Agent001
Agent001
Dis is your ninety eight vatchamacalit?
View My AgentSpace

Print this Page | Digg It | del.icio.us

Did you ever wonder what happens at the port to your car after it’s shipped from the factory?
On Saturday January 24th, the Los Angeles Chapter of the BMWCCA toured the BMW Vehicle Distribution at Port Hueneme in Oxnard, California (approximately one hour West of L.A., just off the Pacific Coast Highway). There is a similar BMW facility in New Jersey that serves the East Coast.



The VDC was up and running even though it was Saturday. Our tour guide, Eric, stated that they normally worked 7AM to 4PM M-F, but worked Saturdays when there was high demand for "Priority One" vehicles (Priority One is a car that is already sold).



One of the perks of working at the VDC is that each of the 84 employees gets a free BMW lease (3, 5, x3, x5, z4, MINI). They are able to wrack up 15,000 miles on the car then return it for a new one. They can get multiple cars per year.







This very nice 2002 was my favorite BMW at the VDC.







Upon walking into the VDC, we were greeted by three new BMW 6-Series. These are the first of only seven 6-Series to come through the Port Hueneme VDC.



The 6-Series Coupe









The 6-Series Convertible













The 84 employees at the Port Hueneme VDC process ~400 cars per day (BMW - New and European Delivery, MINI, and on occasion Rolls Royce). The facility holds 3000 cars, with many more cars waiting down at the docks to travel the 1.3 miles to the VDC.







The 7-Series, 5-Series, and 3-Series are all shipped with a thick waxy coating. This coating is removed with a very hot power car wash. The wax is then recovered and separated from the water, and then it is used to fuel the burners that heat the water for the car wash. These cars are waiting to be cleaned.







Here you can see the wax on the car.







The new X3 is transported in these felty shipping packs. There are zippers around the gas cap, driver's door, and the hood.







After the shipping protection is removed, the cars receive one final wash before entering the VDC building. This next picture is the first step inside the building: software campaigns (in the case of the MINI V.36 if it hasn't already been installed).







At the quickest, a Priority One car could be fully processed in two days. In the past, BMW dyno tested a sampling of arriving cars to see if they were compliant with the HP figures they expected. This process is now done at the factory.







This X3 is getting ready to be checked out and if needed, the yellow grilles can be removed from the floor and the bottom of the car can be accessed from a trench below.







Sometimes cars suffer damage in shipping. This new 5 is getting ready to go to paint. The interior has been stripped and the windows on the side being painted have been removed.



If the car suffers damage in excess of 3% of it's value it has to be disclosed to the dealer. As I understand it, if BMW replaced the engine in your car at the VDC, that would not have to be disclosed to the dealer. This is because all BMW parts are being used and installed to BMW spec. However, repaired body damage (something on the order of the MINI's roof, not like a replaced bumper cover) would be declared to the dealer.







Another BMW waiting to be repaired to BMW specifications.







This MINI was on the lower level of a transport truck. The shipper lowered the upper deck and crushed the roof. BMW has replaced the roof and the car will soon visit the paint shop.







Just because they were trying to repair a car doesn't mean it was going to be sent out to a customer. The repair still has to be inspected afterwards and get approval that it meets BMW's specifications. So we really don't know what the future holds for that MINI with the crushed/repaired roof. The people I spoke with at the VPC took a lot of pride in the quality of their work and the finished product and were adamant that if a car couldn't meet spec it would be scrapped (we were talking about cars with frame damage at the time).





The paint shop was the next station we saw. This 3 needs to get the driver's side door painted. The environment in the paint booth is strictly controlled. After paint, the cars are moved into another room where the paint is baked.







This is the exit to the paint shop.







The MINI color pallet







CANDY BLUE SIGHTING! Ok, so it's not a Candy Blue MINI, but it does appear they are ready to paint MINIs candy blue should the need arise.







This is a Z4 that is in the training area of the body shop. Technicians from dealerships in the Western Region come to the VPC for training.







A straight shot down the length of the Z4







There was a new 5-Series with extensive front end damage. This car was BMW's cold weather test vehicle and it was the first new 5 to be crashed, during testing in Alaska. The car was now being used as a demonstration piece in the training area. This next shot was made possible because the front end bodywork, back to the frame rails, had been removed.







