3 days old. First 2007 MC/Sports/Auto/Manual. Check engine popped up out of nowhere. Briefly - mpg indicator abberated showing 9 mpg->17 mpg -> 33 mpg-> 44 mpg -> 99.9 mpg (I wish!).

Dealer extremely curteous and effective (Indianapolis, IN). Said needs firmware upgrade - engine is working perfectly - just the firmware needs upgrading.

Loaner (2006 MINI) received in 20 min. ready to go in other five.

Yeah - upsetting that the new car is in service after only 250 miles - and the firmware is not tweaked already (I thought they use UK as beta-testers... - just kidding). Maybe the car runs Windows Vista?

However - to be honest - it was expected. The price of early adopters. The anger/frustration was offset though by the white glove service of the dealer (no affiliation and they gave me the car at MSRP...).

Waiting for the car to be fixed in the next few days (after the weekend). Will keep you updated.

Lesson learned - if you buy the car - buy it from a reliable dealer. The unexpected (and unpleasant) things that happen with our cars can be easily compensated by a decent service.

MMM

 

Let me try to understand what your saying.

Your car is three days old ... correct?

And your dealer sold to you WITHOUT doing this update?

What kind of service is that

 

My car is 3 days old. It worked fine for 3 days. It popped the engine check light after 250 miles.

Is it the dealer's fault? No. It is MINI's (or whatever). The dealer can do whatever they can to deal with the situation. Some of them do it better (like the one above) some of them worse (like my previous Toyota recall).

That is all. I wrote the message for 2 reasons:
- to mention that there might be a problem with the firmware that others might encounter;
- to make sure thay tiy buy your MINI from a reliable dealer.

Hope that clarifies. MMM

 

So how do you like the auto trans after 3 days?

 

There is the on the fly mode change to manual - when you just paddle up/down and it defaults to automatic, an dthere is the "permanent" one when you shift the speed stick toward the left and either paddle up/down or stick back/forth to change gears (and it does not default to automatic - it remains "fully manual").

The gear changes are smooth(er than the 2006).

I love the car. Zippy is the best term. True - most of the time in the city traffic I use automatic.

MMM

 

congrats on getting a r56, hope that the update is the only issue you encounter with that badboy.

James

 

That's the spirit...no guts, no glory!! I had an issue on my early '03 and, once sorted out, the car has been rock solid ever since. Hope they get you all patched up and you can be on your way.

 

Beta testing has its rewards! I got a free pair of MINI driving glasses back then and got to know my service dept like familia!

 

I expected recalls (or upgrades) but not soo soon. Eh - whatever...

But great car. Now - driving the 2006 - the central console seems... different. I understand the pros and cons - but I found the center console of the 2006 to be more... conventional (that is good and bad). Both cards have their ... individuality though.

On the other side - the loaner car is more "broken in" so everything is ... smoother (the pedals, the seats, the healight switches and so one). I think only time (and personal preference) will tell if one "is better" than other.

Will keep the forum updated about my firmware update (sorry for the pun).

MMM

 

What kind of loaner they gave you?

 

Same as mine. 2006 MC/Auto. No sports package though (but I don't care) basically a new(ish) car - 2500 miles. Nice car, clean, smooth.

MMM

 

Oh so you are tooling around in a CVT? Great! Whip it! Put that baby on Sport Mode (Flick the shifter to the right, which is opposite to the R56 shifter).

You can also use the steptronic.

Nice oppty for a comparo!

 

I actually thought the cvt was smoother getting going from a stop. I would have been tempted if I could have found one with the options I wanted.

But we all know that the R56 is far superior in style, looks and mechanics.

 

So your saying its not the dealer's fault selling you a brand new car that had the latests sw flash?:impatient

Then what, exactly, does the dealer do when the prep the car? And, how many other "new" cars have the sold to innocent people w/o checking to ensure everything was the latest? Sorry, IMHO, that sounds like lousy customer service (or lazy).

 

...there might have been a new issue - the car was "flashed" to whatever was available at that time. Hence they could not solve the problem on the spot (I assume that the flashing wouldn't take days to be done). So - they are waiting for the new flash or whatever.

Ultimately I care less - if the car will perform as needed on the long term. Again, as mentioned above. These things will happen again. This message was just a warning fro the early adopters that some of the cars - sometimes - might have problems. Not unexpected, though.

Pragmatically: do I move my a** in a car until my car will be fixed? Yeah, and not with too much hassle. Was this expected? Yep. Was this by any means desirable? Not at all. But life moves on.

Bottom line: like it or not - these things will happen. If they do happen to a concerning frequency - than I will be less positive about it.

For the early adopters - this is just a warning. I would still buy the car in a heartbeat.

Btw - for the poster above - I found a clear diffeerence that might seem minor - but makes all the world of difference: the distance between the brake and teh acceleration pedals is about 1/4-1/2 inch wider. For my large feet (4E shoe width) that means that I don't step accidentaly on the edge of the brake pedal when trying to accelerate.

MMM

 

Perhaps the dealership may not have received the latest firmware until after they delivered minimaxminini's car.

On the other hand, how exactly do you propose "innocent people" go about checking their vehicle has the latest firmware?

To answer your question regarding the dealership prepping the car: they remove all shipping materials [protective films and plastic from the interior] wash the car, and throw the keys at the salesperson to hand to the customer. Don't think for a second dealerships actually go down a checklist to ensure everything is in working order, that's the customers responsibility.

 

I didn't ask that. I asked And, how many other "new" cars have the sold to innocent people w/o checking to ensure everything was the latest? Meaning, has the dealership done this to other people ... a reasonable question.

Hmm, I don't deny that's probably what happened. I do know that before I bought the MINI, I looked up all the TSBs and specifically asked the MA if ALL the TSBs had been applied, and their were some, and that the car, a JCW, had the JCW flash and they didn't forget to do that (which I heard has happened to people). I was "assured" by the MA everything was up to date as I drove away.

Call that ****, I guess, but I look at it this way. How many times have you gone say McDonalds, ordered some food, and not got the correct order? I guess buying a $25K item, I would expect the car to come completely updated. As you said, if they hadn't received the flash and got it in the last 72 hours, thats different but then again ... couldnt have they at least called the OP and told him to come in (NM, I know the answer to that).

 

Chow, do you wake up angry?

 

Only on weekdays.

Weekends are much better on the prozac

 

FWIW, when the cars are delivered to the dealers, the VDC is already suppose to have checked the firmware they came off the ship with and then uploaded the most recent version if there has been an update while the car was in transit.

 

Thats good info

 

Bonus points for a sense of humor. ;-)

 

'

C'mon over to OT. It's much lighter in humour there. This technical stuff is, well technical and hard stuff

 

You can read about that and more from my tour of the VDC in 2004 here: Inside The Port Hueneme Vehicle Distribution Center

BTW, I'll be going back to the VDC later this year to update that post now that the R56 is here.

 

Wow, beautiful blue 6 series car there!

I thought the Z4 or Z4Ms were built in South Carolina?