Do you happen to have an attorney friend or relative?

 

Yeah they should fess up about the codes it's thrown, and what that could mean. I think they tend to blow that s*#t off when they can't get the car to mess up. It has to mean something or it wouldn't happen. My suspicion is that the car will eventually go toes up and die on you somewhere soon.

 

I am stressed out just reading your posts. This is completely unacceptable. I would do everything in my power to give that car back. Quirkyness is okay but defectiveness is a different story. Take legal action.

 

Sorry for such a downer thread and I am glad that none of the other coupe owners are experiencing issues with their car. And again, thanks for everybody's input.

 

After reading this thread up to now, in all seriousness, what do you want from this situation?

If I was in your shoes, I would be asking for a "factory direct engineer" from MINIUSA or MINI Europe to be on site to review.
Second, I'd ask for a no-cost loaner as you've had more seat time out of your new $35K vehicle than it in.
Third, if you're able to recreate the CEL and problem in a 10-minute drive, there's NO reason why the dealer can't do the same; hold the dealer service staff accountable. Walk them through the details.
Fourth, asking for a completely new vehicle to 'start fresh' isn't that odd of a request.
Finally, communicate with both the dealer staff and MINIUSA; they are are on the same team and do coordinate together...

Honestly, sorry for your trouble; I would be discouraged too, however, you need to be objective in your desires and want, not emotional.
So when MINI asks what do you want from the situation, be upfront and direct on your requests.
They are doing the right thing in terms of customer service, they are wanting you feel that you're in control of the resolved choice.

- Erik

 

I am so sorry to hear of your continuing saga. I have to agree with everything Erik said. I would also get one of the techs to ride along with you for 10 miles or so. MINI and the dealership just need to step up to the plate and resolve this situation for you. I say either refund/buyback. If so, are you willing to accept another coupe??? Or will you give up on MINI totally?
Good luck, Tim!

 

Actually, I have told them several times what I expect and said that at this point a new build should be an option. I have told them repeatedly that I have no confidence in the way the car was built or in the service team that is working on it. I was basically told that they will continue the same routine "under warranty" even though the codes being give to them by the car do not point to anything broken. That is what is so frustrating. I am to the point that a new car should be built or a dealer buy back extended. That is what I have told them but evidently that is not an option they are giving me. They want me to continue to drop the car off at the shop "under warranty" until they figure out what is wrong no matter how many times or how long it takes. They figure "well, it is under warranty and that is what the warranty is for."

For the record, the way they are handling it does not make me feel enpowered, engaged, or in charge of the situation. They have actually ignored and brushed aside my concerns and how I would like this issue resolved. By stating "it is just the CEL" "It isn't in limp mode, just drive it and see if it goes away" "just bring it into the shop for the next week and we'll try it again" and "I will be sure to document that", tells me that they don't want to do the right thing and build a new car or do a dealer buy back. Hard to detatch emotions from the situation when you are the one in that situation.

 

@JenK,
I am going to start pushing for the Buyback option. If that happens, I will have to really consider if I want to stay with the Mini brand. I love the cars, love the look and love the handling, and the community. The loaner I have is a BMW 328. It is a beautiful car but I am just meh about it. No connection to it. But I guess it depends on what Miniusa is willing to do (at this point, I am not expecting much cooperation from them unless I threaten them with litagation.)

On a side note, looks like the name Jack S was a bit of fore shadowing. It has certainly been the nightmare before christmas.....

 

So, exactly what do you expect or want?
I've only seen you ask for a result, not how to get there.

Are you seeing a copy of these results (other than the glove-box event)?
Are they walking through them with you to explain the cause & effect?
If not, that's your first move with the service manager.

A CEL doesn't just randomly appear and then go away without a digital footprint.
The codes they pull are easily traceable to defective component, or software limits.
I would agree they aren't doing the correct thing; as a fact checker, is there a local independent MINI performance shop in your area?
You could easily swing by, grab a quick scan and compare results with the dealer.

Is that what you told them, or are you assuming they haven't offered such?

