Hey guys! Pretty frustrated with my new leased 2015 Mini F56. Picked up the car in November. It's been in the shop multiple times for the same issues and still not fixed.

Issues ranging from electronics needing to be replaced, steering items replaced, suspension noises which still are not fixed.

I've had a loaner since early this week and don't expect to have my car back by the middle of next week.

Would calling Mini USA customer service be any good at this point in asking for a replacement vehicle or do I just need to wait for the lemon law timeframes to kick in.

 

Can't hurt to contact them, I'd do it in writing but it probably won't get you anywhere. Start a social media thread about your troubles, that will get more traction than anything these days. Companies hate that kind of stuff.

 

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Only thing I have to add is "document, document, document". Times, places, who you spoke with, etc.,--issues and results. Extremely important.

 

Find a lawyer in your area that deals with "lemon law". If you have a case it should be no cost to you, the lawyer fees are paid by the manufacturer.

 

Check your State's lemon law and follow it to the "Tee". They do vary from state to state.

As mentioned in a prior post, there are lawyers that specifically handle these types of issues. Contact one with your particulars and see if he thinks there are grounds to proceed.

Sometimes these frustrations with a car can make you think you have a case when in reality, it's just a series of manufacturing defects (that make it seem like you have a lemon) but can be resolved individually. The lawyer can certainly guide through this diagnosis as it relates to your state's lemon law.

Sorry to hear of your problems.

 

Have you talked to your dealer about this? That's where I would start.

 

Sounds more like the lemon is punching a time clock in the service department.

 

mine also spent several weeks in the shop for front suspension issues, steering parts, and unsolved rear suspension noises.

The F56 may appear to be a higher quality than older Mini's when touching the squishy things inside, but unfortunately the issues are all still there.

My wife's had been trouble free for 21k miles, but then this past week the rain sensor gel started leaking out of the rear view mirror. Not major, but still another common problem.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I'll keep this thread updated with what I find out. Something else that really bothered me is that they stated the would be swapping parts out of a loaner car into my car to try and fix the issue.

Anyhow, called Mini this morning and talked to a resolution specialist. They asked if I wanted to to surrender the car or get a replacement. I stated replacement. We'll see how it goes.

 

Sounds like surrender is a buy-back. Interesting............

 

Wow, keep us posted. Would be nice to see a manufacturer step up for a change.

 

Update: Car still at the dealer. They called today and said there's a service bulletin that advises them to use a special grease to fix some of the noise issues. They have ordered the special grease and it should be there tomorrow. I'll bite my tongue for now.

 

There is a potential joke here, but I'm not going to utter it.

Hope it works out.

 

If you can't tell a joke among friends, who ya gonna tell it to?

 

I'll only suggest that he shouldn't turn his back on a car dealer who has special grease. Ba da boom!

 

You and Henny Youngman!

 

Update again: Still don't have the car back. Dealer didn't call me today. I call them at 5:30. I was told they are still waiting for the grease. I called Mini Customer relations again to relay my displeasure and was told the regional manager is involved with getting a resolution.

 

Update:

Car still at dealer and I still have loaner. I've been told the grease that was ordered is not made by Mini which is why it's still in transit. Mini Customer Relations has not gotten back to me yet.

 

Car is still at the dealer until sometime next week. Grease is still waiting to be delivered. I was told the reason why they have the car so long is that in case this issue happens again with another vehicle (as this is a new model) they will know how to fix it.

 

UPDATE: Talked to service advisor and he read me the email that the tech sent him who was working on the car. Apparently a whole host of new issues came up. They don't know what exactly is wrong, but now they are replacing all the shocks/struts on the car and other issues. Service advisor is emailed Sales manager to work on getting a replacement vehicle. Mini Customer relations offered compensation of the out of service time (aka a monthly payment refunded).

 

Don't take this the wrong way but MINI is *not* going to replace or buy back your car. I had a similar situation several months back and your story with corporate is going the *exact* same way mine did. In the end I was offered a gift card for the purchase of some MINI accessories and "consideration of payment assistance with my current monthly payment" provided I signed a non disclosure and did not speak of the events further. As you can tell, I took neither deal.

MINI and/or BMW is not in the business of buying cars back and will not buy them back unless they strongly believe they would lose a potential case in arbitration (something you agreed to by purchasing a vehicle from them, believe it or not, you don't get to go straight to court and demand a buy back/replacement; and believe me, arbitration is not fun, been there/done that for something different and the end result is no body wins except the lawyers and arbitrator; also keep in mind MINI/BMW has top shelf lawyers on staff so it's no big deal for them to attend arbitration). I've seen cases a lot worse that yours and mine where MINI did not buy back or replace the vehicle -- they provided something but each case was sealed with a non disclosure and the end result not published or known.

If you want a new car/replacement you are going to have to get an attorney involved.

MINI's attitude will change as soon as your car is fixed and I can tell you the basic type of call your going to receive... something along the lines of "We see your car is fixed and you've picked it up, sorry for the troubles, how about X dollars for your current monthly payment and a gift from us". When you say yes, no, maybe the tables will turn to "you still have X months of warranty left and we stand behind our vehicles and dealers making the repairs so we don't deem a replacement or buy back the proper course of action at this time, good day, good bye, and don't call us again about this issue unless you lawyer up.

 

I have to agree with you regarding Mini corporate. They have been nothing but arrogant and condescending when I've called them. I ask "what is the status of my case?" They reply with "I see your car is being repaired." I have to remind them I'm clearly aware of that as I don't have the vehicle in my possession and I'm asking about the case to turn in or have the car replaced. They get sassy at that point. They also don't call me back when I leave a voicemail.


