R56 Conundrum. Advice?
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5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Dardanelle, AR
Conundrum. Advice?
I've had a thought creeping into my head a bit the past couple of weeks and am seeking advice from other NAM'ers on how to address it. Let me also preface this by saying this is not in any way buyer's remorse. I love my MINI and MINIs in general.
I've had Nic for around a month and a half now (took him home on 11-17). He has around 5,000 mi on him. He had 198 mi on him at the lot because he was used as a demo car, so they gave me an extra 5k mi on his service plan.
Pretty much right off the bat when I got him home and washed him for the first time (less than a week after I got him), I noticed the seal on his boot window was coming unglued. No big deal I suppose. I planned to have them re-glue it next time I went to the dealership. Problem is, the dealer is around 3.5 hrs from me. It's well worth the trip to have one of these cars...as long as it's only once in a while. And it turns out they don't re-glue it, but had to reorder the part (didn't find that out until I went back to the dealership!).
I took Nic by my family mechanic shortly after getting him home and had the guy check him out. He gave him a look over and then felt the tires, at which point he told me I needed to call the dealership and get them to replace the tires and re-align the car because the alignment was off and the tires felt feathered toward the outside. I asked on here about the alignment issue and pretty much convinced myself that it wasn't out of alignment because of the very responsive steering and the fact that I didn't feel any 'shimmy' at any speed. The other day, since I was approaching 5k mi, I had his tires rotated and the mechanic that did it (not the same one as previously mentioned) also said the tires felt feathered. Okay, so now I guess I may actually have an alignment issue. I noticed yesterday during a rather spirited drive that there is possibly a slight vibration at higher speeds, but it's always hard to distinguish between that and the road feel to me.
Okay, third issue: I began to notice that the drive side window didn't roll up as quickly as the passenger side window. Over the past month and a half, I've noticed the window actually has gotten worse and you can now hear the motor winding up and down as it tries to push up the window. Addressed that with my MA and it's going to be replaced.
Final issue: after washing the car pretty thoroughly a couple weeks ago, I noticed condensation on the front passenger side fog lamp. I mentioned it to my MA and the service manager at the dealership, and they're going to have to replace that too.
Okay, so in 1.5 months of owning my car, I've definitely had 3 things go wrong (back window seal, driver side window motor, front passenger side fog lamp), and possibly have an alignment issue that was apparently there from the beginning.
Again, I'll state that I love my car. However, I don't like the fact that I just paid over $23k for a new car that already has 3 or 4 things wrong with it. I don't really think that's how it should go. I put in a call to my MA a while ago and am waiting for him to return it asking what they could do. They're probably going to say something to the effect that I can just bring it in whenever something goes wrong while it's under the service period, and that'd be all fine and dandy if I wasn't 3.5 hrs from the place. I'm thinking of asking them to replace the car with another of similar value.
Anyone else been in this predicament? Even if not, I know there are lots of people here with opinions they'd love to share, so I'm all ears (err, eyes I guess). What would you do in this situation?
I've had Nic for around a month and a half now (took him home on 11-17). He has around 5,000 mi on him. He had 198 mi on him at the lot because he was used as a demo car, so they gave me an extra 5k mi on his service plan.
Pretty much right off the bat when I got him home and washed him for the first time (less than a week after I got him), I noticed the seal on his boot window was coming unglued. No big deal I suppose. I planned to have them re-glue it next time I went to the dealership. Problem is, the dealer is around 3.5 hrs from me. It's well worth the trip to have one of these cars...as long as it's only once in a while. And it turns out they don't re-glue it, but had to reorder the part (didn't find that out until I went back to the dealership!).
I took Nic by my family mechanic shortly after getting him home and had the guy check him out. He gave him a look over and then felt the tires, at which point he told me I needed to call the dealership and get them to replace the tires and re-align the car because the alignment was off and the tires felt feathered toward the outside. I asked on here about the alignment issue and pretty much convinced myself that it wasn't out of alignment because of the very responsive steering and the fact that I didn't feel any 'shimmy' at any speed. The other day, since I was approaching 5k mi, I had his tires rotated and the mechanic that did it (not the same one as previously mentioned) also said the tires felt feathered. Okay, so now I guess I may actually have an alignment issue. I noticed yesterday during a rather spirited drive that there is possibly a slight vibration at higher speeds, but it's always hard to distinguish between that and the road feel to me.
