Anyone from NY waiting for TOMBARRA?
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Cooper S: Chili Red/Chrome Interior & Exterior Trims/Red Rooster Leather/Cold Weather Package/Xeon Headlights/Dual Pane Panoramic Sunroof/Center Armrest/Bluetooth
Last edited by MiniShhip; May 17, 2012 at 06:36 AM.
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Waiting in Connecticut
Our Chili Red Hatchback is also on this voyage of the Tombarra. We are in central Connecticut. We are hoping to have it in time for the holiday weekend.
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I can't really complain about the timing. If it gets delivered the following week that is fine. It will still be just about 5 weeks since we ordered so I am very happy with how fast it got here.
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All - I was able to locate TOMBARRA's current position.
Here is the current status: http://aprs.fi/#!call=i%2F232971000&timerange=3600
Heading closer to HALIFAX
Here is the current status: http://aprs.fi/#!call=i%2F232971000&timerange=3600
Heading closer to HALIFAX
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All - I was able to locate TOMBARRA's current position.
Here is the current status: http://aprs.fi/#!call=i%2F232971000&timerange=3600
Heading closer to HALIFAX
Here is the current status: http://aprs.fi/#!call=i%2F232971000&timerange=3600
Heading closer to HALIFAX
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Closer to Halifax
Tombarra is showing up on marinetraffic.com near Halifax as of this morning. It is still estimated to arrive around 18:30 today.
Now that the ship is near the north American coast we should get much more regular position updates.
Now that the ship is near the north American coast we should get much more regular position updates.
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It is not satellite based
Many of the stations are privately owned sort of like weather stations. All it requires is a simple antenna, a small dedicated box and an internet connection to setup a tracking station.
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I wondered the same thing. The system used is an older design. It is radio based using shore based stations so it only works within 50 miles of the shoreline or so depending on terrain and antenna height.
Many of the stations are privately owned sort of like weather stations. All it requires is a simple antenna, a small dedicated box and an internet connection to setup a tracking station.
Many of the stations are privately owned sort of like weather stations. All it requires is a simple antenna, a small dedicated box and an internet connection to setup a tracking station.
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Perfection Delivered Perfectly - Touring the BMW Delivery Center
I felt like I was going through the gates at CIA Head Quarters when I went for my tour of the BMW Delivery Center located in a very industrial section of coastal Jersey City. “No cameras, no cell phones, no picture taking of any kind,” was the warning from our tour guide, Tony Abrams, (albeit with a smile) on our way into the briefing room. I was really excited because this was a rare opportunity to see up close how BMWs from Europe arrive and are prepped on their way to BMW dealers along the east coast. Someone jokingly called the BMW Delivery Center (VDC) “Area 51” and no one from BMW disagreed with him. My host, the president of the NNJR Region of the BMW Car Club warned everyone that sneaking a picture and then posting it anywhere would jeopardize the club’s relationship with BMW NA, making future insider events like this impossible.
To my great surprise, the club members all willingly obeyed the rules - BMW owners, as we all know, can be a rather independent lot…”.
Facilities manager, Carol Furey gave us the basic stats – 61,688 cars came through the VDC in New Jersey last year. It takes about 14 days on the ocean to get from Europe to the USA. There are three other VDCs – Georgia, California, and Maryland with California being the VDC that handles a slightly higher volume than NJ. This facility occupies 26 acres along the Jersey City docks and is where once a week 700 to 1,500 imported cars are given a detailed inspection, cleaned thoroughly, repaired if needed (more on that later) and then prepped for shipment to the dealer. All of this happens in what they call “The Bubble”.
With typical German efficiency, a passenger van picks up a group of specially trained drivers who are transported two miles out to a waiting ship where the recently arrived BMWs sit, bolted down using tow hooks connected to the front and rear bumpers. While we weren’t allowed out to see the ship, I was told by one of the drivers that, “They pack them tight!”
After their two mile drive, the cars are lined up in long rows outside the car wash facility where a second crew takes over, doing careful inspections on how well the each car came through its two week ocean voyage. The technician also checks the condition of the car’s battery and the fit of each panel, including hood, trunk and door openings. The results are sent via a wireless electronic system to a central data base. This all happens out in a huge parking lot that would dwarf a football field.
