XSeries-forum

I've read that UK buyers cannot track there X5/6 via the USA site, but my dealer told me today he had heard of one guy being able to circumvent / fool the site into thinking you are USA registered by putting American address /ZIP code when registering on site.

Tried to do this tonight accepted my registration, but cannot find vehicle on order number (I don't have confirmation of VIN yet & site might need 24hrs to recognise order number as build date just confirmed today)

Anyone heard of this method/know its possible?

I had the same problems a year ago with my X6 order and the system would not accept either the order number or VIN. The only thing I could do was wait until the car has left the plant - at which point BMW tracking stops anyway. The US site is clever enough to know that the order number/VIN is not a US one and therefore won't play. It gets a bit involved, but on this thread I found out how to do it although not within the production plant itself....3rd entry down.....

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1479&p=16094&hilit=Order+tracking#p16080

Your dealer should be able to let you know when it's built and left the plant. Then it's a case of which ship fits the profile and you're sorted. Mine was MV Fidelio

I did ask BMW GB why it wasn't available and they simply said 'because we don't have to'. Some of this information has to be made avail in the US by law, but not here so they don't bother. I've been trying similar trickery with the Mini we have on order, but the order number and VIN data is checked against a US list and rejected. I would have thought that it was no problem to simply link the rest of the world in to allow everyone to make use of the system. Let's face it, the underlying code is already there, but alas they just don't care. Whether there are odd data protection laws in EMEA that stop the data being released I don't know. Frustrating though.

Thanks X5Sport, did see the other thread regards the shipping element of it. Was hoping there was a way around BMW's system, ah well guess the americans got one up on us with that score.

Just be patient - I had to wait 9 months for mine and my new one is looking to be about 15months!!!

Your New one ???

Is a seperate thread on the way ?

[quote=""AW8""]Your New one ???

Is a seperate thread on the way ?[/quote]

Not an X, you knew that!?

That's what I had thought but for some reason last post made me think you may have changed your mind & wewre refering to another E70 order.

Just so you know, BMW have changed the distribution for the UK for US sourced cars. They used to come into Southampton and go all the way to Thorne in Yorkshire, have any remedial work done, and then be sent to Dealers.

Now all pre-delivery checks for transport damage etc are done and repaired in Bremerhaven and the cars shipped to Southampton and distributed from there.

[quote=""X5Sport""]Just so you know, BMW have changed the distribution for the UK for US sourced cars. They used to come into Southampton and go all the way to Thorne in Yorkshire, have any remedial work done, and then be sent to Dealers.

Now all pre-delivery checks for transport damage etc are done and repaired in Bremerhaven and the cars shipped to Southampton and distributed from there.[/quote]

Thanks for info. Has this change taken effect (now in force)? A bit suprised as there is still the potential for damage to occur from Bremerhaven to Southampton. BMW must have disregarded this in favour of what is a £ motivated change.

As an update my car has left BMW factory last week and I've tried to track via ship but not having any luck with shipping agents track/trace link, just does not recognise VIN No or Order No

Ahhhh feels such a wait.....

The change is in force.

You won't be able to use track and trace either. No idea why not, but it just doesn't work. You have to work around it by playing detective and trying to work out when you car was where.

The only way is to go to the shipping line website, get a schedule of what ship(s) left Charleston in the last few days and then use the weather reporting website to find the last reported position. For the route you need Charleston as the Departure and Bremerhaven as the Destination ports. Once the vessel is in range of the AIS transmitter/receiver system then you can go to accurate ship tracking. It's all in the how to I put together.

Looking at the schedules you probably have three choices - but these do depend on what date your car left the plant and then what date it got to Charleston where it will be loaded for the voyage.

MV Integrity and MV Mignon both left on the 2nd Nov and arrive in Bremerhaven on 15th and 19th respectively, or it could be on the MV Topeka which left on the 8th and is due into Bremerhaven on the 22nd.

Topeka arrives Southampton on the 27th. The other two don't. So at a guess you might be on the Topeka.

Topeka hasn't provided a weather update since the 5th, and may not do so if she's only sailing inshore and short distances. She's not on AIS at present (out of range) but is due in Baltimore on the 10th.

It can be kind of fun tracking these things. Geeky but fun as my wife tells me.

My car left factory last tuesday , so thought it might make ships last week, but like you I have an instinct it may be going on Topeka (currently berthed at Charleston)

Charleston port has regular updates on ships berthed.

I fancied my car might make port in time for ships last week but suspected there would be a tailback of cars to get loaded, so will have worked it way near front of queue by now. I think I will just follow Topeka and make believe its on that one I hope its in a nice wee spot on ship with cushions all around it

Have you any idea why BMW are now checking cars at Bremerhaven? (link to info etc,)

I think it's all around costs..

I also suspect that the area at Bremerhaven is huge given the sheer volume of cars travelling through. That's not to say there isn't a VPC at Soton, but it's likely to be a lot smaller and more of an emergency facility than used to be at Thorne - which is where the Euro built cars still go along with the Mini Countryman (made is Graz in the old X3 plant)

The comment from the Dealer was this it made no financial sense to bring the cars into Soton, truck them all the way to Yorkshire and then truck em all the way back down South again!!

Dealer updated today, car now at Bremerhaven, so its been on the Topeka as I thought Ship docks today / tonight

They have delivery date of w/c 5/12/11
So just another few weeks

Not long now then Glad the guess on the ship turned out to be the right one - and that it's across the Atlantic already. Going to be a wee bit blowy out there for the next couple of days.

Our new Mini just arrived at the Dealer - it's going to be called 'Wilma' - please don't ask!! - so we should get it next week once all the prep has been done etc.

[quote=""X5Sport""]Not long now then Glad the guess on the ship turned out to be the right one - and that it's across the Atlantic already. Going to be a wee bit blowy out there for the next couple of days.

etc.[/quote]

Don't want to worry anybody but our TT was written off on the boat on the way over!!!