As much as I didn't want it to come to this, a series of events has forced me to post here for some user support. Since I bought the car I have been having problems with the dealer. Things stemming from giving a check to the dealer for the price of the car and not actually receiving a car until two weeks later. As well as picking up my car after service was performed and noticing that the entire dash under the steering column was hanging, unclipped and there was clear packaging tape holding batches of wires and the dash together. I brought the car back multiple times and received the same crappy service. I was told that a, b and c were fixed and then I'd get home and two days later a, b and c were all not working again.

I know what you're going to say, just switch dealers, go somewhere else for service. Unfortunately, it comes down to Hassel BMW/Mini being convenient. I commute to the NYC from Long Island and being able to drop my car off at the shop down the block from the train station really saves me time and "hassel", no pun intended, from having to get out of work. Besides, the other dealers around me with any good praise would be Mini of Manhattan or Southhampton Mini, both being way to out of my way in order to get service.

I'm going to copy below a pretty lengthy letter that I have compiled to send to the managers, if someone would actually call me back with their contact information, of the past 3 weeks of service that I have received.

If you don't feel like reading about issues with the service at Hassel BMW/Mini, please stop reading now, otherwise I implore you to read on...



Previous Issues:


Overheating – Temperature light was lit while sitting idle

First Visit –
Service manager stated that coolant was low after JCW kit was installed
Remedy: Topped off coolant

Second Visit –
While car was being washed, vehicle overheated.
Vehicle needed to be towed to dealer. Placed call to Mini Roadside Assistance.
Vehicle was in service over the weekend into Tuesday night.
Remedy: Service manager stated that primary cooling fan had fuse blown. Replaced (this should have been checked prior to this happening)

SRS Warning – SRS Warning light comes on intermittently

First Visit:
Service manager states that “Circuit board” was replaced. SRS warning light was fixed.
Remedy: Circuit Board replaced

Second Visit: (Wednesday January 10th 2007)
SRS Warning light coming on intermittently…again
Viewed previous mechanic checklist – Stated “SRS Warning reset”
It did not state that the circuit board was replaced
I stated that I did not want to find out that the SRS warning was reset when in reality it was broken. The only way for me to find out if it was broken, would be if I was in an accident and the airbags didn’t deploy.
Sensors were found to be recalled and the mechanic replaced them.
Doors now vibrate excessively while driving and idling.

 

January 10th 2007 - January 12th 2007

My vehicle was dropped off on Wednesday morning at 7:15 with the following list of problems to be checked:

1.Suspension squeaked when going over bumps
2. Swishing noise from wheels. Possibly the front, also the back
3. Exhaust rattles when engine is turning down.
4. Brakes squeal
5. SRS Warning light comes on intermittently
6. Fluttering noise when clutch is not depressed. Most noticeable on cold starts.

I requested a phone call in the afternoon for the status of the vehicle and when I would be able to come and pick it up. I work in the city and the commute alone takes anywhere from 40-60 minutes. By 3pm I had not received a phone call, once again, so I proceeded to call the service manager, Eli. After leaving messages and waiting, I finally called again and got Eli on the phone. I was told car needed to stay overnight. When asked why, I was told the mechanic was stuck on another car and only had a few things completed on the car. I begin to ask myself, what’s the point of making an appointment?

I asked Eli what work had been completed on the vehicle thus far. I was told the following, “noises were checked and clips were put in place to prevent the rattle of the exhaust.” Eight hours at the shop and this was all that was completed, unacceptable. I accepted the fact that I wouldn’t have a car the next day and requested that I receive a phone call in the early afternoon with the status of the vehicle.

Thursday around 11am, I placed a call to Eli to find the status and left her a message. At approximately 3pm I called again, having not received any phone call, and left another message. At 3:45pm I received a phone call from Eli telling me that my car would have to stay overnight one more day. I asked her why this was necessary again. I was told that the airbag sensors had to be ordered and that they missed the second delivery that day and need to wait for them to come in on Friday. At this point I proceeded to tell Eli that I needed a vehicle for Friday.

