I love the car but these are the problems with my 4 month old car.

1. Leather on my drivers seat looks horrible.
2. Coolant tank seperated at the seam
3. Rear seat squeaked
4. Rear latch rattled.
5. Rear seat latch broke.
6. Windshield cracked.
7. Cold start problem.
8. Coolant is discolored
9. Clutch pedal cover is completely worn off.
10. Headlight washers dont retract correctly.
11. Flat Tire light comes on intermitently.
12. Interior is consistently damp every morning.
13. Dealer I bought the car from threatened harm to my car if I didnt
give them a good evalution on the mailed in survey.
14. Dealer #2 is completely inept and doesnt return my calls.


Some of these are more minor then others and Im trying my best to chalk it up to the whole "its a new car" concept but its extremely fustrating. This car wasnt cheap and its extremely disheartening. If Corporate MINI is reading this and they truly care about keeping their customers happy I expect something to be done. I cant afford to keep leaving work early to drive the 2 hours to nearest dealer in order to have problems fixed that shouldnt exist, nor should I have to pay for a rental car to get these problems fixed.

--
Dave

 

Dave:

Sorry to hear about all your MINI's woes. Sounds like you just got a bad model. I would seriously consider declaring it a lemon and getting a new one. I think you have three years by federal law.

As for the dealer threats, I would contact MINIUSA immdeiately. There is no excuse for such service. A dealer like that detracts from the MINI name, and I'm almost positive they would expeditiously remove him from the dealership.

I only wish you were having as much fun as most of us are having. I've had mine for about 5 months now, and I still enjoy it as much as I did the first day.

Jason

 

Dave, if you are truly upset with the car, why not tell Corporate MINI your grievances directly, instead of hoping that they read them here?

Copy your states Attorney General as well, and sue the dealer who threatened your car with harm.

 

Hey Cheese (welcome to MCO)......

I totally agree that they need to do something about this. I know how much you love your car and I totally understand how frustrating it must be to have something constantly acting up with it. They should do what they can to help you out. You have been REALLY patient with them up to this point.

(There was a post earlier about the lapis leather folding up and a pic was posted....that was Cheese's drivers seat.)

 

1. Leather on my drivers seat looks horrible...I got leatherette...
2. Coolant tank seperated at the seam..Mini engineers working on this???per MINIUSA...mine is also

10. Headlight washers dont retract correctly....way too complicated for me..
11. Flat Tire light comes on intermitently....check pressures...have them fix if OK
12. Interior is consistently damp every morning....????damifino
13. Dealer I bought the car from threatened harm to my car if I didnt
give them a good evalution on the mailed in survey.....tell him DILLIGAF...
14. Dealer #2 is completely inept and doesnt return my calls....new product line....
....dealer learning curve....try dealer #3

 

Thanks for your comments. I've posted this on every message board possible and I've provided links to each one in an email to MINI USA. Hopefully things will get better. Like I said, I want to love this car.

--
Dave

 

Sorry, but none of your problems, with the exception of the Coolant related ones, qualify you to seek relief under Lemon Law. You have annoyances that do not make the car unsafe or undriveable at all.

I would try to contact MINIUSA directly and escalate your unsatisfaction with the product as needed. Ride one Pony at a time be polite, but firm, and make sure to have a paper trail of everyhting related to the car in terms of repairs performed, how many times, mileage, people contacted, phone calls made, mail exchanged etc.

I am sure that MINIUSA, which is in the process of crafting a pristine brand/product reputation in the US, will do the right thing for you and either make a last attempt to repair your pending niggles to your satisfaction or replace/refund the car without invoking any BB arbitration or State Lemon Laws.

Be attentive and alert and become intimate with your state's consumer protection laws, but try to go directly to MINIUSA and work your case from there.

Good luck.

 

>>13. Dealer I bought the car from threatened harm to my car if I didnt
>>give them a good evalution on the mailed in survey.

Herb Chambers in Boston, by any chance? They didn't actually make this threat to me, but I did get an abusive phone call at work after I trashed them on the survey, and now I won't park my car on that section of the street (I live a few blocks away).

