[PiperD]

Just kidding guys. Well, I blame my CA, but can't fault e90post.com

Background:

Ordered e92 335i on Sep 5...
... was initially promised an Oct production, but order was submitted to the "order pool" Sep 7 and Oct allocations were gone by then (wtf???) So got bumped to Nov production, late Dec delivery.

Waited patiently until Nov 1...
... then asked for an update. No update, but:

On Nov 11...
... was told by my CA that the car is in production.

As of Nov 24...
... the CA is saying the only info he has is the 7-digit order number, and good stories about customers who are raving now having taken delivery of their Oct-build 335i's. No build start/end dates, no VIN. Just continual claims that I'll be happy as a pig in sh!t when the car comes in.

The guy seems nice, really, and I'm not here to bash him. But I can ask politely only so many times before I become a nuisance.

But really, the only info I really want is the frikkin' VIN and the production start/end dates. Is that too much to ask? Isn't this information available even to Canadian dealerships???

I can be patient and wait for delivery in December. But other guys got to track their cars, and it sounds like fun, and I want to as well

(emoticon for dramatic effect only)

Thanks guys - e90post, a blessing and a curse

(Edited: ordered on Sep 5 not Sep 4)

[G-Mach1]

Another Canadian Here feeling the Same Pain as you when it comes to tracking. I even called BMW Canada about the lack of tracking here is Canada and I was told by the person that he will bring this up in the next meeting. Mine is a Dec Production so far I haven't called the CA. They gave me a Production no. I know that I can't do any thing with that. Hopefully the rest of the experience will be nice.
I am waiting for the Survey to come and I will put my comments there.

[Bimmerista]

Yeah - it is nice (in a slow-drip Chinese torutre kind of way) to be able to know exactly where your car is, but in Kanada this iz not available!! (yet)

[John 070]

I was totally clueless on BMW ordering until I did it on 10/6. Since it was a modified order, I had the order# that day, and didn't get the VIN# of course until the order went into the body shop.

But from your post, are you saying that in Canada the tracking is different? Just trying to understand if your CA doesn't know anything due to the Canadian system, or he's clueless himself? Because imho you should be driving your car by now. Did he give you the order#? Are you able to call BMW's 800# with that order#? Good luck.

[PiperD]

Called Customer Service @ BMW Canada. Spoke to Melanie

What I took away from that call is that they don't get any information (not even the VIN) until the system shows that the car is on a ship. At that point they have the ship name and the VIN. As it stands now the system only shows that my car is "in production". Could be sitting at the port waiting for a ship, or could be getting loaded on the Atlantic Companion right now for all I/they know.

So it appears that the US dealers get much more information on the status of the car than Canadians do. The information simply isn't available. If you know somebody within the company that can pull strings then maybe they can put some calls in, but I don't think there's any standard access to the info in the Canadian system.

(if anybody can refute this please do)

[PiperD]

Originally Posted by John 070

But from your post, are you saying that in Canada the tracking is different? Just trying to understand if your CA doesn't know anything due to the Canadian system, or he's clueless himself? Because imho you should be driving your car by now. Did he give you the order#? Are you able to call BMW's 800# with that order#? Good luck.

CA gave me the order number today. I also scored it when he sent me an email correspondence that had gone up the ladder to somebody in corporate re: anthracite headliners. It seems that in Canada the order number is the production number - ie, a 7-digit number.

Like I said in the previous post, our 1-800 number had no more info, and basically confirmed that the CA isn't clueless but rather that the Canadian system is severely castrated compared to its US counterpart!

As for the timeline - agreed, it's been a long wait considering I didn't pre-order like some guys who waited 8 months or so. But I think this particular dealership (T+C) gets low allocations or something. Or is extremely popular.

I have to think production has finished and the car is en route to the port, at the port, or getting loaded. It's just frustrating when all they can give you are rough approximations for things that have definite schedules. Like somebody said in another thread, once production starts the process doesn't deviate much.

[F30Toad]

To have no idea where in the process your car was after ordering would drive me nuts. I was going nuts because my CA didn't call me Wed like he said he would, so I had to wait until today, due to the holiday, for info. Guess I should be grateful.

