[goodbyegirl]

I have been stalking my MINI since I ordered it in mid-November. It was finally built on December 11, then arrived at the port on Dec. 14. Today Ask MINI told me that they have no idea where it is, and that it might warrant further investigation if it doesn't show up somewhere by Monday. He said something MIGHT have happened.... He couldn't tell me where it was built, or at which port it was parked, either. Has this happened to anyone else??? What could be going on here??

 

[goodbyegirl]

OK, here is an update, which I hope will help other obsessive compulsive mini stalkers . As I have done multiple times, I decided to once again try tracking on the Wallenius Wilhemsen website, and . . . . my car info magically appeared just now--hooray!!! It will arrive in California aboard the Toscana on Jan 20.

Also, to help demystify the "where was my car built?" riddle, maybe the following might help. My mini (f55) was loaded in Southhampton , and the partial vin begins with "2D", so it was clearly built at the Oxford plant---double hooray.

 

[Amanda]

Good news. How exciting!

 

[goodbyegirl]

Thanks! Now it seems more "real", plus I was getting way too obsessive about checking, ha!

 

[Amanda]

Thanks! Now it seems more "real", plus I was getting way too obsessive about checking, ha!

I can only imagine. Mine is scheduled to be built in the 5th week of 2016.. such a long time to wait. I have nothing to check at the moment - probably a good thing!

 

[dm33]

How do you check on status? We haven't ordered yet but plan to next week.
Is it a website? Phone? Nagging the dealer?

 

[bjblyth]

To check up on mine, I called BMW Customer Services and gave my order number - they could instantly track it.

 

[Hurbert II]

Thanks! Now it seems more "real", plus I was getting way too obsessive about checking, ha!

Do you have the name of the Vessel? You know you can track merchant ships voyages don't you using a system called AIS? hehehehehe

 

[brandonbardsley]

Oh wow I bet you were worried! I'm glad it's come through though, a little over two weeks wait.

 

[goodbyegirl]

How do you check on status? We haven't ordered yet but plan to next week.
Is it a website? Phone? Nagging the dealer?

Once you have your production number, (which DID entail nagging the dealer!)--and as far as I can tell, this is only for US orders--sign up in the MINI Owners Lounge. You will get your VIN number after a week or so, maybe longer (as in my case.) Once you have your VIN, you can go to the BMW VIN decoder to check on your order, but only for accuracy. The Lounge will also update status periodically, but ASK MINI is more current. Once the car is at the port, you can obsessively plug in your VIN number to the shipping track and trace. Be prepared for nothing to show up for a while. Then one day,after about 101 attempts, your car will show up as cargo, with the vessel and shipping information. From that point, you can follow the ship's progress across the Atlantic!

Here are links to relevant pages. Happy Stalking!:

http://www.miniusa.com/content/miniusa/en/contact-us.html

http://www.bimmer.work/

https://www.2wglobal.com/webapps?fr...cean.do?method=getDefaultOceanQuickSearchPage

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels?t=4


Here is a link to a page that shows detailed instructions
http://http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/mini-stuff/4824-how-track-your-mini-factory-dealer.html

 

[goodbyegirl]

Oh wow I bet you were worried! I'm glad it's come through though, a little over two weeks wait.

Yes, I was quite worried---I thought maybe it had failed inspection, had a wreck at the port, or some other tragedy. Hopefully it will speed through the arrival process in Long Beach, and be at my dealer by late January!

 

[goodbyegirl]

Do you have the name of the Vessel? You know you can track merchant ships voyages don't you using a system called AIS? hehehehehe

Yes, the Toscana. As far as I can tell, it is still docked in Southampton, and is scheduled to depart on Jan. 3.

 

[Scampula]

I used all the above info myself and was just like you!.. called the dealer asking why does it take a week to get from docked boat to truck? and so on.. I have it now its here and what a feeling to have what you ordered, thought over what ifs, and then placed the money down.. What pissed my off was I almost lost it due to BMW's insurance policy requirements.. I own my company-- The company pays for corporate insurance. But MINI would not take my $3Million policy due to it does not have MY name on it..

