Can't talk to the techs. The manager keeps you at bay. But they seem to do a good job.

regards,
Red

 

have a new cooper 2006 cvt with 3000k. They cant even do an alignment. Have to send to another shop?

The two problems I spotted the senior tech did not and said couldnt be reproduced. Funny when we both went out in the car I was able to reproduce them, A buzz in the dashboard which the tech fixed. The second was alignment. They sent it to the shop and said it was out. Fixed for two weeks. Now it is out even more? I am having them check more that just the alignment. A new car should not behave this way. Probably the worst thing is the shop or service center is not open on saturdays? Monday to Friday is useless for people who work and they never seem to have a courtesy car. Im a little concerned as this is a new car and this will be the third time back to the dealership and second time for the same issue. dont get me wrong, the mini is a blast to drive but not right now. My previous car was in the shop for one issue in ten years. The brakes needed replacing. the rest was regular service. go toyota. lol

 

I've been very pleased with Mini of Sterling, but that may change when I go in to confront them about an oil drain plug they torqued unacceptably tight the last time the oil was changed.

 

I'm a long way from the dealer so I don't get back to Roadshow very often.

The things I have had done at Roadshow, normal service and a few warranty items, have been done right the first time, and I have found no scratches, dirty hand prints or any other negative issues.

I have gone back to the bay and talked to the service tech at length on each visit. He is a very nice guy who enjoys talking to people who are interested in what's going on with their MINI.

It's been 8 months since I was at Roadshow....I hope the tech that worked on my MINI is still there.

 

funny this should be brought up. i took mine into crevier in santa ana twice (yes twice) to have the arch lamp light bulb fixed (hey if its under warranty why not just have it done for free right?) the first time three different people told me it was just a reflector, and it didnt have a bulb to light up. I had to literally show them that the other three lit up before they would believe me. that session ended with a "well this may take a while so youre going to have to make an appointment." sooo i made an appointment, brought it back in a week later at which point the actual MINI service manager said the same thing "hey man thats just a reflector, theres no bulb in there." i just about lost it. this man was supposed to know MINI's inside and out and he didn't know that the arch lamps lit up? i just calmy walked to the drivers side door, turned on my lights, showed him they turned on, and walked away. guess i wont be taking my MINI back to them again. if theyre that unknowledgeable about a simple arch lamp, lord knows i wont let them work on anything big.

 

The service at Ralph Schomp in Denver, CO is usually pretty good - although I have had a few minor issues:


Random Misfire (supposedly 'fixed' 2 times before replacing the coil pack).

Sunroof squeak (supposedly 'fixed' 2 times - corrected after 3rd visit)

Bumper adjustment bolt and IC cover bolt loose after pressure plate replacement.

Engine rattle - told it was probably cracked Cat internals (I located a rubbin heat shield 30mins later).

Rattle near A-pillar at highway speeds - they replaced the air bag cover which actually popped off while driving home (I discovered real rattle was external windshield molding) .

Alignment Supposedly fixed (adjusted again next day).

Max.

 

my techs could not fix my a/c leak after 4 tries. i gave up on them for now.

i doubt ill be getting a bmw from them in the future. going to the automall
where i got my G35C. (porsche, bmw, benz, inf, caddy, etc. dealer).

 

Knowledge of the Service Writer does not reflect skill of the technician.
Within an individual dealership, technician skill varies. Some are trained, some not. Some have a lot of experience, some don't. Technicians, even excellent ones, have their areas of strength and weakness, just like everyone else.

So, honest as they all probably are, I would take any comments here with a large grain of salt, but , hey, that's just IMHO.

 

I saw the sunroof squeek up on this thread, mine does the "squeek" thing every now and again. Is there neway I can get rid of the Squeek? I have heard a rattle here and there, on the inside, but that is acceptable when i love the way the car drives. As far as maintance, I have a family friend that owns his own shop that has mechanics that are certified in various realms that they specialize in. He does great work and he is also fast to tell you where to go if someone else could do a better job at it. And after the othr days pothole incident, I need to get the front end realigned. Did the flat lot test and there is still a little wobble and pull to the right. And is there a section on here that deals with recalls? A guy from HAZMAT school was telling me he heard that some of the tranny's were recalled.
Phillip

 

My frustrations are with the SA--"we've never heard of that before" seems to be as regular as clockwork with my R56. No problems with the techs...half the time it never gets that far. Fact is, I HAVE had problems where it later turned out to need programming or other MINI USA attention.

 

The tech at the dealership I take my MINI to is GREAT! He is a fellow club member and as long as I don't ask him to get me JCW stuff for free he is a good guy.

It is good to have a guy who HAS a MINI. Heck, he is not even mad that I bought his a MINI out from under him.

 

I just did the first change since having the dealer do the 10,000 mile service, my drain plug was so F%^&$#@ tight it took me 2hrs and 5 different pair of vise grips to finaly break the damn thing loose!!!!!! 28NM = 18flbs WTF, buy a F'ing torque wrench already! I changed the oil myself 3 times before the dealer 10,000 which was actually 11,000 and never had any trouble removing the drain plug, of which I always put a brand new one on each time. So the oil is drained, new drain plug, NOW the F'ing Canister is just as tight as the drain plug!!!!!! It started to rain and I needed the MINI for work today, so I put the new oil in and will try again to loosen the canister to change the oil filter. 18 flbs!!!!! I'm sending the drain plug to mini of motown with a nice note! I'll post a picture of the drain plug later today. I HATE WHEN OTHER PEOPLE WORK ON MY CARS!!!!!!!!

 

Jesse at Universal (LA) is very good and knowledgable for young guy, put on shift indicator after Prestige told me "they can't do it, they don't like to deal with electrical issues". He finished quick, and worked like a charm. Eventhough it was his first. Good at engine/radiator issues I had before as well, but I was just impresed with jcw indicator install, cause of all the wires.

 

I took my MINI in for service a while ago... Inspection II. They didn't touch the car. No oil change, car wash... or moved.

I try to do all my own work, if possible.