The dealership has been much more helpful. Supposedly they are going to be putting me in a new car MY2016, but I won't know for sure until today. They still haven't been able to fix the car. The sales manager is keeping in touch with me.


If this isn't resolved my local news station's consumer help desk will be notified of the situation and hopefully they can do a story on it to warn others of MINI's treatment of clients.

 

In my case the dealership was most helpful as well, however, keep in mind the dealer is not going to replace you vehicle without MINI/BMW involvement. If they do, they are simply doing a standard vehicle trade, giving you X for your car and selling you a new one which should be a Win-Win for them as I'm sure you get a low ball offer for your trade-in.

While I agree with you 100% MINI should do the right thing this is not a specific fault of MINI, all manufactures have this exact same position and stance. No manufacture wants to buy buy/replace the vehicle and will fight to the end with the consumer. Happens all day everyday. You also need to loop in your local state agency regarding then lemon law; it's different in each state and you have to follow very specific instructions for filing a lemon law case.

In my home state I had to first contact the manufacture certified mail with my concerns and provide proof of this contact to the state. Next I had to file a "demand for final repair" certified mail using state approved form. The manufacture then had 21 days to contact me to arrange for repairs and loaner transportation. MINI knows the *exact* laws of each state and contacted me by certified mail on day 19 to advise of the dealer and appointment date/time. Once that is complete they follow back up with you and the state, again certified mail advising the repair is complete and no lemon law can continue. You can protest this and move to the next step demanding a replacement/buy back but your case will fall on deaf ears as it's now in writing the repairs have been made and you have to start back at square one again. It's all designed to hopefully make the consumer forget a step in the legal process, get tired of all the steps and just give up. Even a lemon law attorney will advise you the chances of winning the case are low and the fee to get into arbitration for a 50/50 shot of winning out weighs the possible benefits. Unless you have a serious accident which caused yourself or others bodily harm due to defect or mechanical problem with the vehicle not corrected by the manufacture under the lemon law process the chances of winning a lemon law case are very slim.

Sorry man, not trying to rain on your parade, just telling you what I know from dealing with something similar myself. I took my case to an attorney and was told "don't bother" unless you want to throw some money out the window for grins and giggles. His words, blow them up on social media, trade the car, trash talk them to others, etc. but don't waste money chasing a billion dollar company on a $30,000 car buy back/replacement.

 

Couple of things worth noting. Lemon laws vary by state. Here's Florida's:

Typically, there are two situations that require prompt and corrective action from the manufacturer. If the consumer has either provided the manufacturer with 3 or more times to repair a recurring problem or the vehicle has been out of service for 15 or more days, the consumer may seek relief under the Florida Lemon Law. After either occurrence, the consumer must provide written notification to the manufacturer that gives them a final opportunity to make legitimate repairs.

Once the manufacturer receives the written notice, the manufacturer must promptly schedule the final repair. If the final repair does not correct the problem, then the consumer may seek relief under the law. To initiate this legal relief, the consumer must first resort to informal dispute resolution assuming the manufacturer has a state certified arbitration program in place to resolve such a claim. If no such program is in place, or informal dispute resolution is not successful, the consumer must then apply for arbitration through an Arbitration Board administered by the Florida Attorney General with locations throughout the State of Florida. Notably, claims for arbitration must be filed 2 years and 60 days after the vehicle was purchased or leased. Therefore, it is important that you act quickly to preserve your rights.


See link below for assistance as going in representing yourself will likely fail. Also selecting an attorney for these type of cases can be expensive. Again, see the link below to mitigate the expense.



After filing a claim, an arbitration hearing is scheduled. A decision is rendered within 60 calendar days from the date your arbitration request was approved. If the decision is in your favor, the Board gives the manufacturer 40 days to either replace the vehicle or refund the purchase price at your option less a reasonable offset for your use of the vehicle. The choice is yours.

In addition to recovering the purchase price of the vehicle, you may also receive collateral and incidental expenses. These include finance interest charges, registration fees and sales tax. If you would prefer a replacement, the manufacturer is responsible for providing a replacement vehicle that is up to 105 percent of the initial vehicle’s suggested retail price.


Next, consult attorneys that specialize in Lemon law arbitration. Most will charge a nominal (or no) fee to start the process. You have zero out of pocket if they take your case (and they won't unless they are confident you have a winning case). They do all the leg work and get reimbursed by the car companies. If you attempt to hire your own attorney, you pay the bills as you go and because your attorney probably isn't well versed in the lemon laws. There are plenty of lawyers online in your state or in the yellow pages. Document your repairs and time spend and moneis expended for ancillary costs.



http://florida.lemonlawgrouppartners...FU6QHwodUEwB1g


It's not going to be a quick process, but rewards are usually very reasonable. I know of one such arbitration deal (they can vary based on offers and counter offers). This was not a Florida outcome, but the consumer, kept his car, got a cash settlement and a lifetime warranty on the vehicle (for as long as he owned the car - full coverage bumper to bumper).

 

UPDATE: After a lot of back and forth with Mini and the Service and Sales Dept. they have agreed to a Trade Assist/Substitution of Collateral into a different model Mini. Car was given back and the noise is still present and worse than before. They said the noise cannot be fixed and it's inherent to this model which is why they aren't swapping it out for the same model. I'll be getting the 4DR version. I have to pay nothing out of pocket.