[a3dewe]

Originally Posted by Blue Sky

SoCal fires interrupting operations and transit maybe?

No. All transit is north of the burn areas.

[a3dewe]

L. A. Vehicles should have been off-loaded at Long Beach.

[GHN1013]

Sounds like from above reports most recently, many are seeing about 3 months from order to production, and then at least another 2 months to arrive? So total about 5-6 months on average?

Just ordered mine on February 24th. Dealer said they only get allocations on 3rd week of the month. So does that mean, i won’t even get a VIN number for tracking purposes until that time? I did the order all over the phone with the dealer, and have no clue how this is all tracked.

[Blue Sky]

If your dealer actually has an allocation, there isn’t that much mystery. the allocation will have the production week assigned to it, which is close enough for estimating the day it finishes and the nebulous transit phase begins. Mine sat in port lot for 4 weeks, then sailed around Europe, and at 5 weeks has only just left Continental waters heading for the Panama Canal. I estimate it will be 4 months from ordering to receiving.

If your dealer doesn’t have an allocation, then you really don’t know what you are dealing with. They may have an idea how long to get one, or sometimes they don’t and sometimes don’t really care. If multiple dealers are available to you, you should probably check with them all.

I got an allocation right away, production week was maybe 10 weeks out, perhaps artificially longer because there was a year-end pause in i5 production, which wasn’t scheduled to resume until January. Your experience may vary.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by GHN1013

Sounds like from above reports most recently, many are seeing about 3 months from order to production, and then at least another 2 months to arrive? So total about 5-6 months on average?

Just ordered mine on February 24th. Dealer said they only get allocations on 3rd week of the month. So does that mean, i won’t even get a VIN number for tracking purposes until that time? I did the order all over the phone with the dealer, and have no clue how this is all tracked.

Once your dealer has an allocation they can give you a production number. Then you can go to myGarage on the BMW website and track the order.

[GHN1013]

Originally Posted by Blue Sky

If your dealer doesn’t have an allocation, then you really don’t know what you are dealing with. They may have an idea how long to get one, or sometimes they don’t and sometimes don’t really care. If multiple dealers are available to you, you should probably check with them all.

I got an allocation right away, production week was maybe 10 weeks out, perhaps artificially longer because there was a year-end pause in i5 production, which wasn’t scheduled to resume until January. Your experience may vary.

I’m not sure the point in looking at another dealership since I confirmed they submitted the order, and they processed half of my deposit. I assume not everyone gets an allocation immediately upon order, and may be variably by dealerships. ? ����*♂️

[GHN1013]

Originally Posted by LVBMW

Once your dealer has an allocation they can give you a production number. Then you can go to myGarage on the BMW website and track the order.

Thanks for the info. Would you know how long it typically takes BMW to issue an allocation number?

[AiredaleDad]

Originally Posted by GHN1013

Thanks for the info. Would you know how long it typically takes BMW to issue an allocation number?

There is no "Typical" in this sense. It all depends on the model you ordered and the allocations that dealership has for that model. Last year we figured out (We as in the people on this forum) that dealerships had many I5 allocations and several 530i/iX allocations, but at the same time 540iX allocations were rare.

The larger dealerships with more sales had more allocations. Most of them would pre-order spec vehicles in hopes that someone would come in and custom order a vehicle. And all they would have to do was submit a change order before that vehicle hit status 112, then assign it to the individual order. So it would be quick. If they didn't sell, they would always have the Spec vehicle they could then put on the lot to sell. And others placed their orders like you did, and it was still months before the dealer got an allocation they could fill.

So while the dealer you chose may accept your order, and process your deposit, it doesn't mean they have an allocation they can use in order to have your car built. Yet. There may be ways they can trade with another dealer that does have an allocation. And that dealer may wait until later in the year to see if they can fill it themselves with their own custom order before they are willing to "release" it to your dealer in exchange for a car they have on the lot they feel can sell.

That's why they are saying if you don't get an answer soon, go to another dealer and ask if they have any allocations they can order your car under right now. If they do, place the order with them, and cancel at the other dealer and get your deposit back.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by GHN1013

Thanks for the info. Would you know how long it typically takes BMW to issue an allocation number?

