Hello All -

I'm writing about some problems I've had - symptoms, problem/remedy, and the service department of Northwest Mini (Fife, WA). Car in question is an 06 MCS with 20k on the clock.

I had two warranty repair issues to address when I went to NWM.

First, I had a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, down low. It was only heard at idle, in neutral, when warm, and with the foot off the clutch. I had 4 hypotheses about the issue based on its location and sound. Rod knock, thrust bearing, dual mass flywheel, or transmission lash. I ruled out rod knock and thrust bearing because the engine ran stellar under load and these types of failures are very uncommon in such a low mile engine. The problem turned out to be a defective dual-mass flywheel which is being replaced by NWM under warranty.

The other issue I had was an erratic fuel gauge. Two days ago, when I filled up, the needle dropped to empty and the low fuel light was on. It remained there until today when it moved up to 1/2 tank, then dropped to 1/4 tank. Once I got to NWM, it was back up to 3/4 tank. It was diagnosed as defective fuel tank sensor 2. Apparently there are two level sensors.

My comments on the service department... are mixed. I am very happy with my Service Advisor (Bert) and unhappy with the Shop Foreman (Steve). When I first came in, both the knocking sound and fuel gauge problems were happening. After I described the problems, they sent the Shop Foreman to hear the noise. He couldn't hear it and spent the next 10 minutes telling me over and over again that my car was perfectly fine. He told me that the fuel gauge problem was "highly unlikely" and that he couldn't fix anything because nothing was wrong. However, they were going to check the codes and see if anything was stored in memory. He told me to come back if the noise came back or if it started happening when the car was warm (which was what it was doing, but he wasn't listening to me describe the issues). Steve then told me that the 06 can't have any problems with the dual-mass flywheel because it is made with the latest, greatest parts.

Anyway, he passed me off to a Service Advisor (Bert) who again listened to my issues, then checked to see if any service was due. He determined that I could use an oil change and took the keys and got the car to a Tech. An hour later, he comes and tells me that it is definetly a defective dual-mass flywheel and a bad fuel level sensor. It took all of 2 minutes in the shop for the flywheel problem/knocking noise to present itself. I'm grateful for his help and for the comprehensive warranty, but I'm still upset that the Shop Foreman was such and jerk. Sure, he was friendly, but in a condescending way, not in a helpful way. It's not like I drove 65 miles in rush hour for a morning appointment to pull his leg about some legitimate problems!

I'll be forwarding a similar message to Mini USA tomorrow after I get my car back. I am currently driving an 07 MCS loaner car and have some comments about it as well. I am VERY happy with the overall service from the dealer, just think there is one bad egg.

 

You're not alone...

I've had my car for a year since it took 10 months to arrive after I placed the order & it only has 7.5K miles on it.

Since then I've had to take it back many times due to warranty issues, missing parts, incorrectly installed options, or to fix things the service department screwed-up when addressing warranty issues.

They always are very nice & try really hard, but the final result's the same : (

PS. I just noticed the winshield wipers that they replaced weren't installed correctly & they bent the heat shield above the oil filter when performing the first scheduled service 2 months ago!

 

Bill, sorry to hear about your issues with Steve. I've got an 02 MC (bought new) and have dealt with him for the last 5 1/2 years with few problems. In fact he got me a replacement tranny that was out of warrenty and the dealership covered it all. I listened to him on the phone talking the owner Manfred into it. He can be a little hard to convince sometimes (it's part of his job and he's held to controlling the costs), but persistence pays off. And yes, I've noticed that his hearing is not as sharp as it could be so it helps to have an SA or tech listen to the problem. Cultivate a friendship with him- it's worth it.

 

Make sure you contact the service manager also, to let him know exactly what happened...things at NW Mini greatly improved after that for me....It went from not being able to even get Bert to return phone calls....to giving me a loaner (didn't buy it there) and personally delivering my car back to me. Not the same as your issues, but I think it is worth it.

 

i still don't understand why service shops won't repair a car under warranty when they KNOW theres problems with it. sorry about your situation, good luck!

and to Steve the Foreman, he should know that the dual mass flywheels on the minis are really poorly designed and the new/improved ones are not that great either.

 

You're never going to get any of the SA's or shop people to admit there is a component problem- unless there's a Tech Bulletin issued -because that would open a major can of worms for a dealership. Both legal and otherwise.
Been there, done that.

 

Got the car back today.... everything seems right and I'm glad to be back in the R53. I still think Bert is awesome and I have no idea why it was such a pain to deal with the foreman.

Basically the conversation with the Foreman went "Nope, nothing is wrong" when the conversation with the Service Advisor went "Yup, you need a flywheel alright".

Anyway, the car isn't doing anything weird - it appears to have been put together correctly and there are no signs of the original problems.