Stock Problems/Issues Discussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for MINI Clubman (R55), Cooper and Cooper S(R56), and Cabrio (R57).

R56 dead, no fix after days

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Mar 5, 2007 | 11:39 PM
  #1  
OasisT's Avatar
OasisT
Thread Starter
|
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,891
Likes: 0
From: Missouri
R56 dead, no fix after days

A friend of mine had picked his R56 up from the dealer a couple of weeks ago. He drove it 185 miles when it began to sputter. Engine codes started popping up and it threw some sort of VVT code. The dealer has been emailing MiniUSA for days trying different things to no avail. Anyway, it sure makes me glad I didn't sell my R53 and get an R56 yet, the dealer actually made him RENT a car or go without while they try to hunt down the issue.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 05:35 AM
  #2  
C4's Avatar
C4
Banned
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,756
Likes: 0
Beta testing at its finest. I wish your friend the best of luck.

Wait a couple of years until these cars are sorted out properly.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 05:40 AM
  #3  
bzn by's Avatar
bzn by
4th Gear
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 519
Likes: 0
From: Birmingham, AL
Originally Posted by OasisT
A friend of mine had picked his R56 up from the dealer a couple of weeks ago. He drove it 185 miles when it began to sputter. Engine codes started popping up and it threw some sort of VVT code. The dealer has been emailing MiniUSA for days trying different things to no avail. Anyway, it sure makes me glad I didn't sell my R53 and get an R56 yet, the dealer actually made him RENT a car or go without while they try to hunt down the issue.
That sucks, what a crappy dealer to make him rent a car
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 07:46 AM
  #4  
R56MCS's Avatar
R56MCS
Banned
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,208
Likes: 0
Poor service. I might be calling miniusa if it were me
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 09:49 AM
  #5  
MrB's Avatar
MrB
2nd Gear
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
From: Newton, MA
bad news... sorry....

i m gettin scare if this happen to me
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 10:42 AM
  #6  
C4's Avatar
C4
Banned
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,756
Likes: 0
Please post the engine fault codes...
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 10:48 AM
  #7  
mdsbrain's Avatar
mdsbrain
OVERDRIVE
iTrader: (2)
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,390
Likes: 0
From: Bowie, MD
Originally Posted by bzn by
That sucks, what a crappy dealer to make him rent a car
Yah, what the heck?! Unless they mean they are reimbursing him for the rental. Either way they should be handling the rental/loaner vehicle.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 10:55 AM
  #8  
bart5467's Avatar
bart5467
4th Gear
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 443
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio, Texas
man i sure hope mine doesnt mess up when it gets here

hope everything works out 4 him and he gets comped 4 the Rental cause thats messed up
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 11:13 AM
  #9  
tdm156's Avatar
tdm156
Ruling the curves
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,651
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio Texas
I would advise a call to MINI USA as well about those issues and as well as have his MA involved if possible.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 11:17 AM
  #10  
C4's Avatar
C4
Banned
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,756
Likes: 0
Get a lemon law attorney while at it......
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 11:24 AM
  #11  
OasisT's Avatar
OasisT
Thread Starter
|
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,891
Likes: 0
From: Missouri
Originally Posted by bart5467
man i sure hope mine doesnt mess up when it gets here

hope everything works out 4 him and he gets comped 4 the Rental cause thats messed up
Actually, I guess he didn't end up renting since he had a spare car. MiniUSA actually towed it to the dealer so in their defense, I suppose it is possible that they would have re-imbursed him for his rental expense. This same dealer always gave me a "loaner", so, I was very suprised that they didn't offer him one, although, he lives 60 miles away from the dealer and he never actually set foot in the dealership so that could be the reason why.

Anyway, I'll let you know the end outcome when I speak with him next.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 11:44 AM
  #12  
reelsmith.'s Avatar
reelsmith.
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,010
Likes: 11
From: Ridgefield, CT
Originally Posted by OasisT
Anyway, I'll let you know the end outcome when I speak with him next.
Thanks.

dean.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 11:45 AM
  #13  
C4's Avatar
C4
Banned
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,756
Likes: 0
I personally would have rejected the car outright!