Okay, third issue: I began to notice that the drive side window didn't roll up as quickly as the passenger side window. Over the past month and a half, I've noticed the window actually has gotten worse and you can now hear the motor winding up and down as it tries to push up the window. Addressed that with my MA and it's going to be replaced.
Final issue: after washing the car pretty thoroughly a couple weeks ago, I noticed condensation on the front passenger side fog lamp. I mentioned it to my MA and the service manager at the dealership, and they're going to have to replace that too.
Okay, so in 1.5 months of owning my car, I've definitely had 3 things go wrong (back window seal, driver side window motor, front passenger side fog lamp), and possibly have an alignment issue that was apparently there from the beginning.
Again, I'll state that I love my car. However, I don't like the fact that I just paid over $23k for a new car that already has 3 or 4 things wrong with it. I don't really think that's how it should go. I put in a call to my MA a while ago and am waiting for him to return it asking what they could do. They're probably going to say something to the effect that I can just bring it in whenever something goes wrong while it's under the service period, and that'd be all fine and dandy if I wasn't 3.5 hrs from the place. I'm thinking of asking them to replace the car with another of similar value.
Anyone else been in this predicament? Even if not, I know there are lots of people here with opinions they'd love to share, so I'm all ears (err, eyes I guess). What would you do in this situation?
I doubt that they would replace the car as long as they have or will take care of any warrany problems. Living a long distance is a pain, as I live 250miles round trip, but the Dealer has no control over that so it's not their problem. I've made two trips this week to take care of warranty issues and I know how you feel.
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5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 615
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From: Dardanelle, AR
Yeah, I'll probably end up keeping the car and hope nothing major goes wrong. I'll only lean on them to replace it if it turns out to be a lemon. Fortunately my partner also has a MINI so I won't be stranded if something bad happens.
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 7,578
Likes: 4
From: Paradise
The things you describe seem like rather minor issues. They don't indicate systemic problems with the car.
The alignment issue was probably cause by the 198 miles abuse your got when new. When people demo a car they are not gentle with it. Perhaps someone ran it into a curb.
A bad fog lamp and a problem window are things anyone could face. I had as many teething problems with an Acura Integra, and a VW Rabbit before that.
It seems like your biggest complaint is that the dealer is too far away. I know that is a pain; my dealer is 100 miles away. However, it is the price we pay for having a MINI. It is something that was known ahead of time.
I've had to take mine back for a software upgrade (Voice Activation didn't work when delivered) and a color mismatch with the scoop. These kinds of things are not surprising for the first year of a new model.
The alignment issue was probably cause by the 198 miles abuse your got when new. When people demo a car they are not gentle with it. Perhaps someone ran it into a curb.
A bad fog lamp and a problem window are things anyone could face. I had as many teething problems with an Acura Integra, and a VW Rabbit before that.
It seems like your biggest complaint is that the dealer is too far away. I know that is a pain; my dealer is 100 miles away. However, it is the price we pay for having a MINI. It is something that was known ahead of time.
I've had to take mine back for a software upgrade (Voice Activation didn't work when delivered) and a color mismatch with the scoop. These kinds of things are not surprising for the first year of a new model.
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5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Dardanelle, AR
I know they're minor and that's the crux. Yeah, it's not something that would park the car (unless the window stopped rolling up! *shudder*) hence my last post. I guess I'm just worried about things to come if it already has these things. I'm glad to hear it's not the only one with rather aesthetic problems early on.
6th Gear
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 38,578
Likes: 2
I've had two MINIs and each of them had a few little niggles that had to be sorted out. Once that was done the car's were flawless!! If the dealer knows your situation and can combine trips or provide a loaner if they need the car for a few days to fix multiple things (or upgrade software) that would help. I, therefore, suggest optimism based on my own experience w/ MINIs.
6th Gear
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,118
Likes: 1
That's too many delivery problems, even for a Mini. I'd put it on a 6-month probation. Another strike and it's out!
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3rd Gear
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 293
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I have been blessed with zero problems over 10k miles on a week 3 mcs. Reading the threads, I wonder if the climate you are in has anything to do with it. That is, living in AZ no snow no cold no rust etc etc. Perhaps living in colder climates can cause these issues, espescially if the vehicle is not garaged.
Former Vendor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,472
Likes: 2
From: Sterling, VA
The average number of "issues" on ANY new car is four. If you don't want to have to drive far, get a different car with a dealer close to you. The things you mention are so insignificant I'd either ignore them or fix them myself...