From the company's view, I can agree why that's the case.
Your real-world use is MUCH more valuable to diagnosis than in a control environment.
I would agree having the loaner is great, but I know first hand the gas / time lost to have it worked out isn't the highlight.
Now I'm getting a different answer and tone from you than eariler.
If they aren't truly listening for your honest and fair requests, then its time to head up the corporate food-chain once again.
Believe me, you get high enough and someone will care and make a world's difference for you... I've done it myself as well.

I've been in plenty of hard-nose situations where emotions can easily run rampaged.
However, taking the objectionable route get things done quicker and more efficient.
Yes, I have no doubt that you're bummed, felt taken advanged of, and seem insignificant but you need to keep pressing on.
When it pulls through (and its a matter of when, not if) you'll be content and learn a few things about yourself and how to manage.

We're here for you in terms of listening to your rant, but the ball is in your court and you have the single most control on the outcome.

- Erik

 

New update from the Service department at my Mini dealer. The technician just called and said that they have sent the information to a Mini Engineer at HQ to look into the issue and decide on the next step. So at least the experts are going to look into the issue with my car. I kind of figured that the local service department wasn't going to figure it out because the diagnostics and specs on the car have been inconclusive. Guess we will see what the engineers can come up with.

 

That is a good step. Hopefully they will get it figured out. It could be something as simple as a bad solder joint or a bad ground but they can be real buggers to track down. You just never know. I hope they solve it for you quickly now.

 

I am annoyed and I am just a reader. I wish you the best of luck and hope this gets in the hands of someone with some sense, hopefully that will stem from the engineer taking a look at the problems you are having. I am an engineer (though a very different kind), and my biggest fear is failure (as is the case with most of us). I imagine he/she will want to get this figured out and fixed more than anyone you have spoken with so far. Though it is difficult to keep emotions out of it, especially with us fueling the fire, you will be better off doing so because people tend to shut down around anger even if it is justified. Hang in there and thanks for posting.

 

You probably have a bigger issue but did you check the gas cap for tightness? When I bought my car I was 3 blocks from the dealership when the check engine light came on. Luckily I had read about it here, checked my gas cap and sure enough it was loose. I tightened and it went away...

 

It wouldn't be the first time the dealer had rank amateurs employed, it probably is some simple sensor issue that a factory engineer could pinpoint in a few minutes.

Tcassa: Bottom line is you are very empowered, the lemon law gives you the advantage as soon as you meet the qualifications. You really don't need a lawyer once this can be confirmed. How many times have you taken the car in to be fixed?

From what I can tell here your qualifications are building as follows:




For your vehicle to qualify as a "lemon" under the Lemon Law, the following criteria must apply:

• The vehicle must have been purchased in the state of Utah; Check
• The vehicle must be new and under warranty; Check
• The vehicle must weigh less than 12,000 pounds; Check
• The defect must "substantially impair the use, market value or safety of the vehicle"; Check- realistically you can't sell a car with a CEL
• The vehicle must have been to the manufacturer to have the same defect resolved at least four times OR out of service to the consumer a total of 30 days DURING the first year or the warranty period, whichever is less (if your problems occur AFTER this time period, you do NOT qualify for the Utah Lemon Law); How Many times so far or 30 days ????
• The defect cannot be the result of abuse, neglect or unauthorized modifications of the vehicle; Check AND
• The consumer must go through any informal dispute settlement or arbitration procedure the manufacturer may have established - such as the Better Business Bureau's AutoLine.

Ask someone at the dealer in the business dept to contact Mini and detail for you what the dispute settlement procedure is.

Unless they are totally asleep at the dealer they will know that they are getting very close to being forced to buy back the car and they must hurry and fix it.
If they don't you should be legally entitled to start over as if you never bought the car, except for a small mileage deduction.

