Has anyone else had a problem with their dealer service???

[InDbluMini]

Has anyone else had a problem with their dealer service?? Im just wondering cuz I bought my mini in for the second time for stalling. They had to keep my car for a couple of days to get the control unit re-coded. I come in to pick up my car and when they drive it over to me, i noticed a dent on the back of the hatch by the plate!!!

That dent wasnt there when i bought it in. I was getting the brush off so I demanded to speak to a manager. I said that dent wasnt there when i bought it in, and he says, "Well i dont know that" and I was like" well you just showed me the sign in sheet and nothing was marked off for body damage so it was brought in clean 'I started grinding my teeth, i was getting really mad at this point.... Ok so at this point he'says as a 'good will' gesture bring it back in next week and we'll fix it....(obvioulsy he assumed responsibilty for it )

ok fine... I bring it back in the following week, another night drop.. and they call me up the following day and was like ok its all fixed its all set to go. I get there, the keys arent in the car, no paper work, nothing... i check the back of the car where the dent is.. and its worse than what it was before!!!!

Sales was still open so i went over there and met with my sales rep, and complained... ok fine he said he'd speak with them and get them to fix it.... Ok now the next day my sales rep calls me up and tells me what they told him.... 1. that the dent guy said he tried but it was in such a way that he couldnt and just didnt want to do anything more with it.. 2. Service was saying that night drops are different that since no one is checking in the car they are not responsible if anything happens to the car. But he said that his manager said that being they tried to fix it in the first place, now they are responsible for fixing it right....

My sales rep said he had to go thru a few managers and "struggle" a little but finally got a date for them to take the car back and fix it right. We'll see how this goes. I have an appt to bring it back in two weeks to get it fixed again.

[obehave]

Don't get me started

For your entertainment:
Some of my posts on my Service Center

[NEMINI]

I'll be back later with my tale of sevrice ineptitude ... gotta write it up.

[MINI guy in SF,CA]

My dealer service feels like a school experiment. Every time I bring the stupid car in for a problem (usually every month or so, and the car is a year old, with 6k on it) it takes them days to do the fix, be it seats squeeking, steering column noises, etc, and then it inevitably takes 3 attempts (read: return visits) to get any remedy. They are vile. Who are they? A hint: A dealer in a BIG city in the Bay Area, in California.

[PoweredByMini]

What dealer did you take it your Mini to out of interest? Because I have had terrible experiences with my brothers Mini at any Milcars dealer/service, you name it I've been (Watford, Ruislip, Temple Fortune...) and they were all crap to say the least. My best experience was with Rydale in Birmingaham with my 1990 E30 M3. The only trouble I had with them was when I was having the A/C fixed prior to moving back to the States, a company called "Motorclimate" really did a number which ****ed me off. Not only has the whole system that they fixed blown up they also curbed my front spoiler which cost them $450, plus they never got payed for the job because the whole system had to be done again here by Lauderdale BMW which are frankly starting to get on my nerves. My car has been back to the service dept. 5 times in the last month for the A/C system and a some carless mistakes too. I could go on and on but I do not want to get too off topic here =)

[Pauline]

Yep! Took my Cooper in for its first service at Park Lane Mini in London last week. Apparantly the person who serviced my car didn't replace the seal on the oil filter properly and I managed to lose 4 litres of oil somewhere between Manchester and London yesterday afternoon.

Luckily for me, Cooper BMW came to my rescue and sorted it all out. I should have taken it to them to have it serviced in the first place.

[northandy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pauline

Yep! Took my Cooper in for its first service at Park Lane Mini in London last week. Apparantly the person who serviced my car didn't replace the seal on the oil filter properly and I managed to lose 4 litres of oil somewhere between Manchester and London yesterday afternoon.

Luckily for me, Cooper BMW came to my rescue and sorted it all out. I should have taken it to them to have it serviced in the first place.

And I thought my dealer was the worlds worst !!!!.... I hope they checked for internal damage ?... sorry to hear that Pauline !

[Pauline]

Well Coopers checked everything this afternoon and said it appeared to be OK....it was only when I got off the motorway after 300 miles that I could actually hear the engine sounded like a diesel. *very* worrying!!

I called Park Lane to let them know to expect invoices for the work Coopers had done to put their mistakes right and they were actually really apologetic. No word of compensation for the inconvenience it caused me though!

[Gas O]

I took the MINI in for repairs to the driver's side indicator light because the clip had broken and it was just dangling (had to tape it up for a while there). Called to schedule an appointment thinking that they would have time to order the part etc. Get there on appt day, drop off car, was informed it would take the majority of the day and to come back around 5:00. I come back at 5:00 and they tell me they have to order the indicator light assembly because they didn't have it in stock. Ok...it took all day to figure that one out I guess. They tell me to come back in two weeks. I return and they take all day to fix the indicator light, I pickup and drive home. A few months later I open my hood to change the oil and I find a rusty Xacto knife jammed near the bonnet hinges very close to cutting open the wire leading to the Xenon headlight assembly. I will never go to this dealership again (PM if you want to know which). Eastbay MINI all the way from now on.

