Hello Everyone - We just ordered our Countryman S in light white, with sport stripes and black wheels last Friday 3/17. We're really excited and its going to be a long wait but I've already learned a lot just from reading these forums.

Do I understand correctly that once the dealer places our order with MINI they should receive a production number that I can then use to track the build? Does your dealer supply all the info necessary to do this or is this something you discovered on your own?

When I asked our dealer for an estimated delivery date he said he wouldn't have one for a couple of weeks - I'm assuming that's not kosher. Anyone have any insights to offer?

Thanks in advance for any help and I"m looking forward to getting to know everyone!

 

It all depends on if there was an available vehicle already allocated to your dealer that they could adjust to your spec. If there isn't one that they can adjust before production, they will have to start a unique production. Sometimes dealers have to wait until a unique production slot is open. Each state is allocated a certain number of vehicles, this is further complicated by which model you bought, there are less All4 allocations available period. More of the s, and non s.

I had to wait 3 weeks for an available production slot, all4 s. Once the order was placed, a production number was immediately available. It takes a few days to update on the owners lounge once it is generated.

Hope this helps.

 

Mrs. Chapiko, welcome to Nam. Depending on where you are located, dealer slot, etc. you are probably looking at a 6-8 week wait. If you are located on the west coast perhaps up to 3 weeks more.

I'm relatively new on this site too and as a new mini CM owner I have a lot to learn.

Our CM rolled off the Fidora yesterday 34 days after placing the order. The Owner's Lounge was updated today to reflect that our CM was on it's way to the Vehicle Distribution Center (VDC).

It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the driving lamps to be installed at the VDC and the actual delivery date from this point.

So far ours has been nothing but a pleasant experience through and through. Our MA has been fabulous.

From what I've read here not everybody's experience is the same though

Congrats on placing your order. Good Luck and Best Wishes.

--Hobie

 

We ordered the driving lamps, but we told by our MA when the car arrived that they were dealer-installed, and there would be a wait to get the new grill/mounting kit, so we just passed on them.

 

Were they actually on the order. They are suppose to be installed at the VDC if ordered before time, sounds like your dealership forgot. They can be installed at the dealership, but they normally charge a lot more than the $599 price that's offered at time of order.

 

I got an existing slot and was given a production number when I ordered. However, it's going on 2 weeks and I'm still not scheduled for production. About the best advice is be patient and persistant. Do you really want them to rush through building your new CM? MAs (Motoring Advisors) and dealerships vary wildly - if you put your location in your profile and post where you bought, people in your area will join in with their local experience.

Good luck & Happy Motoring - eventually

 

You may want to check your VIR and see if they are listed. I tend to agree with JudgeS. Sounds like the dealer may have forgotten/overlooked them when they placed the order. Our MA definitely told us they were installed at the VDC.

Our MA also sent us the VIR the day after we placed our order and told us to look it over carefully.

 

Good suggestion - I've edited my profile but I'm located in Richmond, VA and bought from Crown Mini of Richmond.

 

Mrs. Chapiko ---

You may notice that we have a tendency to get off topic. There is a whole other post on what is dealer installed and what is prep center installed and what the relative costs are. All this has nada to do with your question. You may feel free to call for a return to topic.

Disclaimer - I'm just as bad as the rest of them.

Go Pure Orange!

 

When you inquire about the PRODUCTION NUMBER (which you should get when you place your order unless they are up front and say they don't have any open slots yet) also ask what WEEK it is for. Just because you have a Production Number it may be for a Week that is further out. If you know that then you won't obsess over the fact that your car isn't in production yet (because it isn't your scheduled week).

 

Congratulations on your purchase! I just made it through the whole process - you can see my signature below for the dates it took at each stage for me.

I got my production number with my VIR, since my dealer used an existing slot for me. I was scheduled for producton soon after, although I didn't realize it until I called MINI a week later and they told me it was almost through production! I was lucky. Don't rely on the MINI USA site - it rarely updates, and not in anything approximating real time. Make friends with your MA - they have the best info by far.

 

Honestly, that hasn't been our experience. After reading this thread I checked the O/L moments ago and it shows that our CM is at the VDC.

Yesterday it was in transit to the VDC and the day before it was being off loaded and "Ready to tear up the roads again" (I donno what they mean by that but I hope it wasn't tearing up the roads on the way to Bremerhaven ).

In our experience the O/L "Track Your Mini" especially in these late stages of delivery seems to be updated pretty much every 24 hours. It doesn't seem to be that way with everybody though based upon what I've read.

Btw, we've never called Ask Mini or our MA either for an update. Just sayin because there are so many different experiences everyone seems to be having with production, shipping and delivery delays not to mention the O/L updates.

~Cheers

 

What is a VIR?

 

Not my experience, according to WWL and my VIN car was loaded on ship that left port 3/30, OL still says awaiting transport as of 5 min. ago. OL has consistently been 2+ days off. Maybe it gets better when it reaches the US.

 

VIR=Vehicle Inquiry Report. It details your order, options, color line, etc.

After we ordered our CM our MA emailed us our VIR and asked us to review it carefully.

It was spot on.

 

I ordered the driving lamps and my vehicle arrived in port late 3 March and was at the dealer 12 March. We also had the sport stripes that were dealer installed - I love them, they only work when the high beams are on but then you light up the night