Am I over-worrying delivery?

[Oliver C]

Evening all

Just thought I would start a quick question to not overload the shipping thread.

Just after some reassurance (or some realism!) offered from existing owners who have gone through the UK delivery process.

The main frets are to do with returning my current car and trying to get the timings right. Equally if I am worrying too much please set me straight!

Order process so far:

3rd Feb - test drive and ordered car there and then at the Service Centre. Set up Tesla account and although no VIN shows on the account, the initial paperwork shows a VIN assigned. EDD given as 28th Feb to 15th March.

4th Feb - I complete the relevant actions via the Tesla account.

6th Feb - Text saying pre delivery tasks complete and to monitor app for updates.

8th Feb - call from NEC arranging collection. Booked in initially for 23rd March, staff say earliest possible date was 18th March.

10th Feb - I make deposit payments which all clear fine. Accepted for Tesla Finance PCP.

10th Feb - Text from Tesla confirming VIN and registration plate (BK23***)

16th Feb - earlier slot available on 18th March which I take (still NEC(, staff advise this is earliest possible date.

Today (19th Feb) - following unrelated conversation via chat, an earlier date of 15th March is offered. Staff state car arrives into UK on 14th March and is available for collection on 15th March at NEC. They advise this is earliest date available.

So my questions are around whether once a formal date is booked in, is that generally honoured? If I had a VIN and VRM sent to be via text is it likely well underway and potentially even in the UK and awaiting transport and prep to Birmingham? Looking at shipping thread I can't see any boats due to arrive on 14th March so this date can't quite be right they've given?

Is 15th March looking likely or have people had experiences of these booked in dates being changed last minute?

Thanks all,
Oli

PS car is M3 White RWD , standard interior and 18in wheels. Standard of the standard!!

 

[WannabeOwner]

I'll have a go ... but see what others say

although no VIN shows on the account

You could check for "hidden VIN" in the body of the page (there are threads on that, I don't have a link to hand, sorry)

Text from Tesla confirming VIN and registration plate

Seems very early to me if collection is Mid March. As is any form of payment at this stage (excepting perhaps a £100-ish deposit). But I don't know about buying on Finance, so that might be a reason.

once a formal date is booked in, is that generally honoured?

I think "generally" yes, but as I say the date they are giving you is a long way out ... so in this case I would not, yet, be confident (depending on what others think)

If I had a VIN and VRM sent to be via text is it likely well underway and potentially even in the UK and awaiting transport and prep to Birmingham?

No, I think if they had a car available (which would explain the earlier Payment and other things) then I expect your collection date would be nearer to "tomorrow". So I think your car is on a boat ...

Looking at shipping thread I can't see any boats due to arrive on 14th March so this date can't quite be right they've given?

I am not following the shipping thread, but I would definitely use that Info to challenge Tesla as to whether their delivery date is realistic (or to get them to divulge if your car is NOT on a boat ... which is possible ... but then I dunno why you can't have it "tomorrow").

Don't suppose its coming from Germany is it? That WOULD be NEWS!!

 

[rob@rar]

My collection date is confirmed for 14 March (at Staines, MYLR). The VIN was confirmed when I placed the order on 14 Feb; the Collection date was confirmed on 16 Feb; and I was given the registration number on 17 Feb. I’ve been following the shipping thread and there isn’t, as yet, a UK-bound ship due to arrive a few days before my collection date on 14 March, so I guess there are three possibilities:

- My car arrived in Southampton a couple of days ago on the Grand Mark (name?)
- The shipping thread will be updated when it becomes clear that a UK-bound ship will arrive a few days before my collection.
- My collection date is going to be pushed back.

No idea which is more likely, just hoping that I get my car no later than 14 March.

 

[Oliver C]

My collection date is confirmed for 14 March (at Staines, MYLR). The VIN was confirmed when I placed the order on 14 Feb; the Collection date was confirmed on 16 Feb; and I was given the registration number on 17 Feb. I’ve been following the shipping thread and there isn’t, as yet, a UK-bound ship due to arrive a few days before my collection date on 14 March, so I guess there are three possibilities:

- My car arrived in Southampton a couple of days ago on the Grand Mark (name?)
- The shipping thread will be updated when it becomes clear that a UK-bound ship will arrive a few days before my collection.
- My collection date is going to be pushed back.

No idea which is more likel, just hoping that I get my car no later than 14 March.

Sounds a very similar situation to me then... Perhaps it takes a few weeks for certain cars to be dished out to their respective collection areas? I find it odd that if the collection dates were likely to be pushed back, that Tesla would have let me move my collection date earlier and earlier...

 

[Oliver C]

I'll have a go ... but see what others say



You could check for "hidden VIN" in the body of the page (there are threads on that, I don't have a link to hand, sorry)



Seems very early to me if collection is Mid March. As is any form of payment at this stage (excepting perhaps a £100-ish deposit). But I don't know about buying on Finance, so that might be a reason.