[Ninjaneer]

The US 1-800 number can't provide us with Ship information. Once it's on the ship, they are cut off, and we have to go to the dealer who has the rest of the info. Even when the car hits US shores, the 1-800 is useless.

[Jackson]

PiperD - I think you are being fed a very large load of B.S.!!!

Both your CA and BMW Canada have confirmed your production #. That means your car has been, at least, accepted for production - status code 111, or in Canada, it seems the BMW computer system truncates it to "11". (see the description of the different production status codes listed in the New Car Delivery and Tracking forum on this site - its a sticky near the top). Also, at that time, the BMW computer system shows a build week. It's just a week number - eg 46. This means, for example, that your car was scheduled for production during the 46th week of the year - this year it started on Sunday, Nov. 12).

Anyways, once the production week got closer, the production status would change to 112 or 12 - order scheduled for production. Once this happens, you have only a 50/50 chance of making changes to your order.

Next, the car goes into production - hopefully during the scheduled week. I'll tell you that the information can lag a little but when I called my CA on the Tuesday of the production week, he was able to advise that the status had changed to 150 or 50 - production started. Oh, I should also mention that I was at the dealer having service done to my current car when another CA looked up the status of my new car on the computer and was able to give me the VIN #.

Therefore, my advice is to march down to the dealership as soon as you can to face your CA (and his computer) in person. Demand to see, for yourself on the computer screen, the information regarding your car, including production number, VIN#, production status code and confirmation of all your ordered options. Once you see it, get them to print it from the computer so you can take it home with you. Once you have the VIN#, go the Wallenius Wilhelmsen website - http://www.2wglobal.com/www/wep/index.jsp - and go to Cargo Tracking and then auto cargo. Enter your VIN as the Cargo ID. If your car was in production on Nov 11, then it is likely on a ship right now on its way to Halifax.

(Before going to the dealership, I would also recommend spending some quality time with this site, especially this forum re New Car Delivery ..., to arm yourself with as much information as possible)

Anyways, don't take no for an answer from the CA. If he balks, tell him about your posts here and all the other posts that will follow where you will flame him and Town +Country BMW all to hell. If it turns out that somehow your car was not in production as of Nov 11 - ie they gave your allocation to someone else (read - a better deal), then you should raise proper hell with the president of the dealership as well as BMW Canada - along with letting us all know about it!

Even if you haven't been "stiffed", the CA should fire some major "swag" your way when you pick up your car for all the aggravation he has caused.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant but I feel for you. My CA has been awesome and the wait is still excrutiating. BMW Canada should get off its butt and allow Canadian owner's access to the same type of info that is available to US buyers thru their 1-800 # and the Owner's Circle. For heaven's sake, how hard could it be. The info has to already be there from BMW Germany. Just make a freakin deal with US BMW to also cover Canadian buyers when they contact them with their production numbers, etc. Would that be too damn hard!!! (It's already called BMWNA already anyways)

By the way, 72% of all BMW Canada sales are 3 series. The demographic that buys 3er's is likely "younger" and, therefore, likely more interested in a website such as this and also tracking their cars from the date of order all the way to date of delivery. So if someone at BMW Canada is reading this, to steal another corporate motto, Just Do It!

[Darklighter]

I feel your pain fellow Canucks.

I ordered Sept. 29 because the ones they had coming had options I didn't want. They couldn't modify any October or November existing orders because they were all pre-sold (according to them) or already in status 12 or production. This was before I started reading all about the process on e90post.

I tried to be patient but I broke down and I started calling my CA every week starting end of October. It is now Nov. 25. My car went to status 12 just this past week. I couldn't get a production week out of my dealer so I'm guessing it's another month and a half to go before it arrives at the west coast. :mad:

[DILLIGAF]

I had to order my E90 last year because of the options I wanted. I was fine with that since I like the idea of my car being custom made to my specs. Anyhow I didnt get my VIN# till the car went into production in week 50 which I was informed of well in advance by my CA. My CA emailed me with my VIN# and advised me when my car was at the end of production and ready to be shipped. From there I kept trying to plug my VIN# into the Wallenius Wilhelmsen website until I saw it. Once it was in the system I could see that the car was waiting to be put on the ship and from there tracked it to Halifax. But once it reaches Halifax my CA couldnt offer any more info till the car arrived in the receiving yard in the GTA which took about 1.5 to 2 weeks. It usually takes a day or 2 to get to the dealer from there and then another day or two for the dealer to prep the car for delivery.

