My M3 ED Order Journal

[Doctor///M]

Order journal complete with pics



With all the great resource there is on the forum, I thought it will be an idea for me to document my ED order/delivery process for those considering the time line involved.

Pre-08/15: Tracked two 1Ms for sale, put up my 335i for sale.

08/15: Sold my 335, realized that buying either 1M at higher than MSRP was idiotic. Sought out ED allocations for October and not too soon after found one.

08/24: Decided on the following configuration


08/25: Confirmed order specs with dealer

08/26: Received Vehicle Inquiry Report with production number



08/26: Added the production number to my BMWUSA.com account for order tracking.



08/26: Deposit confirmed and my proposed ED dates submitted. Pre-reservation request for ED submitted by dealer to Munich.

09/02: Added lighting package to order.



09/03: Received confirmed ED date from my SA for Nov 3rd, with production set to begin during week 42. That's ED just over 8 weeks of placing the order, even during this busy time.

Image below is a screengrab sent from my SA. Flight planning begins.



09/03: Received reservation letter email from BMWNA with confirmed ED date and time with my SA cc'ed on the email. Email states that to confirm the order process, an ED purchase order (PO) must be prepared and submitted. This document is required by the German Registration office to register and insure the vehicle. A signed PO with a copy of passport ID must be received prior to 30 days of taking delivery.

09/09: Flights booked and confirmed! Info passed to my SA so that they can finalize the purchase order.

09/19: Happy Friday!! Received my ED welcome packet from FedEx



09/23: Car is still in 111 status. Been giving my order some thought and decided to opt for the Exec Package and drop the Lighting Package. After going through many LED vs. Xenon discussions, usable features such as Comfort Access (had previously on my 335) and HUD weighed more favorably than LED headlights.

10/04: Moved to 112 (pre-production) status, so build is confirmed and cannot be changed. No turning back now!

10/08: Signed into my BMW account to find this today. Confirmed with my SA that the M3 is in 150 status:



10/20: Production has ended according to the 1800 number! Not yet updated on my online account though.

10/21: Car is in status 176 - Workshop Exit. Less than 2 weeks 'till delivery day!



10/22: Received purchase agreement form from dealer, signed documents and returned to them. All prepaid overnight mail. Good on you STBMW!

10/23: Production status finally updated on my online account!



10/27: Completed paperwork with dealer to settle transaction.

11/03: Delivered.

[OrangeD1sco]

Nice! I'm picking up my ED the same day.

[Doctor///M]

Originally Posted by OrangeD1sco

Nice! I'm picking up my ED the same day.

That's great! What time?

[GarlicBun]

Is the delivery day your first choice?

[Doctor///M]

Originally Posted by GarlicBun

Is the delivery day your first choice?

It was my second choice out of three I submitted.

[dclowd9901]

Originally Posted by OrangeD1sco

Nice! I'm picking up my ED the same day.

Whoa, same here! I assume Welt for you guys too? 1:40p for me.

OP, what site does this page come from?

[cheluto2]

Congrats! I got my confirmation for Friday, November 7. I'm already planning the trip, which will be short, and having a hard time deciding what to do. Since drop-offs are only during the week, except for Munich, where you can drop it off Saturday between 10am-2pm with appointment, I'm debating whether to drive to Amsterdam Saturday and then from there to Bremerhaven on Monday to drop it off, or just drive around the Munich area Friday and Saturday morning, drop it off in Munich and take a train to Paris for a couple of days.
I'm reading a lot of negative stories about driving in some parts of Europe, especially France, so my other idea of driving to Paris and then to Frankfurt to drop it off is not sounding so good anymore. Also, special tires are required during that time because of the weather, and you can get a ticket for not having them, on top of risking an accident if the weather gets bad/snowy/icy.

Any opinions? What are you guys planning for your ED?

[Doctor///M]

Originally Posted by dclowd9901

Whoa, same here! I assume Welt for you guys too? 1:40p for me.
OP, what site does this page come from?

Sweet!! Mine was originally scheduled for 11:00, but it would conflict with the checkin for the factory tour at 11:45. I had my dealer reschedule, but they put me first thing in the morning at 8:00. No complaints, but hopefully there's somewhere I can park the car so that we can spend the rest of the day checking out the Welt/factory.

Got the display from my SA's assistant. I'd just give them up a ring and tell them to do a screengrab of their production status display.

