Official: Ordered Chevy Sonic Crew

[dvn]

Order status question. Laborsmith??

My order status shows the following:

Event Date Event Status
12/30/2011 (1100) Order placed at dealership. Order passed GM edit tables but dealer has not received allocation to place order.
12/30/2011 (1102) Order entered via web.

What does it mean that the dealer has not received allocation? Also, my interior shows as: ACI Jet Black/Brick Leather w/ PDZ

I ordered all black. Does this code indicate that they ordered the black/brick colors? Any input would be appreciated. This is my first time ordering a vehicle.

 

[Sonic]

Cars are allocated so many "tickets" to order vehicles. That means that at the time your dealer keyed in your entry they didn't have any "tickets" left.

If you are pulling your info from GMConnects.com, it is pretty common for their description of a vehicle to be incorrect. But if you are still concerned, call your dealership to confirm what your order was. Also, they should be able to give you a printout of your order.

 

[laborsmith]

Use of an allocation usually would take place the following Tuesday but GM is closed for the winter break until Monday so it looks like Tuesday (January 10) would be the first opportunity for the dealer to use an allocation for an order.

Your next step will be the 2000 (allocation used) status level than 2500 (accepted) as you progress toward 3800 (built) thence to 6000 (sitting in your driveway).

When I order I get a copy of the Autobook printout which shows what will be including all options, signed at the top of the first page by the salesperson and myself, and with the six place alphanumeric order number also handwritten.

GMConnects uses RPO codes that sometimes become outdated. My favorite example of such changes is RPO Z02 which at one time stood for push button radio and morphed through several changes until in the 80's it stood for turbocharged performance option, and at one time stood for sport appearance package.

Ordering any vehicle is like riding on a roller coaster, my suggestion is to hang on tight and enjoy the ride, and at the end you will look back at all the ups and downs with a bemused expression and a good sense of satisfaction. At least I do.

Laborsmith

 

[dvn]

Use of an allocation usually would take place the following Tuesday but GM is closed for the winter break until Monday so it looks like Tuesday (January 10) would be the first opportunity for the dealer to use an allocation for an order.

Your next step will be the 2000 (allocation used) status level than 2500 (accepted) as you progress toward 3800 (built) thence to 6000 (sitting in your driveway).

When I order I get a copy of the Autobook printout which shows what will be including all options, signed at the top of the first page by the salesperson and myself, and with the six place alphanumeric order number also handwritten.

GMConnects uses RPO codes that sometimes become outdated. My favorite example of such changes is RPO Z02 which at one time stood for push button radio and morphed through several changes until in the 80's it stood for turbocharged performance option, and at one time stood for sport appearance package.

Ordering any vehicle is like riding on a roller coaster, my suggestion is to hang on tight and enjoy the ride, and at the end you will look back at all the ups and downs with a bemused expression and a good sense of satisfaction. At least I do.

Laborsmith

Thank you!

 

[dvn]

Almost 2 weeks since placing my order and it still appears the same.

Event Date Event Status
12/30/2011 (1100) Order placed at dealership. Order passed GM edit tables but dealer has not received allocation to place order.
12/30/2011 (1102) Order entered via web.

Is this normal?

 

[laborsmith]

The plant was scheduled to resume production this week and your order went into the system in the middle of the winter break. I am not certain how this break affects orders, but today would be the first day since the winter break began that dealers are informed of their allocations so this coming Tuesday would be the first day orders would be picked from today's allocations.

I thought there would be allocations to be picked up last Tuesday, and it could be there were, but those went in the Thursday BEFORE the winter break.

If your order is picked this coming Tuesday you should find out the day after. Status 2000 means it was picked. Let us know Wednesday whatever happens.

In truth, there is nothing normal in the retail order process, only patterns.


