Joshua

I was worried about that too.
I will check with the dealer this weekend.
This said, I also have other Packages as options, for example the Exclusive Package Code P34 and hard coded on my Agreement for Sale of a New Motor Car (Contract of sale) is the TRIM Field that has - 515 - Exclusive Nap-Porcelain/black aligned with the Code 729 - Black Poplar Wood Trim.

So, the dealer will be a little surprised to see I have the original data card (thanks to SteveV and Konigtser) and I shall go through every line item including the BEIGE item to make sure its just a nomenclature anomaly between German Coding and the 2019 Build Specification terms for each code.

Thank you for taking the trouble to read and point this out too.
This forum is an awesome forum and I hope when I have my car I will be able to answer any questions that the forum has, post pics and generally confirm to any new buyers the art of the possible (noting of course the Australian Spec may be different to US specs).

Joshua

here is an extract from my contract of sale...

Joshua

and here are my options ..

SteveVukelich

konigstigerMy vehicle was just built. I like the report you generated; much more information. Can you print the same for mine: WDDUG8GB5LA517186.

konigstiger

Here you go.

SteveVukelich

Thanks!

Joshua

So, I just visited my Mercedes Dealership, mainly to meet with the Finance Manager and tie up some paperwork, now that I have confirmation my car is built and again thanks to Konigster for providing me with a detailed Data Card.

Here is some interesting though frustrating (for me) detail...

The Dealership Delivery Manager / Coordinator confirmed that my car has NOT shipped yet. In their local system it is still showing as "BUILT". The data card shows a Shipment date of the 6th Sep 2019.
The Manager confirmed BUILT may mean a number of actual sub status/statii..

- Built but still in the Sindelfingen storage yard.
- Built but moved from the plant storage yard to the plant marshalling yard.
- Built but moved the 734 kilometres to the port of Bremerhaven for shipping.

None of the above actually confirm it is on a boat. !!

I made myself feel worse. I checked the Wallenius shipping schedules from Bremerhaven to Melbourne Australia.
- One ship leaves tonight (11th Sep 2019).
- Another leaves on the 17th Sep 2019.
- After these the next ship is end Sep.
So my actually delivery is now anytime from 1st week november to end november.

EXCRUTIATING #4%@&&^**

Which system / information is actually accurate ?
Why are the dealer systems not fully current ?
One ship from Bremerhaven to Melbourne Australia leaves tonight - 11th Sep 2019. I have no way of confirming if my car is on it

SteveVukelich

The NetStar production codes are usually current. From the NetStar report that your salesperson can get, there is a Status section, an example follows:

Status
Current Status : B5 PRODUCED NOT SHIP Dealer ETA : Prod. date : 09/11/2019
Decade Planned : 19/08-1 Decade Scheduled : 19/08-3
B50 09/11/2019 PRODUCED NOT SHIP
Z60 09/04/2019 CONFIRM. ACCESSORY UPDATE
Z63 08/29/2019 CONFIRM. VIN UPDATE
Z60 08/29/2019 CONFIRM. ACCESSORY UPDATE
B40 08/29/2019 DCAG X - 2 PROCESSED
B30 08/20/2019 DCAG X - 10 PROCESSED
Z23 08/16/2019 UPHOLSTERY CHANGE TO VEHICLE

Some of the codes are as follows:
B5 Production complete
B7 At port
B8 Assigned to ship
C1 Ship departed
C2 Ship on water
CS Submitted to Customs
C3 Cleared Customs
C4 At port
D1 VPC received
D2 Surveyed at VPC
D4 Ready to deliver
D5 Released to carrier

Joshua

Hi SteveV and Konigster,

my wife and I have contacted our dealer salesperson. He tells us there is no update on our car status.
I am not sure if Australia uses the Net Star system.
The updates (and none so far) other than my wife and I chasing them, have been at best lacklustre.

This morning when we phoned all we got was, "no update yet it is likely in transit from Sindelfingen to the Port" and "we are unlikely to hear until it is actually on a ship and has left port"...

I am now getting paranoid .... You see I traded in a 6 month Range Rover for this new S560 order and am wondering if my new car will actually be progressed until they actually have sold the Range.

So, does someone have access to Netstar or perhaps another download of the data card to see if it has an updated status compared to 3 weeks ago when you both helped me with the data card.

Here is my VIN - WDD2220832A516145

Thanks in advance....

SteveVukelich

Hang in there. My auto was built on Sep 11 and was at the port on Sep 13. It was assigned a ship on Sep 18. So it appears that they move from the factory to a ship pretty quickly. I do not have NetStar access so I can’t check it for you. Not all ships at the port go as far as Australia, so you may want to go to the WWL website and see the schedule. I suspect Mercedes wants their money so they will try to push it through the system.

