Oh, I'm not against aftermarket stuff... I have a 1995 Mustang GT with all kinds of aftermarket stuff on it (including an entire stereo, although it isn't working right now heh), to prove that.

I just decided that for this car, I was sticking to OEM. Nothing against people that choose to go the other way, as long as both the pros and cons of doing so are fully taken into account.

 

Thanks. I was hoping not to offend you. And I know that you just chose to keep the mini stock from past threads where people have brought this up before hand. Have a good New Year!!!

P.S.- this is for Edge, My father and I have gone through the wiring and everything is back to 100%!!! Nothing is wrong anymore, we rewired the entire interior harness and nothing was left "unhooked." Hope that your car gets put back together soon.

 

Nah, takes a lot more than that to offend me.
OK... back to 100% from... what? Sorry, I guess I haven't read (or I've forgotten) what you are/were trying to do.Thanks - so do I.

 

I was the one that inquired about your wiring harness. But, we tried to rewire instead of replacing it and it worked out extremely well.

 

I'll look next time we get a good rain. The installing dealer has asked if I would like to have the system uninstalled for test purposes. To see if I still have a short when it rains. I asked for my money back, it seems like a no-brainer to me. Still waiting on a reply. MINI USA is looking into the situation.

 

They will not refund my money. Mini will not pay for anymore repairs on my car. They refer to the Digital Power Sound Modul as an aftermarket radio. Which is funny because not only is the head unit stock, but the DPSM is a Mini accessory. I tried to appeal Hendricks Mini decision not to cover the DPSM repairs under warranty and bang now the whole has to be paid for by me or the installing dealer (Flow Mini). The moral of the story seems to be don't count on MINI USA for anything, they shot me a line about dealers being independant franchises and can do what they want too. What about the manufactors responsibility, apparenty they feel they have none. If you have a Mini your warranty is in my opinion not worth much.

 

That's crazy - it should be covered completely under warranty. You should keep pushing this with MINIUSA. And while you're at it, submit your story (primarily the warranty challenge part) to Gabe at MotoringFile. If MINIUSA won't back an official accessory that was installed at a MINI dealership, then that is a serious problem.

 

I agree, I have raised the issue at both dealerships that I have been to. I go back to the installing dealer on the tenth. MINI USA has said the case is closed, decision final. I asked for the customer rep's supervisor and was told the decision was made by MINI'S Management and they are not available to clients.

 

Edge, I'll forward you this rather long back and forth series of e-mails. Just PM me with a e-mail address.

 

I'm not someone who is in a position to do anything about it though. Send it to MotoringFile, they are in a better position to post it and "get the word out".

 

Thanks,

Just let me calm down a little first, and make sure of whats going on. Not been good day at all first this, and then Chloe my little 9 month cat, started having trouble breathing and went into arrest right after I got her to the vet. My daughter is really upset. Chloe had a minor eye infection that was getting better with treatment. I am 50 if I fell over with a heart attack, people would say well he's old and fat, but a kitten.

 

Very sorry to read about your continuing problems. It is beyond me how Flow could mess up so badly. I considered DPSM at one time (but ran out of funds) and studied the instructions for a possible DIY installation. It looked straightforward and the components are plug and play. Heck, there is even a writeup of a DPSM installation done in a campus parking lot during a football game!

 

"wildcrazy" sounds like you need to talk to a lawyer if nothing else to have them call mini-usa to let them know they are looking in to it, and action will be taken..Down side is lawyer's don't come cheap either..

 

Hi Byran,

Your right lawers don't come cheap. The one I've used for the last 20 years wants $1000, to start making phone calls, and at least $3500 to sue. I not sure this is going to have a real pretty neat ending, MINI and the dealerships can out spend me, and also drag this out a long time. I need to see how things go next week. One thing for sure, I bet they regret selling me this car.
The warranty costs so far, and the fact I've told everyone I meet about the sad story of my car. Anyway thanks for the support.

John

 

Hendricks MINI wanted me to pay a minimum of 5 hours labour at $95 dollars a hour. To try and fix a car and stereo thats under warranty. MINI USA backed them on this an said that the problem is between me and Flow MINI.
Refered to my DPSM as an aftermarket install. Flow is tring to find out if MINI will cover warrenty costs for them to continue trying to fix the system. They have also asked if MINI would refund the $2200, I paid to have the system installed, if I have Flow remove the system. I think Flow should refund the money, but doesn't seem to on the table.

 

John, glad to hear that you are able to move forward on this. Edge's suggestion to talk to the folks at MotoringFile is a good one. They may be able to clarify the improper use of "aftermarket" terminology as applied to the DPSM.

I hope kitty gets better soon also.

 

John you might want to look into the TV stations and get them to run a story. "2 wants to Know" kind of thing.. That would be free and don't think dealer would want the bad press. Might intice them to refund your money in order to get rid of you..

 

Man, I hope things turn out the way that they should. That really sucks hearing all that you have been through. It seems to me that their are only a handful of dealers that can be trusted and are actually nice people to deal with. Hope all turns out well.

 

astrochex: I hope kitty gets better soon also.[/quote]

I hope the car turns out better than the Kitty did, that was sad.

 

Hi,

Latest update apparently the front speaker magnets are so large, that they have to be oriented a certain way for clearance purposes. One of mine was arcing out on the door. I guess the doors get damp on the inside when it rains.

Edge can you find out from your service people, if the above statements are true?

 

I'll be happy to ask on my next visit to the dealership, which will likely be tomorrow night. In the meantime, I hope your DPSM problems are solved now and that you can appreciate the system again.

As for the doors, yes, water does get inside them, and this is normal (in virtually any car). If you think about it, water will seep from the windows and down, so it makes a lot of sense.

 

I'm a little confused by that orientation bit - when I installed mine I noticed the bolt pattern on the speakers kind of dictates which way the speakers are oriented. You can kind of see what I mean here:


Two of the holes are closer than the other two (on opposite sides). If it's a problem with water getting in the door and shorting something, my first thought is to this red plastic T-shaped thing that snapped onto the wires going into the crossover that was used to connect the vehicle's wires to the crossover. If the red plug wasn't installed water could short the connectors. Of course, you'd probably be having issues other than just when it rained if that happened (I know b/c I did this when I first installed and any time I rolled down my windows the wires contacted and shorted).

Also a second to water naturally going into the door. You ever taken off the panel? It looks pretty nasty in there.

 

Thanks for the picture. I am Not Sure about anything concerning this car or the DPSM. I have been told so many different things by the two dealers that have worked on it. I really don't know what to believe. Is there a flat spot or relief on the side of the speaker magnet?

 

If memory serves right, the speaker magnets (all of them) are the typical ring style - no grooves or other missing material. I don't have a picture of the DPSM speakers, but this is a random picture of a speaker that seems close to what I remember the DPSM looking like:


Just a solid ring of magnet around the back of the speaker

 

Does the installer have to drill a new hole pattern for the DPSM speakers? If so I wonder if they didn't just offset the pattern to one side. The service adviser said they could see a black mark where the speaker magnet had been grounding out. He mentioned they had to turn the speaker that it was oriented wrong. Tried to say he thought it was a factory problem--I have the factory speakers in my closet!!!!!