Before I bought my MINI, I had two major concerns, both generated by MINI forums. Those concerns were reliability and interactions with the dealer.
I understand that a greater percentage of "bad" is represented on forums; however, a common compliant was the inconsistancy of how dealers dealt with customers concerns. It seems that the inconsistancy occurs not only between different dealers but also between customers within a single dealership.
The realiability concerns, of course, is present with anything manufactured(especially cars) but the MINI seems to have common failures that then refer back to the first concern of how the dealers respond to these common events.
Now that I have rambled on in general I will talk about my first encounter with my dealer.
When I bought the car it was to have the driving lights installed but the grill/brackets were not avail. They were ordered and recvd so I made my appointment. I requested a loaner because the dealership is @1 1/4 hrs away and that would enable me to run errands while they installed the lights.
Other small problems were:
With the start up of the MINI Connected/Nav. It started to have a mind of its own. It would open with sat sometimes or maybe the radio. The problem was that I never use the regular radio. I only listen to sat radio or my Ipod. Then a few days later after startup, it would just open with a black screen and the MINI logo that lasted for varring lenghts of time.
I also noticed that one side of the wrapped cables that run down the supports for the armrest had become freed from its restraints and would bend more severly and I was concerned that it would eventually cause problems in the future.
The last two issues I noticed on the way home on the day I purchased. First was the alignment of the steering wheel. I purchased the JCW Alcantara SW and had them install it. It was not a big deal, it was off to the left just slightly but it was noticable when you thought about it. The second was the power windows. It seemed to me that I only had the ability to auto down or up. I could not just move the window a half inch. just the slightest touch of the switch brought on the auto up/down. At first I just thought it was operator error but after reading the manual, it just seemed not to work properly.
Both issues were not that distracting that I would have called and made a special appointment considering that I would have to go in soon to have the driving lights put on.
So, today I go in and explain everything get the loaner and was advised that it would take 3-4 hrs and they would call me, so off I went.
I get a call @ 3hrs later explaining that it was taking longer than expected and that it would probably be in my best interest to go home and pick the car up tomorrow. Now I dont have a major problem with that ( recall I am at the least a 2 hour round trip) because I would rather they do it right than try to meet a deadline and cut corners. So I agree.
Later I get the call to inform me that the car is done and he proceeds to go over everything that was done.
1-lights installed
2-cables reattached to arm rest
3-steering wheel is off but it is because of an alignment problem. The service warranty guy will not cover because I did not bring it right back and that it happened because I hit a pothole. I try to explain to my SA that I had it since day one but did not call because I was not going to drive the 2 hr trip plus repair time when I had to return for the lights. He responded with they only have to repair under warranty within the first 1k miles and I had @2k. one of the reasons I did not call was that I just thought that the wheel was put on and was just one spline off never thought it was an alignment. I was not ok with this but I take responsibility; however, I also think that the dealership is being small minded and doesnt see the big picture of offering the perception that they actually care or want to foster a longer relationship by at least offering a discount or spliting it with me. I feel as though they are accusing me of hitting that pothole and I am lying just ot avoid the expense. The expense is irritating but didnt I just purchase an overpriced car because I love it. Their loss in the long run.
4-windows- they are working properly and they will explain how to use them tomorrow. It seems that in 32 yrs of driving, the operation of power windows was lost in the translation.
5-MINI Connected/Nav- it seems that it actually had threw codes so they re-booted. I am taking this as a positive because I was expecting the "We could not duplicate the condition".
Over all my first experience was probably a C-/D in my estimation. They were able to complete a majority of the situations but they also took a tact that my satisfaction/business is worth less then $129.99 they need to cover labor and expenses associated with operating an alignment machine.
I wouldn't mind hearing from others if you beleive I am wrong on how I preceived the events of today.
Thanks
Scott

 

Go to a local tire shop and have them do an alignment for $75. Use this as a learning experience.

All in all not a bad experience. Consider yourself lucky.

I think all you people out their that buy a new MINI and live 2+ hours from a dealership are crazy. You are going to have to go in once in a while. It does come with the included maintenance. You want to go back to take advantage of that.

 

WOW REALLY? Untill a year ago we only had 1 MINI dealer in the state. So in your OPINION if I lived 2 hours from the dealership I shouldn't have got a MINI. Are you saying that they are such a POS that you NEED to live next door to the dealer?

OP did you buy the MINI new? If so I would think they should cover it longer than 1K miles. If it was used find you a good shop in town and have them work on your car. Thats what I do and it costs about half of the dealership. Just don't drive your car more than 2 hours away because it might break down.

 

Its a car... its made of mechanical and electrical components and people build it. Sooner or later something is going to need attention. Plus the car comes with free maintenance for 3 years. Driving 4 hours round trip for a free oil change does not sound appealing to me. And having a flat bed come pick up your car also does not sound appealing. Something to consider when purchasing a car is the location of the nearest dealer. Just saying,,,

 

So you learned a lesson from them about documentation and what they require of you....

I wouldn't be happy about having to pay for an alignment at 2K either, but I understand that MINI sets those warranty rules, and from the dealer's perspective if it was wrong when you picked it up you should have let them know. However, I think they should have comped you on it too....

I'd caution against having your alignment done at a tire shop. I've been to two, both of whom I thought were good shops, the upshot is I ruined a new set of tires in 12K (my fault for not taking it back sooner or taking it to the dealer - who's work is warranted) and the second shop which is supposed to be better thought of than the first can't get the back into spec. Off to the dealer I go....