After receiving a quick and gentle car wash, each car is driven inside the facility and funneled into one of several “lines” for further processing. For example, if the battery tested lower than factory perfect, it will be driven down a line where the battery is charged or, if needed, completely replaced. If the inspector noticed any slight paint or body damage, it goes down a different line where it will be repaired to factory specifications. If a mechanical issue was found, there is a line for those repairs as well. However, the vast majority of all cars are deemed perfect so they are simply staged in a row where they get their owner’s manuals and tool kits and the shipping hooks are removed – all in preparation to going put to the covered parking garage to await shipment to a dealer.
On a regular basis, select cars are given a more thorough inspection as a quality check of everything that happened before – from manufacturing to transportation – these results are fed back to HQ in Munich for any remediation deemed necessary.
Unfortunately, on rare occasion, a defect – mechanical, body work or paint – is detected. The VDC has factory-level facilities and craftsmen who are trained to make the necessary repairs to ensure that the car is 100% perfect. However, BMW will always reveal to the buyer that a repair has been made (with the option to let the buyer select a different car), In addition, any car that receives repairs that exceed 3% of the car’s value will not be sold. Our guide said simply, “It’s not your car!” Instead, these become dealer courtesy cars, press cars or cars used by BMW employees.
I had the good fortune to speak to one of their paint and body craftspeople – a gentleman who has worked for BMW for decades - and he explained the painstaking process he goes through to precisely match the paint on any scratch or dent repair. He laughed that the hardest to match is the new “Frozen” or matte paint finishes, explaining that he has taken up to 4 days to accurately duplicate the color and finish on an M3’s hood.
As for mechanical repairs, while rare, they can even replace an entire engine if by some strange occurrence, one fails to meet their strict specs.
My last stop was at a small corner where two Rolls Royce cars sat being hand inspected prior to deliver to a client. And while every BMW and Mini gets a good going over, these Rolls Royce cars get the automotive equivalent of a complete physical. The tech said a while back he detected a slight “click” when he closed one of the doors on a RR Ghost. He opened and closed the door several times until he was sure he wasn’t mistaken. He then took the door apart and found one small bolt in the window mechanism that wasn’t 100% tight. A small thing for sure and something an owner may have never even noticed, but not something he wanted representing Rolls Royce or the work of the VDC.
My time at the VDC ended too quickly. But I left with a better appreciation for the dedication and professionalism of the people who work to ensure our BMWs are prepped perfectly and always delivered in “factory fresh” condition.
I felt like I was going through the gates at CIA Head Quarters when I went for my tour of the BMW Delivery Center located in a very industrial section of coastal Jersey City. “No cameras, no cell phones, no picture taking of any kind,” was the warning from our tour guide, Tony Abrams, (albeit with a smile) on our way into the briefing room. I was really excited because this was a rare opportunity to see up close how BMWs from Europe arrive and are prepped on their way to BMW dealers along the east coast. Someone jokingly called the BMW Delivery Center (VDC) “Area 51” and no one from BMW disagreed with him. My host, the president of the NNJR Region of the BMW Car Club warned everyone that sneaking a picture and then posting it anywhere would jeopardize the club’s relationship with BMW NA, making future insider events like this impossible.
To my great surprise, the club members all willingly obeyed the rules - BMW owners, as we all know, can be a rather independent lot…”.
Facilities manager, Carol Furey gave us the basic stats – 61,688 cars came through the VDC in New Jersey last year. It takes about 14 days on the ocean to get from Europe to the USA. There are three other VDCs – Georgia, California, and Maryland with California being the VDC that handles a slightly higher volume than NJ. This facility occupies 26 acres along the Jersey City docks and is where once a week 700 to 1,500 imported cars are given a detailed inspection, cleaned thoroughly, repaired if needed (more on that later) and then prepped for shipment to the dealer. All of this happens in what they call “The Bubble”.
