OK sorry for starting this thread as I know some topics have been discussed before, but my main concern is dealing with the dealer when I go in. So I'll start there. The remaining questions probably won't require as long of answers. Also, I appreciate everyone's help in advance and don't give me too hard a time if my questions seem too stupid.

1) So I've had "Pep" for 16 months. I absolutely love the car and it is a blast to drive. However I am growing increasingly tired of it. Why? Well I have a "squeek" and a "rattle" that are driving me crazy at this point. No this is my fault to a large extent because I haven't gone to the dealership about the rattle. The squeek however I have the dealer address though I could hear it again on the way home from the dealership that day. Anyway, I'm hoping some of you may know the cause the of the rattle or the squeak, but I'm mainly wondering how to deal with the dealer in case it doesn't get fixed this time.

So the rattle. I don't know that rattle is the right term, but it's the best I can come up with. It's not too loud, but noticeable enough. It's in part a tinny sort of light rattle. I initially thought it was the rearview mirror, but it's not that. It's coming somewhere from the center of the day to the right. Somewhere in that range. I have no idea what it is some if you have ideas I'd be open to suggestions.

As for the squeek, it's coming from the back seats. I'd say it's specifically coming from the backseat behind the driver's seat. Before I took it in the last time (for something unrelated, but I told them to look at it) I had sat on the back seat and it had gone away. So I told them that seat and that is what they focused on. However as I said above it came back right after I left the dealership. They said they lubed the seat, but that clearly didn't work.

So my concern is that they won't sort these problems out. Maybe this sounds weird, but I want them to drive with me so they can hear the sounds. I feel like last time they just listened to what I had to say without actually trying to diagnose it themselves. I have no problem confronting them on it if they don't fix the problems, but what should my expectations be? I mean right now my thought process is that the card is bought and paid for and that these sorts of rattles and squeeks shouldn't occur on a car that costs as much as a Clubman S. I am expecting too much?

2) The odometer (the one above the steering wheel) rattles and has for a while. It rattles specifically when I hit about 2000 rpms. Anyone else had this problem? Did the dealership sort it out?

3) Oil, oil, oil. So i"m at 14,500 miles and the oil has never been changed. My father has been bugging me about it for thousands of miles. I know they say 16,000 before it needs to be changed. Still if I ask the dealer every... 6000 miles will they do it? I assume I'll get charged. Also, if I get it changed somewhere else assuming the dealer charges will I be voiding the warranty?

4) There's a window fix right? I mean if the windows no longer go up that half inch when you close the door. Also sometimes the driver's side window, when all the way down and I push it up, goes all the way up and then goes half way down again. Anyone had that?

5) Winter is on the way and I'm still on the original all season run flats. They look in good shape too. Still I'd like to rotate them. Don't laugh, but can you rotate run flats?

6) Anything else I should have the dealer look at? This is my first checkup and I want them to take care of everything.

7) My service light came on for the checkup. Can I just take it to the dealer or do I need to/should I set up an appointment in advance?

Again, sorry if the questions seem dumb and thanks in advance.

 

Just take it in. They should do the right thing and address these issues. I have taken my car back to the dealer numerous times over the past 22 months for squeaks and rattles. They fix them. Or they try to anyway.

 

8) REALLY stupid question here, but I have a chip in my windshield. Should I expect them to replace it?

 

No way. Call your insurance. Perhaps you have a glass deductible. I had my windshield replaced for free after it cracked from a rock. Glass repair/replacement is part of my insurance coverage.

 

I don't think your expectations for a quiet passenger compartment are unrealistic. But rattles and squeaks are notoriously difficult to isolate in any car, and just telling a technician "there's a rattle/squeak; I think it's coming from _____" doesn't give them a lot to go on. You're probably correct, and they just acted on what you told them without trying to verify it, but I wouldn't get too upset over that at this stage; that would proably be my first attempt too. Sometimes it takes a couple tries with annoying sounds that are not generally common to the design, so give the service department a fair chance. Taking one of the technicians out on a ride where you can point out the squeaks/rattles generally helps a lot.

That would be the tachometer. Sounds like something is just loose in the housing or where it mounts to the column. I personally haven't seen this behavior, but I'd just add it to your "squeak & rattle" list and have the service department address it. At least that one they should be able to duplicate pretty easily just on what you've told us.

Well, oil changes and their frequency (either as part of, or apart from, the MINI free maintenance plan) are a topic of considerable debate on the forum. Most folks tend to come down on the side with your father: the interval recommended by MINI (15,000 miles) is too long, even for synthetic oil. I tend to agree. But by the same token, most don't seem to think that the old "rule of thumb" (every 3,000 miles) applies either; 5,000 miles seems to be a number folks generally agree upon, which means every third oil change would be free under the MINI maintenance plan (the other two you would almost certainly have to pay for). You might just go ahead and schedule to have your oil changed at this stage; you're only 500 miles away from a free one anyway, so I think you're probably in the "wiggle window" where they'll accept it for the free oil change. Henceforth, you'll have to decide for yourself whether you want to change it more frequently at your own cost, but one thing is for certain: changing the oil more frequently than recommended won't hurt the car a bit...

