# Rhea Leader Tracking Thread June 2010



## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

Anybody scheduled yet for Rhea Leader leaving Bremerhaven 6/24? For some reason, this ship is not listed on the NYK website, but it is indeed an NYK ship. Here is a link where you can track it....

http://aprs.fi/?call=432664000

Just went through the Straight of Gibraltar, and next stop is scheduled to be Zeebrugge on 6/20. I would assume after Zeebrugge, she will be headed to Bremerhaven to pick up our cars.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

Anybody else scheduled for this ship yet, or am I going it alone? She's being loaded in Bremerhaven right now, then on to Southampton.


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## Ant118 (Nov 30, 2007)

Looks like our ships are leaving at the same time. Im on the UNDINE.


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## hansdouma (Mar 9, 2010)

I am also on the Rhea Leader. I use the following link to track:
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=432664000

I picked my 335d up at the Welt on June 1st at the same time time as Ant118. (I noticed that my wife and I show up in one of the pictures that Ant118 posted.) I dropped of my vehicle on June 8th in AMS.

Can't wait to be reunited!


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

hansdouma said:


> I am also on the Rhea Leader. I use the following link to track:
> http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=432664000
> 
> I picked my 335d up at the Welt on June 1st at the same time time as Ant118. (I noticed that my wife and I show up in one of the pictures that Ant118 posted.) I dropped of my vehicle on June 8th in AMS.
> ...


 Excellent - glad I'm not the only one on this ship. I dropped off June 3rd in AMS, so our cars will probably be side by side for most of the journey home.


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## Ant118 (Nov 30, 2007)

hansdouma said:


> I am also on the Rhea Leader. I use the following link to track:
> http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=432664000
> 
> I picked my 335d up at the Welt on June 1st at the same time time as Ant118. (I noticed that my wife and I show up in one of the pictures that Ant118 posted.) I dropped of my vehicle on June 8th in AMS.
> ...


Oh really? Sorry if i knew I would have said hi lol. Your was the white 335d beside mine?


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## hansdouma (Mar 9, 2010)

Ant118 said:


> Oh really? Sorry if i knew I would have said hi lol. Your was the white 335d beside mine?


Yes, that is the one next to your gorgeous looking 335is.


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## Ant118 (Nov 30, 2007)

hansdouma said:


> Yes, that is the one next to your gorgeous looking 335is.


Ah ok ya sorry I was to amazed by the car lol.


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## Mr. Magic (May 30, 2010)

I think my F10 535i is going to be on this transit. It's not a European Delivery - I ordered it a few weeks ago, finished factory 6-18, arrived port 6-22 . Not confirmed on board yet, but headed to California and this is the next ship headed here. Snapped this photo off the webcam this morning after it docked and lowered the ramp down.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

Mr. Magic said:


> I think my F10 535i is going to be on this transit. It's not a European Delivery - I ordered it a few weeks ago, finished factory 6-18, arrived port 6-22 . Not confirmed on board yet, but headed to California and this is the next ship headed here. Snapped this photo off the webcam this morning after it docked and lowered the ramp down.


 Good - another person to compare notes with when the ship gets into CA. Let's all keep our fingers crossed for a speedy customs clearance.


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## Mr. Magic (May 30, 2010)

Looks like they are still loading it up. Someone's white sedan is seen being driven on - see red box.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

The ETA for Southampton is 10:00 on Saturday, so I would guess we'll see the ship leave by about 4 pm PST today.


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## Mr. Magic (May 30, 2010)

10:00 am Saturday Southampton time. Let's see, if it's about 250 miles from Bremerhaven, a ship averaging 14 knots would take about 15.5 hours. That means it leaves 6:30 pm Friday Southampton time, or 7:30 pm Bremerhaven time (if I have the time differences correct). That's 10:30 am Friday Pacific Daylight time, so pretty soon. - Magic


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

woohoo, Harms just confirmed I'm on this ship too! ETA to Port Hueneme is July 21!


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

Do any of you show a bill of lading date yet on the harms site? I guess that's how we would know for sure that our car is on that boat?


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

the J-Man said:


> Do any of you show a bill of lading date yet on the harms site? I guess that's how we would know for sure that our car is on that boat?


 I talked to HARMS and they said that site is only updated for Audis and BMW does not support it. I called the number on that website and if you enter x202 you will get Jessica who is the ED specialist and she can give you the info. She confirmed i'm on Rhea Leader and ETA of 7/21 to Port Hueneme.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

TGray5 said:


> I talked to HARMS and they said that site is only updated for Audis and BMW does not support it. I called the number on that website and if you enter x202 you will get Jessica who is the ED specialist and she can give you the info. She confirmed i'm on Rhea Leader and ETA of 7/21 to Port Hueneme.


 Strange - the Harms website shows all of my info - name, VIN, vehicle type, ship, etc, The only fields blank are bill of lading date and customs clearance date. This info appeared on the site about 2 days after I dropped off in AMS on 6/3.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

And we're finally moving! Looks like the ship left about 3:30 PST.


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## Mr. Magic (May 30, 2010)

Looks like she sailed not long ago, delayed about 5 hours. Should put it into Southampton about 5 hours later, or 3:00 pm UTC time instead of 10:00 am UTC.

Departure Images below for those interested.
















She's left her berth!


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

the J-Man said:


> And we're finally moving! Looks like the ship left about 3:30 PST.


 left where? Bremerhaven? I thought it left yesterday?


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

TGray5 said:


> left where? Bremerhaven? I thought it left yesterday?


 Yes from Bremerhaven. It didn't leave on the 24th as scheduled, you can see the real time position of the ship from the links in this thread.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

Looks like the ship had a short stay at Southampton, and is now crossing the ocean. Next stop is Kingston on 7/8. Jamaica? WTF? Interesting. Wonder if they use Jamaica as a sort of staging area for the Panama Canal.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

uh oh, have you guys noticed the ship has turned around and is now back on the map heading back to Europe? It says destination Zeebruge.. 

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/de....860557&centery=49.07775&zoom=10&type_color=9


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

Yes I saw it today and added to my thread, I hope it is an error!!!

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=461073&page=2


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

It is now showing Rhea Leader out-of-range. Also the max speed of the ship is around 18.5 knots and last speed on this return is 18.3 knots so the engine is working.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

jwrtiger said:


> It is now showing Rhea Leader out-of-range. Also the max speed of the ship is around 18.5 knots and last speed on this return is 18.3 knots so the engine is working.


 my computer shows English Channel and heading in the wrong direction.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

TGray5 said:


> my computer shows English Channel and heading in the wrong direction.


