VW factories were closed across Europe.

[Jordy]

I ordered my Caravelle on 11th March and was told it had been assigned to build week 17. Spoke to dealer yesterday and they knew nothing (similar trend across all VE dealers it seems). I got a call back this afternoon and was told that the factory is still closed(?) and not likely to see a delivery before August! One of the selling points was the 4 years free servicing provided delivery was before end June so I guess I can kiss that bonus goodbye now!

 

[Kingsimon2000]

I ordered my Caravelle on 11th March and was told it had been assigned to build week 17. Spoke to dealer yesterday and they knew nothing (similar trend across all VE dealers it seems). I got a call back this afternoon and was told that the factory is still closed(?) and not likely to see a delivery before August! One of the selling points was the 4 years free servicing provided delivery was before end June so I guess I can kiss that bonus goodbye now!

I'm sure they would still honour that offer... not your fault / not their fault.

 

[Chippy1970]

I was never given an official build date which makes me think I'm way down the list! I ordered early March so if the dealer was to be believed, it would have been around weeks 19 - 21 (assuming their projected delivery date was a couple of weeks after build). Round about now was when I was originally supposed to take delivery.

Yeah i reckon you would've been a week or two after me then I ordered Feb 25th

 

[DarrenTT]

Thanks for the update , when was your build date ? mine Was week 16.

I borrowed part of the money for my van (sat there waiting to be used) and have already sold my old van, was hoping I'd manage work with my car. It's my work van but nothing I can do really it is what it is we're all in the same boat.

Let's all sue VW for compensation lol

I’ve also borrowed the money and it’s sitting in my account not earning interest. It’s crap, but it’s

 

[DarrenTT]

An email I’ve just sent to vwcv as seems there is slot of us in same boat with no info etc. Excuse it as it was gin fuelled.

Hi,

I’ve ordered a van at the end of feb through Cambridge Campers in Cambridgeshire.
My initial build week was 15 however covid obviously changed that. I’ve been following the world news closely and felt hopeful when the vwcv factories opened on April 27th.
I have felt I’m quite lucky having the light at the end of the tunnel being news of the van appearing.
What’s not good is the lack of any news from vw to their existing customers with orders in. The showrooms are pushing new orders but no news is getting to people with orders in. The way the factory run with ‘just in time’ production the factory must know when vans are being built!!!!
I, along with many other customers with orders in are getting pissed off on the forums with the lack of info that is marring what is supposed to be a premium brand.
I understand covid has taken everybody by storm, but please try and get in touch with customers with existing orders in to allay any concerns they have as no info is bad info.

 

[ScottyMac]

I ordered my Caravelle on 11th March and was told it had been assigned to build week 17. Spoke to dealer yesterday and they knew nothing (similar trend across all VE dealers it seems). I got a call back this afternoon and was told that the factory is still closed(?) and not likely to see a delivery before August! One of the selling points was the 4 years free servicing provided delivery was before end June so I guess I can kiss that bonus goodbye now!

I think dealers don't have a clue so they're making things up to sound authoritative. I've just had a scour of a few news stories and it seems Poland came out of lockdown before most others... end of April for a lot of establishments. There's an article on VW's main page (“The lights are now set on green for most suppliers”) from the 15th May stating that supply chain is almost fully back up to speed - admittedly this may relate to the Wolfsburg plant but you'd think they would mention of a large part of the business was still struggling.

If you don't mind me asking, was your order a super simple one? - I'm wondering how you managed to get a build date so quickly after ordering and that the lead time was so short?

 

[Kingsimon2000]

I just phoned the Dealership up to see if there was any news on my van and the chap tells me it's arriving with them this afternoon! Bugger as I can't pick it up till the COVID laws change. Doh... they've got plenty of time to stick the tailgate spoiler on now.

 

[Chippy1970]

I just phoned the Dealership up to see if there was any news on my van and the chap tells me it's arriving with them this afternoon! Bugger as I can't pick it up till the COVID laws change. Doh... they've got plenty of time to stick the tailgate spoiler on now.

might go and have a nose lol I'm only up the road. What colour is it

 

[ScottyMac]

I just phoned the Dealership up to see if there was any news on my van and the chap tells me it's arriving with them this afternoon! Bugger as I can't pick it up till the COVID laws change. Doh... they've got plenty of time to stick the tailgate spoiler on now.

I thought socially-distanced handovers were all the rage these days!??

If VW are after pics of such events, you should volunteer to be their poster-boy.

 

[Kingsimon2000]

I thought socially-distanced handovers were all the rage these days!??

If VW are after pics of such events, you should volunteer to be their poster-boy.

Anything to get some free mats..

 

[ScottyMac]

If anyone is interested, California Chris (from VW Liverpool) has just posted a video talking about existing factory orders and expected timeframes of new orders...

Obviously this is primarily discussing Californias but the factory and lead times information will apply to all I should think. It is a little confusing that he's saying existing orders originally aimed at weeks 12-17 are being worked on and should be ready late July, then goes on to say that if you order a new one, it'll be late August/September, which is back to normal 12-14 week lead time??

I've still not got a build date for mine and I've been waiting 14 weeks, so is mine going to be squeezed into the gap between July and late August?

