The dealers don't build these cars, MINI does.

 

I know that and you obviously know that... But with a subject of I hate Mini and a rant about dealer service, is it really so obvious that other people do?

Heck this isn't the first time I've seen such comparisons made, quite often I see something along the lines of Hondas/Toyota's etc are great my dealer treats me like a king whenever I go in for service...

 

No I don't hate MINI, Actually I went back to change the title, but it was too late. I am just mad at the service people. When i took it in, I also had them adjust the passanger-side washer jet, it was shooting over the roof. They adjusted it, so one hits great, the other not so much, but at least its on the glass.

I think what made me upset most about the grill is its worse then when I brought it in the first time. Its like they just took it off, stuck it back on, and said, 'Well, I guess thats ok.'

So far the car is the best thing I have ever had, love it more then anything. So I guess thats why I get so upset. I'm less upset then when my ceiling fell in on me as I was installing it yesterday. Yeah, holiday stress is killing me. So all the little things are adding up to driving me crazy!

I'll just be happy when Bean is back up to snuff.

 

Maybe you need a bubble bath and a glass of wine (not trying to be a smart ars...I feel your seasonal distress-we all get it). It is cruddy when something goes wrong with such a major purchase....

 

Actually, I had two similar issues but not with my front grill. The speaker on my passenger side door popped out. The dealer fixed it the first time by removing the door panel, popping a new one in and then using a heat gun to shape it make sure it wouldn't pop out again.

Then my seat back popped out. The first time they just popped it back in (even though I told them I did that already), but they thought they would give it a try. It popped out again within a few days. A few weeks later I brought the car back and they put a new seat back in and it hasn't popped out since.

If you just bring your car back again, they'll probably replace it now. I think they have to do the simple solution first so they have documentation to justify replacing the part. Possibly the customer's word that there's a problem won't cut it with BMW. The dealer service has to have made an attempt to solve the problem first.

Good luck with it.

 

Love the Car, hate the service. Also not that happy with the dealer either, but thats a different issue.

 

Trust me...after hearing your service "issues", it's really nothing compared to mine. It took my service dealer 3 times (yes, 3 CELs) to replace a stuck thermostat. The previous two times all they did was flush the cooling system. Furthermore, the dealer is about 45 minutes away from my house. I was about to rip someone's head off when I went in for the third time so I spoke with the head honcho of service department and he finally got a "master" tech to look at it. Now, I was gonna make a sarcastic remark when they finally fixed it but I'll just leave it at that.

 

oh, what you do is you cut small strips of the 3M mounting tape and
wrap it over the post which snap into the slots.

it'll be very snug but can be pulled out later on. oh well.

 

Over the years, I have grown to expect to love the cars I drive and generally dislike the companies and most of the dealers I have to work with in order to drive their cars.

 

^^ True, true ^^ . Wisdom borne of 5,600 posts!

While I disagree with the too-general statement earlier in the thread that "it's an inferior product", I tend to agree with the poster who said that we should be past the point of forgiving them the (so called) "little niggling things..."

Good Luck to the original poster and I hope he gets a more permanent repair on the 2nd go round,
Tatt

 

it's like Ikea. despite them having that stupid rule of not being able to
take your shopping carts back to your cars, many people continue to
go there to buy their cool stuff.

a little inconvenience becomes invisible for cool things.

 

I have noticed that MINIs seem to be plagued with lots of *minor* issues. I personally have had my April 05 build MCSa in many, many times since I picked him up. I have to wonder if the complaints would be as loud if we were driving regular, run-of-the-mill cars or is it because we feel like we are a bit "elitist" because we drive a MINI?

 

I know i must be dreaming this,but wouldn't it be nice to see a reply or two from the dealer in question.How bout Mini USA ,i know that would be a stretch.|Q

 

Sorry to hear about your problems with the service department. Like others said, it's the dealers and not MINI. That's why my rant in November was titled "Love MINI. Fed up with service".

I recall the dealer rating system once on these forums. It would be nice to have one set up specifically for service. Maybe then if a certain dealer had such poor ratings and actually was aware of a rating system here. They would try to fix the situation. One person complain. They can deal with them and all is forgotten. A lot of people knowing about poor service at your dealership? You're going to try and fix what is wrong.

Oh, I too am going out of state for my next service. My dealer is the only one I know that if I drove up with a flat tire they would hook the computer to the car and say they can't duplicate the problem.

 

MINIUSA occasionally posts, and they do in fact monitor these boards (as does several of their executives). However, MINIUSA will not do anything more than request that the person having the problem contact them to discuss the situation with them privately. They will not (and rightly so) deal with such issues on a public forum.