Another point to keep in mind is to frequently check the oil level using the engine dipstick. If you don't know how to do this, I'm sure your father or a MINI service technician can show you; it's pretty easy and only takes a few seconds. But apparently, the turbocharged MINI's can exhibit a tendency to consume oil, and you don't want to allow it to run low...

Yes, there's supposed to be a fix for the window "dippers." There are some threads that discuss this behavior, so you might search the forum. The fix involves reprogramming some element of the controller. Budget some time during your service visit for this.

Yes, you can rotate them. Depending on the type of run-flat tire, they may be unidirectional (mine are), which means the tire must be mounted such that its forward rotation keeps the tread properly oriented. If you put unidirectional tires on "backwards," your traction (particularly in rain and snow) will be exceptionally crummy... So, unidirectional tires must remain on the same side of the car unless they are removed from the rim and properly oriented on the opposite side of the car.

Expect to pay for tire rotations; MINI does not include those as part of their free maintenance program...

You can chance that they will have a service opening by driving in, but it's usually best to schedule one.

A chipped or damaged windshield is not usually a warranty item; you'd have to show that the damage was a result of a manufacturing defect or improper installation, which is probably not the case if you just caught a rock that another vehicle kicked up off the road.

As "onefish2" mentioned, contact your insurance carrier/agent. Almost every insurance company provides coverage for minor windshield repairs at no cost to you. If it's just a chip, they can send a glass repair outfit out to you (work, school, home -- wherever you want to meet them), and they'll usually repair it almost like new. I've had it done over the years to a couple of my vehicles (I think my insurance carrier uses SafeLite), and I've been very pleased with their work.

If the windshield is damaged (big cracks), however, they may have to replace it. Again, it's usually covered under your policy, but it may involve a deductible.

 

I'm with Onefish here. Just take it in. It might be helpful to set an appointment, but with the problems listed, the dealer may have to keep the car for a day or two.

 

what insurance you carry?

 

glass is typically covered under your comprehensive coverage ... if you carry comp' glass should be covered. If you don't carry comp' or a special glass policy you probably are not covered for glass but a phone call to ask costs nothing....

a few states - Florida is one - require an insurance company to waive the deductable on front glass IF the coverage is carried. In my case, that would be IF you have comprehensive. Some insurance companies offer a special windshield policy or rider. But, if you don't have glass coverage the state rule does nothing for you.

Several insurance companies will provide free repair service for a chip/crack even if you carry a deductable; I'd presume this to apply again only if glass coverage is carried. I too have had several good experiences with SAFELITE which is who USAA sends all glass work to. Out of pocket a SAFELITE repair runs around $50 i believe and they can do this work in virtually any parking lot.

If you carry comp' and have a sizable deductable you may want to ask what the cost difference is to change to zero deductable. In my experience changing from a $250 deductable to zero for 3 vehicles and a male teen driver in the house was a few dollars a month..... not at all what I expected. I kicked myself for not having asked b4 when in the previous 2 years I'd put new front glass in two vehicles with an out of pocket $250 per . . . ouch.

 

First off, thanks for all the replies. I really appreciate them.

Well the car is at the dealer now. I'm a bit annoyed after stopping in, but also understand it too.

So when I drop it off a guy comes out. He looks like he works there (in the service department) and is on the move. So while I'm waiting for someone to come to the Service Dept desk, this other guy is out having a quick look at my car. So when the Service manager comes up he says that other guy gave the car the once over and noticed dents on the driver's side door and the suicide door. So it turns out the other guy is with Dent Wizard. So right away we go out so I can look because while I do check out the car pretty regularly I hadn't noticed those. So the door is pretty noticeable (not horrible by any means and I can see missing it generally), but the club door isn't very noticeable at all. Then I personally notice a small dent on the hood that to me was pretty noticeable when I was looking. Anyway, they give me a price of $300 for the dents not including the hood, but he'll throw the hood in. So I guess I'm glad they noticed them and I'm curious as to what they're from, but I also think it's a bit... set up that they have a guy who to me doesn't seem to work at the dealership checking out my car before anybody even speaks to me.

So the manager was ready to take my keys right away, and I said "well I had recommended taking someone out for a drive so I can point out the rattles". So he says "sure" and gets a mechanic and we go for a drive. Of course the tach isn't making any noise (and I was hearing it near daily for a while now). The seat isn't squeeking, but that as I said is intermittent and I'm not as concerned about that. The small rattle, my biggest concern, was quiet too. He said he heard something though and kept listening. He then was playing with the glove compartments. Turned out he thought it was coming from the lower speaker on the driver's side. He said he pressed on it and he could hear it more. So I'm hoping that is the issue and they can fix it. I am a bit annoyed though about the other issues being written off. I mean the first time I went in for the seat they addressed it w/o me taking them for a drive. And the tach being as common as I understand it to be and me telling them as often as I've heard it I'd expect them to at least have look. I did hear the tach slightly too just before we got it back to the dealership, but he didn't. So I asked the manager that if I hear it if I can just drop by and have someone drive with me. He said yeah, so I guess I'll have to be patient.