[AprilWhine]

But look on the positive side, this is proof that there really aren't many problems with MINIs. If they broke as often as the threads on here indicate, the service centers would be better at fixing them.

[Goonery]

There is a poll, have a go please.
here is the link


http://www.mini2.com/forum/general-discussion/46681-how-satisfied-you-your-dealer.html


Mr Moderator, please sticky this, you know it makes sense

[NEMINI]

I promised this awhile ago and finally getting to it now. Below in quotes is a letter I had sent to my Service center detailing the issues I've had at the time of writing, think of it what you may.

Quote:

Dear Mr. *****,

I am writing to you today in order to detail my ongoing frustrations with getting my MINI Cooper serviced at BMW Darien.
On November 12th, 2002 I took delivery of a 2003 MINI Cooper (VIN #*************) from MINI of Fairfield County (MoFC). Everything was splendid and my experiences with MoFC have been nothing but exemplary.
On April 23rd, 2003 I brought my MINI into BMW of Darien to have the strut bolt recall done and also to fix a torn handbrake boot (which was determined to be caused by the linkage and covered under (warranty).
The recall service was performed in a professional and timely manner and the boot was inspected. I was informed a new boot would be ordered and I would be mailed a postcard informing me that the part was in and service could be scheduled. After waiting approximately eight weeks and receiving no such noticed I call BMW of Darien to be informed that no such part was ever ordered. They apologized for the mix up and promptly ordered the part. After approximately two and one half months later on July 8th, 2003 my handbrake boot was finally replaced.
My next appointment which occurred on September 25th, 2003 was scheduled to have the first oil change done, a sunroof rattle inspected and repaired and my self installed alarm activated through the BC1 module at my cost. The oil change was done promptly and the alarm was activated. However, when I inquired about what was causing the sunroof rattle I was informed that the problem, which I had thoroughly described over the phone when making the appointment, could not be diagnosed nor fixed while I waited and that for it to be taken care of I would have had to have left the car overnight for a day or two. When I made the appointment I was told everything could be performed while I waited. Needless to say I was annoyed that I would again have to make a two and one half hour round trip to get an issue fixed because of poor communication. After begrudgingly agreeing to make another appointment to fix the sunroof rattles and paying for programming of my alarm I headed home. Almost home I realized I no longer had daytime running lights, they had been inadvertently turned off during alarm programming, subsequent inspection also has revealed that along with my daytime running lights being turned off so have my follow me home lights, my speed sensitive wipers, my halt on stop wiper function and my auto lock and unlocking of doors. Needless to say I was once again more then a little upset, this time it would seem I paid to have this screwed up. As luck would have it I already had to make an appointment for the above mentioned sunroof fix so I decided to get both taken care of at the same time.
On October 22nd I am scheduled to leave the car at BMW of
Darien to have these features reprogrammed in and the sunroof fixed.
Hopefully this time everything gets done properly.
After having self installed the rear fog light switch, I will also be having that programmed at the same time. Going on past history of being charged to have the alarm coded in I am assuming that I will again be asked to pay for the programming.
As of right now if I were to receive a telephone call from
BMW Corporate and be asked to rate my service experiences from
Darien, I would have to say three out of five stars at best. I feel if you and I work together, Mr. *****, this can be improved to both of our
benefits. To this end I have a proposal.
Considering the botched job the last time I paid for
programming, amongst the other noted problems, I feel that as an absolutely minimum the programming of the rear fog lights should be done free of charge. While this will not completely alleviate my disillusionment with service at BMW Darien, it will go towards repairing a strained relationship.
I look forward to any ideas, thoughts or comments you have.
Please find below several methods with which you may contact me
to further discuss this situation.

Sincerely,

Gene ********

It was agreed to that the rear fogs would be enabled for free. That was the good part. The bad part is when I went to pick up my MINI (I had to call them to see if it was done, never recieved one) the programming was done wrong again. The rear fogs were enabled and the daytime running lights were enabled but the alarm that I had previously paid for was disabled, along with other features not being turned on as requested. I was livid at that point and went straight back in and they agreed to fix it right then and there. 45 minutes into what I was told would take 15 minutes, my MINI is finally ready. Or is it? They got most of it right now, finally, but forgot to enable auto-unlock when ignition off. I was then told they would pull it right in and do it all over again but as it was already getting onto 6.30pm and rush hour traffic was in full swing I wanted to go home. It's been agreed upon that my next visit they shall reprogram it one more time, for free, and try to get it correct. I can hardly wait

Thats my 'service' so far.

