I am really excited about the visit... he left last June. I'm also not going to tell the kids if he does get to come home. I'm going to 'go to the store' and bring him back home from the airport as a surprise if he gets to come home before heading back to his tenant command in Japan until July.

 

That's awesome! I'm sure they'll love that, enjoy your time together!

 

MA called last night - Chilly ***** is through VDC and is on the transport truck up to Sacto. Truck should be at dealer by this afternoon or evening. Might have on Sunday or Monday depending on what they need to do for final prep...

 

Is your dealership open on Sundays? Lucky you!
Annette

 

Sunday 10-6. Don't know if they'll be abe to prep the car on a Sunday though.

 

Boo...my completion date is now moved back 2days to the 18th. It was already in production on the 8th so it seems like mine is taking longer than most other people's cars to build, at least from the dates I see posted on the forum.

 

I ordered mine in early January and I saw him on the 8th of April.

Buck

 

OK, y'all. Calm me down. I called my MA and he assures me that my car is Chili Red (let's say that I am NOT impressed with my MA AT ALL as his emails were pretty much this: "the car is red"). Then I got a second email saying "i'll double check tomorrow." Uh, you have 4 more hours before the dealership closes!!!

So I go on the OL again and Looked at the Review Order Detail. It has my VIN, production number, and Current Status (Awaiting Transport) then this:
Model Description: Cooper hardtop
Exterior Description: Pepper White Paint
Interior Description: Carbon Black Leatherette
Factory Ordered Options:
16 alloy wheels 4 hole spoke
Run flat tires
Center Armrest
Roof and mirror caps black
Interior Surface Piano Black
Interior Color Carbon Black
Bluetooth and USB iPod adapter
Harmon Kardon sound system


EXCUSE ME? I didn't order most of that! In fact, my CR has the Rooster Red inlay for the order. I did order the center arm rest and the run flats I didnt change. THE REST IS WRONG.
I am getting really PISSED.
This is my order!:
2011 Cooper Hardtop
Color
851 Chili Red Body Color
Packages
ZPP Premium Package
ZSP Sport Package
2GC 16" 6-Star Spoke
Options
205_NONS 6-Speed Automatic
258 All Season Runflat Tires
302 Alarm System
382 White Roof/Mirrors
473 Center Arm Rest
4BA Rooster Red Color Line
522 Xenon Headlamps
785 White Turn Signals
Accessories
Sport Stripes - white

 

It's such a crap-shoot sometimes, isn't it?

Buck

 

Diva, I'm sure the order is correct. Your MA is just dragging his ***. I'd call again and tell him you want an answer asap. If he doesn't give you the info right away, call the sales manager.

 

Mojodiva, have you read "How to Track Your MINI" in First Gear thoroughly?
If you got an existing production slot for your MINI, the OL will show the original info for quite some time.
Here's the quote,
At first your status will show “On Order” and you should expect this status to not change for several weeks. The most helpful section of the entire site is the last item in the list “Review Order Detail.” In the Order Detail section you will see listings for your Production Number, VIN, Current Status and the vital details around your MINI. This information may initially be blank or even incorrect! Do not panic, this is normal. You will not see a VIN until closer to production. If the vital details about your MINI are wrong, you’ve been lucky enough to override one of your dealer’s earlier production slots

If you have your VIR, than that is what it is. The VIR is what you should be double checking.

Annette

 

Oh gosh, I read it a couple weeks ago but totally flaked on how long it could be incorrect. I made the mistake of thinking since its waiting to be shipped that the information would be corrected. Thanks so much for pointing that out to me!!! No, really! And that makes total sense. I just talked to my husband a few minutes ago and we thought maybe I was watching the production of someone else's order. Guess we were half right, hahaha!!!
Again, thank you!!

Sekhmet-- yes, I think this guy is dragging his ***. Who responds to a customer with "it is red" in an email. Seriously. That was all he wrote and exactly how he wrote it!!!

Makes me think I want to be an MA so I could give new owners an awesome experience. :D

 

Yeah, I am starting to think this MA is new or something. I sent him a respectful email last night asking him to check again and then listed my order for him. I also said that if it was correct if he could please check to see what port the MINI was at or if it had been booked for a ship or anything like that.

Here is his reply:
Hi

Just wanted to let you know that Your Production Number is 6652095




............. uh.... thank you?

 

The OL is pretty worthless when it comes to what options your car has been built with. The thing that really matters is the production order sheet, which should list your order number along with all the options the dealer configured the car to be built with. Double check this sheet, if it is correct you shouldn't worry.

