I have a 2006 Mini S convertible. I have loved this car but unless there are changes in corporate policy, I will not buy another.

I live in S. Cal and my dealer is Bob Smith Mini in Calabasas. The sales staff was friendly and helpful. The problems began when, as the car got older, it needed fairly frequent repairs. I would take it to the dealer who would always have a shockingly high price to do what seemed like minor adjustments. This was because, they told me, that the corporate policy was to replace rather than repair. I generally would spend the money, figuring that they knew more than I did.

But then my roof would not close properly. The estimate I was given was $4,000 because they felt that they needed to replace the roof. (Later, after much wrangling, it was reduced somewhat.) Out of curiosity, I tried realigning the roof by hand - with no tools or training - and, in a matter of seconds, it was fixed! And has continued to work, without incident, for the past year. Surely, any mechanic with any skill at all could have done what I did the first time I brought it in. But that wouldn't have earned them $4,000.

So, recently, I began to wonder if the rapacious attitude the dealer had toward its customers was their own, or, as they claimed, company policy. So, I wrote to customer service online. Two weeks later, I got a call from a nice young woman from customer service who told me how sorry they were and concerned that I was unhappy. So, I asked, is it company policy or not? "I'll have to check," she said, "And I'll call you back." That was about a month ago. A couple of weeks later, thinking it might have been an inexperienced service rep, I called again and got another person. Same result. Clearly, the US customer service can't even answer the most basic questions about the parent company.

Based on this experience, my guess is that the folks at Bob Smith were telling the truth - it is company policy to replace rather than fix no matter how trivial the problem. This means as a customer, I cannot trust the dealer or the company if the car has a problem and must rely on third parties. That invites all sorts of additional problems - I would prefer to have a reliable dealer. When I owned a Lexus I found the dealer trustworthy, consequently, and will probably return to that make on my next car.

I would suggest to BMW that they change this policy, but there seems to be no way to actually contact the people who make decisions, only the US office which, it appears, is simply there for show.

 

Find a independent mini repair shop you trust. I do all my own work as I trust no one.

 

The replacement versus repair problem is common to most dealers and not just Mini (ie Ford, Honda, etc). As jkapinos mentioned, find an independent repair shop..

 

Maybe corporate staff are trained to not respond to trolls?

 

Pot calling the kettle black?

 

I drive through the night to see Way in Atlanta when I don't feel comfortable doing my own work. I can't recommend him enough. Any car dealership is going to charge you an arm and a leg. That's all cars, not just MINI. Sorry you feel taken advantage off.

 

One thing I have noticed is MINI dealers service departments are only parts changers.. very rarely will they fix something over replacing. they jump right in and replace..if that doesn't work they replace something else till they finally get it right. Now while in most cases things do need replacing and cant be fixed I have found it very strange that common things over the years still have not been addressed..same problems but just get replaced with new..never seems like they try to see why there is a failure and upgrade the item that has failed..just keep putting on the same part that is new but still will fail at some point.. I almost bet that is company policy!

 

Try Motoring Magic in Thousand Oaks if you can. Scott is a MINI enthusiast and does sterling work. And, he is much less expensive than the dealer.

 

Interesting observations.

I doubt it is stated "corporate policy" to replace rather than repair, at least not in the sense that the dealers have specific instructions from USA Mini to not do repairs even if they have the know how. I think it is more just how the overall system is set up.... how technicians are trained/paid and how difficult it is to retain experienced mechanics, the diagnostic equipment available to the mechanics, how dealerships are setup with respect to how they make/lose money and the incentives provided for various things, the distant relationship between the customer and the mechanic with several layers of "service advisors", etc. etc. etc. All new car dealerships tend to be this way, but with the Mini brand seems particularly replace-rather-than-repair oriented.

Another factor is the car itself. For whatever reason, Mini as a company is pretty slow to react to correct design flaws - they simply keep repairing the same thing over and over. How long now have window lifts been a problem for Mini? How long did it take them to get a handle on the cam chain issues with the Prince motors? How long did it take for them to realize that putting a power steering cooling fan down near the bottom of the chassis in the muck might be a bad idea? The list goes on and on. The Asian mfgs are generally much more nimble in ID'ing problems like this earlier and correcting them. Mini/BMW just keeps repairing them.

There's also customer expectations. Like it or not, the Mini is sold to generally well-off clientele who often make a lot of money. Many, perhaps most, are relatively insensitive to maintenance costs or they buy cars often enough that they never really pay the true costs - things are always covered by warranties or service plans. Like any system where there isn't anyone feeling the pain of expensive repairs, there is little incentive to reduce costs. I know someone in the car business who says his dealership actively tries to manage their service load and warranty load in the way that keeps everyone as busy as possible, but not so busy that the importer starts giving them a hard time on overall warranty costs. This means that sometimes, in a slow month, the dealer will be happy to fix almost anything and when they're under the gun or have their service bays full of work, they'll fight fixing warranty stuff tooth/nail.

IOW, it's simply the nature of the beast. And its why, if you decide to keep a Mini long-term, you find a good independent mechanic as you transition away from warranty coverage. Throwing the keys of your old Mini at the dealer and saying "just fix it" can put you in the poor house.

BTW, on dealings with MiniUSA, I've had only one experience and it was not a good one. I had work done by an independent shop that I found out later was covered by a special warranty. Mini's policy in this situation is generally to pay for any parts, but not the labor. I collected the appropriate documentation and attempted to contact them. Email to the designated contact addressed bounced and phone calls, when I could get through, were forwarded to someone who never called me back. Finally, I just gathered the written information, wrote a letter, and sent it in. Six-months passed before anything happened. I finally got a call from a representative and we played telephone tag a few times, but when I called, she was never available, even when I called back within minutes of receiving her call. Finally, through successive voicemail messages, I figured out that they were calling to deny any coverage. Never got anything back in writing. Extremely frustrating.

