TIRED OF THE MINI SERVICE CLOWNS (aka NEW PICTURES OF MY LOV
Thread Starter
|
5th Gear
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 757
Likes: 0
From: land of jdm
less than a month after purchasing my mcs in june 2003, i was "blessed" by the MINI rattle ghost...first the sunroof rattle (intermittent, service people couldnt isolate it so it wasnt fixed)....then the boot rattle (was tightened)...and then a rattle that only happened at idle and went away when the clutch was pressed.
the MINI diagnosis: loose/faulty throw-out bearing
the MINI solution: replace the clutch and related components
so...last week, my 2003 mcs w/ only 850 miles went to MINI to have surgery and this is how the surgery went:
oops, almost forgot that when i received the car, it has BLACK GREASE FINGERPRINTS ON BOTH OF MY MAGNESIUM DOOR PANELS!
so i drive home and notice a weird howling/whistling noise. the car sounds louder. a few days later, i hear the same clutch rattle. so tonight, i decide to open up the bonnet and do a mini-t (and i'm no mechanic) inspection and find the following:
ok, so some of these things may be "minor" but in my book, things should be returned in the same condition they were received.
and i almost forgot to mention that when i dropped my car off, i told them to be EXTRA CAREFUL WITH MY RIMS B/C THEY ARE EXPENSIVE(!!!) WHEELS!
hmmm, now i wonder what else is missing/broken/loose?
_________________
<center>
<a href="http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/...join">
<img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/...join.gif" border=0>
Click to subscribe to 808-motoring</a>
</center>
the MINI diagnosis: loose/faulty throw-out bearing
the MINI solution: replace the clutch and related components
so...last week, my 2003 mcs w/ only 850 miles went to MINI to have surgery and this is how the surgery went:
oops, almost forgot that when i received the car, it has BLACK GREASE FINGERPRINTS ON BOTH OF MY MAGNESIUM DOOR PANELS!
so i drive home and notice a weird howling/whistling noise. the car sounds louder. a few days later, i hear the same clutch rattle. so tonight, i decide to open up the bonnet and do a mini-t (and i'm no mechanic) inspection and find the following:
ok, so some of these things may be "minor" but in my book, things should be returned in the same condition they were received.
and i almost forgot to mention that when i dropped my car off, i told them to be EXTRA CAREFUL WITH MY RIMS B/C THEY ARE EXPENSIVE(!!!) WHEELS!
hmmm, now i wonder what else is missing/broken/loose?
_________________
<center>
<a href="http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/...join">
<img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/...join.gif" border=0>
Click to subscribe to 808-motoring</a>
</center>
Sand Dollar Collector
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,249
Likes: 2
From: Moved from Leesburg, VA to Oceanside, CA Nov. 2003
Thread Starter
|
5th Gear
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 757
Likes: 0
From: land of jdm
so needless to say, i'm a little perturbed by all of this. the story is a little long so if you arent interested in following, i understand :smile:
....so, i go down to MINI and follow the chain of command until i get the general service manager. he looks at the wheel/tire damage and says that his service people usually report damages they make to him b/c they aren't reprimanded for it but nobody told him about this one. and then he says he'll look into having the wheel/tire replaced. the same day i get a phone call saying that "his rim guy" can't fix it so he's looking around on the web to find a replacement rim (which i told him would be extremely difficult).
the next day i get a phone call saying that he can't find the rim but he has ordered a new tire and now he has found other people who can repair the rim. (i already told him he wouldnt find it b/c it's a rim that was replaced by the 2nd generation design this year). my gut feeling is that the rim will be very difficult to repair b/c the paint is a pearl white and the damaged outer lining is metallic blue aluminum. he swears that these guys can do it.
i made a proposal to take the cash equivalent of the cost of a new rim ($550 for one!) since that was his original plan. his response: he'd like to keep costs down and was only going to replace the rim if he could get it at a "wholesale" price of $350. i was told by the rim painting guy, who has heard about the wheel but hasnt yet seen it, that he would estimate the cost to repaint the damaged portions of the rim to be $250-$500 (this doesnt even include the price to fix the wheel first) so rather than making my damaged wheel even worse (if the repair doesnt come out to my expectations), i thought that the cash equivalent would be a logical fix.
so by now, i'm very perturbed. tomorrow, i'm having the paint guy and rim fixer guy drive out to see the damage and see what they think -- can they fix it to my expectations? estimate?
and now i think i know what is causing that weird howling/whistling sound, i'm gonna take the car down tomorrow and have them correct all those things i found tonight.
the "new" throw-out bearing is still rattling, too...will have to think long and hard about whether or not to take my mcs back in.
lesson learned: be extremely thorough when your car leaves the service dept!
