First off, this is my first time posting on the forums and I'm going to apologize but it's going to be negative...but hopefully positive for other people. Note: I haven't had to post yet because most of the info I've needed is already here.

My car: '03 BRG/W R50 - no upgrades

Last summer my crank pulley went kaput and I ordered one from iwantautoparts.com as it was the cheapest price I could find and still be a BMW part. Very long story short: it took two weeks just to get a response back. He said the part had to be ordered striaght from BMW and it would be on its way to me soon. Three weeks total, I had my part and MINI back on the road.

A month ago guess what happened again? Rubber ring on the crank pulley went out. This time I decided to get one from Way who, thankfully, told me that my part is still under factory warranty and I get to save ~$350. Another fun filled story and a week of trying to get ahold of iwantautoparts later, I finally found the guy's phone number at the BMW delership he works at and was in contact with him. This time it only took him one and a half weeks to get the part to me. Total time of two and a half weeks of no MINI. I even told the guy I wanted him to next day it to me and he said he would. Five days later I finally got the package.

I'm SUUUUPER irritated with these experiences and wanted to let everyone in the community know about it. Please do all MINI motorists a favor and don't order from this guy, nobody should have to deal with that kind of service.

Finally, as everyone says: thanks for the info and proper customer service Way!

 

Glad to hear you found your "Way".

I use a rule of thumb for the interweb. Just because it's the cheapest price doesn't mean you should order it. Go to E-pray and you can find things for dirt cheap but can you trust the seller? Do they have a solid return policy or better yet do they even have a phone number?

I will pay extra for knowledge and trust. Just my two cents.

 

I'm glad I saved you from having to buy another one, but too bad it took so long. Crazy how places like that stay in business, if I did that someone would hang me.

 

I had a better experiance with them, but I was not in a hurry. When I need something pronto, I always verify by phone that the part is in stock. Many places are cheap, but that comes at a price. Not stocking the items advertised, and limited (being generous) customer service go hand in hand with bargain pricing. My backup vehicle is a Dodge Ram, so paying a premium to keep the MINI operational is more than offset by fuel savings.

 

iwantautoparts.com? just the site name gives me pictures of a motel hotel.

 

Funny thing is, Ministrator, I agree with the "you get what you pay for" mantra. I was only taking into account that I was purchasing a 'part' but didn't think about the 'service' side of the equation...noted

This was the first time I've ordered auto parts online and it ended up being quite an educational experience.

Thanks for the tips too, Black. I'm also in a similar backup vehicle situation...my wife's subaru, and HER backup was her dad's Beretta. b/c I won't drive it. Picky, I know, but it's not in very good shape for driving 40 mi's highway to work every day, she only drives in the city.