Eli told me that I could take the car and then bring the car back in on Friday when the sensors were there. I asked “is it legal for me to drive the vehicle out of there with broken SRS sensors?” She stated “Yes, it is, the airbags are your supplemental restraints, your primary is your seatbelt.” I told her that I would be going there by 5:45pm. I called back to speak with a supervisor and was directed to Kristin. I told her that having broken SRS sensors and being told that my seatbelt is the only necessary system would not fly for me or my insurance company if I had gotten into an accident that evening. Kristin was very helpful and set me up with a loaner car, a standard Cooper.

At 5:45pm I arrived at BMW/Mini Service Center in Freeport and spoke with Kristin. As she began the paperwork process I spoke with Eli. I asked Eli if I could see what has been done on the vehicle thus far. Reading from the computer screen and listening to Eli I was told the following:

1. Ground down edges of brakes to prevent swishing noise.
2. No noise from clutch.
3. SRS Sensors were on order.
4. Car needed to be brought to body shop to fix the rattle of bumper.

I asked Eli why the car needed to go to a body shop. She stated that the bumper was hanging too low and was touching the exhaust and I would have to bring it to a body shop to have it fixed. She recommended the body shop that they had on site and that I could set up an appointment to get that fixed. I asked how this was my problem. She stated that the bumper was not the standard bumper, after which she seemed shocked to find out that the bumper on my Mini is the Aero Kit, sold and installed in the factory. How it is possible to work on a car and not even know what is or is not factory installed just shows me the ineptitude of the service staff. Eli then told me that they would fix the issue and that I didn’t have to worry about it.

I asked to speak with the mechanic about the clutch problem. The mechanic brought the car out to me and I was given the opportunity to describe to him the sound. I mentioned that it was a “fluttering” noise when the clutch was not depressed. He stated “Well, I was looking for ‘Clutch Chatter’, you should have told me this when you dropped off the car.” Completely taken aback, I stated that I did mention the noise and that the car was dropped off before the mechanics even began to arrive. I do not deserve, nor do I need an attitude from anyone at that service center with all of the issues that I have been putting up with. This was completely unacceptable and disrespectful. That evening I drove home in a gray/black Mini Cooper, bone stock, with dreams of driving my JCW Mini Cooper S home the next day and using it for the weekend.

Friday afternoon, after not receiving a phone call from anyone at the service center I placed a call to Kristin and asked her for a status of the car. She told me that Eli would call me back with the status. After waiting two more hours, I placed another call directly to Eli and left a message. At approximately 2:30pm I received a call from Eli and was told that the mechanic was still working on the car. I asked her when I would be able to pick the car up. She stated “Mr. Stephens, you were given a loaner car correct?” to which I replied, “Yes I was, and thank you.” “Ok good, because we’re going to need to keep your car for this weekend so the mechanic can work on the transmission on Monday.”

Now, fuming mad, I told Eli that I wanted the car today. I wanted to know exactly what had not been completed on the car and if it would be safe for me to drive it out of the service center. She told me that was going to speak with the mechanic and call me right back. At3:45pm I received a call from Eli and she stated that the only thing that wasn’t going to be completed was the noise from the clutch. The mechanic wanted to drop the transmission to see what could be causing this. I told Eli that I had dealt with this noise for the past few months and that it in no way inhibited my driving and therefore I would be coming that evening to pick up my Mini. Eli told me that the mechanic would be working on it up until the last minutes and that I could come at 6pm. I arrived at 5:45pm and waited until 6:45pm to receive the car.

During that period of time I was given a wonderful story from a member of the staff telling me how he “bet I didn’t even know that the steering pump was leaking and the thermostat was bad.” Was I supposed to praise them for finding a problem with my car? As far as I’m concerned, that is their job, not mine. That evening I drove home with my car and was satisfied that I had my mini back, but was very dissatisfied with the run around that I had been given over the past three days.

