Alexander Mini Dealership, be warned. came in with 1 problem left with 2. [Archive] - MINI Cooper Forum - MINI2 Mini Cooper Forums

: Alexander Mini Dealership, be warned. came in with 1 problem left with 2.


triphopkid
Jul 2nd, 2010, 01:16 PM
I have an 02 mini cooper that i have just recently bought at carmax, it was almost perfect! it ran and looked great considering it was an 02 model, it only had 65k when i bought it, and i was happy and satisfied, and later developed into a mini obsession, i took care of the car really well and treated it as if it was a $800,000 luxury car, having said that, i only wanted the best for my new bestfriend. and deciding where to service my mini was
out of the question, of course a mini dealership i said to myself.
unfortunately that dreaded day had to come, and i decided to bring it to Alexander mini since it was the one closest to my place, it was for the airbag light that would not go away, that and nothing else, got there and spoke with a service guy named IVAN MONTEJANO, who suddenly, without doing any further inspection of my car, took my keys and said i cant let you leave with that light on, heres a (1) loaner car, i'll call you as soon as we find out whats wrong, i was like its just the light, and he went on to say that they will do an inspection for free anyway, 2 days later, i call them to follow up, he said that the there were few things they found that needs to be fixed (2). a faulty airbag wire, (3) thermostat leak (4) fan switch (5) brake fluid (6) Alignment. that bad? i immediately became suspicious and went to search online for a much needed 2nd opinion , i was terrified!!, what??? my bestfriend couldnt be that sick!... its one of those really sickening moments you know you are, as we speak, getting ****ed over and theres nothing you can do. A few hours later i get a dreaded call from the service guys saying my extended warranty would not cover entirely the repair cost and that i would have to pay $300 of my own money if i wanted to have this fixed. oh boy, even after purchasing an $1800 2 years extended warranty from carmax! ****! what??? i seriously felt i was going through 7 stages of death, im not kidding. believe me its not butter. its a scam. 2 days, 4 xanax, 18 marlboro reds later, i went to the dealership to pick up my mini,and just as expected, charges were $335 .88 for labor and 106.7 for a thermostat plus taxes came out to 452.29 of which $173 only was carmax's worry free extended warranty repair was willing to cover, and yeah the faulty wire was free of charge, go figure. Im paying for something i did not complain about. excited as i was to see my buddy again, i bought him a lil treat, a mini branded car shampoo and wax shine! yey! reunited and eager to check my supposedly better car, i thought to myself, NAH, its worth every penny, i did not care anymore as long as i have my bestfriend back in the pink of health.
right? i started the car and proceeded to check everything, and a few mili seconds later i heard this loud annoying sound (fan switch? oh yes. remember, what the ****???? this was something i only hear when i turn on the ac in full blast) and then heres the best part, i turned on the AC and it wasnt spitting out cooled air but the ugly opposite, hot air ) i could not believe what was happening, i tried to make sense of things, but to no avail, i pulled over to the curb, grab my registration and checked the vin # i was like hey is this my car? my heart broke. i seriously felt bad for my buddy. i felt like a dad finding out my daughter had just been raped. exaggerated as it sounds, that ugly, feelings you only wish upon your enemies sort of thing, is just not right. its downright ****ED UP. STILL shaken from this traumatic chain of events, i called back the dealershit alexminiimports and politely ask to speak with Ivan, hold please.... holding... holding.... this is IVan mini service how can i help you, i said hi this is eric LIM, I JUST HAD MY CAR SERVICED, UHMMMM OH HEY MR LIM. WHATS UP? (in a very sarcastic tone) i told him what just happend, i was calm and composed and.... i put down the phone and gave up. i knew nothing good was going to happen, im sure it will only get uglier from there on, you can only guess how much parts and labor fees these sharks goin to charge.... its just so obvious. i tried to file a complaint with the BBB but they are not listed, weird?! so i snapped back to reality and accepted the fact that i just got scammed and here i am. im hoping that this will reach 10000000 mini owners and decide not to bring their cars for service at alexander mini downtown LA for service because im sure 75% THEY WILL PULL OFF SOMETHING LIKE THIS .be warned. Im sure if they continue with this kind of practices they wont last.

MINIAC
Jul 2nd, 2010, 02:28 PM
Dealership labor rates are outrageous in California so you need to find an independent MINI mechanic in your area.

gtt19
Jul 11th, 2010, 04:47 PM
first of all, it's carmax's fault for not having explained their extended warranty more clearly to you. with VERY few exceptions, extended warranties typically aren't honored by a dealership other than the one that sells you the car - so be aware of that for the future.

second, Alexander should have given you the option to have that worked performed...its as simple as that. regarding the work that they did, most of those "fixes" DO sound like actual recall campaigns that exist for a 2002, so I think the work is legit. in the end, it should be a good thing that you had that work done (especially the airbag wire)...but you should have had the right of refusal.

last, MINIAC is right on...labor rates in CA are ridonkulous. given that your MINI is definitely out of (its original factory) warranty, and that you've had a bad experience with Alexander, i'd try to go to another MINI dealer...or just find an independent mechanic as mentioned. i know it's not much salve for your wounds, but try to look to the future and chalk this up in the "life experience" category...because your little MINI is DEFINITELY worth it! :o)

triphopkid
Jul 11th, 2010, 08:19 PM
so i desperately went back to alexander mini to try to get my car fixed, being broke and all, just didn't have much choice, IVAN MONTEJANO explained to me that this problem is just beyond anyone's control... true... but i still insisted to get my car checked... and guess what....

this time he tells me that i needed a new compressor... wow... believe that ****.

can anyone tell me whats going on here? cant they just admit that, they must have done something wrong? everything was working when i brought it in and just when they had the car the engine fan switch fails? the ac system malfunctions? suddenly the compressor failed? all of these while at the dealership?????

yeah these things happen, but not while your car is being serviced. right? what are they thinking? any 5th grader could have told you that but they just wont budge in.

they did offer to service my car, @ regular rate of $150 per hour, est work hours 4 plus parts of god knows how much for a compressor. and im like
what???????????????? you have the nerve to charge me again? of course i said no.im sooooo ****ed. can anyone help me sue this dealership?? or just do something???