A Rough guide to UK dealers...have your say

[Mini-Trainer]

This thread has been posted for the feedback to share with myself and others on experiences with......Official BMW Dealers

Buying : What deals where achieved, waiting lists for new cars etc. Include trade in price for your old car.

Servicing :How long on average would you spend getting your car into repair/service

Attitude :What are the staff like on all levels/departments, give your honest opinion

Facility : How up to date are they, in stock, parking, test drives and comfort.

What impresses you : Staff, Prompt Service, Facility.

Rule Book :Individual dealers stance on none BMW mods

Deal Price : What was the best deal you achieved for any consumable, tyres, brakes and fitting rates.

Pop the Dealer names down and perhaps a link to them.

Also feel free to copy and paste sub headings from this post

Thanks for the input chumbs
Rams

[Paul]

Moved to the "Dealership Feedback" forum, an entire forum devoted to this very subject.

[Mini-Trainer]

Cheers Paul, could it be made a sticky?

[Wobert]

I'll dare to be the first response.......

Dealer:

Halliwell Jones, Chester

Deals:

Had to wait eight and a half months ofr my first MCS (May 2003).

No discount, no freebies.

Offered £800 for a seven yr old Citroen Xantia, which I then sold for £1600.

Servicing:

In order to get a "pick up and delivery" service, I've typically had to book around 2 weeks ahead.

Attitude:

Sales fine, a bit lapse at returning phone calls, but polite. When picked the car up, I had to take half a days holiday to "fit in" with their schedule.

Servicing OKish, except the Service Manager, rude, abrasive, uncompromising.....I could go on!

Facility:

Bit cramped on their site, lack of parking space. They are currenlty undergoing major building work, which doesn't help to be fair.

What Impresses Me:

After total non-support over a paint issue on my car, I'm pretty cheesed off. The Dealer Principle didn't do what he said he'd do. And their offer of "subsidising" the rectificaton work was derisory.

Overall:

Well, I've ordered a replacement for my 2003 MCS, but I've gone to another dealer, who appears to value their customers, and will compromise to "win" the deal. So far so good......I'm waiting to deal with their Service Dept!

Robert

[Steffers]

QUick Note:

Bought my Mini at http://www.oxfordmini.co.uk/ I had top notch, buying / servicing / attitude / facility (although small) no deal price and I was impressed with the whole package. So a big well done to those guys.

However, I moved house my local Mini dealers is: http://www.vinesguildfordmini.co.uk/

Where do I start!

Buying - North oxford Garage

Servicing - I needed a repair done to my windscreen, it was leaking!!! The work was fine, no problems whatsoever with that.

Attitude - Well this was the problem, the staff had no idea, hung up on me, took a message and didnt call me back, called again noone available to talk too, eventually spoke to someone and they informed me that they could not find my car....... WHAT!!!! Eventually they found my car, read out what had been done, which was incorrect?? then after another wait they told me what had been done. I had to pick it up later then they first suggested, just no idea at all.

Facility - BMW part of this garage was huge, not so for the Mini.

What Impresses - Other then the Minis in there nothing else.

Deal Price - NA

I will be trying to find another Mini garage in the area as Vines of Guildford on my one visit was shocking. I find in general that I know more about the options etc then the staff in the garages anyway, but this was particularly bad.

I am after an S now and I do not intend to purchase this through Vines.