I have a question about the window sticker and I figured this was a good place to ask. Bottom right box of the sticker, can anyone translate that info? For example mine reads as follows: 4L291 N RA 2X 515 001632 11 29 04. The last three sets of numbers correspond to my build week 11/29/04.

The engine tag on the car's valve cover is 12/2/04. They must ship those engines from the Essex plant pretty quick to get them to Flat Rock. When they give you a build week, mine is 11/29/04, is that the day the actual production begins, or when all the cars parts are secure for production?

I find it amazing if the car actually started production on the 29th of Nov. Because the 29th is a Monday and the engine was completed on the 2nd of Dec a Thursday. There has got to be some lag time for getting the engine from Canada to Michigan. Anyway hope someone can answere these questions, a curious Mustang owner is inquiring. Thanks

 

google for "vin decoder" - that doesn't look like a Mustang VIN.

 

Not flaming here, but he said it was off his sticker...not a vin.

 

It isn't the VIN, the VIN is at the top of the window sticker. I have no idea what that number is though. My last set of numbers are 12 22 04 and the sticker on the inside of the door frame says my car was built 01/05 (they don't give the day, just the month and year). I guess this is plausable because build week of 12/22/04 probably stretched into the beggining of january because of break for Christmas. BTW, I bought this car off the lot, so I didn't go through the whole process of getting serialized, getting a build week, etc, so i don't know when this car was really built.

 

I looked up my vin using ford's vin decoder. does a sequence number of 181291 mean that there were 181290 mustangs built before me when I ordered mine in october?

 

Ken,

It means that 81,290 cars were serialized for build on that line before yours. Ford starts their numbering sequence for this plant at 100,001. What's not clear (and may never be) is whether that includes Mazdas too since they're built in the same plant although supposedly on a separate line.

I'm most familiar with classic Mustangs and in those days they built Mustangs and 2-3 other Ford products down the same line at Dearborn, MI and Metuchen, NJ.

Hope this helps, Chris

 

Bobby,
The 11/29/04 is simply the week that it's scheduled to be built. It could ahve been built any day during that week. Once the "build"starts, it is usually finished the next day. That next day, when it's finished, is your build date. The only way to find out exactly what day it was is to have the dealer (service dpt) run an OASIS report. Also if you take your car in for service, it will be on your printout. My guess would be your car would have to have been built on that Friday or the following Monday.

My build week was 2/21. The car was started at the end of that week on Friday, 2/25 but wasn't finished until Monday, 2/28. So by build date was 2/28, the week after my build week.

 

Jason, your comments follow what I was thinking. If the engine was built or completed on Dec 2 at the Essex plant in Windsor, Canada then the car's production more than likely started Friday or Saturday and completed that Monday.

I took my car in for service at 1,500 miles for an oil change and I swear the printout had a date of 11/29/04 by build week.

Thanks for the replies, I was just trying to do a little spare time investigating.

 

I don't think that date on the sticker is the build week. Mine says 02 02 05, and the car was built on 2/9/05, which isn't even the same week

 

well, considering that the build weeks start on Wednesday, 2/9/05 is on;y one day out of the build week of 2/2/05. It is possible they started your car on 2/8/05 (the last day ofthe 2/2/05 build week) and finished it on the 9th.

 

The date on my sticker is 2/23/05 which is exactly one week before actual build date of 3/2/05. I have no idea what the prior information is unless some kind of routing info.

 

The only things I do know about for sure are two things. During my waiting period for the car I was told by Ford that my build week was 11/29/04 a Monday. The other thing I know is that the engine was built 12/2/04 at the Essex plant in Windsor, Canada that is taged on the engine valve cover.

Thats why I made the inquiry on here, to see if anyone knew what that info in the bottom right corner of the window sticker ment. maybe that info could complete the puzzle............

 

FYI, the last three sets of numbers on my sticker are 01 26 05 and my car's actual build date was 02/03/2005, according to the report pulled from OASIS.

 

there could be something with it because I just checked mine and it said 02 24 05
and my build week was the 28th

 

No, the build week starts on Monday.

 

I will check into this Oasis report.
So here is what we have; Build week November 29th a Monday, Engine built December 2 in Essex on a Thursday, Car more than likely begins assembly Friday Dec 3 and Saturday Dec 4. On Monday Dec 6th it status given by Ford was, "Shipped via convoy carrier" So maybe this is how it all unfolded?

 

I was built 10/17/04 and the window sticker number says 10/12/04.

She arrived on a rainy Monday in November and came home to me 12/20.

10/17 was a Sunday.....Wtf?

 

April,

Wasn't aware that they ran the line on Sunday. Did you get the 10/17 date from the Oasis report? That is your best source.

Seems like most are saying that the date on the window sticker is earlier than the actual build date. That makes sense. We don't seem to be finding the old traditional build sheet in our cars. Some have even said that the window sticker is now the build sheet. If that is true, it would be printed up prior to the car being built and follow it down the line. That would make the date on the sticker just when the sheet was printed. There used to be some guys from the plant that hung out on TMS. You guys still out there? Comments?

 

Sunday...That's what I'm saying.
Whats an oasis report?
I found the carpet build sticker, and it says built 10/17 third shift.
I know she was built in October, from the door etc.....

 

An Oasis report is a printout that you get from the dealer when they service the car. It is there system for tracking various info such as maintenance performed, recalls, warranty start date and it also shows the actual build (completion) date. They would probably just look it up for you if you asked.

The various stickers and tags on the car often reflect the assembly date of a particular component. All of those should of course be prior to the actual build date of the vehilce as few if any components are assembled on site. The date from the Oasis is the excepted production date.