When I was a MA I remember a customer having problems with a new MCC CVT convertible with less than 100 miles on the clock. Our dealer exchanged the car and she upgraded to a MCSCa, fixed up her MCCa convertible and put it up for sale.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 11:51 AM
  #14  
reelsmith.'s Avatar
reelsmith.
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,010
Likes: 11
From: Ridgefield, CT
Originally Posted by C4
I personally would have rejected the car outright!
How do you do that after you've paid for it?

dean.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 11:55 AM
  #15  
mcarlo52's Avatar
mcarlo52
4th Gear
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 379
Likes: 0
From: East Bay, CA
Originally Posted by mdsbrain
Yah, what the heck?! Unless they mean they are reimbursing him for the rental. Either way they should be handling the rental/loaner vehicle.
Some MINI dealerships (mine included) don't do loaner cars. In fact I've never been to a dealership for any my cars that lent out loaners. It would be very welcome though.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 11:59 AM
  #16  
C4's Avatar
C4
Banned
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,756
Likes: 0
It can be done. I have seen it. The case I am talking about was last year when I was a MA for my local MINI dealer. She had paid for her new MCCa in cash and the car died on her the next day with less than 100 miles on the odo. Road assistance was called in and the car was returned to the dealership. The customer was very upset and after having a chat with my boss (sales manager, he is a very nice guy) the dealer agreed that this was an unacceptable fault and offered to exchange the car. Mind you, she had custom ordered her MCCa from factory.

So it turns out that there was a very similar spec MCSCa (Chili Red) coming later that week and the customer decided to take the opportunity and üpgrade"to the S convertible. She paid the difference and we gave her a new MCSa hardtop as a loaner for a whole week until her new car came in.

I prepped the car for her and delivered it. She was very happy and no more problems with the new replacement. I even ran into her a couple of weeks later at church and she was very pleased with my treatment.

It turns out that there was a "lose" hose in her MCCa CVT transmission that caused fluid to leak and thus the sudden failure after she took the car home. Was a fairly simple fix and since the car was still new (less than 100 miles) it was cleaned up and put up for sale. A few weeks later it found a new buyer. The car never gave any problems after the initial repair.

The point of this story is that our dealer cares about customer satisfaction and to do the right thing when problems arise that are obvious factory quality control snafus.

Perhaps other dealer would have sent her back and she would have had to escalate the problem to the general manager and even retain legal counsel.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 12:00 PM
  #17  
reelsmith.'s Avatar
reelsmith.
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,010
Likes: 11
From: Ridgefield, CT
Originally Posted by mcarlo52
Some MINI dealerships (mine included) don't do loaner cars. In fact I've never been to a dealership for any my cars that lent out loaners. It would be very welcome though.
Loaners are a beautiful thing and I'm glad my dealer has them. Likewise, with my wifes Lexus, I simply drop her car off for service, jump in another Lexus and go to work. Then I pick up her car on my way home. It really takes a lot of the hassle out of service.

I thought loaners were a standard MINI thing and had no idea it varied from dealer to to dealer. That's a shame.

dean.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 12:02 PM
  #18  
C4's Avatar
C4
Banned
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,756
Likes: 0
Loaners do vary between MINI dealerships, just because it is not a factory enforced policy. It is left up to the dealers to offer such convenience to their customers.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 12:03 PM
  #19  
reelsmith.'s Avatar
reelsmith.
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,010
Likes: 11
From: Ridgefield, CT
Originally Posted by C4
The point of this story is that our dealer cares about customer satisfaction and to do the right thing when problems arise that are obvious factory quality control snafus.
Good to hear.

Perhaps other dealer would have sent her back and she would have had to escalate the problem to the general manager and even retain legal counsel.
I'm afraid this may all too often be the case ...and not just with MINI.

dean.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 12:26 PM
  #20  
chows4us's Avatar
chows4us
6th Gear
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,478
Likes: 2
Originally Posted by reelsmith.
How do you do that after you've paid for it?

.
Most every state has a "cooling off" period where you can return the car no questions asked. I know a guy whose wife bought a car without telling me that they could not afford. When he found out some number of days later, he took it back and the dealer had to take it back ... The law is for exactly those kinds of reasons.

