Hi Everyone,

I'd like to know if this amount of wait time sounds normal from port to dealership.

I ordered my cabrio on 2/28 from a NJ dealership
Production began 3/12
Loaded onto a ship (Don Carlos): 3/24
Arrived in NY: Friday, 4/3
Off-loaded and carrier cleared: 4/4

Still no word on where it is.

According to the Owner's Lounge, it had an estimated delivery date of Friday, 4/10, but according to my MA it hasn't arrived and there is no further information available.

Is it normal for a car to stay at the VDC for 8+ days, not to mention that my MA has no idea where it is? I was originally told by my MA that it should only be there for 3-4 days.

Has anyone else experienced this long of a wait with the NY VDC?? Is it possible that my MA knows more than what I'm being told (i.e. it was severly damaged in shipping )?

At this point, I'm ready to give up on this and buy an American car given the state of the economy and all the great deals out there.

If/when the car arrives at the dealership, how long should it take them to do the final preps for the car? My MA said it would take 3-4 days at the dealership.

I know some of you have waited much longer, mainly due to delays with actually getting a production number. Any insight/support would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for listening...

 

Vehciles at the VDC are prioritized; those already marked as sold are given the highest priority while dealer lot vehicle are next in line. BMWs that were part of the European Delivery I hear are last in line.

That being said, vehicles that were damaged during shippment have to be repaired and that can cause a delay. According to that link I posted in another thread, damage over 3% has to be reported to the dealer and the end customer, but the interesting part was that a complete engine replacement is not considered 3%, so it is never reported. The good news (atleast for the California VDC, so hopefully it applies to the NY VDC), is that body panels that are replaced and repainted due to damage are also baked, similar to that of the assembly line in the UK.

I'm surprised your dealer doesn't know the details. You should actually visit the delaer, ask you MA to bring up your order on the screen and review it with him and ask him about all those status numbers. I'm sure if you question him/her enough, they'll explain what the delay is.

My 09 S Convertible went through the California VDC in under 24 hours and that was with 300 other Mini's, 300+ BMWs, and 4 Royal Royces.

As for how long your dealer takes, that's really up to them and how many options you have ordered that are dealer installable. I ordered 6 in total, one of which requires painting (ie, JCW Aero Kit II), so the dealer told me it'll take about 1 weeks to prep the vehicle before I can get it in my hands. Hopefully that is this Saturday 4/18.

Don't give up on your Mini just yet. It may feel like you're left in the dark about your vehicle's status, but just give it some time. You never know what will happen in the next day or two.

 

Congradulations on your NEW Cabriolet ! What color ?

Unfortunately, once a MINI is "Carrier Cleared" it can take up to a week before it actually gets onto a carrier. Also, the same car carrier may be delivering MINI's to other dealers as well........

You are very lucky though. For last 6 months I have been doing my best to convince my folks ( They are semi-retired ) to buy a MINI convertible to motor around Cape Cod in - as their second car.

They already have a newer Subaru all paid off, and a red MINI rag top would really make my Mom happy.

Wonder why Mini doesn't have them delivered to the Trenton NJ Docks

 

I'm in (or off of) the same boat -- OL showed at VDC on 4/4, scheduled for delivery 4/10, and my MA has no idea when she'll be delivered. I'm surprised that they don't know that -- how do they ever manage inventory without any clue as to what vehicles they are getting and when?

zanary, how are you able to predict that you'll take delivery on 4/18?

Hopefully the fact that 4/10 was Good Friday may help explaining why this is taking so long, but I have a feeling our minis were damaged during shipping.

At this point, it's taken longer to go from Jersey City to Mahwah NJ (about 20 miles) then it did to get from Southampton to Jersey City!

 

Hey NPNJ,

My 4/18 date was from my MA, and since he's been just about accurate with every other date (except for the delay going through the Panama Canal), I'm hoping his date of 4/18 is accurate.

My vessel landed at the SoCal VDC on the 7th, and was cleared by customs on the same date. My Mini was off-loaded with 300 other Minis on the 8th. It went through the VDC and was loaded on a Wagoneer on the 10th and left that same date according to my MA. The direct drive between the SoCal VDC and my dealer is probably 360 miles or around 6 hours, and there's only a few Mini dealerships I would guess between those two locations, so I'm assuming my Mini arrived at my dealer today if not tomorrow morning. I only have 6 JCW parts to be dealer installed, and all are at the dealership already. The only one part that will take some time is the JCW Aero II kit which has to be painted. My MA has estimated that I would have it in my hands by Sat 4/18.

Unless there are some last minute accidents (oops, the car carrier droped you Mini, or we painted your JCW Aero II kit the wrong color, or maybe that big earthquake they have been talking about), I'm hoping my MA's correct in his 4/18 date.

