Crevier BMW put 1 quart extra oil in my MINI
#51
05-05-2008, 11:02 AM
good points
Good points, Barnabas. I personally tend to get most annoyed with the whole process rather than the people, although it's certain people that instituted "the process". I've been on the other side of a "service" industry and know people are too often a huge PITA (in need of perspective), which is why I try to keep the proper perspective, although it's not always easy. If BMW would just my car well enough so I don't need to take it in for anything other than a minor rattle or routine service, I'd be thrilled 
. When it's a squealing clutch or a major leak or...something abnormal classified as "normal", it gets my dander up. Greg
. When it's a squealing clutch or a major leak or...something abnormal classified as "normal", it gets my dander up. Greg One of the problem is that the customers view techs in such a degrading manner. You guys EXPECT that the techs are bunch of uneducated grease monkeys who don't know how to fix anything. Think about this:
Techs work on about avg of 8-15cars a day(depending on what type of jobs). It's alot of cars, and techs do not get paid per hour, they get paid PER job(flat rate system which is the main culprit for such shoddy service IMHO). So basically faster you work, more $ you make. And at times you will have cars that will not cooperate and will take forever to figure out.
Trust me, when you have a car that has strange problems, that is hard to duplicate and pinpoint, its not that the techs don't want to repair it. Techs actually want to repair a car and get it out as fast as possible. Problem is that there's alot involved with repair of a vehicle. Some parts require authorization by BMW/MINI to replace, and that process can take a few days, sometimes even up to a week or more. In the meantime they might have other cars with insane problems, that need their attention.
Any car that takes more than an hr or so to diagnose, its eating away at their pay. Techs generally lose money the longer they keep the car. Imagine clocking a 50hr week, but only getting paid for 30hrs. Yes, that happens. Perhaps too often. But also on the flipside, some may clock 50hrs, but get paid for 80hrs. So it depends, and that's where I find fault with the flat rate system that pushes techs to care more about quantity than quality in order to pay the bills.
I've known alot of techs personally, and know all the MINI techs at Crevier personally. They're good guys, and good techs. Yes, they do make mistakes here and there, as they're human. Dealing with the pressures of trying to make $, keeping deadlines, making customers happy, is not an easy task. It's a high stress job, that most people don't give them enough credit for.
So don't disregard them as mere "grease monkeys" who don't know what they're doing or talking about. They are properly trained and skilled and can fix it better than you can.
There are different types of customers who respond differenty to situations. Some may flip out over overfilled oil, while some may not see it as a huge deal, and just have them drain a bit out. Some may flip over a rattle, and some may not even care. It really depends on the person. MINI owners tend to be a bit on the **** side, and more picky so there tends to be more difficult problems that are harder to diagnose and duplicate.
I'm not excusing Crevier, or techs for the mistakes they make. They make a mistake, they should fix it. I do not condone denying anyone their factory warranty, as that is against BMW policy. What you have to realize is that there are actual PEOPLE fixing those cars, and not little elves working with magic wrenches. These people have bills to pay, they get angry, disappointed, and are very aware of the comments you guys make.
Before you launch into a tirade condemning all techs to hell for screwing up your car, think about what you're doing. Put yourself in their shoes and see how it feels. And CSI scores DO hurt the techs alot, and means a great deal. There's nothing worse than having a perfect or close to perfect CSI score for the whole month and at the very end, some guy decides to give all 4's or 3's because he thought the service was "okay". That ruins it.
Above all, best way to get good service is to be patient and understand that they're people. Screaming at your advisor or swearing at the techs stating how incompetent they are will only alienate them and will make them not want to work with you and your car. Be nice, be patient, and give them a chance to fix their mistake.
Techs work on about avg of 8-15cars a day(depending on what type of jobs). It's alot of cars, and techs do not get paid per hour, they get paid PER job(flat rate system which is the main culprit for such shoddy service IMHO). So basically faster you work, more $ you make. And at times you will have cars that will not cooperate and will take forever to figure out.
Trust me, when you have a car that has strange problems, that is hard to duplicate and pinpoint, its not that the techs don't want to repair it. Techs actually want to repair a car and get it out as fast as possible. Problem is that there's alot involved with repair of a vehicle. Some parts require authorization by BMW/MINI to replace, and that process can take a few days, sometimes even up to a week or more. In the meantime they might have other cars with insane problems, that need their attention.
