MichaelC
Well-Known Member
As of this writing, most MINI SE sales have been driven through a pre-order process. Since the MINI brand supports custom orders as a differentiating feature, they provide ways for you to track the progress of your MINI's build. There are many guides on how to do this around the internet (many of which are a bit old and outdated). This post intends to provide a somewhat current summary of the process.
Vehicle Inquiry Report
When you complete the pre-order process at your dealership, they should give you a piece of paper titled “Vehicle Inquiry Report”. This piece of paper provides all the details of your MINI SE, including all standard and optional features it will have. It also includes 2 key pieces of information at the top:
Once you know your Production Number, the quest to track your MINI can begin.
Mini Cooper SE Build and Delivery Tracking Spreadsheet
The Delivery Spreadsheet - Let's Track These Inbound SEs thread in this forum has a link to this Google Docs spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is a great community resource which captures how long each production and shipping stage took your predecessors. Please add your information to this spreadsheet as your track your MINI SE's status to help those who follow.
That thread is also a great place to commiserate with your fellow MINI SE order trackers, where you can support each other through the frustrations of waiting for that status bubble to change, to the further frustrations of wondering why your SE is still sitting at the port while others have come and gone, to celebrating when another delivery is made.
MINI My Garage
Register at and log in to MINI My Garage: https://securelogin.miniusa.com/. Here, you can enter your MINI SE's Production Number to get a visual status, showing all the stages and which stage yours is in.
1-866-ASK-MINI (1-866-275-6464)
ASK-MINI is a live support center setup by MINIUSA to handle all of your calls and inquiries related to your MINI order. This system is divided into two main interfaces:
When your MINI SE's status changes from AT THE PORT to IN TRANSIT, your MINI SE has been loaded onto a ship. In fact, the status change probably updated a day or two after the ship left Southampton port.
At this point, you can call 1-866-ASK-MINI or your Motoring Advisor to ask for the name of the ship transporting your SE from Southampton to the destination Port Location identified on your Vehicle Inquiry Report. Once you have the ship's name, you can track its slow progress across the ocean using a web site, like one of these:
Just enter the vessel name in the search bar at the top of the page. The tracking information depends on the ship being within range of AIS receivers, which means the site won't be able to track the ship once it is out to sea. (I think there are some premium/pay sites that can track via satellite, if you're really interested.)
The Port Location code is rather cryptic. Here are the translations that I know of:
Your MINI SE will eventually be processed and loaded onto a truck for the final leg of the journey to your dealership. At this point, its status will move (again) from AT THE PORT to IN TRANSIT. If your dealership hasn't contacted you by now to schedule the appointment for you to take delivery, you can call them to ask for an estimate of when they expect your MINI SE to arrive.
Once you have finally taken delivery of your awesome MINI SE, don't forget to update your information in the build and delivery tracking spreadsheet and then post about it in the Delivery Stories thread. Congratulations!
Vehicle Inquiry Report
When you complete the pre-order process at your dealership, they should give you a piece of paper titled “Vehicle Inquiry Report”. This piece of paper provides all the details of your MINI SE, including all standard and optional features it will have. It also includes 2 key pieces of information at the top:
- Prod. No: This is your Production Number! If this is blank, your Motoring Advisor (MINI-speak for salesperson) should supply this to you within a couple days after placing your order. Some Motoring Advisors will be proactive and contact you, but not all will. If you don't have your MINI's Production Number a week after placing your order, call your dealership and politely ask for it.
- Port Loc.: This is your Port Location, identifying the destination port your MINI is going to be shipped to and then placed on a truck for delivery to your dealer. We’ll reference this later.
Once you know your Production Number, the quest to track your MINI can begin.
Mini Cooper SE Build and Delivery Tracking Spreadsheet
The Delivery Spreadsheet - Let's Track These Inbound SEs thread in this forum has a link to this Google Docs spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is a great community resource which captures how long each production and shipping stage took your predecessors. Please add your information to this spreadsheet as your track your MINI SE's status to help those who follow.
That thread is also a great place to commiserate with your fellow MINI SE order trackers, where you can support each other through the frustrations of waiting for that status bubble to change, to the further frustrations of wondering why your SE is still sitting at the port while others have come and gone, to celebrating when another delivery is made.
MINI My Garage
Register at and log in to MINI My Garage: https://securelogin.miniusa.com/. Here, you can enter your MINI SE's Production Number to get a visual status, showing all the stages and which stage yours is in.
1-866-ASK-MINI (1-866-275-6464)
ASK-MINI is a live support center setup by MINIUSA to handle all of your calls and inquiries related to your MINI order. This system is divided into two main interfaces:
- Automated: The automated system is okay for getting which step of the production status your SE is on, using the same steps as shown in MINI My Garage. Note that you may sometimes get a different answer between ASK-MINI and My Garage.
- Customer Relations: Real live people, available 9am to 9pm EST. If you supply them with your Production Number, they’ll be able to tell you your MINI SE's current status and anything they might know about next steps. Not all ASK-MINI Customer Relations reps are created equal; sometimes you will get one who does not know the system entirely or is unfamiliar with the process, sometimes you will get incredibly personable and highly informative reps. If a particular representative wasn't helpful, try calling back to see if another one is better.
When your MINI SE's status changes from AT THE PORT to IN TRANSIT, your MINI SE has been loaded onto a ship. In fact, the status change probably updated a day or two after the ship left Southampton port.
At this point, you can call 1-866-ASK-MINI or your Motoring Advisor to ask for the name of the ship transporting your SE from Southampton to the destination Port Location identified on your Vehicle Inquiry Report. Once you have the ship's name, you can track its slow progress across the ocean using a web site, like one of these:
Just enter the vessel name in the search bar at the top of the page. The tracking information depends on the ship being within range of AIS receivers, which means the site won't be able to track the ship once it is out to sea. (I think there are some premium/pay sites that can track via satellite, if you're really interested.)
The Port Location code is rather cryptic. Here are the translations that I know of:
- BALPOA = Baltimore, MD
- CHSPOA = Charleston, SC
- GLSPOA = Galveston, TX
- NYCPOA = New York City, NY
- PHMPOA = Port Hueneme, CA
- SSIPOA = Brunswick, GA
Your MINI SE will eventually be processed and loaded onto a truck for the final leg of the journey to your dealership. At this point, its status will move (again) from AT THE PORT to IN TRANSIT. If your dealership hasn't contacted you by now to schedule the appointment for you to take delivery, you can call them to ask for an estimate of when they expect your MINI SE to arrive.
Once you have finally taken delivery of your awesome MINI SE, don't forget to update your information in the build and delivery tracking spreadsheet and then post about it in the Delivery Stories thread. Congratulations!
