I have a very interesting experience that I would love to share with others in the hopes that it will never happen to you. I do have faith in MINI dealers and believe and truly hope that this was an isolated incident.
The whole problem started two weeks ago when I went out to my car to start it and it would die out after 2-3 seconds. It continued to do this for the next day. (had to ride my bike to work- good exercise) I called the Chicago area dealership and they told me to get in contact with MINI roadside assistance. MINI roadside assistance was very helpful, got my information with correct address and had a flatbed out to Iowa the next morning to take my MINI to Chicago to get it looked at.
Apparently when the car got there it started up and ran fine for them and after numerous road tests and diagnostics they could not find anything wrong. What is worse than not knowing the etiology of the disease so that you can treat it. So after 13 days of having my car and not finding anything wrong, they sent it back to Iowa.
Now the Service Manager said it would be leaving at 6:00pm and arriving at 10:00pm that evening. The manager though forgot to verify my address, and what happened but my car did not show up at 10:00pm. I wasn't sure who to call because I was given no contact info by the dealer and there were of course closed at that time. I decided to call the company that took my car to Chicago in the first place and the guy I talked to there actually remembered me but said that they had no word on anything. So I decided to sleep on it and hope that my car was ok.
The next morning I received a call from the Iowa towing company wanting to know if there was anything they could do and if the car needed to be picked up. I called the dealership that morning and the sales manager I had been dealing with was off for that day. After about five phone calls to the dealership I finally got a hold of the MOD.
He explained to me that he had been in contact with MINI roadside assistance who was in contact with the towing company being used by the dealership and they explained that they dropped the car off at 2:30AM. Thats right 2:30 in the morning But that isn't the worst part. The car was delivered to my old address which is an apartment in downtown Cedar Rapids, IA which I had moved out of back in June because of massive flooding. Apparently the towing company called me, yet my phone never rang and I had no missed calls during the night..
So at this point I am at work in surgery and can't leave my job to see if I still have a car. After I get off work I receive a call from MINI USA with a lady apologizing for all that has happened and telling me that she has been in contact with the dealership and they are furious, angry, on and on and on. She gives me the option of letting MINI roadside bring the car to my new place of residence or let me get it myself. I had plans that evening so I told her that I would like them to bring it to me. BAD MISTAKE.
I was supposed to receive it at 7:30 tonight and at 8:15 I receive a call from MINI roadside assistance letting me know the car is locked, the keys are in the car and the towing company doesn't have the right equipment to put a parked car on a flatbed. The next words out of this guys mouth are, "I don't know what to do." You are the MINI roadside assistance service for crying out loud!!
I told him to just forget it and I would have someone drive me down to my car and get it myself. When I finally got to the vehicle I was able to get in and looked all over for my other set of keys that were supposedly locked in the car. Couldn't find them. I stepped out of the car to get down and look under the seat, and what do I see but my gas cap is slightly open. I thought great, someone tried to get gas from my car while it was here and then I realized that the cap locks when the car is locked. I open the gas cap and guess what falls out.....my other set of keys
So in review the dealership hired a towing company to take my car to a unverified address, drop it off at 2:30 AM, say they called me but I did not receive a message of any sort, left it there and took off back to Chicago and just left the keys in the gas cap for someone to steal the car This surely feels like the twilight zone and I hope to get some answers tomorrow from somebody. I know these dealers strive for 5 but this is getting negative points in my book.

 

Wow...just wow!

When you first experienced the engine issue, had you recently filled the gas tank?

 

no it was at about 1/2 a tank

 

OMG!!!! That is the most horrible story!! You poor thing....I can't even imagine going through this...ugggg Somebody definitely has some splaining to do!!!!

Donna

 

I was gonna ask "Should I keep AAA now that I have Mini Roadside Assistance?" and you answered my question. I'm terribly sorry about your horrible experience.
My dealers are closer, but their roadside assistance service sounds hapless.

 

That's just the best response. It's all I had to say, too.

Glad you got your car back and all was intact. Have you experienced the start problem again?

 

I've had to use MINI roadside assistance 3 times (long story, documented in other threads) and they have been nothing but competent and professional.

 

You should call the dealer and tell them you arrived at where your MINI was supposed to be and found a note that said, "to MINI owner: thanks for leaving the keys in the gas cap." See what they say.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't think it was possible to lock the keys in the car. I thought if any of the doors were open, the car wouldn't lock (my locks are screwed up, so I can't test it for myself.) If I'm right, I'm not sure what else they would have done with your keys. An awful fiasco none the less!

 

It's certainly possible without Comfort Access option.

You first lock the car with key/fob and then open boot with key/fob and toss key/fob inside, when you close the boot lid,
it will be locked.

With Comfort Access, it will detect the key/fob inside and just pop the boot lid back open for you.

 

Not to thread jack here...but Go Big Orange!

(and Go K-State!)

Now returning back to our normal scheduled program...

Sorry to hear of your troubles..

 

That's horrible. Terribly sorry to hear about your nightmare. Was the car ok otherwise? I hope so.

So, does MINI Roadside Assistance employ their own trucks and drivers? Or do they just contract out to local tow companies like AAA does? If they are the same as AAA I'll take my chances with the free MINI Roadside Assistance, rather than pay AAA who might hire the same incompetent tow company.