 

@MaxGSeeker,
This is the forth time the CEL has come on inside 4 weeks of ownership. I think that the dealership is starting to get the hint that their time is running out (hence the step of sending the car's date to the Mini Engineers.) If they hold onto the car for the week they said they were, then we will be at 17 days. So based off of occurances, it does qualify. The only question at this point concerning LL is "The defect must "substantially impair the use, market value or safety of the vehicle";

 

You don't know that the diagnostic have been inconclusive, just that your SLC service dept can't figure out the problem. Asking for another opinion is a good move. And as I think I said earlier, they for sure know that they're starting to bump up against the Lemon Law criteria. They made that law for a reason, I'v sure they have insurance or they have support from Mini if they sell a lemon. Lemons do exist.

 

@BigNewt,
Actually, they have said they aren't finding anything in the diagnostics. They compared all the specs on my coupe to a demo model and everything matches up. They are seeing the fault codes concerning misfires on multiple cylinders, but they cannot find anything that is out of spec (or normal operating parameters.) But yeah, right now I am just in wait mode while they try to figure things out. Not much I can do until I hear from Mini next week. I do want to thank everybody for their input and support. Happy motoring.

 

Been following this thread off & on, and am consistently amazed to come back & not find your issues resolved. Glad to see that MINI USA is finally involved in the troubleshooting process and not just in customer service.

After all of the failed diagnostics, I am wondering if there's just a bad sensor they haven't located, or if your ECU might be flaking out.

I'd be livid in your position, but looking at this from the outside, I can be more objective. I'd give MINI USA's engineers a crack at it. (Maybe 2 cracks, just to be thorough.) If they cannot determine the fault, then I would ask for a freshly built Coupé to identical specs, etc. Tell them to use yours as a case study & write it off at the corporate level. If they refuse, then I'd get a lawyer involved. Naturally, you should be driving free loaners during the entire process, save for when you are in your own Coupé.

Much of the Coupé is entirely new, such as the spoiler, boot, glass, roof. And issues in those areas, especially the rattles & squeaks many have found, are to be expected on a first year build. But from the cowl forward, the Coupé is nearly identical to any R56, and the N18 engine should be out of "beta testing" by now so your issues simply should not exist, and they should not baffle an experienced, trained troubleshooter.

 

Passed my one month anniversary on Saturday..... the milestone passed with no coupe in the garage. Got a call from the dealership on Friday night. They said that the Mini engineers are telling them to replace the O2 sensor. Sure, why not. Seems like a reasonable place to try. I am not going to hold my breathe. Best I can do is cross my fingers and see. I guess if the O2 sensor is not sending data to the ECU telling it to adjust the fuel mixture then it could be the cause of the CEL and misfirings on multiple cylinders. Of course, I am no mechanic so how could I know. My question is, what possible damage has been done to the engine if it has been misfiring and/or running bad fuel mixtures? Any thoughts on that from the more experienced mechanics?

 

Tell Mini USA to make your car payment for you and have them roadtest the car to verify that it is fixed. Tell them you know that the car must complete certain drive cycles to make sure, and that if you pick up the car and the light comes on again on your way home, you want a new Coupe because the technicians and engineers are incompetent. I say this, because they should be roadtesting this vehicle enough for the tests to run and flag the problem while the car is still in their hands, not yours.

 

Ask for the 6 year / 100,000 mile warranty for free to take care of future issues.

 

I know of a person who had their lease payment paid because their 1 month old car was in the shop and the part took forever to get there and replace (tranny). Options are available, time to keep exploring them.

 

I'm not a trained mechanic, but I'm not completely in the dark, either. My guess is that if the car never entered limp mode, there shouldn't be any damage. It's entirely possible that an O2 sensor with an intermittent failure/short/etc. could briefly fail to provide a signal to the ECU, causing the CEL to come on and/or cause the fuel mixture to go foul enough to cause a minor misfire & accompanying CEL.

Fingers crossed for this to correct the issue once & for all. I agree that you ought to at LEAST get a car payment made on your behalf by MINI USA, or maybe get that extended warranty for your trouble & future peace of mind.

 

I've been following your thread and I feel for you. I can't believe this has not been resolved yet. Hang in there. I hope this gets resolved to your satisfaction in the very near future.

 

Might get some extra deposits here and there but only after driving a lot of miles like that, you haven't driven that much with the current condition so it should be ok. Good luck!