So heres the deal I got a demo car so my warraty goes to 55000. So I took it in to get what I thought was going to be the last of the work done to it. BUT NOOOO! The mini rep would not fix some of the issuses Im having. Examples being, my steering wheel mini logo is bubbleing but they wont relplace it as there is a small dimple in a diffrent part of the wheel... The areo kits rear bumper has become discolored, brittle and chipping away form the heat of the mufflers, I do belive that is design error...and they also did a flywheel job on my car, only to have the same issue come back again...ALso my drivers headlight has failed to come on in the past, so they replaceed something...NOW ITS WORSE! THE BEST PART! its the holidays, my family is military, I was going to drive to my brothers to see him as he will be moving far away, I can

A: drive there and kiss my warrany good by as Im at 53888 miles
B: have my mini worked on, not see my brother
C: I dont know...

I'm attemping to contact mini usa to see if they can do anything for me...

what would you do?

 

Document the issues (photos of the damage along with a shot of the odometer) and set up an appointment with the dealership for after your trip. Be sure to be totally honest and tell them that you're taking a trip but that all of this has already happened during your warranty period and that you have everything documented. If you can prove the damage occurred BEFORE the end of the warranty then you should be OK, I'd think.

Have you spoken with the Service Manager or even the dealership General Manager? All of the things you describe sound like warranty issues to me, no question. If they persist, try to get hold of MINI USA, but still document everything, as it sounds like you're nearly past your warranty.

As for things being worse after service - it happens sometimes. Even the dealership's certified mechanics, as good as they (usually) are are only human. That's what warranties are FOR.

Good luck!

 

Leave the car at MINI ... get it fixed

rent a car for the weekend, see your Bro

Family comes first

 

Yah I would agree to that as well.

 

Can you not talk them out of a loaner car? Depending on the move it could be years till you see the family again, I haven't been home since 2002. I would see the family over getting the car fixed unless money will become too big an issue. That is just my two cents.

 

Rentals are cheap. Get a rental and have fun with your family.

 

Ditto!

I would think that if you took it by the dealership and had the problems documented that you would be safe on the warranty, but why not leave the MINI with the dealer and have 'em fix the car while you are away... Lots of time for them and no downtime for you. You can get a fairly comfortable rental in the $30/day range. Check w/ your insurance first to see if it covers the rental to save a few $ on the rental car insurance options.

 

I was thinking rental or talk them out of a loaner for sure!

 

As said above, rental or loaner.

Also, since you're military and if $ is tight, physically go into a car rental place and explain your situation. You'll at least get the military rate for a vehicle, but I've found that car rental agencies will work with military to help them out!

For example, I rented a vehicle in order to keep miles off of my trade-in while waiting for my MINI to come in. I told them my story, and asked for the military rate for a sub-compact, as I'm Navy myself. He was able to give me the rate I asked for, but as they didn't actually have any sub-compacts in stock, he gave me a full-size for the same price! (It worked out to $35/day, with insurance included for free in the price.)


-Paul!


-Paul!

 

UPDATE: They cant even get me in to the dealer ship till jan 2 07! This bites, Even If I got loaner mini im only allowed to drive 150 miles a day and the drive back home from the dealer ship is 210 miles and the drive to my brothers is about 400miles give or take. Yes I've attemped to contact miniusa but i can only seem to email them, and I have yet to get a response, I also called the dealers warranty guy after I attempted to make an appointement...no call back yet either... very disapointed with mini right now...

 

I'm assuming that if the drive to and from the dealership is 240 mi that it is the only dealership around...have you tried another dealership? Maybe even a BMW dealership instead of a MINI dealership. I've had body work done at a BMW place and they were great!

 

that really stinks..and since the distance is to the dealer is more than the daily mileage allowance they should be able to make an exception on that. I am sure the Service Manager or even the overall manager would be having a meeting with me about it if it was me. Good luck with your situation