Accoding to the BBC News website, the Mini factory in Oxford will shut down for one week and not restart production until the 23rd of February. The plant closure is a direct result of the economic turndown (falling sales).

Mick

 

According to this...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...re/7823926.stm
The plant has just re-opened after a 3 Day Closure...nothing is noted about a longer Shut Down.

Sales have slowed, they told 300 workers not to return after the Christmas Break (a month off), but during this last break all employees and contractors were paid for the time of the stoppage.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/o...re/7891165.stm

Here's the web page with the latest news from today.

Mick

 

(RJ's article was from 12 January - Mick's is current)

My order was on the line during the holiday shutdown - completed on the 6th of January. I still don't have it - been at the VDC for two weeks to fix damage to the right rear door and quarter panel. The dealer said they don't know for sure when the car will arrive because the VDC is closed until mid-week for President's Day weekend. (point being I hope the workers aren't letting their dissatisfaction translate to lax quality AND there may be more places than the factory where BMW is cutting back on work hours).

 

Sorry for your troubles, but the solution is obvious. Refuse delivery, and reorder. I would not accept any new car that's had body damage, no matter how well it was repaired.

 

Google didn't bring up Today's Article (I stand corrected).

Are you going to take delivery of your now damaged MINI??

 

I'm on the fence - I don't feel good about the Mini deal at this point, but I've been eyeing a Clubman for about a year. From MINI's point of view the car is leaving the VDC like new.

The other factor in my situation is that I sold my old car the day after the ship arrived in port. My MA did agree to let me have a loaner as of yesterday, but I had to ask for it. I also asked if there will be any adjustments to my price / options in light of the situation and he has been evasive on that point.

Option B is a 2009 FWD Ford Escape Hybrid - still gets 30+ mpg and carries my stuff, but it gets minuses for style and driving enjoyment. President's Day specials have the Escape Hybrid including nav, moonroof, leather, etc. for just $1000 more than the Clubman I ordered (without nav). I'd feel better if MINI would sweeten the deal with a price reduction or extended coverage. I need to decide whether this Clubman packs enough fun to overcome the frustration of an exceptionally unsatisfactory order-delivery-purchasing experience.

 

According to the local Oxford paper, the Oxford Cowley plant is shutting down for this week and letting 850 workers go: http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/412...ted_to_be_850/
If you search on Google News for Oxford MINI factory, there are a more than a dozen similar articles (as of the time this is posted).

 

Personally I think the fun factor makes the MINI worth it but don't let your MA know that, I'm sure he (or his manager) would sweeten the deal if they thought you were about to walk. Get what you can and good luck!

 

I wish they would lower the price.

I'm just not convinced the Mini is worth the $.
I've been driving a Mazda 6 all week and it just seems better engineered then the Mini. It's base is the same $18,500
It has a quieter , smother ride. Very solid construction, The doors and interior seem very tight and solid.
The mini I rented was a lot noisier and didn't feel as well engineered.
All you need to do is troll through these threads to see all the problems they have.
That said the Mini was still fun to drive.

 

Keep in mind that rentals lead hard lives and that people only tend to post problems. I'm rarely tempted to log on here and start a thread titled "Been driving every day and the car won't break down or even squeak or rattle."
The 6 is a nice car although a friend of mine with one simply cannot stand the new ones as he owns a previous generation, but if you like the car and weren't happy with the MINI, it's your call.

 

Do I smell some irony here? Here's a theory: the workers are a bit angry that they'll be temporarily out of work and skimp on quality control. Some of the cars sent to neighboring countries are refused by the customers. Do they get sent back to Cowley to have the problems fixed? Or is there a central VDC for western Europe and eastern Europe? If they get sent back to Cowley, does that mean more work, at least for the team that does last-minute repairs if the assembly line people make mistakes?

 

I would never take delivery of a car that has disclosed shipping (or otherwise) damage to the body. A car that has been repainted outside of the factory will be haunted by lower resale values for ever and ever.

Let MINI swallow their little mishandling and order yourself a new car. After all, what is the point of buying a new car if you are getting something already "initiated" for you? Otherwise got to a salvage yard and buy yourself a wrecked one.

 

I wonder how much it costs to ship and fix it? If it was a substantial $number and they deducted it from the price a little cosmetic damage wouldn't be such a big deal.
I want a new car because it will(should) run problem free for many years.
The worst part of having a new car is always worrying about scratching it up,door dings etc. I love my old Geo Tracker because I can drive it and park it anywhere but it's turning into a money pit with repairs every few months.
If I could gat a new Mini all full of scratches and dings for a super discount it would be a dream come true.

 

How much of a discount are we talking about? 25%? 50%? (now THAT would be nice!)

 

Just tell your MA that after much consideration, you do not want to take delivery of a damaged Clubman unless there's an monetary incentive. Take into account the dropped sales AND the damage, I'm sure they'll crack first. Heck, if not, get the Mazda. :P