_________________
<center>
<a href="http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/...join">
<img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/...join.gif" border=0>
Click to subscribe to 808-motoring</a>
</center>
....so, i go down to MINI and follow the chain of command until i get the general service manager. he looks at the wheel/tire damage and says that his service people usually report damages they make to him b/c they aren't reprimanded for it but nobody told him about this one. and then he says he'll look into having the wheel/tire replaced. the same day i get a phone call saying that "his rim guy" can't fix it so he's looking around on the web to find a replacement rim (which i told him would be extremely difficult).
the next day i get a phone call saying that he can't find the rim but he has ordered a new tire and now he has found other people who can repair the rim. (i already told him he wouldnt find it b/c it's a rim that was replaced by the 2nd generation design this year). my gut feeling is that the rim will be very difficult to repair b/c the paint is a pearl white and the damaged outer lining is metallic blue aluminum. he swears that these guys can do it.
i made a proposal to take the cash equivalent of the cost of a new rim ($550 for one!) since that was his original plan. his response: he'd like to keep costs down and was only going to replace the rim if he could get it at a "wholesale" price of $350. i was told by the rim painting guy, who has heard about the wheel but hasnt yet seen it, that he would estimate the cost to repaint the damaged portions of the rim to be $250-$500 (this doesnt even include the price to fix the wheel first) so rather than making my damaged wheel even worse (if the repair doesnt come out to my expectations), i thought that the cash equivalent would be a logical fix.
so by now, i'm very perturbed. tomorrow, i'm having the paint guy and rim fixer guy drive out to see the damage and see what they think -- can they fix it to my expectations? estimate?
and now i think i know what is causing that weird howling/whistling sound, i'm gonna take the car down tomorrow and have them correct all those things i found tonight.
the "new" throw-out bearing is still rattling, too...will have to think long and hard about whether or not to take my mcs back in.
lesson learned: be extremely thorough when your car leaves the service dept!
_________________
<center>
<a href="http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/...join">
<img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/...join.gif" border=0>
Click to subscribe to 808-motoring</a>
</center>
6th Gear
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,656
Likes: 0
From: Cooper City, Fl
What dealer is this from?? Tell us all because I would drive to the next service center before I would EVER go to this place. If this was my car and I was given it back in this condition I would do a few things. First e-mail this to MINIUSA with a nice letter showing them the quality of work and damage to the wheels. Then I would go back a totally rip the service manager for his peoples lack of care that they have for peoples cars. And if that does nothing contact the owner of the dealer and show him/her what has happened. and finally contact the BBB and let them know whats going on at this place. Sorry to see this.
Thread Starter
|
5th Gear
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 757
Likes: 0
From: land of jdm
mini of hawaii and being on this relatively small island, there's only 1 dealership. those of you on the mainland have the luxury of going to others albeit a looooong drive away :smile:
>>What dealer is this from?? Tell us all because I would drive to the next service center before I would EVER go to this place. If this was my car and I was given it back in this condition I would do a few things. First e-mail this to MINIUSA with a nice letter showing them the quality of work and damage to the wheels. Then I would go back a totally rip the service manager for his peoples lack of care that they have for peoples cars. And if that does nothing contact the owner of the dealer and show him/her what has happened. and finally contact the BBB and let them know whats going on at this place. Sorry to see this.
>>What dealer is this from?? Tell us all because I would drive to the next service center before I would EVER go to this place. If this was my car and I was given it back in this condition I would do a few things. First e-mail this to MINIUSA with a nice letter showing them the quality of work and damage to the wheels. Then I would go back a totally rip the service manager for his peoples lack of care that they have for peoples cars. And if that does nothing contact the owner of the dealer and show him/her what has happened. and finally contact the BBB and let them know whats going on at this place. Sorry to see this.
3rd Gear
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 276
Likes: 0
From: Beverly Hills
mini-t
Sorry to hear that you have so many issue with mini of hawaii. I totally agree with you about the problems, so what are they going to do for you? Are they going to replace the wheels because is damage? Are they going to work on all of the 4 issues that you have with the mini? You mini is under 1,000 miles and so many thing has gone wrong with them.