That said, its not for ... Oh the car threw a code, its a lemon. Most lemon laws require multiple times down fixing the same problem and certainly not just once.

This is just a perfect case of early adopters acting as the guinea pigs (as C4 is cleary stating here) for the people who buy next year .... Sad but true.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 12:32 PM
  #21  
OasisT's Avatar
OasisT
Thread Starter
|
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,891
Likes: 0
From: Missouri
Originally Posted by chows4us
Most every state has a "cooling off" period where you can return the car no questions asked. I know a guy whose wife bought a car without telling me that they could not afford. When he found out some number of days later, he took it back and the dealer had to take it back ... The law is for exactly those kinds of reasons.

That said, its not for ... Oh the car threw a code, its a lemon. Most lemon laws require multiple times down fixing the same problem and certainly not just once.

This is just a perfect case of early adopters acting as the guinea pigs (as C4 is cleary stating here) for the people who buy next year .... Sad but true.
Our state has a 3 day right of recision where you can reject any contractual agreement within 3 days. I believe that includes Bank notes, car purchases, leases etc... That makes it really nice if you have major issues in the first few days, or another perk would be if you decide to suprise your wife with a new car or something. If she freaks out, its easy enough to take it back. lol
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 12:35 PM
  #22  
Loony2N's Avatar
Loony2N
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 15,966
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by C4
It can be done. I have seen it. The case I am talking about was last year when I was a MA for my local MINI dealer. She had paid for her new MCCa in cash and the car died on her the next day with less than 100 miles on the odo. Road assistance was called in and the car was returned to the dealership. The customer was very upset and after having a chat with my boss (sales manager, he is a very nice guy) the dealer agreed that this was an unacceptable fault and offered to exchange the car. Mind you, she had custom ordered her MCCa from factory.

So it turns out that there was a very similar spec MCSCa (Chili Red) coming later that week and the customer decided to take the opportunity and üpgrade"to the S convertible. She paid the difference and we gave her a new MCSa hardtop as a loaner for a whole week until her new car came in.

I prepped the car for her and delivered it. She was very happy and no more problems with the new replacement. I even ran into her a couple of weeks later at church and she was very pleased with my treatment.

It turns out that there was a "lose" hose in her MCCa CVT transmission that caused fluid to leak and thus the sudden failure after she took the car home. Was a fairly simple fix and since the car was still new (less than 100 miles) it was cleaned up and put up for sale. A few weeks later it found a new buyer. The car never gave any problems after the initial repair.

The point of this story is that our dealer cares about customer satisfaction and to do the right thing when problems arise that are obvious factory quality control snafus.

Perhaps other dealer would have sent her back and she would have had to escalate the problem to the general manager and even retain legal counsel.
So..... was that a Beta test car, too???
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 12:36 PM
  #23  
SNEEEZY - Erika's Avatar
SNEEEZY - Erika
Rattle Can Queen!!!
iTrader: (2)
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,149
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by chows4us
Most every state has a "cooling off" period where you can return the car no questions asked.
It'd be interesting to see which states do/don't have a "cooling off" period.

For the record, VA doesn't have a cooling off period.
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 12:40 PM
  #24  
C4's Avatar
C4
Banned
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,756
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by LynnEl
So..... was that a Beta test car, too???
A 2006 MCCa? Nope that's way past the "beta testing" period. The first early build 2005 convertibles do qualify under that label. One of my co-workers signed up for beta testing duty 2 and a half years ago and has had probably 2-3 brand new tops replaced. She loves the car otherwise

Early build R56's are beta testing mules, pretty much the same way 2002-2003 MINIs were back in the day.

However.. A late production car is not guarantee for a troublefree ownership experience, but the odds are still in your favor since the initial batch of buyers have done it all the testing for you.

Ever heard the wise phrase that states... "Never buy version 1.0a of anything?"
 
Reply
Old Mar 6, 2007 | 12:41 PM
  #25  
C4's Avatar
C4
Banned
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,756
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by Uber Blu
It'd be interesting to see which states do/don't have a "cooling off" period.

For the record, VA doesn't have a cooling off period.

I don't think Florida does either, but I need to check.
 
Reply



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:00 AM.