VKS400

Really sorry to bother you konigstiger, but can you do mine as well, or tell me how to do it? Got the car used and not quite sure what options it has.
Thank you in advance. WDDUF6HB5GA247081

Joshua

Thanks SteveV,

I have come to the same conclusion as advised by you.
Australia is a long way away from Bremerhaven. I checked the Wallenius Shipping Schedules. Using their online tools it was easy to get the shipping schedules from Bremerhaven to Australia. The next ship leaves on the 27th Sep and its ETA in Melbourne is 5th November. It takes anywhere from 44 days @ sea to 51 days depending on the number of ports as it travels across Europe (Zeebrugge, UK Southhampton) via Santander (spain) around the horn of Africa (duncan and east london) to Fremantle (Western Australia) and then Melbourne.

So I am just going to relax and let it happen. By the way, Australia's strict quarantine laws has resulted in 3 ships being diverted from Fremantle to Indonesia for quarantine purposes (they founded the dreaded stink Bug infestation and has to offload and steam clean the vessel before coming back to Australia (another 5 weeks delay). Hope that doesn't happen to me.

Best wishes for you receiving your car with no delays.

Thanks for responding.

konigstiger

1/14/16

Todd in PA

Well, here in the states I am seeing the 2020 S 450 showing up in dealer inventory, so I gave my dealer a call.
Unfortunately he thinks the V8 car deliveries are being delayed until November!
I will have waited for 6 months for my car.

SteveVukelich

There are a few V8 cars listed (S560) in dealer inventories. My salesman says he does not anticipate any delays.

paulpap

I ordered a 2020 S 560 4Matic in March and get the same response.

Did so because I ordered the same model in 2018 and got it the first week of Sept.

Expected the same this time as I tracked the carrier ship into port at Balto several weeks ago.

Found build codes on this site earlier: Dealer should know status code and not be offended.


Is this an accurate description of build status codes?
I found this list on a website (www.c32life.com/faq.htm#Q3) and was wondering if anyone knew whether the descriptions given for each state and the overall list of build states is accurate:

A4 Final Supplier Order/Scheduled Not Produced
B0 19 Days to Production
B1 13 Days to Production
B3 NO CHANGES POSSIBLE
B4 2 Days to Completion
B5 Production Complete
B7 At Port/Ready To Be Shipped
B8 Assigned to Ship
C1 Ship Departed
C2 Ship Notification/On Water
CS Submitted to Customs
C3 Cleared Customs
C4 At Port
D1 VPC Processing
D2 Surveyed at VPC
D3 Potential Delay
D4 Ready to Deliver
D5 Released to Carrier
D9 Wholesale/Consignment Pending
F1 Wholesaled and Invoiced
I1 Retail

Joshua

Ok, I give up. You gents and ladies in the USA are spoiled with information and customer care / service / Updates. I have been unable to get an update from my dealer.
I know my VIN (WDD0832A516145).
Thanks to Konigster I have the full data card which confirms also it was built 1st week of September 2019.
I can't believe it has been in Sindelfingen for an entire month.
So unless someone has access to the Netstar system to help me confirm if indeed it has been put on a ship (CODE B7) or the ship has departed port (CODE B8) I am at a complete loss / in limbo.

My paranoia (and probably over thinking this) tells me that they have not managed to sell the 6 month old Range Rover trade in (handed over to them on the 29th June) thereby being unable to get the funds from that sale and probably cannot / don't want tp update me on the shipping until they have all the cash including the balance I need to pay before they release the new car !!

HELP !! Netstar anyone !!

Joshua

I got a call from the sales guy. Apparently the dealer principal got involved.
This gets worse ... apparently my car has disappeared off the system. The last known status was that it was in the marshalling yard in the Sindelfingen factory. Status = Built. 3 weeks later the car no longer appears on their system. Tomorrow the sales guy is going to contact his stock / delivery manager and Mercedes Benz Australia head office to ask them to track / escalate the matter to Germany !!

.......

Joshua

Final Update on this ... positive result.

So after kicking up a fuss with Mercedes Australia it turns out ....

1. My car has indeed been built on the 3rd of Sep 2019.
2. I lay in the Sindelfingen Marshalling yard for a good three weeks.
3. It then got put on a ship (MORNING CHANT) which left Bremerhaven on the 27th Sep but for some reason Mercedes (Germany) did not update their systems adequately and when the car was actually loaded.
4. On the 3rd October through a process of elimination (using the online tools on the Wallenius Wilhelmsen site) I narrowed it down to two ships (The Morning Chant and the Tamerlane).
5. The Tamerlane's voyage is bound for the USA and so it had to be the Mornington Chant.
6. Yesterday Mercedes Australia confirmed I was indeed correct and my ETA for the car is now the 12th November 2019.

I also learned for some reason Australia's systems are not updated with the rich detail that you folks in the US of A get updated.
Australia's Head office also use a system called COMPASS which is integrated with the Factory / Production System.
In my case the dealership was just as much in the dark as I was. Hence we both escalated to Mercedes Australia.

Now I just have to be lucky that my ship does not succumb to the Marmorated Stink Bug !!!
Two ships this year have been diverted away from Australia due to a quarantine matter (Australia is obsessed with this) having found an infestation of this tin bug which apparently has a devastating effect on our agriculture industry !!.

The Mornington Chant is now off the coast of its last port of Southhampton.