carpersn

My GL320 had a build date of 1/25...Netstar says is built but still "in process", the stage before being released to carrier. Calls to the factory by the sales manager haven't led to any good info on the delay-i am getting impatient...anybody else experience this?

Nevada Jack

A friend of mine has his car built on 1/10/07 and he received it 2-3 days later...he lives in MS. So this delay must be recent...my dealer spoke with the factory early last week and was told my car was scheduled for 3rd Decade build in April and was on schedule.

Could it be a weather delay due to trucks missing schedules?

Jack450

Mine was built on 1-4-07 and arrived at dealer on 1-10-07. It was delivered to a dealer less than 200 miles away. I know it's hard to wait but my dealer said there are two factors that can slow delivery. (1) Sometimes it's a few days before the car is tested for release to the carrier. (2) The carrier will wait until there is a full truck.

AutoSaurus

Very true Jack450.

Mine was built on 1/10/07 and arrived on 1/16/07 and is less than 300 miles away.

By the way, how many Jack's do we have here now? me, Nevada, Straw, 450...somewhere in there is a poker joke!

What part of MS are you in 450? me? Long Beach.

boxboss

Not a Jack, but I'm in Tupelo.

Jack450

Metropolis of Pontotoc!

carpersn

Greensboro/Winston-Salem, NC, here...approx 500 miles from Vance...but on the way all the way up the eastern seaboard...i can't imagine they are still waiting to fill a truck. I'm getting angrier and angrier (though it does me no good).

x-ALI-x

There's no way the delay is due to waiting to fill a truck, its just not the way MB runs their (world class) production logistics/supply chain.

boxboss

I suspect this may be dealership :liar:

My company is a supplier to many MB (as well as other southern auto mfg's) suppliers and they, like most auto mfg's these days, work on a just-in-time (JIT) supply chain. For example, Saturn has approx 8 hours of parts in house at any one time - inventory is virtually nil. They depend on regular deliveries of parts to keep production going. All one needs to do is look within a 100 mile radius of Vance, Canton, Spartanburg, Spring Hill, Smyrna, etc and see the suppliers that are strategically located to operate within this production model.

There are stiff penalties imposed on a supplier that fails to make on time deliveries - including paying down time for the plant if the missed delivery causes a line shutdown. No supplier is going to pay hundreds of auto workers' salaries because their parts weren't delivered.

You should look somewhere besides Vance for the delay in delivery. Particularly in light of others not experiencing a delay. Maybe they sold your allocation to someone else?

Nevada Jack

I would tend to agree with your reasoning, however, the NetStar data is produced by the factory so if the status is "in process" then that would indcate something is holding up the finishing of the build. He didn't state whether he saw the actual status page or was told this by the dealer.

boxboss

This could be the key. I am skeptical when it comes to stealerships and would not be suprised by anything! Then again, it could be as simple as not passing post build testing. Better to accept a delay in delivery than get a lemon! I'm sorry, but I'm such a cynic.

GLDriver

IS the stated Build date provided by dealer is same the vehicle was built ?

Build date may be the day it starts to get built.

Nevada Jack

The build date in Vance as I understand it is the date the car is completed.

AutoSaurus

Correct. I thought it was the start date but in fact the start date is typically a few days before the date given in NetStar.

Kar don

That is correct, sometimes can be the other way around though... I've seen both.

That is incorrect, Netstar is a system developed by MBUSA, not MBUSI. There is quite a disconnect between what MBUSI tells MBUSA, I have ran into this with my dealer. And they don't call the "factory" either.

Nevada Jack

My rep spoke with a woman at the factory in Vance and was provided the detail on my build...? I did not say NetStar was developed by MBUSI, merely that the data status originates in Vance.

carpersn

Yeah, people, nobody messes with JACK-if he doesn't know, noone does! And of course the dealer can talk to the factory, unless my dealer went through an elaborate ruse for my benefit when he didn't know i was arriving today to have him call. DUH.

Kar don

haha, the dealer does not talk to the factory. You think that you actually are getting your dealer to talk to the production planning/engineering group at the factory? Yeah right. They probably mean MBUSA.

Nevada Jack

I don't know where you get your information from but my "sales rep" is also a personal friend who contacts the factory in Vance and talks with the Distribution rep at the factory. That what he is there for...to service the dealers. All dealers have access to this office and discuss things other than delivery and build dates.

Kar don

is this new? because all the dealers in my area certainly don't know about this.

carpersn

Again, throughout this process, and 18 months ago when i ordered an R (which i ultimately turned down upon delivery) my dealer spoke to the distribution center in Vance. I have been a long-time customer as have the rest of my family, so i really doubt the dealer is lying to me. Plus, i sat in his office while he spoke to someone in Vance (unless they were lying and were really in Montvale )

Kar don

my dealer contacts montvale, they do not have contacts in vance. Montvale handles all the cars (germany, brazil, vance, etc.)

Nevada Jack

Too bad...

Kar don

not really, my vehicles have always arrived in a timely manner.

AutoSaurus

When ordering both my ML and GL my salesman had contacts at the factory who were 'factory reps' for those models. A couple of questions he couldn't answer so he called them. Never owned another MB that I needed to call NJ for so can't respond to that.