Sounds like that's your only gripe tho, right? They gave you a loaner, and they fixed everything to your satisfaction?

I find the window controls a little touchy too, it is hard to get them to only open 1/2 in or so - but you'll get the hang of it.

 

If they're disregarding your concerns, disregard their concerns of having good reputation with MINI USA. Call and complain!

I got a 2nd key when I finally called MINI USA and they took care of the entire thing. It took them 2 weeks. Dealer would lie to me about it, but they pinned them down and everything was taken care of!

 

I think I'd be more inclined to speak to their service manager before I got MINI USA involved, seems only fair to me to give them a chance to respond.

OTOH, it doesn't sound to me like you have a lot to gripe about either, if this only about being charged for an alignment.

 

Just a quick note about the steering wheel being off just a bit to the left...I had the very same thing when I got my 2010. When I first got it, I didn't notice it, but after about 500 miles, it became apparent it was off just a bit. Called service at Schomp MINI and explained the issue to them. They told me to bring it in. When I did, they told me I had too many miles on it to cover a front end alignment, that I would need to pay for it. I explained that nothing has happened since I took delivery that would constitute an alignment problem caused by me, and that the wheel was off a bit from the start. As I was showing a picture I took of the wheel being off centered, one of the lead service guys was there and said he had heard about MINIs being delivered with the wheel off centered, but had never personally seen one or what it looked like. He looked at my picture, I told now he gets to see one...and they fixed the problem for me without charge. They kept my picture to document the issue, presuming for future instances. That was 15 months ago....

 

The odds are very good that the car is not out of alignment and the steering wheel was not placed right. Does the car pull one way or another or is it simply the steering wheel position? While it is certainly possible to cause an alignment problem by hitting a pot-hole, it is not nearly as common as some dealers would like you to think.

If you are not standing there, it will be out of alignment, even if they have to move the steering wheel on the shaft. Have them do the alignment, make sure the car is not pulling, and if still out of sync with the wheel, demand your money back.

 

Update-
I returned to the dealer this morning to pick up my car. While waiting for the SA to finish up with a customer, I ran into my MA and we started talking about how I was enjoying my MINI. My MA is a very happy/upbeat person who actually seems to care about the small talk and is interested in the opinions and concerns of her customers. Our conversation started out with my impressions/likes/dislikes. Then she, in around about way as not to be nosey or bring up a bad subject, inquired as to how my job search was going and I was happy to tell he that I actually was able to get my orginal job back. I thought it was nice that she actually remembered that I had lost my job two days before picking up my Clubman.
She asked if they were able to take care of everything and noticed a sight hesitation in my response. I had no intension of trying to make a big scene because I didnt inform the dealership immediately about the steering wheel and I had surpassed the mileage limitation. I explained to her the situation about having the problem from the get go and that I would have had to return for the driving lights any how. I felt bad because her response was that she is not involved in those descions and felt bad that they were not willing to work with me. That was not my intent.
As we were talking, I saw my car parked out next to the service area and noticed that the driving lights had white covers. I thought the black lights had black covers, so I went out to investigate. Sure enough they had installed chrome lights and not black. When I came back in the SA was free and I said to him that they installed the wrong lights. I could see that he was not happy with that bit of info. He ask me to hold on while he confirmed that I actually ordered black. I told him that I knew that my MA ordered black because she called the parts dept while we completed the deal to just to make sure that she stated the correct parts on the bill of sale. After a few minutes the SA confirmed that they should have been black and that the black lights were still sitting on the shelf with my name on them.
He asked if I would not mind waiting and would have them swapped out immediately. Of course I didnt mind because I wanted the black lights and I wasnt going to make another trip to the dealer. I hopped back into my loaner and went to breakfast. After breakfast I went back to the dealer and about 1/2hr later they were done. As we were wrapping things up, he informed me that they performed the alignment and straightened up the wheel for me free of charge. He restated that they didnt have to do this because I had more than 1k but because of the light mix up they felt it was the right thing to do. As it turns out, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the alignment, all within spec, and they did something else to correct the problem. He made sure to express that the something else could not have been done until they confirmed that the alignment was correct. OK. I felt better because this just proved that I was telling the truth and not trying to get one by them.
With all the excitement I forgot about the how-to on the power windows. Maybe next time.
All said and done I left satisfied and the only thing I lost was my own time. And I take full responsibility for the loss of my own time when I purchased a car from a dealer that is not just around the block.
Now I hope my second concern about reliability does not rear its ugly head or I my have to move.
Thanks for all the input and opinions.
Scott

 

Howdy, fellow Arizonan Old Game Freak!

I bought my car in 2006 at Long Beach MINI in CA. LOTS of dealerships in the so.cal area, so no issues and lots of choices. I moved here 3 years ago, 2 years into the warranty, without realizing that North Scottsdale MINI was the ONLY deal in the state. Holy Cow. But I, just by luck, live near them as it turns out. Yeah, they have one in Tempe now, but that really doesn't help those in the more southerly regions here. Very limiting. Yeah, you can try to go independent, but when your car is under warranty still, why would you want to do that???

I would have been VERY upset if I found out, for instance, that the only dealership was in Tucson. lol

My MINI has been out of warranty since June of last year, so I've discovered the new world of independent mechanics, as well as non-run flat tires (woo hoo to normal tires!!!) In my area here in Phoenix and my work in Tempe, there are several service options.

Paula

 

Windows...Flick the switch for auto up or auto down. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but hold the switch longer to get it to stop where you want it.

gary