I've posted about having a rust spot bubbling underneath the paint on the left rear quarter panel of my 03 MCS a little while back...well since then I've taken it to Braman Miami.

Trip 1 - MINI NA pays to have the Braman Miami Bodyshop (supposedly the largest body shop in the country) spot fix the rust by sanding it down, sandblasting off the paint, and repainting it. They gave me a loaner since I live 2 hours away.

Trip 2 - This time I went back because the paint began to look bad after a couple weeks. They wet sanded and may have repainted and gave the car back after two days and 8 more hours of driving and paying for gas (there,back - there, back).

Trip 3 - about 6 months after last visiting my favorite people over at Braman, the rust spot came back and MINI refused to pay for it. The only competent person at the whole place, Ryan Mullings (MINI Service Advisor), spoke with the body shop with me and they agreed that the last time they did the work the car was not prepped right and the rust came back in TWO locations. They angrily agreed to re-do the work. When I got the car back the paint looked beautiful after I INSISTED that they wet sand the area THREE times after they tried to give me the car with orange peel and bumps in the paint. I get in the car at 5:05 to leave and they close the gates behind me to go home....There is white spray stuck to my blue seats, my speaker shroud on the drivers door is sticking out a quarter inch, my door latch (both inside and out) doesn't work, and the ENTIRE interior of my car is coated in thick sanding dust. Also my radar detector cord in the dash is pulled out. WHY WERE THESE STUPID MORONS ANYWHERE NEAR THE DASH OR DRIVERS DOOR AND WHY WOULD THEY LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN WHEN THEY SAND NEAR THE FUEL DOOR??

Trip 4 - Joe Oss, the biggest jerk ever, finally agreed to pay for my gas to and from the dealership in order to have all of the problems fixed. I filled up on AV Gas in Weston and the MINI PURRS and drives amazingly. The exhaust smells like a small airplane. They fixed everything but took 4 hours to do it and they still left a fair bit of dust in the car...

Trip 5?? - MINI N.A. calls me a week after this last trip to inform me that NOW they want to pay for me to get a new quarter panel installed. They will not let me take it to a local and far superior body shop but would rather have me drive to Miami again They want 3 days to order the part and then TEN days to install it! That's a ridiculous amount of time. What else can I ask for to compensate me for this nightmare? ...a loaner...a detail...gas money...lots of gas money?? Has anyone else run into this sort of problem?

 

Your upset that they want to fix your car? Sounds like they are working with you- Don't look a gift horse in the mouth... Say thanks and motor on!

 

I tried to claim on the rust perforation warranty, but they basically told me to take a hike.

 

What does the rust on your car look like? mine showed as smooth bubbles under the paint on the body...

I'm not mad that they want to fix my car...I'm EXTREMELY ANGRY at their incompetence in fixing my car properly and making the car better than it was when I dropped it off to them. I'm mad that they cut corners and do shotty work just to shut me up until my MINI Rust Warranty is over and fail to offer any guarantee in their workmanship.

 

I don't think they are required to do any work to your car until there is a hole in the body. Its a perforation warranty, not a surface rust or corrosion warranty.

We went over this before with the door rocker panel seam rust issues...

 

Would hardly say nightmare...