Why not just get a front-end alignment locally, maybe get a body shop to tack that trim back in place, and call it a day? Just the gas to drive to/from your dealer will be $60 by itself, not to mention your lost time.
--Dan
Mach V
Why not just get a front-end alignment locally, maybe get a body shop to tack that trim back in place, and call it a day? Just the gas to drive to/from your dealer will be $60 by itself, not to mention your lost time.
--Dan
Mach V
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,980
Likes: 1
From: PA
The average number of "issues" on ANY new car is four. If you don't want to have to drive far, get a different car with a dealer close to you. The things you mention are so insignificant I'd either ignore them or fix them myself...
Why not just get a front-end alignment locally, maybe get a body shop to tack that trim back in place, and call it a day? Just the gas to drive to/from your dealer will be $60 by itself, not to mention your lost time.
--Dan
Mach V
Why not just get a front-end alignment locally, maybe get a body shop to tack that trim back in place, and call it a day? Just the gas to drive to/from your dealer will be $60 by itself, not to mention your lost time.
--Dan
Mach V
After all, you're still Motoring and loving it.
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5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Dardanelle, AR
Thank you all for the advice. I really appreciate it. I'm going to hold out and hang on to him.
By the way, the issue with the distance isn't really as big of a deal as I guess my first post made it. My only real problem with it is, being a teacher, I can't just head over any day of the week. It's definitely a weekend only trip, but I don't mind making it whenever possible. As for the alignment, it's not about the cost of getting it done, as I could maybe do it at a local shop for $40 if the guy was willing to do it (the person I talked to didn't know if he would because of the 'stance' of a MINI) - it's just the fact that I want MINI people working on my MINI car.
Anyway, thanks again for the opinions.
By the way, the issue with the distance isn't really as big of a deal as I guess my first post made it. My only real problem with it is, being a teacher, I can't just head over any day of the week. It's definitely a weekend only trip, but I don't mind making it whenever possible. As for the alignment, it's not about the cost of getting it done, as I could maybe do it at a local shop for $40 if the guy was willing to do it (the person I talked to didn't know if he would because of the 'stance' of a MINI) - it's just the fact that I want MINI people working on my MINI car.
Anyway, thanks again for the opinions.
5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 640
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From: Nashua, NH
Shortly after I picked up my Mini, the rubber seal started coming off the rear window. I glued it back on with weather strip adhesive, has not been a problem since. When washing my car I have noticed some condensation getting into the fog lamp area. This is normal and quickly evaporates. The window motor problem though I would bring it back to the dealer and have them look at it.
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,283
Likes: 37
From: Honolulu Hawaii
$23K is really not that much for a car. If you mentioned those problems on a $60k or $90K car then I might be pissed. I have never bought a car that didn't have minor problems. American cars, Japanese cars, German cars, they all had minor problems. This is a machine made up of thousands of parts assembled by humans and other machines. There's just no way they can be perfect every time. Use the warranty to its fullest extent, that's what it's for.
4th Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 470
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From: Puget Sound, WA
Does your "for sale" sign below have anything to do with your Jan 5th post?
'07 MC SS/SS, Grad him before I trade him!
Nicodemus is an '07 SS/SS MCa. I've decided I want to go the way of the S and will be taking him to a dealer very soon to probably trade him in on a remaining '07 S. But, if someone out there in NAM land wants a nice broken in SS/SS (how often do you see that combo?), here's your chance.
I pulled him off the lot in November of '07. He now has 5300 mi of highway driving and has been getting an average of 34-38 mpg. He is still well under his factory warranty, which was extended to 55k mi instead of just 50k. So think of it as getting a nearly brand new factory warranty!tonight (have anything to do with your Jan 5th post?
Just curious.
'07 MC SS/SS, Grad him before I trade him!
Nicodemus is an '07 SS/SS MCa. I've decided I want to go the way of the S and will be taking him to a dealer very soon to probably trade him in on a remaining '07 S. But, if someone out there in NAM land wants a nice broken in SS/SS (how often do you see that combo?), here's your chance.
I pulled him off the lot in November of '07. He now has 5300 mi of highway driving and has been getting an average of 34-38 mpg. He is still well under his factory warranty, which was extended to 55k mi instead of just 50k. So think of it as getting a nearly brand new factory warranty!tonight (have anything to do with your Jan 5th post?