 Yup, I see that now too that she is headed in the other direction. What would cause them to turn around? If there was a problem with the ship, wouldn't they go to England rather than all the way back to Belgium? It doesn't seem to make sense. If this is true, BMW will be making my 3rd payment.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

the J-Man said:


> Yup, I see that now too that she is headed in the other direction. What would cause them to turn around? If there was a problem with the ship, wouldn't they go to England rather than all the way back to Belgium? It doesn't seem to make sense. If this is true, BMW will be making my 3rd payment.


 Well if its a serious repair, Brugge may have the proper parts/repair facility. However, it showed it traveling at full speed which would be odd if there was something wrong with it. I'm hoping its just a quirk in the tracking system. Just clicked on it now and it shows out of range.


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## Mr. Magic (May 30, 2010)

Gps position is the same as when we lost track of it last week. also, eta of 6-18 in port makes no sense. I suspect the marine tracking system has problems sometimes when the ships move out of range for extended periods. check panama canal schedules.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

No updates in 14 hours now - interesting. You would think if it were in the English Channel, it would be updating every few hours like it did before. I wonder if going dark past 7 days reset something in the tracking system.

I tried searching for scheduled arrivals in Kingston and couldn't find anything. I also couldn't find a Panama Canal schedule, but the Port Hueneme website updated July 1st shows Rhea Leader arriving on the 21st.

Hopefully if our ship is near Jamaica, it will be sending out a legitimate update soon.

Since that last update shows it going full speed, if it did turn back, the only explanation is that maybe it got hit by a rogue wave and all the cars are damaged, but the ship is fine.


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## mrbelk (Dec 5, 2003)

Something similar has happened with Elektra, which _should_ be in Brunswick, GA right now unloading my car: no position updates since July 2 @0109UTC, where it reported off the Delaware coast. According to the W&W voyage tracking for the voyage, it is scheduled to depart Brunswick today and arrive in Charleston tomorrow; but there have been no updates to my vehicle status on the W&W "Track and Trace" site since it was scanned onto the ship on the 16th of June. I doubt anything "bad" has happened, but clearly there has been a communications breakdown somewhere.

-MrB


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

I like Mr. Magic's observations and hypotheses. I missed the date on one of the updates showing last month. So I hope we are still on course.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5305170#post5305170

I really wish this was all over and I had the key fob in my hand.


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

I had my CA check on the Rhea Leader, here is what he just found out.

Your car is due to arrive at the port on the 19th of this month ***8211; so it must have been a computer error.

Looks like they may arrive early.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

jwrtiger said:


> I had my CA check on the Rhea Leader, here is what he just found out.
> 
> Your car is due to arrive at the port on the 19th of this month - so it must have been a computer error.
> 
> Looks like they may arrive early.


 Thanks for this. Which port on the 19th?


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

Should be the Oxnard Harbor District’s Port Hueneme, California.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

jwrtiger said:


> Should be the Oxnard Harbor District's Port Hueneme, California.


Great news, thanks!


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## e1000 (Jul 7, 2010)

Checking in, my M3 is on this boat!


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## stan01 (Jan 15, 2010)

There is a nice PDF schedule on the Port of Hueneme website that is updated regularly.
Rhea Leader is due July 21.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

e1000 said:


> Checking in, my M3 is on this boat!


 Welcome, I'm from OC too.


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## e1000 (Jul 7, 2010)

TGray5 said:


> Welcome, I'm from OC too.


:thumbup: Nice. Can't wait to get my new toy.


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## sorinel999 (Feb 28, 2010)

TGray5 said:


> Woohoo, it has turned!:thumbup:


do you have this page set to refresh every second like i do? i wonder if the port workers work 24 hours a day. if it docks tonite i wonder if the port workers will get started on unloading it right away.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

sorinel999 said:


> do you have this page set to refresh every second like i do? i wonder if the port workers work 24 hours a day. if it docks tonite i wonder if the port workers will get started on unloading it right away.


 It looks like they are killing time for some reason, so not sure when it's going to dock. Don't know whether they work 24/7 or not.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

I think she sunk about 50 miles from port as it is gone from the website :dunno::rofl: Looks like on track for 4am arrival!


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## sorinel999 (Feb 28, 2010)

TGray5 said:


> I think she sunk about 50 miles from port as it is gone from the website :dunno::rofl: Looks like on track for 4am arrival!


it did not sink and it is back on radar on a collision course with port hueneme. hopefully the dock workers will be there to CAREFULY unload my m3.

i wish all of us a speedy pass thru customs.


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## Mr. Magic (May 30, 2010)

Well, that's about it. Journey has come to an end. It made it in around 4:00 am.


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## Mr. Magic (May 30, 2010)

For those of you who wonder what happens in the VPC here in Calif, I found this article with photo's. Not sure how prioirity works compared to ED, but I have a Priority-1 (which is an order "sold" for a customer, and not an ED) moving through there this week. At least they unload the BMW's before the Audi's down in San Diego.

http://www.bmwblog.com/2006/12/22/did-you-ever-wonder-what-happens-at-the-port-to-your-car-after-it%E2%80%99s-shipped-from-the-factory/


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

Mr. Magic said:


> For those of you who wonder what happens in the VPC here in Calif, I found this article with photo's. Not sure how prioirity works compared to ED, but I have a Priority-1 (which is an order "sold" for a customer, and not an ED) moving through there this week. At least they unload the BMW's before the Audi's down in San Diego.
> 
> http://www.bmwblog.com/2006/12/22/did-you-ever-wonder-what-happens-at-the-port-to-your-car-after-it%E2%80%99s-shipped-from-the-factory/


Lucky you, no customs wait...you'll be driving your car before the ED cars make it through customs.

Edit: As I noted in previous edits, US Customs does not seem to be the source of delays that have been experienced.


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## sorinel999 (Feb 28, 2010)

Mr. Magic said:


> For those of you who wonder what happens in the VPC here in Calif, I found this article with photo's. Not sure how prioirity works compared to ED, but I have a Priority-1 (which is an order "sold" for a customer, and not an ED) moving through there this week. At least they unload the BMW's before the Audi's down in San Diego.
> 
> http://www.bmwblog.com/2006/12/22/did-you-ever-wonder-what-happens-at-the-port-to-your-car-after-it%E2%80%99s-shipped-from-the-factory/


according to the article:

One of the perks of working at the VDC is that each of the 84 employees gets a free BMW lease (3, 5, X3, x5, z4, MINI). They are able to wrack up 15,000 miles on the car then return it for a new one. They can get multiple cars per year.

that is a damn nice perk; a free bmw car as long as you work there. it is not M but still ...