[PiperD]

Jackson/DILLIGAF: Thanks for the detailed info. At this point the CA and BMW Canada Customer Service are telling me the same thing ("limited info"). Previous searches I had done on this forum never yielded results suggesting the level of available information in Canada as you guys were privy to.

I don't believe the dealership gave my allocation to somebody else. On Sep 7 I was told Nov prod, late Dec delivery. So far this seems to be on track (assuming the "in production" status reported by the CA and Customer Service is correct, and that the status means what they claim it means) so I have no reason to think I'm getting blown off.

I try to maintain positive relationships with people I do business with. The Ultimate Order Tracking Guide sticky does say <=1 week for production, and the OP's car was at Bremerhaven for 8 days waiting for a ship. If my car went into production no later than Nov 11 then it's still not unreasonable if it's getting loaded today, the 26th. Unusual perhaps, but not unreasonable. So I won't storm the gates just yet.

However... if nothing has changed by say Nov 29 then I will take your advice and demand some answers.

Unfortunately that dealership is about 45 mins away so it's not easy to just drop in.

If a Canadian customer could get their hands on the aforementioned printout and post an image here, I think that would provide ammo for a lot of Canadian buyers who are (potentially) getting the runaround by various CA's. Such a post exists for the DCS system in the States; I don't think the printout is the same for Canada but it would be nice to confirm once and for all. I think I'll make a trip to my CA regardless since he's never been shy to show me his monitor in the past. If I can get the printout I'll be more than happy to post it here.

BTW Jackson - I was tracking the WW schedules for a while now and had been targetting the Undine since I got word on Nov 11 of status "in production". Car might be on there, who knows. Starting to get frustated now, not good!

[scubajag]

This is all started when America gained its independence from Great Britain. If Canada had joined America at that critical juncture in history, you would have acceptable car tracking now....LOL, have a nice day anyway.

[Jackson]

PiperD

If you can't get down to the dealer, give them a call tomorrow and get them to fax you the computer printout. I can't see how it is possible that they do not have your car's VIN # if they have the production number and well as saying that the car went into production as of Nov. 11. That's just not the way it's done. You can't build a car without knowing the VIN #. It is not only on the dash at the corner of the windshield, but stamped on a host of other parts in the car, many hidden, to thwart thieves, etc.

If the CA can't give you the VIN, carefully record his reasons why not and let us know so it can be evaluted here for "BS factor".

Good Luck!

P.S.: With any luck, your car is on the Undine, now headed for Halifax along with mine and Picus' car. My car was week 46 build. My CA advised that it had gone to status 160 or 60 - production complete - as of Nov. 17. It was loaded on the Undine on Nov. 22 and left Bremerhaven on Nov. 23. Scheduled to arrive in Halifax on Dec. 5.

[picus]

If the car was in production on the 11th it should be done now, which means they should have your VIN. Looks like my production week was the same as Jackson's (completed on the 15th); so maybe yours is one after ours?

[John 070]

Originally Posted by scubajag

This is all started when America gained its independence from Great Britain. If Canada had joined America at that critical juncture in history, you would have acceptable car tracking now....LOL, have a nice day anyway.

Yeah, if we still had a "change of the guard" with people wearing red uniforms in DC we'd be still driving Smart Cars and liking them! I had a g/f in Montreal back in '96 and she still drove a RWD Chevy Chevette!

[PiperD]

Asked my CA to get with the program and he emailed me with even more confusing info.

Apparently:

- it's his understanding that special order items take longer (I ordered a power rear sunshade)
- two other 335i orders that were scheduled with my order have VINs assigned and are still in production
- EDIT: forgot to mention, that the status is actually "sent to production" with week 49 completion

WTH? So the rear sunshade causes production to extend over 16 days??? Doesn't "in production" status occur only after all the parts are sourced and allocated to the order???

