I have now completely lost faith with MiniUSA and BMWUSA. As much as the wife and I would love the X5 for our upcoming child, I have started to lose faith in the company...

The problem all started with my 2009 JCW... which has had a replaced clutch and replaced brake pads and a long list of service visits... this includes the chain tensioner issue which Mini denied was even a problem for the longest time...

Long story short, I went to Mini seeking some solution to the problem. The best they could come up with was a 2 year extension of the warranty (Mini Next warranty) and $500. I thought about it and decided to take it.

I faxed in a statement, and never having been through the process before (my cars have always been good to me), I figured everything was fine. A couple of months pass and I was thinking "where's my check?" So I call and leave a message for the rep and receive a call back from a different person indicating he was no longer with the company.

Fast forward, it turns out J.W. (I won't name drop), never sent me a "release form" and closed the case on me. WTF? I pursue the matter, and Mini says there is no more offer, and am S.... out of luck. They indicated it was my fault for not pursuing it, but I didn't know about release forms, etc...

So now they said they'll cover the tranny for 1 more year and give me the $500. All indication on their end was that I should be greatful for what they are even willing to extend me. Grateful? for what? For a car that I have had nothing but problems with?

This 2009 JCW w/ 20K miles has had more problems than my 06 Porsche 911 with 31,000 miles. In my experience, Porsche (PCNA) has been one of the best companies to deal with in terms of warranty work and standing behind their vehicles. BMW on the other hand is by far on the other end of the spectrum. I'm now going to turn the 911 into a daily driver... as for the JCW, who knows, I might just have to turn it into a track car since I know that BMW won't live up to any warranty claims...

 

Sorry to hear about your problems. I hope it all works out for you.

 

If you have a 911 for a daily driver I think it's time to realize you're very lucky! Hopefully you have a positive experience from here on out!

 

I do feel lucky with the 997, but I think it's all a bit ironic... the JCW, with it's no maintenance program and 50K mile warranty was supposed to be the workhorse and the 997 the weekend car. It's turned out that the 997 hasn't had any problems and the JCW more than a fair share.