Hey all, does anyone have any experience on the mod-friendly nature of Bob Smith in Calabasas? I am contemplating a 15% reduction pulley, CAI, etc. but wanted to see if they are going to put the screws to me on any future warranty work.

 

I had my Mini there recently for a broken belt. At first they tried to charge me because I have an "aftermarket" pulley, but after I raised hell they did the work under warranty.

 

Who is your SA?

 

My SA WAS Marissa.
I will get someone else IF I go there for warranty or service again.

 

I do not know who Marissa is. The only SA there now is Marny. She knows her stuff and I would venture to say that Bob Smith is a cautionary mod friendly dealer. Let them know up front that you are knowledgable and they will treat you accordingly.

Truly, they are relatively new to the MINI culture. I do not think they were well prepared for the type of customer a MINI buyer is when they opened a year + after everybody else. Ann Desmond is the new manager of the MINI side over there and she gets it. Ann is trying hard to acclimate the rest of the Smith family to the true MINI world.

 

yeah marny is the service rep there and she knows her stuff, i went there for a bad motor mount AND for a BRAND new tnasmission for my 06 and they did not say anything when they saw my GRS intercooler, my 2% crank pulley, just like the post prior, let them know up front, they are cool there if you let them know, marrisa but i DID know jaime, she is no longer there, but go with marny shes cool, oh and by the way hi to everyone i am new here as well, thanks.

 

bluegarvis,what is that the staff weren't prepared for when it come to dealing with MINI customers? That's an interesting comment. Inquiring minds would like to know.

 

Nothing sinister here, just that Smith was late to the MINI world. They were supposed to open when everyone else did but their new facility wasn't ready until late 2003. Therefore, all the learning curves other dealers went through from early 2002 through late 2003 had to be learned here as well.

While Universal, Assel, South Bay, Long Beach, Nick Alexander, and the others were learning how to service the cars, what the clientele was like, how to get the customer involved MINI-like, Smith was building a new facility, worrying about hiring enough techs for their BMW business alone not to mention MINI. Customizing the experience for the MINI buyer was someting they chose to put in a secondary roll. Now that the other side of their business (BMW) is (finally) running relatively smoothly, they have, over the past 6 months, begun to cultivate their MINI business.

An example; they are having an event on November 12th to raise funds for the LA Mission. This is the VERY first event they have under taken. They are marketing this event to the folks that bought MINI's from them. There will be a meet and greet at the dealership and then they will have a rally driving through some of the best back-roads in So. Cal, the Malibu mountains. There is a requested donation of $26.00 per person but feel free to do what you can. All those attending will get a MINI hearts motoring badge plus there will be some other goodies. They specifically do not want to fall flat on this event as it will be the frst of hopefully many to come.

Let's cut these guys (and gals) some slack as they get caught up with the rest of the MINI world. They are good people.

 

^thanks for the insights, very helpful to know. I'm sure they're going to do great as they learn the MINI world. It sounds like a good event to start off with a fundraiser for the LA Mission. Too bad it's just for "in-house" customers that bought from them.

 

That may change in the next week or so... Keep an eye out for an announcement...