Very hard to say. Depends on many factors - the model in question, the sales performance of the dealership, etc. I believe BMW issues allocations monthly. The dealer (if they're honest) should be able to give you a somewhat reasonable estimate. You might want to look into dealing with a broker who can work with dealerships across the country. I did. I got a far better deal.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by GHN1013

I’m not sure the point in looking at another dealership since I confirmed they submitted the order, and they processed half of my deposit. I assume not everyone gets an allocation immediately upon order, and may be variably by dealerships. ? ����*♂️

If your dealer doesn't have an allocation, then submitting an order means absolutely nothing. If they had an allocation, they would immediately be able to give you the production number. I am hoping your deposit is refundable. It should be. You might want to check on your state's laws about this. Sadly, there are too many stories on this forum of dealers who took sometimes large deposits when they had no allocations.

[Blue Sky]

Originally Posted by GHN1013

I’m not sure the point in looking at another dealership since I confirmed they submitted the order, and they processed half of my deposit. I assume not everyone gets an allocation immediately upon order, and may be variably by dealerships. ? 🤷🏻*♂️

Originally Posted by LVBMW

If your dealer doesn't have an allocation, then submitting an order means absolutely nothing. If they had an allocation, they would immediately be able to give you the production number. I am hoping your deposit is refundable. It should be. You might want to check on your state's laws about this. Sadly, there are too many stories on this forum of dealers who took sometimes large deposits when they had no allocations.

Exactly my point I was making, if the dealer didn’t have an allocation, then you have no idea about production/delivery time. All you’ve done so far is put down a deposit in the hopes that they will place an order on a future allocation for you. You are free to go to any other dealership and ask about allocations and even put down a deposit there. Here in California, all deposits have to be fully refundable if you don’t purchase a car.

[GHN1013]

Holy crap. So many factors making this process even more nebulous and iffy. I’m just learning this guys.

I just called the dealer and confirmed my Production number. Car is now in step 3 “Production Begins” state. Admittedly, I was a bit annoyed that my dealer advisor never told me any of this, and just so happened that I called and found out they had a production number already.

Anyways, all is good. Got my order and production is in queue. Now just waiting game I guess. Thanks all for the advice.

[SkykingUSA]

Originally Posted by GHN1013

Holy crap. So many factors making this process even more nebulous and iffy. I’m just learning this guys.

I just called the dealer and confirmed my Production number. Car is now in step 3 “Production Begins” state. Admittedly, I was a bit annoyed that my dealer advisor never told me any of this, and just so happened that I called and found out they had a production number already.

Anyways, all is good. Got my order and production is in queue. Now just waiting game I guess. Thanks all for the advice.

Welcome to the forums! I see you're in the Los Angeles area - me too. Here is a picture of the different stages my order when through last year. Yours might be similar. Enjoy the tracking game and anticipation of getting your new car!

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by GHN1013

Holy crap. So many factors making this process even more nebulous and iffy. I’m just learning this guys.

I just called the dealer and confirmed my Production number. Car is now in step 3 “Production Begins” state. Admittedly, I was a bit annoyed that my dealer advisor never told me any of this, and just so happened that I called and found out they had a production number already.

Anyways, all is good. Got my order and production is in queue. Now just waiting game I guess. Thanks all for the advice.

Sounds good. In that status you should have a VIN number. You can Google "BMW Chrome trick" which will show you how to see some hidden data on the myBMW site which will show you the exact production date.

[GHN1013]

Originally Posted by LVBMW

Sounds good. In that status you should have a VIN number. You can Google "BMW Chrome trick" which will show you how to see some hidden data on the myBMW site which will show you the exact production date.

Thanks for tip. Will check it out

[GHN1013]

Originally Posted by SkykingUSA

Welcome to the forums! I see you're in the Los Angeles area - me too. Here is a picture of the different stages my order when through last year. Yours might be similar. Enjoy the tracking game and anticipation of getting your new car!

Wow. Yours came in less than 3 months. I had my expectations set for 4-6 months to be honest.

[SkykingUSA]

Originally Posted by GHN1013

Wow. Yours came in less than 3 months. I had my expectations set for 4-6 months to be honest.

Well, times change and the cycle could be different for different models. My timeline was pretty typical for an i5 at the beginning of last year. At that time, the model was newer and there were no IBS recalls affecting anything. My situation may be faster than what you will get today. Good luck, in any case!

[AiredaleDad]

Originally Posted by GHN1013

Wow. Yours came in less than 3 months. I had my expectations set for 4-6 months to be honest.

I ordered my 540 in June last year and it was delivered in the first week of Nov.