So I'm at a loss - I had a great sales experience at Tate - but my service experiences there have been subpar. My service experiences at Towson are great but the distance are too far for me from DC.

Reason why I ask - my 3rd to 2nd gear problem is back (I'm on my third clutch/flywheel), my sunroof is noisy and I'm getting ready to take a week and a half long trip to Maine (with Coopy the Dog).

So what would you do? Towson? Tate? Sterling? Forego all and write a sternly written letter to MINIusa and have them do a buyback on the car and start over?

Help.

 

Write a letter to MINIusa. I to am not sure where to go. Tate has little experience in the service dept. now, MoT seems to "break" things when I go in for service, and MoS won't give us a loaner.......

Good luck.

 

MoS had a sign up my last two service visits saying they provided a loaner if you had a job scheduled with at least 1 hour of billable labor... This chnage recently?

Third clutch / flywheel? Sorry dude! I wonder if it's a teething problem new model or a training problem techs not putting things back together quite right maybe?

I think I'd call or visit both Towson and Sterling, tell them of the problem and your concerns, and see who could convince me that they were the best qualified (and most interest in) fixing it for you. I'd tell'em up front that's what I was doing too. 'Tell me why I should bring it here'

 

It must have. EDGE told us that Mike Arata told him that we couldn't get a loaner because we didn't purchase there. I will have to give them a call.

 

Krutty...your 3rd? That's unacceptable. If you want, PM me for a rep's cell phone who's at Corporate up in NJ. He's the one I spoke to when I had my ...um...problem..with Tate. He gave me his personal cell #.
I think you need to call them and tell them of your woes, then go to the local dealers.
If getting a loaner is the only thing stopping you from going to MoS, build a bridge and get over it. I'm sorry if that sounds nasty, but do you want to get your car fixed or not?

 

My vote is to start over. This really sucks and is totally unacceptable to continue to have this insane problem with your car. MiniUSA needs to hear about it and they have to take responsibility for a car that is sub standard to the rest of their product.
I say get in touch with the rep and get it lemoned or what ever it would be that they do. That's the problem with new technology

 

Yes, but if Stacey can't get home because they don't have a loaner program, than why deal with them. That is the kind of bridge that I build.

 

My vote is for the buyback/lemon option.

Good luck!

 

Well, wouldn't anything with wheels and a running motor, do? That was my point...it'd be nice if it was a MINI, but does it have to be one?

I agree with Stace and UB...call corporate, get them to buy it back and start fresh. You're an expert at buying MINIs anyhow...

 

Wait, I thought MoS won't give you ANYTHING. That is ANY type of loaner be it a MINI, VW, Chevy, Ford, ... If the only thing they don't give you is a MINI, than I am sure S can deal with that.

 

Call Chuck at MINI of Sterling, Explain your problem and the difficulty in solving your problem. Ask if your situation warrants a meeting with the MINI zone rep and schedule an appointment. If Chuck offers to take a look at it -you will be offered a car - you won't qualify for a loaner from MoS but you will qualify for a loaner from Enterprise who has a desk in MoS you can ask if any BMW's or MINI's are available - however there can be a $15 dollar upgrade fee for a BMW. Do not smoke in the car - you will get a whopping bill for detailing

MoS runs their service department 20 hours a day - so make sure you are available by phone up until 10 pm in the evening. If they determine that you have a serious mechanical fault and they review your service record from the MINIUSA database - I assure you Chuck will go to the mat in dealing with both the zone rep and MINIUSA.

I reluctantly allow you to use my name when you speak with Chuck

 

Wow - that completely stinks!!!!! I'd be on the phone to all 3 dealers in the area - see what each one says. I'd also be on the phone with MINI USA as soon as possible. Especially since you are getting ready to take a nice needed road trip.... The LAST thing you need is to break down - especially with Coopy with you...

Donna

 

That may be the stangest thing I've ever seen written on NAM. In fact, I'm sure of it.
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By the by, When I said MoS had signs about loaners for 1 hour of billable, it was for Enterprise loaners I'm sure. I've never understood people who get their undies in a wad that they're not given a MINI or BMW loaner for a day or two service. Yes, a late model Enterprise loaner does me just fine too. But then I don't have delusions of grandeur. Or 'entitlment issues'. I'm secure enough in who I am that I'm not worried that someone I know might see me in a Chevy. Heck, I even let them give me a Pontiac Aztec once, which tops my list of the ugliest vehicles currently on the road.

Now, if you are talking a pretty extended time, for a warrenty item failure, I can see where you'd miss the MINI and desire another...

 

When I first had Spud, I was going to to Annapolis for service and experiencing... well , let's not go there. I even secured a Magnuson settlement as a result of the inability of the dealer to resolve the issues. I switched my business over to MoS about 18 mos ago and have had nothing but superior service. They also rebuilt the interior adding all of the fasteners that the other guys had left out (close to a dozen).
MoS will provide loaners through Enterprise, but Enterprise at that location is now offering Coopers and BMWs. As mentioned before, the loaner is offered for any service with more than one billable hour. Only available for warranty work if the car was bought from MoS. The loaner is often provided for as long as the repairs take unless the worked is stalled to wait for spare parts. (They seem to be flexible on that as well). I've heard of issues with MoS service from others, but not recently. They follow up by phone after every service visit to confirm customer satisfaction.

If I lived in Annapolis, I would still take my MINI to Sterling.

