I now have just under 1000 miles on my baby and I've noticed a slight pull to the left recently. Seems to do it more in the left lane and not all the time. I've read other posts about how the MINI likes to follow the road more than most cars but I'm thinking I want to get the alignment checked before I go on a long road trip in the next week or so. The question is...should I only take it to the dealer for an alignment or can any reputable tire/brake/alignment shop be trusted? I have several I have trusted with my other cars for years but is there anything odd about the MINI they may not know about?

Thanks for any insight.

Dan

 

alignment should be free during the first 2000 miles or so.
It is in our warranty handbook, look it up.

You should take it to your dealer and have it done for free.

 

check your tire inflation for all tires
check your tire wear
Get your dealer to perform the alignment-maybe it was not aligned from the start?
Seems reasonable to ask.

 

It may just be the car following the crown in the road, probably nothing wrong. If it's and early 02 production like mine, it may need the front strut retrofit done under warranty.Still haven't had mine done yet, so i'm pulling hard to the left until I bust out the old pickup truck for winter.

 

Good suggestions from all three of you. I looked at the warranty book and right you are, KatanaPilot, it says in there that alignments are covered for 2000 miles. I'll be giving the dealer a call Monday morning. I hope they can get me in this week...

Thanks all for your help!

Dan

 

Take your initial post, change 1000 to 17 miles, and that's me with my car (picked up yesterday).
I specifically asked about the alignment warranty, because I seem to have bad luck with alignment on new cars. I really hate cars with a steering wheel that's off set when the car is going straight. Therefore, I know with my typical luck my car is going to have bad alignment from the factory, so I asked my MA about it.

Well, guess what, as soon as I drove off the lot I realized there was a problem. I thought about turning right back but I wanted to avoid rush hour traffic so I went home. I know it is not tire pressure because I checked the tire pressure before taking delivery. You are not alone.