MINI2

pob · Sep 11th, 2003, 09:44 AM

Picked my replacement Cooper up on 1 Sep, and there are a few niggling things wrong with it. Main concern though was a haziness in the paintwork and a scuff near the n/s/f headlight, from the bottom corner to the radiator grille. I've been to the dealer this morning for them to look at it and they've said it's a paint defect, and they also spotted a crease in the bonnet which they say is a manufacturing defect. They initially offered to repair by respraying the affected area, which I turned down. They then said they would replace the bonnet, but I'm worried about colour matching and what it might look like in a few years time. My only other option is to reject the car - any advice would be much appreciated!

Paul · Sep 11th, 2003, 10:05 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by pob

Picked my replacement Cooper up on 1 Sep, and there are a few niggling things wrong with it. Main concern though was a haziness in the paintwork and a scuff near the n/s/f headlight, from the bottom corner to the radiator grille. I've been to the dealer this morning for them to look at it and they've said it's a paint defect, and they also spotted a crease in the bonnet which they say is a manufacturing defect. They initially offered to repair by respraying the affected area, which I turned down. They then said they would replace the bonnet, but I'm worried about colour matching and what it might look like in a few years time. My only other option is to reject the car - any advice would be much appreciated!

I would get things on paper first of all, and I would let them replace it ONLY the basis and understanding that if you're not happy with it after that, then you will reject it.

That way, you give them a fair chance, and you could have a perfectly good replacement bonnet and everyone's happy, but if you're not happy, you've already said you will not accept the car if you are not happy with the repair, so you cant be caught out by being deemed to have 'accepted it'.

Seems fair on everyone that way.

Old School Jonnie · Sep 11th, 2003, 10:08 AM

Hi Pob!
I would reject the car immediately.
I had similar problems when my dealership drilled the roof rack mounts in the wrong place. They offered to repair and respray the roof. Like yourself i was concerned re colour match and also that they know about the repairs, would this effect the reslae/trade in value???
Legally, if you've reported the fault within a month of purchaser you have not yet legally accepted the vehicle, you have a right to reject.
Stand your ground, there's a lot of rubbish told about customer rights and cars but you have the same rights as with any other goods purchased.
I have rejected 2 MINIs in the last 14 months. Any problems - get a letter from your solicitor - this will do the trick.
Good Luck

Paul · Sep 11th, 2003, 10:23 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Old School Jonnie

Hi Pob!
I would reject the car immediately.
I had similar problems when my dealership drilled the roof rack mounts in the wrong place. They offered to repair and respray the roof. Like yourself i was concerned re colour match and also that they know about the repairs, would this effect the reslae/trade in value???
Legally, if you've reported the fault within a month of purchaser you have not yet legally accepted the vehicle, you have a right to reject.
Stand your ground, there's a lot of rubbish told about customer rights and cars but you have the same rights as with any other goods purchased.
I have rejected 2 MINIs in the last 14 months. Any problems - get a letter from your solicitor - this will do the trick.
Good Luck

I've rejected two cars (well, one older MINI "bought back" and a newer one exchanged at no cost), I wouldn't reject it straight off, it's a bit different to a misplaced hole in the roof (or a set of them), a bonnet is an easily replaced part, a roof is a WHOLE other issue.

pob · Sep 11th, 2003, 10:53 AM

Cheers for the advice. I've told them I'll sleep on it and tell them tomorrow. My concern with the bonnet is what happens a few years down the line? It may look right now, but you see plenty of cars on the road with new panels which over time don't match the rest of the car.

Martin L · Sep 11th, 2003, 11:18 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by pob

Cheers for the advice. I've told them I'll sleep on it and tell them tomorrow. My concern with the bonnet is what happens a few years down the line? It may look right now, but you see plenty of cars on the road with new panels which over time don't match the rest of the car.

As your dealer will do the work, it will be guaranteed like the rest of the bodywork. So if it does "fade" in a few years faster then the rest they should be able to redo it under the guarantee

This is exactly the reason why any repair work should be done at a MINI approved workshop

ideaexchange · Sep 11th, 2003, 12:15 PM

I received delivery of my new MINI Cooper on a Friday...

On Monday the engine light came on.

