Our dealer is suddenly coming up with "needed parts" that we already replaced and had them put in. Need to know a general idea how long these parts last:

This is a Mini S with 70K miles.

They want to replace the valve cover we just replaced two years ago because they said the PCV valve is faulty - same thing they said back them. Since they gave us a break the first time they don't want to warranty it.

They said the Timing chain needs replacing even though we replaced it and the tensioner 30K ago. ( oil NEVER low. I check it every three days)

They want to replace the air sensor which was replaced a couple years ago.

They want to de-carbon it which seems like they love to recommend every other year.

We only took it in for routine maintenance and a new windshield. We are freaked we cannot seem to get out of there without thousands of dollars every time.

What has been your experience with longevity of these parts?

 

Any parts the dealer replaced should have a 2 year warranty. Check the dates and details and hold them to it. Timing chain tensioner and valve cover designs were both updated from the original. Did they use the updated parts? Check realoem.com for part numbers to compare to your service records.

I'd sit down with the with the service manager, go through your old service receipts, and ask for an explanation. It could be that the service adviser is just looking at age and miles and throwing out a list of stuff to see what sticks. Don't forget that the service operation is where the dealer makes most of their profits.

Then for anything out of warranty I'd check with an independent Mini specialist.

 

They are claiming there's no warranty because they gave me a break on the valve cover. They tried to say I only had to pay half which I reminded them the cost of a new one meant I paid 75%. They still wouldn't budge.

We did sit down with them which lead to this thread I am deeply suspicious. They're doing a big build out and I'm worried they're getting all the customers to pay for it. Just a feeling because they keep claiming the same parts are failing over and over.

I would hope they used the updated parts. They claim they did. I'll check. They admitted a timing chain and tensioner should last much longer but -- oh well.

This is getting crazy which is why I'm wondering what others experience is with replacing these parts.

Thanks for your advice! Much appreciated.

 

Check part numbers and dates. Then have a conversation with Mini USA. Just because you got a price break on the valve cover doesn't mean it shouldn't be covered, along with anything else within the 2 year window. What does the service receipt say? What's in writing is what counts. No idea where you're located, but if there is another dealer nearby or an independent specialist a 2nd opinion would be a good idea.

What is their justification for saying these parts need to be replaced? Any codes? Abnormal oil consumption? Does the timing chain measure as stretched?

Valve cover and timing chain tensioner are easy DIYs. Timing chain is a lot more involved but there are several threads here about DIYs.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

I see you are in Portland, service manager always seemed fair as is the shop foreman. Some of the Service advisors are clueless and they will lead you down the wrong path if you let them.

Having said that, we have loads of indy shops in Portland that do MINI service, so my advice is to stop going to the dealer.

 

Service receipt shows its within 2 year window. We're in Portland, Oregon.

They always say it's abnormal oil consumption. Then they replace the parts and there's no change in oil consumption. When I mention it they just say Cooper S use a lot of oil.

I've restored dozens of classic Euro cars. I just wanted to stay away from the MINI being so compact and up to now they warrantied the work (ha, ha),

I'm confident I can replace the valve cover but I shouldn't since they want to replace it for the exact same reason they did it before. Now they want to claim it's other things leading to its early demise. It was a cyclical argument.

They claimed they did measure the chain and it was stretched 70 when 69 is the max. They kept trying to claim all these happen because owners allow the oil to get too low. When i told them I check the oil every 3 days they were shocked. My wife was there to verify I even taught her how to do it because she went on a trip. Still they held their ground then saying parts fail

 

Mini - I'm throwing in the towel I think with the dealer. Found out the service agent completely told me wrong info etc. We'll see what they come back with $$ wise.

Who can you recommend that is honest and will care for the car properly? When they said they heard a rattle when the car started I was surprised. These engines make noise naturally but I sure never heard valve chain noise.

They had a huge turnover in service people. Most quitting which makes me suspicious. Our favorite mechanic quit. I'm now wondering if they're really facing a lot of corporate pressure and its not like it was.

 

SkiBum - you are correct and backed up by MINI. I called them this morning and they said, "No matter what you paid, if it was out of pocket there is a full 2-year warranty on that part". She repeated it twice.

I'm losing confidence in this dealer. We'll see what they say to me today.

 

Sebastian at Autobahn Motorwerks is an honest guy to deal with. He was a BMW tech at Kuni. The shop is near Herzog VW Beaverton. Other people like DynaSport but they screwed up my last encounter with a Bmw so I avoid them.

 

Thanks. I did some research after speaking to MINI USA. I got a call from DynaSport and the guy seemed fine. We'll take the car to a couple places on your list to see who's the best for us starting with Autobahn Motorwerks. Have you ever heard of Botta? They're the closest and said they will work on MINI's but they list a lot of exotic cars.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

When I asked, jokingly about the lack of espresso at Autobahn Sebastian told me he could get a machine and then charge me MINI Portland prices. He runs a seriously no frills operation but has all the BMW diagnostic software. Botta looks pricey and probably doesn't see too many MINIs, just guessing. Matrix is close to me, so convenient but wow are they expensive.

 

Very funny!

