Satisfy the customer and fix the internal problems -- excellent response, MOTH!

"The Internets" are wonderful!

 

Having shipped many cars while working for a BMW/Mini dealer I would be surprised if Mini of Hamptons didn't check the car over before handing it over to the shipper. If the car had existing damage the shipper would note it and make the dealer sign and some instances wouldnt accept the car. I think the damaged happend during shipping, looks like it was bumped hence the damage in front and rear. As for the cosmoline aka yellow stuff that's not an issue. That is to protect the car while in shipping to prevent corrosion. Personally I wouldnt mind if my car still had it on while being shipped across country. This washes off so its not a big deal. As for the battery these cars especially the 07's will always drain power with all the electronics they have. Cars go dead in showrooms all the time. To me it looks all cosmetic and can be fixed.

If you feel more comfortable getting a new car and waiting then go for it. I would rather get the car and get it fixed along with some compensation for the inconvenience.

Big props for Mini of the Hamptons for stepping up and taking care of the situation.

 

+1

 

Make me an offer. I'd be glad to take a road trip to Seattle and New York.

The problem might be that iTao might be tempted to swipe my car while I was gone.

 

Now there's a dealer I'd have confidence in when purchasing a MINI. Way to set the bar of standard high for other dealer's to meet. WTG!

 

Heh--what if we had a MINI relay race of sorts? Drive the MINI a certain distance, hand it off to the next driver, and so on until it reached Long Island.

 

MINI of the Hamptons: Kudos to you guys for taking proper care of the client. Not his fault and more than likely not yours, just the crappy shipper. Your response here is helpful as it gives another side to the situation as well. Good job! Thanks for being an excellent NAM vendor!

 

Actually, the "key off" draw should not really be more than about 50mA. If the draw is such that the battery would die in a few months of just sitting... something is wrong. Bad battery or excessive draw.

Show room cars have doors opened, interior lights on, etc. A car which is being shipped should be at it's minimum draw and not be a problem for months.

When a car is shipped over the pond, it has interior fuses (radio, interior lights etc) pulled and the draw is consderably less than normal. Part of the PDI (pre delivery inpsection) is to install these fuses. In no way should the battery have been dead on delivery (unless battery was bad or something was left on).

 

Good that it got resolved to the buyer's satisfaction IMO. BTW, there's a battery sheet in the owners packet (with the manual) when you pick the car up that says each time they tested the battery, etc, while it sat on the lot. As an aside, can anyone really see what color the battery condition indicator is on the battery itself? I sure can't. My MA said it was impossible to see for him. Maybe you have to use a flashlight.

 

A good resolution in the end.

My question is--why would the car not jump start?

I've had this issue myself when my car was being service somewhere (not a dealer) and wouldn't start after the lights had been left on for days.

A new battery was installed and it started right away. I know plenty about AC power as a lighting tech, but DC and especially automotive electrics are still a mystery to me.

Is it something having to do with a dead battery in the same circuit as the jumper battery? Does the MINI know it's being jump-started and is being difficult?

 

There are many lessons in this thread: If you buy from a dealer thousands of miles away and have the car shipped to you pay the extra for an enclosed carrier. Second, get in writing the conditions that will invalidate the purchase. Third, expect the worst not the best. Fourth, sometimes it's best to wait a little longer. What's a few extra months?

 

Thanks for the NAM community again.

After seeing the pictures, the MINI of the Hamptons has promised me to figure out where the problems had occur and tried to prevent this from happening again. We know that the scratches on the hood occurred during the shipping (the truck driver has told us that), but other problems could have happened at the VDC, the dealership, or on the vessel (we don't know). It's great to see that the dealer is taking proper steps to prevent this from happening again.

The MINI of the Hamptons has agreed to fully refund my money and send out a check to me on Monday. They also offer to help me to reorder my car with some discounts, which I do appreciate very much. It was never my intention to have a lawyer to get involved from day one. I always have faith that the MINI of the Hamptons and I could have the problems resolved, especially with the supports of you guys on the NAM.

BTW, it's about 8 months wait for a MCS at the Northwest MINI, and it took about a month for the MINI of the Hamptons to get the car to me from the time of ordering.

Thanks again & Happy motoring!

 

It's possible that the shipper left the key in the ignition. I will try to find out from service but it is possible with these new keys that when they are inserted into the key slot that they car draws more juice. Or maybe a light was just left on.

 

Leaving the key in would draw more.

On a side note, I think Mini of the Hamptons is a stand-up dealer. Sometimes what starts out as a very bad situation can end up with a favorable outcome. I had never heard of Mini of the Hamptons before this thread but now I know who they are and my feeling about them is positive.

iTao, I hope you re-order... I don't want to have the only MINI in Seattle

 

Hey MINI of the Hamptons!

Buy me a plane ticket back to WA, and I'll drive this baby back to NY for you!

Lancecd

 

Living in the area and reading the posts I decided to get on the bike and take a spin down to MINI NW and look at her for myself. If that was my car I would be pissed!!! It looks like they drove the thing here from the east coast. It was the dirtiest "new" car I have ever seen. Realistically I"ll bet it was on the top of the truck right over the cab. The dents in the grill and rear deck lid are somewhat puzzleing though. As long as it takes to get a MINI around here this has got to be depressing as hell to finally get your car and have to deal with this. They should do a nation wide search and replace that car this week. I feel for you man.

 

I also saw the car at Northwest MINI on Sunday. I peeked at the gouges inside, and WOW. I would not accept a beloved MINI in this condition. And, iTao's pics of the dents, etc. were spot on.

ITao exaggerates not. And, kudos to MINI of the Hamptons for making it right.

Looking forward to my Oxygen Blue MINI Cooper.

 

Any News??

 

Kudos for Hampton Mini :-)

 

Sorry to hear of your issues.
I'm puzzled about the different time frames buyers are quoted for delivery if ordering a Mini.
We were told that it might take up to 3 months, but we ordered Jun.11 and will take delivery later today. I've seen several other posts of deliveries in about a month. Are the dealers in the Pacific northwest selling that many Mini's more than their allotment?