The BMWs and MINIs are processed together.







MINIs nearing the end of the check-out at the VDC.







This MINI has completed the process at the VDC. All it needs now is for a truck to pick it up and take it to it's owner.







If you remember earlier when we saw that MINI with the roof being replaced, this is the type of truck that it was on. The top of the trailer pops up a few feet to allow better access. The cars on the bottom are suppose to be unloaded first poor MINI with the crushed roof.







With that, the cars are loaded up and leave the Port Hueneme Vehicle Distribution Center.



Special thanks to David Bunting for his photos and insight!



Comments:

Images hosted in your AgentSpace can now be posted in the comments section using the following syntax (case matters):
[img]IMAGE URL[/img]
Example: [img]http://agent004.myautospies.com/users/150/Sample-Gallery/sample1.JPG[/img]
To post a comment for this story, you must first Login.

If you do not have an account, you will need to Register (It's Free!).

Most Recent Stories
FORD CEO Alan Mulally Will Drive to Washington D.C. To BEG For Money - But What Car Will He Drive To D.C.? His Lexus, OR Perhaps Maybe a Ford Product?Industry Sales Likely To Be Down 28% In November GM May Fare WorseLotus Evora order list includes 007 and Top Gear hostsEveryone Is On A Budget, But Are These 5 Your Choice To Keep Living Large?Could The Detroit Recovery Plan Really As Simple As Merging In To One?Fiat Abarth 500 receives Top Gear’s “Best Hot Hatch” awardDetroit Tells UAW They Can No Longer Pay For Idled Workers To Play Checkers2010 Porsche Panamera auto show debut delayedSwedish Government Confirms Discussions With Volvo and SAABBMW not putting MINI E into mass-productionTop Gear Car of the Year 2008 award goes to VW SciroccoNew Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X FQ-400: Limited Edition with 405HP2009 Nissan 370Z Driven in Japan2010 Jaguar XF-R spotted nearly finishedUAW wants limits on carmakers' executive payDoes It Hurt The BMW Brand Image When They Are Being Sold At Costco?2008 Essen Motor Show: Vw unveils Touareg North Sails EditionCarlsson releases limited edition automatic watchVideo: 2009 Mini Cooper Cabrio in actionPorsche Museum to open its gates on 31 January 2009Vw Eos White Night Edition unveiled at EssenUPDATE 1-German carmakers make fresh move to cut outputAudi R8 GT3 LMS Hits the Track (Video)GM UK takes two Top Gear awardsBMW Konfigurator Using Microsoft Surface for Product NavigatorHow About A Piece Of Kim Kardashian's Booty For The Holidays?Cars They Wish You'd Forget About - "Hey, they can't all be winners!"Acura V8 won't Arrive Until 2015: ReportBrabham M3 revealed at the Essen Show2008 Essen Motor Show: Dodge Challenger SRT8 by EibachNissan 370 Z Japanese Promotional VideElite Carbon Maserati Gran TurismoMarangoni M430 based on Alfa Romeo Mi.To2008 VW Scirocco Collectors’ Edition debuts at EssenFord at the top of the list for safety in accidentsBamford releases custom Rolex Daytona Ferrari red watchRolls-Royce RR4 to reveice Bmw’s iDrive technology2009 Vw Golf VI by ABT shows up at EssenConfessions of A Test Drive Junkie: Funny Experiences & Observations Behind The Wheel of Other People's Cars!Nissan changes its mind regarding the 2009 Chicago Auto ShowNew details of the next-generation of Audi A2 revealedTop 10 Most Popular Sport Utility PicksFar From Perfect? Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTec Diesel SUVQuestion Of the Day: Just How Long Will Gas Stay This Cheap?A New Maserati Quattroporte With A $35K Black Friday Discount? And The Spies Say DON'T Buy It?Confirmed: Audi To Replace R10 With R15 TDi In 2009GM Asks FAA To Keep Jet Movements ConfidentialBMW And German Brands Worry Openly About the Biggest Crisis Since WWIIShould Detroit Rebuild Itself Around the Slovakian Manufacturing Model?Reflections on the Acura NSX