I guess the question is how many Minis were "already sold" when my ship landed, as those would have gone through the VDC first. That link I also posted in another thread indicated they can go through hundreds of cars per day, so with under 900 cars from my vessel (all Minis and BMW), the VDC could go through all in two days, and only those needing a repair may take a bit longer.

BTW, I found this link which would have made a great fieldtrip back in 2008. http://www.nybmwcca.org/events.php?id=30. Wonder if they are doing another one in 2009...

UPDATED: You got me thinking about the dates, so I logged into OL for the first time in weeks, and it reports the Estimated Delivery Date of 4/14/09, but also puts that famous disclaimer, "This date is an estimate only and may change. Please contact your dealer for specific information". I do have to say that it's not formatted correctly, as that disclaimer is displayed on top of the Model, Exter and Interior Descriptions.

 

You got an estimate from your MA? All I get is "I have no idea -- maybe this week". Makes me think he's just not telling me something, like that my car was damaged during transport. Otherwise, how can they manage inventory? "Hey boss, are we going to have any cars in stock to sell?" "I don't know, maybe". I doubt that happens.

 

In June of 2008 my MINI spent 6 days at the VDC and 2 days sitting in the VDC lot waiting for pickup. Prestige then wanted an additional 24 hours to prepare the car. My MA didn't know until 48 hours prior where my car was. I knew far far more about the process than anyone at Prestige seemed to care. Hang in there, but definitely do a thorough inspection on delivery!

Edit: Also note, the NYC VDC does not work weekends, so your car was offloaded on Friday, but probably not even touched before sometime the next Monday.

 

Actually the opposite is true according to the articles I have read in Roundel (BMWCCA rag).
My personal experience has been the same.
I've ordered two BMWs and tracked them, and I have also done a Euro Delivery and tracked that.
The ED was much faster through the VPC.

ED cars have already been prepped and many times already driven 155 mph before they get to their new home.

 

Zoneguy,

I'm dealing with Prestige too and I hear you about not caring!! I went out of my way to go to Prestige even though Morristown is closer because I had heard bad things about Morristown, but now I'm beginning to wonder. My MA has no idea what's going on and I definitly knew more. I called and was told that she thought it was still on a boat. ugghhh.. no, it was off-loaded over a week ago. I feel bad calling sometimes to check the status, but I shouldn't, no one should. If you're paying $30K+ for a car with no answer on when it's going to get here then you have every right to be calling.


Thank you to everyone for giving me your input. As much as I want a MINI, those dealer incentives at other dealerships look better with every passing day! I may just go to another MINI dealership and buy something off the lot since the convertibles are in anyway.

Fingers crossed....

 

So here is what I also found out.

If for some reason during the build process a option was not installed even though it was ordered and it was not caught at the factory, it might have been caught at the VDC. At this point, The VDC tries to mitigate the situation by installationg this option (with the assumption that it's even possible to do so at the VDC).

I recall reading this somewhere, but that might also explain why there is a delay. So it may be damage, overwhelmed with the # of vehicles at the VDC or even installilng a missed option at the factory.

My Mini was originally a Week 6 but then became a Week 10 build, which then started the build process mid week 9 as that was when the VIN was assigned and the body panels were put together (according to 1-866-ASKMINI).

What week was your, enchantingqueen?
What week was your, NotPortlyNJ?

 

I actually made my post earlier today from the waiting room at Morristown while I was in waiting for an oil change and my exhaust tip swap to be completed. I get all my service completed there now as they seem to be far more accommodating and generally knowledgeable about their cars and customers. In fact, on my trip back to my office I decided to debadge my Prestige emblem/sticker/thing this weekend as I don't really feel like it should be on there anymore.

That being said, don't give up now!! You've made it through the hard part, the exact car you want is in NJ somewhere! I think you are just really anxious at this point, I was! It'll be cleared up shortly I'm sure.

 

I was a week 12 build.
Finished 3/20
On the Don Carlos 3/24
Docked in NY 4/3
OL showed At Distribution Center by 4/4
Still in that status.
My MA knows exactly as much as I do - no more, no less. And he can not give me an estimate of when I'll take delivery.
It's very frustrating. Although I don't know whether my MA would know if there was damage or a missing option to be installed. I'm just surprised there is no one he can call at the VDC to get an update.

 

Sadly, its true usually the General Manager type person (not sure their real title) from a dealership is the only person who has any sort of chance of getting the VDC to give them info. I've seen posts where people were able to find a phone number off Google for the NYC VDC and then an even rarer few were able to sweet talk the person on the other end into looking up their VIN for a status check. But I'd not bet on it.

The OL is usually pretty dead-on. My car was at the dealership 6/19/08 exactly when the OL said it would be, I took delivery the next day.

 

Hi,
Find this waiting hard.. It was released from the Don Carlos 4/06 Charleston.. Dealer didn't know anything on the 11th. If a "sold car" has a number 1 on the list at VDC.. "hello". She has to travel to Classic in Ohio..They say it will be "top down " weather this weekend..

