Attached is a copy of what I received from the original selling dealership for my 09 MCCS. Looks like some interesting things were done, but since I'm admittedly ignorant about what a lot of this means, I would be interested in some more educated feedback, especially re: the major repair that was done and noted below.

Notable repairs that I can see:

- Replaced radiator support, drive belt, and both aux pulleys

- "Front support damaged/belt damaged during inspection found damage to right front lower bumper. Found belt shredded, radiator support damaged, trim damage. Insurance authorized repairs. Replaced both aux pully/crankshaft pulley and belt. Then replaced front core support and bumper trim/rf fender trim. Bled cooling system and recharged a/c. Road tested verified normal engine/ac/cooling system operation."

- Replaced timing chain due to customer hearing a rattle from engine.

- Looks like brake service was performed once.

- Looks like last oil service was at 31293 miles. I'm at 41000 now.

- The previous owner complained about the driver side wind noise issue I've been having.

See attached below...

Cheers.

 

sounds like it has been in a wreck

 

^+1

 

+2

 

Sounds like a wreck to me too.
I'm glad you finally got these "confidential" records.
Wonder why the dealer didn't want you to have them?
Hmmm?

The oil wasn't changed before the car was delivered to you?
When does your OBC say the car is due for an oil change?

 

The car is at MINI for the door seal issue right now, so I will have to check the OBC when I get it back. However, Carmax say they do oil changes before reselling their cars. Of course, Carmax also say their cars are accident free. Plus, I'm not too confident that Carmax use the right parts or oil, either. So, I'm tempted to have another oil change done anyway.

I will be using these service records to question Carmax on the integrity of their sale of the car to me. In addition, I'm becoming increasingly convinced that an extended warranty would be a good idea.

 

An extended warranty that Carmax should pay for....

 

I wondered the same for my '08 R55 S. I washed and waxed the snot out of my car last week and ended up seeing way more clues that a front respray had been done. The color matches perfectly, but I found bondo clues on the edge of my hood by the scuttle. Blah! So much for car fax meaning anything. :-(

 

Not all accidents are reported meaning CarFax isn't the all inclusive report they make it out to be. Definitely sounds like it was in an accident.

 

Also sounds like the previous owner abused the heck out of it. A pillar covers don't just come loose - ran it out of gas a time or two, burned out fuel pump - and brake pads at only 20K miles?

 

I think you all are jumping to conclusions.....

Those parts could have been damaged by running over something in the road or hitting a curb, not the same as a car wreck in my book, especially if repaired properly. Running low on gas would not have burned out his fuel pump, it's more likely to have just failed, not due to anything anyone did - lot's of high pressure fuel pumps have been replaced, they even extended the warranty because of how many failures they had in the early DI cars.

A-pillar mouldings came off all the time on first gen cars, especially after a windshield change, and a LOT of cars have had new windshields, whether from a rock hitting it or just cracking due to body stress - my 2009 Clubman needs a windshield now, just due to normal wear and tear due to pitting - I'm at 41K miles too.

Make sure they use factory oil filter and the correct oil when they change it - 5W30 synthetic.

My dealer replaced my front pads at about 25K, I didn;t think it needed them and the brake pad warning lite wasn't on, but the computer said it was time to change them, so they did under the 3/36 maintenance coverage that comes with every car. Some dealers are more pro-active than others - mine seems to be one of them.

Take a good look at your sunroof for that wind noise, a lot of them have need a slight adjustment to quiet them down.

 

Under my Maintenance Warranty my front brakes were replaced and flushed at about 24K miles, the rear were just done at 35K.

My windshield has been replaced twice and I noticed that one A pillar seems a bit loose when I was washing the car recently.

I think it's a good thing that your timing chain has been replaced, considering the problems that I have read about them here.

We are going to get the extended warranty for Little Wing, since I want to keep her. My husband is not happy as he thinks extended warranties are usually a waste of money, but in this case even he agrees it's probably a good idea.

Also, I followed the OBC recommended oil change intervals because I didn't know it was controversial. Now I'm concerned that having only 3 oil changes in 35K miles may have adversely affected the longevity of the engine, especially the turbo. I plan to step up the oil change schedule from here on out, but fear that damage may have already been done. I have read many heated threads here on the oil change controversy and don't mean to start it up here and hijack this thread. It's just something that we are taking into consideration in our decision to buy the extended warranty.

It sounds like you are doing the right thing by checking everything out, questioning the service records, and taking care of any problems.

Just make sure to enjoy your new car!
Happy motoring!

 

OK...I sent an email to Carmax customer relations yesterday. Today, I received a call from the dealership where I purchased my car. The person I spoke with said he would look at the service records, and put the car up on a rack and walk me through a detailed inspection. At that point, he said he would do whatever I wanted to make things right so I was comfortable with the car. And, if I wasn't comfortable with it, he would be willing to explore any options, including Carmax taking the car back and/or putting me in a different, similar car.