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## e1000 (Jul 7, 2010)

sorinel999 said:


> according to the article:
> 
> One of the perks of working at the VDC is that each of the 84 employees gets a free BMW lease (3, 5, X3, x5, z4, MINI). They are able to wrack up 15,000 miles on the car then return it for a new one. They can get multiple cars per year.
> 
> that is a damn nice perk; a free bmw car as long as you work there. it is not M but still ...


Yeah, I caught that too. I would drive EVERYWHERE. lol.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

Mr. Magic said:


> For those of you who wonder what happens in the VPC here in Calif, I found this article with photo's. Not sure how prioirity works compared to ED, but I have a Priority-1 (which is an order "sold" for a customer, and not an ED) moving through there this week. At least they unload the BMW's before the Audi's down in San Diego.
> 
> http://www.bmwblog.com/2006/12/22/did-you-ever-wonder-what-happens-at-the-port-to-your-car-after-it%E2%80%99s-shipped-from-the-factory/


 Thanks for the link. I was on that tour of the VDC and in fact that's my hand in the picture of the car with wax on the rear window scraping a little bit of the wax to see how thick it is. Unfortunately, ED cars don't get protected by the wax nor the cosmoline underneath...but the upside is there is no cosmoline mess under our cars either.


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

Mr. Magic said:


> For those of you who wonder what happens in the VPC here in Calif, I found this article with photo's. Not sure how prioirity works compared to ED, but I have a Priority-1 (which is an order "sold" for a customer, and not an ED) moving through there this week. At least they unload the BMW's before the Audi's down in San Diego.
> 
> http://www.bmwblog.com/2006/12/22/did-you-ever-wonder-what-happens-at-the-port-to-your-car-after-it%E2%80%99s-shipped-from-the-factory/


I also have a Priority-1 so I am hoping for a short visit at the port.


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

My CA just emailed me with confirmation that my car made it. He said he would let me know when my car is assigned to a truck. I am glad I live relatively close so once it gets loaded on a truck it should be here in a short time period.


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## sorinel999 (Feb 28, 2010)

jwrtiger said:


> My CA just emailed me with confirmation that my car made it. He said he would let me know when my car is assigned to a truck. I am glad I live relatively close so once it gets loaded on a truck it should be here in a short time period.


now im jealous. my CA did not e-mail me about the arrival.

i promissed myself i will not bug the CA about the whereabouts of my car until 8 weeks passed since i left the car at EH harms in munich. that was on june 15th so still a month left until i can start bugging my CA.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

Here's the answer to 'where is your car'


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## Mr. Magic (May 30, 2010)

jwrtiger,
Just up the road from you a few hours, maybe will be on same truck. Holler when you get any more info.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

For those that are interested, here is a Satellite view of US customs lot and I think the cars lined up are probably ED cars and segregated by which ship they arrived on.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Port+Hueneme,+CA+US+customs&sll=34.150152,-119.201617&sspn=0.002863,0.004243&ie=UTF8&hq=customs&hnear=Port+Hueneme,+Ventura,+California&ll=34.150689,-119.201311&spn=0.002863,0.004243&t=h&z=18&iwloc=A


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## sorinel999 (Feb 28, 2010)

looks like all those cars are either black or white. ED customers must not like the rest of the color spectrum.


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## LeMansBlue (Jul 20, 2010)

Been lurking on this thread for several weeks now...from when the ship left north Germany to to when it appeared heading back...you know what I'm talking about...to Port Hueneme 
And now it got way too exciting!

Dropped my car off in Munich on June 15th and am pretty amazed that it's in Cali already. 

Hopefully customs won't take too long for EDs

Lets keep our fingers crossed


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

So it looks like the Rhea Leader has left Port Hueneme. All of our cars are officially on the ground. Thank god. Now I can stop tracking that damn ship all over the globe.


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## e1000 (Jul 7, 2010)

the J-Man said:


> So it looks like the Rhea Leader has left Port Hueneme. All of our cars are officially on the ground. Thank god. Now I can stop tracking that damn ship all over the globe.


:rofl: man these guys do NOT mess around getting all those cars off of that ship. Definitely not complaining about that!


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

I called BMW NA and they said they don't have any info other than when its in production and referred me to my CA at the dealer who is on vacation and I'm waiting to hear back from his associate. Hansdouma, can you give us the number that you called at NYK?


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

hansdouma said:


> For those of you waiting for a (ED) vehicle that came in on the Rhea Leader, I learned something interesting today. I contacted NYK Line directly and was referred to someone who was able to confirm that, based on my Bill of Lading number, my vehicle was in fact delivered to Port Hueneme on July 19th and was subsequently cleared by customs and agricultural inspection on July 20th and has been waiting for an agent to come pick it up since July 21st! I assume that this agent in question is either E.H. Harms or BMW VPC employee.


 Hmm, this would confirm my theory that BMW only picks up cars from the port when a new ship arrives, so if an ED car is cleared from customs it will sit there until a new ship arrives and BMW has their contract drivers on duty to pick them up. And when BMW says car is still in Customs...it may not mean waiting for Customs it might mean waiting for BMW to get off their butts and pick it up from Customs. I hope I'm wrong on this.....


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

Mr. Magic said:


> jwrtiger,
> Did you get it yet? Any update?


Mr. Magic,

I know you are aware of your vehicle***8217;s scheduled deliver but thought you might like to know my CA just emailed me and a truck carrier picked up my car this morning for delivery. My dealer is only two hours away from the port and I suppose they may drop off vehicles in Santa Barbara. I am also assuming that it will probably be delivered in the next few hours. There might be a chance that you and I are on the same truck. It looks like we may both pick up our cars tomorrow. I guess I could check the Internet but wonder if anyone knows how many cars one of the larger carrier trucks can transport?

Just re-read your posting and looks like yours was picked up yesterday.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

jwrtiger said:


> Mr. Magic,
> 
> I know you are aware of your vehicle's scheduled deliver but thought you might like to know my CA just emailed me and a truck carrier picked up my car this morning for delivery. My dealer is only two hours away from the port and I suppose they may drop off vehicles in Santa Barbara. I am also assuming that it will probably be delivered in the next few hours. There might be a chance that you and I are on the same truck. It looks like we may both pick up our cars tomorrow. I guess I could check the Internet but wonder if anyone knows how many cars one of the larger carrier trucks can transport?
> 
> Just re-read your posting and looks like yours was picked up yesterday.


they hold a lot of cars...perhaps 8? and it would be logical to assume that if you are in Santa Barbara that yours would be dropped off first, but that wasn't the case on my first ED that was thru Cutter BMW in SB. I think it dropped cars up north first and then dropped mine off on the way back. Perhaps Cutter was closed when they drove past on the way up, dunno.


