Crazy. Just shy of three weeks here since I ordered and I'm having trouble not calling every day for an update. Sounds like ours might be in the same production week, so it'd be interesting to compare the last few digits of the VIN... when we get them.

 

Good MA support goes a long way. I'm repeatedly stunned at the short-sightedness of some sales agents. This is one of those brands that has nostalgic staying power, and dealers, especially in markets like SF where there is competition, have the opportunity to make relaxation ships with customers that go beyond that one purchase.

My dealer got my order because of how exemplary they have been in the service dept. my MA ( and of course until I take delivery you never really know) has been excellent and will retain my business for the next MINI too. The first two dealerships and MAs on my hardtop and clubman did not earn repeat business based on lack of personal touch. They missed the point.

And I'm not talking about freebies. It's relationship.

 

Just found out from my MA that I'm on Chesapeake Hwy.

I went here and entered the name.
http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack

Then when that page came up I searched Google for the ships number "3FPH4" and went here to get the latest reported position with a map.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shi...mmsi=351733000

Who's with me?

 

In spirit! My MINI was on the previous trip with the Chesapeake Highway!

 

Just got my VIN a few minutes ago. Has yours been posted?

 

Just got off the phone with Mini customer service (no online order tracking available here). Still no VIN available, but the rep admitted their system may be a couple days out of date. I'll check again tomorrow. Got to be getting close now if you've got yours and we have the same production week.

 

My MINI should be nearing completion, I was told it's scheduled to be completed 4/19 which I think makes it production week 17?

Then on to the next boat to NY!

 

I was told that mine was scheduled to be completed on 4/11 -- well, it's 4/16 and I'm still being told by the automated system that it's due to be completed on 4/11.

 

Try to talk to a human. They might have an update for you before the automated system, or so I have read...

 

Thanks! I'll give it a try.

 

FYI, as far as Owners Lounge lag goes, mine shipped on 4/12 and today, 4/17, the OL changed to en route.

You may not get on the next ship after arriving at the docks. Mine sat at the Port of Exit for 10 days. It can be nerve racking because I was doing VIN searches with WW line and nothing would come up but I knew K-Line ships were departing but had to wait for my MA to see it in their system to know if it shipped with them. Now I have 9 more days to get to the port. At 16 kts, my ship appears to be one of the slowest cargo ships out there. The more I watch it, the slower it goes. LOL

 

Once your MINI gets to the port more parts may be added depending on the options you chose. Same thing goes once it reaches it's stateside port.

 

I spoke to a customer representative today, who told me that my car finished production either yesterday or today and is waiting to be transported to the loading dock.

He didn't seem to have any info about what shipping co. would be transporting it across the pond. Can my MA tell me that?

 

Finally got my VIN today, although the Mini rep couldn't tell me anything else except that it's "planned for production." Based on other people's experiences, however, the assignment of a VIN seems to indicate that the eight- or nine-day production process has begun. Looks like next week will be the "birth" week, but it'll take a miracle to get it on the last ship of the month leaving for Halifax on the 28th.

If anyone with a recent VIN wants to compare the last five or six digits, PM me. I think it'd be interesting to see how quickly the sequential numbers roll up from week to week.

 

My understanding is that the MA will know once a carrier has been assigned, but you can also check yourself using the WW web site and searching for your VIN like Zeek was talking about, above. WW (not K-Line) will let you track the car that way while it's in their custody. Either way, your MA should be able to keep you posted as well.

I plan on doing all my own tracking, since my MA is next to useless.

 

Yeah, mine basically told me just to keep checking the Owner's Lounge.

And, what does "WW" stand for? Maybe I missed it in an earlier post, but searching for "WW" just produces a lot of unrelated hits.

 

Wallenius Wilhelmsen - https://att.2wglobal.com/gstattweb/o...uickSearchPage

 

Thanks!

 

Dunno about the VIN indicating that it's in the 8 day window. I was told by my MA here in Germany, that normally the VIN is assigned about a week before the production begins. Since we have a very short shipping time, I would tend to believe him when he says that the history here is that once the VIN is assigned, its about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks for delivery.

VIN (7 Days), Production (8 Days), Shipping (6-8 days).. This seems to be more logical to me at least.

 

Check my timeline below, it may give you reason to be optimistic. My MA told me they get a VIN when production starts. It holds true for my build.

 

It's possible but both me and kavatski were told our production week was NEXT week and we got our VIN this week. I was even told not to expect delivery until the first week of May. If yours is more accurate, then I would be able to expect delivery next week.

Yours might be an exception rather than the norm.

 

The Mini rep who told me mine was week 17 said that the production week is the week the car is COMPLETED, not the week production begins. My dealer had the same story when I asked. So that would match up with us getting our VINs this week since this is when the entire production process really starts, leading up to final assembly on the last day.

Given an eight-or nine-day production timeline, I'm assuming ours would be rolling off the assembly line somewhere between the 24th and 26th. Should still allow you to get yours by the first week of May, I'd hope.

Fingers crossed!

 

Very interesting. Course I don't get the benefit of the owners lounge or ask mini. So I have to take my MA at his word.

 

Ok, so I just ordered my MCS on April 11th at MINI San Antonio and my MA said to expect about a 6 week turnaround before its ready to be picked up. After reading a lot of these posts it seems as though the 6 week number is a bit off the mark. What kind if wait time would y'all say is average?

 

Six to eight weeks seems close to right. I had a storm that held us up, and it was still eight weeks to the day from ordering that I picked him up from the dealership.