Hello all, after some of the talk on the board about service nightmares, I have a question not only about what to expect but about where to take my beloved "windy"...I have 700 more miles until Windy's first "dr. appt" and would like advice on whether the stl mini dealership is best or should i take her to kansas city...they are pretty much equi-distant from me in columbia...secondly, what will they do and how long do they usually take? do I need a hotel room? Thanks everyone for your responses in advance and Happy Holidays!!!

windrider
bryan and windy...

 

I have had nothing but great service from MINI of St. Louis. I think you just hear more about a service visit gone bad than you do one that went well. I can't speak for others, but I've had mine in probably four or five times for things and have always been treated well, gotten my car back when promised, and had great service. Well, there was one time where they had to keep Felix overnight because they simply didn't get to it yet -- but the Z4 loaner car more than made up for that.

 

That's really great news...anyone have an idea of what i should expect them to change besides the oil and top off the fluids? thank you so much!!! this does make me feel a bit better...

bryan

 

Byran, be sure to get them to change the wiper blades, just tell them that they are streaking, they are covered. I have had nothing but great service at MINI of Saint Louis. Be sure to make an appointment, they will treat you right, and your car too.

 

Bryan,

I had my 03 MCS serviced in ST Louis this past summer and was treated great. It is a 2 hours drive to the dealership so I just waited, but my service call took about 4 hours, but that was because I had a list of things I wanted them to check besides just changing the oil. My engine light was on, so they had to replace a sensor in the back wheel, my overflow tank was leaking and they did a recall that showed up and they upgraded my computer. and they automatically changed my wiper blades (all three) w/o me asking. I would suggest telling them if you have any problems with the car at the time you make your appt as I think they schedule them as to what needs to be done.
Hope this helps.

Let's Motor
Linda

 

Although I am highly disappointed that they no longer support our Club, I have always had good luck with the service department.

 

Thank you all so much for your honest replies...this really makes us feel much better...happy holidays from:

Bryan
Tammy
Windy

 

I agree, I just had my first service last week and had NO PROBLEMS. I was a little worried because of posts I'd seen that were complaints, and really wish that if people are going to complain that they give specifics instead of "really crappy service" or other vague comments.

I called two weeks ahead and made the appt, the only issue was early morning dropoff took a little long because lots of people were dropping at the same time. Got a Mini loaner (automatic, sigh) and off I went.

They did the fluids, oil change, regular service stuff, two recall items, checked the skipping CD player, fixed the loose door handle trim on the passenger door, and worked on the computer (for some reason the average speed changed to 8.6mph and stayed there....)

They called shortly after lunch and said they didn't think they'd have it done by the end of the day, but wanted to let me know so I could plan. I thought that was nice. The next day when I went to pick up after work, I had a whole BOOTFUL of stuff in the loaner (which luckily in a Mini is not that much) and being as I am quite pregnant, they pulled my Mini in and helped transfer the stuff.

I think when they did the computer they might have flashed in an upgrade to the software or something, because it seems to have much smoother acceleration and perhaps slightly a little more low-end torque. (Although my husband thinks I'm hallucinating, and doesn't think it's any zippier than before.)

Anyway, no complaints here!

 

I also went in for my first service last week. Along with the oil change and wiper blade changes, they did the software 'upgrade' in connection with the emission recall. The whole thing took ~2 hours. I waited for my car in the shop lounge and could actually watch them working on the car from where I was sitting :smile: Everything went fine.

By the way, fter my first tank of gas since the software change, my mileage was 26 mpg. Prior to that, I was consistently getting 28 mpg. I'll have to wait for a few more tanks of gas before I can say whether there has been a real drop in gas mileage though. Anyone else notice this?

 

the last couple of posts were really informative...only 500 more miles...I hope they give me a mini loaner otherwise i'll have to bring a bunch of homework to do in the lounge...too bad they don't have wireless access...I could stay there all day then! In any case, thank you all again.

bryan and windy

 

My only word of warning is they are _VERY_ mod unfriendly. My first two visits there were very pleasent and they did a great job.

 

Bryan,
Let me know when you are going to be at the dealership and I could probally come by and pick you if you wanted to anywhere.
Larry

 

I also had some weird stuff after the emissions recall thing was done.... my gas gauge read less than 1/8 tank, but when I fueled up it only took 6 gallons. Usually at that point it takes 10 or so..... I'm still on the first "full" tank since they worked on it, so I'll keep you posted. I'm watching the mileage to see how it plays out.... don't want to run out of gas!

 

I have noticed my fuel economy is a little lower than usual after the update. However, I have been a little *cough* "heavy-footed" here recently...

Probably dropped a couple of miles per gallon -- according to the computer. And we all know how accurate THAT is!

We'll keep an eye on it.

 

I have an appointment on the 28th to take my Chili Red Baby in for service,factory emissions recall, and to get a runflat repaired. This will be his fourth oil change, but the first time at the dealer. I'll let you know how they do.
P.S. Bryan you don't need a room or a car, anytime your in town just call. I have a extra one of both.
Larry

 

hey larry, whoa, that is really cool of you...I'll let you know when I'll be in town...how many miles you have on the beast? As for service, can I expect them to change the air filter too? I know it's only like a $10 dollar part but just curious...I also read something about their being a software update to the nav system...anyone know anything else about that?...for those with the Nav system...are the consumption readouts (both 1 and 2) and the average mph supposed to stop calculating after a period of time? Just curious if this is something that I should have the dealer look at...on mine, after like 10 miles or so, they all just stick wherever they are and i have to hit the "recalculate" button to get them to start moving again...Ok, thanks again everyone...your comments have really been informative...

bryan and windy

 

Bryan,

I would save your money on the air filter and put it toward a K&N panel filter. It is a straight replacement for the factory one and lets your Mini breath better (40% more air intake). You can buy them online at most vendors, I got mine at ProMini. It cost $43, but they last 50,000 miles before you have to clean them. Yes they are reusable, after cleaning.

http://www.promini.com/product-exec/...category_id/28

kindest regards,

 

I think what you meant to say is that the filter lasts 50,000 miles, and is resuable after cleaning. I have a Green filters drop-in replacement, which I clean every 5k and will toss at 50k. They come with cleaning fluid and oil and are easy to clean;well worth the $

Aaron

 

Yes Aaron, in my exuberance to describe the filter, I stepped all over my tongue. The laugh is on me.

 

OK, in my post earlier, I also thought I had dropped in fuel economy after the software 'upgrade'. But then maybe not. The plot below shows that maybe it is just a trough in the ups and downs of my fuel consumption!