 

>>>>13. Dealer I bought the car from threatened harm to my car if I didnt
>>>>give them a good evalution on the mailed in survey.
>>
>>Herb Chambers in Boston, by any chance? They didn't actually make this threat to me, but I did get an abusive phone call at work after I trashed them on the survey, and now I won't park my car on that section of the street (I live a few blocks away).

OMG! What the heck is WRONG with people! You are entitled to your opinion.....they shouldn't be threatening you!

 

Bummer dude. But you know what? I'll bet you can get most, if not all little things fixed by making a forceful, but polite call to MINI USA. They are going to bend over backwards to make you happy..especially since the dealer is such scum. MAKE SURE they understand that you don't feel comfortable taking your car to that dealer due to the threats of harm. That is unaccepible. Totally.

I trashed a dealer once on that survey. They let me have it, too. I then relayed the trashing to Mazda NA. The next day the general manager of the dealer called to appologize. Those comment cards mean ALOT to the dealers. The manufacturer uses those to come up with the 3/4/5 star rankings, as well as for special dealer allocations of limited edition cars. I explained to the manager that I'm not going to lie that I was happy with my purchase: the finance people were insultingly stupid on their paperwork, the salesperson knew less than I did about the car, and the sales manager was so slimey I had to wash several times after buying. Idiots. Granted, all I got was a appology, but that's all I asked for.

R

 

>>>>13. Dealer I bought the car from threatened harm to my car if I didnt
>>>>give them a good evalution on the mailed in survey.
>>
>>Herb Chambers in Boston, by any chance? They didn't actually make this threat to me, but I did get an abusive phone call at work after I trashed them on the survey, and now I won't park my car on that section of the street (I live a few blocks away).


Princeton MINI in NJ.

--
Dave

 

>>>>>>13. Dealer I bought the car from threatened harm to my car if I didnt
>>>>>>give them a good evalution on the mailed in survey.
>>>>
>>>>Herb Chambers in Boston, by any chance? They didn't actually make this threat to me, but I did get an abusive phone call at work after I trashed them on the survey, and now I won't park my car on that section of the street (I live a few blocks away).
>>
>>
>>Princeton MINI in NJ.
>>
>>--
>>Dave
>>

What exactly did they mean by "harm"? This is pretty amazing that they'd be so out front with their data manipulation.

But what the heck, I've always been shocked by the bald-faced manipulation ALL dealers employ in asking people to give them "excellent" ratings on manuf follow-up surveys. And then, when a dealer gets such fake data, they make a big deal crowing about how "excellent" they are. Anyone with half a brain would realize that the "data" is meaningless if it has been coerced from customers. So what's the point? You'd think that the manufs would know just what's up with this and would find another way to judge dealer quality...some way that didn't employ goons and slimey tactics at the dealer end.

I've had this exact sort of treatment from all dealers (Volvo, Chrysler, MINI, Nissan, etc.) I've dealt with over the past 3 or 4 years. Yech.

 

I asked him straight out "what do you mean by bad things?" and just then another salesman came up and asked him a question and he walked away for a moment. I never got an answer but as I sat there I thought "I guess Im never bringing the car back here." What a shame. I was hoping the car would be servicable by any BMW dealership but apparently thats not the case.

When I think about "lemon law" it makes me sad. I really want to love this car and I cant even fathom what could replace it. I just want it fixed or more conveniently fixable. I believe in NJ you need to have the same problem serviced 3 times in order to file for the lemon law. There is nothing for "problem cars" such as mine.

Thanks again for everyone's kind words and support. I wish all mini owners were as encouraging as you've been.


--
Dave

 

Hey Dave,
Your problems with the dealership are worse than those of the car. I have not had my car back to the dealer since I bought it, but am hoping for a pleasant experience. I was honest as well when it came to the dealer survey, despite being sent some fine tasting cookies from the dealer. I really hope things do get better for you, I know how frustrating it can be.

