update - I got a call and they say my car is ready for pickup. that doesn't mean it's done however. they never ordered anything for the blemish on the dash panel, at the 2 O'Clock position of the speedo. Sounds to me like no tech even looked at that until last night. In fact, they didn't even see it - I'll have to point it out to them when I swing by. So, another trip back in the near future it seems.

no apology call yet made to my wife - at this point, it appears that was just an empty promise (one of many). Also, I found out she had to wait an hour yesterday for her car after she was called and told it was ready for pickup. her Starbuck's coffee mug was also not put back in the car - minor issue, but given everything else, this is what she's most upset about.

 

Patagonian GT, I wouldn't bother going back there. Perhaps you should speak with an SA manager at MoT or Tate and see if they can take care of your delivery issues.

 

agreed. sad, because my wife works two blocks from MoS and it's on my way to work...very convenient vs. a an hour drive. <sigh> guess convenience is not greater than competence, eh?

 

Sometimes just going somewhere else for piece of mind is well worth the distance.

 

Back from picking the car up. Un****ingbelievable (I've censored myself). Craptastic news.

At delivery, the car had a scratch on the black roof about an inch long over the driver's door. They apparently 'fixed' this first early last week. Their 'fix' is touch-up paint. They offered to repaint the whole roof after I pointed out the subpar repair - lot of good that does me now, with graphics scheduled for 1pm tomorrow.

On the phone, I was told they couldn't reproduce the pull to the left. On the service ticket, the tech states he could reproduce it. Huh? They did check the alignment and it was spot on. they said that without the stock wheels and tires, they can't go further. Apparently, having stated up front that it has done this with the stock set, ASA's with Goodyear F1's and the current BBS set doesn't rule out the wheels and tires. The stock set would have been on the car had I not sold them a week after taking delivery of the car.

 

Maybe you should go up there with Edge Once again our great area MINI dealerships have outdone themselves in outstanding customer service by going above and beyond for their beloved customers.

 

He was there while I was there yesterday. We just missed making connections....he saw me talking to Brian but didn't want to interrupt. Even if he had, sadly, the outcome would have been the same.

They want the car back in another time soon for the dash blemish and offered to swap a set of stock wheels/tires on at that time to get over that hurdle with a warranty claim. I understand the procedure and appreciate their willingness to do that, but having the car for two weeks now it would have been nice to have them do both items in the ample time they had the car.

 

Will the roof graphic cover up the touchup area? If so, I hope there is some clearcoat on it.

 

no, the roof is getting two stripes - the scratch is in between the sunroof and door

 

Any idea where to look in Northern VA? Something closer to DC than Sterling would be great.

 

Patagonian, any update?

 

not a word from MoS. I plan to give a week or so...then, call them on it (again) for not following up. I do have the Gallup new owner's survey sitting on my kitchen counter waiting to be returned. It's a shame a bad survey only affects the MA.

I sent an email last week to the GM asking for a call...you'd think he'd reply.

 

Check out UAG in Winchester, Va. Do a great job on BMW'S and Minis.
1/540/868/1300 and ask for Matt or Joe

 

that looks sweet, I've never seen a MINI like that

 

thanks! here's the actual pic, now that the work's done

 

update - well, there is none. I've not heard a peep from MoS since I picked my car up. They were supposed to call me when parts came in (they owed me my stock center console back after the armrest install but misplaced them). I did get a postcard in the mail that parts had arrived - stopped by Monday and waited 30 minutes while they dug around. Turns out someone ordered me a speaker.

I popped over and grabbed my MA and asked him to call me (he was with a customer). Nothing. Emailed Brian Latimer yesterday to follow up, as it's been three weeks (and nobody called to apologize to my wife).

Sorry Haemish I know you are a fan, but M0S gets a big 'two thumbs down' rating from me. I've been patient. I've been understanding. I've gotten nowhere for it.

Still have the discoloration under the rear wiper, still have the scratch on the roof, still have the blemish on the dash that the parts should have been ordered for in August.

Will calling MINI USA get me anywhere, or should I just bite the bullet and take it to one of the MD dealers?

 

Dan, The car looks great!.

I have to admit, I see a lot of mixed reviews of MoS. Personnally, I have never had a problem with them. More recently, Tuesday I was able to schedule a service appointment for yesterday. Got the car in at 0700, a loaner, and picked it up at 5pm...to include being mis-quoted on the service price (lower not higher) so when I arrived to pick the car up, my service rep (Joe Bonomolo) informed me about the mistake and then gave me the lower price, deducted the shop charge, and did not charge me for labor for part of the service. I can't say enough good things about the service! I will continue give MoS the benefit of the doubt due to my own experiences.