So, at this point, it looks like Carmax is willing to stand behind the vehicle.

My only concern is that I'm not car-mechanical-savvy enough to know what to look for during an inspection, etc.

The car seems to drive fine now; and it looks great. My only concern is with any underlying issues that may result from the earlier work done on the car.

I might try to get Carmax to pay for an extended warranty. Apart from that, I'm not sure what the best course might be. Any thoughts?

 

Little wing, I think the strongest argument for shortening up the oil change interval is that MINI themselves changed it recently to once a year or every 10K.

I do mine twice a year or about every 7500, and my engine is clean as new inside, and I haven't had a lick of trouble in my 43K miles.

I think you're OK, but following at least the 1/year or every 10K is a good idea.

 

This all sounds good!
If Carmax will pay for the extended warranty and you are happy with the car, then I say go for it.

Do you know of an independent mechanic who can look over the car as well? We have always bought used cars, until Little Wing, and will probably never buy a new car again. We always have our own mechanic check out a used car before finalizing the contract.

My personal concern about buying a used MINI has to do with the maintenance schedule and the frequency of oil changes. I am not a mechanic, nor is anyone in my family. Everyone else drives Toyotas. So, I will buy the extended warranty for my car, even though I bought it new and, except for my husband on occasion, I am the only driver.

Thanks.
I've asked MINI that question, why a shorter interval on the newer engines, but no change on the interval for mine? No answer - so I will write again.
But the fact remains that my oil has been changed every 15K miles and I am now worried about that. I will be increasing the oil changes from here on out, probably at 7.5K since it's 1/2 way to 15K, which seems to be the magic number according to my OBC.
I acted in good faith and believed that I was taking good care of my new car. Since my car runs well and hasn't given me any trouble, I am hopeful that all is well. The extended warranty will make me feel more secure about the future. I want to keep my car for a very long time.

 

LittleWing...where do you plan to purchase your extended warranty?

 

I will probably purchase both extended warranties from MINI, but am starting to shop around. Apparently the price is negotiable.
*sigh*
I hate this part of owning a car...

 

Looks like a major repair to me, regardless of whether or not it was an "accident". Calling it an accident or not has little to do with the fact that there was $4.5k in repairs done to this vehicle for this one incident. Carmax can say they say all they want about this car not being in an accident, but with the damage that was incurred here, it might as well have been in a wreck.

 

Not my MINI, but rather my wife's Kia, was purchased NEW from DeMontrond Kia here in Houston about a year and a half ago. We were told when we bought it that they'd had to replace a wheel because it had been curbed - not a big deal. Long story short, the car had been curbed by a salesman at ~30 miles per hour and sustained more than $5000 worth of damage. Unfortunately Texas has no laws requiring dealers to disclose prior damage (regardless of amount - no percent allowance like some states have). Unfortunately the dealer (salesmen, managers, GM) had no interest in making things right on their lie and since we can't afford to just up and hire a lawyer we were just stuck.

It's unfortunate that there aren't more laws in place to protect consumers from this kind of BS, but it happens. Good that it sounds like Carmax is going to stand by the vehicle and is interested in making sure you're satisfied. FWIW it could have happened just as easily on a new car as used. In some cases there wouldn't even be records - look over in the new user section for the thread regarding the tour through the BMW Vehicle Distribution Center and some of the stuff they repair on cars before they even make it to the dealer.

 

I have found Carmax to be about as honest (more so) than any car dealer I have ever dealt with. The repair work was done by a MINI dealer (good), and it's not 'on the record' as a wreck apparently (good for you going forward).

But... an extended warranty from Carmax would sure make me feel better.

P.S. I hate buying cars.

 

Is the consensus here that if given the option, most people wouldn't keep the car?

I really like the car as configured, and it seems like used MCCS in 6-speed manual are hard to come by. I think Carmax has two or three in their national inventory, one of which is not available for transfer.

I guess we will see what options can be negotiated when I do the walk around with them.

 

The damage sounds localized (ran over a truck tire? concrete block? big dog?), it was repaired by a MINI dealer, doesn't seem to involve paint or body work. The repairs sound mechanical, as opposed to structural.

If you like the car, and you feel like you got treated fairly (especially if you can get an extended Carmax warranty... or a thousand or two bucks rebate), I'd say keep it.

Carmax lives and dies on word of mouth and customer satisfaction. They really do want folks to believe they are different. They also charge a premium price.

As John Calvin would say... "Good luck!"

 

Going to Carmax this afternoon. Does anyone have any advice on what to look for in terms of the areas that were worked on?

 

No advice about the car, per se.
I just want to wish you luck.
From what you have posted I see no reason not to get the car if you still want it after the walk through and feel the terms are fair.
If it feels wrong you may regret buying it.
If it feels right, accept that there is some risk involved.
You have been careful and have done your homework.
Follow your bliss!

Please post back with your decision, either way.

 

A bit late, but is there any relative or friend you can drag along who is tech savvy? Offer a meal in exchange for their time?