I think "generally" yes, but as I say the date they are giving you is a long way out ... so in this case I would not, yet, be confident (depending on what others think)



No, I think if they had a car available (which would explain the earlier Payment and other things) then I expect your collection date would be nearer to "tomorrow". So I think your car is on a boat ...



I am not following the shipping thread, but I would definitely use that Info to challenge Tesla as to whether their delivery date is realistic (or to get them to divulge if your car is NOT on a boat ... which is possible ... but then I dunno why you can't have it "tomorrow").

Don't suppose its coming from Germany is it? That WOULD be NEWS!!

This is all very useful, thank you. I'll give Tesla another week and then I'll call and see what they have to say, or at least whether they can tell me if it's in the UK or on a ship. But from below post looks like a few have had their VRMs already confirmed!

 

[rob@rar]

Sounds a very similar situation to me then... Perhaps it takes a few weeks for certain cars to be dished out to their respective collection areas? I find it odd that if the collection dates were likely to be pushed back, that Tesla would have let me move my collection date earlier and earlier...

Yes, it does sound similar, although when I placed my order at Tesla Heathrow the guy said my car was arriving on a ship ”probably next week”, which might suggest the Grand Mark which docked at Southampton a couple of days ago. Perhaps it will take three or four weeks to get all the cars from the Grand Mark to their respective collection centres?

 

[Oliver C]

Yes, it does sound similar, although when I placed my order at Tesla Heathrow the guy said my car was arriving on a ship ”probably next week”, which might suggest the Grand Mark which docked at Southampton a couple of days ago. Perhaps it will take three or four weeks to get all the cars from the Grand Mark to their respective collection centres?

Yes quite possibly... Was 14th the earliest you could take delivery?

 

[rob@rar]

Yes quite possibly... Was 14th the earliest you could take delivery?

Yes, they offered 14th - 21st March (by text message) and I replied immediately to request 10am on the 14th, which was confirmed a short while later. The following day I was sent the registration mark, also by text message. My Tesla app confirms that collection date, and my online account says they are drafting the contract (it’s a cash sale) and will contact me when I can make the final payment.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Perhaps it takes a few weeks for certain cars to be dished out to their respective collection areas?

Anything could have changed / improved with Tesla but based on what I have seen to be the case:

VINs (from MadeInChina) are dished out when the car is on a boat and has got to approximately Suez. They have to know what transport is available from Port-to-Collection, storage capacity and staff numbers [for handover] at Collection, and so on. If (I don't know) they park them nose-to-tail at the port then they also have to know the order they are on the boat / will be on the quay in order to be able to get transport to them and thus would only be able to give you an early / late date in the period accordingly. A computer can do all that stuff of course ... and maybe they store cars at Collection for a few days to match Collection Location with Punter, which would enable them to offer you a range of days ... but I'm a bit sceptical on that as they can shift 200 cars at day at places like Staines, and at the end of the day the parking-lot looks pretty empty ...

So the advice you are getting seems contrary to my gut feeling of the process that I have been familiar with ... but a) it may have changed b) others may have a different opinion (or can agree with this which would help confirm)

Now ... the provinces are definitely different. The smaller, more distant, locations have a more personal hand over service - because they do not handle 200 cars a day! I don't know if NEC is big or small in that regard.

the guy said my car was arriving on a ship ”probably next week”

He has absolutely no idea (caveat: unless something has changed!). Staff make up that sort of stuff all the time, and I have no idea why a) they don't say "dunno" and b) why their manager has not told them to say "dunno" instead of "make something up".

Phone him back and ask him the name of the boat its on 'coz you're so excited to become a Tesla owner you'd love to track it. One of us is buying the other a pint based on the outcome of that!

 

[rob@rar]

He has absolutely no idea (caveat: unless something has changed!). Staff make up that sort of stuff all the time, and I have no idea why a) they don't say "dunno" and b) why their manager has not told them to say "dunno" instead of "make something up".

Phone him back and ask him the name of the boat its on 'coz you're so excited to become a Tesla owner you'd love to track it. One of us is buying the other a pint based on the outcome of that!

You might well be right on that point, but to be honest I don't really care what the guy knew with regard to shipping movements. When I placed the order he said the car would be available for collection in the 2nd or 3rd week of March and confirmed the VIN there and then. That was good enough for me as I was looking at at least a 6-9 month wait for the Kia I had on order, so I was more than happy to wait just a month to get the MY. In the days that followed the collection date has been confirmed right in the middle of the window first suggested by the Tesla rep, and that's fine by me. Hopefully everything will stay on track for collection, and I'm not bothered whether it is currently sitting in Southampton docks or en-route on an as yet unnoticed Grand ship due to arrive a few days before it's handed over to me on the 14th.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Hopefully everything will stay on track for collection

That's the key bit (although I haven't know Tesla to change a delivery date barring something unexpected)

I'm not bothered whether it is currently sitting in Southampton docks or en-route on an as yet unnoticed Grand ship due to arrive a few days before it's handed over to me on the 14th.

