My PCD isn't until 9/3. Could've picked up it up at the dealer 10 days earlier but wanted to experience Spartanburg. The question is: How will I get through August? The wait is killing me. [emoji23]
8. Check bmwusa.com to see what the build status is. Several times a day. AND call the phone number to check, too.
9. Once it's ready to get on a ship, find the ship's name from your CA. Track the ship across the Atlantic and check its current position. Several times a day.
10. Every time the ship is in port or somewhere there are web cams available, go on line to look at the ship. You may have to rearrange your schedule to be able to be on line at the right times.
Did you consider using the car you currently drive (whatever that is, as long as it is not SUV, pickup truck or minivan) and sign up for HPDE? If nothing else, it will make you enjoy PCD a lot more in case you never drove on a racetrack before. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to get rid of eventual bad habits in driving before your new BMW shows up. Your instructor will surely point out those and tell you how to work on it to eliminate them while driving on the street. I wish I had done that when I was waiting for re-delivery from ED.
Look at it this way you have a date certain others just know where it is now. You will enjoy the PCD, the extra ten days are worth it. Then there is the fun ride home.:thumbup:
Not sure this would work for everyone, but I filled the time gap as a juror on an extended Murder Trial while waiting for one of my vehicles.
Incidentally, and unknown to us at the time, the trial was being filmed for a Dateline TV special. Here is a fade in shot of me with Keith Morrison once the show titled "Mystery at Bootleggers Cove" aired:
14. Explore the wonders of oceanic transportation. So much to learn in so little time! The Tiger just docked at Bremerhaven and the Webcam shows a blob of white light where it is supposed to have moored. I see some Bimmers nearby but the image quality is very poor. I wonder which one is my car!
Browsing through various forums, you will get some tips and you go from there.
I could have waited to get the ship's name from my CA but I wasn't going to wait. In your case, the fastest way (now that your car is at the port of exit) is to ask your CA. Otherwise, assuming the vessel belongs to W&W Logistics, go to:
and do a search by port. You enter origin as Germany + Bremerhaven (Yours is a 435i right?) and destination as USA and the port in the USA where it will land. I don't know your case. Give it a broad time window and then sift through the selection. If your car is at the port now, then look to see which vessel is scheduled to be in Bremehaven next. At Bremerhaven, the best webcam is the auto export terminal: http://www.blg-logistics.com/de/kontakt/webcams/
These are instructions I have picked up from various posts. If anyone has better sources, please share.
#15 Drive to Spartanburg sometime in early August. Check out the hotel to make sure its okay. Drive from the hotel to the BMW facility and track how many miles and how long it takes. Be sure to log what turns you take so you can retrace your steps on the RPUD (real pick up day). On your drive back home, take photos of each BMW you see on the road. When you get home, print photos and write on each picture why your new ride is better.
#16 Clean your garage to make room for your new baby. I'm talking about clean! Epoxy the floors. Paint the walls. Add appropriate BMW posters. Remove other vehicles if they are not worthy of sharing the space.
#17 Paint the front of your house. Trim the hedges. Steam clean the driveway. All of this will be to prepare the scene for taking the obligatory photos of your new BMW with your mansion in the background.
#18 Reread the manual again.
By the time you accomplish all these tasks, it should be the second week in August, then you will only have 3 weeks remaining. Repeat these steps as necessary..
Congratulations on your new car. Waiting is excruciating but worth it.
#15 Drive to Spartanburg sometime in early August. Check out the hotel to make sure its okay. Drive from the hotel to the BMW facility and track how many miles and how long it takes. Be sure to log what turns you take so you can retrace your steps on the RPUD (real pick up day). On your drive back home, take photos of each BMW you see on the road. When you get home, print photos and write on each picture why your new ride is better..
That's hilarious. Just happened that I had the house and driveway power washed and acid etched. Garage already epoxied and fresh paint on the walls! Trim the hedges.....great idea!
Armand, my 435 was built down at the other plant (who's name escapes me right now). Do they all go to the same part no matter where built? And my CA at first said it was coming to Brunswick but when I choose the PCD he said he thought it would go to SC somewhere.
All 4 series GCs are built at the factory near Munich and they all get carted up to Bremerhaven on train for export. So, I believe yours is there. It won't board the Tiger because that ship won't stop at any east coast ports but the other ship that was mentioned on this thread is likely your ship - just my guess.
Look at it this way: on your drive back, it'll be late enough in August that the kiddies are back in school so there's less traffic. On my drive back from PCD, last week in August, I drove skyline drive and there was NO traffic. Very pleasant surprise.
Okay, I guess I am not waiting to figure our which ship my car will be on anymore. Found out a couple of minutes back that my car was loaded on the Galveston Highway on 07/24 and expected to arrive at Brunswick GA on 08/05 (08/08 per K-Line schedule).
My CA checked on Saturday (07/25) and informed me that the car was still at the port, but as it turns out, it had actually left on Friday. Based on this, I believe CA and the phone reps are getting information that is off by a day or two, while the automated phone system and the website, which still state that my car is at the port are at least 3 - 4 days off.
Having ordered several BMWs and woken up extra early to watch the ship go through the locks at Miraflores, I believe a long nap is really the most humane way to get through the process.
Btw, I feel bad for you guys getting delivery on the East Coast....because you can't watch your car go through the Panama Canal webcams like the West Coast deliveries
How about planning an entire week-long road trip? In the mountains? Rockies, Sierras, Alleghenys, Adirondacks... not the Bavarian Alps, maybe, but still the perfect break-in trip.
If you have some time try "Tail of the Dragon" along the NC/Tenn border on the way North. The M3/4 ran its program off in that direction from the PCD up to the Biltmore in NC.
The Biltmore is a nice place for dinner & an overnight.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
BimmerFest BMW Forum
11.4M posts
753.1K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to BMW owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about Bimmerfest events, production numbers, programming, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more! Bringing the BMW community together.