Tuesday the dealer told me it was a vacuum problem and they would fix it Thursday.

Thursday it turns out it is a wire sling which will be delivered Monday.

Monday they replace the wire sling and the central computer fails.(shorting out apparently)

Tuesday they replace the computer and the car is running fine ? but now it won?t start properly

I finally got my car back yesterday. After 10 minutes on the road the engine light came back on, the EMS light lit up and the engine lost power.

Needless to say its back at the dealers. They now tell me there is an error reading indicating incorrect gas/air mix.

Do you think I should reject this car?

pob · Sep 12th, 2003, 10:12 AM

I probably would try to!

pob · Oct 10th, 2003, 11:44 AM

Car has now covered 160 miles and list of problems has grown. I now have a list of 12 faults:
refelctor missing on near side door
reverse light poorly fitted
creak from steering column
rear number plat not centred properly
clutch pedal rubber falling off when delivered
paint defect on bonnet by near side headlight
crease on bonnet
rattle from o/s front windo
rattle from n/s door
hestitation at 2000rpm
leading edge of n/s door not flush with wing
difficulty selecting 1st and 3rd gears

The car is a disatser area. It's in with the dealer at the moment to fix all these issues on the understanding that this is their one and only chance before it gets rejected.

I've defended MINIs in the past but this is ridiculous. Suffice to say MINI customer services are also involved. I wish I hadn't got rid of my old Cooper - at least the problems with that one were minor. After the experience with this one I honestly can't recommend MINIs to anybody any more.

Sep 11th, 2003, 09:44 AM	#1
pob MINI2 Regular Join Date: Dec 2001 Local Time: 10:57 PM Posts: 236 Offline	HELP NEEDED - Do I reject? Picked my replacement Cooper up on 1 Sep, and there are a few niggling things wrong with it. Main concern though was a haziness in the paintwork and a scuff near the n/s/f headlight, from the bottom corner to the radiator grille. I've been to the dealer this morning for them to look at it and they've said it's a paint defect, and they also spotted a crease in the bonnet which they say is a manufacturing defect. They initially offered to repair by respraying the affected area, which I turned down. They then said they would replace the bonnet, but I'm worried about colour matching and what it might look like in a few years time. My only other option is to reject the car - any advice would be much appreciated!

Sep 11th, 2003, 10:08 AM	#3 (permalink)
Old School Jonnie MINI2 Senior Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: holmfirth. Huddersfi Local Time: 10:57 PM Posts: 375 Offline	Hi Pob! I would reject the car immediately. I had similar problems when my dealership drilled the roof rack mounts in the wrong place. They offered to repair and respray the roof. Like yourself i was concerned re colour match and also that they know about the repairs, would this effect the reslae/trade in value??? Legally, if you've reported the fault within a month of purchaser you have not yet legally accepted the vehicle, you have a right to reject. Stand your ground, there's a lot of rubbish told about customer rights and cars but you have the same rights as with any other goods purchased. I have rejected 2 MINIs in the last 14 months. Any problems - get a letter from your solicitor - this will do the trick. Good Luck Hyper Blue/Black Cooper. Side skirts/Aero grill, Milltek, chrome bitz and a scary roof graphic. A SKATEBOARD IS FOR LIFE NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS

Sep 11th, 2003, 11:18 AM	#6 (permalink)
Martin L MINI defector Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Harefield Local Time: 10:57 PM Posts: 13,602 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by pob Cheers for the advice. I've told them I'll sleep on it and tell them tomorrow. My concern with the bonnet is what happens a few years down the line? It may look right now, but you see plenty of cars on the road with new panels which over time don't match the rest of the car. As your dealer will do the work, it will be guaranteed like the rest of the bodywork. So if it does "fade" in a few years faster then the rest they should be able to redo it under the guarantee This is exactly the reason why any repair work should be done at a MINI approved workshop MINI, RX8 and MX5 - Done those............. It's now TTime Unofficial MINI2.com bean counter

