So, about a month ago I had to take Buddha to MOS for the airbag recall. Because life had gotten in the way (mother has long term illness), his inspection died several months ago because I've not had time to make the 130 mile round trip to Sterling. So, while he was there, I asked them to go ahead and inspect him and also track down the mystery coolant leak. This was June 30, 2016.

Because Buddha had been sitting for an extended period, I of course had to give him a bath and vacuum before sending him in. I noted the paint is starting to flake on the drip rails and the MINI emblems on the trunk and hood are now missing their decals (I always thought they were painted, but obviously not). Nothing else was amiss.

Naturally, on their courtesy inspection, MOS pointed out several other recommended services and also said he fails inspection because his lower control arm bushings are torn ($1396 to replace) and the rotors are below spec ($457) and a marker light is out ($55). They were clearly *very* thorough in their inspection, which is an important detail. The total bill would have been close to $5,000.00. It was all I could do not to laugh out loud at the ridiculous prices. I said, "Thanks but no thanks" to everything except the thermostat.

They service my car and call me to let me know it is ready. I pick Buddha up on July 2 and drive him home defiantly displaying his pink rejection sticker on his windscreen.

I bring the car to my local mechanic for a 2nd opinion. He had me in the shop with him and showed me the bushings were fine as were the brakes and the dealership was being "very picky". As he was only inspecting the areas that failed, he didn't re-inspect the rest of the car because it had passed only days earlier.

So, now sporting my legit inspection sticker I take my car to Richmond. On the way home I hear a funny noise in the back. I look in the rear view mirror and there is something red hanging down from the spoiler area. I pull over and take a look, and realise it's my 3rd brake light cover. *sigh* Ok, something else wrong with the car. I go to remove the lens so I can reinstall it and I went from annoyed to infuriated.

The brake light cover had been recently broken and taped back together with Scotch Tape. And then IT WAS TAPED BACK ONTO MY CAR. Yes, taped to the PAINT of my car!

The tape was nice and clean and fresh so it could only have happened very recently. Hmmm, where has my car been that this could have happened?
My house. The dealership. My mechanic.
My house: It didn't happen on my shift and I would NEVER put Scotch tape on my car or my paint. Ever. Buddha had not left my property since February and it's now July.
My mechanic: I was with him the whole time. Nothing happened there.
The dealership: Buddha was there Weds afternoon, Thursday, Friday, Sat morning.

I call the dealership Thursday afternoon. I leave a message. A girl calls me back and says, "Sorry can't help you. You need to talk to the Service Mgr. I will have him call you tomorrow morning when he comes in."

Friday morning comes and goes and no phone call. So I call and leave another message asking the SM to call me. I receive a return call from the BMW SM. "Sorry can't help you. You need to speak to the MINI SM. I will leave a message for him." No call for the rest of Friday, no call Saturday, so I send an email with the details.

Finally, I get a call this morning about the "brake light that may or may not have been damaged at the dealership". He then goes on to say that it "apparently" happened in the car wash, which is as close to an admission as I got, and completely contradicts his opening statement of "may or may not have been damaged at the dealership..."

No "sorry for trying to sneak one over on you".
No "sorry for damaging your car".
Just make an appointment and bring it in and we'll fix it. When I told him this was extremely inconvenient because I live so far away... apathetic indifference. No apology for the inconvenience. Just bring it in.

Seriously sucky customer service MOS.

 

Have to agree. Depending on how they treat you next and what offer they make for compensation (how about some free oil changes?) you might want to check in with your local Better Business Bureau.

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.

 

Wow, that's bad. He should have at least offered to send you the part to install yourself if you have the ability. I'm thinking at around $100 for a new one, he wants to "fix" your light with something better than scotch tape... maybe a cheap blob of silicone??

 

RB-MINI, it will take more than that. It's broken in 3 places.

They should have owned up when it was broken and said, "Sorry, our bad. We're going to fix it no charge" while it was there the first time.

Instead I have to take another half day to drive 60+ miles into Traffic Hell (aka Northern VA) to get this repaired and another 60+ miles home, likely getting stuck in afternoon rush hour traffic. It will easily be 2 hours on the road one way when I get out of there. Seriously pissed.

 

Wow,
That dealer is a little flaky.

 

I see posts like this and it makes me feel even better refusing to take my new JCW in for the free oil change even! No thank you, I'm the only one touching my car unless there is an obvious covered warranty issue! I like my dealer but they aren't convenient to me, so I just stay away! Keep records & service it yourself or take it to an independent mechanic near home that you trust your MINI with!

 

Yep. Like I said, were it not for the recall, I would not have gone to the stealership.

 

What 'airbag recall?'

 

Read about the recall here (2005-2008 cars)

http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2005...g-problem.html

In general, you can see if your car has any open recalls at this link:

http://www.miniusa.com/content/miniu...rt/recall.html

 

So I make the appointment for them to fix the brakelight and when I arrive.... the part is out of stock.

 

Sorry that's funny, I mean its not funny but at some point the absurdity of it is just funny.