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

TGray5,

Thanks for the information.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

Just received an email from my CA that my car (ED) is still at the port in Customs. He said he will contact me when it arrives at VDC.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

TGray5 said:


> Hmm, this would confirm my theory that BMW only picks up cars from the port when a new ship arrives, so if an ED car is cleared from customs it will sit there until a new ship arrives and BMW has their contract drivers on duty to pick them up. And when BMW says car is still in Customs...it may not mean waiting for Customs it might mean waiting for BMW to get off their butts and pick it up from Customs. I hope I'm wrong on this.....


 Interesting theory. If confirmed, BMW needs to be making an extra payment for us. Anybody know when the next ship is coming in?


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## Mr. Magic (May 30, 2010)

*Car is here - F10 off Rhea Leader - photos*

The F10 535i arrived today. The long wait is over.

Black sapphire metallic, Oyster/Black Dakota, 8-speed auto, Premium 1+2, Sport, Paddle shifters, Dynamic Handling, IAS, 4-zone climate, Anthracite wood.

No pulling to right. Looks better in person than in photo's. Also, what is awesome is at night when you unlock it, all the door handles, interior, running lights, rears light up so nicely. It's like a car show at night!:thumbup:

For those of you on edge, the F10 is simply too much of a good thing, and that's wonderful!

Took down Highway-1 south of Carmel on its first drive and shot these photos. Beautiful car in a beautiful place.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

Stunning! congrats :thumbup:


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

the J-Man said:


> I also bought at Gebhardt from Thom Stephanchick. So far so good, except that he wouldn't give me my iPod cable before the trip.


J-Man,
I bought ED from Gebhardt/Stephanchick, too. As of yesterday, still no word on a delivery date. You too?


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

dlchasen said:


> J-Man,
> I bought ED from Gebhardt/Stephanchick, too. As of yesterday, still no word on a delivery date. You too?


 No, I haven't heard anything yet, but then I haven't asked Thom about it, and he's not exactly proactive about giving customers updates.


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

the J-Man said:


> No, I haven't heard anything yet, but then I haven't asked Thom about it, and he's not exactly proactive about giving customers updates.


Amen, brother. I spoke with him yesterday and all he could tell me was that the ship reached port on the 19th. Beyond that, he could offer nothing. I suppose it could be here today or the middle of August, and I won't be surprised if the next notification we get is "it's here".


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

dlchasen said:


> Amen, brother. I spoke with him yesterday and all he could tell me was that the ship reached port on the 19th. Beyond that, he could offer nothing. I suppose it could be here today or the middle of August, and I won't be surprised if the next notification we get is "it's here".


 Actually, once it arrives, you might not be notified then either. I notice a ton of sold customer cars sitting on the Gebhardt lot for many days. I think they notify customers when it is convenient for them to do so. They don't prioritize sold cars at the dealer, they prioritize appointments with potential customers.

What kind of car did you buy? It's highly likely that our cars will come on the same truck assuming neither had any damage. I'm pretty sure that we will see an update to "at preparation center" on the BMW website before our cars are put onto trucks.


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## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

the J-Man said:


> Actually, once it arrives, you might not be notified then either. I notice a ton of sold customer cars sitting on the Gebhardt lot for many days. I think they notify customers when it is convenient for them to do so. They don't prioritize sold cars at the dealer, they prioritize appointments with potential customers.
> 
> What kind of car did you buy? It's highly likely that our cars will come on the same truck assuming neither had any damage. I'm pretty sure that we will see an update to "at preparation center" on the BMW website before our cars are put onto trucks.


If you guys think your cars might be at Gebhardt and can't get a hold of Thom, just let me and I'll run by and check for you.

I need to talk to him anyways about getting my previous Colorado ownership tax waived. The DMV says they will do it if I can supply proof of German registration, which will save me a couple hundred $$$ - Gebhardt submitted the title/license stuff immediately instead of waiting until re-delivery :thumbdwn:.

-Michael


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

mrdirosa said:


> If you guys think your cars might be at Gebhardt and can't get a hold of Thom, just let me and I'll run by and check for you.
> 
> I need to talk to him anyways about getting my previous Colorado ownership tax waived. The DMV says they will do it if I can supply proof of German registration, which will save me a couple hundred $$$ - Gebhardt submitted the title/license stuff immediately instead of waiting until re-delivery :thumbdwn:.
> 
> -Michael


 I don't think my car is there yet. It still hasn't cleared customs. Good idea about the registration, though. I did get the card in the mail not too long ago from the DMV. Was wondering what the hell they were doing submitting it that early? My registration is going to be about $1200, and I certainly don't want to pay for the few months I didn't have the car. I wonder what constitutes proof of German registration? I'm certain that the nimrods at the DMV can't read my German papers?


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

mrdirosa said:


> If you guys think your cars might be at Gebhardt and can't get a hold of Thom, just let me and I'll run by and check for you.
> 
> I need to talk to him anyways about getting my previous Colorado ownership tax waived. The DMV says they will do it if I can supply proof of German registration, which will save me a couple hundred $$$ - Gebhardt submitted the title/license stuff immediately instead of waiting until re-delivery :thumbdwn:.
> 
> -Michael


I must admit that I'm underwhelmed by the professionalism at that dealership. They made three different financial "mistakes" when calculating my lease payment, and it seemed like all of the paperwork had to be done at least 2 or 3 times. On top of that, Thom usually fails to return my phone calls and I have to chase him for answers. When I grow up I'd like to have a job with good compensation, plenty of time off and no requirement to be accountable to anyone. BTW, thanks for the offer to check on things. I find it very hard to believe they wouldn't contact me when the car arrives, but nothing there would surprise me.

