Our MINI is back at the dealer now because at delivery both doors were not flush with the body and the trim on one of the quarter panels was misaligned. After 2 weeks the initial "new car thrill" is starting to wane and it got me thinking. What exactly are the QA/QC people over at MINI doing? These were 3 pretty big and obvious product defects to let slip through after almost a year of production. Is our car the rarity or have other owners experienced similar issues with poor fit and finish of body panels and trim?

 

Sounds like mine I thought thats just the way they are ?

 

Must have been built on a Hangover Monday

 

Our British friends are very good at meetings, policies, and more meetings. Quality contruction skills......ahhhh....NO! I was hoping the BMW folks automated the hell out of the factory.

 

I was at the dealership this weekend and sat in two cars. First thing was the door handle creaked and groaned when I closed the door. Very 'plastic' feel. The other door did the same. This is when I start rethinking my 30k purchase. I then put my foot to floor of the accel pedal and it clicked at the bottom..what the...

Went to a newer S and did the door handle test...no creak...foot to the floor no creak....

I am hoping mine is built with some sort of quality control and I dont just roll over and take the cooper when it arrives....must control urge to drive...:impatient

 

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. No problems like you're describing--in fact, very few problems at all.

What day was mine made on?

 

Well, it took MINI 4 years to perfect the R50 and R53....... should have got an 06..........mine's perfect

 

I've now had my MINI for nearly 2 weeks, and nearly 1000 miles. No issues whatsoever. Everything is exactly as ordered, fit and trim are excellent... in short, I love it!

TopGun

 

Maybe, but that turbo...

 

My chrome trim thingy around the bottom of the windows is not perfectly aligned either. But I don't care. It never bothered me. I used to build plastic model cars for a hobby and I have painted countless clear bodies for my RC cars and they were never perfect no matter how hard I tried. Ultimately my toy hobbies lowered my standard for perfection. I keep my focus on the performance and durability. "OK, the trims are off little.... Will that slow my car down? Will it leave me stranded? Will others roll on the floor laughing their a$$ off? No, no, and no." So...after 4400 miles on my MCS I am very satisfied with my car. 32.0mpg makes me giggle.

 

I just noticed some of my trim thats off is actually coming off ,now I guess I havta' do something .I'm with you I just like the way it drives .

 

It's not as big of a deal for me, but the plastic body colored ring that goes around my gas cap was completely loose and had to be replaced. The new one is much better.

If I look closely I think my bonnet and side panels don't quite line up the way I think they should.

My paint seems to be shockingly thin.

While these are not such a big deal, but it does make me wonder if all the really critical stuff (engine, transmission, suspension) have the same 'quirkiness'. I hope not, because I'm in love with my car.

 

I never expect perfection, but my 07 MCS comes pretty darn close: 12,000 miles, zero problems, 33 mpg, never runs out of power, lots of fun, best designed, best built, best handling car I have ever driven.

 

Hmmm, mine does this same thing, I just assumed it's normal. Maybe it's not the same thing you're describing, as it's definitely not a creak and you can't even hear it. It's more of a detent or something that you feel, but only when using that last inch or so of travel.
Other then that (if it's even a problem) my MCSa is perfect though, so no complaints here. 2.5 weeks and over 1300 miles.

 

Now theres some positive thoughts Making me feel better because all i read is mostly negative, and I'm taking delivery in the middle of november

 

I'm convinced just about everyone has the jitters after reading this BB. I started a thread, too. It will pass. Remember, the squeaky wheels...post on NAM.

 

Yep, you're hearing a lot of squeaky wheels. It's much easier to chime in with your 2 cents on some minor issue and neurotic speculation than it is to say, "me & MINI are doing great, no problems" (although you'll see that too) I bet in a poll nearly everyone would buy their MINI all over again, warts and all.

 

Had my MCS about 5 weeks, about 2200 miles and really nothing negative to report. Oh, the cover for the fuse panel fell off a couple times when my wife kicked it. Probably could have had a better design, but she hasn't kicked after week one, and it hasn't fell off. I'm really enjoying the car so far.

 

My question was more about MINI as an organization than the niggling production faults of the cars rolling off the line. I wonder if the MINI plant uses different QA/QC procedures than BMW. I've never owned a BMW, but I've owned pretty much every other German marque and cars from all over, and none were delivered with such a blatantly obvious flaw as misaligned doors. Hell, I owned a pre-BMW Land Rover and the body panels where better aligned (the innards were crap, but that's another story). What's more, this seems to be a series of QA/QC failures at the manufacturing plant, the VDC, and the dealer. I am imagining the big wigs in Munich all sitting around a table wondering how to imbue the MINI with more quintessentially British character, when one guy in the back suddenly goes, "Aha, I've got it."

 

MINI has QA/QC people?? Where??

 

I work in manufacturing and there is very little outgoing inspection any more by QC/QA especially in a lean manufacturing evironment, which Mini is. The workers building the product are the QC/QA. It is the responsibility of the person assembling the product to report problems. Another item to note, the Mini plant is near capacity, which means everyone is working long hours. There is also a great deal of pressure to deliver the product on time. Alot of items get overlooked when a plant is trying to meet shipment quotas for the end of the month.

 

Well, I gotta say, I work for a company that really pressures every single employee to work faster, not better. It's really hard to maintain your own standards in that kind of environment, and, sooner or later it shows. I don't understand how it pays off, but they must think it does, because they're far more willing to deal with the consquences of poor quality (complaints) than they are willing to ensure quality (happy customers) in the first place. I'm hoping that's not so true with MINI. (cross fingers)

 

You must work for the same folks I do...

 

I've had two MINIs, both with ill-fitting doors and creaking handles. My new '07 also makes this charming sound when I press the brake petal prior to starting...sort of like the groan of the spring on a screen door. I just figure the car has "character"!

 

Who do you work for? When I worked in St. Louis, both my husband and I worked for MAC (McDonnell-Douglas). Guess that's Boeing now?