Jim

 

Cheeze,Im sorry your are having so many problems with your car.I went through the same with an F 150 pick up a few years ago.I also live in NJ and if you contact the NJ lemon law office they will send you all the critieria you need to file a claim.There are provisions for the situation your in.It is the same I was in.Go for the paperwork.Once the dealer get's notified,they will do anything to keep you happy.In NJ,if they lemon law a car,that stay's with it forever.If they try to sell it,it must have a notification on it that it was returned under the lemon law.No dealer wants a car like this on there lot.In my case Ford orderd me a new truck and I just turned the old one in,even swap.Went from a 93 to a 95 F 150.They did not lemon the truck,it was what they called a good will exchange.Somewhere someone bought that truck! Hope everything turns out OK. jaydawg

 

I never got a dealer survey!!!!!!!

 

Me neither... I'd have given Mini of Universal average marks anyway...

 

They do the surveys via telephone, I've gotten two so far. One for buying the car, another after having it serviced. Cheese, I can't say how bad I feel for you! Noone should go through that! I guess I'm lucky that my dealership is full of competent, friendly people (well, maybe not the service dept... but sales are great...) keep fighting, and keep us posted on what happens!

 

::UPDATE::

I've really done all that I can do. I spoke with Amy at MINI USA on friday who told me somone from the dealership would be calling me that day or at the latest, Monday. Friday was fairly nice out here so I opened the sunroof which now is rattling when its in the fully retracted position. I figured I'd just add that to the list when the dealership called me back. I never recieved a call.
Monday evening I called Amy back to tell her that I never recieved a call. She told me she'd call the dealership and get it all straightened out and give me a call back. She never called me back. I'm really at a loss for words. I dont know where to go now. There was a time when I just wanted my car fixed but everyday I'm closer to just cutting it loose. I dont have the time or the patience for this anymore.

 

Sorry .....to here about your car.I just got mine and I think it's great.I'm sure you have contacted Mini direct.There are lemons in every car .Some areas have the lemon law.Hope things work out. :roll

 

Cheese, why don't you just take your car to another dealer for some warranty service? There's absolutely no reason why you should feel compelled to return to your initial -- awful -- dealer. It may be a trek, but it seems like a number of your problems can be simply fixed...and even those that require more in-depth work (e.g,. the cracked windshield) can be dealt with via warranty service in rather short order...maybe requiring a return visit, but still are fix-able.

It's clear from reading the broad context of many of these threads that MINI dealers vary wildly in terms of quality and attention to their customers (i.e, some truly awful and some truly great). Further, MINI/BMW corporate is well-meaning (at least MINI Division) but rather helpless. So, use this forum to locate a good dealer for service and use them. Let THEM deal with MINI USA rather than your waiting for a call back from "Amy"...who probably won't be able to do much when/if she does call back.

Finding a dealer/service dept you can work with successfully is just a part -- IMO -- of car ownership. I can truly say that I've seldom if ever had my cars serviced (warranty or otherwise) by the dealers I've bought them from. I shop for price and then choose service by factors that relate to competence and convenience (a tough set of criteria, I know). With MINI, you may have chosen your initial dealer for geographic convenience and/or car availability, but you should still find a service location that meets your needs...and right now, it sounds like your initial dealer isn't doing that. And unfortunately, it's a bit much to expect that the manuf can or "force" a solution. You just need to shop around.

I guess my overall point is that your car -- based on your list of problems -- isn't a lemon...it just needs most of the warranty corrections that others have identified at one time or another (you DO seem to have the fairly comprehensive list though). You'll just need to do the necessary work to get 'em fixed.

