a061444

The dealer could only give me the last 7 digits of the VIN for a 2005 530i. Can I use it to track the car during transportation? How do I do the following without the whole VIN:

BMW uses more than one shipper to move cars. The best shipper for tracking your "cargo" is Wallenius Wilhelmsen. If you are lucky enough to have your car shipped on Wallenius Wilhelmsen, you can do the following to track it:

* Click on this link to bring up the Wallenius Wilhelmsen tracking window.

* In the "Cargo ID" field, enter the VIN of your car and click "Track." If your car is on a Wallenius Wilhelmsen vessel, additonal information should appear. If nothing appears, either your car is on another carrier or the data hasn't been entered in the system yet. Since the data can be behind a day or so, try entering your VIN again at a later time.

Thanks.

Rudy

Ask your dealer for a "Production Number" or the entire VIN. If they give you a production number, login to the Owner's Circle (OC) on BMW USA's website and enter the production number. You can learn the entire VIN on the OC once you do the above.

5 Rakete

You won't be able to track your car during transportation by any direct means (i.e. using the VIN). BMW no longer uses Wallenius Wilhelmsen to the West Coast. My car is on an NYK Lines vessel and their tracking is password protected and appears restricted to those associated with the actual Bill of Lading.

Now the good news. Your dealer should know the name of the vessel that your car is being transported on. If that vessel participates in the Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) weather reporting program you will be able to track its location based on those reports at sites like...

http://www.sailwx.info

http://www.oceanweather.com