Just my opinion

 

update - no email back. Sent another, CC'ing the SA, MA and GM. Almost a week goes by and no reply or phone call (after stopping by in person last week as well).

I call in three times today and finally leave a message for the GM with the front desk. He calls me back and is under the impression that my car is done and taken care of. :furious: We talk about the list of things to be done and he mentions that the blemish on the dash is something they won't cover. WTF? He offers to order me the part, but says he told the service manager that this wasn't a warranty item because I didn't report it at delivery. Umm....I did make a call to the MA within a day or so to mention it and the other issues. The service manager also had told me when I picked up the car three weeks ago that he'd order the part to fix that and let me know when it came in.

Just got another call from the svc. manager and they want me to bring the car back in next week. We'll see.

If I don't get satisfactory resolution, I'll file a complaint and this will be the last car we buy from Sterling and quite possibly MINI. We're in the market for another vehicle (something SUV'ish and 4WD to replace the Subaru).

 

Since this is effectively still a delivery issue, and therefore part of the "sales" side of the equation, I would recommend you also speak with Mike Arata regarding your problem. I actually placed a call to him late last week regarding your situation (suggesting he look into it), I left a VM. I was at MoS briefly on Saturday, and I looked for Mike, but one of the other sales people told me that he was off then, and also today.

 

This is what sucks about so few dealers! Minis would have a lot more satisfaction if dealers were more plentiful so that one didn't have to drive so far to be told to go ****** off! Anyway, many of us that still really like our cars tolerate the spotty service we get. Some are much, much better than others, but if you don't live close to one of them, that does you little good.

Anyway, good luck getting this all straightened out.

Matt

 

Thanks Haemish. It is appreciated. I see it as a delivery issue as well - in hindsight, I should have left the car there, but after two months of waiting for it to be built, that's a tough pill to swallow (we had the same issue with the Cabrio being delivered with summer rubber instead of all season two years ago - you'd think we'd learn patience!).

 

update. dropped it Tues AM as requested. Got a call late yesterday that the dash panel is on national backorder and that Sales couldn't find anything wrong with the roof and told Service not to do anything. So, three more days at MoS with nothing done to the car. At least I got a cool loaner car.....Ford Taurus baby!

Conclusion - MoS is a comedy of errors. It gives me no pleasure, but the survey I've yet to fill out for the new car purchase won't be a positive one. I'm mad that it will affect the MA because it's not his fault. I think I've been patient - car was delivered in July and it's a week from Thanksgiving.

 

That stripe looks great. I really hate that MoS is such a problem. When I bought mine last year one of the big things that pushed me over the top on MINI was that I would have a dealer just a few miles away (I thought "How Convienient!" DOH!). Luckily I haven't had anything big that needed repairs, however they dropped the ball when I did go in for my oil service. Similar problems to yours, bad communications, promisses about when it would be done and then not even looking at the car.

I was told that they had lots of things happen that week, and got really busy. Like was said in one of the posts above, that's not your problem, and you shouldn't have to pay for it. Until we get a dedicated MINI service center we'll always play second to the BMW's, if only because they don't have the space and bandwidth for MINI.

MoS screwed up the one big chance they had to prove that they could do the job for me. I'm very picky about how a shop treats my car and I don't have the time to waste on them, when I need my car fixed it has to be done right the first time. There are plenty of good local shops that I'd trust more. Barring some large warranty issue I'll go to my local shop, otherwise I'll give MoT a call since most reports seems to be very good.

 

Patagonian, not to deminish what has been going on with you and MoS, but why did you let this go for so long? I mean, I would've put up a major stink as high as I could and tell them to replace my car and perhaps take more legal action. Perhaps it is me, but I don't let crap like this go on for to long just because it always develops into something bigger. I do still feel for you though and wish you the best of luck. I would DEFFINATELY chang dealerships once the problems are fixed and write a letter to MINIUSA and MoS heads about your issues. Did you get any work orders everytime you went in for these issues? If so, provide coppies and any other information that will assist your case and perhaps you may get a letter apologizing or something. Good luck man.

 

I will absolutely be communicating my experience to MINI USA. As soon as I pick up my car.

It's taken this long because I've let MoS call the shots - it's obvious that I wouldn't get better service had I been any more firm about what I want. Even Tony Morehead was less than positive or helpful with me on the phone after multiple emails and phone calls - it took that much effort to get him to call me back. I started calling the front desk and having him paged without giving my name. Every person I've talked to has agreed that I have every right to be upset, yet none has taken the initiative to do anything to fix the problems. Everything that has happened so far has been from me picking up the phone, emailing or stopping by and pushing the issue.

One thing is abundantly clear - Customer Service is not in MoS's playbook.