Just curious.
I've had a thought creeping into my head a bit the past couple of weeks and am seeking advice from other NAM'ers on how to address it. Let me also preface this by saying this is not in any way buyer's remorse. I love my MINI and MINIs in general.
I've had Nic for around a month and a half now (took him home on 11-17). He has around 5,000 mi on him. He had 198 mi on him at the lot because he was used as a demo car, so they gave me an extra 5k mi on his service plan.
Pretty much right off the bat when I got him home and washed him for the first time (less than a week after I got him), I noticed the seal on his boot window was coming unglued. No big deal I suppose. I planned to have them re-glue it next time I went to the dealership. Problem is, the dealer is around 3.5 hrs from me. It's well worth the trip to have one of these cars...as long as it's only once in a while. And it turns out they don't re-glue it, but had to reorder the part (didn't find that out until I went back to the dealership!).
I took Nic by my family mechanic shortly after getting him home and had the guy check him out. He gave him a look over and then felt the tires, at which point he told me I needed to call the dealership and get them to replace the tires and re-align the car because the alignment was off and the tires felt feathered toward the outside. I asked on here about the alignment issue and pretty much convinced myself that it wasn't out of alignment because of the very responsive steering and the fact that I didn't feel any 'shimmy' at any speed. The other day, since I was approaching 5k mi, I had his tires rotated and the mechanic that did it (not the same one as previously mentioned) also said the tires felt feathered. Okay, so now I guess I may actually have an alignment issue. I noticed yesterday during a rather spirited drive that there is possibly a slight vibration at higher speeds, but it's always hard to distinguish between that and the road feel to me.
Okay, third issue: I began to notice that the drive side window didn't roll up as quickly as the passenger side window. Over the past month and a half, I've noticed the window actually has gotten worse and you can now hear the motor winding up and down as it tries to push up the window. Addressed that with my MA and it's going to be replaced.
Final issue: after washing the car pretty thoroughly a couple weeks ago, I noticed condensation on the front passenger side fog lamp. I mentioned it to my MA and the service manager at the dealership, and they're going to have to replace that too.
Okay, so in 1.5 months of owning my car, I've definitely had 3 things go wrong (back window seal, driver side window motor, front passenger side fog lamp), and possibly have an alignment issue that was apparently there from the beginning.
Again, I'll state that I love my car. However, I don't like the fact that I just paid over $23k for a new car that already has 3 or 4 things wrong with it. I don't really think that's how it should go. I put in a call to my MA a while ago and am waiting for him to return it asking what they could do. They're probably going to say something to the effect that I can just bring it in whenever something goes wrong while it's under the service period, and that'd be all fine and dandy if I wasn't 3.5 hrs from the place. I'm thinking of asking them to replace the car with another of similar value.
Anyone else been in this predicament? Even if not, I know there are lots of people here with opinions they'd love to share, so I'm all ears (err, eyes I guess). What would you do in this situation?
I've had Nic for around a month and a half now (took him home on 11-17). He has around 5,000 mi on him. He had 198 mi on him at the lot because he was used as a demo car, so they gave me an extra 5k mi on his service plan.
Pretty much right off the bat when I got him home and washed him for the first time (less than a week after I got him), I noticed the seal on his boot window was coming unglued. No big deal I suppose. I planned to have them re-glue it next time I went to the dealership. Problem is, the dealer is around 3.5 hrs from me. It's well worth the trip to have one of these cars...as long as it's only once in a while. And it turns out they don't re-glue it, but had to reorder the part (didn't find that out until I went back to the dealership!).
I took Nic by my family mechanic shortly after getting him home and had the guy check him out. He gave him a look over and then felt the tires, at which point he told me I needed to call the dealership and get them to replace the tires and re-align the car because the alignment was off and the tires felt feathered toward the outside. I asked on here about the alignment issue and pretty much convinced myself that it wasn't out of alignment because of the very responsive steering and the fact that I didn't feel any 'shimmy' at any speed. The other day, since I was approaching 5k mi, I had his tires rotated and the mechanic that did it (not the same one as previously mentioned) also said the tires felt feathered. Okay, so now I guess I may actually have an alignment issue. I noticed yesterday during a rather spirited drive that there is possibly a slight vibration at higher speeds, but it's always hard to distinguish between that and the road feel to me.
