First MINI spent four months in the shop including six weeks on the last trip. Dealer installed DPSM was shorting out. The second owner has the same problem. The dealer is refusing to work on the car under warranty, sent the new owner all my service records. Which show the warranty is still valid, DPSM was installed before I took retail delivery. Plus anytime a part is replaced that part has a two year, 24k warranty. New MINI has gone dead twice, would not recognize key fob. Happened once on a Tar Heel MINI Motoring Club run, so I had witnesses, dealer can't replicate my concern, same thing with the diesel sound when the car is cold and wet, can't replicate my concern.

 

I'm sure a well informed customer gets superior service, Thanks NAM and all the helpful members.

On the Lemon decorated MINI idea, very last resort to force a buy-back perhaps.
I would also hire an Armed Guard in a Chicken Suit to watch over it.

For the diesel sound, record it and send a copy to MINI-USA if necessary.

One possible work-around if Key/Fob is not recognized would be to hold the Start Button down for ten seconds.

 

Update.

I finally talked to the customer support manager. She's pretty nice, heard all my complaints, agreed that something was wrong and promised to call me today at 12.00 PM with a solution to my problem. I asked for two things: one, either they can assure me I won't be back to the dealership until my first scheduled service, or 2) they buy back the car from me and I buy something else from them. Which seems pretty fair to me.

I never received the call (why is it that I'm not surprised?)

So, my plan for tomorrow is - I'll call the manager, politely remind her that she didn't return my call, and tell her something like this.

"Look, I love my car, and you are a terrific customer support manager. I know you can help me with this. I'd like it if - no, I'd really like it if you could solve my problem. I can't have an unreliable car. It's my primary mode of transportation. I need a car to get to work. I have a baby - I can't risk taking him in a vehicle that may leave me stranded. I know you are here to help me, so I need your help NOW. I want the dealership to buy my car back. I have the documentation that proves this is a known defect in my car. I know MINI engines are prone to carbon build-up. I know the water pump issue I had is pretty common. There's just no reason for you not to fix my car in one or two days if it doesn't have any serious problems. I'll pay for depreciation. I'll pay for the difference. I'll take the financial hit if you are willing to give me a fair price".

When she gives me the usual line about they fixing the car and making me happy, I'll tell her...

"Look, you are a great person and I thank you for all your help, but if I don't get a positive answer to my offer, I'm taking this issue to my lawyer and I'll have to see you in court. Even if I don't win, the complaint will stay logged against you, so this will be a major pain for both you and me. I know you are on my side - please help me solve this issue so that we both can win. I buy a more expensive car from you again and you make a customer happy. What about it?"

And if she declines my offer, I'm filing a complaint in our local customer protection bureau tomorrow.

 

I must say, MINI handled my problem incredibly well. I didn't see this one coming.

I visited my dealer today and before I could start negotiating with them, my SA told me "hey, your car is perfect! we couldn't find any problems. You can take it with you now!"

I was like "uhm... I wasn't prepared for this".

So I asked them about the cold chatter. "I don't know what you are talking about". I gave them the BMW PuMA case number for the issue. "Never heard of it - we've never had a single car with any similar problems". Then they told me "Your car is perfect - just don't park it on a slope". The customer relationship person was all smiles: "See? Told you we'd make it allright!"

I was just about to start arguing when my father (who gave me a ride to the dealer) took me aside and told me I just wouldn't win - to send them whatever documentation I had and pick my car up on Saturday. He thinks I should drive the hell out of it until I really damage it, and THEN get it back to the dealer. If they complain that I should have noticed the noise, well, I can prove I at least warned them about it.

The Mazda dealer just offered me $500 more for my Mini. But I can't afford to lose so much money right now.

Damn. Those Mini guys are GOOD.

 

"Just don't park it on a slope"...? WTF????

That's unacceptable. Seriously. It's a car. You should be able to park it without worrying about it falling to pieces (or sounding like it is). Ugh. I really hope a better resolution gets presented.

 

I think your father is smart, just drive it. If it has an issue that's going to cause a catastrophic failure, it won't take that long for it to happen. And the car has not left you stranded, has it?

So just go use it, if it fails, they will fix it then....

 

Yep, I've already made up my mind. I'm going to get my car tomorrow. I'm telling them that I really can't afford not to drive my car anymore - it has been at the dealer for one month out of 4 I've owned it, and that if indeed there's nothing wrong with my car then everything will be fine.

From what I understand, cold start chatter can really end up damaging an engine, but I won't care anymore. Catastrophic failure? "Oh, geez, BMW. I brought you my car to report the issue, but you said everything was fine". I'll sell my car before the warranty expires. I'll drive it like a bat out of hell in the meantime.