The 17,000 mile checkup is why I thought the service light went on. I'm at 14,750 though. So I asked him and he said it was for oil and brake fluid. He did say that about this time the tires should be rotated. I was already looking to have that done before Winter sets in (i've not had them rotated yet, but they still look in great shape) so I took him up on the $32 they wanted for that.

So a couple of follow up question for you guys:

About the "in between" oil changes. Would your recommend I use the dealer or go to a 3rd party? There is a shop in town that focuses just on Minis/BMWS I could go to, but I just want to make sure I'm not violating the warranty some how.

The 3 year/36,000 mile service deal. Do they just change wiper blades when I go in? I don't know that I need them, but is this something I should be taking advantage of at some point?

Also, the loaner they gave me was a "justa" cooper. When I first test drove it, the justa seemed fast and fun to me because I'd been driving a... 97 Camry. Well now having an S the justa seems sorta slow. :D

 

Well I just got back from the dealer. They didn't touch the tachometer or the back seat because they couldn't hear it. I didn't hear the tachometer on the way home so hopefully I won't, but IMO that's wishful thinking. The squeek is really intermittent at the back and I don't hear it a lot, but I heard it twice (two lone squeeks as opposed to a series of them which is usually the case when it starts) over two bumps. They did the window fix. All of my radio presets were lost though.

ALSO, when you tap the turn single you get 3 turn flashes/clicks. Well since I got it back I no longer get that. I just get one flash/click.

 

When they reprogramed your windows all the programming went back to the factory defaults, your radio presets and the flashing thing. Very easy for you to reprogram to your choices tho, just look in your owner's manual for the how to - it simply involves pushing the turn signal stalk button the right way and number ot times.....you'll also have to reprogram your other key.

Have your oil changed anywhere you want, just keep a record of it, use the recommended oil (or buy it from your MINI dealer) and I would recommend you buy a factory oil filter, just in case. I would also recommend using someone like the guy you mentioned, and stay away from the "Iffy Lube" type places.

 

You're going to want to keep a closer eye on those fluid levels, especially the oil. Oil consumption on these turbocharged MINI engines is higher than one would expect, although the rate of consumption seems to vary from engine to engine. Not sure where your brake fluid is going, though, unless you've got a system leak somewhere...?

Assuming the specialty shop uses the oil and filter that MINI recommends (see your Owner's Manual), it's six of one, half-a-dozen the other -- at least where your warranty is concerned. The specialty shop will likely be less expensive than the MINI dealer.

They seem to change these pretty regularly on mine, whether the car seems to need them or not. In fact, I've never specifically asked for them to be changed; when I've taken mine in for other routine stuff (e.g., oil change), I'll make a blanket statement to them like, "perform any additional scheduled maintenance under the maintenance plan." The first time I told them that, they swapped out the micro-filter and wiper blades.

It's probably the least expensive item in the free maintenance plan, so I figure BMW/MINI looks at the wiper blades as "gimmes" that make the customers feel like they're getting something. If you want them to change the wipers, just tell them they're streaking, and they'll replace the inserts.

Well, slowly making inroads, it sounds like...

As I mentioned, tracking down squeaks and rattles might take time. As you discovered, Murphy's Law dictates that any given problem will not demonstrate itself for the repairman...

I think I've read in other posts where things like radio presets can be lost when they do re-programmings; you'll probably just have to re-enter them. Some of your personal preferences may also fall into that category (apparently among them, the 1x vs. 3x turn signal preference). To get back the 3 flashes when you tap the turn signal, you'll need to pull out your Owner's Manual and follow the instructions for "Triple turn signal activation," starting on p. 42 (2009 Owner's Manual; it might be on a different page in yours if you have a different model year).

 

If I am following this right, you have had the car sixteen months and driven 14,500 miles. Your free service policy for the first three years will pay for an oil change once a year regardless of mileage. I recently had mine changed at 5,000 miles and the wipers changed on the anniversary of my purchase. It is in your owners manual.

 

Well, that's what I had been led to believe as well. And I've had mine changed on a yearly basis. But...

Others on the forum say that they've been told the "policy" on that is that service centers will only do the free 1-year oil change interval on vehicles that are clearly accumulating few miles (say ~5k per year or less). Your mileage was right around that mark; mine is quite a bit less (I have another vehicle that's a "daily driver"). So there may be some truth to this claim...

 

mine occurred only when no one was in the back seat passenger side. (my daughter is back there quite a bit!). I figured out that it was coming from the latch that holds the seat up. Spray some silicone based lubricant a couple times a year and it goes away. Might try it. May or may not be your problem though.

 

East Bay Mini in Pleasanton does...love that place.

 

In retrospect, I may have misspoken by saying "tire rotations" when I was thinking "tire balancing..." Sorry!

 

that's exactly where my squeek was. I had put some electrical tape around the metal (you can see where it was worn) but it wore through that. Finally took it to the dealer and they just wrapped some felt around it.

 

Where are you located? I'm sure you'll getanumber of responses from oher on their favorites. I have one in central NJ that specializes in European cars that runs about half the dealer cost.