Ok so i have not had my car for a few days...all because there is something wrong with my clutch and my lower control arms on my R53 MCS....so today i get very pissed and wonder what in the world is taking so long with the dealer to call me and tell me if my warranty will cover my problems so i call the dealer and i talk to the guy he said he called the warranty company and he is waiting for them to call back......so i say ok fine its not his fault so i called my warranty company (took me less than 5 mins to get in contact with them) and wonder what is taking so long so they tell me the dealership never called and left any messages so i call back and tell him what they said (dealer lied) so then he calls right then and there and calls me back in 15mins and (wow he got a hold of them)....

he tells me they said they cant cover any of my problems cause its something i did to the car which im like what the hell i have only owned the car for like a month now and i only drive on freeways(405 and 110..need i say more?) and i havent even got to redline my car yet...i have been driving it normal so im like what the hell so i call and see how much its gonna cost me the dealer tells me its gonna cost close to 3000 for the whole thing...im thinking like what in the world i might as well had put down $3000 + the $2000 i put down for the one i have now on a brand new one in that case....


so yea today is turning into a nightmare

 

I don't understand why they won't warranty everything. You are still under warranty correct? If so, I'd stay in contact with both the company and dealer, to persuade them.

 

It sounds like a 3rd party warranty. Sounds typical for those, they are usually a bad idea. I hope that things work out.

 

I'm guessing that you didn't buy the car new since it's an R53 *and* you've only had it for a month or so.

I have a feeling that the dealership is going to say that any existing mods caused the problem...however, on the flipside, they can't prove that there was a problem PRIOR to selling the car to you.

Sorry to hear about the aggravation...good luck!

 

1. Are you at a Mini dealer?

2. Who is the 3rd party warranty with?

3. Who did you buy it from? The place you bought the car from? If so, have you called them to let them know the quality of the warranty they sold you?

4. What are they saying was done to the car that would void the warranty?

5. Have you called the warranty company after talking to the dealership so you can determine who is pulling who's leg?

 

you are giving us too little background infos so I can't advice you what to do accordingly but yeah, warranty is a PITA and can turn your regular happy day into a nightmare.

Every single person who works at dealers, or at least 99% of them are lazy and just don't give a flying f- about your car.

I had a single trip to the dealer so far, and within a day, they managed to ding my door and steal $120 for inspection when they did nothing but opened the hood up.

 

Check your invoice: it was probably $20 for the inspection and $100 for the door ding you-ification

 

ok i got the car at honda miller culver city used....and i took the car in to crevier bmw in santa ana and the bmw place is the one who told me everything that was wrong with the car....and the warranty place is a 3rd party company...honda is saying i did the problems to the car and the warranty company is the biggest waist of money ever they dont cover anything (fyi i havent even payed my second month of my car note yet and i already need to fix close to $4000 worth of problems on the car

 

i need:

1. clutch kit(didnt make noise till 2 weeks after having it)
2. tires(they sold me bald tires)
3. bent control arms(found out 2 weeks after having the car)
4. new front windsheild (what i orginally went to bmw for and they said they couldnt do anything about it cause the window was aftermarket that honda put on)

 

If you purchased this car used from a dealer (instead of an individual) have you spoken with a manager there about working with you on this? I'm assuming the car was sold "As-Is".

To be fair, unless they swapped the tires that's something you probably should have noticed and factored into the sale.

How did you find out your control arms were bent? Alignment issues?

If the windshield cracked after you bought the car, your insurance may have glass replacement coverage that may help you out. Often the deductible for windshields is much less then your normal collision deductible.

 

i didnt really mind about the tires because i didnt like the runflats on there anyways so i just figured i would just go get some better tires anyways(not thinking i was gonna have a world of problems with in a 2 weeks period)...i didnt know the control arm was bent till the bmw people told me cause i asked them to do a full inspection for me....the window wasnt cracked they just didnt seal it right and it wasnt the right size window but they resealed it and broke the chrome strip around the window in the process so its just flapping there and they tried to seal that 2 so i wouldnt find out(they broke the clips) till it just flapped out once wind hit it on the freeway

 

There's no way the dealer is going to cover your clutch under warranty. Sounds like this is a used car, even if it was a brand new car, the dealer would NEVER cover a clutch under warranty.