I love my 2004 MCS, but I doubt I will own another for three reasons: poor customer support, spotty reliability, and a design direction that with every iteration strays further from the thoughtful/intelligent design that made me buy a Mini in the first place.

- Mark

 

+ 1 Scott knows more about the cars than most of the " trained " Mini techs , especially the ones at Bob Smith . For a second opinion Steve's Auto Clinic in north hills has been the go to shop in So Cal since 2002 .

Randy

 

Sorry you had a bad experience. I would take it to an independent place as others have suggested.

I think this type of thing happens at most dealers, regardless of brand. Most service depts are great until you have a not typical problem. The dealer wants to get cars in and out as quickly as possible. They want to avoid troubleshooting. Replacing everything with new parts ensures that it will be fixed and your car will be off the lot.

But yeah, anything short of the most basic service, I would go to an independent mechanic and keep loving your MINI :-)

 

I feel once any car is out of warranty it is time to move away from the dealership.

 

Yea, my first thought is, why on earth are you taking an out of warranty car to a dealer for service in the first place.

Yes they have nice facilities, guess what pays for that? The service department, that's who... You don't really think they keep the place looking like that by selling cars do you?

Once you are out of warranty, and are determined to keep the car, you really should find a good Indy mechanic.

And yes, it really is policy to replace major components rather than repair them. Engines, trannys and such. They just don't train the techs fix things. They plug in, and replace what the computer says is bad. Anything else, and it gets bumped up to the field engineer level. A PUMA case.

 

I'd buy another MCS…But i'd never buy another extended warranty. I actually have found the dealership to be somewhat offensive, and consequently, I don't trust Mini. I know patronize exclusively, an independent shop. It's all about commissions, the more they sell, the more money they make.

 

For me personally I find the last days approaching the end of a warranty anxious and then soon as it passes I find it very satisfying that I no longer have to deal with a dealer. Most work I learn to do myself and have better results, instead of spending impatient hours dropping off the car, picking it up only to find the whole process worthless for problems not fixed properly, scratches of the paint, etc. I can do most maintenance and medium repairs myself for less time and trouble than going to the dealer. So far I'm glad I didn't buy the maintenance or extended warranty offers.

 

Lots of honest responses regarding owning a Mini. I personally didn't have any interest in owning a Mini but my wife was set on getting one so we did. Prior to owning one I did my research regarding its reliability and found Mini has an overall "C" rating. That didn't sit well with me and I informed the wife about it. She stated "Well we bought it with its factory warranty" so I felt a little better about it. In the 2yrs and 27K of ownership it's been at the dealership 4 times for several recalls and twice for a faulty coolant temp sensor besides its normal service.

Some here talk about doing their own repairs and service and that's fine if you can. I too have enough skill to do minor service and repairs on my own vehicles and still do so but most Mini owners won't or simply can't. Frustrating to own a new car that is problematic within its factory warranty even if the fixes are no cost to the owner.

Our factory warranty is good for another year or so and although it's a fun driving the car, even my wife has doubts about keeping it after the warranty is up.

 

MINIs are engineered for fun and not reliability, plain and simple. Just look at their ad campaigns which are aimed at the fun and quirky traits of the MINI and not reliability.

 

almost all dealers are overpriced when it comes to repairs..the good ones will be like this as well but truly wanna take care of their customers... my car was bought used from a sister dealer to my mini one..and so far any issues have been resolved with no money lost on my part...maybe i am just lucky but who knows..

and this is my first "new" car.. i havent spent more then geand for my last few cars and they all were reliable and issue free even tho most had close to 200k on them ...this will likely be my last new car...and its still in the air whether i keep it or get rid of it as i get the balance paid off

 

I work in automotive and take care of our vehicles. This is the only reason I went along with my fiance's desire to purchase a new MCS last summer (well, that, and I didn't want to sleep on the couch ha ha).

I feel so bad for people who are forced to put up with the dealer's shenanigans, and I don't know how they can even afford to drive one of these cars with what they cost to maintain.

 

I've dealt with Toyota, GM, Hyundai, Nissan, Ford, and Audi over the years, and my experience has been that they all do this. As others here have said, get the car away from the dealership service department as soon as the warranty is up, and establish a relationship with a good independent.

 

Dealer shenanigans? They are what they are. They are there to support new car sales, not out of warranty work. If you think maintaining old cars is in any way part of the business plan, think again. (Hint, it's a great bonus finding someone that will feed the kitty)

 

It's now easier for the dealers to just replace rather than repair.
Decades ago parts were repaired before replaced.Remember when master and slave cylinders were rebuilt along with other parts?Even wheel bearings were repacked but now they are unit bearings that simply go in the trash.

I am 58 years old and feel out of place when I have had to take my wife's S in for warranty repairs.
Seems like the dealer I go is geared for the 20's to 30's age group.Just an observation.

 

It's extremely rare for a dealer to make money on new car sales. The back-of-the-store operations (service department, accessory sales, etc.) are where the profits are.

 

I know the feeling. I'm 66 and on my first visit to the service department I was sitting in the plush chair reading a hardback copy of Clancey's last novel while the rest of the "kids" were on their laptops and iPads. Kind of a dinosaur free zone feeling.

 

any recommendations for shops in San Francisco?