[jplynes]

I am a new owner of a MINI Convertible and wanted to relate my experience with the dealer here in Cleveland.

About 3-4 weeks ago (January of 05) I was looking at replacing my old vehicle, a ’94 Ford Escort Wagon with 130K miles and was imagining getting another “practical” replacement work vehicle, a low-end Chevy Cavalier. The Cavaliers had just stopped being made by GM, and I needed to look if I was to get one. But I 1st wanted to check out the Mini. I hadn’t had a convertible since my ’67 Camaro I got when I was 17 and kept for about a decade.

I went to Classic MINI in Mentor and drove one with Bill Brickman. I loved the Cooper. Period. Plus it was small and still practical. I didn’t need to fit my whole 6-person family into it, this was just a work car, and that wouldn’t be needed anyway – my other vehicle is big and is for holding the whole family. I had decided to keep driving the old beater one more year and save my $ for the Cooper Convertible.

Well 1.5 weeks later the timing belt blew on the ole Escort and a nice stack of “other work that really needed to be done” basically meant that the Escort was not worth investing further in … but I needed a car NOW and those Coopers take 2 ½ months to order! I called Bill and he emailed me with a very short list of cars, of which only one was “in stock”, the Cool-Blue Convertible I saw in the showroom with the premium package and chrome trim. Strait up and down: Bill dealt fairly and squarely with me, did not try to change a thing, was right at MSRP, and was very accommodating. Several days later I took delivery before the end of the month: What a great dealer experience, I would like to recommend Classic, Bill, and Ed the Sales Manager to anyone looking.

At delivery Bill was ready to spend considerable time to show me everything on the car, and had a nice little pile of promotional “trinkets” that he gave. They even kept from putting on the front license-plate bracket (even though it is legally required in Ohio) in case I wanted to hold off in doing so, as many do.

About a week later my dome light stopped working, and I stopped by the BMW/MINI service center across the street for a new bulb and to have the License bracket put on. Zach Frankenberry and Service Manager Tom R. were very courteous and fixed me up – the dome-light bulb for the convertible needed ordered and they said they could mail it to me so I didn’t have to drive the 60 miles to the dealer and could pop it in myself, as it was “a non-critical service item”.

This week (another few days gone by) my title showed up in the mail and while I was coming out of the license borough, walking up to the MINI, I look right at a crack coming down from the top center of the windshield, about 8 inches long! I had not realized how much I have REALLY become ATTACHED to this car in such a short time. The crack hurt me more than it hurt the Cooper, I think. J

I had driven that car almost exclusively since getting it and I do not remember, not even once, the telltale “pop” of a rock or other object hitting my windshield. I figured the windshield must have been nicked or something at the top edge, under the grommet, when put in new – and now that the 1st thermal stresses of winter driving had been experienced, a crack had formed.
I was already out on the East side of Cleveland on my lunch hour, so I decided to drive strait to Classic and show it right away, as I was worried about having to do the insurance thing. Tom was there and looked at it. The next thing he said really surprised me:

“This may have been caused by a rock, but without a chip on a brand-new windshield we can take care of this for you.”

Wow. Going the extra mile to take care of a new customer. This is what service is all about.
It’s not clear if there was something wrong with the windshield glass originally, and I do not think that a rock really caused it, but the bottom line is that when this kind of thing happens in a two week-old vehicle, the service manager gives the customer the benefit of the doubt. Thank you Classic. You have earned my trust.

I love my MINI and the little car has not let me down, and the dealer is to be commended for a great experience all around. I am told that I can get my new windshield in a few days, they will be calling when they are ready for me to come in, at no charge, and with a loaner vehicle for the day.
James P. Lynes,
New MINI Cooper Convertible Owner and satisfied customer of Classic MINI in Mentor – Clevelend, Ohio

[Rennie]

I loved reading that. I would mail those comments to MINIUSA and cc the dealership. I'm sure they'd love to receive an "atta boy!" letter. Congratulations on your new ride!

[milliethemini]

James,

Great first post, and welcome to MINI2!!!

If this is the same Classic Mini of Ohio that many of the American MINI owners here have been raving about, then you certainly picked the right dealership to get your MINI from. You see, when the MINI first came to North America back in 2002, there was quite a bit of a shortage of Coopers and Cooper S's to go around, and some dealerships marked up their prices quite a bit, expecially in California, where the markup was as high as $2k over MSRP!!!

Classic Mini came to the rescue, many MINI owners from other states got their car from them, as they were willing to sell right at MSRP. The only added expense, if I remember from the threads I have read, is a $500 charge for transportation by rail if the owner wanted that. Many MINI owners made the trip to Ohio to pick up their cars, and were apparently very well treated by Classic Mini.

As for your cracked windshield - it's actually a recognized 'fault' of the New Mini, having to do with the quality of the glass, how it was seated, and it's upright position. Just over a year ago, they changed the make and quality of the windshield to reduce the odds of this happening, but it appears from your case that they still do

So, if the windshield is cracked, with no signs of rock or stone damage, it's covered under warranty, and the dealership should handle it. Having said that, you will be surprised how many MINI dealerships are resistant to acknowledge that a cracked windshield should be covered under warranty, and that it must be the owner's fault. So kudos to Classic Mini for immediately acknowledging the problem, and fixing it!!!

[CoopLex]

I have ordered parts from Classic on two occasions and they give discounted pricing and very good service.

[GolferSmurf]

Wow great feedback! Thank you for sharing your experiences with this dealership! My wife and I plan to order a new JCW MCS this spring once our tax return arrives...Classic Mini in Mentor is our nearest dealership though it's not near, it's a good 60+ miles away for us as well. Hopefully I will have some good comments to add soon!

Regards,
-Mark-

[My2ndMINI]

I purchased 3 Mini's at Classic MINI in Mentor,
Every time I am at the dealership it is just a great experience.
Everyone there is always awesome. I really can not say enough great things.

[yellowmininy]

Got help there with a tire flat when I was visiting in 2003- very nice folks there.

[MoPRep]

Hello All~
I'm actually a Motoring Advisor for MINI of Peabody in the Boston area. Being that the MINI community is close, I see people from other dealerships at MINI training and different events. I had to go to St. Louis for a training on MINI's - and met some of the nicest people in the world - both work for Classic MINI. I consider them both friends since our training together, and I would not hesitate to recommend anyone to them. Not only are they genuinely nice people ~ I'm fully confident they would take excellent care of you.
For what it's worth....
~Vinny

[MoPRep]

Opps~ If you go to Classic, ask for Mike or Katie and tell them Vinny sent you :-)