They should have been more careful with your car especially you already told them to be careful with you rims. What about the all the rattle you have did they fix it all yet because my boot rattle is still around because no one seem to know how to fix it. Anyway good luck with your mini
Sorry to hear that you have so many issue with mini of hawaii. I totally agree with you about the problems, so what are they going to do for you? Are they going to replace the wheels because is damage? Are they going to work on all of the 4 issues that you have with the mini? You mini is under 1,000 miles and so many thing has gone wrong with them.
They should have been more careful with your car especially you already told them to be careful with you rims. What about the all the rattle you have did they fix it all yet because my boot rattle is still around because no one seem to know how to fix it. Anyway good luck with your miniTrending Topics
Thread Starter
|
5th Gear
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 757
Likes: 0
From: land of jdm
>>mini-t
>>Sorry to hear that you have so many issue with mini of hawaii. I totally agree with you about the problems, so what are they going to do for you? Are they going to replace the wheels because is damage? Are they going to work on all of the 4 issues that you have with the mini? You mini is under 1,000 miles and so many thing has gone wrong with them.
>>Sorry to hear that you have so many issue with mini of hawaii. I totally agree with you about the problems, so what are they going to do for you? Are they going to replace the wheels because is damage? Are they going to work on all of the 4 issues that you have with the mini? You mini is under 1,000 miles and so many thing has gone wrong with them.
3rd Gear
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 292
Likes: 0
From: Central Pa
Poor workmanship from the Dealer.
Unless you you looked at wheels when you parked the car - you will never know who did it. Lets look at the possibility that maybe you took a turn to hard.
Sorry for you misfortune but if you go to the shopping center and get a ding you do not go inside and say pay for it. Wonder why the Dealer is always held to pay hmmm as I said before if you inspected wheels at drop off then you can ask for repair.
Unless you you looked at wheels when you parked the car - you will never know who did it. Lets look at the possibility that maybe you took a turn to hard.
Sorry for you misfortune but if you go to the shopping center and get a ding you do not go inside and say pay for it. Wonder why the Dealer is always held to pay hmmm as I said before if you inspected wheels at drop off then you can ask for repair.
6th Gear
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,675
Likes: 2
From: South Bend, Indiana
Yeah, but does that mean we should have to take digital photos of every car part when we drop our cars off?.... If Mini-t knows these things were right before, then someone at the dealership knows what happened. The dealer, wanting honesty from employees, should not punish them for their mistakes, otherwise he/she will not get the truth... mmmmm... Mini-T is not being unreasonable... Fight 'em Mini-T!!!
God speed.
God speed.
OVERDRIVE - Racing Champion
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,262
Likes: 72
From: Mililani, Hawaii
mini-t,
Sorry to hear about all this.
Please do see the sales manager at Mini of HI and let him know about all this hassle.
I hope you can resolve these problems/issues.
Thanks for letting us know that there may be some bumps ahead for some of us. And thanks for the pictures.
Let me know if I can help with anything.
Sorry to hear about all this.
Please do see the sales manager at Mini of HI and let him know about all this hassle.
I hope you can resolve these problems/issues.
Thanks for letting us know that there may be some bumps ahead for some of us. And thanks for the pictures.
Let me know if I can help with anything.
2nd Gear
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
From: Hawaii
Hello Mini-t,
Too bad that this incident happened. I think minihune's suggestion for you to go to the sales manager is an excellent one. When I took delivery of my new mini, there was a slight but visible dent on the rear bumper. When I reported it to the sales manager, he immediately returned my money, had the bumper replaced (not repainted) within two day.
I hope now that you have posted this thread, things will go in your favor. They don't want anymore "publicity". You can still escalate it to MINIUSA. I believe there is a service survey form from MINIUSA coming your way soon.
I took my mini to MINIHawaii for service three times. First one was excellent, and the second came back with a scuff mark on the bumper that I had to buff off myself. So the next time I brought my mini in, I washed and wax my car the nite before and I made the service guy go around and inspect my car with me before I handed him the key. I think he knows I will be maticulous. It came back spotless. Still, I keep my fingers crossed.
Too bad that this incident happened. I think minihune's suggestion for you to go to the sales manager is an excellent one. When I took delivery of my new mini, there was a slight but visible dent on the rear bumper. When I reported it to the sales manager, he immediately returned my money, had the bumper replaced (not repainted) within two day.
I hope now that you have posted this thread, things will go in your favor. They don't want anymore "publicity". You can still escalate it to MINIUSA. I believe there is a service survey form from MINIUSA coming your way soon.