J-man, I leased an M3 coupe. Great vehicle, but you can literally watch the gas gauge fall ;-)


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

dlchasen said:


> I must admit that I'm underwhelmed by the professionalism at that dealership. They made three different financial "mistakes" when calculating my lease payment, and it seemed like all of the paperwork had to be done at least 2 or 3 times. On top of that, Thom usually fails to return my phone calls and I have to chase him for answers. When I grow up I'd like to have a job with good compensation, plenty of time off and no requirement to be accountable to anyone. BTW, thanks for the offer to check on things. I find it very hard to believe they wouldn't contact me when the car arrives, but nothing there would surprise me.
> 
> J-man, I leased an M3 coupe. Great vehicle, but you can literally watch the gas gauge fall ;-)


 It's funny you should say that. My deal went off without a hitch, but I recently helped my father order and buy an X5 from Gebhardt. There were at least 3 or 4 "mistakes" made during the process that would have been to the dealerships benefit. Mostly concerned with the money factor on the lease that they kept trying to boost up from our agreed upon terms.

Do any of you Gebhardt guys intend to request that they don't drill your front bumper for the license plate holder? I think I will request this on my car and I expect it to be a battle.

Also, I'm not sure how particular you guys are about your paint, but I highly suggest you don't let them wash and polish your car. EVERY single brand new car sitting on their lot is absolutely covered with swirl marks from an improper wash and polish job at the dealership. Last time I was there, there was a brand new black X5 on the lot that looked like this...


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

Congratulation Mr. Magic!!! 

I know the 5 series has a nice long hood but your last picture and camera angle make it look like it could easily hold a big V-12. Darn that was where I was going to take my picture… just kidding. Also thanks for all the great posts in this thread; you really helped me keep track of my vehicle on this long journey.


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## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

the J-Man said:


> It's funny you should say that. My deal went off without a hitch, but I recently helped my father order and buy an X5 from Gebhardt. There were at least 3 or 4 "mistakes" made during the process that would have been to the dealerships benefit. Mostly concerned with the money factor on the lease that they kept trying to boost up from our agreed upon terms.
> 
> Do any of you Gebhardt guys intend to request that they don't drill your front bumper for the license plate holder? I think I will request this on my car and I expect it to be a battle.
> 
> Also, I'm not sure how particular you guys are about your paint, but I highly suggest you don't let them wash and polish your car. EVERY single brand new car sitting on their lot is absolutely covered with swirl marks from an improper wash and polish job at the dealership. Last time I was there, there was a brand new black X5 on the lot that looked like this...


My deal had some issues, as the financing guy forgot to charge me the extra $600 for the 18" M-sport wheels. I corrected him, and made sure everything matched my numbers. Lease terms and everything was right on...

I told Thom that when the car arrives I don't want them to touch anything on it, no removal of windscreen stickers, ED floor mats, and ED plates. Also told them to not drill or mount the front plate holder or add any dealer stickers to the back. Basically, unload car from truck and call me - don't touch ANYTHING. I even left a note on the dash when I dropped it off in Paris, but I'll remind him NUMEROUS more times before the car even arrives.

I'll also be there within an hour of it being delivered, if possible (I'll try and track down the trucking company so I know when it should arrive).

-Michael


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## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

the J-Man said:


> I don't think my car is there yet. It still hasn't cleared customs. Good idea about the registration, though. I did get the card in the mail not too long ago from the DMV. Was wondering what the hell they were doing submitting it that early? My registration is going to be about $1200, and I certainly don't want to pay for the few months I didn't have the car. I wonder what constitutes proof of German registration? I'm certain that the nimrods at the DMV can't read my German papers?


Yes, I would try and get the past ownership waived - mine is like $250 or so (estimating mid-August re-delivery). Talked with the DMV and Tina @ Gebhardt (title department) and she instructed Thom to track down the German registration proof. The dropoff agent at EH Harms in Paris said he needed ALL my paperwork, so unfotunately I don't have the little green book.

If it can't be had, someone will be paying for that but it won't be me...

-Michael


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## sorinel999 (Feb 28, 2010)

i love the thought that my black outside black inside car is roasting in the sun waiting to be inspected. i hear the sun works wonders for leather.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

mrdirosa said:


> Wonder if this is related to the fact that BMW outsourced VDC operations late last year:
> http://www.bimmerfile.com/2009/09/28/bmw-to-outsource-oxnard-vpc/
> 
> Here are the contacts for the new company (AMPORTS):
> ...


hmm, interesting...sure could explain a lot of things. I called the Port Hueneme number but got a blind answering machine that says leave a message...bah. So I decided to send a fax with all my info and inquiring as to status.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

sorinel999 said:


> i love the thought that my black outside black inside car is roasting in the sun waiting to be inspected. i hear the sun works wonders for leather.


 Your car will need a very good professional detail when it comes in. My father's white X5 was "in transit" for 32 days. I.e. sitting in the sun and rain waiting for a truck. It took me about 12 hours to do a full detail on it and remove all the water spots. Your dealership will do a hack job polish on it to try to get the water spots off, and they'll do more harm that good unfortunately.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

the J-Man said:


> Your car will need a very good professional detail when it comes in. My father's white X5 was "in transit" for 32 days. I.e. sitting in the sun and rain waiting for a truck. It took me about 12 hours to do a full detail on it and remove all the water spots. Your dealership will do a hack job polish on it to try to get the water spots off, and they'll do more harm that good unfortunately.


J-Man did you ever hear back from the BMW ED department?


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## Mr. Magic (May 30, 2010)

JWRtiger,
Did you get your F10 yet? Drove mine into Los Gatos today, lots of money on wheels and many "new friends" visited me in the parking lot. They all think the previous 5-series was ugly compared to this one, and we all knew that, but good to feel the confirmation. Want to see photo's of the companion car that crossed over on the Rhea Leader with mine.


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

Mr. Magic,

Still do not have my car but I got a phone message and an email from my CA today and he said they have it and I can pick it up anytime this coming Monday. So I will be happy to get a couple of pictures up on the forum very soon. I agree that I like the design and aesthetics of the new 5-series better the outgoing model. Several months back I could have gotten a great deal on a new 2010 but just didn’t like the overall look, especially the interior.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

TGray5 said:


> J-Man did you ever hear back from the BMW ED department?


 Nope, I intend to make a bunch of calls on Monday to get some answers. It is starting to look like complaing as much as possible gets ones car pushed though the process quicker.


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## sorinel999 (Feb 28, 2010)

according to the bmwusa website my car is out of customs and at the delivery center. my slalesman told me that i should have my car by the end of this comming week.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

sorinel999 said:


> according to the bmwusa website my car is out of customs and at the delivery center. my slalesman told me that i should have my car by the end of this comming week.


 Nice - that's good news for you! You were ED right?

Still no good news for me.


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## sorinel999 (Feb 28, 2010)

the J-Man said:


> Nice - that's good news for you! You were ED right?
> 
> Still no good news for me.


yes i was ed. if my car is coming out this week im sure yours and everyone's will come out at the same time as well.