 

I was actually told (this was a while ago, now) that since I was not a MOS patron, I was NOT allowed ANY loaner. In fact when I spoke with whomever it was I spoke with, she was NOT very nice to me and that is one of the main reasons we have chosen not to take Soulfire there.
I guess things sound like they have changed concerning loaners though. Edge did tell me a bit about it when he asked for me.
But I will go back to MOT for SF and Cecilia. The only reason why I will go to Tate is because I have the tires for life program. Tate will take care of that for me.

 

and what kind of cachet does your name have at MoS? And why would you be reluctant to help out a DCMMer?

 

I have been told this in the past as well by the area dealerships. However, I have also found them all to be very reasonable if Isabelle was going to be staying for a long period of time. And, let's face it, I have been towed into dealerships three times in five years! I have always gotten a loaner - even from dealerships I did not buy from - when necessary and I was stranded. I have only gotten a MINI loaner once - and I think I have needed loaners at least eight times.

And I still LOVE my car - and the new transmission, battery, window motors, rear window wiper motor and assembly, fog light retrofit, driving lights etc. that caused me to need all those loaners.

 

3 times and it's not fixed...Sounds like the same dealer should be the one to fix this not another.

 

[quote=MINInurse;1591246]But I will go back to MOT for SF and Cecilia. /quote]

Well, here's hoping that Cecilia (and Soulfire) don't need to go back for much of anything! Besides mods of course!

 

At this point, SF does. Since they fixed the A/C there is a rattle in the engine compartment when you turn on the A/C, and there has become a nice dash rattle since then as well. So he will go back 1 more time at least before the warranty ends on him.

 

I've taken my Mini there twice now...though not on purpose. I called the Towson dealer after I bought my Mini from a used dealer in B'more, and they told me that I didn't have any warranty coverage remaining at all (for service or regular warranty issues), plus gave me what I thought was a pretty high price quote on a Type 1 Service (sorry if the vernacular is off...). I called up the dealership I bought from, and he called Tate/Annapolis and got a VERY different story, verified that I did still have manufacturers warranty coverage, and got a price quote for the scheduled service that was more than $100 cheaper!

Needless to say, I went to Tate! Service was done, the window motor in the drivers door was replaced, and all seemed well in the world. The only problem was, a few days after I brought it back, the interior handle on the drivers door came detached! Now, I have no problem with Bo Duke'n it in and out of my car on occasion, but with wanting to get my windows tinted and not being particularly fond of climbing over the center console are to exit the passenger door (it is the principle of the thing)...I wanted it taken care of! I called and explained where the handle came detached (at the base of the handle, where the connecting piece slides in and locks in place) and they told me to bring the car in.

I went to get it the next day, and they at first denied that the problem had been due to anything they had done. The gentleman who was my contact in the office was trying to explain how it had been a problem in the interior, and that it was a completely separate part from anything that would have been impacted by taking the door panel off. After going back and forth a few times, I finally opened up a door on a Mini in the showroom to show him where the disconnect was, and he seemed genuinely surprised. He admitted, then, that it probably was something they had done, and he did apologize. It also sounded like they spent a few hours replacing a part that didn't need replacing, but that was not my burden to bear, thank you warranty!

Since I had to drop my Mini off there anyway, I asked the parts shop to put a few goodies in the car for me. The glove box organizer, the grocery bag holder for the back, and a sunshield for the windshield. I was running late that Friday, and my Mini wasn't ready for more than an hour after I got there, so I counted three boxes in my back seat and hit the highway to try to make it to the O's game. I made it home with a few minutes to spare. I tossed the sunshield in the back with the grocery bag holder, and was amazed at how light the box with the organizer in it was. Why, it felt like it was an...empty box.

Now, shame on me for not checking before I left. Seriously, thats a silly mistake that 10 seconds of effort would have avoided completely. I can't honestly say that these were my thoughts when I got home though. I waited a few minutes to cool off, and called the service center and left a message about my experience. When I didn't get a call back by the following Tuesday, I called again. They had no record of my message. I was connected to the parts manager, and after a while, they agreed to mail one out to me so I wouldn't have to drive back in.

In all fairness, I do want to speak very highly of a gentleman named Calvin. He was my contact in service, and he was always polite, seemed to know what he was going, and genuinely seemed like he wanted to help me get my problems solved. He even offered me a loaner if I couldn't get my Mini in to him early enough that Friday for them to be able to fix the problem with the door handle. That said, that is about the *only* thing that would make me want to go back to that dealership.

 

Mr. F, please be very, very careful if you decide to use Tate service in the future.
Their service dept. is incompetent bordering on dangerous...ask me how I know this when we meet and I'll show you documentation I have of a lil "problem" I had with them in Feb. of this year.

 

After what a few people have had to say, plus my own experience, I don't think I will go back any time soon. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your experience, and if there is a better place I should post my story, I'll be glad to do so. This is the newest (and clearly the nicest!) vehicle I have ever had the privilage of sharing the road with, and I have *never* had any experience with dealerships or their service centers before. So, I thought it wouldn't hurt to post my story up here. Thanks for the heads up, and we'll chat this weekend!

 

After all, Tate is a four letter word! On second thought ,

 

Oohhhffff.. the clutchy/trans noise was bad yesterday in Maine - started the car up and it sounded like a tin can and marbles from the transmission housing. It went away after I got out on the road but man did it sound rough.