[mSm]

Hi guys

After sorting out a cracking deal over the phone with the MINI dealer, we travelled 200 miles from London to Exeter to buy a lovely white MCS.

We arrived via tube, train and taxi full of anticipation (us, not the taxi you understand). We met with the dealer and i just knew that the way he started the sentence there was a but coming, in fact rather like Dawn French it was a rather BIG BUTT (no offence Dawn).

They had started the car up and they it developed a rather nasty clunky noise in the gearbox area. They said that they would get it fixed obviously. Lots went through my mind, my wife was upset - it was to be her car.

I had lots of concerns - why did they only find this out now - after we had travelled 200 miles to see the car. Would this be symptomatic of other issues - the car is only 10 months old after all . My initial thoughts were to back out of the dal - nothing had been signed yet - but the salesman seemed sincere enough. The clunk had just happened, they could have hidden it (it only occurred at startup, and depressing the clutch 'got rid' of it) and let me find it later on when i got back to London.

I also drove the car and truly there was nothing wrong with it, no odd sounds, nothing.

So in the end I opted to carry on through with the deal... so what 'goodwill' gesture did the garage offer...

BMW 325 to get back to London in (on garage insurance) and to keep until MINI is back to health
MINI delivered to London when its ready
All stone chips removed from bonnet (they offered to respray it properly rather than just touch up)
and no payment till I am happy with it

So thats my MINI adventure for today... I know yo can be cynical and say the dealer is doing only what is expected - and they dont want to lose the sale... but I think they handled this well, and they looked as concerned as we did.

Hopefully by this time next week, i will have a MINI in my garage rather than a BMW 325 (·oh did i say it was a 325d touring)

[bigcoyote]

Sounds like the dealer treated you right!!!

A "good dealer" story for once!


Good luck with the MINI

[miniXL]

Good luck I hope they get everything sorted for you guys ASAP!

You should be OK as everything would be covered under the warranty.

[Foxy Mini]

You got more than me!
I went to pick my car up on Tuesday, and I had also sorted the whole deal out over the phone. I was moving the new car next to my Cooper for a photo and felt steering knocking. I told the salesman that the car needed a new steering column, and he denied it, but I insisted he took it over to the technician.

5 minutes later he comes back and tells me there's nothing wrong with it, when I KNOW there is. Not having any way to make the 70 mille trip home, I accepted the car and told them I would be in touch, The next day I took the car to a different dealership closer to me, and it has now been booked in for a new steering column to be fitted under warranty next week.

Rubbish. It totally took the shine off my excitement

[mSm]

Just a quick update...

Dealer called today to tell me the gearbox is being replaced on Wednesday... no ida what the issue was, and I did drive the car and it seemed ok apart from the clunk at start up....

anyone any theories? dealer said it was a bearing - but would this necessitate a gearbox change?

anyway hopefully its being delivered next monday