ok guys....i had a misfortunate accident in my mini and it turned out i needed to get a new engine. The dealership said that they would order one from Germany however it has been over a month and it has not come yet. They reason that since the MINI is a "new" car, they do not store spare parts for it therefore they have to pull an engine off the assembly line...now is this true guys or are they just trying to be cute with me... I would greatly appreciate your help...

thanks

 

Isn’t the engine built in Brazil? What assembly line is the dealership talking about? And why would they order it from Germany? The MINI is built in Oxford, UK.

 

Sounds a little hokey to me too, but then again, I once waited 7 months for Land Rover to finish a year's production of Defenders so that they could re-tool to build me a LHD North American spec D-90 bulkhead. I held the record for the body shop keeping a vehicle!

The story Land Rover told me was they they had to complete the year's regular production as well as a military order for Saudi Arabia before they could reconfigure the factory to produce a single rarely needed bulkhead for my Defender

 

Although the engine is made in Brazil, it still has to be sourced from BMW in Germany. The TRITEC Brazilian factory is not going to hand you directly a new engine, just for the asking...

What happened to your car, by the way?

_________________
'02 Cooper CVT PW/B, Bone stock (Hers)
'04 MCS CR/W/Chrome Grille and mirror caps (His)

 

When in doubt it is safe to assume they are playing you. It is their nature.

 

Absolutuly true
, sorry,
2 way I know this A: Expeirence in the car business ( my dad been an owner or dealer for 30 yrs)

B: My mini had an accident as well, I'll tell you what getting a wiring harness from germany took forever

You'll see more parts when these cars really begin to hit the used car arena, usually take abtou 5 to 6 years after the introduction of a car... also

when they get to a point where they figure out which parts are going to be 'standardized" or will be most likely to not change form year to year, your going to see a ramp up in parts. Also, when a lot of Luxary car companies don't keep a lot of parts, becasue it become expensive for the dealer to do so... especailly if they are changing parts due to warrenty things, which they don't get paid for alto anyway

 

Unfortunately, MINI has a well-deserved reputation for terrible customer service.

The MINI is not a low-production vehicle. They should be able to deliver a complete engine within a week.

I think you should contact senior management at BMW/MINI and shake their cages.

 

The BMW salesmen along with the service department folks are upset at how the Mini took off in America as well as around the world. They seem to be snobs when it comes to the Mini. If you were driving the BMW, I'm sure you would have no service problems, but because we are driving the Mini, I guess we are a different breed?
I would never take an Insurance agents word for it. I wouldn't take a salesman's word for it. They are all crooooooooks!!! :evil: DEMAND service or take it elsewhere!

 

Even if you blew up a brand new z4 or a honda civic the year it came out you'd have the same problem.. well maybe nto the honda since they sell high volume anyway and the plant is in america... but a month is an extensive amount of time, and I woudl contact mini directly mayeb you can get some contact there, I hoep they have you in a rental car... Where are you located at.. I know at my dealer they have a dedicated mini service team that does nothing but work on minis.... I've never had a problem with them and they are ready to help and know that it is a pain to get new parts. feel better I've been out of my car for almost 6 months.. longer than I've actuilly driven it..

 

My experience with BMW warranty has been pretty good. I had an entire engine replaced on a K100RS under warranty in less than 1 week. BMW assembly error caused failure of engine and I had performed complete services per their recommendations so there was no negligence on my part. Dealership's mechanic told them that my motorcycle was my only means of transportation and they air freighted an entire new engine to the dealer the next day! I was really impressed.

I think if you had a better dealer you might be able to get engine faster. Squeeky wheel gets the grease, just try to be reasonable in your expectations. I think I would start hounding the dealership, and MINI USA, and BMW to see if you can get their attention. Good luck.

 

ok so basically they are toying with me......well i guess im going to ring them up then.....thank you very much guys....your help is greatly appreciated

 

Did you have an automobile accident and the engine was damaged or did something just happen to your engine?

 

I doubt there are screwing with you, as I said befeor this is fairly common for new cars, but raising a stink might get it faster, or maybe just **** them off

 

Rana,

I would tend to believe the dealer. The plant on Oxford is already working three shifts to build cars, people all over the world are waiting months to get a car, it is very likely that every engine already in the pipeline from the plant is spoken for on the assembly line.

It is likely that they are waiting to work in an order for one extra engine from the the factory.

It may help to contact MINI directly, as your dealer is somewhat at their mercy when it comes to getting parts.

Good Luck

 

I think mini has good customer service. I am very picky and I was very pleased with my dealer. Mini of Sterling. You are being very biased!

 

hum....i guess i understand why it would take so long....but its been forever....

also.....how much does a new MINI cooper S engine cost?.....in cdn dollars that is...

btw.....the engine was water damaged