Roster for August 26, 2009

Banannastand, NY, 8/26 production completed, waiting for Elektra 9/1 departure, destination New York VDC

Blouise, NY, body shop

JcM1n1, SoCal, 8/19 production completed, waiting for Porgy 8/28 departure, destination Port Hueneme VDC

Kencwallace, VA, in production

Maui Meg, NJ, 8/26 production completed, waiting for Elektra 9/1 departure, destination New York VDC

N666BK, NJ, aboard Undine, ETA NY 9/3

Neverfifty, VA, aboard Undine, ETA NY 9/3

Norcaltinkerbell, NorCal, 8/21 production completed, waiting for Porgy 8/28 departure, destination Port Hueneme VDC

Rayratt, WA, paint shop

UAL_Kingpin's friend, SoCal, paint shop

Y2K Falcon, TX, body shop

 

Angela at ASK-MINI, my new best friend, tells me that I ENTERED THE BODY SHOP today!!!!!

UAL_... Please note that in your list! I'm tired of my line saying the same thing for days and days!!!

So, paint shop maybe tomorrow?


*goes to find where the Undine is*





PS Automated ASK-MINI still states "In Production" with the estimated completion date, which it has said since one day after production started. miniusa Owners Lounge tracking still says "Scheduled"...

 

Kencwallace

Please give us an update on the status of your car.

 

Y2k Falcon

Status updated

 

First thing this morning, I called Customer Realations at ASK-MINI. Holly told me Twiggy was in the paint shop. At 5:30 PDT tonight, I talked with with Angela at ASK-MINI... she said the computer shows Twiggy is still in the paint shop.

Hopefully that means they painted her early this morning and let it dry today - and later tonight they will start the final assembly process. I hope to hear she is finished when I call tomorrow morning!

Seeing as how several people have had their MINI loaded on the ship the same day it was finished, I am cautiously optimistic that Twiggy might make it aboard the Porgy on August 28th after all. I doubt I sleep very good tonight!

 

Thanks, UAL, for putting up with my impatience!

I guess my eyes are on RayRatt/UAL_'s friend. If they make the Porgy, then I feel better about my chances with the Elektra.

*crosses fingers*

 

Rayratt

We tend to think of a workday as being one, eight hour shift. We forget that the Mini factory runs on a twenty four hour shift cycle. Your Mini is moving down the production line non-stop. It is conceivable that they can make final inspection on a Mini and drive it from the factory straight onto the train. If you get a chance to look at the satellite view of the factory on Google Maps, you will see that the train loading yard is within the factory perimeter.

 

UAL - yes, I realize it is a 24-hour a day operation. But, I recall watching a video of the production line (at the Owners' Lounge?) that said the paint process takes a full day. After the whole car is painted, it is sent through the ovens to bake the paint - then, it has to get masked off to paint the roof again.

After another trip through the ovens, I think I recall that the car sits for the rest of the day to allow the paint to dry/cure. Then, after that, the final assembly takes place (all the wiring, instrumentation, seats, windows, etc.). That would only take a fraction of a day I would think. Maybe the engine and transmission go in after it is painted - I forget. I guess I should watch the movie again.

Anyway, assuming our cars got painted early this morning, I can see how they might get completed tomorrow in time to catch the boat on Friday. However (and this is a BIG "however"), don't forget that Oxford is 9-hours later than here on the west coast. So, depending on when the Porgy sails, it will be a tight schedule for our cars to make it. But, I have my fingers crossed!

 

Maybe I'm dreaming this, but wasn't there info on scheduled arrival and departure times for the boats at Southampton? Everything I see (the ww .pdf, the track and trace info for the cars already waiting to board) shows date, but not time...

 

Neverfifty & N666BK

To track the Undine, go here and enter SHJC as the Callsign

http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/index.html

 

If you have not already watched the time lapse movie (at the Owners' Lounge) that shows the complete production process, it is worth your time (just click on the "process camera" in the lower right corner after you are led through a couple introductory screens).
http://www.mini.com/com/en/manufacturing/index.jsp

Basically, the first five days are spent getting everything lined up for your MINI. It only takes one day for the robots to weld all the body parts together (the body shop).

Then, the painting process takes 10 hours. My MINI was in the paint shop early this morning, and it was still there nine hours later (at least according to ASK-MINI). The paint shop is a monster - it is the size of ten football fields. The entire car is first painted, and then after being baked in the ovens, they mask everything off so the roof can be painted again with the contrasting color (if that is what you ordered). I can see how a two-tone MINI might stay in the paint shop a few more hours than a single color MINI.

After the painting is done (and maybe after a few extra hours to dry?), the interior, glass, etc. is installed. Installing the engine and transmission is one of the last steps. The final assembly and quality checks take place after the engine is put in, and then a test drive to check for leaks and rattles. All of that should be done in less than a day.

