I was wondering if anyone else has had problems getting replacement parts. I was in an accident 1 week after I purchased my 07 cooper. It took 8 weeks just to get parts through the only mini authorized repair shop in my area.

We ran into a Toyota Avalon at a speed of 7 mph. It's been 2.5 months so far (over $8000 and counting for the bill) and and I'm still waiting to get my car back.

Is this the norm for mini service?

 

Wow, that's horrible. What parts seem to be the problem?

$8,000 damage at 7 mph? What got muched?

I'm not sure there have been enough major R56 repairs to gauge what is normal. The only long delays I recall hearing about had to do with faults with an unknown cause.

 

The bumper, hood and quarter panel... Those parts have finally come in and the body is back together. They then discovered that the right wheel was pushed back by 1/2 inch. Waiting on more parts....

The toyota needed a new bumper and a tail light.

I'm getting a little frustrated by the situation to be honest with you. I knew that I was buying a teacup of an automobile when I bought the car. I just assumed that if anything happened, Mini would stand behind me.

 

Unfortunately, that's kinda normal. I've heard similar stories from a local body shop who only buys OEM parts from dealers. I don't remember which dealers, but long delays for body panels happens from time to time and not just on the newest models.

 

Since the car is a brand new model design, it takes a little bit for the repair parts to reach the dealer channel. The factory is using most of the parts at the moment to make into cars, with a very small percentage of extra parts set aside for repairs. This is the case with most new cars, and especially bothersome with imported cars, since not only do the cars have to get shipped in, but the parts as well. It generally takes about one model year cycle to populate the parts channels of the various markets. This is one of the many 'hazards' of buying something completely new. Yes, the MINIs have been around for 7 years now, but the redesign takes everything back to square one, almost the same as the launch of the first models in the line.

Sorry that you are having service issues. I hope they get cleared up soon. It also falls to the service department to make a thorough assessment of the damage and get all the parts on hand to fix everything at the same time. Discovering the issue with the wheel after some work was already completed is poor damage assessment on the dealer's fault.

Some of the most expensive damage to a car happens when it rear-ends another car, especially when the car ahead is stopping as well. The front car's rear bumper goes up, the car behind has it's front bumper go down, and those pieces above the bumper get all the damage.

 

I guess I expected more from mini / bmw than to leave me stranded with a new car that I can't drive. The worst part about this is knowing that they have a huge mark up on the replacement parts. Not only is this costing an arm and a leg, but it is also taking forever.

I thought I had found the perfect car in Mini. This one replaced my 05. I can't with any self respect maintain loyalty to a brand that litterally has left me by the side of the road.