[JayG]

Hi All,

I'm new to DC, and my '03 MCS is nearing service. I'm about 10 miles south of DC in Southern Maryland, so the three dealers listed on MiniUSA.com are about equally inconvenient. Does anybody have experiences you can share (good or bad) on Tate, Sterling, or Towson?
I'm also concerned about an experienced staff, as I might need some diagnostics on a tapping noise I've discovered recently. It's coming from the driver's side, near the air intake. Doesn't sound like it's coming from the internals, and only noticeable at idle or low speeds. Doesn't appear others have had a similar noise according to my forum searches either. I've already had to replace the supercharger at 1200 miles, so I'm hoping this problem will be as painless as possible.

Thanks in advance for all your inputs...

Jason

Jan '03 BRG MCS

[BabsWife]

Jason:
I've only dealt with the fine folks at Sterling, but I've been completely happy with them. There service writers are nice and knowledgable and they are most helpful with the various questions I've had. While I've not had any problem that was too unusual, I've been able to get in with little notice when I had a parking brake issue and they fixed it right away.

In addition, the sales staff at Sterling has always been wonderful. The manager we dealt with now works for the BMW side too; but she has a special place in her heart from us MINI peoples.

So, while I can't say anything about Tate or Towson, I can tell you Sterling is a nice place to deal with.

Hope this helps,
PB

[Lazlo]

I've only been to Tate. Can't say that I'm overwhelmed, though I haven't been anywhere else. They plugged one of my run flat tires that had a slow leak, even though MINI says to not plug these tires. On the previous visit to diagnose the tire, they had the car for four hours, then decided to tell me that they didn't have the tire in stock and that one of the other dealers might have it. Of course, by then there was no way to get an appointment that day.

Just griping. They otherwise seem to be knowledgeable, and I can get appointments there fairly quickly.

[norm03s]

MINI of Towson is where I purchased my car. They hosted a MINI night out and we met all the people at the dealership. I was most impressed with the service manager as he gave a presentation in the shop about various parts that have been redesigned to solve problems IE boot latch rattle, Rad. expansion tank cracking ECT. They encouraged everyone to attend an autoX to discover the handling potential of their MINI. They have a JCW kitted shop mule they are continuing to develop beyond the kit. My impression is that these are car people first and the business is like getting paid for doing what you love to do. The service manager was also very open to questions and free with tips and advice. I'm a very Happy customer...... norm