That's my concern too. I don't want to finally get my car and it has 50 or more miles on it. :-(

 

The testing this "EPA hold" will require is 3 cars ,is what I have read and I dont believe they are going to use the ones that have been ordered by customers and then expect us to consider this a new car. These would be Test cars that would be sold as such IMO.

I dont see any reason the Minis will need a reflash or any modification. There is no problem with the cars. The only question I have heard centers around what is the EPA sticker going to list as the MPG

 

The cars won't even be tested until the 25th of Aug, it is a 3 day test. Then if it does indeed take 5-6 weeks to generate the report and have EPA approve it, they could miss the due date for the Oct EPA list. They only seem to publish this list once a month. So 1 Oct I think is optimistic that there are no issues and someone at EPA gives them some sort of priority over other manufacturers that are also trying to get their vehicles approved. Why should the EPA give Mini any preference? Because of their poor planning???

We did get in touch with Mini USA senior managers listed earlier in this thread. They did write back and said they would call but that was about a week ago and no call. The dealer offered to sell us a 2014 but obviously that is not what we wanted. This is my wife's car and she is trying to be patient, but I'm getting increasingly frustrated by being strung along with no information at all. Meanwhile our new car that we paid MSRP (-$250) is sitting at the VDC with the Sun beating on it, sea spray on it, engine oil going bad, interior material aging in the Sun, the battery going dead... if it were me I'd cancel the order and order a new one in a month or so. Mini has offered us no reason why we should accept this car. If we're going to wait until Oct anyway why not get a Sept build car that won't have sat idle for 2 months in the sun and heat?

We are new to the Mini brand and had a positive experience early on, but this issue has turned me completely negative to the brand and the way they are treating us. My wife isn't there yet but she is very frustrated. Maybe in another week she will give up too.

 

Where did you get your information from re: the August 25th test start date? I spoke to MINI USA, worthless as they are, and was told the test would be complete by then, not just beginning....??? I continue to question my MA, but only get a-lot of useless B.S.

 

I would reach out to mini again and I would reach out to Mr. Sadir Haji (Dept Head MINI Sales and Aftersales. He is the one who I talked with and gave some answers and solutions.

 

Your car is going to be fine weather / sun wise.

But if you are that unhappy, cancel.

I'm not thrilled about the delay, but in terms of life's problems, it's gnat sized.

 

I just had a representative from BMW/Mini call me. He was just making sure that we got the loaner car as planned, which we did.

I asked him about the status of the situation and got the same October 1 that we've heard a hundred times already. Just making sure there weren't any changes or unexpected delays.

Then he asked if there was anything else he could do, so I asked if Mini would be doing to appease the rest of the upset customers, including myself of course. I asked if I would be compensated in some way for my troubles
what the heck, why not? maybe they'll give me a couple hundred bucks off or some free accessories or something. I'll keep you guys updated, he said he'd look into it.

 

How about a Mini/BMW gift card - $25/day for every day our car sits before being released for sale?

 

This was posted earlier in this thread and someone from Mini was the source.

We did, he said he would contact us but has not after 11 days.

You would never intentionally store your car for 2 months outside like this. seals can dry out, the oil should be replaced, the battery will certainly be dead, it is near the coast and moisture can accumulate in places you really don't want it to. Like I said, it is my wife's car and she seems to be attached to it already. If it were me and Mini was doing nothing while all this was happening, I would cancel and maybe never come back. This is the first new car my wife has ever bought, so it is not a gnat sized event. Knowing that the car she is about to pay more for than anything she has ever bought in her life is not going to be 'perfect' when she gets it and Mini doesn't seem to care about it is frustrating beyond words.

 

Sorry, I missed that re: the earlier post.....Thanks. I understand your wife's attachment to the car and her anexity about the wait. It really is the dealers issue/problem to make that car perfect for her and everyone else who's waiting. Remember, she has the money they want, and by the October? release, they will be hungry as well. IF the car is not to her satisifaction, do not accept it till it is, or walk then. They will NOT want you to walk. Cars use to be shipped with "Cosomoline" sprayed on them. This was a gel type of covering that was a protectant against the elements and was removed at the dealership prior to delivery. Do not know if this is still used today. My worry about my car sitting is really the bird droppings that eat paint and quite often leaves a permanent stain if not removed. Better believe, I will fine comb my car at delivery. We all need to hang in there, but after delivery, this is not over by a long shot with me. I sold my car three weeks ago in 1 day and have been using my wifes car. It IS the dealer's problem, NOT ours.......................We have the money................

 

Damn you and your wifey are picky. I thought i was picky lol.
But anyways, I am famous with all my mishaps with my brand new F56 on this forum already.

My dealership where i purchased the car, wouldnt offer me any sort of help / assistance with any of my problems i have asked upon them.

To which the mis aligned hood i have, messed up bolts and nuts under the hood from the realiging of my hood.
They pretty much told me, u have bad luck and got a $h!!ttier Mini.

I work for Volkswagen which is right next door to where i bought my Mini Cooper. There are 3 Mini Dealers in Houston, the other 2 is about an hour or more drive to get to.

Working 6 days a week from 6am-6pm, i have no time to bring my car to other dealers to get help.

Now besides the hood issue. My interior pillar piece on the driver side is unclip and will not stay in place.

Im debating if i should take a day off just to bring it to a different dealer to seek help.


