Just bought a 2005 Mini Cooper from Mini Vaughan West near Toronto, Canada. Worst experience since I bought from General Motors.

• Could not figure out why there was water on floor
• Complete failure of dashboard instruments
• Turns out their "inspection" does not cover much!

Car spent 7 days getting repaired in their shop!

• Replaced carpet due to mould; drain hoses from Panorama Roof had come off, allowing water to enter cabin...
• Fuse box was corroded, so complete rewiring job
• Favourite radio station gets poor reception, unlistenable when you put on the rear defogger.

So, I am wondering if I should just take the bloody thing back or if these cars really are reliable. I always figured "buy a good car from a reputable dealership," but obviously slipped up somewhere here!!!

Haggling with them now about extended warranties, which I have never bought -- they want $1500 for two years!!!

Just sold my completely trouble free 2001 Acura to my daughter since it has so much reliable life in it.

So, should I expect the unending woes of the original Mini? Or can I hope for better??

 

sounds like water damage due to any one of a dozen reasons, but for whatever reason water got in the dash, I'd take it back and walk away from it and find another MINI to buy. Many US Insurance companies that find water in the floor that leaks out the doors a total loss.

PS, Welcome to NAM sorry it's been under this reason. The MINI is a great car, but water damage is bad for most newer cars.

 

As far as that extended warranty goes, I bought my Mini (Also an 05 MC) at the end of March with a $1500 extended warranty for 2 years (it only added like $13 a month to my payments)

2 weeks ago my A/C went completely so I brought it to the dealer. Turns out there was some other stuff wrong too and the total bill ended up being $2808.13 and the extended warranty covered it 100%. I only payed my $100 deductible.

The car is 5 years old so you cant expect it to be perfect. If you buy used, theres bound to be some sort of problem. Thankfully I bought the warranty and its more than payed for its self.

 

I agree with Auto X, walk away from this one as quickly as you can and find another.

Our old '92 Audi was totalled for the same reason, water got into the dash and computers from the fresh air plenum, the insurance company said the car would never be reliable and they'd rather take the hit on the total than pay for it the rest of our lives.

 

I actually have a problem with that dealership. When I was purchasing my MINI back in late February I got in contact with pretty much every dealer in Southern Ontario.

Only 2 dealers made an effort to win my business. Most of the rest just gave me the same old "we will do what we can for you" lines. But at Mini Vaughan West, they wanted to charge me ABOVE MSRP!!!! As well as other smaller things such as having the highest admin fees by far, trying to charge me $70 for gas, seriously the tank is only 50l I have no idea how or why they came up with the $70 price. In general they were arrogant and jacka$$es.

Mini Vaughan West is BY FAR the WORST MINI dealer in Ontario!!!!!!! I can't say that enough!

If you want to know the two that actually tried to get my business(and one eventually did) pm me.

 

They knew that car was probably a flood car when they sold it to you. It is not safe or fit to drive. The mold is a health hazard and it probably could never ever get completly removed. They should refund your $$$$.
If they give you any problems with a refund just call your attorny generals office as well as all of the TV stations and the newspapers and tell your thoughts about the car and why it should be returnable. """DO NOT LIE""" just tell the truth and you will be amazed what can be done. I'm not really sure about Canada but in the U.S. dealers are not allowed to sell a flood car without disclosing it in writing. I'm sure it is no different up there.
Ronnie948

 

Do they have Carfax in Canada? In the US, nobody buys a car from a dealer without a Carfax report, which would state in bold letters "Flood Damage". As ronnie said above, US dealers probably can not sell a flood damaged car.

 

We have it here, but it's really unaccurate. Carproof up here is much much better.

I don't know if this is region locked and can be viewed in the USA but try and watch this http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2009/v...orts/main.html . It shows how many cars were in serious accidents, had frame damage, and it doesn't show up on Carfax. They then show the competitor does, but without naming them as to try and remain unbiased and not promoting one product over another. It's widely accepted here that the competitor was Carproof.

 

It's not going to have a branded title or show up on Carfax, the sunroof was leaking, not the same as being in a flood - but the same results for the consumer. Do not buy this car, or return it if you can..........I see nothing but heartache with this one.

 

Water damage on a MINI is the worst, you will be plagued by electrical gremlins. Check some posts of people that got Katrina MINI's they were haunted by electrical ghosts and goblins in those car forever. Even exorcisms couldn't fix'em.