Any car that takes more than an hr or so to diagnose, its eating away at their pay. Techs generally lose money the longer they keep the car. Imagine clocking a 50hr week, but only getting paid for 30hrs. Yes, that happens. Perhaps too often. But also on the flipside, some may clock 50hrs, but get paid for 80hrs. So it depends, and that's where I find fault with the flat rate system that pushes techs to care more about quantity than quality in order to pay the bills.
I've known alot of techs personally, and know all the MINI techs at Crevier personally. They're good guys, and good techs. Yes, they do make mistakes here and there, as they're human. Dealing with the pressures of trying to make $, keeping deadlines, making customers happy, is not an easy task. It's a high stress job, that most people don't give them enough credit for.
So don't disregard them as mere "grease monkeys" who don't know what they're doing or talking about. They are properly trained and skilled and can fix it better than you can.
There are different types of customers who respond differenty to situations. Some may flip out over overfilled oil, while some may not see it as a huge deal, and just have them drain a bit out. Some may flip over a rattle, and some may not even care. It really depends on the person. MINI owners tend to be a bit on the **** side, and more picky so there tends to be more difficult problems that are harder to diagnose and duplicate.
I'm not excusing Crevier, or techs for the mistakes they make. They make a mistake, they should fix it. I do not condone denying anyone their factory warranty, as that is against BMW policy. What you have to realize is that there are actual PEOPLE fixing those cars, and not little elves working with magic wrenches. These people have bills to pay, they get angry, disappointed, and are very aware of the comments you guys make.
Before you launch into a tirade condemning all techs to hell for screwing up your car, think about what you're doing. Put yourself in their shoes and see how it feels. And CSI scores DO hurt the techs alot, and means a great deal. There's nothing worse than having a perfect or close to perfect CSI score for the whole month and at the very end, some guy decides to give all 4's or 3's because he thought the service was "okay". That ruins it.
Above all, best way to get good service is to be patient and understand that they're people. Screaming at your advisor or swearing at the techs stating how incompetent they are will only alienate them and will make them not want to work with you and your car. Be nice, be patient, and give them a chance to fix their mistake.
#52
05-09-2008, 02:57 PM
Creviers parts department take too long to receive ordered items. I will need to find another Mini dealer to change my oil when the time comes. My Mini has 7000 miles right now.
It was a bad sign when I took delivery of the car, they forgot to add or adjust a part in the engine in the preparation process....therefore the check engine light was on. My Mini spent three days at the dealer within the first week of ownership. But, it's been great since then.
Their service dept. needs to pay attention to every little detail.
It was a bad sign when I took delivery of the car, they forgot to add or adjust a part in the engine in the preparation process....therefore the check engine light was on. My Mini spent three days at the dealer within the first week of ownership. But, it's been great since then.
Their service dept. needs to pay attention to every little detail.
#53
05-10-2008, 03:58 AM
3rd Gear
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Threads like this make me even more glad I don't live in California.
With my first MINI I dealt with Tom Bush MINI in Jacksonville, FL. They didn't have the best customer service, but I have to say that they fixed what was broken and didn't screw around.
When I was transfered up to Maine I started going to MINI of Peabody in Mass. They have been nothing short of awesome. They are a stand alone dealership. They don't even share their service department with BMW. They have fixed every issue that I have had with both of my MINIs and they have never given me any grief.
With my first MINI I dealt with Tom Bush MINI in Jacksonville, FL. They didn't have the best customer service, but I have to say that they fixed what was broken and didn't screw around.
When I was transfered up to Maine I started going to MINI of Peabody in Mass. They have been nothing short of awesome. They are a stand alone dealership. They don't even share their service department with BMW. They have fixed every issue that I have had with both of my MINIs and they have never given me any grief.
#54
05-16-2008, 02:32 PM
One of the problem is that the customers view techs in such a degrading manner. You guys EXPECT that the techs are bunch of uneducated grease monkeys who don't know how to fix anything. Think about this:
Techs work on about avg of 8-15cars a day(depending on what type of jobs). It's alot of cars, and techs do not get paid per hour, they get paid PER job(flat rate system which is the main culprit for such shoddy service IMHO). So basically faster you work, more $ you make. And at times you will have cars that will not cooperate and will take forever to figure out.