Laborsmith

 

[bryandrews78]

Event Date Event Status
07/30/2011 (1100) Order placed at dealership. Order passed GM edit tables but dealer has not received allocation to place order.
07/30/2011 (1102) Order entered via web.
08/01/2011 (2000) Order accepted by GM. Dealer used allocation to place order into production.
08/02/2011 (2500) Order preferenced. Order pulled to the production system.
08/03/2011 (3000) Order accepted by production control. Parts being ordered and production process is underway.
11/05/2011 (3100) Order available to sequence.
11/08/2011 (3100) Order available to sequence.
11/10/2011 (3100) Order available to sequence.
11/10/2011 (3300) Order scheduled for production. Order is scheduled into the plant build cycle.
11/15/2011 (3400) Order Broadcast (internal plant paperwork order produced). Order is sent to various build & supplier areas to bring order together.
11/28/2011 (3800) Order produced and vehicle is being prepared for shipping. For Cadillac, GMC and Buick customers, please contact your dealer or customer service for further updates as no further updates available at this time.
11/29/2011 (4000) Vehicle available to ship.
11/29/2011 (4104) Bailment invoice created (vehicle is about to leave plant property).
11/29/2011 (4B00) Your car is bayed and is waiting for transportation by truck, rail or transfer to vendor.
12/01/2011 (4B00) Your car is bayed and is waiting for transportation by truck, rail or transfer to vendor.
12/02/2011 (4106) Bailment released (vehicle has left plant property).
12/02/2011 (4150) Invoiced (order is invoiced to the dealer).
12/06/2011 (4B00) Your car is bayed and is waiting for transportation by truck, rail or transfer to vendor.
01/07/2012 (4B00) Your car is bayed and is waiting for transportation by truck, rail or transfer to vendor.
01/11/2012 (4200) Shipped (vehicle is shipped to the dealer or interim point of delivery).
01/12/2012 (6000) Vehicle delivered to customer or dealer has completed customer paperwork.

I finally got my LTZ hatchback that I order way back when. I talked to the truck driver that dropped it off at the dealership and he said they had released a ton of Sonic's from hold. He actually normally ships for another plant but they brought extra drivers over to get the cars out. Which means that anybody waiting on a QC hold should be getting their cars soon. My car also only game in with 2 miles on it. So I'm not sure what there where checking and why it was in QC hold three times.

 

[SciroccoTDI]

Event Date Event Status
07/30/2011 (1100) Order placed at dealership. Order passed GM edit tables but dealer has not received allocation to place order.
07/30/2011 (1102) Order entered via web.
08/01/2011 (2000) Order accepted by GM. Dealer used allocation to place order into production.
08/02/2011 (2500) Order preferenced. Order pulled to the production system.
08/03/2011 (3000) Order accepted by production control. Parts being ordered and production process is underway.
11/05/2011 (3100) Order available to sequence.
11/08/2011 (3100) Order available to sequence.
11/10/2011 (3100) Order available to sequence.
11/10/2011 (3300) Order scheduled for production. Order is scheduled into the plant build cycle.
11/15/2011 (3400) Order Broadcast (internal plant paperwork order produced). Order is sent to various build & supplier areas to bring order together.
11/28/2011 (3800) Order produced and vehicle is being prepared for shipping. For Cadillac, GMC and Buick customers, please contact your dealer or customer service for further updates as no further updates available at this time.
11/29/2011 (4000) Vehicle available to ship.
11/29/2011 (4104) Bailment invoice created (vehicle is about to leave plant property).
11/29/2011 (4B00) Your car is bayed and is waiting for transportation by truck, rail or transfer to vendor.
12/01/2011 (4B00) Your car is bayed and is waiting for transportation by truck, rail or transfer to vendor.
12/02/2011 (4106) Bailment released (vehicle has left plant property).
12/02/2011 (4150) Invoiced (order is invoiced to the dealer).
12/06/2011 (4B00) Your car is bayed and is waiting for transportation by truck, rail or transfer to vendor.
01/07/2012 (4B00) Your car is bayed and is waiting for transportation by truck, rail or transfer to vendor.
01/11/2012 (4200) Shipped (vehicle is shipped to the dealer or interim point of delivery).
01/12/2012 (6000) Vehicle delivered to customer or dealer has completed customer paperwork.

I finally got my LTZ hatchback that I order way back when. I talked to the truck driver that dropped it off at the dealership and he said they had released a ton of Sonic's from hold. He actually normally ships for another plant but they brought extra drivers over to get the cars out. Which means that anybody waiting on a QC hold should be getting their cars soon. My car also only game in with 2 miles on it. So I'm not sure what there where checking and why it was in QC hold three times.

That is a ridiculously long wait....I hope you are happy with it though now that you finally can drive it.

 

[dvn]

5 1/2 months! That is ridiculous. I will NOT wait that long. If mine isn't ready by mid March, I'll be shopping. Looks like mine is gonna be at least three weeks before it is even allocated. I'm not getting a warm fuzzy................