 

Thanks for all the pointers! I am going to go back to these jokers and go for a complete refund, then start all over at a reputable dealer!!

 

You had a few warning signs with this one, the mold smell, things that didn't work and so on, so watch for those next time, don't get caught up in the ether of buying a fun new car.

If you can afford it, consider getting a new one........help the economy and MINI and you get a full warranty. A lot of dealers are sitting on a ton of inventory right now and are willing to deal, plus MINI is offering financing deals to thise with great credit. Depending on your down payment and terms, you might find the payment on a new one not that much more than what you'd spend on the used car. Worth looking into anyway......

 

Killer Mini! Run away! Run away!

 

Wow. Thanks for sharing that info. I just watched the story... it was awesome to see that CARFAX guy squirming! He was trying SO hard to keep smiling and stay perky even though you could tell that he would probably rather punch that lady in the head.

Just curious, why didn't they ever mention the competitor's name?

 

They don't want to be accused of promoting a particular product/service. This way they appear to be unbiased and just looking out for the consumer.

Check out some of the other vids. I enjoyed the one on HDMI cables. I've been buying inexpensive cables for years from www.monoprice.com but it's good to see the general public being educated on these matters. For example a $4-$6 cable from Monoprice will get you the exact performace as a $200++ cable from Futureshop/Best Buy.

 

I couldn't agree more! HDMI cables are the newest "gotcha" from the electronics retailers. When I saw the $90 cables at Best Buy I couldn't stop laughing! This is where the internet comes in very handy, as you can easily find quality cables with good customer reviews for a fraction of the prices you'll find in most stores. I wouldn't buy a $2 cable, but I wouldn't buy a $200.00 cable, either!

 

Surprise. Mini Vaughan West maintain that if was dumb enough to buy their car, I am out of luck. They finally replied at least!

Next steps:

• Will get back to them, point out failure to disclose problems
• Complain to Motor Vehicle Industry Council
• Attach to their licence plate cover: "Avoid this dealer!"

Joy of motoring, anyone??

Does anyone have documentation showing that once water has entered the cabin of a vehicle, it creates ongoing problems?

Thanx for your support.

 

I was afraid this would happen.......

Sorry, but my Audi died years ago, I'm sure I never kept any of the paper work, and my agent is the one who told me to file the comp claim.

Maybe call your agent and ask if they'll even insure the car given its supposed problems?

Or lawyer up long enough to get a letter saying the car doesn't meet usablility requirements (depends on your country/province) to send to the dealer.

I can understand them not wanting to unwind the deal, but is it totally repaired now or does it still have issues?

Don't do the lic plate thing till you have completely run out of other options, it won't help.

Standing in the dealership's shoes for a moment, if they have made a bona-fied effort to satifactorily repair all the problems, you may not have a case against them, unless you can prove they knew about it before they sold the car to you. Seems logical they would, given the smell and all, but then it would also seem logical that you too would notice it and not buy the car. I doubt you can prove they knew the drain tubes were off, and they can say they made every effort to fix the car right, since they replaced the fuse panel, all the instruments (really?) and rewired the car.

Your best move may be to force them to guarantee their work - in writing of course - for 2 years or however long you can get - then just use and enjoy the car with the knowledge they'll pick up any costs related to these issues down the road. (Local MINI dealer here guarantees their work for 2 years)

Good luck, and please let us know what happens. Above all, keep your cool when dealing with them. Yelling rarely helps and a lot of times just makes it worse. Try for a co-operative arrangement.....

 

Unfortunately I'm not surprised with these guys.

I wonder if there is any possible legal remedy? This is a Mini dealership, they know the common problems. Didn't they check out the car before listing it for sale? It's at least very dishonest if not fraudulent.

 

Call your TV news crew. Only call one at a time because they will only want an exclusive. TV news just loves story's like this. Keep a record of any times and dates that the dealer and yourself talked. It is important that you only contact one TV news so pick the most watched first. If they do not want to cover the dealer fraud then go to the next one. Be sure you let the dealer know what you are going to do. Not the service manager but talk to the person that actually owns the dealership. If he/she don't respond be sure you tell the TV news that fact. Just do not lie or exaggerate. Just the facts is what you want to tell. Let the dealer get caught up in a bunch of lie's. A bad dealer is always good for not telling the truth. They sold you a flood car and that is against the law in the U.S.A. and I'm sure it would be in Canada also. Good luck and keep us posted.
Ronnie948

 

Wow.

