need advise re new mini damaged at port

reposting here to get more input
So I ordered my mini and have been excited for its delivery. I have been talking to the dealer daily since it arived at the port. It has been over a week since then. Finally today I got a call saying that it had not been lost but that its bumper had been damaged at the port and it was awaiting repairs. He/sales man can not tell me what the damage was or any other info. He also said mini would not comp me for time or the fact that I am now buying a previously damaged mini - part of the benefit of a new one I thought was knowing it had never been damaged.?? So. . . I am pretty mad at mini and am wondering if there is a corporate number or something that I can call. It seems the dealer can not do anything for me.
What would you do? I really don't want to order another one and wait another 6weeks, and the reason I ordered in the first place was to get close to base price (the ones at the dealer seem to have extras I don't need and I have a budget!)

 

I'd first check to see how bad it was damaged. If "damaged" means a scuffed bumper that they replace, no problem. If there's any frame damage, then that's another story altogether and I'd get on the horn to corporate to sound your grievances loudly...

 

the sales rep at the dealer said he has no way of knowing if it was just a scratch or what. . . sounds fishy to me but not sure what I can say in response to that??
Also wondering if anyone has called corporate and what number they used.

 

You can refuse to take delivery and see what happens.

 

refuse it and order another one. To me it is worth getting the new car (not damaged) and wait another 6 weeks.

 

BS. Dealer should own the problem and make it right. I'd raise he** until you received a credit, written assurances that its fixed to factory specs and a few other perks before I took ownership. Business is business and this is your $25,000 - $30,000 or so. And once you leave that dealer's lot you have no chance for any further recovery.

If it was me I think I'd order a new one after I got a senior exec from Mini on the phone who was compassionate about your problem and could explain in detail what happened and why.

Squeeky wheel gets the grease, its up to you.

Good luck.

 

There have been several threads that I've seen on this very subject. If I recall correctly, the law says they have to reveal damages that exceed 3% of the value of the vehicle. BMW got sued over hiding this info once upon a time and they seem to be very up front about any damage issues because of that suit.

If it were me, I'd be pushing to re-order the vehicle.

 

thanks for all of your advise. I have placed a call to the mini corporate office asking them to tell me what damage was done, and put it in writing. . . still waiting a reply

 

what kind of a deposit did you give? (I gave $500 on mine).

-I'd refuse to sign anything and refuse ownership of the car (unless they revealed the damage to you and had something in writing)
-I'd pass on your deposit (assuming you gave one) ...and then bring the dealer to small claims court if you didn't get that back
-Then go to another dealer and start the process all over again.

That's what I'd do.

..but don't take the car 'til they have something in writing stating the damage. I wouldn't take anyone's word over the phone (at this point). ...It would really be a pain in the butt to try and prove they lied to you (if they did) if you found excessive damage and repairs at some point a few years in the future.

 

If you don't get a reply from corporate with the exact details of the damage, I'd refuse deliver and re-order.

If you get full details and find that there was structural damage, beyond just replacing the bumper, I'd refuse delivery and re-order.

If it is just a bumper replacement, I wouldn't worry about it, but I would look very carefully to make sure the color was exactly right before I paid for it. It is difficult to match metallic colors. Painting techniques can alter the look of the metalflake, and batches can very considerably.

 

Mystic Tuner hit it.
Small things can happen during transit.
That's why the VDC has a full paint and body shop.
If you're told it's a bumper scuff, that's probably what it was.

 

My car was transported (04/2008) to Vista BMW MINI dealership in Coconut Creek, FL. In unloading from the transporter the front bumper and rocker panel were damaged. The car was inspected and I agreed to have the car repaired as all the damage was cosmetic. The Dealer had offered to order a new car . The car came out perfect and the Dealer could not have been nicer. My experience with Vista MINI was very satisfactory and still is. Just my 2 cents.
My advice would be to see the car at the Dealer and then make up your mind.

 

I would take my deposit and go get a different car.

 

I had the same thing happen to me. For me though it was already a second order. I had ordered an early 07, which was one of the ones that had the MFSW mix up and the car didn't come with it. I reordered. On my second order the car sat at the VDC a long time. The dealer found out the problem. Bumper damage. He didn't get exact details, after some calling around he was told it was a small scrape that the VDC didn't notice, but the carrier did. The carrier refused to deliver it and sent it back to the VDC so he wouldn't get blamed for it. The VDC replaced the bumper and it was sent on. I had placed my original order in Nov 06, reordered, and my second order arrived 4/15, almost 6 months, so I didn't reorder and wait again. Richey at Mini of Nashville was great at finding out about the car. We both went over it with a fine tooth comb, and I accepted the car. I'm glad I did, its been great.

When you ship cars over the high seas, particularly the North Atlantic (I've looked at average wave heights for the North Atlantic as a function of month, not pretty) stuff like this will happen.

Your dealer should be able to get a story about the damage, and if its just a bumper replacement from a bump or scratch there is surely nothing else wrong with the car. But its your call.

 

glad ur car turn out great...

one question, if u look at the car at dealer, the damaged/repair would already be fixed and u wont be able ot tell if its structual damaged.

 

MINI is not going to sell a car that is structurally unsound. At 3% they will notify the dealer of the repairs. The car is repaired to factory specs, and there is no damage history that will show up anywhere. If the damage was a safety issue, MINI would not sell it. That's too much of a liability. But I understand it nagging on people's minds, and if it was more than a bumper scuff, I might be tempted to say order another one. Then again, I might just keep the one they brought me because I'm so impatient.

 

If its structural damage that will exceed the 3% total value limit and full disclosure will have to be given to the person purchasing the car. As a previous poster said - BMW has been dingged for this in the past and they are [supposedly] good about meeting requirements since that lawsuit.

If its just a bumper /bumper cover its no big deal - they can put one on and tag it with a VIN sticker. Chances are good that if they had not dragged their feet you'd never have known.

 

After many hours of trying to get someone to tell me something (mini corporate office never called me back - called them over 5 times today spoke to someone twice both of whom said they would call me right back and still have not called back). Called owner/GM of the dealer (3 times)they were always 'unavailable'.
Anyways supposidly (though not in writing yet) it was a hairline stress fracture crack and they are replacing the whole bumper. I am still thinking about what to do. Not happy at all with mini (I understand things get damaged, but at this point its the lack of communication etc.) BUT I want a car and I don't want to wait any longer. I've checked local inventory and nothing is close to what I want. . . so at this point I'm thinking I will just look at it real hard when it arrives?? It is pepper white too so not metallic paint.

Thanks for all of your helpful input!

 

I would not let all of our opinions sway your decision - you ultimately own the desicion of whether to accept the car or not. It does sound fair to allow them to show you the car before making your final decision. Remember, dings, dents and scratches can (and do) happen inside the factory too (and are repaired in a similar fashion). I know this because I have been to many auto plants in my career ranging from Ford to Porsche and have seen the off-line repair areas for everything from interior issues, to external scratches to completely missing options/components, non-running cars, dead batteries, supplier issues, etc. etc. etc.! Do you think that they disclose all of those issues? (yet we happily accept delivery of our new cars without knowing)

 

I would not put much worry about MINI Executives lack of communication.

What YOU need to know would not come from them anyway, you just need to give this auto an extra thorough inspection prior to acceptance.

Bring your own 'expert' if you feel the need, arrange for the dealer to put the car on a lift for you (or your expert).

Do not limit this exam to just the bumper in question, but look at everything.

Anything seen that you have doubt about, just refuse delivery. No way are they going to hold your deposit or penalize you on a re-order.

Very likely that MINI will give you something 'extra' just to assure a happy customer.