So 8,000+ miles without a single problem, but last Saturday my entire electrical system craps out on my 2004 MCS. I'm on the highway and suddenly I've got no brakelights, no headlights, no window power, no MFSW, etc..

So I pull over after almost getting rear-ended by several angry L.A. freeway drivers and call roadside assistance, who tow my car to the "local" dealer. (Bob Smith in Calabasas)

I call 4 dealers beforehand and they all tell me that since I bought the car in Colorado (and not at their dealership) they can't offer me a loaner car.

So 4 days and $150 later I'm still driving a rental car while they replace my apparently faulty ECU.

So my question is, do I have any shot at MINIUSA or anybody else for that matter reimbursing me for the car rental, considering my MCS was undriveable, and had to be towed in for a factory defect?

If so who should I try to contact?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

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I'm not sure the dealerships are obligated to provide a loaner. The Warranty will replace faulty parts, but not time lost or associated expenses not on the car.

It really sucks to hear your ECU took a dump, and just as much that your local dealerships are pushing a double-standard. What the hell's taking so long, did they ship the ECU UPS Ground?

 

Sorry to hear about your ECU problem I am sure it will get fixed however Mini has no obligation to provide you with a rental or cover your fees for renting a car while yours in in the shop. The dealer is the one who should make that choice and it is a choice on their part. Do you know if the dealer you purchased your car from provides free rentals? Did you move to California or will you be traveling back to Colorado? If you are temporarily in California on a business trip and do this often you might want to join AAA, they will certainly cover problems like the one you are having. Good luck

 

What the ??? I've never owned a new car where the dealer wasn't responsible for providing a rental car while the car was in the shop for manufacturer problems (overnight) - and I've had 5 new cars.

 

Customer satisfaction is of no concern to BMW.

As long as people are queuing up to buy their cars, anyway. Can you blame them?

 

When I bought my MINI at Universal there was a big fat sign that MINI USA doesn't provide loaners or cover rentals.

However, my service advisor on a couple of instances totally covered my loaner when I brought my car in.

So I guess the answer is, it depends...

 

It all depends on the dealer. When I bought my first MINI, it was an early 2002 that was riddled with problems. The car spent so much time at the dealership, they kept giving me different MC loaners. I had so many different loaners, my neighbors thought I worked for MINI.

Management changed at the MINI dealership and a manager was brought in from outside. MINI loaners were no longer given out. Then the Service Manager changed and he cancelled the Enterprise rental cars. They did however have 3 series loaners, but those vehicles were scarce. My mother had a MINI that was in the dealership for repair quite often, and at 74 years old, she would not drive a loaner or a vehicle not owned by our family. There was one span where her car was in for 2 weeks diagnosing a faulty electrical system. That was the last straw and I traded in my MCS for a 540i so she would have a vehicle to drive. Then she wouldn't drive it because it was Dinanized! I later bought a 328ic for myself and gave it to her to drive as her car again spent more time at the dealer.

To sum it up, dealers have varying policies on loaners. When I bought my MINI, I was told I would always get a loaner vehicle. These are rarely available and things can change when management changes. Unfortunately, your car was not towed to your local dealer as you may have gotten a little better treatment. In the future, get to know your service advisor as they may be able to help you out in this situation. Also, get in contact with MINI USA and inquire about reimbursement. After all, the worst they can say is no.

 

I’ve owned 20+ new cars and have never had a dealer that would provide a loaner for a car that was not sold by them. They are NOT obligated to provide a loaner even if you did buy the car from them! The cost of a loaner comes out of their profits and is a strategy to keep you as a repeat customer.

 

NickT is right a dealer has no obligation to provide a loaner and a 'foreign' dealer, a dealer different from the one you purchased your car from really has no obligation at all. However, that said, if you are now living in this new city and you will be a new continuing customer to this dealer I think it would make good marketing sense for the dealer to provide you with a loaner.

 

The loaner policy is surprising... On my last 4 GM cars it actually stated in the warranty that a loaner would be provided at no charge to me if the repairs would take longer than 24 hours, and the dealers had to uphold that....

However the MINI warrantee has no such provision that I can find...

 

A good relationship with your local dealer is possible
no matter where you bought your car. My dealer offers
three, $25 vouchers for car rentals when you buy the
car, after that, no guarantees.

But, even though I am nearly three hours from my
dealership, they are driving a loaner MINI to for use
while they work on a faulty warning light.

(Three hours to me, three hours to take my car back
to the dealership, three hours back to me and three
hours to drive their loaner back.)

It's like every other business deal... If you develop a
personal relationship, get to know the service rep., call
and ask for him by name, recognize what he's done well,
then you never have to worry about what they "have to do."

Anyway, good luck Calvin. Better days.

Godspeed.

 

My dealer has an excellent loaner car policy. A few months ago they started to give out brand spanking new Cooper loaners. Before that, they used to give Enterprise rentals of BMW 3 series.


I agree on that MINI dealers are under no obligation to provide free loaners. Yes it is a moral obligation for sure, but legally they have no such provision. Ditto for some dealers that don't have Saturday service and so on.


I used to own GM cars and they do have a provision for "free rentals" for warranty overnight repairs. But if you read it closely, you'll notice that GM will pay a rental vehicle up to $35 a day..... So what does $35 a day rents you these days? A Geo Metro? A Bicycle or a pair of skates?

 

I am a Parts Advisor not service, but I write purchase orders for rental cars for the Mini service dept. All the POs I write for Mini are paid for my Mini USA. It is my understanding that Mini USA doesn't have a loaner car program yet but Mini will pay the bill for rental cars when a Mini is in the service dept as long as the car is under warranty. Our service dept. has one Mini they use for a loaner and they get more loaners from our campus rental dept. The service dept. gets at least three loaners plus the Mini they have per day. Unless you caused the damage to the car and it is not being repaired under the factory warranty then the loaner should be paid by Mini.

Something to look into if I were you.

 

How far were you from home? I just picked up my new MCS on Friday, and they told me that with my warranty.. there is a policy where if the car breaks down and you are 150 miles from home (150 or more).. that MINI will cover up to $750 for the cost of a rental car, hotel, and food while the car is being serviced.

Maybe you can tap into that....