 

Actually, the OL is dead-off for me...it still says estimated delivery date of 4/10.

 

So I got an email from my MA around noon, and he tells me my Mini came of the car carrier (ie. Wagoneer) this morning without any issues, and is already in service for all the parts installs and the final customer prep. If all goes well, I may have it as late as mid afternoon on the 16th if not mid afternoon on the 17th. Looks like he was able to beat his original estimate date of 4/18 by almost 1 day.

I also have to agree with NotPortlyNJ that OL is behind by a few days if not more. It still shows me as being "At Distribution Center" even though my Mini left the SoCal VDC on Friday morning and has arrived at my dealer and is now being prepared for me.

 

Maybe I'm having a senior moment..Or my coffee isn't working. But what is the OL you mention..?

Actually, the OL is dead-off for me...it still says estimated delivery date of 4/10.

 

OL = Owner's Lounge.

http://ol.miniusa.com/

 

Thanks....After I sent the post my coffee kicked in..I have yet to find the "OL" up to date. It is saying the same thing as it said last week.. It was going to the VDC..I'll propably have the car by the time it show at the VDC.. What a way to run a railroad..(so to speak)
But thank you for the assist.. just frustrated by the lack of info..Called the dealer but no return call from Classic Mini.. Mr. Brown..

 

At least you have an MA who will tell you something. Mine just keeps saying "I don't know" or "any day now".

 

I'd go to his desk and ask him to bring up your order. That screen shows a lot of information, and question much of what you see. I'm sure he probably knows more, but either doesn't understand what those fields are for, or is either not telling you everything.

 

So get this....

I googled the VDC number and called them directly, but they wouldn't give me info because I wasn't a dealership. So I called my MA to see what the dealership could find out and explained that this is a tasking situation to be in not having a car. So she basically said that she had no idea that I was without a car and that she would have them "rush" it to the dealership, but I don't understand this. Pre-sold cars are suppose to be priority one status. How does a person needing the car all of a sudden make it a "rush" situation?? Most people don't just go out and buy cars to keep them sitting in a driveway. We buy them because we need them.

So, my MA called me back 20 minutes later saying that she spoke to her GM and that it would be at the dealership in 7-8 days. Now get ready for this.... she explained that the dealership has been cutting back on bringing in inventory because they already have one of the highest inventories in the country which is true when you compare this dealership's numbers to the numbers of other dealerships in the area. The inventory for my dealership was in the 200+ range last week, while other dealerships were at under 100.

If what my MA told me is true, how can this be right?!?! This is appalling customer service! The car has been sitting at the VDC for nearly 2 weeks simply because the dealership doesn't want to take the delivery?! I don't understand how cars can just sit at the VDC no less. After thinking about this whole situation I'm not going to settle for waiting another 7-8 days. Heck, I've already called other dealerships to see what they have in stock. IMO it's not right, especially given the state of the economy they should be grateful that there are still people out there willing to buy a high end car at sticker price.

Am I justified in my disgust with the dealership?? I have no ill-will towards my MA, she has been helpful and I know she doesn't control when the trucks come in.

 

Actually, it is surprising, as you would think they'd LOVE to get your car to you, and get MONEY from you, without having it on their lot more than 24 hours.

 

Appalling? Yes. Surprising to me about Prestige? Not in the slightest. Justified? Absolutely.

I'd do this:

Get hostile.

Call your MA, explain you have no ill will toward her as it is out of her hands, but that this is simply unacceptable of Prestige. Then ask to speak to the GM. Explain to him that you are an informed customer who is fed up with the lack of info and lack of customer service. Then tell him that you are prepared to cancel your order because of their failures unless they give you serious amounts of "good will" to justify your frustrations. If he refuses or doesn't provide a really good deal, I'd cancel the order over the phone with him right then and there. Be sure to also offer to send him the link to this thread. Prestige is a NAM sponsor and a dealership with such a high inventory doesn't want this kind of publicity. 7-8 days is completely ridiculous as NotPortlyNJ said, they should want to take your money, badly, least they have yet another unsold car on their hands!

Heck, if you need a ride to Morristown (they had some nicely optioned ones on the lot yesterday) or Princeton this weekend, I'll drive you cause Prestige is just screwing you over and that makes me sad.

Edit: I forgot, also tell the GM you are mad at him, not your MA. I feel bad for her too :(

 

This all does not make any sense..dont you think if they have such a huge inventory they would want to get you your car asap and deliver it to you.Its out of there hands.The port is swamped with cars.I have been a customer of prestiges for years and they have been great with me.I ordered my last vehicle an dit arrived two weeks late because of the port and they barely had inventory.Plus if you call up about most of the inventory you say they have,they are mostly sold vehicles waiting to be delivered.It stinks because your so excited but be patient because those guys really are great.

happy Mini owner since 2004