I have been waiting for two months for this car, calling many many times.. Don't you think they should have said lets check your docs.. NOOO.. I needed to get on the internet and buy a crappy policy for way too much just to drive my car away..

SO ALL NEW OWNERS BEWARE!! YOUR FULL NAME MUST BE ON YOUR INSURANCE AS A PAYER NOT JUST A DRIVER ( means you are the only person that can cancel the policy) OR YOU WILL NOT DRIVE AWAY... THIS IS A CORPORATE LAW FROM HIGH UP BMW...

Later..

 

[Angib]

Yes, the Toscana. As far as I can tell, it is still docked in Southampton, and is scheduled to depart on Jan. 3.

As of today, the Toscana is docked in Zeebrugge, Belgium, so presumably it is either unloading Oxford Minis on their way to continental Europe and/or loading Minis built in Born, Holland for export.

So don't panic, even if it has gone in the 'wrong' direction. There will be a happy ending.

I don't suppose there are many here that think the F56 hasn't got a very attractive front end. But just check out the Toscana. What is known in nautical circles as the 'pointy end' is to the right of the photo.

 

[Scampula]

ALSO I just want to put it out there to goodbyegirl. My car was going to set sale on the 3rd,(did not leave till the 8th) , then it was going to hit NY on the 13th (did not dock till the 18th) so its a great tracker but you can not track after it leaves the port ( no track during the trip until the next dock) .. Have fun tracking your new baby.. its an interesting part of the purchase..

 

[goodbyegirl]

You are right---

As of today, the Toscana is docked in Zeebrugge, Belgium, so presumably it is either unloading Oxford Minis on their way to continental Europe and/or loading Minis built in Born, Holland for export.

So don't panic, even if it has gone in the 'wrong' direction. There will be a happy ending.

Thank you for this very cool information! I just looked further into the vessel finder, and you are quite correct. The Toscana doesn't arrive in Southampton until the 3rd, so presumably my car is sitting on the dock awaiting loading.
For anyone else who is attempting to track through WW, here (hopefully) is what will pop up when your mini has been booked for shipment (I'm not sure if this loaded successfully, so it might be blank)

 

[goodbyegirl]

ALSO I just want to put it out there to goodbyegirl. My car was going to set sale on the 3rd,(did not leave till the 8th) , then it was going to hit NY on the 13th (did not dock till the 18th) so its a great tracker but you can not track after it leaves the port ( no track during the trip until the next dock) .. Have fun tracking your new baby.. its an interesting part of the purchase..

Thanks for the advice It is easy to think we are in "control" just because we have this cool technology at our disposal, but in fact there are so many unforeseeable circumstances that can arise. The sea in winter, for one. You are right, it is a very fun part of the process, and my eyes have been opened to an unknown world---the shipping/maritime world.

 

[Hurbert II]

I don't suppose there are many here that think the F56 hasn't got a very attractive front end. But just check out the Toscana. What is known in nautical circles as the 'pointy end' is to the right of the photo.

Long gone are the days of ships looking pretty, even Liners and Cruise Ships are just massive blocks nowadays. I did my apprenticeship on one of the last "good looking" ships around, here she is, in her younger days...

*Sigh*

 

[dm33]

Once you have your production number...
Happy Stalking!:

Thanks! Awesome!

 

[Skullee]

I've been cyberstalking my mini since 24th November. From the factory at Oxford and being loaded onto the Oberon. Travelling via USA through the Panama Canal, last seen off the coast of South America heading for Brisbane Australia. Unfortunately when the cargo ship gets away from the coast, you can only see the last recorded position sent, not its actual position. Unless you want to spring for satellite tracking which is expensive. ?
I'm hoping for some updates if the ship gets near an island on its way through, otherwise I'll have to wait until it arrives here, hopefully on the 16th January. And even then it'll be another couple of weeks to get through Customs and get a compliance plate, and then dealer delivery.

I think it's safe to say I'm over the initial excitement and I just wish it would hurry up and get here. It's exhausting being excited for that long ?
So good luck with your stalking, try not to suffer excitement burnout.
Nearly forgot, here's the ship my baby is on......

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/photos/of/ships/shipid:327369/ship_name:OBERON#900834