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NEED MINI2 MEMBERS HELP to make me happy again and to sort out my problem
Iv had a Mini One since June 2003, iv had a problem with the Alternator belt since day 1
they have had it in for repair more times than i can remember . problem is still not mixed and now a 3 day old belt has shreded itself.
This has cost me £100 of pounds in insurance for temp cover cars Petrol in Temp cover cars and Time off work and has cost me a Load of my time , and to add to it when reversing my car to get it ready for mini assist just now. In my anger i accidently drove over my g/f parants picket fence and also scraped the side of the car on a wall "GOD DAM IT" then while i was rushing to enterprise car rental my g/f mum was sorting the assistance guy out with my car , she has a lung problem she was out in the pooring rain she droped hert mobile phone that is now broke.
So i now feel like crap , i have a car that i hardly see , and also car has a problem that bmw cant fix.
Not only that my £17k car is with some guy over night .
I feel crap and i want something back from BMW for that pain in the ass my car has been from new.
I would have thought that if the belt is continually giving problems then there must be a fault with one of the pulleys that it runs on Suerly a specialist would have thought of that
I should raise the issue directly with BMW adn they will contact the dealer. It's not acceptable that you should keep being out of pocket due to this fault, nor acceptable that it has not been resolved - time to create !
That's unbelievable!! I'm no mechanical wizard, but how complex can a belt and pulley be. Can't blame you for being more than a little ticked off at this point.
I can't help you feel better but I will help you rant.
Good luck with the car and the g/f s mum.
IMHO the answer to you problem, albiet a little late now is to.
document, photocopy and keep all the paperwork, write down all the discussions with BMW dealer, all the costs and then present it all to BMW customer care FAO the customer services manager UK.
you are more likely to get it resolved if you can demonstrate the longterm problems in the form of a well documented diary with all the evidence.
Ive learnt this the hard way with car manufactures, if you dont do the work and put it all down on paper you cant expect your complaint to be dealt with professionally and timely. If you put it to customer services in a well documented state you wil get a reply.
I had an issue with heater matrix units failing on my renault, i had 3 go in a row, always 2 weeks outside the warranty of the parts. Each unit should last the lifetime of the car, but failed after 6 months. Each time it had to be fixed for my commute, it cost me close to £500. In the end after putting a very well documented case to customer services i got compensation of £700 and free replacement and labour for the 3rd unit.
Would seem to be on your side - if you have given the dealer ample chance to rectify the fault, and it can not be proven that the fault is simple wear and tear you can reject the vehicle for not being fit for purpose. Generally, just suggesting that this is what you intend to do will convince your dealership to take the issue seriously .
Outline your history of issues with the car detailing dates, costs etc but keep it non emotional and polite. Inform them that you wish to seek adequate redress for the inconvenience and fiscal expense that has been caused by this fault and that you intend to pursue the matter with the fullest vigour (doesn't hurt to mention the Citizens Advice Bureau/solicitor) and invite them to respond to you in writing within 14 days. BMW will refer the matter to their dealer, but it should help raise the profile.
Google BMW UK.......or MINI UK.....go to web site, look for Contacts, look for Customer Service. Call. If you can't find Customer Service in their web site, call Head Office and ask for Customer Service. Have your serial number and your story ready. BE NICE (the person on the other side of the phone is not at fault)....surely they will sort it.
Good luck......
everyone thanks for your help, would love to have another mini that did not have so many things go wrong iv also had gearbox replaced and many other faults .
how can i obtain dates and faults list, from my dealer ? iv requested information from my insurance company for the costs iv spent on temp cars .
sorry everyone me again . iv had so many probs from day 1, i don't get to use my car much as it is always with BMW. they do try to sort out problem but with no progress , just keeps going in, so if i sort of say i cant depend on this car that i got from new i can say i want 1 that i can depend on , and i feel safer in and i will get one of same spec?? spent a lot of cash (4k) with BMW on aero kit etc.
thank you so much for your help and support everyone , just feel so gutted, being 21 don't feel as tho being taken seriously in BMW.
I would agree about documenting everything if you make a complaint.
On a technical note, fan belts don't feature much on the faults and fixes bit, so it must be something with your car, or how the belts are being fitted. As ours is a Diesel, I don't know what the belt drives on the Mini one, but is it something seizing every now and then? Is something fitted wrong so that the belt is out of line? Is the belt fitted far too loose? (although you would probably hear it shriek if it slipped). It's not something else catching it? If so, you might be able to see marks where it's rubbed on things. Could it be a pulley with the wrong angle? Fan belts are supposed to run on the sides of the pulley, not the bottom, and if the sides are worn or at the wrong angle it would damage the belts.
Too tight would damage the bearings on whatever it drives rather than cause the belt to fail. Are you sure it is the right belt being fitted, and not one from a big box of something else that has been wrongly labeled at one dealers?
I would take it to someone else to have a look at when it has a new belt on it. You don't need a MINI dealer as all cars have fan belts. Have you looked at it with the engine running? (Loose clothing warning!!) Is it flapping, twisting or moving side to side? All of those are bad signs. If it drives the alternator, turn on all the electrics to load it. If it drives the aircon, turn that on and off.
If I were you I would write a letter to the Dealer Principal of the dealership and copy everything to MINI Customer Services. The reason being is that your contract is with the supplying dealer not MINI.
If the fault appeared within six months of the car being new then the fault is assumed to be a manufacturing defect which you could try and use to prove the car is not of "satisfactory quality"
wont even see my car before 6th jan 05 , oh my god !!! so unhappy .
im thinking of asking for the TLC XL as my tlc is now up this will give me 3 more services, or should i ask for more? would i get away with more, ? dont think 3 services will be enough for me to be happy again
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NEED MINI2 MEMBERS HELP to make me happy again and to sort out my problem 
so unhappy .
