United States ordering

[cmhsam]

My order was just entered by my dealer. I highly recommend talking to Atair at Jake Sweeney BMW in Cincinatti. Best sales advisor I have dealt with and he will always get my business. Overall the dealership is very professional and the overall experience was great. Now comes the hard part...the wait!

[cpiguy]

Posted this on another thread and thought I'd get a couple more opinions. Thanks

I need a little help from the guys that really get this stuff. I've ordered about 20 new BMW's and never worried much about my Production Number. I went by my dealer an hour ago and he basically my guys said GREAT NEWS, your car is scheduled to build week 31 so it should be here in early September.

I then asked rfor the production number, and he said it hasn't been assigned yet. So I say, well then it's not a real order. And he says it sure is, and pulls out the typicall dealer factory computer report showing all their order and my M5 is listes with a preduction date of week 31.

So, what the real story? Anybody know for sure.

Cmhsam's response

I am no expert but I didn't have a production number until several days after my dealer entered the order. I think once BMW AG acknowledges the order (111) the prod number is assigned.

My response

Yeah, it just seems a bit weird that they'd assign a production date without a production number. My dealer assures me it's real. Was wondering if anyone else had the date before the number.

Cmhsam's response

I had a delivery date before the number but it was only a few days after i got my delivery date that i got my prod number

[racer10]

I have both week 31 and a production # same day I was informed by dealer. My status at that time was 111. I believe you have to have a production to have a "real" order .

[Mporcl]

You need a production number to have a real order..

[cmhsam]

Originally Posted by Mporcl

You need a production number to have a real order..

Correct. You should have the production number to have an order but like i stated, as this could just be my dealer communicating with me on different days, i had my delivery date first then production number. I am no expert. I just did sign all the ED paperwork, etc and passport information on Friday with the dealer.

[nybimmerfan]

Originally Posted by cmhsam

I just did sign all the ED paperwork, power of attorney, etc and passport information on Friday with the dealer.

Cmhsam, just curious. I too have signed/given some paper work such as personal and passport info to my dealer but did not have to give any power of attorney. What was the power of attorney for? I am no law expert but my lawyer has warned me in the past about signing and giving power of attorneys especially these days that one can purchase over the internet legal form templates that one only needs to copy, sign and notarized to become legal -- they are powerful legal instruments. And the way a generic power of attorney form is written in templates, one is giving away almost everything that one can do or own.

[cmhsam]

@nybimmerfan i was wrong. It was a power of attorney I signed when I turned in my trade. Sorry for confusion.

[Ziff73]

The POA explicitly states it's use is for vehicle registration in Germany. No worries as its not a general POA.

[cmhsam]

Originally Posted by Ziff73

The POA explicitly states it's use is for vehicle registration in Germany. No worries as its not a general POA.

Correct. I looked through my paperwork when I got home tonight

[Ziff73]

Now I suppose we could put our tinfoil hat on and assume BMW will register other cars in our names. But one has to think they have much better things to do with their time. Like building M5's!!!

[cmhsam]

Originally Posted by Ziff73

Now I suppose we could put our tinfoil hat on and assume BMW will register other cars in our names. But one has to think they have much better things to do with their time. Like building M5's!!!

Its gonna be a long summer!

[AGS]

Originally Posted by racer10

I have both week 31 and a production # same day I was informed by dealer. My status at that time was 111. I believe you have to have a production to have a "real" order .

I just spoke with my salesman to see if I could get some answers given this thread - here's what I learned. First, for US delivery, racer10's situation is correct. BMW allocated the first month or so of production to the dealerships based on their sales volume. Bigger dealers got more, smaller dealers got fewer or none. If a dealer received an allocation out of this frist batch, each production slot they were allocated already had a prodiuction number associated with it. However, dealers can enter orders into the system in excess of any allocation they received and they will show in the system as a valid order - albeit an order that has not yet been assigned a production slot!. So, if the dealer cannot give you a production number then you DO NOT have a production slot in the first batch. Your order is sitting there for BMW to do the second round of allocations.

Originally Posted by cmhsam

Correct. You should have the production number to have an order but like i stated, as this could just be my dealer communicating with me on different days, i had my delivery date first then production number. I am no expert. I just did sign all the ED paperwork, etc and passport information on Friday with the dealer.

The process is different for ED since the cars come out of the ED pool. Your dealer submits an order request to the Special Sales Department at BMW NA. Part of the order form is the selection of three desired delivery dates. Once received and processed by the Special Sales Department, they will reply with an email to your dealer (I was cc'd on this email as well) with a production number and your delivery date. It usually takes a few business days to get this confirmation email of your ED order.

This is the understanding of my salesman, who's been a BMW CA for 24 years so I have a reasonably high degree of confidence in this information. I hope it helps clear things up a bit.

[JaSTL]

Hey, just joined the board.....I put my order in May 2012 and received a production number in early June. My dealer tells me I was number one on their list in St. Louis and have an estimated production date of July 28th. Hope I get it in September sometime.

BTW this is my first BMW. Can't wait.

[cmhsam]

Originally Posted by JaSTL

Hey, just joined the board.....I put my order in May 2012 and received a production number in early June. My dealer tells me I was number one on their list in St. Louis and have an estimated production date of July 28th. Hope I get it in September sometime.

BTW this is my first BMW. Can't wait.

Are you doing ED?

[JaSTL]

No. US delivery to my dealer.