Jeremy C I don't even have a real job , let alone, being a MA

 

My Basil was ordered on the 27th of August, and according to the OL and AskMini, things were going smoothly for a while, then suddenly they could not find my car on the computer. I did have a 2007 VIN. I waited a coupld of days, and was told the same thing each time I called Ask Mini and talked to the liver person. My dealer re-ordered an identical car for me. The next day I called askmini, and was told that my car was not on the list of 147 cars, and there were a few other cars in limbo like mine.

Two days later, I was told that my car was built, and on its way to the port. When I asked about the VIN issue, I was told that it was a mystery and we will likely never know if the problem was caught prior to start of production or not. I should have Basil in less than 3 weeks, so it should be hear before the 2 months I was quoted by my MA

Hope your order gets sorted out....

 

But you'd better believe I'm saving EVERY piece of paper I've received with the old VIN, the new VIN, the Bulletins from MINI, the letters from my MA, and printouts of the discussions/articles on the web, in case I need to document the car's history and explain the VIN mixup to anyone.

Scott - how did you get a copy of the Bulletin from Mini? I wouldn't mind having a copy of that....

 

I'd like a copy of that memo too...

Here's my latest. Spoke to MA yesterday and Mini is still sitting in SC. Got off boat on Sat (9/30). According to MA, Mini still doesn't know how to handle the VIN screw up. The debate is reVIN at the distribution center or at the dealership...(mind you mine was caught IN production...and not taken care of in England) so until that call is made (was told we'd know in 2 days) my baby sits with others stuck in SC. My dealer has another VIN screw up sitting there in SC...has been there for THREE weeks waiting for Mini to figure out what to do.

I thought this was very interesting...wanted to share with you all.....

 

There's really nothing interesting in the memo, and it's no longer relevant anyway. All that the memo said was that the affected cars would not leave the UK until they had been re-VIN'd, the cars that had already made it to the states would not be sent back to the UK, and that MINI had figured out a way to legally re-VIN the cars.

This is the first I've heard of doing the re-VIN at the dealership, though. Makes me wonder how the dealer is supposed to change any of the VIN numbers on the car, especially the one on the shock tower. I don't think they have a printer to make the labels, and I don't know why they would have the dies to stamp in the new numbers.

My initial thought was that all of this would have to be done at the factory, until I heard that the affected cars in the US didn't have to come back to the UK. then I figured "Okay, I guess this is something they can do at the VDC after all". But to hear that the dealership might be the ones to change all the numbers makes me a little more concerned.

But at this point, I just want to know where the hell my car is. The last tracking database entry for my car was September 8th, when it arrived at the UK docks for the *first* time. For all I know, it could still be at the docks in the UK, or on a boat, or waiting at the VDC in New Jersey. It could even be on a truck on its way to the dealership. I'm fully expecting that the next piece of solid information I get on the car will be my MA calling to tell me to come pick it up.

I've discovered one thing - the MINI tracking system is great, but it does NOT handle "moving backwards in time" very well, such as going from the docks back to the factory. The system is set up that the car progresses through a series of checkpoints or "gates", and as soon as it's passed through a gate once, it's just about impossible to "un-ring the bell" and move it backwards in the sequence. The Wallenius Wilhelmsen site isn't much better. Not only is my new VIN not in their records, but the old VIN is still listed as being at the docks waiting for a ship.

Scott

 

Looking at your dates a little more closely, I can't figure out why your car was allowed to leave the UK in the first place without being fixed. If it showed up in SC on the 30th, then it must have left Southampton around the 19th or 20th. That was a week and a half after the mistake was discovered, so they had plenty of time to keep the cars off of the ships and recall them back to the factory. In fact, mine was recalled back to the factory, and it was at the docks on the 8th, well before yours.

I don't know if we'll ever get all of the details as to exactly when/where/how the cars were fixed, but as long as the changes are done correctly and the paperwork matches up, I don't really care at this point.

Scott

 

Scott...

I was pulled out of production/stopped getting updates/told my car couldn't be found on Sept 7th.

I jumped on a boat on Sept. 15th/Patriot

I too...don't get why it wasn't fixed over there either...

This should be interesting. Yeah, I agree..let's get it done right!

 

How did you find out that your car got on the PATRIOT on the 15th? Did your new 2006 VIN ever show up on the Wallenius Wilhelmsen tracking site?

Scott

 

It's been WAY confusing...

I had a VIN number. Then found out it was wrong...

Got a SECOND VIN number. This is the one that I could NEVER pull up on WW. I checked a zillion times over a week. I was so frustrated.

Hubby mentioned on Sept 21 that OL info had changed for us. I was shocked since we'd gotten NO updates since being pulled from production Sept 7th...

Sept 22 (fri) I pulled up OL and something made me click on 'review order' and guess what...there was a DIFFERENT VIN NUMBER!

Once I plugged the THIRD VIN in at the WW site, my car pulled up on the Patriot...I called ASK MINI to see if they knew anything and he confirmed that I was on the Patriot, which left on the 15th. I was floored...went from the paint shop to NO reports....to two weeks later....being ONE week into the journey!

I wonder if yours is different too...you should check...

 

you have not been waiting very long compared to the average mini orderer, just FYI... believe me we all want our cars, waiting is not easy!