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## LeMansBlue (Jul 20, 2010)

Nice, my ED is at the prep center as well!!!

Hopefully they don't need to fix anything.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

LeMansBlue said:


> Nice, my ED is at the prep center as well!!!
> 
> Hopefully they don't need to fix anything.


Mine is still showing 'in transit', but its been sitting on the dock waiting for the VDC to pick it up for 10 days.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

TGray5 said:


> Mine is still showing 'in transit', but its been sitting on the dock waiting for the VDC to pick it up for 10 days.


 Mine is still in transit too. I heard back from the ED department, and they've contacted the port to find out where my car is. I should hear back by the end of the day and I'll post results here.


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

the J-Man said:


> Mine is still in transit too. I heard back from the ED department, and they've contacted the port to find out where my car is. I should hear back by the end of the day and I'll post results here.


I have a call into ED as well. Maybe they'll get the idea we're getting impatient.


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

I am sorry you guys have to wait so long. I do not understand why the J-Man's car is waiting to be picked up and sitting for 10 days***8230;. that's crazy. I was a priority 1 ordered and came over in the Rhea Leader with the rest of you. My CA has my car ready and I will be picking it up this afternoon. Even though you guys are ED orders I would think this should be going much faster and would help improve BMW's PR by keeping the faithful happy.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

jwrtiger said:


> I am sorry you guys have to wait so long. I do not understand why the J-Man's car is waiting to be picked up and setting for 10 days&#8230;. that's crazy. I was a priority 1 ordered and came over in the Rhea Leader with the rest of you. My CA has my car ready and I will be picking it up this afternoon. Even though you guys are ED orders I would think this should be going much faster and would help improve BMW's PR by keeping the faithful happy.


 Thanks for the sympathy and congrats on your car! post up a picture after you get it


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

the J-Man said:


> Mine is still in transit too. I heard back from the ED department, and they've contacted the port to find out where my car is. I should hear back by the end of the day and I'll post results here.


This email from Thom S. today:
_Nothing yet, Don. We had a delivery on Friday with a few ED vehicles, but no M3 and another transport truck from California dropped off a few inventory cars on Saturday, however, we are expecting another Waggoner's truck later today.
_

I asked Thom if he could call Waggoner, and he said BMW is running the show and he couldn't call.

When I spoke to BMW ED today they said they would "reach out" to the Port and try to get me a status report, although clearing customs often takes 3-4 weeks.

I don't know about you, but my car was dropped off at CDG Airport exactly 11 weeks ago today.


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## hansdouma (Mar 9, 2010)

dlchasen said:


> This email from Thom S. today:
> _Nothing yet, Don. We had a delivery on Friday with a few ED vehicles, but no M3 and another transport truck from California dropped off a few inventory cars on Saturday, however, we are expecting another Waggoner's truck later today.
> _
> 
> ...


I had a similar experience. My CA expected a truck this weekend but it came without my vehicle. I contacted BMW ED today and was told that my vehicle only today cleared customs even though NYK Line told me that the vehicle cleared customs on July 21st.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

dlchasen said:


> This email from Thom S. today:
> _Nothing yet, Don. We had a delivery on Friday with a few ED vehicles, but no M3 and another transport truck from California dropped off a few inventory cars on Saturday, however, we are expecting another Waggoner's truck later today.
> _
> 
> ...


 Wow, 11 weeks? I'm sitting at 9 weeks right now. I don't think our cars are anywhere near close to being put on a truck. From what I've seen, the 1-800 number and BMWUSA site will update to "at preparation center." Once that happens, we will know that a truck is a few days away.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

hansdouma said:


> I had a similar experience. My CA expected a truck this weekend but it came without my vehicle. I contacted BMW ED today and was told that my vehicle only today cleared customs even though NYK Line told me that the vehicle cleared customs on July 21st.


 Ah good news...you were on Rhea Leader, correct? Perhaps the rest of us have been moved to the VDC today as well. Customs told me I cleared on the 21st as well, so BMW is full of it.


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

TGray5 said:


> Thanks! I asked them to leave the front on as well, although I need to keep an eye on it as its only held on with double stick tape. I'm going to keep the euro plates on until I receive the permanent plates in a few weeks. Here is the front.


Mighty fine looking car. I debated long and hard about that color vs. AW. Fox Red was always a given. Best of luck with it.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

jwrtiger said:


> Congratulations TGray5, very nice vehicle, I especially like the view from the front.
> 
> Since TGray5 mentioned it, I have a general question for everyone. When I picked up my car a few days ago they asked if I wanted the holes drilled for the front license plate. I was told that most of their customers do not mount the front plate. He said I could have it drilled for no charge at anytime by the dealership. I live in California and I think it is a $25 dollar fix-it ticket. I would be interested on anyone's views installing or not installing the front license plate. Thanks


 Thanks for the compliment. re: the plate, I was going to say the same thing that Mug said above. If you are in LA not sure its worth the hassle. I'm in OC and haven't had a front plate in ages and never had a problem. Heck I ran my Euro plates front and back for two months on my 545 and never got stopped...we'll see if things go as smoothly in the M3 :thumbup:


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

dlchasen said:


> I don't think I'll be on the truck, but I'll call. Just shoot me their number. I assume I'll need your VIN and vehicle description. Also, what time zone are they in?


 What makes you think you won't be on the same truck? Have you been able to confirm that your car went through the VPC?


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

mrdirosa said:


> http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=473750 :thumbup:


FYI, the Waggoners number you refer to is never answered. I've tried their National City number, no go there. I've tried another 800 number, and all I get is voice mail.


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## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

dlchasen said:


> FYI, the Waggoners number you refer to is never answered. I've tried their National City number, no go there. I've tried another 800 number, and all I get is voice mail.


That's the local number in Port Hueneme - and they're probably busy all the time loading cars on trucks 

Anyone else have a working number that they've used?

-Michael


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

This number will get you through to a person at Wagoneers. (800) 449-3195

Tell them you need to track a vehicle and they'll transfer you to dispatch who will ask for the last 8 digits of your VIN.


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## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

the J-Man said:


> This number will get you through to a person at Wagoneers. (800) 449-3195
> 
> Tell them you need to track a vehicle and they'll transfer you to dispatch who will ask for the last 8 digits of your VIN.


Awesome - thanks J-Man! I've updated the contact post with this phone number.


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

mrdirosa said:


> Awesome - thanks J-Man! I've updated the contact post with this phone number.


