MiTT
Super User
Actually Dominic22 it's not at all like you describe above. I learned quite a lot going through this that I'll remember next time and may as well share here.
I now understand that the MSO is created by the manufacturer (in my case Audi) to define legal ownership until such time as the car is purchased by an end user or their leinholder. It's mandated by law that the vehicle to be brought into port with the MSO's, but once the vehicle is purchased and paid for by a dealer and the car is placed on a transport it's then up to the new owners to take possession of the MSO by whatever agent they feel appropriate. Very often the dealer will package all of the MSO's for a given shipment into a single parcel that they then send on to the dealership. Why they don't keep them with the Bill of Lading when the vehicle is shipped or send it overnight via courier I don't know, but in the case of my dealer they simply put them in the mail. Eventually both the car and the MSO end up at the dealer, but since the dealer has already paid Audi for the vehicle they have the right to sell the car even if they don't have the MSO in their possession. Once the car is sold the delar eventually has to send the MSO to the Department of Motor Vehicles so that a Title can be created, but there is some leeway in the timing. It varies from state to state, but I understand that in Colorado they scan a copy of the MSO for permanent records and then destroy the original when they create the title. The title is then sent to the new owner or leinholder. So in my case the dealer was correct - they could sell me the car, it was my bank where the mix up ocurred. I have also since discovered that Audi does have electronic copies available for every vehicle they have produced for the past 40 some years, and that dealers can get an electronic copy via their SAP portal, but that not all delears are aware of it.
So, knowing this, when I went to the bank and explained the above to the loan officer. I asked her if the copy of the MSO was a requirement for the bank (Chase) and she said no, but that it was for the underwriter. So then I asked her if we could call the underwriter. When we got them on the phone the loan officer asked them if there was any way they could "make an exception in my case" and approve the financing even though I didn't have the MSO? The underwriter then responded "well why do you need the MSO? We already approved this loan last Monday". By now I was steamed and the loan officer knew it. I had my check in hand within a half hour and was then on my way to the dealership.
The irony of it all is that when I showed up at the dealership my salesman came up to me and said "hey good news, the MSO came today."
I get what you're saying about how they can't magically make either the car or the paperwork just appear, but you have to understand that this particular vehicle is in high demand and has a 6-8 month wait list right now. I placed an order for it back in December of last year, so I believe it could have been coordinated better at the dealership and most certainly at my bank. And yes, I'll admit that after a 5 month wait I was also impatient to pick it up, especially since it had been at the delaer for a week waiting on paperwork that nobody seemed to know when it might arrive.
All's well that ends well though - I'm loving the car!
I now understand that the MSO is created by the manufacturer (in my case Audi) to define legal ownership until such time as the car is purchased by an end user or their leinholder. It's mandated by law that the vehicle to be brought into port with the MSO's, but once the vehicle is purchased and paid for by a dealer and the car is placed on a transport it's then up to the new owners to take possession of the MSO by whatever agent they feel appropriate. Very often the dealer will package all of the MSO's for a given shipment into a single parcel that they then send on to the dealership. Why they don't keep them with the Bill of Lading when the vehicle is shipped or send it overnight via courier I don't know, but in the case of my dealer they simply put them in the mail. Eventually both the car and the MSO end up at the dealer, but since the dealer has already paid Audi for the vehicle they have the right to sell the car even if they don't have the MSO in their possession. Once the car is sold the delar eventually has to send the MSO to the Department of Motor Vehicles so that a Title can be created, but there is some leeway in the timing. It varies from state to state, but I understand that in Colorado they scan a copy of the MSO for permanent records and then destroy the original when they create the title. The title is then sent to the new owner or leinholder. So in my case the dealer was correct - they could sell me the car, it was my bank where the mix up ocurred. I have also since discovered that Audi does have electronic copies available for every vehicle they have produced for the past 40 some years, and that dealers can get an electronic copy via their SAP portal, but that not all delears are aware of it.
So, knowing this, when I went to the bank and explained the above to the loan officer. I asked her if the copy of the MSO was a requirement for the bank (Chase) and she said no, but that it was for the underwriter. So then I asked her if we could call the underwriter. When we got them on the phone the loan officer asked them if there was any way they could "make an exception in my case" and approve the financing even though I didn't have the MSO? The underwriter then responded "well why do you need the MSO? We already approved this loan last Monday". By now I was steamed and the loan officer knew it. I had my check in hand within a half hour and was then on my way to the dealership.
The irony of it all is that when I showed up at the dealership my salesman came up to me and said "hey good news, the MSO came today."
I get what you're saying about how they can't magically make either the car or the paperwork just appear, but you have to understand that this particular vehicle is in high demand and has a 6-8 month wait list right now. I placed an order for it back in December of last year, so I believe it could have been coordinated better at the dealership and most certainly at my bank. And yes, I'll admit that after a 5 month wait I was also impatient to pick it up, especially since it had been at the delaer for a week waiting on paperwork that nobody seemed to know when it might arrive.
All's well that ends well though - I'm loving the car!
Last edited:
