I picked up my new MCSC a few weeks ago only to discover the Dynamic Stability Control I ordered was not included. When I picked up the car I questioned the dealer about the "ASC" and he told me it was like my DSC on my old BMW. I took him for his word until I drove the car in slippery conditions. Of course DSC is a whole different thing then ASC.

When I questioned the dealer about the DSC, he pulled out the printout from the web that we used to order the car, and I signed as my final option choices. DSC and front fog lamps were on the list at $0. He claims that they should have been charged (although I did get the fog lamps), but weren't. He claims there were problems with the website. Of course nobody bothered to contact me before placing the order with the factory minus my requested equipment.

DSC is something that helped me decide to buy this car, especially facing Wisconsin winters. The dealer has been very little help, and I am looking for answers to any of the questions below to help me solve this issue. Please answer any of them that you can.

1) What is involved with installing the DSC system? Is it really something that must be done at the factory, or can components of the braking and throttle system be swapped out to add the system?

2) Has anyone else experienced similar problems with the website? How did you remedy the situation with the dealer?

3) I have requested that the dealer contact Mini USA since it was their website problem. Does anyone have contact information for Mini USA that might be helpful to me if the dealer does not get a satisfactory answer?

4) I honestly believe that the dealer has not earned their commission on this sale. Not because of the web mistake, but because their blatant lack of action and communication at several critical points in the process. I know this is a delicate question, but does anyone know what the commission on a Mini is to give me a place to start negotiating if necessary?

5) Any general advice for someone in my position?

Any and all help/advice you can give would be helpful.

Thanks

 

Ouch. It sounds like they didn't deliver what you ordered, and then lied to cover up the fact. Good luck with it.

 

What country are you in?

Did you order the "Sport" pkg? (If yes, the price for the DSC would be shown as $0 because it's "included in pkg".)

 

You will definitely need DSC for the winter! That is a certainty. As mentioned above, the sport package comes with it included.

 

I only wanted the DSC so didn't order the sports package because I didn't need Xeons or different wheels. I ordered the premium package, cold weather package, and then picked the individual features I wanted. Dealer acknowledges it was a web problem, but isn't real motivated to help.

 

I would point out to the dealership manager that you SELECTED the DSC and Foglight options and only received the foglights. It's NOT your fault that there were website issues...nor is it your fault that the system "didn't" charge you for the options.

I suspect that the dealership is going to tell you "there isn't anything they can do and be grateful that you got the foglights for free".

However, it ISN'T what you ordered and the dealership should be bending over backwards to fix the error.

You may need to contact MINIUSA directly--do you have a copy of the printout you signed?

I realize that you didn't want Xenons or "different wheels"...but the sports seats are AWESOMELY comfortable...and if I remember correctly, the cost of the Sport pkg vs. DSC stand-alone wasn't much different and the bonuses are oh-so-worth-it!

 

You must have talked to my dealer He told me there wasn't much they could do. Too late to re-order since the new model is on the way, and the feature can't be added. Needless to say, their willingness to help and communicate with me has been non-existant. I told my MA of the problem last Monday at 9am. He said he would talk to his manager, and get back to me. When I hadn't heard anything by the weekend, I emailed the GM. I still had no communication until I walked into the Sales Manager's office at 4:00pm yesterday (Tuesday) while my car was in service. They obviously dont want to deal with this.

Dealer has a copy of my order with signature, and we reviewed it together. If it mysteriously "disappears" I guess we REALLY have a problem. I am trying to remain reasonable and am looking for help from this forum. I really don't know how to proceed or what to ask for.

 

I understand your predicament & your unhappiness. The dealer is sort of between a rock & a hard place. No doubt they screwed up or MINI screwed up. I don't believe DSC can be added after the fact. They can't reorder your car correctly now, because it is too late. What to do?

What can they do? They can give you a nice discount on the car that was not built as you spec'd it. They could buy your car back, but you can't order another. I think a discount should be possible. If you love your MINI buying it back doesn't seem like a good idea.

I may be flamed for this, but IMO DSC isn't necessary to drive a MINI safely in winter. What is needed are driving skills & a set of good snow tires. I'd have the dealer pay for a nice set of winter tires & wheels. Not all seasons, but real snow tires, Hakka's or Blizzak's. With those you'll be fine.

Good luck & enjoy your MINI.

 

I think a fair compensation to ask for is a "refund" of whatever the DSC stand-alone option normally costs.

I realize that you didn't actually pay for it (it shows as $0), but you agreed to purchase a MINI with DSC for $xx,xxx and you got a MINI without the DSC. I would ask for a "refund" of the value of DSC -- whatever MINI charges for that option.

Edit -- and then save that money on the side towards a future install of a quaife LSD.

my 2 cents.

 

Thank you Crashton... That is the most creative solution I have heard of to date. I do love the car and don't want to part ways. The winter wheels and tires are a pretty good idea. Of course they will have to put them on for free every year.

FYI... I won't flame you for your traction control opinion. I would agree, but when I had the DSC on my BMW it was pretty nice.

 

Did you by any chance buy your car at International Autos?

 

MiniQuiped,

It is not my intent to publically tarnish the reputation of my dealer, but check your private messages for my response

 

you need to add the yaw sensor, the steering wheel sensor, maybe another sensor, and reporgram the ECU and ABS modules. Probably a wiring harness as well. But like I said, it's a royal PITA and something that I doubt has ever been done.

They didn't deliver the car as ordered, but then you also accepted it. Maybe they'll "buy you off" with some optional stuff, but really, there is little to no way to get satisfaction on this one if they don't want to do anything.

Crashton is a well known DSC hater, but his suggestions are good ones.

Matt

 

Thanks for the understanding. I know lots of folks like DSC & on a rear drive car driven in winter I believe it is important. IMO not as much so on a MINI.

A set of winter wheels & tires will cost the dealer about what the missing DSC does & yes I'd have them do the install for you every year.

 

Right, except for this part from the original post: "When I picked up the car I questioned the dealer about the "ASC" and he told me it was like my DSC on my old BMW."

When the purchaser pointed out that the ordered feature appeared to not be included in the car, the MA lied about it. Sounds like dealer fraud to get the buyer to take delivery.

IMO, the dealer should take back the car and order a new one to correct spec. But it would probably take plenty of lawyering to get them to see it that way.

Good luck!

 

You have class my friend.

 

But it's not in writing, and really, if one gets to the point of a lawsuit to sort this out, the only possible outcome is everyone loosing.

I'm not defending the dealer here, but just trying to be realistic. To use an analogy, "I ordered an orange, but this says mango" "A mango is like an orange" "OK, that's fine, I'll take a mango". One could have just as easily said "Like an orange isn't an orange, lets' get this straightened out. I want an orange."

Seems like the OP is on a path to try to get satisfaction, and who knows where it will lead. Sure it sucks overall, let's all hope for the best so it doesn't get ugly.

Matt

 

FYI... It IS in writing.

The dealer has a printout of my options with my signature on it. DSC and foglights are listed at $0

That is part of what makes this so frustrating. When they entered the order with the factory, they simply deleted one of my options without even telling me.

 

I agree with you Doc with one exception, there will be a winner. It will be the Lawyer.

IMO the OP is on the high ground. Good luck to him.

 

Exactly the reason I am trying to keep it from getting to that point. I don't need to donate to a Lawyer's kid college fund.

 

and yes that's frustrating for sure.

matt

 

Pick a lawyer whose kids you like. When you win, the dealer will contribute to the college fund .

 

that totally sucks, tho i'm sure it was an honest mistake originally. however, what they told you at delivery is basically equivalent to lying to your face, imho. the sucky thing is that there really isn't much that can be done. you should make it clear to them that dsc is a key component that you wanted in the car. at the most, if you make a huge stink about it, they might give you a few hundred bucks in cash or accessories for the sake of customer satisfaction. but if i were you, that wouldn't make me feel any better, so i dunno what you should do. and you can't return the car either, and even if you could that wouldn't make you feel any better anyway. did you get front fogs? maybe you can contact miniusa yourself. i don't think it's worth any legal trouble, but maybe better business bureau (?) at the worst case?

 

Yes I did get the fog lights. Why they put that through and not the DSC is beyond me. If they would have called me the next day and told me there was a mistake, I would have paid extra, or eliminated some other option. I found my MA to be impossible to communicate with. It took at least 48 hours and two contacts to get an answer to anything. I think he knew all along there was a problem and didn't want to deal with me. I questioned the pricing on order, I questioned the option on pickup. I have had to email the general manager (it is a multi-make dealership) just to get the Mini Sales Manager to communicate with me. He was supposed to call me at work today with an answer, and he of course did not.

Does anyone know how/where I post my displeasure with MINIUSA? It was supposidly their website that caused the issue in the first place. Maybe I can get them to put a little preassure on the dealership

 

I just want to lend some support to LIWexler here about how difficult this dealership is to get a hold of to address problems. While I commend the effort not to drag this dealership through the mud on this website, I think it is important to point out that a major issue here is the difficulty obtaining access to your salesperson to address problems. I won't go through my whole saga here, but this same dealership failed to check on my order for a week a few weeks ago despite my calling and emailing multiple times, only to find my production slot was deleted when they failed to address an order problem. The biggest bummer was that they were no longer taking new Cabrio orders by the time they figured this out, while we could have solved it if they'd checked a few days earlier.

To top it off, despite getting my MA on the phone finally and obtaining a promise that he would call me back in "a few minutes" with my production number, this guy not only didn't call me but actually waited until after the dealership was closed for the weekend to EMAIL me that I didn't HAVE a production number because I wasn't getting a car!

Four phone calls later, I finally got to talk to a manager, who had no solutions for me and told me he was "sorry I felt that way."

I guess I just want to put out there that I completely sympathize with LIWexler that this dealership seems to have some serious service issues in following up problems and I think it's fair to urge other NAMmers to be wary. It's hard not to feel extra screwed when you can't even get a hold of someone at the dealership to complain to! It does help to get awesome advice from the Mini experts on this website, but at the end of the day, you still have a car that doesn't have one of your top requirements.