I got my MCS back yesterday after having a few weeks trouble with a clutch pedal that did not keep pressure and therefore didn't work.

Finally it was tracked down to a problem with contaminant (maybe got in through a seal?)in my brake fluid system and failed master cylinder. All other parts were OK.

In any case I want to report that MINI of Hawaii management (Al), service advisor (Tony) and shop foreman (Glen) all did a great job keeping me informed and helping me get my MINI back on the road. I want to especially thank Tony and Glen for working with me to do the troubleshooting and finding the fix. The delay was waiting for parts.

Now that I have my MCS back the little car is so fun to have again it is amazing how much better it is after a long absence. I think you can get spoiled silly driving a MINI around too much. If you ever get to rent a car on an extended trip then come back to your MINI you'll know what I mean.

Finally a word on modding. Although we are MINI enthusiast wanting to do more. When trouble does occur it may create complex problems with dealerships handling the variety of mods that can be done on a MINI. The dealership will try to return a MINI back to stock in order to effectively trouble shoot the problem. When you have mods that interfere with the system that has problems then it makes things more troublesome and may add to the cost of doing the repair in time and labor. In my case having upgraded ATE super blue brake fluid was non standard and all of that had to be flushed out with stock fluid in order to get pedal pressure back in the clutch so that parts could be tested. The dealer didn't want to fill their 3 gallon pressure tank with aftermarket fluid due to the added cost and trouble to change it back.

So when possible use the stock parts at least for the first 3 or 4 years when warranty work might need to be done.
Work with your service advisor and mechanic to find the problems so that your MINI can get back on the road.
MINI loaners for service work are in the works so ask about them at the time you make your appointment.

I'd say that my experience was excellent and evidence that our dealership is really trying to do what they can to help us MINI owners more than 100%. I'm very grateful for their efforts.

Thanks Alan Roberts (service Manager), Glen Pestana (Shop Foreman), and Tony Leonardo (service advisor).

5 miles for a 5 star rating.

 

Now, didn't you wish you listened to me about keeping a car near stock? As for my MCS, it was completely stock except for the intake, no suspension mods or anything on it. For some reason, everyone thought I had suspension work done on that car.

If you want to replace the DOT4 with Superblue, maybe you should host a DIY day out in your neck of the woods. I'm sure there are lots of people in the Central and Leeward areas that are interested in modding their cars. A fluid change will take maybe 30 minutes if you push it. I know a couple guys out there that swapped out brake lines and pads this week. Brake pad changes are good as you can get rid of that nasty brake dust!

As for the new attitude at MINI, I'm glad that things are changing. It seems as if Al is changing also. In the past, I have heard from numerous BMW owners that swear they will never buy another BMW because of the hard time he gave them. Hopefully, he learned that his "mainland attitude" doesn't work in Hawaii, and has adopted a more "local attitude". He's just lucky he didn't deal with some "notorious" BMW owners as that attitude adjustment would have been very painful.

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good to hear that things are changing for the better.

just curious. did the dealership charge you for having to revert your car back to stock? i remember someone mentioning that you were charged to have your strut bar removed during one of your earlier services.


>>
>>Finally a word on modding. Although we are MINI enthusiast wanting to do more. When trouble does occur it may create complex problems with dealerships handling the variety of mods that can be done on a MINI. The dealership will try to return a MINI back to stock in order to effectively trouble shoot the problem. When you have mods that interfere with the system that has problems then it makes things more troublesome and may add to the cost of doing the repair in time and labor. In my case having upgraded ATE super blue brake fluid was non standard and all of that had to be flushed out with stock fluid in order to get pedal pressure back in the clutch so that parts could be tested. The dealer didn't want to fill their 3 gallon pressure tank with aftermarket fluid due to the added cost and trouble to change it back.
>>

 

good to hear that things are changing for the better.

just curious. did the dealership charge you for having to revert your car back to stock? i remember someone mentioning that you were charged to have your strut bar removed during one of your earlier services.

Actually, the better question is, "Was that work covered under warranty, or did you have to use Magnuson Moss?"

 

actually, the better (better) question is, "Or did they cover it out of goodwill?"

>>
>>Actually, the better question is, "Was that work covered under warranty, or did you have to use Magnuson Moss?"
>>

 

>>actually, the better (better) question is, "Or did they cover it out of goodwill?"

 

I'm glad it finally sunk in! I try to tell all of you things that I have experienced in my years of working on cars, so you don't go down that road. I've learned from my experience and hope many of you will avoid those same pitfalls.

I do have a bastardized car at my mechanics with a Euro Frankenstein motor in a newer bodied 6 series. The motor mounts are custom made as will be the throttle linkage and exhaust system. Will I do it again? Probably not. I'll just stick with a bored/stroked M30 instead of a Souped up M90.

As for the Superblue, I prefer to have that in my car as it has a higher boiling point than the factory stuff and it is non-hygroscopic. If you do plan to race Solo 2 and run in Aloha 500 as you have said, I would consider it cheap insurance.

 

just when i discovered newfound faith in the dealership, i've learned that service is still partial at MINI of Hawaii.

it's nice that "teamwork" and "goodwill" worked out for minihune but this isn't always the case.

today, i ran into a neighborhood friend who owns an mcs. he took his car in to have a belt replaced but was told that due to the reduction pulley, the dealership would not touch the car. and on top of that, he was asked to pay $50 just to look at the car!

edit: forgot to add that while his car was parked overnight (he used the key drop box service), someone stole his license plate and safety check stickers while on dealership property!! for his "troubles," the $50 was waived but the belt wasn't replaced.

different owners are treated differently. incidentally, he doesn't post on NAM.

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Hawaii MINI Motoring Club....Open to EVERYONE! Join Now...send me PM!

 

Minihune glad to hear you got good service. I'm going in for my 1 year service on Saturday. I thought I posted something, just so i don't run into problems on Saturday .

 

>>Minihune glad to hear you got good service. I'm going in for my 1 year service on Saturday. I thought I posted something, just so i don't run into problems on Saturday