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Tips for Predicting Whether Auto Manufacturers Will Satisfy Their Shipping Goals

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   Tips for Predicting Whether Auto Manufacturers Will Satisfy Their Shipping Goals

Purchasing a new car is a major expense, so it makes sense that you prefer to get exactly what you want. Perhaps you are dreaming of that sleek black SUV with tan leather interior and a great electronics package, but you are unable to find it in stock at any local dealers. The good news is that if you have the patience, you can order the exact vehicle you want straight from the manufacturer. Ordering from the factory is a great option for those who don’t want to compromise on colors and options. However, it does come with a potential downside- how long will it take to get it? While it can be impossible to give an exact arrival date, there are some indications that might help you predict when your vehicle will arrive. Here are a few things to consider in order to predict how long it will take your car to be shipped from an auto manufacturer. 

Where is the vehicle being made?

Delivery times will vary depending on a few factors. One of those is where the car is being made. For example, a vehicle that is manufactured in Europe could take as long as three months to arrive, while a domestically manufactured vehicle could arrive in about 8 weeks. If you are wondering how long your car could take to arrive, be sure and ask where it is being manufactured. 

How many people have ordered vehicles ahead of you?
You may not be the only one who has their sights set on a custom vehicle built straight from the manufacturer. Depending on how many other people have placed orders ahead of you, this could change your expected delivery time. This is another good question to ask when purchasing the vehicle. 

Where is it being shipped?
It’s not just the location of the manufacturer that can impact shipping times. Your location matters just as much. If you live in a remote location, for example, it could take a few weeks longer for your vehicle to arrive at your destination. On the other hand, if you live in a big city along a major route for auto carriers, your car could arrive much sooner. 

Is the manufacturer affiliated with an auto transport company?

Auto transport companies are often affiliated with car manufacturing companies, and in these cases it is much easier to get the car shipped to you by a specific auto shipping company. However, not every auto manufacturer has a partnership with auto carriers and it would be your responsibility to schedule the shipment, which could impact your delivery time. 

Is the manufacturer experiencing any production delays?

It’s not uncommon for manufacturers to get delayed because they are waiting on parts to arrive. The pandemic has caused some major delays in parts shipment which could ultimately cause major delays in the shipment of your vehicle. In addition, some vehicles are more popular than others and if the demand is high, it could take longer for additional parts to arrive. It can be difficult for manufacturers to satisfy their shipments due to these unpredictable circumstances. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Honest Answers to Your Car Shipping Questions

Yes, we always ask for your specific pickup and delivery addresses, if the carrier can get right to the addresses you provide, they will. If the addresses that you give us are not safely accessible for a Multi-car carrier, however, you will need to make arrangements with the driver to meet at a nearby location where the carrier can safely get in and out.

People do it all the time (rarely for free) but the official answer is no.

Not what you wanted to hear, we know, but that is the honest answer.

We are not licensed to broker the shipment of household goods and, likewise, no car carrier that operates in the USA is licensed to transport them from state to state either. Despite what you might be being told by other car shipping companies you may speak with.

Remember, at the end of the day we're all salespeople, and the true answer to this question is not a great selling point.

You will hear a lot of companies tell you that you can put up to 100 pounds of items in the trunk, but that is not entirely true. That fact is that items of that amount are fairly common and the department of transportation is probably not going to split hairs and fine the trucker over items of that amount, provided they are not over their weight limit. They could fine them, however, if they see a vehicle stuffed full of personal items so the car carrier will most likely try to negotiate something with you to cover themselves against any costs they could incur. It's not something we can build into your contract though.

We have a short and helpful video on this topic in our user videos.

Only in rare cases and car carriers will usually charge a premium to make it happen.

All dates given by car carriers are typically estimates and projections.

For this reason (and to keep your cost down) we ask that you build in some flexibility and give us the earliest possible date you would be WILLING to release the vehicle, even though it may not be your preferred date.

We'll put you in direct contact with your car carrier and the driver will also typically call you the afternoon or evening before your pick up and delivery (they won't just show up unannounced, and if they do we want to hear about it). However, car carriers are out on the road battling traffic, weather and any number of other factors that can and do throw them off of their pickup and delivery projections from time to time.

If the projected dates we give you come and you are unable to make contact with your carrier, please call our office immediately so that we may help resolve the situation.

The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will average 7 to 10 days. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling, i.e. from either coast to the Midwest might average 3-7 days.

Yes!

Even better, we do not even ask for payment until we have you confirmed for pickup by a safe, reliable, fully insured, direct car carrier. If for any reason you do not ship your car with the carrier that we arrange for you, there is no fee.

The fees paid directly to the carrier however, (in most cases, their fees are not paid until your vehicle is delivered) are not directly controlled by us, so any requests for a refund of the carrier's portion would need to be addressed with the carrier directly.

Of course! And you are always backed by our Damage Free Guarantee policy.

Part of what you pay us for is to verify that the car carrier that we put you on is covered by the proper amount of insurance and that everything is up to date.

There is never any additional cost to you for this coverage, and their insurance is always primary.

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