Changing specification before build
 

When I ordered our V60 T6 Plus in February you couldn’t add a 360 camera as an option. At some point in March this became an option you could add on.

I asked my dealer if I could add this and he said it would push my order back by 12 months - I want to know if this is correct?

With my previous BMW orders I could change spec as much as I wanted up to a couple weeks before build. They’re building V60 Ultimates with the 360 camera so it’s not as if it’s a part that doesn’t exist. I’d also like to switch to the recharge wheels too but don’t want to delay things further as our estimated delivery is already september.

There is normally a lock in date, would be useful to know if you've passed this point, hence new order..

Your car is locked to a version of the model specification in place at the time of ordering. You can’t change that association and can only make alterations based on the linked specification. This allows the factory to manage component delivery based on their view of future component availability so they may plan months ahead and honour as many builds as possible.

There is nothing stopping you changing options on your car so long as they appear on the specification linked to your build order. This can be done right up to “order locking” by the factory which is typically 1-3 weeks before build.

If the 360 camera was made available as an option later on, this would have been within an updated version of the specification which unfortunately cannot be retrospectively linked to an older order. This is why your dealer is advising you that the order will need to be cancelled and replaced with a new one and you’ll go to the back of the queue.

The 360 camera being available as standard equipment on the Ultimate is irrelevant. At the time of your order Volvo wanted to fulfil as many Ultimate orders as they could with the components it felt would be available at the time of build, which is why they did not make the camera available as an option on the Plus. I would imagine Volvo now expect this to be less of an issue at the time current order specification cars are due to be built in 12 months’ time which is which is why they have since added the camera as an option on the Plus as part of an updated specification as well as offering as standard on the Ultimate.

This isn’t just a Volvo thing. All prestige brands are currently managing the situation this way so not sure its entirely fair to compare your experience with your previous dealings with BMW.

For example, when I was in the market for my recently acquired XC90 I couldn’t believe that Audi were not even offering a panoramic roof, 360 camera or enhanced sound system as options on their Q7 – a £60k+ car. To get these items I had to opt for the Vorsprung trim which started at £80k+. Since buying my car Audi now at least offer the 360 camera as an option again but you’d be lucky to get a new factory order this side of Christmas.

That makes sense. Thanks for explaining. I'll stick with no 360 camera then.

No worries.

If its any consolation my car doesn't have it either and I miss it having had it in my last BMW. Thankfully its the only compromise I had to make opting for a physical car available now over a factory build available who knows when and despite this I am still 100% happy with my decision.

Yeah, the 360 3D stuff on my X3M was next level. The v60 isn’t quite as wide as the X3 so hopefully I won’t miss it too much.

Tell me about it. I had it on my X3 and my 6 GT before that. Agreed - its the best 360 camera in the business.