 

Friday January 26th 2007 – Monday February 5th 2007:

To my dismay I had hit a pothole on my way to New Jersey. I started to feel a vibration in the pedals and decided to bring it back to Mini and see what they could find out. On Friday January 26th 2007 I brought my Mini back to the service center to have the problem diagnosed. After having not received a phone call during the day (noticing a pattern here) I placed a call to Eli and left another message. Around 3:00pm I received a call back from Eli who stated the following:

1. The two front rims are bent and I would need to purchase new ones. (approx. $250 each)
2. I would need to purchase four new Run-Flat tires because the front two were bubbling. (approx. $350 each)

Grand total of - $1900

I asked Eli why I would need four tires if only the front two were bad. She stated that the vibration I was feeling was caused by the rear tires being “choppy.” When I further inquired about this I was given the record to read from the mechanic. This record stated that the rear tires were wearing uneven and that I needed to purchase two new rear tires in addition to the two front tires. This is absolutely astonishing. My Mini has only 17k miles on it and is not even two years old. If the tires are wearing uneven, this is in no way my fault and if the mechanic deems it necessary, as he has already, to put new tires on, then Mini should front the bill and replace the tires under warranty, due to this being an issue with the alignment/balancing/camber of the rear tires.

I informed Eli to go ahead and order the two front tires and two front rims. I proceeded to call my insurance company to see what kind of coverage they would offer for collision due to a pot hole. They requested that I bring the car to their office and so that they could do an appraisal on the damage. When I brought the car to the insurance agency, pictures were taken and an assessment was given of the damage. Unfortunately, the information given to me by the insurance company differs from that given to me by the Service Center. The insurance companies’ statement is that only one tire has bubbling and neither rims were bent.

Eli stated that she would call me back on Tuesday January 30th 2007 and let me know if and when the parts would be ready for me to make an appointment and have the rims and tires replaced. I received a phone call on Tuesday January 30th 2007 from Kristin the Supervisor. She asked me how my service was the previous Friday and if everything was done correctly. Obviously she didn’t even look at the work that was done on the car because the only work accomplished on the car was the ordering of the two rims and two tires. I told Kristin that no work was ever done on the car on Friday and that I was expecting a call on Tuesday regarding the status of my rim and tire order. Kristin told me that she would speak with Eli and either she or Eli would call me back with the status of the order. As of Monday February 5th 2007 I have still not received a phone call regarding the order.

 

Monday February 5th 2007

In the afternoon of Monday February 5th 2007, I spoke with Meg from Mini of North America. Over a period of an hour and a half I explained to Meg all the issues that I have documented above. She seemed willing to get involved and help with getting my Mini fixed. However, at the end of the conversation I was less than satisfied with what would eventually be the result of the conversation. She could not promise anything or even explain what could be done to mend the relationship that I am currently having with the dealer. Her only response was that she was going to place a call to the new BMW/Mini Service Manager.

After getting back to me with his information, Meg informed me that she spoke with John and made him aware of the issues pertaining to the service in his establishment. She told me that he would be monitoring the job personally and that he was awaiting my phone call in order to setup and appointment to get things straightened out.

Meg also explained to me that the reason I had not received a phone call from Hassel about my rims and wheels, the service manager, was that I had cancelled the order. Unfortunately, this will be another addition to the list of times that I have been lied to from the service department. Why was I not informed that the order was cancelled? When I spoke to Eli on Friday, as well as when I spoke to Kristin on Tuesday, they both stated that the rims and tires would be in on Tuesday and that they would get back to me on Tuesday with a status for the order. The order was never cancelled by me or anyone I know for that matter, so there lies another breakdown in communication in house at the BMW/Mini Service Department.

At 5:30pm on Monday February 5th 2007, I placed a phone call to the Service Manager at the BMW/Mini Service Department. After being redirected to his phone via the receptionist, I was greeted with his voicemail and left him a message stating that my name is Nicolas Stephens and I believe he has spoken with Meg from Mini of North America, pertaining to my vehicle and that I would like a phone call back that evening at my home phone number. I had not received a call up to 6:30pm and placed another call to the service department only to find that they had closed already.

Tuesday February 6th 2007

In the morning of Tuesday February 6th 2007 at approximately 9:45am, I placed a call from work to the Service Manager. After being redirected via the receptionist, I made it to his voicemail, again, and left another message stating that my name is Nicolas Stephens and that I had left a message for him to call me back yesterday and since he had not, if he could please call me on my cell phone as soon as possible. After not receiving a call by noon, I placed a call to Meg from Mini of North America to issue a complaint that the Service Manager was avoiding my phone calls. I was directed to Megs voicemail and as of 1:30pm, have not received a return call.

