You may have been wondering what the BMW awaiting carrier assignment means?
Perhaps you have ordered a brand new BMW. While there may be various options at car showrooms, you may be disinterested in what is available and want to have your very own BMW build on the company’s website.
Hence, it is important to understand what the timelines mean. This way you know exactly what to expect when you order and track your new vehicle.
This is what we will discuss today and some key points to understand about it. Let’s jump right into it.
BMW Awaiting Carrier Assignment
You may have decided to build your BMW vehicle on the website. Now, if you want to learn more about what to expect, you may need to search for the Product Ordering Guide or the POG. This is BMW’s official guide from the factory.
The price list may appear the same and you can check the cost of every car option. So it is good to determine what BMW vehicle you want before you go to your dealer.
Now, an allocation allows you to specify the BMW according to what you like. It is a slot for your dealership to place an order for your vehicle. Every dealer has different allocations, depending on how much the company sells. It could be 2 slots for the M3 for each month, or it could be more.
When a deal has been made for your vehicle, you then need to submit your order and use the allocations provided. But do keep in mind that it takes some waiting time depending on the open slot available to the dealer.
After placing your order, you will be provided with a production number. Then, you are entered in the company’s build queue. During the peak of pandemic, this process took about 8 weeks when the vehicle is coming from Germany or up to 4 weeks when from South Carolina.
Do keep in mind that if you do not yet have a production number, you will also not have an allocation. So, it is important to make sure that your dealer gives you both – a production number and an allocation. Otherwise, it can be a real problem.
The moment you have the vehicle in schedule for the production, you should get your car’s actual VIN number, which is provided on the website.
When you are ready to track your order and know more about the status, you can either call the Genius hotline or go to BMWUSA.com. But in most cases, the website tends to lag some hours behind. So, we highly recommend that you contact the hotline for more updated information.
For those who have visited the BMW plant tour down in South Carolina, they have observed that the car can take under 24 hours to be fully assembled once the paint has dried. In fact, you can even see the car being built as you walk through the BMW plant. From being in the paint booth up to the ready for transport status, it usually takes only 24 hours. The process is quite fast – yet it takes time to be updated on the website.
If you have opted for a vehicle with an individual color, it will be painted in a different booth. Hence, the process can take a bit longer – it all depends on the color you choose. In some cases, the color may be approved quickly by BMW but others can take longer or even denied.
This is why if you prefer your order to be delivered quicker, then you may want to forgo an individual order. Otherwise, you will have to take a little longer.
Next up, we go to the shipping. There are many factors that come to play here, mainly depending on where your vehicle is built.
If your vehicle is made in the United States, then it leaves the South Carolina factory via truck or train. On the website, you can see the “in transit” status. However, once you contact the hotline, they will be able to provide the mode of transportation and the company shipping it. Thus, you can track your order online.
But in the case of a vehicle built in Germany, this means it will need to cross the ocean to get to your location. You can also call BMW and ask about the name of the ship then check your order through marinetracker.com. Among the ports include Charleston, Bremerhaven, Southampton, New Jersey, Halifax, Brunswick, Baltimore, Zeebrugge, and Galveston.
The car may take 7 to 10 days if you are on the east coast and may be more than 2 weeks if on the west coast.
After getting off the train or boat, your car will then go to the Vehicle Processing Center. This will involve an inspection of your car and check for any damage. If there are issues during transit, your vehicle will be repaired. There is a mechanic, restoration shop and paint department in the VPC.
And lastly, we go to the delivery process. After arriving at the dealer, they will prep the vehicle by taking the protective wrapping off. They will also prepare the iDrive system based on your specific region.
In the case of an awaiting carrier assignment, this basically means that the company decides on the carrier that will carry your vehicle from the factory and then to the port. Once the vehicle arrives at the port, a ship is assigned to it.
The next step after awaiting carrier assignment is dispatched from the factory, and then at the port and in transit. The process depends on how fast the company is able to fill the carrier with vehicles being delivered to your area. Others can go for a few days to several weeks.
Read More: Understanding The Maximum Drivetrain Output Not Available BMW Issue
Final Thoughts
Ordering a new BMW vehicle may require some waiting game before it is delivered to you. This is why it is important to know what happens throughout the process and contact the hotline if you wish to obtain up-to-date information about your order’s status.