[soccerguy]

My 550i is taking what seems to be a long time to reach production status. Any input would be greatly appreciated . . .

Timeline:

6/18/11: Signed order at dealership

6/23/11: Given Production Number from CA

6/30/11: Still states "On Order" and Production has not yet started. The actual statement is "We are currently processing your order and will inform you once your BMW enters production."

[eire42]

Congrats on ordering your car. Did you get the deal you wanted? With reference to tracking your car's production on BMWUSA.com, I've heard there can be a couple of days lag between actual production and what's posted on their website.

[EL MEJOR]

call the 800 number, is accurate to the day. 800-831-1117

Also, Mine took 14 days to go from order date to production. it was in production for 10 days! may 30-june 8. didnt get on boat till june 16. Dealer called today, arrives Tuesday July 5. Picking up next day. so 51 days wait time. from order to Delivery. Im on the east coast. Just in time too! Im going back to Grad school Mid July. I was afraid I was gonna have to drive down from Boston just to pick it up.

[soccerguy]

hi guys, thanks for the replies. got some updates.

ordered on 6/18/11.
started production on 7/1/11
Est production completion: 7/12/11

Delivery is to NYC area.

Based on your own individual experiences, when do you think she'll arrive?

[eurotechnik]

I ordered mine on 07/01 and went into production on 07/06. I called the 1-800 number and the automated response said estimated time of completion is 07/14! So mine was about 2 weeks since ordering.

[jmcphillips1]

Arrive to you the end of July

[lindros2]

My car took 5 weeks from order date to delivery last summer (mostly because I got a production slot the following week, and my boat was one stop from Germany > Brunswick, Georgia).

The longest time is at sea - you really have no visibility or tracking on most lines in the Atlantic Ocean, but the estimated ship times are accurate. Figure 1-3 days in port on the USA side for prep, customs, and damage repair (if there is any).

[soccerguy]

thanks for the replies. i am hoping end of july but will be prepared for 8/12 on the slow side

[soccerguy]

update

7/12/11: car has finished production and is en route to port of exit

anyone have any input in terms of time from end of production to delivery in NYC area?

[lindros2]

Originally Posted by soccerguy

update

7/12/11: car has finished production and is en route to port of exit

anyone have any input in terms of time from end of production to delivery in NYC area?

Really depends on the boat and how many stops. NYC (northeast) is "closer" that the southeast (Jacksonville and Brunswick), but it may have a stop or two.

First, determine what boat you're on. Then do a search on the forums or Interwebs to see arrival date in NY-area (assuming Elizabeth, NJ?).

Figure about 3-4 weeks from boat departure > arrival @ dealer.

[PsychDoc]

Originally Posted by soccerguy

update

7/12/11: car has finished production and is en route to port of exit

anyone have any input in terms of time from end of production to delivery in NYC area?

Hey Soccer,
Looks like our cars are probably going to be on the same ship. My car finished production 7-6 and got to port a couple of days later. As far as I know it's still waiting for the next vessel to ship out. I read somewhere else that there is a boat leaving tomorrow (the Falstaff?). I'll bet both of our cars are going to be on it. I'm in NYC too so it should be fun "watching" its progress.

[soccerguy]

thanks for the input guys. pyschdoc, i am hoping that you're right. bummer for you though since your car finished a full week before mine. i would be lucky to be on the same ship since mine just finished on 7/12. how do you find out which ship you will be on?

[soccerguy]

just checked the Wallenius Wilhelmsen website. not sure if this is the right way to do it. but anyhow, as you mentioned, it looks like the Falstaff is leaving port on 7/13/11. based on the 800 number, my car finished production on 7/12. any chance it could make it to the port of exit (bremerhaven?) in 1 day? otherwise the next ship leaving is the Elektra leaving on 7/20/11. how do i find out if my car is at the port of exit yet?

[eire42]

Looks like there are 3 of us in the tri-state awaiting our new BMW's. Mine finished production 7/6 but still has a status of at port, awaiting shipping vessel... hopefully it's on the Falstaff. I guess we'll have to wait a few days to get confirmation...

[PsychDoc]

Originally Posted by soccerguy

just checked the Wallenius Wilhelmsen website. not sure if this is the right way to do it. but anyhow, as you mentioned, it looks like the Falstaff is leaving port on 7/13/11. based on the 800 number, my car finished production on 7/12. any chance it could make it to the port of exit (bremerhaven?) in 1 day? otherwise the next ship leaving is the Elektra leaving on 7/20/11. how do i find out if my car is at the port of exit yet?

