The journey from Emden

[MorrisOx]

Evening all, newbie here.

I've taken the plunge on a 1.4TSi DSG hatch & am told by the dealer that it's currently showing at Emden (which must be the site of one of the largest gatherings of Skodas in Europe).

Anyone have any idea how long it usually takes to get from there to the dealer? I'm told "around 2 weeks" but get the impression he's trying not to disappoint me.

Mine wasn't a factory order but picked from available stock.

[Spikeyspud]

Hello and welcome.

Minworth was a stock order like yours. It took two weeks from port, I even tracked it on the boat.

[andyvee]

Normally 4 weeks from factory to collection, 3 weeks if it is at Emden.

 

Cars have sat at Emden for weeks though for inexplicable reasons, they were probably right in the back corner of a compound so they couldn't get to them!

[MorrisOx]

Thanks for those replies - really helpful.

I ask the question because my order was placed on 27 Feb and I was told on that day that it was against a vehicle that was at Emden. Rang again this morning and got a call back later to say it was showing as still there. So may be it is buried in a tight corner!

Can't wait to get my paws on it - I've had five years in a petrol turbo V70 and, even with these low fuel prices, urban consumption of 19mpg is getting a bit tedious...

[MorrisOx]

BTW, SpikeySpud, how did you track it?

[butchvrs]

BTW, SpikeySpud, how did you track it?

What he said!

[kalpat]

Mine sat a Emden for 3 weeks & then after discharge at Grimsby almost 2 weeks before I got my hands on it. Skoda UK told me which boat it was on & then tracked it by Googling it.

[MorrisOx]

So, new update from dealer today - computer says it's now at Grimsby.

He still hedged his bets on when it might land with him, but two unprompted calls to keep me informed is good.

I'm reckoning may be the end of next week or early the week after. Fingers crossed...

[countryboy]

What he said!

Try this http://www.marinetraffic.com/ The cars will usually be on ships with the name ending in "Highway" e.g. African Highway or Weser Highway. It is not only Skoda's that are imported from Emden but most of the VW group product made in Germany/Eastern Europe.

Ian

[MorrisOx]

Grimsby is obviously very pleasant at this time of year.

That probably explains why the dealer rang yesterday to tell me my new Octavia is still there.

So delivery towards the end of next week, may be?

[MorrisOx]

This week's update is...it's still in Grimsby.

Dealer has now given up monitoring its status on the stock computer & has rung Skoda direct. Word from them is that they currently have a huge 15-plate backlog, but that my car *should* be with the dealer by the end of the month - though they wouldn't commit to a date.

Guess that tells me first that the car might be ready end of next week, and second there will be a lot of would-be Skoda owners currently kicking their heels waiting for their 15-plate to turn up...

Edited 24 March, 2015 by MorrisOx

[butchvrs]

Guess that tells me first that the car might be ready end of next week, and second there will be a lot of would-be Skoda owners currently kicking their heels waiting for their 15-plate to turn up...

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Mine was built 2 weeks ago and was at Emden last week, so I guess it's going to fall into the black hole in Grimsby    :S  

[kalpat]

Grimsby increased it's capacity recently by opening a new jetty & they can handle much larger numbers each ship so the huge parking areas for new cars are likely to be pretty full, so the logistics will create a headache at busy times.

Just look at Grimsby on Google maps & zoom in. You will get the scale of the numbers & no doubt the last update of the image was before the new discharge facility.

[butchvrs]

Found out this afternoon my car was on the boat from Emden yesterday, and after using "countryboys" link I found that Weser Highway docked at Grimsby at 06.00 this morning, so hopefully mine is now in the UK 

[andyvee]

If your car sits at Grimsby for more than a week I would be asking if there has been any damage in transit that has necessitated any form of repairs.

 

They have bodyshops at the docks for a reason :(

 

Inspect it carefully on collection would be my advice.

[MorrisOx]

And finally...

Dealer called today to say car will be ready for collection next Wednesday!!

[andyvee]

Get up to the dealers and give it a good check over before they remove any of the film from it. If it has been through the bodyshop the film will have been removed.

[butchvrs]

I spoke to Skoda customer services today and my car arrived at Grimsby on Tuesday, they say that a car should clear from there no longer than 10 days so hopefully should be at the dealer by the end of next week, then off to the paint shop for the roof to be painted black to match the sunroof surround 

[andyvee]

Wow - mine stayed there for a day before it was on its way to the dealers - it was 10 days from factory to the dealer!

[Richf]

The delays at Grimsby were due to a shortage of car transporters due to a busy month

[MorrisOx]

And the journey is complete!

Ordered from stock on 27 Feb, picked up from the dealer today. A 1.4 TSi SE DSG hatch.

And it's a beaut in metal grey. My first Skoda, and I'm sure my observations will come as no surprise to time-served Briskies - seriously impressive interior trim quality (wouldn't disgrace a BMW or Audi), surprising amount of legroom in the rear. Ticks all the boxes as a family hack effortlessly.

I've come to it from a Volvo V70 2.5T auto, which is obviously a design from an earlier generation. It's obviously too early to tell what the Octy will be like when it's been run-in and got a few thousand on its belt, but it's quieter, smoother and loks to me like it will be pretty similar on all-out performance. Except for the economy, where it thumps the Volvo (quoted urban - 18mpg!!). Got it up to an average of 42.3mpg on the way home, and the DSG box is nearly seamless with its shifts.

So a great start so far. Fingers-crossed...

[GunnerGibson]

Good stuff.. I've ordered a vrs TDI hatch from available stock today... It'll be interesting to see how swiftly it arrives in UK.

[butchvrs]

Mine arrived at the dealers late yesterday afternoon, collecting tomorrow around 5pm  :clap:

[Richf]

I heard unofficially that there are a lot of cars at Grimsby but cars coming straight off the boats are getting priority with transportation, leaving some cars parked up there for many weeks , perhaps parking is becoming an issue