I didn't see any other threads on this when I searched. I just received a JD Powers survey in the mail yesterday. The cover letter said that the survey had been commissioned by BMW, but didn't explain its use. Now I only got my car in May so they know I'm a relatively new owner. Lots of questions on the selling experience at the dealership. Numerous questions on quality. Most interesting was a question about whether or not you had experienced any "stumble" or "engine surge" problems. That's the only quality issue I hit them on. My MCS has been trouble free except for the stumble.

Anyone else get this survey?

 

Yes, I got it and filled it out this week.

It was about a twelve-page survey, presented SAT-style, with little ovals to fill in. Some of the sections were "generic" and obviously didn't pertain to the MINI (e.g., asking if you had 4WD). Some addressed the MINI specifically, asking if you had the "stumble" problem or, just as interesting, premature windshield cracking. You could also pinpoint rattles in certain known MINI trouble zones -- the glove box, the center console, the door speaker housing, the rear hatch, etc.

There were two pages at least of possible "things gone wrong" that you could flag as relevant to your car -- then a subsequent page where you could enlarge on up to four issues. (Mine were pretty minor -- glove box rattle, driver's seat that won't return to proper position after being slid forward, etc.) You could also say whether the problems bother you a little or a lot and indicate whether they'd stop you from buying the car over again.

There was also a comprehensive scan of your attitudes towards the dealer -- you could grade everything from its distance from your house, to how well the salespeople dressed, to whether they seemed interested in coming up with the right car/options for your needs.

If you had ordered your MINI or spent time on a waitlist, you were asked to say how many days the process took -- but the form provided only two digit-boxes. My wait was about 210 days! So I don't know if the survey-reader will record it properly.

The cover letter said JD Power was conducting the survey on behalf of BMW USA, which could be testing to see if certain issues identified anecdotally on this board are statistically "real," from abusive dealers to bad powertrain software.

I gave the car and my dealer generally high marks despite some persistent minor problems... sadly there was no opportunity to register views on BMWUSA's attorney's stupid & self-defeating trademark-protection activities... :???:

_________________
'03 VR/W Cooper, white wheels, Sport and Cold packages, Xenons, computer, ACC, leather wheel and smidgens of chrome all over