Long rant incoming.

I had the displeasure of visiting the dealership because my FRM got fried (no exterior lights except for low beams and brake lights, no windows and no interior lights) and saw that they had extended the warranty on the FRM to 10 years / 156k miles.(Bulletin number M01 06 16).

So I call yesterday to make an appointment and mentioned that I think I have the FRM issue. They were like great, bring the car in we'll have to do some diagnostics to confirm but if we confirm that FRM is the issue, it should be covered under warranty. So this morning, I drive in a few minutes before my 9am appointment, give my keys to Ellison, one of the service advisors, and mention that I might have a FRM issue. He tells me to wait in the lobby and that he'll meet me after he checks in the car. He comes back after a few minutes and tells me that my car's not eligible for the extended warranty because my car's mileage is too high (close to 135k miles) and they only extended it to 8 years / 125k miles. Now I knew that was the older bulletin from August 2016 and mention to him that the bulletin has been extended to 10 years / 156k miles. He then replied that that only applies to certain models (which should include my car) and it doesn't apply because the system showed the 8 years / 125k miles bulletin. So I pull up the updated service bulletin and try to show him, but he doesn't even bother looking at the bulletin and just repeats that because the system says that it's 8 years / 125k miles, he can't do anything about it. AND I'd have to pay $175 out of pocket to just run the diagnostics. A bit puzzled about this, I told him I'll come back after making a phone call. So I call Mini USA and ask them about the service bulletin and they did mention that it indeed has been extended to 10 years / 156k miles and the information Ellison had was outdated. The rep from the Mini US mentioned that he can escalate the issue with the dealer directly but it would take anywhere from an hour to 2-3 business days so he asked me to talk with the service advisor again and tell him to confirm the bulletin again with the BCS system because he had confirmed it from his end. He also made sure to note the experience I had and told me to call back the number if the situation didn't improve. So I go back, tell Ellison that I confirmed the bulletin message was up to 10 years / 156k miles. He still doesn't think that my car's under the extended warranty. So I ask him to show me the printed out sheet with all the extended parts warranties on there. I look at the one with the FRM. It says 8 years / 125k miles in the beginning. But at the very end of that paragraph. It also says something like, 'See Bulletin number M01 06 16 for the updated bulletin.'

Yes, the same service bulletin that I brought up twice to him twice and got ignored twice. Had he read the whole paragraph about the bulletin, then I wouldn't have gotten in to the argument and called Mini USA.

At this point he tells me that he doesn't have access to the service bulletins and won't be able to check until around 4pm because that's when the technician can take a look. And I'm thinking what's the point of a 9am appointment if they're not going to look at the car until 4pm? I had to drive from East Bay during traffic hours for my appointment. Had I known that if they weren't going to look at the car, I wouldn't have made the appointment at 9am. So I ask him why it would take that long and he says that there are only handful of technicians who can work on the FRM. I bring up to him that on my phone call to make the appointment, I had mentioned that there seems to be a problem with the FRM. Then another advisor next to him jumps in saying that they won't order the parts because they want to confirm that the problem is actually related to FRM. So I answer him that I didn't ask about new parts, I understand that they need to confirm the issue -- I asked why the technicians who are certified to work on FRM won't look at the car sooner. He answers that then I'd be knocking everyone out of the queue. At this point, I'm pretty fed up with their lack of organization and the lack of effort to actually look into issues thoroughly, I just told them I'd leave the car anyway since I'm 100% sure it's the FRM issue and it should be covered by the warranty.

So I get a text in the afternoon, they find out the FRM's fried (surprise!) and they still claim that my car's out of warranty. And quotes me ****ing $1600. eBay repairs are $100-$200, I'm not gonna pay $1600 for something that's under warranty. So I try to call him, no answer. Call the service department and ask for Ellison, and it just goes straight to voicemail. So I text him saying that his database is out of date and that I confirmed by calling 866-ASK-MINI. He replies (again) that it's all VIN specific and that he'll contact Mini USA and try to goodwill my FRM and get it approved. So I replied that it shouldn't be goodwill and that I'd like to be included in the call. I actually offered to call Mini USA and 3 way call him in to the call. I don't get a reply for about 20 min. In the mean time I called Mini USA and escalated the issue. Few minutes after I get off the phone, he texts me back with:

"I actually did not need to speak with mini. A second extended warranty was in place for your vehicle, Myself , and my shop foremen did not see the additional coverage."

...yeah, ok. Maybe they all did miss the service bulletin. I brought up the exact service bulletin number 3 times too. Have no clue why they didn't bother to check the number I provided him. Then they shouldn't be running shop until they get their **** together. Or you know, they were just trying to pry $1600 out of me. I'm inclined to think that it's the latter.

So avoid Mini of SF at all cost! I usually don't go to dealers for services, unless I have to (extended warranties and recalls) but looks like I might have to go to a look for a dealership for those services too.

 

I've met "Ellison", actually a person who is exactly the same and every business if large enough has at least one of these morons.

They purposely don't listen because they think you don't know anything.

 

Every time you visit a dealership, you need to bear in mind that their business model utilizes "service" (not new car sales) as their number one profit center. They are ALWAYS going to err on the side of revenue regardless of the actual need for repair or customer satisfaction. Sad.

 

I think I'll stay away from SF altogether!



But seriously,
I visited when a teenager (16 years old) and rode around all over the city on my skateboard, with a highlight being skating at the famous Embarcadero, visiting the R Radical record shop and buying cool vinyl, and of course seeing Haight Ashbury. It was tremendously fun, exciting, and beautiful.

That was back before I was a psuedo-beatnik so I wasn't aware enough to visit Beat Generation heritage sites of which there are many.

I've always held SF in very high regard due to my skater/punk/bibliophile background.

Especially the skate part, it seems everyone always cites SoCal as skateboardings buzz spot, but really in my opinion it's NorCal SF because street skating is so awesome there, as well as being home to the infamous Thrasher Mag.

Vintage footage:

 

Sorry you had a bad experience with MINI of SF - I've only been there a handful of times for oil change/tire rotation. For 2 years I went to Niello in Sac and they were always awesome.

 

Sorry to hear of your troubles; however, it does make me feel better about the wonderful service department I have at Cincinnati MINI. It seems like they go way above board to make sure their customers are happy. I wish it would be the same all over.

 

I lived in San Francisco until 2009. When I bought my MCS in 2002, East Bay MINI was the only Bay Area dealer selling at MSRP. SF MINI mark up was twice that of any other dealer. I bought my MCS from East Bay MINI and while it under warranty always took it there for servicing.