3k sounds about typical for a dealership quote on a clutch. Give Danny at MINI Corsa a call, I forget his price, but I know it's a LOT more reasonable than that (1/3 the cost).

 

He said it's making noise...........maybe it's just the ususal chewbaca sound? If so, unless it's doing it all the time, maybe you don't need a clutch. Sounds to me like the lower control arms and an alignment + some new tires are going to be your responsiblility. If the Honda dealer put in a new windshield and it's not done right, they should make it right, not MINI...

 

im not trying to get mini to do anything cause none of it is there fault...but the lower control arm was bent before i got the car so i shouldnt have to fix that...and im not asking for the dealership to give me new tires as a matter of a fact im not complaining to them about that i just want my clutch and my lower control arm fixed by honda.....

and i did history on the car cause im like why is this car messing up it turns out they bought it at an auction in oregon....but the dealer told me a couple owned it and brought it in cause they was having kids

 

Are the tires worn abnormally? Any other indication of bent control arms?

What kind of noise is the clutch making?

As was said earlier, go see Corsa - the dealer will NEVER charge a low price for maintenance.

 

Is this the first car you've ever purchased? Dealers are NOTORIOUS for saying *stuff* to make a sale...

 

Maybe the control arms were bent as a result of the car floating on top of another car/building/structure/tree. (Sounds like a possible Katrina car. Those cars were sent everywhere.)

 

obviously you didnt really do your homework when buying this vehicle. YOU purchased it with bald tires. how hard is it to look and say " yep no tread on those". also you didnt notice bent control arms on a test drive? NOTE: if the vehicle pulls real hard and clunks over bumps it may have a problem in the suspension. ( for future reference of course. ) for the windshield you probably broke it or didnt look to see if it said "mini" on it. again your fault. as far as the clutch being bad and flywheel glazed...well usually someone who cant drive a stick smokes the clutch in 10-15 thousand miles, and flywheels dont come glazed from the factory. its called friction and this thing other mini owners refer to as "heat". when you see smoke billowing out the side of your car and smell a strange smell that resembles garbage, that means your currently in the process of cooking the clutch. all in all you fail and should be complaining about buying a vehicle you didnt really look at. but good luck and all that jazz.

 

very good points and i admit i didnt do my homework on the car...and i never wanted the company to get me new tires i am willing to get those myself but i have been driving nothing but stick cars for 8 years now i know how to drive a stick and i have only put 1000 miles on the car so the clutch thing has nothing to do with what i did to it....i am gonna turn the car in and get a new one at a mini dealership cause i dont wanna deal with these problems with the car.....i know i should have done my homework on the car but a company should not be able to say they check all there cars they sale and make sure they are all in perfect shape if my car is breaking down before i even pay my second month of having the car.....i guess i live and i learn

 

perhaps i was a bit harsh. sorry, you have to really examine anything you buy not just a mini. they are great cars but some unfortunately some have been neglected and beat on. sometimes you can get a great deal on a car due to its lack of care and you have to be willing to put the money in and fix it yourself. in your case however i would go with something that has warranty and possibly maintenance. best of luck

 

you was not that harsh you was just telling me how it is....yea i really need to do my homework and i am kinda pissed i got screwed over and looks really bad on me 2 specially since i worked in the automotive field for 3 years i should have known better

 

Sorry to hear your woes dude..sucks. I bought my MINI used (an 2002 in 2005)..I guess I was lucky and didn't have the troubles you had..
First of all..does you car have less than 50000 miles? Because some issue that come up with it will still be covered under the factory warranty so don't write the car off yet.. (not the clutch though)..Second...find yourself a good mechanic that you can trust (sounds like the MIni Corsa guy is a good place to start).Third, read through some of the boards...This MINI's have alot of quirks that as time goes on you will learn about..(Mine has an airbag light on that has been "fixed by the dealer" 3 times...(I ignore it now even though it's the only thing covered under warranty.)The dealership is useless.....I love my MINI and all but these cars do have alot of quirks (Mine has been to the dealer for warranty work more than any other car I have ever owned) I still love it but I really wish someone would steal it...LOL

 

what kind of mini? ill steal it if you got a GP

 

I guess you didn't even PPI.

It's always a good idea to have the PPI done with your own mechanic
(not the stealers).

 

Is there a lemon law in your area?