![](\"images\/MINI1.jpg\")
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We just bought a new car via the internet and then tracked it like a big Amazon package from England to the US.<\/p>\n
(The original Cooper version is spelled Mini, the new BMW version is spelled MINI.)<\/p>\n
Wednesday Night July 25
\n<\/strong>Carrie and I went online to the MINI US site<\/a> and used their \u201cBuild-Your-Own\u201d step-by-step process to choose our desired combination of body and roof colors, engine, transmission, wheels, audio system, and accessories. Most stuff is standard equipment so this step wasn\u2019t too painful. We could have made it easier by selecting a \u201cPackage\u201d of options, but we took the longer route and cherry picked just the elements we found important to us.<\/p>\nThursday July 26<\/strong>
\nWe drove to our local MINI dealer with a printed copy of our specs in hand. With all of the possible option combinations available (MINI says ten million), we knew we wouldn\u2019t find a car matching our specs on any lot, and were prepared to order a MINI to get just the features we want. But we still needed to confirm our choices so we had our salesman Patrick locate each optional item individually. We tested our audio system in the blue MINI, checked out our seat selection in the white MINI, drove our engine and transmission choice in the red MINI, and so on.<\/div>\nAfter confirming that we liked everything in person as much as we liked it online, we told our salesman Patrick to place the order. With a $500 deposit from us, our order was input. Later that day we received a Fax that detailed our order. This allowed us to verify that the order matched our specs; it did. It also gave us our order tracking number.<\/div>\nBack to the MINI website: we used our tracking number to set up an account in the \u201cOwners\u2019 Lounge\u201d to be able to track our MINI\u2019s progress. The Owner\u2019s Lounge section of the website allows you to track the order, production, shipment, and delivery status of your MINI.<\/div>\n“On Order”<\/strong><\/div>\nSunday July 29<\/strong>
\nFor the first day or two (across the weekend), the MINI Owners\u2019 Lounge site showed only default information, but then Sunday night (Monday morning in Britain) it updated to show our MINI\u2019s description and \u201cOn Order\u201d status; proof that the factory in Oxford, England had our MINI in their system.
\nThroughout that first week, it showed \u201cOn Order\u201d.<\/div>\n“Scheduled for Production”<\/strong><\/div>\nLate Sunday night August 5
\n<\/strong>The MINI site now showed that our car had reached the next phase and was \u201cScheduled for Production\u201d. Our order was in queue for the next weekly production cycle, week 32 August 6th through 10th.
\nOurs would be one of about 4,000 MINIs built in that cycle. I checked the status on the MINI site every day that week.<\/div>\n“Awaiting Transport”<\/strong><\/div>\nFriday night August 10<\/strong>
\nThe status changed to \u201cAwaiting transport\u201d. Our MINI was no longer a collection of parts but was a now a fully formed car ready for its ocean voyage.
\nEven if the car left port immediately, it is a three week sail to California, so I knew I had little to do but wait. Carrie tried to manage my expectations by pointing out that they will want a full ship load before leaving, so it may take a while before the car leaves England. But she also reassured me by adding that a ship would most likely carry other brands of cars destined for other ports so it shouldn\u2019t take too long to accumulate a full load.<\/div>\nLater, we did learn that there were both BMWs and MINIs, and MINIs from previous weeks\u2019 production gathered together for the shipment.<\/div>\n![](\"images\/Manifest.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI used this time to select and order license plates for the impending MINI. The plates have to be personalized, and hopefully as unique as the car. My sister Sheila gave us an intriguing suggestion \u201cPRDMINI\u201d, which if you translate PRD to Proud makes a play on the song Proud Mary. PRD also happen to be my initials, so this works on a couple of levels.<\/div>\nHowever, I was leaning toward plates that used an implied MINI such as MINI-ATURIZE<\/strong>, MINI-MALISM<\/strong>, and MINI- MALIST<\/strong>. I picked MALIST. It fits my love for word play, strange modern art, and small cars. The California DMV has a website <\/a>that lets you check availability and order your plate online. My \u201cmalist\u201d plate should arrive a little before the MINI.<\/div>\nI also registered as a member of the online North American Motoring (NAM)<\/a> a MINI Owners Club. There I learned that with the car\u2019s VIN number, that is displayed on the MINI OL website, you can find out what ship your car is on and the schedule of that ship, assuming it is MINI\u2019s usual carrier Wallenius Wilhelmsen<\/a>.<\/a> <\/strong>They also shared a website, SailWX.info<\/a>, where you can track the ship\u2019s location as it sails from England to the US.<\/div>\nFriday August 17<\/strong>
\nStill no change in status on the MINI OL site. I called the \u201cASK MINI\u201d toll free number (866-275-6464) to see if they knew anymore about the shipping status of our car than was available on the website. They didn\u2019t. Patience.<\/div>\n\u201cEn route\u201d<\/strong><\/div>\nTuesday August 21
