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 ?
 

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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...

(o.0)

I use to live around that area and was always interesting how crazy the cars were driven around the facility and to the facility from the port.

This thread is awesome interesting.
:thumbsup: thumbs up.

Thanks for whomever revived this thread. I'm from Oxnard, and always knew about all the cars that come through that port. Free leases to employees? Sign me up!

Got a car en route through the good 'ole Port of Hueneme from the UK. I understand that these folks get paid by how many cars they drive off the RO RO. Hope they have some consideration when driving these vehicles off of the ship...