How long have you been waiting for your production/vin number?

Production number a week after ordering in March, but VIN eight weeks after I ordered. Generally a VIN is created when the actual production slot or a sled is assigned.

 

I got my build number 11 days after the final signing of the Vehicle Inquiry Report. Got my VIN exactly one month from the signing. The overall wait time for me was March 8th to July 1st. Looking back, it really only took an additional month when compared to when I ordered my 2019 Cooper S. But during that time it seemed like an eternity as the Ukraine war ramped up and gas prices went through the roof.

You should check to see if your dealer actually placed the order with Mini Uk, possibly visit another dealer to see if they are able to get your order in too. I don't know how dealer allocations work but I would follow up with them to see if you will actually get your order in.

 

Having read about the variable experiences here I think it really depends on your MA. Mine confirmed my online order and basically told me he would be in touch when it “got on the boat”. I had to email him multiple times between March and May to give me a production number; I’m not sure he even knows that mygaragemini is a thing. And since he finally gave me the production number in early May I think I’ve known more about the progress of my car (hint: it was delayed quite a bit) than him. I basically gave up on emailing him and got my info on this forum.

 

FWIW, I paid my $250 reservation fee on 5/31, met with my MA to confirm my choices on 6/14, and he emailed me my production number yesterday (7/21). As best as I can tell from the printout he provided me when we met, the dealer did not have any specific allocations into which I was slotted (is that how it works?).

 

Ordered 3 months ago, told it would be produced in July. Have no further info.

 

The dealers get allocations for a model like the SE, that is a build slot, so they spec out what they want it to be for trim/options. All Minis are 'custom' build, whether the customer or the dealer spec's it out.

Manufacturers can have limitations on specific components and that may limit how many of a certain type of vehicle they can build. My plant (Tier 1) supplies 2 plants from a certain Big 3 manufacturer and the non-hybrid/plug-in hybrid version of one of their vehicles takes a specific fan, which the Tier 2 supplier to us can only build so many of a week, which is less than the manufacturer's line can build. So, if they're not building hybrids (which happened recently for a week), the fan supplier can't keep up.

With Mini, it could be batteries or inverters that limit the number of SEs they can build, so the allocations are limited and have to be spread across dealers world-wide.

 

Are dealers allowed to order SEs for their dealership? I thought every SE order had to be initiated by a customer (of course, a dealer staff member or relative could be used as a "customer").

 

I paid my $250 reservation on 2nd May and dealer ordered on 17th May. I chased the dealer up on 30th June and he gave me a production number. Still “scheduled for production” on mini garage.

 

I don't know about Mini's restrictions, but I would assume they can order whatever they are allocated for so they can have vehicles on the lots.

 

I ordered and paid my deposits 2022-02-28, and got my production number 2022-06-27. Which resulted in a VIN immediately upon entering the prod number in MINI My Garage. The car has been at the port since 2022-07-16, but i'm hoping it's on the MORNING LISA that just sailed today. I'll call MINI as soon as it shows in transit.

 

It's quite a process, ordered mine online May 8, 2022, selected the closest and supposed largest So Cal dealer not knowing to first ask about allocations. Spoke with them over the next few days before I found out that the "order system" hadn't opened back up (this may have just meant that this dealer had too many orders and weren't allowed to order any more, who knows as they wouldn't tell me).

Finally on May 17, 2022 my order was placed in the "system" which I thought meant a production number, no it didn't, I didn't receive that until July 20th. I subsequently called Ask MINI and found that the production week for my car is 34th week right after the factory summer break.

 

Consistency doesn't seem to be a theme. I kept looking at the delivery spreadsheet, and wondering why i wasn't getting a production number. Everyone had gotten one way before me, compared to when we ordered. Now i know the dealer didn't have any allocation slots free. I probably wouldn't have gotten a straight answer even if i had known to ask about that.

Once i got a production number, it took about 3 weeks until the car was finished being built. Some people (like those stuck in quality control) are in the production process for months. It's the luck of the draw like a lot of other things. Lack of honest information is the biggest frustration. If we had honest information, wait times could be slightly easier to endure.

 

My dealer had at least 8 on order last year at this time. I went over the list, and put my deposit on the red base.

 

MINI must like your dealer a lot (because they sell lots of MINIs) to provide that many allocations. If your SE wasn't one that was available because another customer bailed, then it's clear that MINI wasn't prioritizing customer SE orders over dealer stock orders, as I previously believed. With the strong demand for SEs, I'm surprised all dealers didn't order a bunch of 'em. Thanks for clarifying.