After the drop off: the boat, customs, etc.

**jst4fun** · 10-19-2003, 11:49 AM

Hello All...

While it may be burried in this forum somewhere, I never did find a detailed report of EXACTLY what to expect after I dropped off the car, and this part of the process always seemed a little vague to me, so I thought I would share my experience and help future OSD'ers.

Drop off at the Factory Delivery Center
This is easy and painless, but definitley should plan at LEAST an hour, as they will likely be busy delivering other vehicles at the same time.

Once it is your turn, the process takes < 20 minutes.  They did a quick walkaround.  On the Auto Shipment Order form, she still checked the following boxes: "car dirty and travel stained", "wear and tear", and "normal" (vs. excessive) which is fine, I signed it.  On the same form, they will also note the customs broker name and phone number (more on this later), any Accessories traveling loose in your vehicle (the nylon protective net, for me), the name and address of the dealer, and exact # of miles.

You will likely get an estimated arrival date written on your form, but do NOT trust it or assume it is set in stone.  It is a guess based on which boat they assume your car will catch.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Plan for at least an hour and Do NOT buy any accessories at drop off, unless they do not require install, because you won't be there to see if they were installed correctly (they did a crappy job installing the mud flaps, and installed the wrong color side pocket net)

Trip to Airport
They had a cab driver ready to take us to the airport, but we made sure to ask for it while we were waiting, BEFORE we even started to fill out the paper work, just to make sure the cab would be ready when we were done.  The cab ride was FREE, but it does take almost a half hour to get from FDC to the airport, so don't skimp on this part of your planning.  We actually made sure to arrive 2 hours before our flight departed, which actually allowed us to take an earlier flight to copenhagen, so we could have a longer wait in the bigger airport where there is more shopping, restaurants, etc.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Ask for a cab asap, plan at least 30 minutes to get to the airport, and try to have a longer lay-over in copenhagen vs. sitting at the gothenburg airport.

The Boat Voyage
Well, just like most of you, first thing I did when I got home was check this forum for the Vessel Tracking url, so I could see the voyage my car was going to take.

Here is the URL: http://www.2wglobal.com/www/WEP/Tool...king/index.jsp
The process is: Click on "Track Cargo by AUTO" then enter your VIN number... but surprise... it's not there.  Well of course, it's not booked yet, so I went to the far left of the web page clicked "schedules" then selected search by "ports" in the drop down box.  After a long time of playing around I thought I had found the Vessel name, and route it was going to take. As it turned out, there was no vessel leaving Gothenburg for 2 weeks from the date I dropped off the car (July is a slow month) so I started to suspect the estimated arrival date was in jeopardy.

I waited and waited, and 2 weeks late the vessesl departure date came and went and my vehicel still did not show up in the web page search.  So I sent an email to the FDC office, and the reply I got shocked me.  They said the vehicle would not be leaving for ANOTHER 2 weeks, meaning it would sit for a total of a month before it even left Sweden.  I wasn't very happy, because they had told me it would leave on a boat within a week, and I KNEW there was a boat that left after 2 weeks.  I sent a not so nice email to my sales rep and to volvo asking for an honest explanation.  They said "all other boats were cancelled", which was BULL.  So I sent another email demanding an honest explanation, and I pointed out the vessel name that was NOT cancelled.  This time they apologized profusely, and said that the first boat was full, a second boat was actually cancelled, and my car would definitely be on the next boat.  They even promised to send some Volvo merchandise to thank me for my patience (which never came, oh well).

RECOMMENDATIONS: Don’t trust the estimated shipping date.  After getting back to your own country, email FDC and ask them for confirmation of the vessel and date that your car will be leaving.

Waiting and Customs
Depending on where you live, the boat can take 20+ days to get to port.  About a week after the boat left the dock in Sweden (as noted by cargo tracking web site, which I kept checking every day), I contacted the customs agent.  I told them which boat my car was on, and made sure they had my correct name and phone number to call me with any questions.  She was actually already processing the customs paperwork for the cars on that boat, even though the boat had not yet arrived.  

I was worried about this part of the process, hoping that my car would not sit longer than needed, especially after already being a month later than I thought it would be.  Luckily, I was worrying for nothing.  

About 3 days after the boat arrived at the port I received a letter from the customs agent stating that my car had passed customs.  But by this time I had already been contacted by the dealer, stating the car had arrived !  