At 1:45pm I received a phone call from someone at MiniUSA. I had to run through the entire story again and offered a rating of “1” for service at Hassel and told her that I would not recommend Hassel to any person that I know. She tried to end the phone call at which point I requested that she have Meg from Mini of North America call me back with the information of who I should contact via email and phone so that I can actually get something fixed on my vehicle. This is becoming even more ridiculous.

At 2:45pm I placed a call to Meg at Mini of North America and left another message. I still had not received a phone call all day from the Service Manager or Meg. I placed a call to the General Manager at Mini, at 3:30pm. As of 5:00pm I had still not received a phone call from anyone. At 7:00pm I received a phone call from the Service Manager finally returning my phone call, at which time, unfortunately, I was unavailable.

Wednesday January 7th 2007

At 8:35am, I placed a call to the Service Manager and left another message for him to call me back, during the day this time.

 

If you've made it this far, I appreciate your time and patience for reading through it.

Ultimately, I'm just looking for the car to be fixed so that I can move on and not deal with this crap anymore.

Appreciate your thoughts.

-Nick

 

After reading the entire post I'd like to start off with, THAT SUCKS! I would shoot an e-mail over to MINIUSA and have them check into the service center. I don't think its a good idea to post names and contact numbers of people on the internet, if you wern't too good at your job, would you want lible of you, and ways to contact you, spread over the internet? And my last observation is 17k on a set of runflats, not really all that low. They don't tend to have a long tred life.

 

Didn't mean to copy and paste those over.

As for the tires. Tred life is one thing, but when they state that they are wearing "uneven" and that's the reason I should replace them, it bothers me. Fine if they wear down and need to be replaced, but the tread is thick. On the other hand, if they are wearing uneven, there is an issue with them or the car and this should have been checked when I went it the past five times. All of a sudden now that I mention a thump from the front wheel I have to replace everthing, because within 3 weeks of going there I wore through all the tread on my rear tires alone?

 

After the first issues with that dealer, why did you keep going back to the same place?

 

As for the uneven wear on the tires, bad alignment can cause that, and alignments are usually only covered for 12 months. Were the tires rotated regularly?

A few of the other things (squishing, fluttering) I'm not sure are really problems, especially if it is cold there like it is here. Cars tend to make noises when they are cold.

I'm not sure about the overheating, but it is POSSIBLE that the fuse blew after you left the dealer when they added coolant.

if I feel that the dealer is trying to fix my car, and not trying to rip me off (I would want a clear definition of why they want to replace BOTH front wheels) then I'll be patient and let them fix it.

In my honest opinion, you don't seem like the patient type, and that is probably contributing to your frustration.

Please understand, I'm not defending the dealer in this, but offering some perspective.

 

Like I said at the beginning, convenience. The next closest dealers to where I live are between 40 and 70 miles away. I don't have the time to take the car to those dealers.

Besids, after the last time, I spoke with a Mini rep from MiniUSA. After that point they have gone through a huge turn over and I've had someone new there each time. Unfortunately, it seems to be more of the same.

 

Rotation of the tires was something that I was told was dealt with through the dealer when I bought the car. I had requested it at one time but they stated that it wasn't necessary.

SWishing noise is continuous on both front and rear wheels, not tied to cold starts. The "fluttering" I have in the clutch is most prominent at a cold start but will continue when the car is warmed up, just quieter as the engine isn't revved up.

The overheating issue was something that is definitely possible to have happened between the two visits, however, it strikes me as very convenient being a month after bringing it back.


As for the explanation on the tires, I have been waiting for them to call me about the tires and rims. I wanted to setup an appointment with the Manager so that we could both inspect the damage and agree on what the issue is and what needs to be replaced. It's just, well, they don't call me back to let me know. If only they returned a phone call when one is requested, then this wouldn't be such a big deal.

 

You need to make time to take you car to another dealer. 40-70 miles is NOTHING! My dealer is about 70 miles away, and some folks in here travel a hundred or more.

