The BMW Vehicle Distribution Center (VDC) is the point of entry for all BMWs, Minis, and Rolls-Royces arriving in the United States.  Join The Diesel Driver on an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour.

The final chapter of our BMW 335d’s voyage to the States has now been written.  The 335d left Bremerhaven, Germany, on 14 January aboard the MV Manon and arrived at  the Port of New York (which, in this case, is in New Jersey) on 31 January, a 17-day voyage across the Atlantic.  The Manon’s first stop was at the pier adjacent to the BMW Vehicle Distribution Center in Bayonne, where the 335d, along with its shipmates, was offloaded by stevedores.  The BMW Vehicle Distribution Center, or VDC (previously called the VPC, or Vehicle Processing Center) is, for all intents and purposes, an extension of the BMW factory in Germany.

The 335d was  driven directly to a segregated area at the VDC, where it remained until it was cleared by U.S. Customs inspectors, who physically inspect each car.  New cars are cleared through Customs electronically before the ship reaches port.  The 335d cleared customs in record time – within 48 hours of arrival.  Customs clearance for tourist delivery cars can occasionally take up to two weeks.

After the 335d was released by customs, it was checked for any damage by Automotive Visual Inspections (AVI), a private company hired by BMW.  Once AVI finished its inspection, the 335d continued its journey through the VDC.

BMW currently has three VDCs in the United States.  The New Jersey VDC processes ca. 100,000 cars per year and supports 12 states.  The West Coast VDC in Port Hueneme, California receives cars for the West Coast, and Brunswick, Georgia VDC receives cars destined for the southeastern United States.  Another VDC is planned for the Baltimore area, which will process cars destined for Mid-Atlantic states and the Central region.

The New Jersey VDC sits on 26 acres.  Over 87 BMW employees work at the VDC and their day typically runs from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The New Jersey VDC  processes an average of 300 cars per day (and, at times, up to 600)  including new and European Delivery BMWs, Minis, and Rolls-Royces, which arrive from Austria, Germany, South Africa, Spartanburg, and the United Kingdom.  The facility holds 3000 cars, and a recent 10-acre expansion can hold an additional thousand vehicles.

There are five departments at the VDC, not including administrative and management functions:

• Production – processes the car, performs the pre-delivery inspection, installs labels including the Monroney sticker, inspects for damage, removes shipping labels
• Workshop – performs mechanical repairs, campaigns, software updates; installs accessories such as driving lights and power kits
• Body Shop – performs body repair, paint, repairs of scratches and scuffs, paintless dent removal; installs body kits
• Quality – monitors procedures, reports issues to the factory, ensures quality control throughout the facility
• Parts – stocks and distributes replacement parts

But back to the 335d.  Upon entering the VDC, the 335d was washed and driven into the processing area at the VDC.  After its bath, USA-specific supplies such as warranty information and the fuel nozzle adapter (specific to diesel-powered cars) are added.

The 335d was then thoroughly inspected for any damage; for European Delivery vehicles, this includes damage that might have occurred when the car was in use in Europe as such repairs are covered by the special European Delivery insurance program.  No damage was found but damage could have occurred during use in Europe and during transport.  For cars with body damage, the VDC’s repairs are virtually indistinguishable from the factory’s.

Various stickers, such as the accessory installation warning sticker that goes on the windshield and the roadside assistance sticker, were placed on the vehicle.

The VDC is especially concerned with safety-related damage or defects such as a chipped windshield or gouges in wheels.  All defective parts are immediately disposed of to ensure that such parts do not inadvertently end up on a car in the future.

VDC personnel also check for any factory defects such as “airbag light on.”  Any campaigns (normal updates) are performed if necessary and the car’s paper trail is reviewed.

At this point, the 335d was placed on what the VDC calls the “pad,” which is where cars sit waiting to be trucked to the dealership.  Next stop: BMW of Tenafly.

Inside BMW’s Vehicle Distribution Center