Hey All! So I'm usually a regular at the other forum, but figured this would be useful information for all us soon-to-be Edition 1 owners. I made some calls to Mercedes Corporate and finally reached someone who could give me some better answers:
Got a call back from Simon, he's one of the head honchos at Mercedes Corporate. He let me know that many of the Edition 1's were sent back to the manufacturer to make changes/adjustments to the vehicle. He did not mention to me what or why, but said that the Edition 1 I ordered with the "fixed" parts will arrive in port tomorrow and should be available as early as Saturday for purchase and pick up. He apparently pulled some strings to have my car rushed.
Most cars that were "arrived in port on September 4th" weren't actually there, he claims. Most of them were intercepted in transit over the ocean. He wouldn't tell me what was wrong with the cars either, but that "it was really important for us to make sure these cars are up to our standard, and not rushed for the sake of getting it into the customer's hands." I swear, the guy sounds like Jonny Ive.
I asked him if this was true for other people with Edition 1 orders, and he said that the cars are being tested and sent back over. That delays can run from two to three more weeks out but "They're doing everything they can to get the cars to customers."
That being said - he did mention that I would be the first person in the nation to actually have an Edition 1. We'll see if that holds true - and if it does I'll post pictures with my 5s first, and then with a DSLR so everyone can take a look.
Will keep everyone updated!