Gene

[prs]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gas O

I took the MINI in for repairs to the driver's side indicator light because the clip had broken and it was just dangling (had to tape it up for a while there). Called to schedule an appointment thinking that they would have time to order the part etc. Get there on appt day, drop off car, was informed it would take the majority of the day and to come back around 5:00. I come back at 5:00 and they tell me they have to order the indicator light assembly because they didn't have it in stock. Ok...it took all day to figure that one out I guess. They tell me to come back in two weeks. I return and they take all day to fix the indicator light, I pickup and drive home. A few months later I open my hood to change the oil and I find a rusty Xacto knife jammed near the bonnet hinges very close to cutting open the wire leading to the Xenon headlight assembly. I will never go to this dealership again (PM if you want to know which). Eastbay MINI all the way from now on.

I had a similar problem with my 2004 Mini, which I had just picked up from East Bay Mini. (The driver's side signal light popped out within the first 100 miles making a very frightening noise. I thought a major component somewhere underneath the car had broken loose.) I called EBM and returned there a week later without an appointment. They fixed it while I waited. I was told that they had to fish the missing clip out of the wheelwell and put it back where it belonged. I was at the dealership for about an hour or so.

[Tiggie]

Quote: Originally Posted by InDbluMini

Has anyone else had a problem with their dealer service?? Im just wondering cuz I bought my mini in for the second time for stalling. They had to keep my car for a couple of days to get the control unit re-coded. I come in to pick up my car and when they drive it over to me, i noticed a dent on the back of the hatch by the plate!!!

That dent wasnt there when i bought it in. I was getting the brush off so I demanded to speak to a manager. I said that dent wasnt there when i bought it in, and he says, "Well i dont know that" and I was like" well you just showed me the sign in sheet and nothing was marked off for body damage so it was brought in clean 'I started grinding my teeth, i was getting really mad at this point.... Ok so at this point he'says as a 'good will' gesture bring it back in next week and we'll fix it....(obvioulsy he assumed responsibilty for it )

ok fine... I bring it back in the following week, another night drop.. and they call me up the following day and was like ok its all fixed its all set to go. I get there, the keys arent in the car, no paper work, nothing... i check the back of the car where the dent is.. and its worse than what it was before!!!!

Sales was still open so i went over there and met with my sales rep, and complained... ok fine he said he'd speak with them and get them to fix it.... Ok now the next day my sales rep calls me up and tells me what they told him.... 1. that the dent guy said he tried but it was in such a way that he couldnt and just didnt want to do anything more with it.. 2. Service was saying that night drops are different that since no one is checking in the car they are not responsible if anything happens to the car. But he said that his manager said that being they tried to fix it in the first place, now they are responsible for fixing it right....

My sales rep said he had to go thru a few managers and "struggle" a little but finally got a date for them to take the car back and fix it right. We'll see how this goes. I have an appt to bring it back in two weeks to get it fixed again.

[Tiggie]

We bought our Mini Cooper S from Barons in Farnborough in September 2002. After all the extras we specified (body kit, ACC,mini disc etc)the cars value was £23,000. We ordered our car a full 14 months before delivery and in the meantime moved to Essex.

During the spring of this year 2003, we arrived at the multi-storey to pick up the car after a days work and noticed a small dent in the rear quarter panel on the driver’s side.

We took our car to the BMW garage at Romford to get repaired (not through insurance), as our mini was less than a year old.

BMW at Romford called us to inform us that the mini was ready and that we could come and pick it up, which promptly did so.

That weekend while washing the car I notice a mass of surface scratches covering the car, and the repair of the dent whilst ok, the surface near the dent had not been properly sprayed.

We returned the car and complained; BMW said that they could sort this out by polishing out the scratches, being a panel beater in my younger days I was not convinced, (BMW proved me right).

The next day BMW phoned us and said that they were unable to polish out the scratches on the roof of the car and that they would need to re-spray the roof.

A couple of days later BMW of Romford phoned and said they had finished the work and that we could come and pick up the car.

The body shop manager met us to show us around the car to ensure that every thing was to our satisfaction.

For a start we couldn’t see a thing because the car was covered in dust, but worst of all the aerial had been put on back to front.

So, we had to leave them the car again to have the aerial put right and the next day we picked up the car.

A couple of weeks later I washed the car again but still the paint work was not as good as when we first took the car to have the dent repaired, whilst washing the wheels I was shocked (I don’t know why) to find they had some how managed to get spray paint on the spokes of the wheels.

Once again we took the car back to BMW in Romford and complain about the wheels, these where eventually exchanged for a new set. Incidentally, these are BMW Alpina 18” alloys.

At the end of the day we have got fed up with trying to get the paintwork looking as good as when we first took it into BMW at Romford.

The car is now due for its first service, and we are not confident that our local dealer is the place we can trust with our vehicle.

Does anyone know of any dealers near South Essex that we can trust to service our car??

Many thanks

Tiggie