The car is then parked in the huge lot outside the factory to wait for the train to take it to the ship. My guess is they wait until the last day or two to start loading the ship. Thus, I can now see why some people are reporting their MINI was loaded on the ship the same day it was completed.

I am feeling better all the time about Twiggy being ready in time to sail on the Porgy on August 28th. I can't wait to call ASK-MINI in the morning!

 

Does anyone know when the Porgy departs on Friday? I could not find it on any lists I looked at - maybe it isn't even docked at Southampton yet?

Y2K Falcon reported the Undine left Southampton a little after 2pm PDT on August 25th - that would have been a little after 11pm in England if I am right in thinking there is 9 hours difference. In searching the web, I saw that the Undine supposedly left port at 12:09 am on August 26th (just after midnight).

Assuming thats correct, that is good news - it means the Undine sailed at the very end of the day, and thus maybe the Porgy will also set sail around midnight. That might indicate Twiggy will have all day Friday to find her way to the port! Still, I hope she doesn't spend too much time applying her mascara!

 

The Porgy is scheduled to dock at 6:30am on 8/28 (berth 34/35). It is scheduled to depart at 6:00pm on 8/28 according to this site.

http://www.ais-live.co.uk/Solent%20S...ementsabp.html

There is an eight hour difference between Southampton time and Pacific time zone (just look at the time stamp on the webcam shots from the site above).

 

So, if your and my MINI can get built and to the dock before 10am Friday (west coast time), they have a good chance of being loaded on the Porgy. Otherwise, they will have to wait 14 more days. I've got my fingers crossed.

 

Aha!

Courtesy: http://www.ais-live.co.uk/Solent%20S...sailedabp.html

This might be where you saw the 12:09am time, and I think the Undine is about to roll off that listing, as it's the oldest departure currently on it.

The Undine departed "The VTS Area" on 8/26/09, but left the "Berth" 8/25 at 22:02.

The map I posted of the Undine pulling away I grabbed at around 4:30pm my local time, give or take, which would have been 22:30, so yeah, you pretty much get real time tracking around Southampton and through the Channel and the first bit of the ocean.

 

Yep - that is where I thought I saw the midnight departure. Clearly, the Undine left the Southampton dock at 10:02 pm. You and UAL are getting to be real experts on tracking ships!

 

Looks like our group is the last of the 2009 production. There isn't a week 35 from what I can find, and weeks 36 is 2010 cars.

 

Whoa! the Ask Mini automated system just said, "your vehicle is being transported to the point of exit"

Four hours earlier, the automated system said the car was still in the paint shop.

The factory workers are busting their butt to get this last batch of 09 cars done!

 

I called ASK-MINI and automated told me I was IN TRANSIT and I should contact my dealer!!!!!!


Then I realized I had mistyped my order number.



Automated system just now still says Body Shop.... "Zack" also says Body Shop.



So, looks like *I* am bringing up the rear of this Model Year!

 

Wonderful! I just called and the automated reply said Twiggy was still in the paint shop. But, Mandy said Twiggy had begun final assembly, and would be completed today.

Since both your and my cars started production the same day, I hope to hear the "your vehicle is being transported to the point of exit" message later today too. Things are looking better all the time regarding getting loaded on the Porgy before she sets sail tomorrow morning at 10:00 am west coast time.

 

RayRatt... Was today always your "estimated completion date"?


And given your confidence to make tomorrow's Porgy, and the fact that I was in the body shop late afternoon yesterday, what do folks think is the chance that I can join everyone else who is going on the Elektra next Tuesday?

 

Yes, my "estimated completion date" was always August 27th. Was yours always August 28th?

Twiggy was in the body shop on August 25th, then in the paint shop on the 26th, and now is in final assembly on the 27th. So, it looks like your car was just a day behind mine and UAL's friend's - and thus should be finished tomorrow.

While I am still holding my breath that Twiggy gets loaded on the Porgy within the next 24 hours, I see absolutely no reason your MINI won't be ready to load on the Electra a couple days before its departure on September 1st. From all I can tell, the factory is running on Saturday, but even if it doesn't, you still have next Monday and Tuesday to get onto the ship.

 

I imagine you are constantly checking to see if your VIN is on the list at the port. Please let me know when you MINI makes it onto the list - that might help me later when I get the above message!

 

One of the sites I found a week or two ago said the automated tracking messages are only updated once a day - between 3 am and 4 am west coast time. So, looking at the times of your posts last night (don't you ever sleep?), that may be true. I will find out later today since the automated system still says Twiggy is in the paint shop (while the live person told me she was in the final assembly and QC process).

I am sitting on pins and needles - I never thought I could get this nervous over a car!

 

As of 1:00 pm PDT, when I called ASK-MINI (again ), my MINI is through production and is now completing the quality checks. The guy could not say when Twiggy might be released to the carrier to be transported to the Southampton dock, but I still think Twiggy has a good chance of being onboard when the Porgy sails tomorrow.