\n<\/strong>The MINI Owners Club wbsite has a discussion forum dedicated to those of us whose cars were produced in Week 32 (The Week 32 Support Group). Monitoring that thread I learned that most Week 32 people had seen their Owners\u2019 Lounge status shift to \u201cEn Route\u201d while ours still showed \u201cAwaiting Transport\u201d. Tuesday night I was desperate for information and checked the Wallenius Wilhelmsen website with our VIN number. Our MINI shows as \u201cAuto Cargo\u201d! According to them, our MINI had in fact arrived at the terminal in Southampton, England on August 10th and had been loaded aboard the Boheme on August 20th The Boheme left port that same day. It also showed that it is scheduled to pass through the Panama Canal on September 1st and arrive in Port Hueneme in California on September 10th.![](\"images\/Voyage%20Details.png\")
\nI checked the SailWX site and while there was information on the Boheme\u2019s location, it had not been updated since July 31st. Their data results from a ship transmitting a weather report. No report, no location data.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWednesday August 22
\n<\/strong>The MINI OL site had still not updated, but the SailWX site shows the Boheme off the coast of Portugal and heading west. I also joined a Yahoo group \u201cShipplotters\u201d <\/a>who use AIS data to track ship movements and locations. I asked them to let me know if they see the Boheme anywhere.<\/div>\nThursday August 23
\n<\/strong>I used a webcam link<\/a> provided by a Shipplotter member to test streaming real-time video of the Panama Canal. Perhaps I\u2019ll be able to see the Boheme in the canal!
\nSailWX.info shows two Boheme pings from the 23rd, one at noon and a second at 6PM, as the ship approached the Azores.<\/div>\nSaturday August 25
\n<\/strong>MINI\u2019s site finally updated to match \u201cEn Route\u201d status reflected on Wallenius Wilhelmsen site.<\/div>\nAugust 26-28<\/strong>
\nSailWX is showing a consistent pattern of pings from the Boheme that trace a necklace of red dots from the English Channel, through the Azores, and through the Sargasso Sea as of Tuesday morning. I am guessing that it is on schedule to pass through the Panama Canal on 9\/1.<\/div>\nI posted a plea<\/a> for ideas for a design for the MINI\u2019s roof. Sheila and Allen quickly responded by suggesting the roof of the MINI look like the roof of a double-decker London Bus, or the cockpit of an F16. Carrie is nervous.<\/div>\nWednesday August 29<\/strong>
\nOur MINI sailed through the Mona Passage, between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.<\/div>\nI registered for the free public (delayed) version of AIS Live<\/a> which gives ship positions based on AIS data which is similar to the transponders on airplanes. It is a short range data burst that help ships \u201csee\u201d each other. It is also used by Ports, Customs and the Coast Guard to keep track of ship locations.<\/div>\nSaturday September 1
\n<\/strong>This is the day that the Boheme is scheduled to go through the Panama Canal. There has been a lot of conflicting information, but it appears the ship is in queue but not moving.<\/div>\nA member of Shipplotters sent me an email that the Boheme\u2019s signal showed it in harbor at Cristobal.<\/div>\nSunday September 2
\n<\/strong>The Boheme makes it into the Canal and a number of people from North American Motoring are monitoring its progress and capturing photos from the various webcams. An excellent video, courtesy of NCarolyn and made from these photos is posted here<\/a>.<\/div>\nAfter the ship has cleared the last lock, one member volunteers to fly over the Boheme and share photos of the event when it passes San Diego. He needs help tracking the ship to be able to fly to it. We\u2019ll see if we can help.<\/div>\nHurricane Felix looks like it is following the Boheme but is a couple of days behind and shouldn\u2019t slow our MINI.<\/div>\nTuesday September 4
\n<\/strong>Unless our fly-by friend succeeds in getting a look at the Boheme as it passes San Diego, I don\u2019t expect much other than an AIS ping or two as it heads north along the coast to Point Hueneme.<\/div>\n“Lost at Sea”<\/strong><\/div>\nSeptember 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th
\n<\/strong>The last sighting of the Boheme was on September 2nd when it went through the Canal. Now that it is out of range of the Canal webcams, the only sources of its location data are the SailWX and AISFree websites. Neither has shown any sign of the Boheme since it left the Canal. NAM members have expressed concern as there were two hurricanes (Felix and Henriette) in the area. We are hoping the lack of information isn\u2019t ominous. The Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Port of Hueneme sites<\/a> still shows the ship scheduled to arrive at Point Hueneme on the 9th.<\/div>\nThe AIS system we are relying on for most of the ship movement information is designed to communicate just 25 miles. This range is enough to reach other ships in the area to aid navigation (collision avoidance) when they are in the open ocean and it gives the Coast Guard and the ports data as the ships approach shore. As the Boheme swings wide to the west as it leaves the Canal, it is out of range of the AIS receivers whose data is available via the free sites on the internet.<\/div>\nSunday September 9<\/strong>
\nThe Boheme finally got back in range of the shore-based AIS receivers so we got a couple of pings as it made its way north past Baja and Catalina.![](\"images\/AISBoheme.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThere is also a new AIS site (from Shine Micro)<\/a> that uses Google maps for a friendlier display.![](\"images\/Boheme%20Shine1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSailWX also updated from the Boheme transmitting some weather data.