Originally Posted by cheluto2

Congrats! I got my confirmation for Friday, November 7. I'm already planning the trip, which will be short, and having a hard time deciding what to do. Since drop-offs are only during the week, except for Munich, where you can drop it off Saturday between 10am-2pm with appointment, I'm debating whether to drive to Amsterdam Saturday and then from there to Bremerhaven on Monday to drop it off, or just drive around the Munich area Friday and Saturday morning, drop it off in Munich and take a train to Paris for a couple of days.

I'm reading a lot of negative stories about driving in some parts of Europe, especially France, so my other idea of driving to Paris and then to Frankfurt to drop it off is not sounding so good anymore. Also, special tires are required during that time because of the weather, and you can get a ticket for not having them, on top of risking an accident if the weather gets bad/snowy/icy.


Any opinions? What are you guys planning for your ED?

Since we're doing a Monday delivery, we plan to spend the rest of the week driving around the alpine valleys and a few passes (if still open) in Switzerland/Austria/Italy area. Just be sure to cater for traffic and construction... the time that google gives is an optimal scenario, especially when you're checking out a new area that you've never been to. The tire situation limits me to dropping back to Munich, although the depot is not open on the weekend.

[dclowd9901]

Originally Posted by notan///m

Sweet!! Mine was originally scheduled for 11:00, but it would conflict with the checkin for the factory tour at 11:45. I had my dealer reschedule, but they put me first thing in the morning at 8:00. No complaints, but hopefully there's somewhere I can park the car so that we can spend the rest of the day checking out the Welt/factory.

I think I'm going to reschedule as well (if I can). I have a pretty long drive planned that day, and I'll still have to get my wheels and tires switched out.

[Doctor///M]

Originally Posted by dclowd9901

I think I'm going to reschedule as well (if I can). I have a pretty long drive planned that day, and I'll still have to get my wheels and tires switched out.

You should be able to. I got my confirmation yesterday. I ended up with the same situation with having to switch out the wheels and then drive out of Munich the same day.

[Doctor///M]

150!

[Doctor///M]

Updated timeline:

176! Out of the oven and rest for 2 weeks

@dclowd9901 Did you get your delivery time rescheduled?

@cheluto2 Did you plan your driving route? The weather is looking good now but may drop to freezing during our delivery week.

[cheluto2]

My car is also built already and resting until I pick her up, November 7 at 10:50 AM

I spoke to a few people who have lived in Munich and they all say it should be perfectly fine to drive without winter tires in early November, so I am going to take the chance and just be VERY careful driving.

I will be leaving Munich right after I take delivery and head to the Neuschwanstein Castle for a quick visit before heading to Stuttgart, where we will spend the night. Saturday morning we visit the Porsche museum and head towards Amsterdam. Monday we might drive to Brugges (Belgium) for the day, depending on how we feel. Tuesday we drive to Bremerhaven to drop off the car, take the train to Dusseldorf and fly back the next morning to the U.S. It's a pretty tight schedule, but should be fun.

Knowing my car is already built (as of Saturday, according to the BMW site), I wish I had picked an earlier delivery date. But my original production week was 43, so I thought it wouldn't be ready earlier.

I already have everything booked and am just waiting for the date. Tomorrow I will do the financing and paperwork at the BMW dealer.

[dclowd9901]

Originally Posted by notan///m

Updated timeline:

176! Out of the oven and rest for 2 weeks

@dclowd9901 Did you get your delivery time rescheduled?

@cheluto2 Did you plan your driving route? The weather is looking good now but may drop to freezing during our delivery week.

Sure did. We're scheduled for 9:30 now. I'm pretty stoked -- that'll have us out of the area outside of rush hour. Plus I get a new car first thing in the morning

[Doctor///M]

order process complete!

[fueledbymetal]

Congrats!!!

[TI.3VOM]

Thanks for the detailed journal! Very helpful for those of us who are a few steps behind you, especially the dates. Knowing the timeframe for each step puts me at ease. Great ED+PCD post also!

[Doctor///M]

Originally Posted by TI.3VOM

Thanks for the detailed journal! Very helpful for those of us who are a few steps behind you, especially the dates. Knowing the timeframe for each step puts me at ease. Great ED+PCD post also!

Awesome! Glad it helped, and thanks!!