I took my mini to MINIHawaii for service three times. First one was excellent, and the second came back with a scuff mark on the bumper that I had to buff off myself. So the next time I brought my mini in, I washed and wax my car the nite before and I made the service guy go around and inspect my car with me before I handed him the key. I think he knows I will be maticulous. It came back spotless. Still, I keep my fingers crossed.
Thread Starter
|
5th Gear
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 757
Likes: 0
From: land of jdm
hi everyone,
sales manager is very aware of the situation, however this is an issue with the service dept since they werent up to par. btw, the sales team at MINI of hawaii is wonderful!!!
i didnt start this post for publicity but to let people know to be diligent and aware.
funny that i havent received the usual call from the super cheery MINIusa girl asking "hi, you recently brought your car in to MINI of hawaii for service. please rate the following from 1 to 5." no call yet. they usually call within a few days.
to: jwhcars -- hard cornering? nope. my car isnt even broken in yet and my tires still have the little nubs on all of them. if you saw the damage in real life, you would see that something sharp (?) actually hit/pierced it from an angle from rim to tire or vice versa.
thanks everyone, will keep you posted.
>>Hello Mini-t,
>>
>>Too bad that this incident happened. I think minihune's suggestion for you to go to the sales manager is an excellent one. When I took delivery of my new mini, there was a slight but visible dent on the rear bumper. When I reported it to the sales manager, he immediately returned my money, had the bumper replaced (not repainted) within two day.
>>
>>I hope now that you have posted this thread, things will go in your favor. They don't want anymore "publicity". You can still escalate it to MINIUSA. I believe there is a service survey form from MINIUSA coming your way soon.
>>
>>I took my mini to MINIHawaii for service three times. First one was excellent, and the second came back with a scuff mark on the bumper that I had to buff off myself. So the next time I brought my mini in, I washed and wax my car the nite before and I made the service guy go around and inspect my car with me before I handed him the key. I think he knows I will be maticulous. It came back spotless. Still, I keep my fingers crossed.
>>
>>
sales manager is very aware of the situation, however this is an issue with the service dept since they werent up to par. btw, the sales team at MINI of hawaii is wonderful!!!
i didnt start this post for publicity but to let people know to be diligent and aware.
funny that i havent received the usual call from the super cheery MINIusa girl asking "hi, you recently brought your car in to MINI of hawaii for service. please rate the following from 1 to 5." no call yet. they usually call within a few days.
to: jwhcars -- hard cornering? nope. my car isnt even broken in yet and my tires still have the little nubs on all of them. if you saw the damage in real life, you would see that something sharp (?) actually hit/pierced it from an angle from rim to tire or vice versa.
thanks everyone, will keep you posted.
>>Hello Mini-t,
>>
>>Too bad that this incident happened. I think minihune's suggestion for you to go to the sales manager is an excellent one. When I took delivery of my new mini, there was a slight but visible dent on the rear bumper. When I reported it to the sales manager, he immediately returned my money, had the bumper replaced (not repainted) within two day.
>>
>>I hope now that you have posted this thread, things will go in your favor. They don't want anymore "publicity". You can still escalate it to MINIUSA. I believe there is a service survey form from MINIUSA coming your way soon.
>>
>>I took my mini to MINIHawaii for service three times. First one was excellent, and the second came back with a scuff mark on the bumper that I had to buff off myself. So the next time I brought my mini in, I washed and wax my car the nite before and I made the service guy go around and inspect my car with me before I handed him the key. I think he knows I will be maticulous. It came back spotless. Still, I keep my fingers crossed.
>>
>>
6th Gear
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,730
Likes: 0
>>Poor workmanship from the Dealer.
>>
>>Unless you you looked at wheels when you parked the car - you will never know who did it. Lets look at the possibility that maybe you took a turn to hard.
>>
>>Sorry for you misfortune but if you go to the shopping center and get a ding you do not go inside and say pay for it. Wonder why the Dealer is always held to pay hmmm as I said before if you inspected wheels at drop off then you can ask for repair.
I've seen mini-t drive and she is not one to rip turns or abuse her car. She is very meticulous and fastidious about the care of her car and is probably one of those who would park in the outskirts of a parking lot so her car wouldn't get dinged. I, on the other hand am a different story. Did you know a 750il can fit in a compact stall?
>>
>>Unless you you looked at wheels when you parked the car - you will never know who did it. Lets look at the possibility that maybe you took a turn to hard.
>>
>>Sorry for you misfortune but if you go to the shopping center and get a ding you do not go inside and say pay for it. Wonder why the Dealer is always held to pay hmmm as I said before if you inspected wheels at drop off then you can ask for repair.