If you keep going back to the same dealer who keeps messing up, it's on you.

 

I'd have to agree with trying out a new dealer for service. If you feel like you're getting poor service where you're going then try someplace new. It may be inconvenient at first, but if they end up fixing your car faster then you're saving time in the long run. It sucks having your car in the shop a lot, but it does sound like they are at least trying to get it all straightened out for you. I don't know a lot about mechanics, but as a nurse I know that sometimes people come to the hospital expecting us to be able to fix them immediately and sometimes it takes some figuring out to get the the exact problem and get it fixed. I'd imagine this holds true with cars as well. Best of luck with getting your car back to new and make sure they give you a loaner whenever you take the car in!

 

Last night I received a phone call from the Service Manager. I spoke with him and he asked me to bring the car in today so that he could do take a look at it, as well as have his shop foreman look at it. I brought the car in and spoke with both the Service Manager and the Shop Foreman who both seemed knowledgable of the problems but not knowledgable of what had been going on with the service.

I have to say I was pleased with the outcome of today's visit if only because the shop foreman actually seemed knowledgable of all the problems. As a result, these were the findings:

- Rear tires were wearing uneven because of incorrect tire pressure, however they were not worn to a point where they needed to be replaced. They were still within spec and shouldn't have a problem from this point forward, until it is deemed necessary to replace them, due to normal wear.

- Brakes were being taken apart because of possible issues with the calipers sticking. They agreed that it should have been done the first time I went in for the service and would make every effort to check each wheel.

- The "fluttering" noise I was hearing is a known issue, as far as the foreman is concerned. The flywheel was stated to have a little room for expansion/give so that it would be able to adjust with the age of the vehicle. It was later found that the flywheel actually needed to be replaced.

- The tires were bubbling but the rims were fine and those are being replaced. As well as a complete mount and balance/alignment done on the Mini.

Obviously, I let him know that there was a huge breakdown in communication between mechanic, service manager and customer and I feel that he is well aware of the problem. He also mentioned that they were working to better improve the way Mini customers are treated in the department compared to that of the BMW customers. It's a known fact that a lot of the people going into this particular shop have spent enough money on their Mini that they technically could have bought at least a 3 series or better.

Although I'm still left with a sour taste in my mouth, I'll be glad when I get my Mini back, in hopes that this time it was done/supervised correctly.

*Crosses fingers*

 

Next time (if) you have issues with this dealer, CALL MINIUSA and talk to someone there, telling them what has gone awry. MINIUSA can and will put pressure on the dealer to serve you better.

MINI does not want sketchy dealers out there, they've made a huge push in the last few years to bring the level of service up to par with BMW

 

The funny thing is, I called MiniUSA. I spoke with two people from there and the extent of their service towards me was to make the manager aware. Even after sitting on the phone with the representative for 1.5 hours, telling her my whole Mini life story, I still had to go back to the Manager at the dealer and tell him the story.

I think I told the story to about 5 different people. My throat is parched .

 

I'm a little concerned about the "tires bubbling." That is a safety issue most state laws do not gaze kindly upon.

 

"Tire bubbling" can be caused by an excessive pothole hit, which the OP stated did happen.

 

Yes it was a pothole. I had told them about it and there were two visible bubbles on the walls of the tires, one on each. It all happened in Jersey...it was the Grand Canyon of potholes on I-280.

 

I had the choppy tire story as well. Baically it comes down to not rotating the tires, which I know is something MINI tells you you shouldn't do. I recommend you do it anyway. Also, you can get the same runflats a lot cheaper from other places.
Anyway, to address your overall concern of bad service. I had a similar experience at another dealer on LI. A nice letter (sent certified mail) to the president of MINI USA, copied to the owner of the dealership and the dealership service manager sure did get the ball rolling.

 

I was actually trying to find the information on who to send the letter to, but within the past two years it seems Mini and the dealer have both stripped down their sites and removed any and all names.

Would you be able to message me the mailing address for the MiniUSA President?

 

MINIUSA c/o Mr. President
1600 Oxford Drive
Blaire GB


Not really, but I would hope that someone else gets my joke.