Trust me, when you have a car that has strange problems, that is hard to duplicate and pinpoint, its not that the techs don't want to repair it. Techs actually want to repair a car and get it out as fast as possible. Problem is that there's alot involved with repair of a vehicle. Some parts require authorization by BMW/MINI to replace, and that process can take a few days, sometimes even up to a week or more. In the meantime they might have other cars with insane problems, that need their attention.
Any car that takes more than an hr or so to diagnose, its eating away at their pay. Techs generally lose money the longer they keep the car. Imagine clocking a 50hr week, but only getting paid for 30hrs. Yes, that happens. Perhaps too often. But also on the flipside, some may clock 50hrs, but get paid for 80hrs. So it depends, and that's where I find fault with the flat rate system that pushes techs to care more about quantity than quality in order to pay the bills.
I've known alot of techs personally, and know all the MINI techs at Crevier personally. They're good guys, and good techs. Yes, they do make mistakes here and there, as they're human. Dealing with the pressures of trying to make $, keeping deadlines, making customers happy, is not an easy task. It's a high stress job, that most people don't give them enough credit for.
So don't disregard them as mere "grease monkeys" who don't know what they're doing or talking about. They are properly trained and skilled and can fix it better than you can.
There are different types of customers who respond differenty to situations. Some may flip out over overfilled oil, while some may not see it as a huge deal, and just have them drain a bit out. Some may flip over a rattle, and some may not even care. It really depends on the person. MINI owners tend to be a bit on the **** side, and more picky so there tends to be more difficult problems that are harder to diagnose and duplicate.
I'm not excusing Crevier, or techs for the mistakes they make. They make a mistake, they should fix it. I do not condone denying anyone their factory warranty, as that is against BMW policy. What you have to realize is that there are actual PEOPLE fixing those cars, and not little elves working with magic wrenches. These people have bills to pay, they get angry, disappointed, and are very aware of the comments you guys make.
Before you launch into a tirade condemning all techs to hell for screwing up your car, think about what you're doing. Put yourself in their shoes and see how it feels. And CSI scores DO hurt the techs alot, and means a great deal. There's nothing worse than having a perfect or close to perfect CSI score for the whole month and at the very end, some guy decides to give all 4's or 3's because he thought the service was "okay". That ruins it.
Above all, best way to get good service is to be patient and understand that they're people. Screaming at your advisor or swearing at the techs stating how incompetent they are will only alienate them and will make them not want to work with you and your car. Be nice, be patient, and give them a chance to fix their mistake.
Techs work on about avg of 8-15cars a day(depending on what type of jobs). It's alot of cars, and techs do not get paid per hour, they get paid PER job(flat rate system which is the main culprit for such shoddy service IMHO). So basically faster you work, more $ you make. And at times you will have cars that will not cooperate and will take forever to figure out.
Trust me, when you have a car that has strange problems, that is hard to duplicate and pinpoint, its not that the techs don't want to repair it. Techs actually want to repair a car and get it out as fast as possible. Problem is that there's alot involved with repair of a vehicle. Some parts require authorization by BMW/MINI to replace, and that process can take a few days, sometimes even up to a week or more. In the meantime they might have other cars with insane problems, that need their attention.
Any car that takes more than an hr or so to diagnose, its eating away at their pay. Techs generally lose money the longer they keep the car. Imagine clocking a 50hr week, but only getting paid for 30hrs. Yes, that happens. Perhaps too often. But also on the flipside, some may clock 50hrs, but get paid for 80hrs. So it depends, and that's where I find fault with the flat rate system that pushes techs to care more about quantity than quality in order to pay the bills.
I've known alot of techs personally, and know all the MINI techs at Crevier personally. They're good guys, and good techs. Yes, they do make mistakes here and there, as they're human. Dealing with the pressures of trying to make $, keeping deadlines, making customers happy, is not an easy task. It's a high stress job, that most people don't give them enough credit for.
So don't disregard them as mere "grease monkeys" who don't know what they're doing or talking about. They are properly trained and skilled and can fix it better than you can.
There are different types of customers who respond differenty to situations. Some may flip out over overfilled oil, while some may not see it as a huge deal, and just have them drain a bit out. Some may flip over a rattle, and some may not even care. It really depends on the person. MINI owners tend to be a bit on the **** side, and more picky so there tends to be more difficult problems that are harder to diagnose and duplicate.
