work should be disclosed. (p.s. - that car got totaled by a Chevy Yukon, got nervous bought something bigger to replace, now trading that for what I really want - Mini Clubman - should arrive any day! - been in Brunswick a long time! Hope it was not damaged!)

Thanks for posting. :thumbsup: Really interesting.

Awesome, mine is headed there soon, thanks so much for taking your time and doing the photo lineup :)

Great pictures! Visited the Mercedes VPC in Baltimore and looked very similar.:nod:

Six years ago, we bought a 325ci BMW from Walker BMW in Alexandria, Louisiana, the car was damaged in transport and had the hood repainted. Apparently VDC wasn't going to say anything about it, but the dealership found out that it had gone to the paint shop after the fact and refused to take delivery of it. They said it was their policy not to take cars that had body work/paint done at VDC whether we wanted to accept it or not. Moved them up a notch in our book.

They found a replacement car identical, but a different color in CA. Sent a driver to CA and then drove it to our house to deliver it (2.5 hours from the dealership). We never set foot in the dealership....

That is service..... if they had a Mini dealership, we'd have bought from them in a heartbeat.

There should be photos of the workers sitting on their ass because my Clubman has been there over 2 weeks just to get sport stripes.:sad:

Our Clubman was there for two weeks as well and our dealer could not even get an answer as to what was going on :roll: :mad:

Hang in there.

Thank you so much for the pictures!
Every time when I am using BMW system, I see that place mentioned.
Now i feel like I were there myself.
:thumbsup:

Very informative thread..I guess if your vehicle does not clear DVC in 2 or 3 days...you should get suspicious of a problem?

that's a pretty good estimate. My ma told me the worst part of being a MINI salesperson was when cars get delayed at VDC, and having to deal with very impatient and irritated customers.

Very insightful. My 09 MCS will be there on Dec. 4th ! I hope it doesn't get crushed !

Thanks

Thank you so much for posting all of this! The pictures are amazing and I have enjoyed learning about this process! I really hope the damage ratio for the imported vehicles is low! :cry: Seeing a hurt MINI makes me feel abnormally sad. I know they can be fixed but... still... *sniffles.

I wonder if our Canadian Cars go through a VDC in Halifax?

Hmmm... I am on week 8 of waiting for my MCS. I have no idea where it is! :impatient: I bet we do have a VDC in Halifax. It would make sense... a lot of foreign vehicles come through Halifax because they have amazing port facilities. I think you are right!

I had no idea this whole process existed. While important, i see it now as an extra couple of days that I have to wait for my new pride and joy.

very cool though.

This was REALLY nice. My MINI is at the NY VDC as I type so thanks again!!!

Neato Post on VDC
 

Six years later and this info on the VDC is timeless. Thanks for sharing, as I had not heard of a VDC before. Great tour pics - felt like I was right there! Also, the town I live in is just north of Pt. Hueneme/Oxnard, making this a bit more interesting. It is closer to home than the dealership, Bob Smith Mini, Calabasas.

I used to work there in the final assembly and detail department. This was back in the days they would Dyno. It was always fun driving them around the block to get loaded onto a truck or train.
Back then there was no lease option, at least not for a majority of us, as we were temporary agency workers.
Sure is an awesome place though and one a the few places I really enjoyed working and being part of.

Does anyone know how long it took for their MINI to get to Port Hueneme after it left England?? I'm almost at that stage :)

Tracking Completed 2011 Countryman for transport ?
 

I
I'm looking for help in tracking 2011 Countryman thats completed and waiting transport?
Thanks

Woohoo so my MINI left England on the 18th and will be at Port Hueneme by Feb 9th! So excited! I don't have any accessories to put on so hopefully my MINI won't be there for too long :) .

Awesome !! :thumbsup:
My Countryman is still at the Port in Germany and the Ship I was hoping it would get loaded on will be leaving shortly without MINE:sad:

Nice pics Thanks for sharing very interesting.I Hope I did not get the one were the Trucker forgot to move the Mini before lowering top ramp.Man what a Facility:thumbsup:

Several years after you posted this, I found, read and came away enlightened. I am going to forward this to our local Mini owner's group to see if we can also take a tour. Thanks.

That was really cool to see all that goes into the process of shipping and inspecting the cars that come into the VDC! Thanks for the tour!

I know that this is a very old thread, but I'm wondering if anyone has any additional information about how a VDC tour could be scheduled for the one in NY...perhaps a joint venture with several chapters?

Either way, I don't (yet) have my car but will soon and once I do I have every intention of getting into the BMW CCA club and getting involved! In the interim, just wondering what would have to be done to get something like this scheduled.

Thanks!

I attended a tour of the Port Jersey VDC in 2008 with the NJ BMW CCA chapter. Haven't seen another one on their calendar, but you may want to check with them directly at njbmwcca.org

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Does anyone know how many VDC there are? Is there one in or near Houston, TX?

very interesting article, thank you. I'd be interested in touring the VDC in Jersey City although I don't see an upcoming tour on the calendar

how long does it take to get to the dealership once it landed at the distribution center?

As long as there are no issues with the car when it arrives at the VDC, they usually are loaded onto a transport within 24 hours. Remember, imports must also pass through US Customs after being offloaded from the ship and prior to being released into the VDC.

Then it is just a matter of driving distance to your dealer, plus any other stops along the way.

Bottom line, this is a fairly quick process which should only take a few days from the time the ship arrives at port until it reaches the dealership. As always, your mileage may vary.

Lastly, the dealership will need 1-2 days for pre-delivery inspection (PDI).

Hope this helps...