With typical German efficiency, a passenger van picks up a group of specially trained drivers who are transported two miles out to a waiting ship where the recently arrived BMWs sit, bolted down using tow hooks connected to the front and rear bumpers. While we weren’t allowed out to see the ship, I was told by one of the drivers that, “They pack them tight!”
After their two mile drive, the cars are lined up in long rows outside the car wash facility where a second crew takes over, doing careful inspections on how well the each car came through its two week ocean voyage. The technician also checks the condition of the car’s battery and the fit of each panel, including hood, trunk and door openings. The results are sent via a wireless electronic system to a central data base. This all happens out in a huge parking lot that would dwarf a football field.
After receiving a quick and gentle car wash, each car is driven inside the facility and funneled into one of several “lines” for further processing. For example, if the battery tested lower than factory perfect, it will be driven down a line where the battery is charged or, if needed, completely replaced. If the inspector noticed any slight paint or body damage, it goes down a different line where it will be repaired to factory specifications. If a mechanical issue was found, there is a line for those repairs as well. However, the vast majority of all cars are deemed perfect so they are simply staged in a row where they get their owner’s manuals and tool kits and the shipping hooks are removed – all in preparation to going put to the covered parking garage to await shipment to a dealer.
On a regular basis, select cars are given a more thorough inspection as a quality check of everything that happened before – from manufacturing to transportation – these results are fed back to HQ in Munich for any remediation deemed necessary.
Unfortunately, on rare occasion, a defect – mechanical, body work or paint – is detected. The VDC has factory-level facilities and craftsmen who are trained to make the necessary repairs to ensure that the car is 100% perfect. However, BMW will always reveal to the buyer that a repair has been made (with the option to let the buyer select a different car), In addition, any car that receives repairs that exceed 3% of the car’s value will not be sold. Our guide said simply, “It’s not your car!” Instead, these become dealer courtesy cars, press cars or cars used by BMW employees.
I had the good fortune to speak to one of their paint and body craftspeople – a gentleman who has worked for BMW for decades - and he explained the painstaking process he goes through to precisely match the paint on any scratch or dent repair. He laughed that the hardest to match is the new “Frozen” or matte paint finishes, explaining that he has taken up to 4 days to accurately duplicate the color and finish on an M3’s hood.
As for mechanical repairs, while rare, they can even replace an entire engine if by some strange occurrence, one fails to meet their strict specs.
My last stop was at a small corner where two Rolls Royce cars sat being hand inspected prior to deliver to a client. And while every BMW and Mini gets a good going over, these Rolls Royce cars get the automotive equivalent of a complete physical. The tech said a while back he detected a slight “click” when he closed one of the doors on a RR Ghost. He opened and closed the door several times until he was sure he wasn’t mistaken. He then took the door apart and found one small bolt in the window mechanism that wasn’t 100% tight. A small thing for sure and something an owner may have never even noticed, but not something he wanted representing Rolls Royce or the work of the VDC.
My time at the VDC ended too quickly. But I left with a better appreciation for the dedication and professionalism of the people who work to ensure our BMWs are prepped perfectly and always delivered in “factory fresh” condition.
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No my friend. Tombarra is on schedule.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shi...MMSI=232971000
Destination: NEW YORK
ETA: 2012-05-20 15:00 (3pm)
It will "depart" NY/NJ on the 21st (monday)
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No my friend. Tombarra is on schedule.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shi...MMSI=232971000
Destination: NEW YORK
ETA: 2012-05-20 15:00 (3pm)
It will "depart" NY/NJ on the 21st (monday)
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shi...MMSI=232971000
Destination: NEW YORK
ETA: 2012-05-20 15:00 (3pm)
It will "depart" NY/NJ on the 21st (monday)
Arrive Depart
SOUTHAMPTON UNITED KINGDOM 11/05/2012 11/05/2012 HALIFAX, NS CANADA 18/05/2012 19/05/2012 NEW YORK, NY U.S.A. 20/05/2012 21/05/2012 CHARLESTON,SC U.S.A. 23/05/2012 23/05/2012 BRUNSWICK, GA U.S.A. 24/05/2012 24/05/2012