What a situation here. I'm quite surprised to hear this about MINI Vaughan West personally; I bought my 2007 Cooper from them in 2007 as soon as possible and have never had a problem with these guys.

However, the water situation freaks the **** out of me because mine has been in the shop for two days. Why? Water under the carpet of the passenger footwell. I'm not going to be so quick to point the finger at the dealership because there was a situation that may have caused it, not by the dealership. I'm not going to pick sides myself, but I'm surprised they're not helping you out (or so it seems).
I myself haven't had issues with electrics or mould (yet), but I have every bit of confidence they'll take care of it for me. I'm not pushing for a new MINI personally.

With the inspection not covering much, I'm not going to lie - everything is top dollar paid at MINI Vaughan West. Wait 'till you need "oil service".

The radio station is an interesting point that I've noticed as well. I'm sure you're talking about 103.5, but I'm also not quick to point the finger at MINI as every other station in TO gets great reception in my experience. I notice no decrease in reception with the rear defogger.

With the fuel thing, the $70 - yeah, you got burned. They use the same purchase agreement for the BMWs, which take a $70 tank I'm sure. I had mine discounted to a more reasonable $50. You definitely should have spoken up about that one.

So it begs the question; new or used and who sold it to you? PM the details if you don't mind.

 

Re the TV idea -- issue now is that the problems were fixed (I hope) by the dealer under the original warranty, so concerns revolve around why they would sell such a vehicle. What is bizarre is that if I wanted a Mini Next warranty now, I cannot get it; have to bite when you buy. And, I cannot get an aftermarket one because the car has to be in good working order at the time of sale!

 

They did NOT sell him a "flood car", the OP said they found the sunroof drain tubes had come off, that's where the water came from - it's not going to show up on carfax and it's not going to have a branded title, anymore than a car that got a new clutch would.

The dealership's position is they repaired the car in good faith and for all we know they have and he may never have another problem with anything they fixed. It does sound like they went out of their way to fix everything they could, what with new dash, new carpets and pads, new fuse panel and wiring and so on.

We're all just going on our own past experiences with cars that got wet here, for all we know he may be fine from here on out. Or, it could be his nightmare is just beginning, there's no way to know at this point in time.

While a small case could be made against the dealership for selling this car in the condition it was in, the OP would have to bear some responsability too, for not doing his own due diligence before the purchase - why didn't HE notice the smell before hand, for example? Or, did it leak after he bought it?

At any rate, it seems to me the die is cast now - either live with it, lawyer up and try to make them take it back, offer to trade with them for another car, or trade it in somewhere else for something else.

Good luck, I hope it actually turns out to be a great car despite the rocky start with the dealer............

 

Lots of good points there. Good for you for trying to get balance in this discussion, as the dealer really did do a lot to fix up the car, all under the original new car warranty. As I unravel what has happened here, I am beginning to realize that it is the inconsistency across Mini Dealerships that is part of the problem.

I went to one (Oakville Mini) and they basically sold every car with the Mini Next warranty priced in to the vehicle. When I went to Mini Vaughan West, they treated the warranty as something extra you should buy. After sitting down with those guys, I was really confused with what the warranty actually was -- I thought the standard warranty was six years.

Anyway, it turns out that Mini Next is not a warranty! It is actually a whole plan involving a warranty plus an inspection, etc. In other words, if you do not get the Mini Next "plan" you get nothing -- they basically do a safety certificate and emissions test (required in Ontario, Canada), dump the car on you and wish you luck. So, you may as well have bought it from some clown with a corner car lot.

In retrospect, I should have done due diligence, but I honestly thought by going to a good old reputable Mini dealer I would be assured that they would only sell fine quality vehicles that they had inspected, reconditioned, etc. That is what I got from Acura. I anticipated paying a bit more but thought the assurance was worth it. Besides, the vehicle was still under new car warranty and the selling dealer is going to do the most in such a case. Sort of like "warranty with that?"

My wife did notice an odd smell when we first got in, but I thought it was because the car had been sitting in the lot for a while. When I picked it up, there was a strong perfume which they said was the cleaner and that made me wonder, but I'm afraid the new car euphoria meant I was not about to cancel the deal then and there.

I filed a complaint for misleading advertising on this because the Web site says their preowned vehicles are all wonderful, yet they have two classes of vehicles. You shell out for Mini Next or you get stiffed and I had no idea that was the case. For that, dumb me for sure.