I'm not excusing Crevier, or techs for the mistakes they make. They make a mistake, they should fix it. I do not condone denying anyone their factory warranty, as that is against BMW policy. What you have to realize is that there are actual PEOPLE fixing those cars, and not little elves working with magic wrenches. These people have bills to pay, they get angry, disappointed, and are very aware of the comments you guys make.
Before you launch into a tirade condemning all techs to hell for screwing up your car, think about what you're doing. Put yourself in their shoes and see how it feels. And CSI scores DO hurt the techs alot, and means a great deal. There's nothing worse than having a perfect or close to perfect CSI score for the whole month and at the very end, some guy decides to give all 4's or 3's because he thought the service was "okay". That ruins it.
Above all, best way to get good service is to be patient and understand that they're people. Screaming at your advisor or swearing at the techs stating how incompetent they are will only alienate them and will make them not want to work with you and your car. Be nice, be patient, and give them a chance to fix their mistake.
Luckily I've always had stellar service at the two dealers I use, South Bay BMW in Torrance, CA and MINI North Scottsdale in AZ. But, having worked in various high-line car dealerships since I was 15, I can tell you that everything you said in your post is spot on. People just never understand it, and really aren't willing to understand it either, its a shame.
What you said about the CSI scores is true too. I've always felt that whole system needs to be revamped though. A lot of customers think that a 4 is good, so even if they receive good, decent service...they might give you a 4, in which case you fail.
The joys of the car business!
#56
05-16-2008, 03:32 PM
There are some HORRIBLE dealers and service departments. Looks like you found one
. Not sure where in OC you are at, but if you want to drive a little bit up the 405 to Torrance, give South Bay MINI a try next time...they have always been great!
#57
05-16-2008, 03:48 PM
You have just said everything SO well.
Luckily I've always had stellar service at the two dealers I use, South Bay BMW in Torrance, CA and MINI North Scottsdale in AZ. But, having worked in various high-line car dealerships since I was 15, I can tell you that everything you said in your post is spot on. People just never understand it, and really aren't willing to understand it either, its a shame.
What you said about the CSI scores is true too. I've always felt that whole system needs to be revamped though. A lot of customers think that a 4 is good, so even if they receive good, decent service...they might give you a 4, in which case you fail.
The joys of the car business!
Luckily I've always had stellar service at the two dealers I use, South Bay BMW in Torrance, CA and MINI North Scottsdale in AZ. But, having worked in various high-line car dealerships since I was 15, I can tell you that everything you said in your post is spot on. People just never understand it, and really aren't willing to understand it either, its a shame.
What you said about the CSI scores is true too. I've always felt that whole system needs to be revamped though. A lot of customers think that a 4 is good, so even if they receive good, decent service...they might give you a 4, in which case you fail.
The joys of the car business!
Some dealerships/techs really DO suck. Bob Smith is a great example of a dealership that just doesn't care. They charge markups = to 15-20% of the value of the car for purchases.
They wanted my car for a WEEK to TELL me why my window wouldn't go up (I already knew why, the motor was burnt out, and I told them that). They refused to give me a loaner car because I didn't prepay for it by spending $4,000 on top of MSRP for my car. Needless to say I drove an hour south to MINI of Universal city where I bought the car, bought the motor myself and had a friend help me install it. The $200 isn't worth not having a car for a week while they rip the whole car apart to figure out why a window won't roll up.
Another member had their car washed there after service, and got it back looking like someone tried to use sand paper to dry it off. It cost thousands to fix.
Not the kind of business I'd be proud of...
Rumor has it all their new techs there are from Hyundai.
I've never been to South Bay but I've only heard good things about them. Long Beach is supposedly pretty good too. I know it's either MINI of Hamptons or Sterling MINI that is one of the only dealerships in the country that pays their techs hourly, and it shows. They have Exemplary service...
Oh, and your not allowed to vote for a dealership that has family ties
.
Last edited by Guest; 05-16-2008 at 03:54 PM.
#60
05-16-2008, 05:04 PM
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: South Orange County
Posts: 3,735
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#61
05-16-2008, 05:08 PM
Like all organizations, they want perfection, so anything less than perfect is bad. It loses all meaning if the scoring is diluted by using a system that effectively means 1-4 = Fail, 5=Pass.
#62
05-16-2008, 05:23 PM
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: South Orange County
Posts: 3,735
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Does Southbay have an answer for the cold start problem ? Crevier and Irvine do not .