Along those same lines, the only dealers who have unrestricted posting here on NAM are those who are sponsors (I beleive that's just Classic, D&R, and MINI of the Hamptons). Those dealers pay for the right to come up on NAM and talk up their dealerships, it's not right (or fair) for dealer's who aren't sponsors to come up on the forums and promote their dealerships when other dealerships pay to be a part of the forums...

 

My last 2 cars were a VW and before that an Alfa... Am I a glutton for punishment or what?!?!?!


My MCS is 2 weeks old and so far perfect. My MA has been super friendly and responsive everytime I have talked to him even after the sale was completed... Hopefully things will continue to be so good if I (god forbid) start having issues

 

I really like this statement for is directness and honesty. I think it would go well as a sticky on the Vendor forum or in it's own window on the main page.

 

I am really sorry for the MINI owners that have had to endure less than desirable quality cars and/or service.

However, not ALL MINIs are rolling time bombs as some posters in these forums would have you believe. I have owned 3 brand new MINIs and they all have been rock solid, dependable, reliable, high quality machines. I have the service/maintenance records on hand to prove it.

My February 2005 build '05 MCS 6MT has been absolutely flawless. ZERO, I repeat, ZERO dealer visits since I took delivery on March 20th, 2005. The car currently has nearly 7,300 miles and runs like the finest piece of Swiss clock machinery.

All manufacturers build great cars, so-so cars and lemons. I hate to sound cliche, but how many posters have checked in today to report "My MINI has had no problems today"?

People with problems tend to post and voice their opinions more. It is human nature.

 

Our experience with our MINI dealer has been about the same as with other car dealers--both for sales and service. The sales experience may have been better than average because our dealer sells at MSRP so the unpleasantness of haggling or wondering if other buyers got better deals is gone.

So far the service department has come back with a couple of "could not duplicate" responses that are a bit annoying, but I'll admit that the rattle I complain about is intermittent and seems to vary depending on temperature and whether or not someone is sitting in the passenger seat. Looking over the service printout, there was quite a bit of SA "translation"--something I find very annoying but most dealers do this to some degree. In the future I'll just type up my list and give that to them and leave a copy in the car for the tech.

My main annoyance with the SA was that they did not contact me to tell me the car was ready after I explicitly asked them to either call or e-mail me.

In the "old days" it was customary to bring a new car back to the delivering dealer at about 1,000 miles. They would change the "break-in" oil and you would provide a list of required "adjustments". Even though we don't have to worry about that initial oil change nowadays, I still think that an early adjustment check would benefit both owners and dealers. They would be a great way to create early documentation of problems that should be covered under warranty.

FWIW

 

Sadly, neither will a Mini Dealer.................just as well - I really don't trust most of them to work on my car anyway.

and BTW, I don't hate my dealer or my car. My car is a blast and my service department is a compassionate, reasonable place.

BMW/NA on the other hand...............If you've ever owned BMWs, this should come as no surprise. They are well known for their overall crappy service, denial of known issues and buggy, problematic cars.

 

what you said <snicker>

 

Well, I got the Grill fixed last night. When I got there, and talk to a service rep, the first thing he said when i told him the grill fell off was, 'Thats impossible.' At first I was upset thinking they where going to argue about it, but turned out he was joking, and trying to make me feel better.

So I relaxed, he took the part, looked it over, read the copy of my work order. Said they replaced it with a new one, and he didn't know why it came out, but they where going to get an 'expert' and take care of it. I was out in about 45 minutes or so. I think they used some kind of glue this time, because at one point they where frantally trying to whipe something off. Nothing showed on the grill or car, so its all good.

So i am happy to say the Bean is all Smiles again. Zipping around, and almost getting smashed into a gaurd rail on the way home by a giant SUV that doesn't know what a turn signal is, or how to uses a mirror. But my breaks work. =)

So thanks for the support, and letting me vent. And I have to say I guess I do feel like I am 'elite' with my MINI, and I don't want to take Spit from no one! =)

 

Nice to hear you story had a happy ending. Enjoy

 

You mean my MINI isn't an economy car? Sssshhh, that was my justification for buying it. I went to school in London for a semester or so, never could call a Mini elitist there, but it was the 1970's...I guess a 1960's VW bug could be elitist now, when we bought and sold them for a couple of hundred bucks or so back then. MINI=Elitist, interesting concept??!!

 

The parts falling off this car are of the finest British craftsmanship.

Keep a stiff upper lip old boy, these things happen to all of us.