After a long time waiting for my S with Premium/Sport package and Navigation to arrive, I was just called with the information that the car was damaged during shipping and that when over $1500 of damage happens the car is not delivered.

Just looking for people advice on how to proceed. I'd rather not wait another three months and the odds of finding another car with NAV are hard I am told.

 

Ouch! That's awful! They should give you a free one!!!

I'm really sorry to hear that.

 

I'll try that!

I'll hopefully find out Monday what the damage was. Not that I want to accept a repaired new car but it may be worth it with a discount if its something superficial.

What do you think is reasonable to ask for if thats not possible?

a loaner mini until Im able to get one reordered for the original price? The 2003 stereo and NAV are better options.

 

Definitely insist that the dealer repair the damage at their expense.

My Cooper S was delivered with a scratched driver door panel. They noticed the damage before delivery and promised to repair it. The part is still on back-order, but that's not an issue with the dealer, it's MINIs problem!

Insist on the best service!

Yours in Motoring,
Dave

 

I expect them to pay any repairs but the problem is that they're telling me I won't be getting that car and that I'm at square 1 and basically have to wait another 3 months for delivery. They say they have a policy that if the damage exceeds $1500 the car is not delivered to the dealer.

I'll find out more tommorow I guess.

 

I hear ya... my original mini S was delivered last august but it came in without xenon headlamps by mistake. The dealer refused to replace them at his expense and it would've cost me about a $1,000 to replace them myself. They offered me a slight discount, but it didn't nearly cover the cost of replacements. Long story short, my new MINI S is coming in October as I decided I would accept nothing short of a perfect MINI.

 

I have found through experience that Mini is willing to work with you in order to make you the happiest camper possible. There were some issues with my order and they really did a good job in taking care of it. I would suggest that you get the information that you need together and then talk to Mini about possible solutions. If the car had not been delivered to the dealership yet, it is not their fault that the damage occurred so you will need to talk to Mini USA about it. They do not want you to be a dissatisfied customer so I am sure there is something they can do about it.

Cheers!
L.Mini

 

Over $1500 worth of damage sounds to me like big time body/sheetmetal damage. A repaired car will never be the same and will forever carry a stigma of it being an "accident" car having a negative impact on resale value.

Bottom line: If MINI does not want you to have this damaged car, don't insist on it. If they come back to you and ask you to accept it, flat out reject it. You don't want to pay so much money to have later to deal with this kind of headache.

the whole situation sucks, but I suggest to re-order your MINI and hold on tight for another few months. It's worth the wait. You'll be glad you did.