 

How different were your three VINs? My old VIN and my new VIN only differ by two digits (the 10th digit denoting the model year, and the ninth digit, which is the checksum). The rest of the VIN is still the same. I just checked the Owner's Lounge, and it has the new 2006 VIN. I also rechecked the WW site, and it does NOT have the 2006 VIN, but it still has the 2007 VIN, with the last entry being September 8th, when it arrived at Southampton for the first time.

psb - I know that there are people that have had to wait longer for their cars. It's just now beginning to bother me because the rest of the Week 36 buyers are starting to receive their cars (at least on the east coast), and mine is nowhere to be found. It could literally still be at the docks in the UK. It's the "not knowing" that's bothering me more than the delay. On Saturday, it will have been a month since *anyone* knew where the car was last.

Scott

 

um...yeah... we know that.

This post isn't about that...it's about the VIN mistake and sharing info to rectify the situation and drowning our sorrows in our beer.

 

Wow Scott - keep us up to date as you find out about your car's status. When my VIN changed, it was the 9th and 10th digits that changed - all the rest are the same.

At least Aggie and I know where our cars are. Our mystery is about how far they got into production before they found out about the VIN snafu, and whether or not this will cloud the title.

Aggie, you should get your car before us, let us know how they explain the VIN issue to you.

Thanks for the updates!

 

It's a deal Homer.

Scott...does a live person at ASK MINI know anything??? That is so crazy!?! I don't have the VINs on me to answer the question. SORRY! I hate that this is happening to you!

I will post when I get a call from MA. He said it would take two days ...meaning TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!

 

No, the live people at ASK-MINI don't know anything either. The most recent information they can access via their computers is from September 8th, and they don't know anything specific about how or where the cars are being fixed.

I got forwarded an e-mail yesterday from Carol Furey (I think she's the regional manager), and she didn't know anything either. Her one-line reply was:

"Unfortunately, until the new vin tags are printed and replaced, there is nothing we can do. I believe they said it could be close to a month before this problem is rectified."

This makes no sense to me, because they've told me previously that my car was already fixed and back at the docks for a second time. Also, I don't know when the "month" she's talking about would have started. If it's a month from when the mistake was first discovered, then the month is just about up. I don't think she knew anything about my specific car, and was just speaking in generalities.

Scott

 

THAT freakin bites.

I just can't think of anything else that measures what to say right now...

 

That inhales extremely vigorously! The worst part must be not knowing when anything will be resolved - it's completely open ended. I can't wait to see how they fix this mess.

 

Hi guys... your story is my story. Sent and email to Mini today (See 1st Gear forum on VIN issues) ---- no reply. MA knows nothing, dealer knows nothing. Either sitting at the dock like riquiscott (since 8 Sept) or not. Told that they pulled it back to the factory.... new VIN doesn't appear in WW database, old one does (sound familar). Someone knows what's happening and this is no way to treat a customer. Very disappointed with MINI, BMW etc....

 

Well, finally some progress in tracking my car. The new VIN has shown up on the Wallenius Wilhelmsen site, and my car was apparently loaded on the INTEGRITY about 20 minutes ago.

The INTEGRITY is due to pull into NYC on the 15th, and my car will probably be at the dealership (Virginia Beach, VA) a few days after that.

Hopefully all of the VIN tags/labels/stampings have been fixed during the month my car was delayed in England, and the rest of the process will be pretty straightforward.

Scott

 

YEAH SCOTT! Finally some news! Glad to hear it...

 

Mine showed up on it too... I'm closer to NY (NJ), so maybe the end is in site.

 

Hey MP and Scott - good to hear some good news!

Aggie - when do you get your car? You seem to be about the first of our exclusive little club to be scheduled to receive your car.... Can't wait to see how they explain all this to you.

 

Hey Homer and all....

Two days ago I was told they were trying to figure out where to reVIN my car and others...in SC or at your dock....or at the dealership. My car got to South Carolina on 9/30 and was scheduled to leave on 10/5...so Mini magic must have happened and my baby traveled to TX, got cleaned up, got a clear bra and tint in a matter of 48 hours!?!?! I seriously don't know HOW!!!! Can that be possible??? ha ha... I asked MA...so....where did I get reVINed? Clearly he didn't recall telling me about the USA reVIN thing last week...he said yours was done in England! Whatever...apparently it's fixed now and sitting on the showroom floor in The Woodlands. That's all that really matters!!!

We are planning on picking Mini up Monday afternoon...that is...if Hubby's out of JURY DUTY!!!!!!!!!!!!! EEKKKK!! Will let you know how it goes...

 

Excellent news Aggie!

Can't wait to see the pictures....

 

Ive about had it... No car, no idea of where it is, no return calls from my salesperson. No one seems to know what is going on, what Mini is doing to change the vins and when I will get my car.

Im about 3 days away from cancelling the entire order and going to buy something else.

Its been 2.5 months since I ordered the car and Ive got nothing. Horrible customer service if you ask me. Im tempted to call a friend who knows producers at the local tv stations and see if they can do a story. That would wake a few people up! This is such BS!

Sorry Im venting here. . Has anyone else seen or heard of their car if you ordered it around 8/31 ?