To me it is suspicious that there doesn't appear to be a ship (doesn't rule out there being one of course), and if they had a car I can't see why they would park it rather than hand over to Punter and convert car-into-cash at earliest date. March is a rush to convert every car on the high seas into cash before end of financial quarter to keep Wall Street happy - I would have expected them to move a car, which they already have, sooner than middle-March to not add it to the March mayhem.

O/P also has a registration plate which I find surprising at this point (unless the car is indeed stood parked somewhere).

None of this would matter to me personally, if they said "Sorry, change of plan, can you pick up the car tomorrow" I could do that, but for someone who has to take time off etc. and has a lease to coincide with collection/similar, it would be a nuisance and having confidence in the date would help. Not saying its unlikely, but I'd be a lot more comfortable if all the other info was pointing at it being right. The fact that Tesla staff are famous for making stuff up like "arriving on a ship ”probably next week”" doesn't help either 'coz all such predictions are just flagged as dubious.

 

[Oliver C]

That's the key bit (although I haven't know Tesla to change a delivery date barring something unexpected)



To me it is suspicious that there doesn't appear to be a ship (doesn't rule out there being one of course), and if they had a car I can't see why they would park it rather than hand over to Punter and convert car-into-cash at earliest date. March is a rush to convert every car on the high seas into cash before end of financial quarter to keep Wall Street happy - I would have expected them to move a car, which they already have, sooner than middle-March to not add it to the March mayhem.

O/P also has a registration plate which I find surprising at this point (unless the car is indeed stood parked somewhere).

None of this would matter to me personally, if they said "Sorry, change of plan, can you pick up the car tomorrow" I could do that, but for someone who has to take time off etc. and has a lease to coincide with collection/similar, it would be a nuisance and having confidence in the date would help. Not saying its unlikely, but I'd be a lot more comfortable if all the other info was pointing at it being right. The fact that Tesla staff are famous for making stuff up like "arriving on a ship ”probably next week”" doesn't help either 'coz all such predictions are just flagged as dubious.

Yes you are right. Registration plate came on the 10th Feb. Would happily take early delivery but they have said 15th March is the earliest... Unless it's right at the back of the boat and there are plenty of people ahead of me booked in for collection!

Either way, I think I am perhaps over worrying if I've got the VIN assigned...

 

[Astrape]

O/P also has a registration plate which I find surprising at this point (unless the car is indeed stood parked somewhere)..

I was given a reg number when the VINs were issued about a month before collection. I think they issue provision reg at that point but mostly are told / cant see them, so mostly we dont hear about it. Early reg can change at the point they do the formal registration process which is in the last few days before collection/delivery.

 

[The_Cable_Guy]

Ordered in Feb and delivered in March, wow you really have first world problem haha, just book the return of you car a week after the delivery date, job done?

 

[WannabeOwner]

Early reg can change at the point they do the formal registration process which is in the last few days before collection/delivery.

I don't know whether, in order to "have" a Reg, they have to tell DVLA the VIN ... or if they just have 1000 Reg Nos "allocated to Tesla", and then allocate VIN and do the Formalities with DVLA shortly before of collection (seems likely ... but).

If they have to allocate VIN to Reg, in order to get a Reg from DVLA, then I'd want to do that "as late as possible" in case I had to substitute a different vehicle or, put differently, to facilitate finalising VIN-to-Punter allocation as late as possible

Maybe they allocate Reg early to enable punter to get Insurance sorted in good time

(I've not had a car since Feb'22, but of the 6 I've had since 2015 none had the Reg allocated anything like a month before collection - may have changed / improved of course.)

 

[WannabeOwner]

I think I am perhaps over worrying if I've got the VIN assigned...

yes, I agree ... but if availability to take collection is tricky for you then more comfort on a Boat coming in time would be reassuring

@Mr Miserable will fill in that knowledge in the Shipping Thread

 

[Claymore]

They issue the registration from their big book of reg numbers allocated to that collection centre but they don't complete registration with the DVLA until the day of collection. That is why you'll never find the reg online in any search and neither will your insurance company with their automated car finder system when you try to insure it.

I spent hours going round in circles with that trying to get cover for my March 11th collection.

It's easy enough to identify which car on a boat matches your order and to give you the vin number for that car.

 

[Unclepaul]

Tesla has a system for delivering cars and timing. There are lots of moving parts to get the properly configured car delivered to the customer in good condition.
They work like crazy behind the scenes, and rarely share this "how the sausage is made" proceedure with their customers.
Things tend to firm up as the delivery date gets closer, but often the customer needs to go with the flow until the final day arrives.
Do not expect daily, or hourly updates on your individual car, but rest assured, Tesla wants to get your car delivered and paid for as much as you want to take delivery.

 

[Tomahu]

I ordered a black model S long range i march of 2021 and they can still not give me an estimate of delivery...
I live in Sweden.

 

[EV1980]

I ordered a black model S long range i march of 2021 and they can still not give me an estimate of delivery...
I live in Sweden.

This is an unbelievable level of patience. I'd have given up and gone elsewhere long ago.

Out of interest, are deliveries to Sweden that slow for all manufacturers?