Guys, here's a beauty. I received a call from Thom late yesterday claiming he received notification from the head of BMW Western Distribution that my car was loaded on a truck on the 31st and it should be in Boulder today or tomorrow. When I called Waggoner tracking (thanks for the number) they said it was loaded last night and is presently near Las Vegas. How can BMW disseminate such bull****?


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

dlchasen said:


> Guys, here's a beauty. I received a call from Thom late yesterday claiming he received notification from the head of BMW Western Distribution that my car was loaded on a truck on the 31st and it should be in Boulder today or tomorrow. When I called Waggoner tracking (thanks for the number) they said it was loaded last night and is presently near Las Vegas. How can BMW disseminate such bull****?


 That's good news - I'll call them soon and see where my car is - probably on the same truck as yours. :thumbup: I don't know why they would tell you your car was loaded onto a truck on the 31st - it takes less than 24 hours for the truck to get from CA to Colorado. The drive is about 17 hours, and the truckers don't take more than a 5 or 6 hour break at most.


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## hansdouma (Mar 9, 2010)

dlchasen said:


> Guys, here's a beauty. I received a call from Thom late yesterday claiming he received notification from the head of BMW Western Distribution that my car was loaded on a truck on the 31st and it should be in Boulder today or tomorrow. When I called Waggoner tracking (thanks for the number) they said it was loaded last night and is presently near Las Vegas. How can BMW disseminate such bull****?


This could be the same truck my vehicle came in on. Just received an email from my CA that my vehicle was just delivered.


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

the J-Man said:


> That's good news - I'll call them soon and see where my car is - probably on the same truck as yours. :thumbup: I don't know why they would tell you your car was loaded onto a truck on the 31st - it takes less than 24 hours for the truck to get from CA to Colorado. The drive is about 17 hours, and the truckers don't take more than a 5 or 6 hour break at most.


Thom will tell you that the fastest delivery they ever get from CA is 4 days. I just heard that yesterday as well. At least when I hear from BMW, whether is Customer Relations, European Delivery or the dealership, I needn't wonder if every part of what they tell you is correct. None of it is.


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

hansdouma said:


> This could be the same truck my vehicle came in on. Just received an email from my CA that my vehicle was just delivered.


In Vegas?


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## hansdouma (Mar 9, 2010)

dlchasen said:


> In Vegas?


No I'm about 400 Miles North from Vegas in Utah.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

dlchasen said:


> Thom will tell you that the fastest delivery they ever get from CA is 4 days. I just heard that yesterday as well. At least when I hear from BMW, whether is Customer Relations, European Delivery or the dealership, I needn't wonder if every part of what they tell you is correct. None of it is.


 Maybe the 4 days means from the time it is released to trucking. My car was released to trucking on the 10th, so delivery on the 13th is 3 days. I don't know. That doesn't make sense either. There's no reason that a truck carrying 6-8 cars to a single destination should take 4 days to go from California to Colorado. Not unless the truck driver stops in Vegas for a few days to hit the slots and see a few shows.

When you called trucking, did they give you the impression that the truck will be in CO tomorrow?


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

the J-Man said:


> Maybe the 4 days means from the time it is released to trucking. My car was released to trucking on the 10th, so delivery on the 13th is 3 days. I don't know. That doesn't make sense either. There's no reason that a truck carrying 6-8 cars to a single destination should take 4 days to go from California to Colorado. Not unless the truck driver stops in Vegas for a few days to hit the slots and see a few shows.
> 
> When you called trucking, did they give you the impression that the truck will be in CO tomorrow?


I had BMW ED check the ETA. The truck will be in Boulder either Friday late or early Saturday. Unfortunately, Gebhardt doesn't usually have anyone in service on Saturday (I need the 1,200 mile service and I have a check engine light on) so I'm looking at late Monday. Twelve freakin' weeks.


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## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

dlchasen said:


> I had BMW ED check the ETA. The truck will be in Boulder either Friday late or early Saturday. Unfortunately, Gebhardt doesn't usually have anyone in service on Saturday (I need the 1,200 mile service and I have a check engine light on) so I'm looking at late Monday. *Twelve freakin' weeks*.


Yeah, I'd be complaining to BMW and getting them to cover a payment - that's nuts! :thumbdwn:


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## dlchasen (May 18, 2007)

hansdouma said:


> This could be the same truck my vehicle came in on. Just received an email from my CA that my vehicle was just delivered.


Could be Denver via SLC.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

dlchasen said:


> I had BMW ED check the ETA. The truck will be in Boulder either Friday late or early Saturday. Unfortunately, Gebhardt doesn't usually have anyone in service on Saturday (I need the 1,200 mile service and I have a check engine light on) so I'm looking at late Monday. Twelve freakin' weeks.


 Ok, I got the same story - said it would probably be Saturday, which I don't understand. The truck must not be at capacity with Gebhardt vehicles, and its stopping somewhere for some reason. My lowly 335 requires no 1200 miles service, but I don't think they can prep the new cars on Saturday either, so I'll be picking up Monday too.


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## Mug (Dec 21, 2001)

the J-Man said:


> Ok, I got the same story - said it would probably be Saturday, which I don't understand. The truck must not be at capacity with Gebhardt vehicles, and its stopping somewhere for some reason. My lowly 335 requires no 1200 miles service, but I don't think they can prep the new cars on Saturday either, so I'll be picking up Monday too.


I don't think the dealership does much prep (if any) to ED cars. Saturday may still be a possibility.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

the J-Man said:


> Ok, I got the same story - said it would probably be Saturday, which I don't understand. The truck must not be at capacity with Gebhardt vehicles, and its stopping somewhere for some reason. My lowly 335 requires no 1200 miles service, but I don't think they can prep the new cars on Saturday either, so I'll be picking up Monday too.


I wouldn't doubt the truck has several stops on the way to your dealer since Colorado is probably about as far east as shipments go from the West Coast VDC. The other tradeoff is for them to wait until they have a full truckload of cars just for your dealer which would speed up the truck transit time, but also probably require a longer wait for them to have enough cars destined to your dealer to fill the truck. The wait is painful, I know....


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## German Expat (Sep 29, 2006)

the J-Man said:


> Gebhardt gave me a temp tag until Sept. 17th so I'll worry about the registration thing then. Let us all know if you find out anything.


I registered with the DMV in Boulder today. They were as confused as I am but it looks like all is ok. She had me show them the temp tags I currently had and I did explain her when I got the car vs. when I bought the car.

