[SickNick]

I was just wondering where in the world the 2009 E90 sedans are built, mine is awaiting transport

[methodtim]

Accordin to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_3_Series, they are assembled in:

Leipzig, Germany
Munich, Germany
Regensburg, Germany
Rosslyn, South Africa
Cairo, Egypt
Kaliningrad, Russia

[SickNick]

Is there a way I can find out where mine is built?

[kgb1637]

On the dealer's window sticker it displays all this information. It will show where the parts came from, where it finished production, and also what port it entered.

[methodtim]

Originally Posted by SickNick

Is there a way I can find out where mine is built?

Yes, the info is contained in the VIN. Check out this post: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=828

Scroll about 3/4 down the first page and you'll see a chart foe decoding your VIN.

[vgame64]

Originally Posted by methodtim

Accordin to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_3_Series, they are assembled in:

Leipzig, Germany
Munich, Germany
Regensburg, Germany
Rosslyn, South Africa
Cairo, Egypt
Kaliningrad, Russia

And Shenyang, China under Brilliance.

[canucklion]

cars from that plant are meant for China and other Asian markets. 3ers in North America are built either in Germany or South Africa.

Originally Posted by vgame64

And Shenyang, China under Brilliance.

[vgame64]

Originally Posted by canucklion

cars from that plant are meant for China and other Asian markets. 3ers in North America are built either in Germany or South Africa.

Yep...he asked where they are built, someone answered, I added some information, you added some more information. Good for us.

[SteveMD]

Originally Posted by methodtim

Yes, the info is contained in the VIN. Check out this post: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=828

Scroll about 3/4 down the first page and you'll see a chart foe decoding your VIN.

That will not tell you where the car is being built. All new BMWs have a vin starting with WBA.

Your dealer should be able to tell you. If you have your order confirmation sheet, it will tell you.

[SickNick]

ok cool, thank you for the info guys

[Orient330iNYC]

Originally Posted by SteveMD

That will not tell you where the car is being built. All new BMWs have a vin starting with WBA.

Your dealer should be able to tell you. If you have your order confirmation sheet, it will tell you.

actually, the VIN WILL tell you what plant the car is built in.

the 11th character is the plant code:

A, F, K = (Plant 1.1) Munich
C, B, D, G = (Plant 2.4) Dingolfing
E, J, P = (Plant 6.1) Regensburg
L, M = (Plant 10) Spartanburg
N = (Plant 9) Rosslyn
W = (Plant) Graz, Austria
V = (Plant) Leipzig

my car has a V in the 11th character. it was produced in leipzig, confirmed by the window sticker.

rosslyn is the south africa plant.

[methodtim]

^ Yeah, what he said.

P.S. Sorry about the horrible typing in my original post. It's hard trying to compose a post with a baby in one arm.

[SteveMD]

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

actually, the VIN WILL tell you what plant the car is built in.

the 11th character is the plant code:

A, F, K = (Plant 1.1) Munich
C, B, D, G = (Plant 2.4) Dingolfing
E, J, P = (Plant 6.1) Regensburg
L, M = (Plant 10) Spartanburg
N = (Plant 9) Rosslyn
W = (Plant) Graz, Austria
V = (Plant) Leipzig

my car has a V in the 11th character. it was produced in leipzig, confirmed by the window sticker.

rosslyn is the south africa plant.

I stand corrected. I was looking at the first three characters.

Well, I know mine is really been made in SA now!

[DrSam]

Originally Posted by SickNick

I was just wondering where in the world the 2009 E90 sedans are built, mine is awaiting transport

Our 328i (mfg in November, picked up two weeks ago) was built in Rosslyn, South Africa.

Glancing at my dealer's computer screen inventory when we were placing our order, it seemed like all of the 328i's were coming from SA, and the xi's were coming from Munich. I don't know that that is an absolute, but certainly that was the overwhelming trend at that point in time.

Reports that I have read suggest that a much larger fraction of 3 series cars are being shifted to the SA plant, to make room in Munich for other models.

While we were at first a bit perturbed to find out that we weren't getting a German-assembled car, with a bit more research our concerns were set aside. It seems that Plant Rosslyn in South Africa actually has the highest J.D. Power quality ratings of any BMW plant, including those in Germany...

I think one thing that it did make a difference on was delivery time. I will post to another thread with exact dates once I've compiled them, but overall I think the transit time is several weeks longer for cars on a boat from South Africa, as compared to those coming from Bremerhaven.

[SteveMD]

Originally Posted by DrSam

Our 328i (mfg in November, picked up two weeks ago) was built in Rosslyn, South Africa.

Glancing at my dealer's computer screen inventory when we were placing our order, it seemed like all of the 328i's were coming from SA, and the xi's were coming from Munich. I don't know that that is an absolute, but certainly that was the overwhelming trend at that point in time.

Reports that I have read suggest that a much larger fraction of 3 series cars are being shifted to the SA plant, to make room in Munich for other models.

While we were at first a bit perturbed to find out that we weren't getting a German-assembled car, with a bit more research our concerns were set aside. It seems that Plant Rosslyn in South Africa actually has the highest J.D. Power quality ratings of any BMW plant, including those in Germany...

I think one thing that it did make a difference on was delivery time. I will post to another thread with exact dates once I've compiled them, but overall I think the transit time is several weeks longer for cars on a boat from South Africa, as compared to those coming from Bremerhaven.

DrSam...did you track your car from SA to NYC? Can you give me any details? How long did it take on the high seas.

[DrSam]

Originally Posted by SteveMD

DrSam...did you track your car from SA to NYC? Can you give me any details? How long did it take on the high seas.

I tracked it via the Owner's Circle web site and the BMW NA 800 number.

I was not able to track the ship itself, since all of the information on this forum is regarding ships sailing from Bremerhaven, and thus I didn't know what company BMW uses for SA and how to track them. I did try putting my car's VIN in the W&W web site (see the main car tracking thread on this forum), and nothing came up.

I don't have all the dates right now, since I couldn't track the shipping exactly, but I will try to get those from my dealer and post them.

What I do have is this:

(from a combination of tracking info and dealer-provided info)

31 October 2008 - Purchased at Dealer
1 November - Dealer changed existing order that was in Status 112 - Scheduled for daily production
3 November - Status 150 - Production Started
12 November - Scheduled Production Completion
13 November - Actual Production Completion
13 November - Status 160 - Vehicle handover to Sales
13 November - Status 181 - Handover to Distribution
13 November - Status 182 - Handover to carrier/load assignment
18 November - Status 190 - Dispatched from AG
20 November - Status 193 - Arrival at port or compound (this would be Durban, SA, the port of exit)

27 December - Ship docked at NYC (actually, Port Elizabeth, NJ, I believe)
9 January 2009 - Loaded on truck in NJ
10 January - Arrived at dealer (Connecticut)
12 January - Delivery!

As you can see, I have a gap of information between ports, which I will try to fill in with info from my dealer and post later.

Also, our car spent over 2 weeks at the Vehicle Preparation Center in NJ, which I understand is much longer than usual. We were told afterwards that this had something to do with the financial/economic situation affecting inventories/etc, but it was never exactly spelled out to us how.

[jpsum]

Perhaps your car was damaged during shipping. Hence, the "financial/economic situation affecting inventories/etc" excuse.

[methodtim]

Originally Posted by jpsum

Perhaps your car was damaged during shipping. Hence, the "financial/economic situation affecting inventories/etc" excuse.

Dude, don't even go there...

[SickNick]

My dealer tracked it he said it is coming from Germany, I am assuming Munich.