Honestly I like the car very much, but the dealer service is JUNK

 

I have seen some of the cars at my dealer lot before they are on the front lot and they have a lot of contact paper ( don't if that is what is called) on the car to protect the car during shipping. Rocket_man I would call them back and tell them you are very disappoint that they have not called you back yet I have do this a lot in my business if there is something I want. It your choice but in today society you can not sit back and wait for them. You can be mad and upset and do nothing and even cancel the order but it seems like your wife really wants this car.

 

Your car will still look like a brand new car when you get it. Sitting for two months is not going to ruin and it and the oil does not go bad after that short of a time period.

As others have said, if the wait bothers you cancel your car or figure out what it'd take to make it up to you and make a proposal to Mini USA.

 

I agree. My current MINI sat out day after day in the hot Houston sun for the first 6 years of its life, simply because we had a 2 car garage with 3 cars competing for a slot. The Bimmer and the Porsche always won. I cannot see any damage at all from that time, not even on the red paint. (I currently have 2 garages, room for 7 cars, so she thinks she's in heaven.)

As for oil, it's not being used, so I see no problem at all. When you get your car, run it for 1000 miles, then change the oil--I'll be doing that to mine. And would have done that even if it didn't have to sit. The battery might be down, but since that's a service/warranty issue, I wouldn't worry about it. I got 7 years out of the original battery, and it would have been okay for longer, but I chose not to tempt fate through the winter.

The cars are shipped with a coating. I don't know if it's still called Cosmoline, or if it has another name--it's waxy. That should be enough protection from bird poop.

I'm not really worried about the car sitting there. I AM worried about getting it in time for MINIs In The Ozarks (Oct 23-26), and I want to get my graphics before then if at all possible. The shop is working on the design now, and will be ready to spring as soon as the car has been sprung.

 

I wonder if the Cosmoline was washed off before the hold came through and everyone got parked, or if they left it on. I'm guessing it was already washed off because it seems it would just melt after days in the hot sun and what a mess that would be.

 

i'm sure BMW/Mini realizes that customers will not take delivery if they try giving them cars with bird poop baked into the paint. i do not know how they will handle this, but i am confident that my new car will look like a new car when it finally shows up.

if it doesn't, i won't buy it and you can bet i'll throw a tantrum over it! :p

 

It's possible that the first few cars might have been washed, but I'd be willing to bet that the ones still on the boat when the EPA put the hold on were left coated.

And as a few others have said, a new car is a new car. If it doesn't look like that when it gets to the dealer, kill the sale. I'm not worried. Irritated, yes.

 

I asked the EPA via a email when we can expect our minis to be released from import jail using the email address provided in this thread. I just got this response
Imports

9:06 AM (38 minutes ago)



to me

As background information, before a vehicle can be introduced into commerce in the U.S., it must receive a Certificate of Conformity (certificate) from the EPA which certifies that the vehicle meets all applicable emissions and fuel economy regulations. All manufacturers must submit an Application for Certification (application) to the EPA in order to receive a certificate. The reason that this model of BMW is being held at the port is because EPA has not received BMW’s completed application for this particular model, and therefore it is illegal for that vehicle to be released to customers if it does not have a certificate. Because we have not yet received the application, we cannot commit to a specific time frame as to when the certificate will be issued.

It is also important to note that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and other government agencies have their own regulations that may apply to this importation. While the vehicle may be legally introduced into commerce from EPA’s perspective once the certificate is issued, there may be other requirements beyond EPA’s purview that need to be met before the vehicle can be released.


David C. Hurlin
EPA Imports Line
Exemptions & Exclusions
Managed by Jacobs, Contractor
Phone: (734) 214-4098 or 4100
Fax: (734) 214-4676

So the EPA says they are not the hold up, BMW is the hold up. I provided my MA with a copy of this email from the EPA

 

Interesting response from EPA. Now 3 weeks after customers started hearing about this (about 4 weeks after MINI knew about it if they are to be believed) and there is still no official public statement from MINI. No longer can use MTTS as an excuse, sooooo........

 

There has got to be more to the story than that EPA letter. Does anybody think BMW hasn't gotten around to filling out the application yet? I can understand them screwing up and neglecting to do someone once which caused this but to lose millions in sales and still not correct the problem is unlikely. It's not quite so simple as that letter would indicate.

 

There probably is more to the story. But the EPA considers the above to be the story and we don't get our cars until the EPA certifies. The EPA is saying they cant do anything until BMW does their paper work.

"What We Have Here Is Failure To Communicate!"

 

I got the same response today.

I don't suspect that all of our inquires hurt, but from the response it's not necessarily going to help either.

All we can hope for is that when BMW gets their paperwork submitted that the EPA wheels can move at turbo speed to approve said input.

I am writing a reply to the EPA guy thanking him for the replay, and telling him we would all be grateful for expeditious processing once BMW submits their paperwork. We'll see if I get a second reply at that point.

 

So it's interesting that the EPA doesn't even manage this, but contracts it out.

Here's an post from two years ago http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...ll=1#post39023

Same guy, David Hurlin, but was managed by a different company at the time (Managed by URS, Federal Services, http://www.urs.com/markets/federal/) - our government bureaucracy at work

 

And this is from 2008:

David C. Hurlin
EPA Imports Line
Compliance & Innovative Strategies Division
Light Duty Vehicle Programs
Imports Group
Managed by EG&G Technical Services
Phone: (734) 214-4100
Fax: (734) 214-4676
2000 Traverwood Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Wow, this same guy keeps running the program, but gets hired by different companies as the EPA contracts this out to someone else. Sure feels like we are all getting our tax dollars well spent ...

 

Corporate welfare is nothing new. One thing's for sure: it's a slow process. Every bump in the road adds 4-6 weeks to the process. I'm a federal employee.