I too use Seattle Mini and have had mixed results, but in general they seem to try to make it right.

The worst Dealership/Warranty issues I had was with a GMC 3/4 ton Suburban 4x4 with all the packages. The worst brakes in the world and the dealerships said "They work as designed". Several accidents and run red lights and stop signs later I sold that pig and got a Honda Element and had no such problems! Trust me, there are worse dealerships!

S.

 

Interesting... Sincerely, its good to hear that someone has had better experience with them... based on my experience with them with this new mini and my other 07 mini, I don't have a lot of hope. The level of my disapointment really stems from the very high level of expectation set when I was shopping and looking to make my purchase decision. The expectations set during the sales process (no, I'm NOT totally naive, I get that sales people will say anything to get the deal) seem to have absolutely no bearing on reality... in a market where there are really not a lot of choice, I guess they can get away with it... so far with me, the seem to have zero interest in making it right and have suggested that I reset my expectations to a more reasonable level... so, mediocre seems to be the level I should be expecting (I do hope your good luck hold out though) and I'm waiting to see if they can truly meet that "high" level.

 

Have you spoken with their Service Manager? If he is not performing to your satisfaction then go up a notch to the regional BMW Service Manager. I had to rattle a few chains to get the issues fixed, and that should not be necessary. I have a friend in SoCal that has had similar Dealership problems as you and others have encountered, so it is not just our local 2 MINI Dealerships that are owned by the same guy.

S.

 

New owner to two minis, one a Cooper (non -S, R56) the other the Clubman S. Both cars less than three weeks old. The R56, 800 miles, loose gas cap light comes on followed by CEL. Car ran fine until I put gas in it, then it was very difficult to start it, five attempts before she finally turned over, CEL light still on but car seems to be running fine.

Spoke with the service department folks (Nashville) and they couldn't explain the starting issue, but believe the CEL will go out provided the gas cap is indeed on properly after about a week.

other than the previous threads, anyone care to provide some insight on the starting?

Ron Jackson

 

Welcome to the world of Mini---2011 Countryman S, all 4--900 miles. Its my wife's car, just got it two months ago(p.s.--still haven't received the license plate yet)(p.s.s.--had 245 miles on it from dealer) Guess what?? Check Engine Light came on today. Its the steady yellow engine block light. Everything checks good, (gas cap, fluids, etc.) cant wait to hear what the dealership has to say. I'll keep ya'll posted.

 

Is it me or do 2011's have LOTS of engine problems??? That's all you see, my 2011 this, my 2011 that....

 

Laardilla21!!! What's up bud?? Gonna be at The Dragon? Did you see my tat celebrating my inaugral Dragon? Here tis:


It matches the vinyl under my scuttles. I'll get another to cover the biceps after this Dragon.

Anywhooooo, 9800 miles and the only problem I've had is that I've trashed my front wheels. Seriously they are run-flat slicks! Kumho Ecsta 4X's are going on soon and a Slime kit in the boot. I DO use only top tier 93 octane gas and have already had my oil changed. As ya'll can tell, I've modded a little bit and... no probs other than the tires. Way RULZ!!! Charleston SA has told me that black tailpipes are normal, and Colorshoppegirl... I sympathize but the manual seriously recomends top tier premium gasoline. Good luck.

 

So I called the dealership, they seem to think its my gas cap----and when I told them it was not the cap, they seemed to treat me like a fool. Ok, I'm an aircraft (engine) mechanic, and not to say I know it all, but I'm hear to tell you that my check engine light is not due to the damn gas cap.(at least this time) So, my neighbor has a OBD2 code reader, and upon diagnostic, it detected that I had a mis-fire on the number two and number four cylinders. I am not noticing anything common with an engine misfiring, especially on a four-banger. (usually the whole car will shake at idle when a four cylinder misfires) Also, no loss of power is noticed, and gas mileage seems the same. Anyhow, the dealership made me an appointment a week and a half away, so I will update the board when I find out what they tell me.

 

First time they replaced the spark plugs was at ~5000 miles. No probs really since then until up to ~9000 recently, engine light came back on they replaced the spark plugs again! Also told me that I was 2 qts low on oil. No explanation from the dealership. Any advice?

 

Well, as suspected, there was a "mis-fire" at some point. The dealership choose to replace 3 out of the 4 injectors, (why not all 4 is beyond me). They had the mini for 6 days, gave us a loaner mini, and all has been fine....still, a new car with problems doesnt sit right with me. Keepin my fingers crossed.

 

If they haven't told you what "codes" are popping to cause the check engine light, then they should. Next time, if you want, carry it up to the nearest autozone or carquest etc. and have them read it out for you. Generally this is a free service. This will give you a better idea of what MAY be causing the problems with the spark plugs.
Here is some decent info on the basics of spark plug wear: http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/engine/plugs.html

 

Here we go again. My wife and I drove our Countryman to Michigan and back for the holidays, about a 2500 mile round trip. Had absolutely no problems with the car. The mini handled amazingly, and pulled the hills awesome. Through rain, sleet and snow, I gotta say, I was impressed. The day after we returned home, my wife backed in the garage and the check engine light came on again, and after she shut the car off the electric fan continued running for about 5 minutes after shut down. I figured the car must be overheating. I checked the coolant levels and oil as well, and everything was fine. This time I didn't bother reading the codes out, I just called the dealership and made an appointment. Long story short, the over heat sensor went bad and had to be replaced. The car never actually overheated, which is good news.

 

Check engine light on, 3 times in less than a month. Very frustrated with MINI.

 

I ended up writing them a letter and returned the car in under a year. You could probably get more if you hired an attorney but I was satisfied to be done with all the issues and get my money back.

 

How long did it take you to settle? I have a case open with Mini USA...they tell me it takes longer to study a buy back :(