 

[Sonic]

To be clear though, it appears he lost 3 months to the contraint, 8/3 - 11/5, then he lost a little over a month to what appears to have been a QC hold. So while your first thought is "ZOMG 5 1/2 months no wai!!~!!!1111" remember that your order apparently was held up by the Christmas/New Year/Winter shutdown. Perhaps you should have ordered a little sooner, or ordered after the shutdown, or just know that's why your order is sitting?

Yes, I didn't like my QC hold delay at all either, but what can one do about it?

 

[laborsmith]

dvn: This coming week should tell if it will be an extended wait. Once production stabilizes, it is five to six weeks from the date of an order's acceptance (2000) to delivery to the dealer. Be sure to post when you go to 2000 and 2500. As you may already have a TPW, delivery to your dealer takes at least a week before leaving the plant after assembly, usually two weeks, and depending on where your dealer is, it can take a day to another week or two to get to the dealer.

BryanAndrew appears to have one of the turbocharged LTZ orders that was first held up in production due to a engineering validation and then got caught in a Quality Check hold. Either one is frustrating, both together doubles down. But he was not alone, as it appears every early order 1LZ went through either one or both.

Laborsmith

 

[laborsmith]

Several decades ago, Chevy built vehicles with no attention to the final result. Quality control then was build it, park it, and if a part was missing (say outside rear view mirror) either let it sit in the yard until the part came in or ship it and let the dealer take care of it. Things have changed, now, even the assembly of the parts is designed to make it more likely they all go together as they should. They no longer need someone hammering a part into place as the vehicle rolls down the line, the part is designed to fit from the start. But this attention to detail comes with a price, which is no car is assembled without the correct parts and there are constant random checks to make sure it was assembled right. Once it was common for a new car to need to go in for replacing parts that did not fit or adding parts that should have been there before the car left the plant. The holds are what addresses these problems, so as frustrating as they are (and I have experienced them) their result is a much higher quality product today then what we could expect back then.

I just wish Chevy would be upfront and let customers know with some specificity why their car is being held up. I believe forums like this will help that day come sooner rather than later.


Laborsmith

 

[dvn]

Thank you for the reassuring thoughts. Forgive my ignorance, but what is a TPW?

 

[Sonic]

Targeted Production Week

 

[bryandrews78]

I can say the car was well worth the wait and I have driven more the 300 miles in it already, mostly through the couple feet of snow that has hit upsate New York since Thursday and the car has preformed fantastically even on the stock 17in tires. I agree with both Sonic and laborsmith that cars coming out after the new year will be much quicker then mine was to get to the dealerships. It is just one of the prices you pay for getting the car earlier in production. I posted my chevyconnects.com page mostly so other future sonic owners whose car was in the same boat as me or built around mine could have an idea of when they might be getting theirs. I would not expect anyone else to have such a long wait has the early LTZ turbo buyers did. I would order with out that kind of worry. Once GM gets rolling on production I have seen cars go from order to delivered in under 3 weeks before.

 

[laborsmith]

This is the pattern. Some go through without a hitch while others have all kinds of unpredictable hang ups. When you order before or during the beginning of production of any new model you should expect a wait. And this is not unique to GM. Part if not all is the complexity of a vehicle. My first pre-order for a vehicle was for a 1974 Cherokee, ordered in the summer of 1973. We expected to get it in November, but due to production delays it did not get built until December and we got it the first week in January. I have other pre-orders go like clock work, assembled when predicted and delivered to my dealer on the date first stated. You can never tell, but like I say, all you can do is enjoy the trip. Obviously I, for one, do.

Laborsmith

 

[silversurfer]

When you order before or during the beginning of production of any new model you should expect a wait.

Laborsmith

Where are we in the current Sonic production schedule?......... just curious because I recently (Jan 11) ordered my 1LT Sonic 1.4L Turbo! Thanks

 

[Sonic]

Where are we in the current Sonic production schedule?......... just curious because I recently (Jan 11) ordered my 1LT Sonic 1.4L Turbo! Thanks

Did you get your order number from your dealership? If so, begin tracking it at Connects | GM vehicle order tracking

 

[silversurfer]

I did not get the order number from the dealer, will have to check back for that, thanks for the tip!

 

[Sonic]

No problem. And when the dealer gives you a string of letters as your order number, they aren't out of their minds. It's actually letters.