Life's too short to babysit a stupidly designed car. Better to beat the living cr*p out of it while it lasts.

 

I know the reason behind you NOT naming the Dealership, but for the sake of other MINI owners I wish you would. I'm with Wandrur on this one, the Dealership is just telling "your car's perfect!!" because they want to get rid of you!!

You gave them the TSB # and they basically threw it back at you like you didn't know what you were talking about??!!

If I were you I'd leave them my car for as long as it took to get things FIXED right!!

Let them leave it parked on a slope and then we'll see what happens..."oh, I hear a Diesel Enging...clang, bang, click, clanch!!"...HMmmm...FUNNY the owner never described anything like that to US before!!

I'd go back to square one, contact your peson whom you mentioned in Post #273 and then see what happens!!

 

So I guess you're going to stoop to their level and sell your lemon to an innocent bystander. Sorry for your troubles, but not very cool.

V

 

I'll drop the lemon on a dealer, so they can thorughly check it out before they buy it. I'll sell it under warranty, so anything that is wrong can be fixed with it.

Besides, I fully expect the timing chain to blow out in less than two years, so the car will be "fixed" (if BMW has found a fix for it, that is) when I sell it. You are right - I shouldn't sell a lemon, but then again, if this was true, then I shudder to think what I should do with it - keep it until I can't pay for repairs...? Because, unless it blows up, Mini isn't fixing it. That's something that's pretty clear to me. What an interesting moral dilemma.

On the other hand, cold start chatter is so common, I'd think every Mini has it - it's just that most persons may not notice it. It seems that most people don't park on slopes, or simply think the noise is normal.

Maybe I should rip her to 6,200 RPMs the second I hear the cold start chatter in order to induce failure, and then have it fixed by BMW when something really breaks down. At this point all I know is - I must stop worrying and drive my car and let BMW take the hit when it's time to, or else I'm wasting my time and money stupidly.

By the way - the dealership is BMW Imagen de México, which owns 2 out of 3 of the dealers out here (Pedregal and Insurgentes). DON'T GO NEAR THEM!

 

Well, my blue baby is back.

It's such a strange feeling. On one hand, I cannot think of any car I've enjoyed driving more than this one. On the other, my dealer is making sure I never buy a BMW again.

The dealer washed my car and gave it back to me. No extra miles. No nothing. They just started it everyday, didn't notice the clatter, shut it down, and let another day go by. Picked it up. All they told me was "Just make sure NOT to park it nose down, and you won't have any problems".

Well, OK.

And, I'll be completely honest about this: I parked the car nose up, and I *swear* the engine sounded 1000X better than when I park it nose down.

At least I have a car now Let's see how things go.

 

The dealer, like any capitalist, isn't putting their heart behind anything; only their wallets. They will decide which option is more costly to them. Raise enough stink, and the hit to their reputation will get expensive.

 

Well, keep us posted on the nose-up issue... that is strange, and maybe it's just superstitious me, but I might keep that in mind from now on!

33,000 trouble-free miles here, but I've yet to leave it parked nose-down overnight. I wish the best of luck for you!!

 

I belong to another car club--those who own the various Porsche 356 models (we have a '64 SC Sunroof Coupe, which was pretty rare, even in the day). There have been cases when people have parked nose up or nose down (I forget which), and have had a hydrolock situation, with bent rods and the whole sheebang. These engines, of course, are air cooled, so it's strictly an oil problem--here's a brief explanation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrolock

So, I suppose it IS possible that this is a factor; on the other hand, there are plenty of folks who report it who HAVEN'T been told that they're parking it wrong. For that matter, my own car is parked on a slope, albeit a little one. And I suspect there are a bunch of people out on the Great Plains who have the problem, but not the mountain.

As for the comment that "On the other hand, cold start chatter is so common, I'd think every Mini has it - it's just that most persons may not notice it. It seems that most people don't park on slopes, or simply think the noise is normal.", no I don't agree with this. In nearly 3 years, and 47,000+ miles, I can truly say I've only heard it one time. This was in MINIs in The Mountains this past August. I don't recall the particulars of where we'd parked, but it was over in about 4 or 5 seconds. Hubby didn't even notice it, but I'd read about it. And it made the sound only once on that 3 week trip, at various ALTitudes, various ATTitudes, and definitely various temperatures ranging from BRRR--get the heat going---to WHEW, get the air on!

My best suggestion is to carefully search through the NAM threads--by now there are tons about this and any other problems we've ever had!

 

The OP lives in Mexico.