Approaching the 72 hour mark of mini ownership...last stop on the shopping list... return to my mini, press the unlock button - lift trunk, close trunk, get in start car and...NOTHING!!! Tried again and nothing. Not even instrument panel illumination. Locks won't respond and sunroof won't close (it is beginning to rain). Called my sales rep to see if I was overlooking something and his reply was call the roadside number. I did, he showed up with a flat bed which was really reassuring as my mini was in for an hour drive to the dealership. The towtruck driver was really knowledgeable on the car - all authorized towers had been issued a book - he actually read it all! Plus - he owned a mini years ago. Although the helpline asked me to not let the driver look under the hood and just get it in to service, I allowed him to take a quick look. The fuses all looked fine, battery connections good. So out came the tow ring, we manually closed the sunroof (the clock is a bugger to pull out if you take the instructions literally) and the car was sent on its way. Was quite a crowd attraction, though not for the reasons we're used to!! Has anyone else run into total melt down???

 

That really sucks - especially for a new car. Sounds like a central relay unit in yoru car could have gone bad. Or it could have something to do with the alarm locking the power our of your control.

Keep us posted.

 

Good news! Got a call at 9:00 this morn. from my sales rep confirming he received safe delivery to the dealership last night of my Mini. The sales manager called shortly afterwards as well to touch base. He called again 20 min later to say they found the problem.... too much paint on the main electrical ground - so whole system was shut down!! They're returning my car (driving it up) around 1:00 today.
I am totally relieved my yellow car isn't a lemon!!!!! Also VERY satisfied with the service/attention received from the tow driver to the speed of the diagnosis. Rock on MINI!!

 

Nice to know it worked out. I just experienced the "gearbox problem". Car will not shift out of 5th, and shifter moves freely left to right.

Got towed to the dealer this morning.

I'm beginning to get worried about reliability. comments?

 

I wouldn't worry too much on MINI build quality. With message boards like this you will hear about every single problem every single person ever gets with this car. So by reading these message boards exclusively, it may be a bit misleading. Just as if you went to any other die hard niche car web site and read the boards... you would think that car in question also seemed to be problematic.

I've been driving a reg MINI for over a month now and have experienced nothing at all. This car is as solid as can be.... feels solid, drives solid, sounds solid... is just solid.

Don't worry too much about it. ...worst case scenerio, you get a lemon. Shoot, car has a kick *** warranty, so no worries!

 

Thanks for releaving our anxiety. Is that why yours is so High?

 

I guess... I'm always full of so much nervous/anxiety filled energy... it seems to fit me.

 

We have been driving our Cooper for three weeks and 1700 miles with no problems at all. It is frustrating to deal with a mechanical problem so early but this is an all new vehicle and a few glitches can be expected at first. That is the price we pay for being lucky enough to have one so soon. It is good to hear that you were happy with how it was handled. Any car can break down...but good service can make it a lot easier to cope with.

Joe

 

My cooper is back and running perfectly. I've posted 3 shots in the Gallery as proof! :smile:

 

Good to hear your mini is back on the road. I was told the same thing about the bumper chrome, and you can't order it in Canada as a stand alone option. So I was thinking about waiting for a couple of months and seeing if some of the Body shops might be able to get it in as a replacement part. I think your Yellow MINI looks fine without it but my red and white MINI would look so much better with that extra bit of chrome. Well congrats on getting your MINI back, and enjoy those mountain roads.