So on to the next question ... how long from the Port to the Dealer ( in my case, Dallas )? Assuming it is unloaded today, and processed tomorrow, will they ship on Saturday? Anybody know?

 

God I wish I knew the answer to that question. I'm in Dallas too, sitting here at work, and all I can do is stare at that damn ship tracking website. http://www.port-of-charleston.com/vessel_schedule.asp Here is the link for the Port of Charleston vessel schedule. If you scroll down, you will be able to see the information for our UNDINE.

What kind of MINI did you order?

 

MA at Downtown MINI just told me they aren't shipping any cars from VDC for the last 3 days so all those are sitting there as well as the new off-loads. They'll need to clear those out first. Probably at least a week at best guess, but who knows. Then he tells me that because HE is working the auto show next week I'll have to be available on his schedule because he is the one picking up the cars. That's OK, this process has gone extremely fast, I think, from order to delivery from England of all places.

 

No I live in cali, but all my family is still back in maui. So it's christmas time on the 16th~29th :P. So yah Vacation to go look at the beautiful women .

I would be down. Trying to have them install my alarm system before I pick her up to. I'll let you know what day I'm planning on picking her up. Probably as soon as she is ready and the traffic is low

 

WhooHoo!!! MY Mini has been discharged from NY City... Mini says that I should have it by the 23rd... Right before the nice long Thanksgiving weekend.. Can't wait!!

Mike

 

I just wrote my MA an email and he said "giving that your (my) information is correct and it is arriving in Charleston today, it will be about 10 days to two weeks before it graces Texas soil". How come it takes that long when it took less time to travel across the ocean? Surely it won't take 10 -14 days to get here from Charleston, will it?

~PJ

 

PJ: The car has to be taken off the ship, delivered to the VPC, inspected, tested, have any flaws repaired (repair, repaint... I've heard that up to 10% of the cars get some repaint work), be put on a truck and make it to Texas.

For all of that, 10-14 days doesn't sound too bad!

 

ALARM = 699 OMG RIP OFF. Going to install myself

 

AMEN! Has anyone installed an alarm on a Cooper Convertible before? I'm totally bummed that it costs that much for a simple alarm system.

And yeah, I know 10-14 days isn't bad for allllllllllll that work, I'm just getting anxious and I feel like its the morning of Christmas, only your parents aren't up yet so you can't rip into the presents. It's killing me!!!

~PJ

 

I'm starting to get very jealous of you east coasters. But, at the same time, I can't wait to see pictures and happy faces.

 

DISCHARGED from the UNDINE, and the ship has left the Charleston, S.C. Port for Brunswick, Ga. Won't be more than a few days or so now.
YIIIIPPPPEEEE....

 

I spoke with a friend of mine who ordered from Mini of Dallas last year. He said it was 5 days from the time it was discharged until he picked it up at the dealer. Interestingly, he said he was told 10-14 days once it was off loaded too and was surprised it got here so quickly. I think they might be sandbagging a bit on the time it takes - under promise/over deliver - but I don't have my hopes up.

In regards to your earlier question - MCS PH/S - Premium, Conv., & Sport Pkg, H/K and web spokes ... first mod - custom roof graphic ( shhh - it's a secret )

 

Any way to track it after being discharged from the freighter?

 

NO, you must break the car in. Those engines need to be loved and held for the first 1500 miles. Baby her. No over 4.5k for the first 500, then no over 6k till 1500.


Also no cruse control at all. Very bad idea. you want to very the engine speed as much as possible, if your driivng on the freeway and going a constant 80, make sure you downshift to 5th gear every so often to ensure everything in the engine seats correctly.

 

Oh right on! And to confirm that, I ran into an old friend online the other day who knows someone that works at the BMW plant there. She said she'd poke around and see what she could find out. Here is what she said:
[font=Comic Sans MS][/font]
Hey.. just wanted to let you know I talked to (her) this morning and she said it normally takes a week to get to Tx... so there is a chance you will get it by Thanksgiving..I hope this helps.. I know you are excited.. I would be too.. thats a great car.. CONGRATS!!!

Oh I am so very excited. I can't freakin' wait anymore. I'm about to go sleep outside the dealership so they don't stall in getting it to me. Haha..yeah right.

 

I personally disagree with this method of break-in if the Driver "baby's" the throttle the whole time. It is very imp't to run it thru the speed range you intend to drive it at, so the engine is worn in at all the speeds.

These are not Model-T's or 1960's "american mades" with their high manufacturing tolerances. I have broken in a lot of new and rebuilt motors over the last 30 years with very good results. I just drive them. There is something to be said for multiple run and cool down to COLD cycles, mostly just in the first 50 to 100 miles.

But, HECK, the way BMW/MINI wants to deny their own warranty, as I read around here, I might have to follow their directions. It would be FUN to see how the Courts see it. Do I hear CLASS ACTION anyone? That's where the BIG $$'s are, mostly in attorney's fees. Good thing I am a soon to be MINI owner AND a member of the Bar.

 

I'm not going to sue bmw over the break in procedure. Just run it through the rpm range and your all good. They would like you to stay under the rpm range though . Not hard. 1500 miles is nothing.

 

My friend with a 2005 MCS said that it took him 2 weeks to the day from the time he was unloaded from the boat to the day he took delivery of the car at Moritz in Dallas (about a year or so ago).

On the 'how to get shafted by the dealer options' front, I was quoted $200 to do an install of the iPod interface. My dealer charges $75 an hour for labor, meaning that it will take them 2.66 hours to install. The BMW install manual says it should take 30 minutes for the mechanic to do. Many threads on NAM say that it will take a noob an hour to do.

I'm still payin' for the security and front fogs to be installed. I know that I'm being fleeced, but I just don't have the time to do that 8 hours of work (IF you know what you are doing).

 

Have you seen the 19 pages of instructions for installing the alarm on the Hard top? ( posted on Motoringfile) The convertible is much worse I am told. what does self- installation do to the warranty? I am debating whether to get the alarm or not....

 

I'm getting the alarm, but not having them install it. It it becomes a warrenty issue, my bmw deal said he would do it for 100 buck . Not a chance I'm going to spend 400 bucks for an install. Thats crazy.

 

I assume any suit would be over a statistically significant pattern of BMW/MINI denying claims on their 4 year/ 50,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty for known and documented manufacturing defects claiming they were the direct or proximate result of operator/owner error. Not necessarily about proper break in procedure.

 

Does anyone have any updates on the status of our babies? Are they at the VDC? Are they still sitting at the docks? I feel like I've lost my child...LOL

I sold my car on October 18th and my co-worker left for Spain this morning for the next 10 days, so she is letting me borrow her car while she is gone! I haven't driven in over a month and I'm so excited to be back behind the wheel again....I don't even care that its a Honda! LOL

I can't imagine what it will feel like when I get behind the wheel of my MINI. WHERE ARE YOU MINI?! HURRY!!

~PJ

 

Only your Dealer knows for sure now. ASKMINI only tracks it to the ship. WW website shows my UNDINE cargo discharged and the OL is always a few days or more behind. Mine hasn't updated to the VDC yet but it only was offloaded at 0300, which I think is GMT on 11-18 today which is probably yesterday on EST. Do I sound obsessed or what?

 

....just stopping by to see if anyone has found out anything new. This is torture....I'm going to make sure my garage is cleaned out enough, I'm sure there are more things that can be done in there.

Sigh,
~PJ

 

Bah I still have 3 more weeks to clean out mine O_o. Have a metal futon frame and little chair to go to salv army