If anyone out there has had a similar problem to the one below I'd appreciate any advice or help.

I just took delivery of my new DS/W MCS and was surprised to find the dash was not Anthracite as I'd ordered, but was Alloy Patina instead.

I'm one of the many California residents who went out of state to order my car because of the high mark-up at local dealerships, so when the truck showed up, I didn't have the option to not accept delivery. I've talked to my MA and he's working on finding a solution, but I thought I'd see if anyone had any good advice here.

I have a copy of the order form faxed back to me by my MA and it clearly states "Anthracite Dash", so I feel like it's up to the dealer to fix the problem.

My ideal solution would be to have all of the dash parts replaced at my local dealer at the cost of the dealer I purchased from. Anyone know if this is possible?

Thanks for any help.

 

Welcome to NAM, sorry it's under such circumstances that bring you to finally post.

As much as I hate to say it, order or not, since you drove off with the car, that acceptance essentially removes the dealer's burden to fix the problem (my opinion). Now the fact that they are still seeking possbile ways to resolve this problem is good, but as I said before, since you accepted the car at delivery, I don't think they are necessarily under any obligation to do so.

Dave

 

There is just no excuse for this kind of nonsense. MINI and/or your dealer should have discovered this discrepancy and resolved it before delivering your car - ie, during the pre-delivery inspection at the port or during the so-called "dealer prep".

Of course, you should allow your MA enough time to try to resolve this issue. But don't let MINI USA off the hook. I would even ask for some sort of compensation for the hassle.

 

dwolf-- Welcome!!! Work out a suitable solution, but don't
let the mistake keep you from enjoying your Sweet Ride!
And Dark Silver rocks!

God speed.

 

DiD- I agree that driving off with the car would mean accepting the dash if the car was picked up at the dealer, but the issue gets more complex since I took delivery from the shipping company who has no affiliation with the dealer. There was no way for me to not accept the car without potentially leaving myself responsible for the cost to deliver it back to the dealer- a $1500 risk.

I tend to agree more with 911Fan that the problem should have been discovered during the dealer prep or the pre-delivery inspection.

In any case, it's good of the dealer to try to sort out a solution. I'll post here and in the dealer rating section when this is all done to report on how it was handled.

Anyone else out there have a mistake dicovered after delivery?

Thanks,

Dan

 

If it is of any assurance to you, the alloy patina is an "S" only option that may be discontinued in the future. If so, your alloy patina might make your MCS more desirable at resale.

Nonetheless, its definitely a bummer not to get what you specifically ordered.

 

This same thing happened to a friend of mine, only he took delivery at the dealer. They were considering switching the dash out, but my friend decided to live with it. The dealer gave him a free tint job and other stuff for his MINI just to cheer him up!! In the end he was pretty happy! Hope things work out well for you...although it seems you would be on pretty solid ground if you insisted the dash be replaced, IMO.

 

Woops, sorry. I miss interpreted the part about the car showing up on the truck as the car showing up at the dealer. Since it was sent out to you on a truck, I agree with your position that the dealer needs to amends here.

 

Just playing devil's advocate here, but from the dealer's perspective, they don't know what happened to the car during shipment. While unlikely, the shippers could have switched dash styles on you (I seriously doubt this happened).

If you can get the dealer to admit the car was delivered that way, I think they should be responsible for making it right. You could see if they would be willing to eat the cost of having those parts painted. Might look cooler and cost less than replacing them.

I will be putting our new car on a truck in a matter of days, and plan to talk to the MA and the driver to confirm the condition of the car before it's loaded up.

 

I would absolutley demand they replace the dash with what you specified upon ordering...although not their fault directly eventually the Mini people will pay more attention to details after it cost them money to correct it and they catch hell a few times.

 

I had the same problem (but mine was alloy trim instead of the silver)– the Mini dealer acknowledged that it was a factory error, and swapped the pieces with another Cooper sitting on the lot before I took delivery. Good luck with your situation!

 

I had this happen too. Ended up with silver instead of anthracite. I kept it as it does look killer. Though, didn't get any extra goodies for the mix-up.

 

If mine hadn't arrived with the anthracite I ordered, I wouldn't have accepted it until they made it right (I know your situation is different). I love that anthracite!

 

I ordered a MCS IB/IB with premium pack. When the dealer told me the car had arrived I sold my Chevy and went to the dealer. There I found my IB/IB car minus the premium pack. This caused a bit of a stir! Anyway the missus slipped into angry mode and sorted them out. I now have a EB/B (she had always mantained this was a better colour combo) with premium pkg, H/K stereo, floormats etc etc with enough left over for a Rogue CAI. The original car has the alloy dash, the MCS I ended up with is anthracite, I do think this looks better.

 

Unfortunately, this crap happens. All too often in my opinion.

My situation is not the same (I got the anthracite I wanted), but still frustrating.
I was quoted a certain trade-in price on my VW (had the actual quote sheet with me). At finance, I realized the gentlemen didn't have that info. I handed over the sheet and was told it had not been signed off by some other department. Tough luck me!

My options were limited. I could either bend over the table a little farther to $1800 or walk out the door.

It's been 3 months with the Coop, but at least I can sorta sit down now.

It hasn't ruined my experience with the car, but the dealer will NEVER get any of my business again (or anyone else I know for that matter, hopefully).

jerij

 

I realized a few weeks after taking my car home that I only had the chrome bumper inserts in the front bumper, and not the rear. I actually didn't care so much, since I liked the way the car looked, but all the same I contacted MINIUSA, and after making a quick visit to my dealer (a couple of blocks away) to verify the discrepancy, I got a check in the mail for $60 - half of the $120 that the chrome bumpers option had cost.

I think the dealer absolutely should replace the parts for you. If not, lambaste them in the dealer ratings section, and let them know that you're doing so.

 

dang that sucks.

is Alloy Patina that bad? i mean, does it look like you can get use to the
color in a few weeks? If its something that you TOTALLY HATE, then take it
back, but you may want to leave it a lone and charge the dealer for their
mistake (get a quote from a local shop as if they were going to paint it)
and have the dealer send you a check.

taking off interior parts is kinda risky imo on these Mini's as it can lead to
vibration and rattles down the road.

i'd try to learn to like your mini the way it is... :smile:

 

Here's an update on the situation:

The dealership (Flow MINI in North Carolina) has agreed to pay for replacement of all of the dash parts at my local dealer!

They said that the order was put in correctly at their end and they weren't sure where/when/how it got changed, but they admitted that they should have caught the error during their inspection of the car. They may or may not have something worked out with MINI USA in terms of compensation since it may be MINI USA that is at the root of the problem, but I'm not really sure. All I know is that Flow is going to pay for the switch.

They’ve been really helpful about it up to this point and have been prompt in returning the several phone calls since I got the car. They’re even helping pick up the slack for my local dealer who said it’d take them a couple of hours with the car to determine exactly what work needs to be done and how much it would cost. MINI of SF would actually charge me for the time to do the estimate and then take that off of the eventual bill. Sounds like a nice way for them to ensure they get the work! Flow was surprised that my local dealer couldn’t just pop up the parts on the screen and give me a quote right away. I asked Flow to just send me a list of the part numbers and I’ll bring that in to the service department. So that’s what they’re doing now, and hopefully within a week I’ll have the proper interior to my car.

The car is amazing by the way (as if everyone here didn’t know that). I’d been on two test drives, but somehow it seems even better than I’d remembered.

Thanks for everyone’s comments and I’ll update again after the work has been done. Check the dealer ratings also for full reviews of Flow MINI and MINI of San Francisco after this is all said and done.

-D