The car shows a purchase date of May 29th with 'Bus. Date' showing 08/12/2010 and the tags are valid until 08/2011. Not exactly sure though how the tax calculates since I still had some tax left from my old tags which offset some of the new tax.

They were not happy that Gebhardt gave me a 2nd set of temporary tags. Seems like they were not supposed to do that and now want to call Gebhardt.


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## E92Carrera (Aug 6, 2007)

the J-Man said:


> All the Rhea Leader people have their cars at this point?
> 
> Still no pics of mine, I've been detailing it like crazy. Somehow my car had quite a lot of swirl marks on the paint even though my dealer didn't wash it, and I didn't wash it in Europe. I feel like somewhere along the line somebody must have run it through a harsh car wash for it to be so swirled up. :dunno: I added a signature pic in the meantime. This is a far superior location than the official Bimmerfest castle spot.


You mind posting the directions to get to this spot? Thanks


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

You guys all enjoying your cars? I just had the 1,200 mile service done on the M3 and am really enjoying the car. :thumbup:


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## jwrtiger (May 24, 2010)

Yikes, I only have about 500 miles on mine. I had an error warning about the battery but come to find out that there is a transport mode for our cars. I didn’t know that when they ship the cars they put them in transport mode and then at the prep center they take them out of that mode. Well for some reason my electrical system was still in transport mode but the service center was able to reset the system and now I am no longer getting an attention notice about the battery. Other than a slight pull to the right when I release the steering wheel and for me it is not noticeable during normal driving I think this car is fantastic. I am a real geek and I just love all the technology in the car.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

jwrtiger said:


> Yikes, I only have about 500 miles on mine. I had an error warning about the battery but come to find out that there is a transport mode for our cars. I didn't know that when they ship the cars they put them in transport mode and then at the prep center they take them out of that mode. Well for some reason my electrical system was still in transport mode but the service center was able to reset the system and now I am no longer getting an attention notice about the battery. Other than a slight pull to the right when I release the steering wheel and for me it is not noticeable during normal driving I think this car is fantastic. I am a real geek and I just love all the technology in the car.


 Glad you got the battery sorted...well, 800 of those 1200 miles were put on the car during my Euro trip....so you actually have more miles than me since delivery...but I did go on vacation for a week, without the car, after it arrived.


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## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

I'm certainly enjoying my car. I've put 750 miles on it in two and a half weeks since I picked it up (and I work from home). :yikes: Did a 120 mile drive through the mountains the other day that was fabulous. So far I've averaged 23 MPG and it seems to be improving. I don't care much about fuel economy, but I find this astounding given how hard I've been driving the car. I can easily see this new N55 engine being capable of 30+ MPG at highway cruising speeds. It's amazing how efficient these high powered engines are becoming.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

the J-Man said:


> I'm certainly enjoying my car. I've put 750 miles on it in two and a half weeks since I picked it up (and I work from home). :yikes: Did a 120 mile drive through the mountains the other day that was fabulous. So far I've averaged 23 MPG and it seems to be improving. I don't care much about fuel economy, but I find this astounding given how hard I've been driving the car. I can easily see this new N55 engine being capable of 30+ MPG at highway cruising speeds. It's amazing how efficient these high powered engines are becoming.


 Awesome mileage! my 335 averaged about 19.5 in auto mode and 18 in manual mode, although I don't do a lot of highway driving. My new M3 has averaged 15.6, almost all in manual mode, since I picked it up but that included a lot of higher speed driving on the autobahn and mountain roads at high altitude. Your car looks great!


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## m6cabrio (Aug 6, 2010)

I wont start a thread with this question because you guys probably know and it might be in another thread I just can't find it lol. How long after you drop the car off is the information about the ship on the EH harms website? It has been a few days and I am anxious to see when it will get here. Thanks!


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

m6cabrio said:


> I wont start a thread with this question because you guys probably know and it might be in another thread I just can't find it lol. How long after you drop the car off is the information about the ship on the EH harms website? It has been a few days and I am anxious to see when it will get here. Thanks!


 In my case, never. It seems that some BMWs get added into the Harms Audi website and others don't. When I called Harms they claimed no BMWs were there, only Audis...but clearly that is not the case. Harms was able to tell me what ship I was on and the departure date.


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## m6cabrio (Aug 6, 2010)

TGray5 said:


> In my case, never. It seems that some BMWs get added into the Harms Audi website and others don't. When I called Harms they claimed no BMWs were there, only Audis...but clearly that is not the case. Harms was able to tell me what ship I was on and the departure date.


OK thanks...so I should just call them about a week or two after drop off? Or can I go ahead and call now?

I also forgot to wash the underneath of the car and I know there is mud on the bottom of it from all the construction I went though. I hope there is no problem there. But I would assume they wash them or send them through a high pressure spray for customs do they not? I mean they won't even let me off the plane with mud from a foreign country lol


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

m6cabrio said:


> OK thanks...so I should just call them about a week or two after drop off? Or can I go ahead and call now?
> 
> I also forgot to wash the underneath of the car and I know there is mud on the bottom of it from all the construction I went though. I hope there is no problem there. But I would assume they wash them or send them through a high pressure spray for customs do they not? I mean they won't even let me off the plane with mud from a foreign country lol


Maybe wait a few days and call them. There is no wash prior to customs. The VDC operates a hot kerosene wash for new cars to remove the protective shipping wax, but I don't think that ED cars get run through that wash as we don't have the protective wax applied and that would be after clearing customs anyhow.


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## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

m6cabrio said:


> OK thanks...so I should just call them about a week or two after drop off? Or can I go ahead and call now?
> 
> I also forgot to wash the underneath of the car and I know there is mud on the bottom of it from all the construction I went though. I hope there is no problem there. But I would assume they wash them or send them through a high pressure spray for customs do they not? I mean they won't even let me off the plane with mud from a foreign country lol


I had mud on mine as well and customs refused to release the vehicle. I coordinated with EH Harms, BMW, and US Customs to have someone go over and have it washed.


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## m6cabrio (Aug 6, 2010)

mrdirosa said:


> I had mud on mine as well and customs refused to release the vehicle. I coordinated with EH Harms, BMW, and US Customs to have someone go over and have it washed.


Wow, well that sucks. How willing were they to do that for you and what did that cost you? Guess I will have to go through the same ordeal


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## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

m6cabrio said:


> Wow, well that sucks. How willing were they to do that for you and what did that cost you? Guess I will have to go through the same ordeal


EH Harms wanted me to fly out and do it, but BMW was pretty willing to work with customs to get it washed - once I told them about it. No cost, BMW covered it.


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