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Sep 11th, 2003, 10:05 AM	#2 (permalink)
Paul Trained Monkey My Classifieds Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Bedfordshire Local Time: 10:57 PM Posts: 40,875 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by pob Picked my replacement Cooper up on 1 Sep, and there are a few niggling things wrong with it. Main concern though was a haziness in the paintwork and a scuff near the n/s/f headlight, from the bottom corner to the radiator grille. I've been to the dealer this morning for them to look at it and they've said it's a paint defect, and they also spotted a crease in the bonnet which they say is a manufacturing defect. They initially offered to repair by respraying the affected area, which I turned down. They then said they would replace the bonnet, but I'm worried about colour matching and what it might look like in a few years time. My only other option is to reject the car - any advice would be much appreciated! I would get things on paper first of all, and I would let them replace it ONLY the basis and understanding that if you're not happy with it after that, then you will reject it. That way, you give them a fair chance, and you could have a perfectly good replacement bonnet and everyone's happy, but if you're not happy, you've already said you will not accept the car if you are not happy with the repair, so you cant be caught out by being deemed to have 'accepted it'. Seems fair on everyone that way.

Sep 11th, 2003, 10:23 AM	#4 (permalink)
Paul Trained Monkey My Classifieds Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Bedfordshire Local Time: 10:57 PM Posts: 40,875 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by Old School Jonnie Hi Pob! I would reject the car immediately. I had similar problems when my dealership drilled the roof rack mounts in the wrong place. They offered to repair and respray the roof. Like yourself i was concerned re colour match and also that they know about the repairs, would this effect the reslae/trade in value??? Legally, if you've reported the fault within a month of purchaser you have not yet legally accepted the vehicle, you have a right to reject. Stand your ground, there's a lot of rubbish told about customer rights and cars but you have the same rights as with any other goods purchased. I have rejected 2 MINIs in the last 14 months. Any problems - get a letter from your solicitor - this will do the trick. Good Luck I've rejected two cars (well, one older MINI "bought back" and a newer one exchanged at no cost), I wouldn't reject it straight off, it's a bit different to a misplaced hole in the roof (or a set of them), a bonnet is an easily replaced part, a roof is a WHOLE other issue.

Sep 11th, 2003, 10:53 AM	#5 (permalink)
pob MINI2 Regular Join Date: Dec 2001 Local Time: 10:57 PM Posts: 236 Offline	Cheers for the advice. I've told them I'll sleep on it and tell them tomorrow. My concern with the bonnet is what happens a few years down the line? It may look right now, but you see plenty of cars on the road with new panels which over time don't match the rest of the car.

Sep 11th, 2003, 12:15 PM	#7 (permalink)
ideaexchange MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Toronto Local Time: 05:57 PM Posts: 23 Offline	I received delivery of my new MINI Cooper on a Friday... On Monday the engine light came on. Tuesday the dealer told me it was a vacuum problem and they would fix it Thursday. Thursday it turns out it is a wire sling which will be delivered Monday. Monday they replace the wire sling and the central computer fails.(shorting out apparently) Tuesday they replace the computer and the car is running fine ? but now it won?t start properly I finally got my car back yesterday. After 10 minutes on the road the engine light came back on, the EMS light lit up and the engine lost power. Needless to say its back at the dealers. They now tell me there is an error reading indicating incorrect gas/air mix. Do you think I should reject this car?

Sep 12th, 2003, 10:12 AM	#8 (permalink)
pob MINI2 Regular Join Date: Dec 2001 Local Time: 10:57 PM Posts: 236 Offline	I probably would try to!

Oct 10th, 2003, 11:44 AM	#9 (permalink)
pob MINI2 Regular Join Date: Dec 2001 Local Time: 10:57 PM Posts: 236 Offline	Car has now covered 160 miles and list of problems has grown. I now have a list of 12 faults: refelctor missing on near side door reverse light poorly fitted creak from steering column rear number plat not centred properly clutch pedal rubber falling off when delivered paint defect on bonnet by near side headlight crease on bonnet rattle from o/s front windo rattle from n/s door hestitation at 2000rpm leading edge of n/s door not flush with wing difficulty selecting 1st and 3rd gears The car is a disatser area. It's in with the dealer at the moment to fix all these issues on the understanding that this is their one and only chance before it gets rejected. I've defended MINIs in the past but this is ridiculous. Suffice to say MINI customer services are also involved. I wish I hadn't got rid of my old Cooper - at least the problems with that one were minor. After the experience with this one I honestly can't recommend MINIs to anybody any more.

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