Actually the R56 cabrios are set to be release untl late 2008 as 2009 models.

 

I couldn't agree more. If someone damaged my Mini I would never take it somewhere else & then come back to party #1 expecting a fix I mean the clear bra guy scratches my Mini he pays for it to be restored to a like-new state which means he pays for clear coat. The tint installer scratches my window he pays for a new window. No questions asked & if questions are asked I see them in court. But when I take it to a third party then I give up all my rights.

This owner doesn't even complain of Mini quirks. The only problems are physical problems caused by the install of a clear bra & window tint which were further complicated by the owner going to yet a 3rd party for fixes. We all know Minis have quirks but hell the Mini didn't even do anything in this case

 

Sounds like the dealership isn't the best. However it sounds like you're willing to give up too quickly. Keep the 06 and fix it up. Isn't it under warranty? The problems you've described won't make it a total lemon. Minis are known for their quirks and problems...that's part of owning a MIni.

 

UGH am I missing something? The Mini has no quirks. 2 aftermarket installs went bad & caused a clearcoat & a window scratch. Did I miss a post that pointed out some quirks if I did please tell me cause I haven't a clue

 

I'm counting Mini dealerships and installs as quirks!!

 

This thread will laugh me to sleep tonight. Someone even considering losing thousands of dollars for "problems" like this will never be happy with any car.

 

ok, the real problem is...you have ocd....lol

In all seriousness...the clearcoat is fine, done worry about that.

How big is this scratch in the window? If its very small, just deal with it. Its a car, they get minors scratches...its life.

It's it's big enough to affect the appearance of the car...replace the glass,it wont cost that much.

Getting a new car for the reasons you listed would be like divorcing your wife for getting a minor cut...just doesnt make sense.

Having said THAT...if you're the type that believes in karma and all that...get a new car. If you dont it will probably haunt you for years. I doubt you'd lose too much, the '07 is a better car, and I'm sure it will be fairly reliable.

Let us know what you do

 

Us perfectionist (OCD) people have a tough time dealing with the less than perfect aspects of life.....

But like others have said, you have a perfectly sound and brand new MINI at your disposal. Because 2 idiotic, non MINI related vendors used your car as a "test bed" for their skills (or lack of thereof) does not make the car, MINI or the dealer at fault.

Let me ask you a question point blank.... Would you throw away a car just because you received a nail in one of the tires, or would you rather buy a new replacement tire and keep the car?

Your situation sounds alarmingly similar to my flat tire analogy. You must be the kind of guy that throws away perfectly good things, just because of minor blemishes that no one will ever notice. If that is the case, please give me the address of your house and I'll be there to inspect your "garbage"..LOL

 

The originator wrote:

After receiving it, it's been one stupid thing after another. I’ll spare you the details. Don't get me wrong; the car is fine. No one besides me would know what has gone wrong. (nothing too serious...just stupid stuff) The car has been a real bad experience for me, and I want to sell it.

The clearbra and tint are both aftermarket issues. However, what are the "One thing after another?" I do not believe he has related them yet. If its only these two issues ... you are correct, both have nothing to do with the dealer as both are probably subcontracted out. If not, he has not yet related the other issues

 

My favorite word. Perspective. I know this is your first new car. And in the perfect world we want our new cars to be perfect. It's not. It hurts when you get the first chip, or some idiot dings your car when it seem virtuallly impossible to do, or a rock crashes into your window. My 04 330 was in the shop 3 times in the first 3k miles and ultimately ended up getting a new windshield, and finally a new clutch. And the purchase process was extremely sour leaving me to dealer trade before I could even purchase it. I thought, man, bad karma. Oh and I replaced 3 tires due to roofing nails with another one being replaced 30 days after I had replaced 2 at $200 each. Then I thought after 3k miles, I need to be a better owner. I love that car. I find quality workman. I research. Heck, there is a wealth of information on this site. Use it. Think of it like a kid. You wouldn't try to give him back if he broke his arm would ya?

 

You could go to body shop and tell them your concern about the clear coat thicknes. There is a elec paint meter that can give you an ideal of the condition. Plus, you could also ask the cost of new glass.

How to spot Good Body shop?...Ask to have a tour and looks for the following
a lot of cars waiting to be repair (busy = perpare for long wait, but it is good sign)
multi high end cars such as MBZ, BMW, Porsch...etc.
Clean shop
feel comfortable and getting your concerns to be address from the staff.

 

Wow, it turns out to be the dealers fault, huh. Since the dealer has never been given a chance to fix the "problems." And I quote problems because there was 1 problem with the tint, he did not bring his MINI in to the dealer for them to install the clear bra. They did the tint, thats it... But never given a chance to fix the tint... He took it somewhere else to "fix" the tint... By paying someone else to strip it off and retint it, when the dealer would have not charged him... Also in finding out that there was a scratch in the window... He would have had a better chance in getting the dealer to replace the window if we could have seen it before some other company messed with it. Clearly this is NOT the dealers fault.

But it seems so many people have it out for thier dealers... Ours may not be the best, but they do try their damndest to make it right... In this case I don't think it has anything to do with the dealer, they would tell anyone that they cant do anything about the scratched window that they have no idea if it was even scratched by the tint people, if it came from the factory like that or what... Who knows, the guy who retinted it could have scratched it and made it seem like it was already there.... He mutilated the front of your car, why not your window too!!

 

Here is a perfect example of the current market ...
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...38#post1157238

Nicely modded, seems like a nice buy ... price dropped to a reasonable price by $2K

Here is a example of the other extreme
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=79922

Money sunk into mods thrown away. Non-realistic view of actual buying prices.

Example one will sell (IMHO).
Example two is probably going to have a reality check (IMO)

 

I sense that you're mad at me, but I'm not entirely sure why. I did nothing wrong. I made decisions based on what I knew. I didn't think it was possible for a tint job to scratch a window, and I didn't know it was possible for a clear bra install to scratch the paint. The dealer tint jobs I saw on the lot weren't up to the standards that I expected, and I didn't think they could ever make me happy. ...so instead of being a rude costumer and raising a stink with the dealer, (I know I'm picky and I try not to bother others with my pickiness) I took care of it myself. Plus, I live an hour and a half away from the dealer, and I don't have time to drive back and forth. Hindsight 20/20, I guess. I haven't pushed it with the dealer, and I really didn't intend to. I've been nothing but nice throughout everything. I never even made much of a fuss about the scratches on my paint. I just told him what had happened, and he took care of it from there. He offered to redo my tint at a really good price for all my trouble. I took the deal, and he did a good job. ...but there was a scratch on the window in the same exact place that there was a scratch in the original tint. I don't think I'm dumb for what I did. (How was I suppose to know this stuff was going to happen?) I'm actually a nice guy who tries to take care of things with the least amount of conflict possible. (I try not to be that annoying costumer that nitpicks about everything.) I get along with everyone, and if I offended you in some way, I would like to apologize.

BTW...I'm keeping the car. One of my best friends, who owns a Miata and is a pretty big car enthusiast, rode in the Mini this weekend. He loved the car and thought I was crazy for thinking about selling it. I'm currently trying to find the best way to deal with everything. We'll see how it turns out. Thanks for the comments and group therapy.

 

 

Good to hear you are keeping your MINI!

 

I am not mad at you in any way shape or form.

Its just you went about some things in the wrong way and I was trying to explain... There are lots of people on here is saying turn the dealer in to MINIUSA, when it was not the dealers fault. I was just making a statement. I am glad that you are keeping your MINI, and not getting rid of it for silly reasons!! Hopefully you will have tons of happy motoring from here on out!