If you are still nervous about it and you have your vin, you can always do a vin check with BMW on what options your car has and that should be 100% accurate as well. Sometimes there are people around here that will pull the info for you, otherwise you can use this site for $10:

http://www.bmw-vin.com/

Note that I do not know the time frame from when your vin is assigned to when the info will show up in the BMW vin computers. I pulled a check on mine about 2 days after my car was out of production and all my options were there and correct despite the OL being wrong. They did match my order sheet that the dealer gave me. Good luck.

 

I'm confused here, did you get info that your car is finished production? There will be NO shipping information until the car is actually built. Even then your MA won't generally get the name of the ship and estimated arrival date until a day or 2 after your car is already on a ship and on it's way. Once your car is actually built and at a port you can start checking the WW website with your VIN number to see if it scheduled for one of their ships, if it is going to end up on a K-line ship then you have to wait until your MA gets his notification.
Your best bet is to call 866ASKMINI and wait for a live person to give you the most up to date information. Then if the car is actually built and at port or awaiting transport, that is when your MA would have some worthwhile info.
Asking your MA what port the car is at is pointless unless it is built and already here, otherwise there is only one port in the UK they ship out of which is Southampton. The Countryman comes from the port of Bremerhaven in Germany. Those are the only 2 places MINIs leave from. The trip from the port of exit to the VDC port here in the USA is generally around 10-14 days(East Coast, West Coast is much longer). What you really want to know is what port VDC your dealership accepts their orders from.
But the most important piece of info for you is your build info and what date your car should be finished being built, without that info everything else is moot at this point. You have to call ASKMINI to get that info usually (your MA could get it too, but they usually get it from ASKMINI, so it's quicker to just call it yourself).
Annette

 

If you feel your MA isn't giving you the attention you deserve (or any customer deserves), chances are he/she is new or just really doesn't like email.

Truly, the one thing MA's, and all salespeople in general, fear is a loss of a sale. If you call and say, "MA, I understand you're very busy, but I need specific information and you're not giving it to me. I'm currently a dissatisfied customer...but I'm still a customer. If you would like me to remain a customer and not a lost sale, I hope you will help me with the information I'm requesting."

If the MA doesn't come back instantly with all apologies and offers to throw in some free floor mats, then forward that email to the sales manager and ask to cancel your current sale due to poor service.

He will probably trip over himself to keep your business.

 

Yes, the OL says it is awaiting transport. I have my VIN and everything-- I even sent him a picture of what the tracking screen was saying. He should KNOW I already have the production number, as I had to ASK him for it a couple weeks ago.

Mo'Phat-- I think if I continue to get short, one sentence responses to my questions, I will definitely be taking that tact. I had an awesome MA my first time around, and I was just buying off the lot then!

Thanks so much for putting up with me freaking out. The car is ready way ahead of schedule... maye this is the part where it just sits for awhile- haha!

I will do as you say and call ASK MINI. This site really is a goldmine.

 

it should have switched before production somethings wrong

 

My VEHICLE IS BEING ASSEMBLED as of APRIL 12, 2011!!


Too bad ol.miniusa.com says "On Order" :(

 

HAHAHA- they really need to work on that system. And you can no longer watch the 'production line' video there, either. Boooooo!

I called ASK MINI and she assured me it was Chili Red and its production completion date was April 7th. She also couldn't tell me if it was booked or not yet, but then she said, "I wouldn't be surprised if it was already on a ship."

I don't care if it is, really, at this point I just wanted to make sure it was the right color.

 

Got the call yesterday, my MINI is here. Unfotunately can't pick it up until Friday. The wait is killing me. At least my weekend will be exciting.

It took exactly 5 weeks from the day I ordered it to get to the dealership.

Kev

 

TXKev:

Congratulations on the fast time. Makes up for my Lil Guy at 10 weeks. Anyway, Mini/BMW are probably getting geared up for the $4.00+ gasoline and when they won't have to give any freebies or discounts again. With my Lil Guy, I'm getting over 30+ mpg in town and around 35 mpg on the interstate. I'm not complaining, and power to boot.

 

Thanks Hemisedan. I know what you mean about gas. I am replacing a VW R32 and was always lucky to get 20mpg. Looking forward to 30MPG.

 

Whoo-hoo!

My little Red Top is on board the Madame Butterfly this morning, and she just left port in Southhampton. The Madame B. is now motoring past the Isle of Wight alongside the tugboat Hampstead at a stately 9 knots.

The coolest thing is that I'm tracking her on my iPhone with an app called MarineTraffic, which updates every minute or so. I've been running around the neighborhood all morning like a nutcase waving my iPhone and showing my friends where my new MINI is. I think everybody is getting pretty sick of me today. By the time three weeks is past, I won't have any friends left, haha!

 

My JCW is in and ready to be picked up... <faints>

Now I need to figure out when I can pick it up!

And for everyone waiting for theirs to arrive....in my online status, the car is listed as still at the VDC in San Diego - 450+ miles from here. So be patient and don't trust the online updates.