Okay, third issue: I began to notice that the drive side window didn't roll up as quickly as the passenger side window. Over the past month and a half, I've noticed the window actually has gotten worse and you can now hear the motor winding up and down as it tries to push up the window. Addressed that with my MA and it's going to be replaced.
Final issue: after washing the car pretty thoroughly a couple weeks ago, I noticed condensation on the front passenger side fog lamp. I mentioned it to my MA and the service manager at the dealership, and they're going to have to replace that too.
Okay, so in 1.5 months of owning my car, I've definitely had 3 things go wrong (back window seal, driver side window motor, front passenger side fog lamp), and possibly have an alignment issue that was apparently there from the beginning.
Again, I'll state that I love my car. However, I don't like the fact that I just paid over $23k for a new car that already has 3 or 4 things wrong with it. I don't really think that's how it should go. I put in a call to my MA a while ago and am waiting for him to return it asking what they could do. They're probably going to say something to the effect that I can just bring it in whenever something goes wrong while it's under the service period, and that'd be all fine and dandy if I wasn't 3.5 hrs from the place. I'm thinking of asking them to replace the car with another of similar value.
Anyone else been in this predicament? Even if not, I know there are lots of people here with opinions they'd love to share, so I'm all ears (err, eyes I guess). What would you do in this situation?
Last edited by Blue Skies 05; Jan 9, 2008 at 08:53 PM.
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5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 615
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From: Dardanelle, AR
It does have a lot to do with it, yes. However, after assurances from both my MA and the majority of opinions expressed here at NAM, I've decided I'm just disastisfied with the car I settled for rather than the car I really wanted. I'm taking him over to Roadshow Saturday to have the defective parts replaced, and will probably trade him in then. I wanted to give someone a chance here though to express interest before I did that.
2nd Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 82
Likes: 0
From: st. louis, MO
$23K is really not that much for a car. If you mentioned those problems on a $60k or $90K car then I might be pissed. I have never bought a car that didn't have minor problems. American cars, Japanese cars, German cars, they all had minor problems. This is a machine made up of thousands of parts assembled by humans and other machines. There's just no way they can be perfect every time. Use the warranty to its fullest extent, that's what it's for.
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5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 615
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From: Dardanelle, AR
I tend to agree. Maybe it's just me, but if I pay anything for something, I expect it to be as sold. Maybe not perfect of course, but good. And I'm guessing I'm not the only one who thinks $23k is not a large sum of money! I am a teacher afterall...lol
2nd Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 82
Likes: 0
From: st. louis, MO
23,000$ is the most i have ever paid for an automobile. Keeping in mind that I really like my car, the minute it starts giving me the problems that I have heard mentioned here, it's out the door. I'll take it to the nearest Mazda dealer, accept my losses, and get another Mazda3 wagon that I traded for the MINI. Ha!
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 895
Likes: 2
From: Canton, GA
I couldn't drive another 3. A Speed-3 yes...
Feathering is a performance term that decribes the wear pattern on tires resulting from hard acceleration out of turns. It's similar to cupping which is caused by worn or incorrect damping/springs.
A good suspension shop can tell you for sure if it's a problem from allignment, suspenion, or just the byproduct of having a good time. A bad suspension shop will tell you that feathering is caused by allignment...
Trade if you must but the problems you listed were minor.
If you're craving the extra power, enjoy your new S.
Feathering is a performance term that decribes the wear pattern on tires resulting from hard acceleration out of turns. It's similar to cupping which is caused by worn or incorrect damping/springs.
A good suspension shop can tell you for sure if it's a problem from allignment, suspenion, or just the byproduct of having a good time. A bad suspension shop will tell you that feathering is caused by allignment...
Trade if you must but the problems you listed were minor.
If you're craving the extra power, enjoy your new S.
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,980
Likes: 1
From: PA
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 895
Likes: 2
From: Canton, GA
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5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 615
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From: Dardanelle, AR
Just be ready for the mod bug to bite.
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,980
Likes: 1
From: PA
God I hope not too soon! I'm already going to be upgrading around $6-7k, plus extra insurance prices. The mod bug could get expensive quickly... However, I did find a graphics guy in a nearby town recently who does custom work. He quoted me $100 on blacking out my MC, and that includes all vinyl and labor. He did my partner's bonnet stripes and did an amazing job. So, if I do want to do those 'light' mods, I'll have a cheap source for it.
Wish I was closer to AR. I plan to do a partial black out soon and $100 total is a very good price.
