How long to wait for a build date/week

[mrjubei]

Well, I ordered an RS TSI wagon back in mid July. I was told by the dealer back then there would be quite a long wait as I have gone for the manual with pano roof and tech pack. I'm all fine with that. I would have thought though that buy this stage I would have been assigned a build date our build week.
My last communication with my dealer was there was no additional information in the system..build date our otherwise.
What should I be expecting at this stage? Should I be worried or concerned?

[woofy]

If you look at the other threads here you will see that's pretty much normal. Would be expecting it to be 6mths from your order, the specs don't make it any later, just it meant they couldn't grab a DSG sitting in the queue already. That seems to rarely happen anyway with the tight limits of orders for Aus. VWAustralia get 40 Octavias a month for all of Australia so you can see the issue. Customer orders get priority over dealer stock, but some dealers are now getting stock by keeping cancelled customer orders in the system...bit sneaky but can see why they do it. I would expect you will be told soon and it should start going into build this month or next.

[team_v]

So you put a deposit down without specifying a delivery date?

[mrjubei]

I was told to expect about 6 months from when I ordered... totally fine with that. I was just wondering what the norm was in terms of being given a build week or build date..

[GTR27]

I didn't get a build week till august some time (can't remember when). I ordered at the very start of may.

[mattaus]

Are the build times still around 6 months, or are the 12 month comments I'm hearing accurate?

[parisfrance]

Are the build times still around 6 months, or are the 12 month comments I'm hearing accurate?

It appears to be luck of the draw. If your order matches the specifications and configuration of a vehicle already on its way to OZ you can be very lucky and have a vehicle within weeks or you can wait up to almost 12 months as several people who post on this site can attest, including myself. I was originally told our vehicle would be delivered sometime between August and October 2014, however we wouldn't be getting a reverse camera in the Tech Pack, as they wouldn't be available until 2015. Then in July 2014 we were told our vehicle wouldn't be delivered until 2015, at which point I demanded our vehicle be built in 2015 for reasons of depreciation. I innocently thought our vehicle would be built early in 2015, but no it was built on 24/2/15. It then has been delivered to the port in Belgium at the beginning of March only to "miss the boat". It has finally left the port in Belgium today and is due in Fremantle on 20/5, approximately 51 weeks after we ordered it.

So it definitely seems that when you get your vehicle is a bit of a crap shoot!

You may be lucky and experience a dealer who is diligent, is strongly customer focused and who works hard on your behalf, or you may have a dealer who doesn't appear to care and simply portrays the image that it is what it is and if you don't like it you can cancel your order. When I indicated back in October that was what I was thinking of doing I was offered the extended warranty for free.

I apologise for the lengthy post and it isn't intended to depress you or suggest that an Octavia isn't worth the wait, they certainly are. If there was a comparable car I would have walked but can't find anything that meets all our needs.

Just be forewarned you can be in for a lengthy wait.

[woofy]

It appears to be luck of the draw. If your order matches the specifications and configuration of a vehicle already on its way to OZ you can be very lucky and have a vehicle within weeks or you can wait up to almost 12 months as several people who post on this site can attest, including myself. I was originally told our vehicle would be delivered sometime between August and October 2014, however we wouldn't be getting a reverse camera in the Tech Pack, as they wouldn't be available until 2015. Then in July 2014 we were told our vehicle wouldn't be delivered until 2015, at which point I demanded our vehicle be built in 2015 for reasons of depreciation. I innocently thought our vehicle would be built early in 2015, but no it was built on 24/2/15. It then has been delivered to the port in Belgium at the beginning of March only to "miss the boat". It has finally left the port in Belgium today and is due in Fremantle on 20/5, approximately 51 weeks after we ordered it.

So it definitely seems that when you get your vehicle is a bit of a crap shoot!

You may be lucky and experience a dealer who is diligent, is strongly customer focused and who works hard on your behalf, or you may have a dealer who doesn't appear to care and simply portrays the image that it is what it is and if you don't like it you can cancel your order. When I indicated back in October that was what I was thinking of doing I was offered the extended warranty for free.

I apologise for the lengthy post and it isn't intended to depress you or suggest that an Octavia isn't worth the wait, they certainly are. If there was a comparable car I would have walked but can't find anything that meets all our needs.

Just be forewarned you can be in for a lengthy wait.

OK this makes more sense now, couldn't figure how your time blew out to 12mths. If you make any change you slip to the bottom of the list. By requesting it be built in 2015 you lose your place in the queue and slip down to the end of the line. You are lucky they gave you the extended warranty as it seems you changed your mind a few times, the dealer wouldn't be obligated to do anything. In reality if I understand it right, your order was made in July as that is when they would have resubmitted a new one to make the build date. Early Feb build is pretty much as good as your could hope for with Xmas/NY breaks in there. I had the local dealer call up last week and any order placed now would arrive in Nov. He said that the factory upshift in RS hasn't had much effect as that was taking that into consideration. Everytime someone amends they order, effectively making a new order, the dealer gets to keep the original order so they aren't really fussed as it's the only way they get floor stock, or can turnaround a sale quicker.

[parisfrance]

OK this makes more sense now, couldn't figure how your time blew out to 12mths. If you make any change you slip to the bottom of the list. By requesting it be built in 2015 you lose your place in the queue and slip down to the end of the line. You are lucky they gave you the extended warranty as it seems you changed your mind a few times, the dealer wouldn't be obligated to do anything. In reality if I understand it right, your order was made in July as that is when they would have resubmitted a new one to make the build date. Early Feb build is pretty much as good as your could hope for with Xmas/NY breaks in there. I had the local dealer call up last week and any order placed now would arrive in Nov. He said that the factory upshift in RS hasn't had much effect as that was taking that into consideration. Everytime someone amends they order, effectively making a new order, the dealer gets to keep the original order so they aren't really fussed as it's the only way they get floor stock, or can turnaround a sale quicker.

Thanks for explaining why our order has taken so long. It would have been nice if the dealer had explained the situation to us. We haven't been in a hurry to get the new vehicle, although I have had a new buyer for the existing car and he is now in Europe for several months so it means I have had to keep licensing it for 3 month intervals which is a bit of a nuisance.

It is really about expectations! To originally be told in May that the vehicle would be arriving between August-October, which I assumed meant it would be November at the worst and then in July to be told it would in 2015; note at this time we had made no change to our original order. It was only in July upon being given that news we changed the colour from Candy White to Black Magic and the dealer added the RVC. Then we received a call from the dealer in October advising of the availability of the Comfort Pack, which we immediately added to the order.

If the dealer had advised us at that time that this change would delay our order we would have been prepared. Instead we optimistically thought we would have the vehicle by Easter 2015 and had planned a nice road trip.

Dealers do themselves no favour by not being upfront with their customers. At no point has the dealer ever explained that any changes would delay our order, in fact she had indicated in October that the order was in a hold status and hadn't been given a manufacturing date.

At least it is now on the boat and heading for South Africa.

[techdave]

If the dealer had advised us at that time that this change would delay our order we would have been prepared. Instead we optimistically thought we would have the vehicle by Easter 2015 and had planned a nice road trip.

I'm guessing the dealer may have just simply submitted a new order some time late 2014 to make sure your vehicle is built in 2015, hence why you're back down the queue, even behind me. Had the dealer kept your order in the system, your vehicle would most likely be built in the end of 2014.

Anyway..now at least your wait is almost over!