 

>>Cheese, why don't you just take your car to another dealer for some warranty service? There's absolutely no reason why you should feel compelled to return to your initial -- awful -- dealer. It may be a trek, but it seems like a number of your problems can be simply fixed...and even those that require more in-depth work (e.g,. the cracked windshield) can be dealt with via warranty service in rather short order...maybe requiring a return visit, but still are fix-able.
>>
>>It's clear from reading the broad context of many of these threads that MINI dealers vary wildly in terms of quality and attention to their customers (i.e, some truly awful and some truly great). Further, MINI/BMW corporate is well-meaning (at least MINI Division) but rather helpless. So, use this forum to locate a good dealer for service and use them. Let THEM deal with MINI USA rather than your waiting for a call back from "Amy"...who probably won't be able to do much when/if she does call back.
>>
>>Finding a dealer/service dept you can work with successfully is just a part -- IMO -- of car ownership. I can truly say that I've seldom if ever had my cars serviced (warranty or otherwise) by the dealers I've bought them from. I shop for price and then choose service by factors that relate to competence and convenience (a tough set of criteria, I know). With MINI, you may have chosen your initial dealer for geographic convenience and/or car availability, but you should still find a service location that meets your needs...and right now, it sounds like your initial dealer isn't doing that. And unfortunately, it's a bit much to expect that the manuf can or "force" a solution. You just need to shop around.
>>
>>I guess my overall point is that your car -- based on your list of problems -- isn't a lemon...it just needs most of the warranty corrections that others have identified at one time or another (you DO seem to have the fairly comprehensive list though). You'll just need to do the necessary work to get 'em fixed.
>>

I agree 100% with Jsun's comments. Furthermore, most of the issues from Cheese's laundry list of problems are pretty minor items that can be corrected by a competent dealer. He does not have anything in that list that will qualify him for Lemon law coverage maybe with the exception of the Coolant recovery tank problems that seem to be affecting a good number of MCS owners.

If Cheese can't find a different MINI dealer for decent service, then he needs to take a long and hard look at keeping the car. Obviously he is pretty much soured on the car, not thru direct fault of the car itself, but rather from poor service support received from his selling dealership and consistent failure in addressing his concerns.

other than that, if Cheese can live without his MINI and the bad servicing dealers I would suggest for him to cut his losses and sell the car.

Whining and complaining here will not get him far enough. Another course of action would be to persuade MINI to buy back his car, minus mileage deductions, without having to invoke either BBB arbitration or State Lemon Law (2 legal venues that will not yield the desired results due to the non-threatening nature of his car's faults).

I think MINI is willing to listen, help and take corrective action to ensure customer satisfaction with its products. Also MINIUSA is crafting a pristine image here in the US and they can't afford to have too many disgruntled owners or many cars labeled as Lemons either.

 

After reading through this thread, I have a request.

Will everyone on this site PLEASE take the time to go to the "Official" Dealer Rating System (Located in the Main Menu to the left) and file an honest, clear review. Follow up reviews would help as well. I suspect that the dealers look at this section and may react in a positive way. This Dealer Rating System could be a GREAT TOOL but at the moment is severely under used. My dealer ratings have been stuck on 7 for over a month now - I know they have sold over 300 MINIS - why only 7 ratings? It may be an indication that there are a lot of happy MINI owners out there - and I know there are. Even in the case of satisfaction, observations of each dealer could be very useful for future buyers and current owners. So, PLEASE, PLEASE, place a post under the official DEALER RATING SYSTEM on this wonderful website we know as MCO.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
GROSS67
NEAR FUTURE OWNER

 

>> My dealer ratings have been stuck on 7 for over a month now - I know they have sold over 300 MINIS - why only 7 ratings? It may be an indication that there are a lot of happy MINI owners out there - and I know there are. >>>>>>


The problem is, unfortunately, MOST MINI owners don't visit this site regularly!!! So get the word out!

Darren

 

>>The problem is, unfortunately, MOST MINI owners don't visit this site regularly!!! So get the word out!
>>
>>Darren

Point taken, but it seems that the site has enrolled as members perhaps as many as 20% of all US MINI owners. If there are 4000 members of minicooperonline, and there are fewer than 20K cars imported to-date...then that's 20%. Now, certainly some of those users are not yet owners, and some are out-of-the-US owners...but still, conservatively I'd estimate that 10% of US MINI owners are at least registered as users and probably check the site at least infrequently.

GROSS67's request is a reasonable one...the Dealer Rating System offers one of the best opportunities on this board to provide some systematically helpful info to potential owners (and current owners looking for service, additional places to purchase, etc.).