#63
05-16-2008, 05:27 PM
#64
05-16-2008, 09:09 PM
2nd Gear
Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Bruno, CA
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Chances are, if the filter was left on, the oil will get dirty VERY quickly. Look at the filter (which, I realize is not as easy as on other cars) and see if it's new. Of course, the oil being dirty after you drive a while will not get any action from the dealer. Obviously, this advice is intended for the future. As a matter of habit, I check before leaving the place where I had the car serviced. I have had a place intentionally not change the filter, although they charged me for it (not a Mini).
#65
05-17-2008, 09:54 AM
OVERDRIVE
This exact same thing happened to me at Scottsdale last weekend. They used 5 qts. of oil (said on the receipt) instead of 4.5 qts like they're supposed to. I used a 6' piece of plastic tubing to suck about 4 oz. of oil out (to top dipstick marker) and that was that. The excess oil they put in wouldn't have damaged the engine, I'm convinced of that now. I emailed the MA about it and he called back 2 days later and apoligized, offered to pay for whatever I did, asked me to be kind in my email to MiniUSA. I gave 'em a 5 for one thing, a 4 for the other (only 2 questions on my survey), that was that. (I posted this in another thread btw)
#66
05-31-2008, 09:27 AM
4th Gear
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Sarasota, FL
Posts: 318
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Everyone should remember that a dealer is an independent "businessman" who buys cars from MINI USA to sell them. Dealer incompetence in the service department, or any department for that matter, cannot be fixed by MINI USA. MINI USA may get involved if there is a wide ranging problem that can be identified by a lot of dealers. A service bulletin is then issued to fix the problem. The dealer does not have to comply with the SB or even notify customers of the fix unless of course it is a safety issue.
#67
05-31-2008, 05:06 PM
6th Gear
I never, ever answer any after-service surveys, as the ratings are not confidential. The dealer is told exactly who gave them 5's, and who gave then 1's. Last thing I need is a dealer that's gunning for me because I gave his service department all 1's! I just tell the phone survey people to take me off the survey list.
#68
05-31-2008, 05:16 PM
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: South Orange County
Posts: 3,735
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I never, ever answer any after-service surveys, as the ratings are not confidential. The dealer is told exactly who gave them 5's, and who gave then 1's. Last thing I need is a dealer that's gunning for me because I gave his service department all 1's! I just tell the phone survey people to take me off the survey list.
#69
05-31-2008, 08:58 PM
3rd Gear
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Trabuco Canyon, CA
Posts: 275
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Has anyone used Irvine Mini's service department? We bought our Clubman there....salespeople were great! I do my own oil changes and their parts department seems good and again, really nice people. I haven't had to have any warranty work done yet, but when I do, I DEFINITELY will not be going to Crevier!
#71
05-31-2008, 09:09 PM
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Lake forest, California
Posts: 922
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Im local to irvine. I hate the sales guys. Cause i looked at an M3 and they would not take me seriously at all...
the service guy told me all kinds of bull that i reserched and was completely wrong. plus the Service advisors are very unhelpful and always seem bored with me.
So thats my verdict.
the service guy told me all kinds of bull that i reserched and was completely wrong. plus the Service advisors are very unhelpful and always seem bored with me.
So thats my verdict.
#72
05-31-2008, 09:19 PM
3rd Gear
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Trabuco Canyon, CA
Posts: 275
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Im local to irvine. I hate the sales guys. Cause i looked at an M3 and they would not take me seriously at all...
the service guy told me all kinds of bull that i reserched and was completely wrong. plus the Service advisors are very unhelpful and always seem bored with me.
So thats my verdict.
the service guy told me all kinds of bull that i reserched and was completely wrong. plus the Service advisors are very unhelpful and always seem bored with me.
So thats my verdict.
#73
06-01-2008, 10:29 PM
#74
06-02-2008, 04:00 AM
5th Gear
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Phila, PA
Posts: 678
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This is not a bad thing. It shows their commitment to providing the BEST possible service with no gray area in between.
Of course they may "say" that but if that were true, then they would just have "pass" - "fail" instead of 1-5
They may also be tricking you into giving them the higher rating on a boarderline service, thereby increasing their satisfaction score with corporate.
#75
06-02-2008, 04:22 AM
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: South Orange County
Posts: 3,735
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
