I talked to a rep at BMW of Anchorage this morning and while she said that, yes, BMW of Anchoarge will get a MINI dealership, she had no details on when. I was hoping to get a firmer idea on when this would take place, but since I can't get any official info (from BMW or Anchorage or MINI USA), has anyone heard any rumors on when?

 

Whoever you talked to there apparently didn't know a whole lot. It's suppose to be up and running in 6 months according to MINI Corporate Headquarters and will be directily next door to BMW. Hope that helps!

 

That's great new! I figured this would happen. I've been hounding my CA for the past year about this should I go out and add a MINI to my fleet.

 

Whoever I talked to at MINI USA didn't know squat either...they told me they could only tell me where existing MINI dealers are located! I was like, "I can see that for myself on your website." That was my first interaction with MINI USA...hopefully they're more helpful for other issues.

Just out of curiosity, FunSze, did you speak with someone at MINI on the 6 months figure?

 

Yeah. I've been having serious issues with my car the past few weeks and can't get it fixed up here so I got into it with my dealer and was given a direct number to corporate. Hopefully they'll actually have it up here when they said they would!

 

I also heard the same as FunSize, but from BMW. He said to expect it Spring/Summer time frame. We're all pretty excited about it! And I for one, can't wait to put in my order...

I would keep in contact with BMW -- the gentleman I spoke with was Jim Petrik -- as they also stated they will be taking orders and may even be able to do warranty repair work sooner.

 

Would you perhaps be willing to share the phone number to corporate you were given?

I've had the infamous cold weather start problems with my MINI and I'm afraid my warranty will be expired by time they finish the dealership here. So i'm hoping I can make an arrangement for them to honor the warranty and fix it after the warranty expires since the problem occurred long before the warranty expired... I've tried calling dealerships and roadside assistance and they're no help.

 

I'd prefer not to give out the number that I have, sorry. But as for the cold start issue, they'll give you the same answer they gave me. Your ONLY option, is for them to ship it to Seattle to have it fixed, and you're responsible for getting it back up here. Unfortunately I'm having the issue and my car is 6 months old. I've called everyone I possibly can to get this resolved and MINI says they don't care. I am incredibly disgusted with the company as a whole at this point. I got the final answer from the GM of the dealership where I bought it from after he called Customer Relations himself, explained my situation and they told him "too bad, its on your dealership if you want to pay out of pocket to help her".

 

Doesn't this just make you sick! I'm also really fed up with MINI's lack of support for us. At least we're getting a dealership. Whenever I've taken my MINI to a dealer they have been very helpful so hopefully that will be the case.

I'm surprised though that your 6 Month old MINI is having the cold start issues, I was under the impression that they fixed that after the 2009 model year?
The good news is yours will definitely be under warranty once the dealership is finished.

 

Unfortunately my car won't last that long. I have to send it down to Seattle in a week or so. I'm having the cold start issue along with MANY others that are known issues with the car, MINI just refuses to turn them into recalls. Good luck with yours, I would call Customer Relations and see what they tell you.

 

Wow, that really sucks. Good luck. I might give CR a call, I'm just so sick of hearing the same thing over and over.

 

Any update on this? I'm getting ready to plan a service appointment in late May, but if it looks like the addition will be up an running late July/August I could easily wait. Either way it's a ferry ride from Kodiak, but it may be worth the wait.

 

I've been talking a lot with BMW, MINI and BMW of Anchorage.

This is what I've been told. BMW of Anchorage will have its MINI certification in spring/summer (I wish they could be more specific) at that point they can start performing work on MINI's under warranty.

If your MINI was recalled due to the auxiliary water pump you can pay to have it repaired at the BMW dealership now ($700-800) and then be reimbursed later once the dealership receives its certification and your car is inspected by them again.

If you're just having an oil change service and your MINI is no longer under free maintenance it won't make a difference though. Although the dealership will have its certification in spring/summer the actual MINI service center won't be finished until later.