So, question to those who've ordered new in the past...

How long after order were you given a build date, or if it's easier, how long before build date were you informed?

 

[Chippy1970]

Not checked on mine for a week or two. If it's gonna be late July/August I'd rather have it as a 70 in September.

 

[Jordy]

I think dealers don't have a clue so they're making things up to sound authoritative. I've just had a scour of a few news stories and it seems Poland came out of lockdown before most others... end of April for a lot of establishments. There's an article on VW's main page (“The lights are now set on green for most suppliers”) from the 15th May stating that supply chain is almost fully back up to speed - admittedly this may relate to the Wolfsburg plant but you'd think they would mention of a large part of the business was still struggling.

If you don't mind me asking, was your order a super simple one? - I'm wondering how you managed to get a build date so quickly after ordering and that the lead time was so short?

Sorry just catching up on this thread. I don't know if my order was a simple one - 199 Caravelle Exec with leather and a couple of extras. I think I only had to wait a couple of weeks to get a build week though. HOWEVER... just had a call from the dealer to tell me that expected delivery date is now w/c 14th September!! Based on other comments about catching up on weeks 12-17 I am beginning to wonder if they actually remembered to place the order back in March!

 

[ScottyMac]

Sorry just catching up on this thread. I don't know if my order was a simple one - 199 Caravelle Exec with leather and a couple of extras. I think I only had to wait a couple of weeks to get a build week though. HOWEVER... just had a call from the dealer to tell me that expected delivery date is now w/c 14th September!! Based on other comments about catching up on weeks 12-17 I am beginning to wonder if they actually remembered to place the order back in March!

This has been my worry since the beginning - why wouldn't I have a build date yet?... Did the order actually get placed? This kind of thing drives me mad - If they'd come back within a reasonable time and said, look, due to delays etc it will now be September, I'd feel better about the whole thing. Soon, it'll be 4 months from order date with no news - I'm starting to fall out with Volkswagen again.

My order sounds very similar to yours... Caravelle Exec with a few options. Are these being built on a separate production line somewhere which isn't as fast as the other factories??

 

[Chippy1970]

Just emailed my dealer for an update, see if there any news. I'll let you know how it goes

 

[ScottyMac]

Right... spoke to the dealer earlier and I now have a build date! Week 30. It's unclear whether they were going to tell me that without being chased. So, dealer will have it ready mid August, so I suppose I'll get them to register in September.

Apparently there is only 1 factory for these vans.

Most of the summer will be over by then but better late than never.

 

[Kingsimon2000]

I know I'm in a better position that my van is at the dealers but due to the virus, I can not collect the van at present... When I phoned the dealership up a month ago to ask when the van would leave the port the salesman said a lot of people were holding the registration for the 70 plate... Now when I spoke to my salesman last week he has told me that he registered the van as a 20 plate... Does anybody know when the van gets registered? does its have to be to leave the port? In theory I'm being a 6-month-old van according to the paperwork and so the value of depreciation is an issue? any advice ?

 

[Chippy1970]

I know I'm in a better position that my van is at the dealers but due to the virus, I can not collect the van at present... When I phoned the dealership up a month ago to ask when the van would leave the port the salesman said a lot of people were holding the registration for the 70 plate... Now when I spoke to my salesman last week he has told me that he registered the van as a 20 plate... Does anybody know when the van gets registered? does its have to be to leave the port? In theory I'm being a 6-month-old van according to the paperwork and so the value of depreciation is an issue? any advice ?

Not good specially as mine is on order from the same dealer. A bit sneaky of them not to contact you before registering it.

 

[ScottyMac]

I know I'm in a better position that my van is at the dealers but due to the virus, I can not collect the van at present... When I phoned the dealership up a month ago to ask when the van would leave the port the salesman said a lot of people were holding the registration for the 70 plate... Now when I spoke to my salesman last week he has told me that he registered the van as a 20 plate... Does anybody know when the van gets registered? does its have to be to leave the port? In theory I'm being a 6-month-old van according to the paperwork and so the value of depreciation is an issue? any advice ?

Pretty sure dealers have lots of vehicles sat in their yards without being registered. Stick them on a truck and shift em from port to dealer. I agree with Chippy... bit cheeky to go ahead and not give you the choice.

Depreciation worries... I don't think it makes as much difference as it did a few years back. I don't have any experience with commercial vehicles so I couldn't comment on whether 6 months older is even noteworthy - It wouldn't put me off looking at a van... condition and service record are far more important to me.

 

[Kingsimon2000]

Pretty sure dealers have lots of vehicles sat in their yards without being registered. Stick them on a truck and shift em from port to dealer. I agree with Chippy... bit cheeky to go ahead and not give you the choice.

Depreciation worries... I don't think it makes as much difference as it did a few years back. I don't have any experience with commercial vehicles so I couldn't comment on whether 6 months older is even noteworthy - It wouldn't put me off looking at a van... condition and service record are far more important to me.

Thanks for all the replies... I got onto the dealer today to ask what the deal was and the reply was that they have allocated a reg for it but not registered it... Is there an option to choose a reg like a new mobile number? just weighing up now if to hold on and pick ut up on the 1st of September.