Hi. I purchased what I thought was a new Mini Countryman on Oct 31, 2011.

On Oct 14th I discovered water leaking into the back hatch and brought it to the dealer for repair under the 50K/4-year warranty. The dealer said the car had an "In-service" date of 6/30/15 and is claiming the repairs COULD have been taken care of if I had brought it in before Sept 30, 2015 (since it was given a three month extension from the 6/30/15 date).

It was never disclosed on the purchase paperwork or on the odometer disclosure that this was a Demo car or that the warranty had a shortened duration from the purchase date. The in-service date was not disclosed until this issue arose and the Dealer is claiming that of course "it wouldn't be on any of the purchase paperwork". Huh? Really?

The repair fee they are requesting is $750 for a dirty seal replacement and for a new handle required.

My trust is definitely broken. Haven't agreed to pay it yet and have a call into the service manager but this is DIRTY business.

Anyone successfully resolve a similar issue?

 

Definitely discuss the issue with the Service Department Manager. If you don't get anywhere, you can always go up the chain of command and speak with the GM about the matter. Most of the time they should attempt to correct this, but each dealer is different. My manager, I was a Service Writer, always worked his hardest to fix issues like these. Just be nice and calm about the matter as typically they respond better. If nothing does get resolved you could also replace it yourself and save money. Or you could go to a MINI indy shop and they will most likely charge way less than the dealer.

 

Thank you Pelican. I will do this. I've been calm but I just feel like this is unfair--I mean if I didn't ask they would have happily charged me $750 bucks.

But I appreciate your advice! Thank you!

 

You're welcome and I completely understand. It was hard working at a dealership sometimes because I did not agree with some tactics in some departments. Sometimes things like this could be a miscommunication between departments as that can happen. Service and sales don't always talk about things. I had a very honest and trust worthy manager in my department so he would always attempt to do the right thing and resolve issues. This isn't the case for every dealer, but I do hope they're able to resolve your issue. Keep us updated and let us know when you hear back.

 

A "demo" car usually has a tons of extra paperwork...and extra miles...
New has 50 miles or less as typical, but can be as high as 300-400 if the car has been swapped from one dealer to another....
Sure your paperwork says several THOUSAND MILES.....as is typical of a demo....not sure how you missed your new car had so many miles...but you can try to get the repair "good willed", but I think you might find it difficult to claim no knowledge of it being a demo car...
Maybe I'm missing something here.... But several thousand miles of wear and tear at delivery is kinda noticeable....
Sorry I am not always pro owner, but sometimes, you get a " deal" cause the t is being sold as a used car, with a few months of testdrivers sailing on it....

 

Nice way for them to insure repeat business. What dealership? Always good to have a record of what dealers take the long term customer service approach vs. slash and burn tactics.

 

The difference in service/purchase dates is reported as undisclosed at four months; the extended warranty as three months. If so, I say dealer needs to man up for not disclosing the date when the warranty ends.