\nSo in spite of the delay entering the Panama Canal, there is still a good chance that the ship will make it to Port Hueneme on the 9th as scheduled.<\/div>\n\u201cAt Distribution Center\u201d<\/strong><\/div>\nMonday September 10
\n<\/strong>No updates from any source.
\nSo I called the Dealer and they confirmed our car is in Oxnard and that it will be available for pick-up Monday next at the latest. Anticipation.<\/div>\nTuesday September 11<\/strong>
\nThe Wallenius Wilhelmsen site updated with information that the Boheme arrived Hueneme on the 9th and left on the 10th. It also shows our MINI was \u201cdischarged\u201d at 4PM on the 10th. According to Boheme-mates on NAM, all MINIs have the same discharge date and time stamp.
\nThey also confirmed that no one has current information on the MINI OL site.
\nI hope that is \u201cdischarged\u201d as in unloaded-safely-from-the-ship as opposed to \u201cdischarged\u201d as in bilge.<\/div>\nTalked to our sales rep who says the MINI could reach the dealer in time for a weekend pickup.<\/div>\nWednesday September 12
\n<\/strong>The MINI Owners’ Lounge site finally updated to reflect the \u201cAt Distribution Center\u201d status.
\nPatrick had pleaded with us not to call him and ask if we can go pick up the car at the port in Oxnard. That apparently is a common request from his impatient MINI customers. The cars go through an unwrapping and inspection process before they are released for truck transport to the Dealer. The Dealer then has their final checklist to complete before they can hand the car over to us.<\/div>\n\u201cAt Your MINI Dealer\u201d<\/strong><\/div>\nSeptember 13 and 14, Thursday and Friday
\n<\/strong>Talked to MINI dealer both days. The MINI OL site shows an estimated delivery date to the Dealer of 9\/14, but as of 4PM it hasn\u2019t arrived. Looks like it will be sometime next week.<\/div>\nStrike that. The Dealer called back just before 5PM to let us know our MINI had arrived. They\u2019ll try to get it ready Saturday for an early Sunday pick up.<\/div>\nSaturday September 15<\/strong>
\nThe Dealer confirmed that we can pick up our MINI tomorrow. We\u2019ll be there when they open.<\/div>\nSunday September 16<\/strong>
\n10AM and we were the Dealer\u2019s first customer. Our MINI was parked near the door and a \u201cSold\u201d sign confirmed this was ours. It looks really good. Two and a half hours of paperwork, a final wash for the MINI with some specific instructions from Carrie, and detailed instructions from our salesman on all the important MINI features (such as the reset button so Carrie cannot see the last trip\u2019s average speed) and we were finally on our way home.<\/div>\nAt last, here is our new MINI in the driveway.![](\"images\/mini.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\nHere is a listing of Links pretty much in the order you\u2019d use them to configure and track your MINI:MINI\u2019s US site: http:\/\/miniusa.com\/#\/MINIUSA.COM-m<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nNorth American Motoring site for MINI Owners: http:\/\/www.northamericanmotoring.com\/<\/a><\/div>\nWallenius Wilhelmsen Auto Tracking, this is where you enter your VIN to find out what ship your MINI is on: http:\/\/schedule.2wglobal.com\/AppTracking\/cargoTrack.do<\/a><\/div>\nSailWX: http:\/\/sailwx.info\/<\/a><\/div>\nAIS Live: http:\/\/www.aislive.com\/<\/a><\/div>\nAIS from Shine Micro: http:\/\/www.shinemicro.com\/<\/a><\/div>\nPanama Canal Webcams: http:\/\/www.pancanal.com\/eng\/photo\/camera-java.html<\/a><\/div>\nPort of Hueneme: http:\/\/www.portofhueneme.org\/<\/a><\/div>\nK-Line and NYK Line are other auto shipping companies that MINI uses but neither appears to have the same VIN number tracking available. Their sites do have shipping schedules and routes and I understand that with a call to MINI or your dealer you can learn the name of the ship carrying your car.<\/div>\nK-Line shipping: http:\/\/www.kline.com\/<\/a><\/div>\n