Forgive me, I hope I am posting in the right forum. I recently purchased a used 2002 MCS. I have never had any contact with a Mini dealer to date. My question: Can any Mini dealer access my vehicles past vehicle service info, and verify any completed recall and tsb work using the VIN number?

 

Welcome to NAM, Jim! Congrats on the MINI! MINI service can access your car's history via the VIN and also get info from inserting your key into a reader. You didn't get its records when you purchased it? That seems unusual.

 

Thanks for the reply MINIclo. I purchased my "used" Mini from a local Honda dealer here in Great Falls. The car was quit clean with with what I think as low mileage (17,300). I ran a "car fax", and that came back as having no documented problems, (if you can trust Car-Fax). My gut said O.K. although the service book was blank except for the original owners name & dealer's certification and PDI stamp. This is not unusual I am told, as most dealers enter the service visits into their computer systems and only make a entry in the owners book upon request. Unfortunately, due to privacy laws, the original dealer is not going to release any past service records directly to me when I call.
I live in Montana, "the end of the earth" as far as Mini dealers are concerned. The closest Mini dealers are about 1000 miles away. I am planning to visit one of them (not the original selling dealer) and have the car inspected and a new extra key programed. When I go, I plan to have any possible warranty issues (I have about 6 months left) addressed. I especially want to be sure that any safety and TSBs are completed before I travel 1000 miles back home. I checked the NTSB web site, and found 7 TSB's and 2 safety recalls that might apply to my car. I haven't checked my
production date and numbers yet.
I will be probably doing some of the simple service work here at home, but some things on newer generation cars must me handled by the pros. I want to get off to a good start and make sure my car is set up right.

 

Our dealer has never put anything in our service booklet. I found it odd so I just started a text file on my computer where I put down any mantenance records and dates. At least it lets me know when things were done and who did it.

 

Make sure the power steering fan and radiator fan have been put on separate circuits:

 

Any MINI dealer in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico should be able to automatically pull out the service history of the car (Right down to the original factory options and their respective codes) with the serial number or from the key placed in the "Key Reader" device

 

Thanks to all for your input. Owning a Mini has been a dream of mine for years. Now that I own a Mini, your board has made my owner experience much better. Again I say, "NAM is one of the best resources of it's kind in the entire Mini community". (JD)

 

I am surprised the dealer wouldn't disclose the service record. You can always get the previous/original owners name from the motor vehicles division. So the argument about privacy laws is invalid. I would suggest contacting a more approachable MINI dealer with your request.

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to this very happy family ! !

 

My reaction exactly. The car was sold in Utah, and had two owners before me. I plan to take the vehicle to Denver Colorado for future service. Just as close, and I have family there.

 

Wow!, so your MINI has had already 3 owners?

Anyway, I also think that the "Privacy laws" is some big time BS. I suggest you calling MINIUSA, give them your VIN number, that way, the electronic service history record from now on will appear exclusively under your name (Because you are now its legitimate owner).

Since you are the THIRD owner of the vehicle, I am not completely sure if MINIUSA will transfer to you whatever little bit of warranty is left on the car. My understanding is that only the SECOND owner(s) can have the balance of the factory warranty transfered to them for FREE.

Before heading out on that 1,000 mile trek to your nearest MINI dealer, I suggest you having a little chat with MINIUSA to make absolutely sure that the car still has any balance of the warranty in effect to avoid unsavory surprises far from home.

But regardless, have MINIUSA put the VIN of your vehicle under your name, that way you'll have easy access to the entire service history of the car. This should be done at no extra cost to you.

 

You can call ask Mini and they will check the vin for outdstanding recalls.I was able to get a verbal summary of the work from servicing dealer but he would not put it in writting.Mini again would not release service info citing privacy laws.Unfortunately they cant reveal anything to you except safety recalls.

 

My family has purchased two used MINIs. Neither were purchased from a MINI dealer. Our local MINI dealership checked the service history and printed out copies for us. I see no reason why a dealer couldnt do this for you.

 

Good luck with your new "used" MINI! I also bought a 2002, 17,400 miles, last spring from a Mazda dealer. I did the same things, checked Carfax, etc. From that I believe there was one owner, as a lease. It looked real nice and they kept it stored in the showroom with the other fun cars. I figured it at least wasn't leaking oil or something since they kept it in there. Funny part was it was exactly what I wanted except the color and I'm happier with the dark silver.

I did take it into the nearest MINI dealer for it's first inspection at 24,900 miles. They inserted the key and printed out a report which he let me read. They also did some warranty service including replacing the driver's side window motor, grease and adjust the sunroof glides, new wipers, and some other minor things. I jist hope they looked at it as closely as what the first inspection called for.

In any case, the car runs like a dream and is a blast. Hope you enjoy your's as much as I do mine. I'm already into mods to make it looks a little different and a little faster. As if it weren't fast enough already!

 

Maybe the privacy concern has to do with giving the info over the phone or by email/snailmail. Sounds like if you took the car into a dealer they would print it out for you.

 

Actually the better question here is, did any of the dealer's that worked on the car actually enter the service records on the car?

It seems like a no brainer but, I recently discovered after moving across country that my records were not entered into MINI's system. We're not talking about a simple oil change or anything like that either... This was a slave cylinder and clutch replacement, all done under warranty, that wasn't in the system... Also when my Sirius antenna failed and was replaced, that also wasn't in the system. The only service that was in the system was some reprogramming of the convenience features, work that was done by a different dealership.

I probably never would have known if the dealer had re-assembled the car correctly after the clutch work. However they left a gap in the firewall which caused excessive noise in the cabin and worse, a leak! When I took the car in to my nearest dealership here on the left coast, there was no record of the repairs in the MINI warranty system. If I didn't have a copy of the reciepts, I wouldn't have had any proof that the car had been in.

To the person who keeps their record as a text file on your computer, that's a good idea, but that printout won't hold nearly as much water as the actual receipts from the service department.

 

I agree with saving work slips and invoices. Every car/truck I've owed has a folder in the household files. You never know when you need to prove to a dealer, or worse yet your insurer, that work has been done.

Hey, I just realized I'm one of those guys who sold someone a vehicle and didn't give them any records. Heh.