Basically, I learned that the dealer has NO CLUE when your car is going to show up, until it shows up at their door.  They may tell you that it USUALLY takes 3-10 days for the car to be booked on a truck, and then be delivered to the dealer, but I think the bottom line is that they don’t know anything about the voyage home, until the car shows up on a truck.  In my case I got an email on Friday morning telling me the truck arrived, and that they needed about a day to unload and prep the car.  So I showed up early Saturday morning and the car was delivered to me as if it was brand new (except it still had the Sweden plates on it !! &nbsp

RECOMMENDATIONS:  A week after your boat leaves, contact the customs agent to ensure they have the correct name and phone number for you.  The day your boat arrives at part, email or call your dealer to let them know it should be coming soon.  Then, just wait for them to contact you.

Picking up the Car
Don't forget to look the car over carefully.  We found a couple very small scratches that we knew we did not do.  One was on the passenger outside mirror, and the other a small scuff near the door handle.  The dealer was really good about it and said they would have their detail person fix them.  The only problem was the accessories installed at the factory.  The mud flaps were nearly falling off, and the rear cargo compartment side pocket net was the wrong color and poorly installed.  The dealer has said they would take care of all these items, but a month later, and nothing yet.  But I trust william and believe he will honor the fixes the next time we bring the car in.

GOOD LUCK to all new OSD'ers.  The drop off process is really not that bad, just a lot of waiting.  My advice... don't worry, but don't trust the estimated delivery dates !

Take care!

**imxc90** · 10-20-2003, 10:54 AM

(to jst4fun):

Can you post a photo of your XC90 that clearly shows the front and rear mud flaps?

We ordered those (but the vehicle is still in Sweden) so we'd like to see an XC90 that actually have them.

Thanks.

**jst4fun** · 10-20-2003, 02:30 PM

hi imxc90...

I got an XC70, so picture may not be relevant. I also don't think I have a picture since the flaps were put on.

Just make sure to check them out thoroughly when you pick up the car at the dealer. Wiggle them to see if they pop off.

they use these large pop rivets, and in one case they did not get all the way through both wheel-well layers, and in another the hole was so big the rivet could just pop out easily.

Also note, the mud flaps are a dark grey, and do not perfectly match the umber (brownish) or the blue-tinted bumpers on the XC's. Doesn't look bad from a distance, but up close you can definitely see a color difference. Not enough to make we want to take them off. I'd be happy if they would just be attached better.

take care.

**imxc90** · 10-20-2003, 05:54 PM

Thanks for the info and tip!

**Low Tide** · 10-24-2003, 09:22 AM

Two things to add:

1)  A Letter of Lading Confirmation was sent to me from Volvo FDC about 5 days after the car was shipped.  This letter detailed the info on my XC , the vessal name, estimated arrival. etc.

2)  Rausch, the customs agent, sent me the pink (owner's copy) of the US Treasury Import Form- this is the custom's valuation form that some DMV's require to be submitted or shown when you transfer title to US and register the vehicle for the first time.  This is also the official audit document for those who collect the taxes due.  

Great overall description.  Be sure to put a linkon your desktop to track your vehicle.... you'll be doing that a lot while it is on the high seas.... floating hopefully...

**SpudRacer** · 10-24-2003, 05:01 PM

That is a wonderful post describing your experience.

I am planning to let the Customer Service Department know (when we head to Sweden in 7 weeks) of the many complaints voiced here on the site regarding problems having vehicles shipped to the states in a timely manner. While I'm not confident that this will seriously affect the "transportation blues", it will be a squeaky wheel that just might get greased if it squeaks enough.

While I understand that circumstances change, things happen, it is not too much to ask that we be given honest updated information regarding our vehicles be it good or bad news. Honesty is where the problem seems to lie (only mild pun intended

)

Anybody else interested in sharing their experiences?

Tom

**mrb** · 10-26-2003, 09:43 PM

My car took 82 days to arrive but not upset because I knew the factory was closing for 5 to 6 weeks and there would be a backlog of cars--Volvo did notify me of shipping and or approximate delviery date and did my dealer.  Probably most long delivery date were also caused by summer closing.  Complete closing is not unusual in Sweden--many businesses and restaurants are closed to allow employees to enjoy the brief good weather and long days.  merv

**Seabee** · 10-29-2003, 02:54 PM

My experience has been quite straight-up so far.  I dropped off my XC70 back at the FDC on 09 October.  On my shipment order from the FDC, I was told the name of the Vessel my car would ship on, the date of departure from Gothenburg, and the estimated date our car will arrive at our dealer.  So far, so good.  I just checked on the Vessel and it is right on schedule.   It will arrive in Baltimore on 11/3 and my car is due to be delivered at the dealership by 11/12.  The final chapter is to be written upon arrival.  I'll let you know how it works out.  Seabee