This sounds like serious and I'm getting pissed off now, which isn't where I wanted to be. The inconsistent stream of info is what's pissing me off, not the wait. He's faxing me a spec sheet, like that makes a difference. I'll likely head out there today.

[Jackson]

First, you have to get your information straight. There is a big difference between "sent to production" and "production started". You need to be able to communicate the production status code - i.e. a number such as 150 or 50.

Also, it now looks like you are saying that your car is a week 49 build which is this week - a lot different than saying it went into production on Nov. 11. Even if it is to built this week, I would think that a VIN # would now be assigned. As a said earlier, I got mine on the Saturday just prior to the build week.

Therefore, when you go down to see your CA, still ask to see the computer, etc. but you really have to make sure you have got all of your info correct - or else you will be left with egg on your face.

[PiperD]

Originally Posted by Jackson

Therefore, when you go down to see your CA, still ask to see the computer, etc. but you really have to make sure you have got all of your info correct - or else you will be left with egg on your face.

What I'm telling you is what he's told me. Most correspondence is via email so this is verbatim:

- Nov 11: car "is in production"
- Nov 27: car "is flagged as sent to production", and "week 49 for completion"

Originally Posted by Jackson

First, you have to get your information straight

Exactly - except that it's not me who's reporting information incorrectly, it's the CA who's giving me this inconsistent information. The absence of definite status codes is half the problem. So yes, despite having asked for them time and again I'll make the 1.5 hour round-trip and see for myself.

[PiperD]

Well the CA faxed the available info to me - see below.

Still can't get a straight answer on the Nov "in production" saga but I've come to expect this from my CA unfortunately. I asked him at what point the production month changed from Nov to Dec and he responded by saying that the dealership can't control that end in Germany. Sure, but that doesn't answer the question. That's what I've been dealing with.

So now that I've gotten on his case he's proceeded to ask some questions and the best he can figure is that the special order rear sunshade caused the production week to slip.

Anyhoo, for all Canadian buyers: the screens Jackson referred to are below.

The AG Status info contains the following fields:

Production number (00xxxxxxx)
VIN (mine is still blank)
Model (mine is WB73)
Factory code (06)
Actual Production Week (49)
Vehicle Status (12 "Order Sent To Production")
Status date (11/16/2006)
Last order change date (11/16/06)
Number Of Changes (7)
Date Expected Sts 60 (blank)
Correction Sts 60 Date (blank)

The Vehice Inquiry screen lists colours, packages and options and has some other relevant info:

Pre-Sold Sts ("S Sold Retail")
Prod. Mth ("12 2006")
Port (20)
Del. Type ("R Regular Order")

I don't think it's unreasonable to request/confirm this info at or shortly after each major milestone (prod. # assigned, prod. week assigned, status 150). A good CA will keep you up to date and make sure things are going as expected. For the rest you have to cover your own @ss.

Once you've got the VIN it seems there really isn't much more most CA's can do for you. One of my in-laws retired from CN last year so I'm going to see if she can help with tracking from Halifax when the time comes.

Happy hunting guys!

[John 070]

Originally Posted by PiperD

A good CA will keep you up to date and make sure things are going as expected. For the rest you have to cover your own @ss.

Once you've got the VIN it seems there really isn't much more most CA's can do for you.

Well the VIN populates at oc.bmwusa.com (I know, USA) very early on, once it hits the bodyshop. That's basically once production starts.

As far as a CA keeping us informed, that's wishful thinking. They're very polite and respectful, but I'm feeling they're like realtors were 5 yrs. ago where they had more business than they can handle, so they do not give much personal attn. my .02.....

[Jackson]

With the information you now have, it all seems to make sense. You car is a week 49 build - December production. Week 49 is next week (not this week like I said above - sorry, I can't count that high). You should expect your VIN # shortly. Call your CA on Tuesday next week (Dec. 5) and I bet he will have it for you. He should also be able to give you an update on the production status code which by then will likely have changed to 150 / 50 - in production. Then you're in business! Hope you have some other pressing things on your plate to keep your mind off your car until then.

The wait makes it all the sweeter!