https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Xiw-kL3cnqdSlQyDlqRA4zivXV5jdds-KK_2Qu3pUl4/edit?usp=sharing I've begun a spreadsheet so we can compare notes on our ordered SEs. The link is live, and anyone with the link should be able to edit it. Of course, this also means some bonehead could also falsify/ruin/delete data. I guess, if some malicious person does that, I'll lose the five minutes I have invested... Feel free to play with it as you see fit; there are far better Excel gurus than me. Enjoy!
On the spreadsheet, by "received build number" did you mean the date we get the production number from the dealer? On tracking my car via mini garage, it's at the "scheduled for production" stage. My guess is "production begins" is the next stage..
Yes. I clarified that in the SS. Thx! If you mouse over the check marks on the website, each one will tell you what that check mark means, at least on the desktop version of the miniusa site.
Instead of (or in addition to) the Deposit Date, shouldn't we also track the date the order was placed from the dealer to the factory? For some people (including me), the actual order was placed a couple days later. Also, since my dealer wasn't proactive in communicating build number assignment to me, I don't have an exact date for the transition to "Production Begins". I added comments to those cells for my row to explain the wonky dates.
Good suggestions. Added. Also, (to everybody), if you want to tweak the spreadsheet, just go ahead and add columns or whatever. I don't need to be the gatekeeper.
My SE went from "at port" to "in transit" back to "at port" once it arrived at the US port, so I added two more columns for arrival port and in transit to dealer.
I believed I had ordered my SE last October, but to do the spreadsheet I dug up my deposit receipt and it was dated September 20th. So it will be a real race to see if I get the car within a year after placing my deposit. Then, after my lost MINI finally shows up at a dealer I've never visited 40 miles away (my dealer is closing soon), I'll have to wait a few more days for my body shop to perform an expensive hood-scoopectomy because MINI ignored my offer to pay $1,500 extra to get the less-expensive base-MINI hood.
That's going to be some party when it finally arrives! I would think by now Mini would be offering you a free hood-scoopectomy, given how long you've been waiting. That would be great customer service.
Awesome! Mine moved to the production begins stage (and was assigned a VIN number) and I'm sure yours did too. You can track your production here https://mygarage.miniusa.com/
More helpful information and guidance for tracking your MINI order here: North American Motoring : How to Track your MINI.
Oh no, my SE arrived at port over two weeks ago, I don't like reading this: The activities at the VDC can take as little as 48 hours to over a week if your poor MINI was damaged in some way during transport.
Keep in mind that guidance was written during pre-COVID times. These days, it's also possible that understaffing and other COVID-related problems may cause delays. It's also possible that the tracking info is not entirely current. FWIW, mine has been sitting on "Production Begins" since at least last Monday (when I finally got Production Number & VIN from my dealership). According to 1-866-ASK-MINI, the estimated build completion date is this Friday, July 31. Those two data points don't seem to add up, so I'll have to wait and see which one is incorrect.
For those of you who are not yet booked on a ship or are on the informationless K-Line boats, you still have some hope. You can pull up the shipping schedules for both WW and K-Line off of their websites to determine the next boats leaving Southampton and try to guess which boat you’ll be on. After a few weeks, you get to know these schedules pretty well. AT THE PORT is a veritable black hole because at that stage all the information is below the event horizon. Today I sent a letter to MINI USA VP Mike Peyton. He ignored my previous letter two months ago, so I'm sure he'll respond this time.
I think yours would probably enter the next stage tomorrow. Once that happens, they only needs a couple of days to complete the build. We'll see..
Since there seems to be a common, long delay between "production begins" and the next build step, I added a new column. I didn't want to clog up the spreadsheet with *every* build step, as I suspect that once the car is on the line, things need to move quickly for MINI to poop out a new car every 67 seconds (I saw that in a factory tour video). So, the new column is: "Any Build Status After Production Begins."
Have you tried calling 1-866-ASK-MINI (1-866-275-6464) to talk to a customer service representative? (It's an automated system, but you can get to a real person 9am-9pm Eastern.) Maybe they could help advise or escalate, especially since you have evidence that cars built after yours have shipped? You called it! The status moved forward to "Exterior Assembly Begins" when I checked this morning. Woohoo!