The BMW customer service number is not bad at telling you when the car finishes production, when it's "in transit" to the port and when it's there awaiting shipping. It's at that point that they have no further information and they simply refer you to your CA for further information. The CA can give you the car's VIN but he also doesn't know when it's actually on a ship until it's out on the water. For example, mine has been sitting at port for 6-7 days so I'm pretty well convinced it's on the Falstaff. Even though the Falstaff is now out to sea the W&W website (which allows you to track by VIN) comes back with "No Record" of my car yet and my CA also has no updated info. I'm thinking it may take 24-48 hours after the car is on the ship until their own website uploads that info. and the CA gets it. I guess we'll see. But there's no way in the world that my car isn't on the Falstaff. Call the BMW 800 number, get your car's VIN and start visiting the W&W website to track your car. You never know, you may have made it on the Falstaff. Otherwise you have a week wait to get on the Elektra. Good luck amigo!

[PsychDoc]

Originally Posted by eire42

Looks like there are 3 of us in the tri-state awaiting our new BMW's. Mine finished production 7/6 but still has a status of at port, awaiting shipping vessel... hopefully it's on the Falstaff. I guess we'll have to wait a few days to get confirmation...

Hey, we're the "Three BMW Musketeers."

Or something like that.

[eire42]

Too funny... PsychDoc did I read somewhere that you had a Audi S5 prior to purchasing your BMW?

[PsychDoc]

Originally Posted by eire42

Too funny... PsychDoc did I read somewhere that you had a Audi S5 prior to purchasing your BMW?

No, my present car is an '09 Acura TL. Great car for the money and absolutely bullet proof. In 2 1/2 years of ownership it hasn't been back to the dealership for anything other than an oil change/tire rotation. I'll be ecstatic if the F10 is anywhere near as reliable. Over the years I've owned a 7 series (in the 80's), an E300, Audi 5000 (remember that one?), two Volvos - 850 Turbo and S70, and three Lexus' - LS400, ES300, ES350. Really looking forward to the F10. Because I'm not getting the sport or M sport packages I'm thinking that I won't get the tire insurance as the problems don't seem to be occuring with the GY LS2' on the 18" rims which is what the "regular car" comes with. What are your thoughts on the tire insurance issue?

[soccerguy]

thanks for all the info. i'm hoping for the falstaff but expecting to be on the elektra. as for the tire/rim insurance, i am going to bite the bullet and purchase because i have a 550 x-drive with the m-sport package. i feel like i don't have a choice because of the dreaded 19" all season RFT issues in the NYC area with its attendant terrible roads

[eire42]

I'll definitely be going with the tire insurance as I've ordered my 550xi with the M-Sport package. This will be my first bimmer and the RFT issues made me think long and hard about switching over from Audi. At the end of the day, the 550 felt more fun to drive than an AA7 or a Jaguar XF.

[PsychDoc]

Originally Posted by eire42

I'll definitely be going with the tire insurance as I've ordered my 550xi with the M-Sport package. This will be my first bimmer and the RFT issues made me think long and hard about switching over from Audi. At the end of the day, the 550 felt more fun to drive than an AA7 or a Jaguar XF.

I drove the XF and was not terribly impressed. The interior, which is supposed to be the strong point of Jaguar was a real disappointment and the gas mileage was/is horrible. The nav screen was tiny and essentially unusable, The A7 is a bit more expensive than the F10 (although not if you're getting the 550, which you are). I'd probably go with the A7 were it not for Audi's horrible dealership experience from rude, unknowledgable sales staff to indifferent service departments. Car for car, viewed simply on that basis, I think the A7 just nudges out the F10. Not by much, mind you, but it's a really special car. I've seen two on the road and they're just breathtaking...especially at night. The A6's styling is so bland as to be a cure for insomnia. And those LED running lights are going to get played out in the very near future while the beautiful BMW angel eyes (ONLY in xenon) are timeless and simply gorgeous.

[eire42]

Both cars have the positives, I prefer the Audi styling/color options, but agree the angel eyes are very special. It was the BMW powertrain that won me over... the A7 power delivery was too linear for my liking; I'm a self confessed torque junkie. As for the XF, it was a disappointment... I also had an XJ for a couple of days and the XF pales in comparison. But an XJ is way over-priced compared to an Audi or BMW.

I had to wait 6 months for my S5... so I thought 6 to 8 weeks for the BMW would be a snap... NOT!