I noticed in January that the domain name for the Quad Cities MINI dealer had been abandoned. Very shady that a Patrick Mini salesman told me early last fall that his manager assured me that the dealership would be open within a year, and that I should buy a MINI from them right away because the dealership would be open by the time I needed service. Needless to say I've crossed Patrick MINI off the shopping list.

I harass every MINI driver I can and the last two have given glowing reviews for Willis. I've had to put off my purchase for a while longer but I'm feeling more confident about finding service in the area now thanks to this thread and the helpful MINI-motorers I've met lately.

 

I have a good friend that works at Performance Concepts in Marion. They have serviced and repaired a number of Mini's in the area. They work on pretty much everything and do things right.

 

I have taken my MINIs to White Dog Garage in Iowa City, for oil/filter changes, but I have no experience with their repair work.

 

I too can vouch for the fine quality and MINI know-how of the folks at Performance Concepts.

 

I'm a Quad-Citian (don't throw anything at me, but I live on the IL side) and I've been pondering a Mini purchase for about a year. I already have one vehicle that I have to travel over an hour for warranty work (Sprinter) and I'm not sure I would like another. Sometimes it's convenient to blow a whole day on a roadtrip for service, but many times it isn't. I noticed that Willis says they'll pick up anywhere in Iowa...has anyone tried this?...especially as far East as the QCs? I can't imagine they're going to like picking a car up for an oil change 3 hours away...especially for "free"

 

Maybe some of our Quad-City MINI mates will chime in, but I'll share my perspective (and OBTW, we have several IL-based MINIs in our group -- all are welcome!).

The scheduled "warranty" maintenance is fairly infrequent, i.e., about every ~15K miles which includes oil/filter changes. Frankly, a lot of folks change their own oil more frequently because ~15K just seems excessive. Unless you're dealing with other issues, your trips to the dealership should be infrequent enough that the distance is palatable and far outweighed by the joy of motoring in the MINI.

One of the Service Advisors at Willis is a member of our MINI group. I'll send you a PM with his contact info and you can pick his brain directly. They've been pretty consistent about their willingness to do pick-ups just about anywhere. In my case, I'd rather do the driving myself.

 

Received a new thread notification email from NAM but can't find it -- must have been dropped somehow. Anyway, the info is relevant to this thread so I'm passing it along below.

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J&J motorsport is pleased to announce that we now have the autologic diagnostic system for BMW and Mini. Factory level capabilities from programing, coding to performance downloads...we are in Cedar Rapids,Iowa...and the experts in BMW and Mini...and all things German...Jack

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End Quote

 

have been known to play with Triumphs on occasions...Jack

 

Here's an added reference for anyone in NE IA looking for PDR (paintless dent repair) work.

I happened to notice a couple of "imperfections" in the passenger's side of Roheryn's roof in CR last month. No idea when or how they got there. Being OCMD, the situation dictated an immediate response. Through a referral from a local body shop I contacted Les Keune from West Union who specializes in PDR. Came to the house, did the work in my garage (took ~45 min) and did a great job. Good as new again.

Les Keune - Dentinator
PDR Service
704 Northwestern Ave
West Union, IA 52175
563-380-9280 (cell)

 

Tandem Tire in Clinton won't even install my Swift springs!!

 

Very good info! Gozer has a ding or 2 I would like to have removed.

 

Bumping this thread so it doesn't get completely buried.