 

Knock on wood, no water pump issues. And it's a 2011 Countryman, so I may hold off on the later service...i think the Jeep falls in the same length category as the Mini (shocking) so i could take it up instead while I wait and see....hmmmm.

Thanks for the update!! Either way I think this is great news for the Mini owners in AK!

M

 

Ok, I believe the water pump recall was only for 2007-2010 Coopers and Clubmans. So you should be fine there.

Since you're still under free maintenance I would definitely just wait until they receive their certification. Assuming they actually get in when they say they will.

How do you like your Countryman? I would love to trade my Clubman in for one.

 

I'm a little confused by this wording...so if you're still receiving the free maintenance service (oil changes, brakes, etc.), they'll provide the scheduled service, but if you're no longer under the free maintenance service, they won't service yor MINI even though you're paying out of pocket?

 

No, that's not what I meant, sorry for the wording.

BMW of Anchorage, "certified" or not, will service your MINI now if you are paying out of pocket.

I meant that the only reason to wait for them to be certified is if you are wanting it to be done for free under the free maintenance program.

 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Countryman. It's my first Mini, but when I saw it announced a few years ago (seemed like ages before they could actually be purchases in the US)...I was sold. Bought it in Missouri over the summer and drove him back to Kodiak. Not a bad way to break him in.

Consistently impressed by handling and capabilities. Threw a set of studded tires on and I haven't yet found a day that I haven't been able to drive though heavy snow, wet snow, ice, etc. I live at the top of a very steep hill and Archie just climbs right up. Very impressed.

 

Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying. My MINI's still down in CO and is due for her 2 year check-up in April. I'll get that done when I head back down there and then will drive her up in May!

 

Well, Lil' Chili finally arrived in Anchorage just before Memorial Day weekend! Before she left CO though, I was able to get her front brakes replaced despite them not quite being to the minimum spec yet (thanks for helping us, Ralph Schomp MINI!). While there, the SM said that Anchorage was definitely getting a MINI dealer this year. However, I'm not seeing any visual signs of one downtown here. I did see the Toyota dealer across the street from BMW of Anchorage is out of business though...any chance the MINI dealer would take up residence there? Anyway, I've got about 2600 miles/October to go until I'm due for my next oil change...hope we've got something by then!

 

I don't know how "official" it is, but I just got back from ANC...asked about getting my countryman serviced (from Kodiak) thus summer. I was told middle of August. You should be good....

 

I was told they are building the dealership right next to the BMW dealership in that empty parking lot. He said the surveyors were out there earlier that day.
But that was before the Toyota dealership moved to the old Seward. So I'm not sure, it would certainly be surprising if they had that finished by August. He told me they couldn't service MINI's until October or so! That was a few months ago that he told me that though.

 

So while feverishly scouring the 'net, trying to find an answer to my questions, I stumbled across this forum. My wife and I are bringing our 2011 MCS to Anchorage with us and are concerned about warranty coverage. I must say that this thread has given me hope, especially since we won't be there until early '13. I would absolutely love any update on this topic.

If we can't be sure of warranty coverage, we will most likely sell the MINI before we move. Neither one of us really wants to do that.

As an aside, is it difficult to sell a used MINI in Anchorage?

Thank you in advance for humoring the new guy.

 

Hey ChadMick, The MINI dealership will supposedly be open in February 2013. So I wouldn't worry about selling your MCS. Furthermore, I talked to the BMW dealership yesterday and he said they will be able to start performing warranty work as soon as they get the go ahead from MINI, he said that could be tomorrow for all he knows, they're just waiting for the call.

 

As of 9/10/12 here's BMW's new Mini dealership in Anch status:

1. Still not certified to do any warranty repairs except for recalls,
2. One mechanic has been sent down lower 48 for Mini tech training,
3. Still no firm date on when new Mini dealership will break ground,
4. The "Mini Dealership" (on the lot east of the BMW) will only be a show room,
Service and maint for Mini's will still be at the BMW service dept,