 

not too long after I bought my first MINI in 2002 I had a discussion with general manager of the MINI/BMW dealership on a somewhat disconnected issue (first dealers were all associated with a standing BMW dealership.) He said:

I make NOTHING from selling cars, that's no profit for me (the dealership) we make our money in the service department ...

which might explain why every time I had to take my MINI in for something to them, they'd tell me I needed brake pads and rotors. Remember the 2002 did not have wear sensors. I took my car in for something just after the car was out of 'pre-paid maintenance' and they told me 'you need pads and rotors'. Hmmm, had they looked at their records and seen the pads had not been replaced under 'pre-paid'? 'Cuz they sure hadn't looked at the pads 'cuz I'd put on new EBC pads and rotors few weeks prior. Heard similar story from fellow 2002 owners as soon as they came out of 'pre-paid'. Made me second think the Dodge dealer who told me I needed front brakes on the Mrs Caravan every other year .... at a time B4 I knew how easy it was to check for myself .... I know now I probably bought at LEAST two sets unneeded

Not every dealer is a crook ... but too many do give them a bad rep' and it sounds like you got a bad one.

On the other hand there are just as bad 'independents' out there. I took my car to a 'trusted' independent for an a/c issue. Driving my other car during the day I saw MY car in the drive up window at McD's !!!!! Asked the mech' wt@ .... "test drive" ...... last $ he saw from me.

 

There is Madness Motor Works in Tigard, Oregon.

I haven't had work done there, but they have a lot of good reviews.

 

I had a 2007 with 70k miles on it that I traded in at Mini Scottsdale on my 2014 JCW Coupe. I never had any of that stuff done to my car. The only thing I had done was the front brakes at about 55k. And the HPFP under warranty. I pretty much quit the dealer after warranty. Car ran great. Burned a couple quarts of oil between changes in later years.

 

Yep, check out some indy shops and on most MINI parts is 2 years unlimited miles unless its special order and sometimes electrical coded things are shorter or non-returnable. On goodwill items i dont know. Guess it's up to a dealer by dealer basis. We do one year on all our stuff and then the manufactory warranty kicks in if it's longer.

Good luck and I hope you can get things resolved.

 

Firstly, thanks everyone for the valuable information.

I just came back from the most surreal experience at the Dealer. Before I explain:

We took the car from the dealer to an independent that we felt would be a good candidate.

This shop went down the list and nothing the dealer claimed was evident. In fact, parts they insisted needed replacing or removal for cleaning did not. Everything they checked passed fine. It's the valve cover that's the sole issue right now. I was more than a little surprised. I suspected the dealer might have inflated the bill, but to claim parts needed replacing when in fact were fine and looked new to the independent was troubling to say the least. I insisted they drive it because according to everything in the work order this car should barely be drivable. They said it drove great and just will use oil until the valve cover can be replaced (on massive backorder because MINI is redesigning it).

In reference to the second sentence. Immediately the new tech saw the clip that is supposed to be on the valve cover was missing. Plus they the dealer never reset the computer after doing an oil change. I was not happy and called the dealer and got the head service person. I explained and told him I wanted that part. He said he had no answer for me and no solution. I waited and called back because we were close and I would rather swing by than go home and do it.

Finally gave up and got a call from the service manager saying he had the part on his desk and only deal with him. I realized we forgot the garage opener in the rental and requested they grab that for me.

When I got to the dealer I was subjected to the most infantile, puerile, psychotic behavior I think I have ever experienced in a professional environment. He threw the part at me and yelled GET OUT!!!!

Excuse me? I told him I wanted a tech to put it on since I was there. He refused. Then I mentioned the scratches if he could just look at them and suggest anything. His answer? "NO!! I'm not going to do that!!!" GET OUT!!!" (We also caught this man boldly lying to us throughout the process)

I asked him to calm down and act professional. He just ramped up more and more to a point I literally thought he was going physically harm me. Then he closed his door and told me he was going to talk and I didn't need to listen but he wanted to talk. I adjusted in my seat allowing him to speak his mind. Then he begins to paint the most bizarre picture that I finally told him to stop. That is not what I said nor what happened. He just kept getting more and more agitated. Just painting a picture of being the victim of all my terrible accusations - which we not remotely true. Finally, I hoped he would calm down and said, please with these alternative facts are you wanting to work for Trump?

That lit his fuse even more and he yelled GET OUT GET OUT!!! I told him to calm down and if he didn't I would stop payment on the credit card. He fired back GO AHEAD AND WE’LL CHARGE YOU FOR THAT!!!!

I still have to have them replace the valve cover under warranty and still need to buy parts so this was not proper behavior. Especially to a customer that has been a loyal customer for 5 years. Then when I thought veins would pop out of his head he looked at me and said, "YOU WANT TO TALK TO THE MANAGER!!!!"

Why yes. Anyone who would be calm and rational and understand customer service. I went into the manager's office who politely asked the service manager to leave. Which I saw by the service managers body language he wanted to stay.

Then I calmed outlined everything. I did say that gentlemen should never be around the public and his acts of psychotic behavior were inexcusable for anyone in a customer service position. The manager listened calmly and quietly taking notes.

Wow. Never, ever been exposed to anything like that. All I did was ask questions to understand the nature of these repairs and if it even made sense knowing the value of the car and is this the beginning of never ending expenses. After all, the repairs amounted to 1/3 the cost of a new MINI or as I found out, $1K less than a brand new engine INSTALLED.

This dealership is not the same as the one we used for 5 years. We never questioned anything aside from not happy about the cost. We always did as they instructed.

How disheartening, but I guess its time to have the car in a independent shop care.