I've seen mini-t drive and she is not one to rip turns or abuse her car. She is very meticulous and fastidious about the care of her car and is probably one of those who would park in the outskirts of a parking lot so her car wouldn't get dinged. I, on the other hand am a different story. Did you know a 750il can fit in a compact stall?
3rd Gear
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 297
Likes: 0
From: honolulu
Mini-T, Really sorry to hear about your issues- its the pits- especially knowing how you take care .
I've had issues also, not so much with actual repair but the other things that are screwed up, not reassembled correctly & nothing said-its left to owner to discover.
They don't seem to check anything out before car is returned. I also had new clutch, flywheel & t/o bearing- it did fix my noise- Car was returned with nail in tire, ding in driver side rear panel & paint scuffs on door edge. I also saw svc mgr who offered without hestitation to fix- offered to fix at central paint but i declined as didn't want repaint of large area.
A month ago they replace seat control mechanism- had to return 3 times now for them to fix things they screwed up for that repair. Discovered rear plastic part of seat back wasn't installed correctly- easily noticed -I returned and they fixed while i waited. They scatched the paint around steering wheel airbag which they replaced and put gouge in floor molding (taking it in for this).
Wonder if we should go together & raise this to higher level there. Its just unacceptable. Is this level of quality also on BMW work??
It is interesting that the Mini follow up calls ask little of quality of repair or real issues. Svc advisors seem very rushed and frustrated.
I've had issues also, not so much with actual repair but the other things that are screwed up, not reassembled correctly & nothing said-its left to owner to discover.
They don't seem to check anything out before car is returned. I also had new clutch, flywheel & t/o bearing- it did fix my noise- Car was returned with nail in tire, ding in driver side rear panel & paint scuffs on door edge. I also saw svc mgr who offered without hestitation to fix- offered to fix at central paint but i declined as didn't want repaint of large area.
A month ago they replace seat control mechanism- had to return 3 times now for them to fix things they screwed up for that repair. Discovered rear plastic part of seat back wasn't installed correctly- easily noticed -I returned and they fixed while i waited. They scatched the paint around steering wheel airbag which they replaced and put gouge in floor molding (taking it in for this).
Wonder if we should go together & raise this to higher level there. Its just unacceptable. Is this level of quality also on BMW work??
It is interesting that the Mini follow up calls ask little of quality of repair or real issues. Svc advisors seem very rushed and frustrated.
Thread Starter
|
5th Gear
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 757
Likes: 0
From: land of jdm
bgrpph - wow! i had no clue that you had all those problems with MINI. see, i guess that these issues are not isolated incidents but things that happen time and time again. i like your idea of banding together and bringing this to a higher level -- it is extremely unacceptable! if we all didnt love our cars as much as we do, we would probably would own another set of wheels.
anyone else wanna share their experiences?
didnt get a chance to stop by MINI today but it's the first thing on my agenda for tomorrow morning...gotta get those engine things ironed out as well as have the clutch rattle looked at AGAIN! hopefully the loud howling will go away once the intake tube is tightened correctly.
aloha,
mini-t
anyone else wanna share their experiences?
didnt get a chance to stop by MINI today but it's the first thing on my agenda for tomorrow morning...gotta get those engine things ironed out as well as have the clutch rattle looked at AGAIN! hopefully the loud howling will go away once the intake tube is tightened correctly.
aloha,
mini-t
OVERDRIVE - Racing Champion
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,262
Likes: 72
From: Mililani, Hawaii
>>I've seen mini-t drive and she is not one to rip turns or abuse her car. She is very meticulous and fastidious about the care of her car and is probably one of those who would park in the outskirts of a parking lot so her car wouldn't get dinged. I, on the other hand am a different story. Did you know a 750il can fit in a compact stall?
1st Gear
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: Hawaii
No complaints about the service department yet, but after taking possession of my MINI, I was baffled by my inability to make the windsheild washer work. The Xenon headlight washer worked great, but not my windsheild washer. Turns out they never put fluid in the windsheild washer reservoir. I took care of it myself, but the dealer should have checked that off their dealer prep checklist. I am also the type who parks out in the boonies so I don't get door dings from inconsiderate non-MINI owners. I also count on the extra walking distance as excercise I would not have gotten if I had circled for a half an hour until I could park two spaces away from the front door. If you ever see my Chili Red and White MINI parked anywhere other than the far end of a parking lot, I will buy you dinner and drinkies at your favorite restorante. Hopefully it will be McDonalds, they have a great Dollar menu.
