[pob]

I was quite relieved when that's all they had on - the grass article was beyond belief! As long as they don't keep at it and do a hatchet job residuals shouldn't be affected. I think BMW might think they've got off lightly, but it should give them a kick up the arse with a bit of luck.

[smartbomb]

Sorry ricardo !
It's just that Watchdog is such a terible programme. It used to feature genuine consumer issues which affected a number of people. Now it has turned into a farce, I dare say if someone had a copy of the Sunday Times minus the never - read under water basket weaving pull out they would have done a piece on that !
It's Anne 'come back due to falling ratings and Nicky is rude and arrogant' MINI adventure !

[DiamondGeezer]

I must admit I'm really suprised at the postings here.

Ok - Watchdog is a pile of ****.

However, the amount of posts I've read on this forum with people moaning about the faults with their cars (and there are many) and calling people to stand up to BMW.

Then all you can do is write it off as a crass piece of journalism.

The first case (faulty electrics) is a fault I've read about many times here and it is totally unacceptable. The woman complained and obviously did a far better job of it than many of you here. From memory, didn't she get a replacement car? Then there was the insurance issue i.e. if the car had this defect then your insurance could be null and void.

The second case was so obviously not as a result of grass on the cat, exhaust or anything else for that matter. What was BMWs response - 'oh it happens a lot with cars with lowered sporty suspension' - well to anyone that knows their cars, that's complete ******** - something was obviously faulty!

Let's face it, if BMW had sat up and taken notice months ago, then it's likely the MINI wouldn't even have been featured.

By all means vent your frustrations here when things go wrong with your car but don't then moan when it's publicised. You can't have it both ways.

BMW have a problem and they should take ownership of it.

I do agree though that the whole way in which the programme is put together is a complete shambles.

[Paul]

I think it's good that the MINI's problems get some airing. Well, the electrical problems anyway, seems to be a lot of faulty EC1's out there. (Is that what the evil black box is called)?

[monsta]

I thought it was a well known fact that you can't park car's with a CAT in long grass??! They operate at a really high temperature, don't they? And to call 999 seemed a bit extreme...

[MINIMARK]

Park car in a meadow, car start's to smoke, its a MINI adventure.

[Hanny]

Quote:

From the Watchdog web site

"Nine days after I bought the new mini I took the vehicle out onto the road."

?????????

9 days before taking on to the road?

Ah ha, now it all makes sense.
Maybe she had mistaken it for a sit on lawnmower, and had spent nine days trying to get the grass down?


It was approximately 9 seconds before mine was tearing up the tarmac.

[Paul]

I got the engine bay area of a MINI really wet and drove it around slowly..

This happened:



Is steam coming from a hot thing that has cold water on it a cause for concern?

[Hanny]

After reading that I'm convinced it's a problem.

I'm just gonna phone Watchdog and get them to check out my "faulty" Morphy Richards Kettle.
You wanna see the steam come off that bad boy.

[Hanny]

On a serious note.

Does anyone else think it a bit dumb to advertise on national TV that some MINI's may be found unintentionally unlocked???

[Dogger]

When I heard that the MINI was going to be on Watchdog I must admit I was concerned about the effect on resale values etc, but to be honest I think the whole item came accross as a light-hearted swipe at 'the Germans' (cue sinister music) rather than a real peice of investigative journalism.

There was no suggestion that the electrics problem was seen as an issue for anyone other than 'worried of Wokingham' (or wherever she was from), and the less said about that dizzy cow with the burning bush problem the better!..

I couldn't beleive it when she started harping on about "lots of people have grass in their driveways"..!

If anything will have a negative impact on resale values of the MINI it's the contributions (mine included) to the various 'faults' threads on this site. So we've only got ourselves to blame..

[Dogger]

..I meant to add to the above that when I went to have a 'quiet chat' with my dealers yesterday (hello Geoff!) I noticed on the service dept's computer that when my MINI Disc was changed due to the battery drain they also ran various checks "to make sure that the doors were locking/unlocking correctly and that the windows were working".

Why they should feel the need to check this back in November when there'd been no complaints from me about it is more than a little supicious!

Whatever these checks were seemed to include various parts that no-one could identify at the time, but cost around about £35 each (x2)...

The MINI adventure continues....

[My MINI me and me]

Quote:

Originally posted by smartbomb
What a great piece of TV journalism. Totally objective and featuring very dangerous and nasty problems.
I think the lady with the red Cooper was the one with the problem of smoking grass.....
Watchdog is such a pile of briefs, I mean if I e-mail them and tell them that a shirt I bought the other day had a slight crease in it, they'd turn it into a 10 minute soap opera....

Now come on, I'm sure their researcher was very bright and started by putting "MINI" into any search engine to arrive at this site.

That they reseached all the articles in faults and fixes and spoke to a couple of hundred people and maybe even the founders of this site.

From hours of usable material the producer was forced to cut a short 10 minute (but in depth acticle), which vidicated all of the owners who have experienced serious problems so far.

However due to the unforseen limitations on running time this must have been replaced with a brief BMW/MINI promotion that could only be shown in the last 2 minutes of the programme, forcing you to watch the whole programme, whilst salivating with anticipation that MINI executives would have to either admit their are serious problems will be addressed, or, go into complete denial (admitting liability by default).

Never mind a new MINI I want my licence fee back!

[smartbomb]

The grass lady is a joke.....believe me ....!

[stoutard]

no matter what the opinion about the show itself and even if there are "niggles" the mini has now been "watchdogged" this means that BMW will sit up and pay attention to the issue of the opening doors/windows and hopefully the rest. I am due to pick mine up in 2 weeks and will definately be advising the dealer that if it experiences this fault and the cars is stolen/vandalized after I have switched on the upgraded alarm system I have chosen I will not ,may be even can not, claim on my own insurance but will claim on that of the dealer/BMW.

[rjwatson]

This Watchdog feature was just another example of the current state of the BBC that we all pay for. All the BBC does now is focus and dig around for failure be it products such as the BMW MINI, public figures or our national sports teams, you can guarantee if the slightest thing goes wrong the BBC will be there to tell us about the public outcry. They wouldn't be interested in information like a successful motor car been built here in Britain. NO NO

Grow UP BBC. How would you fare in a Watchdog examination or should I say whitch hun, I could think of a few complaints I'd like to air. Come on SKY, hurry up and take the BBC down!!!

[Apial]

Its a shame that Watchdog could only find one undeniable problem, ie the "Christine" electrics. To put someone on complaining about a burning smell makes a mockery of all the owners with left pulling cars that didn't even get a mention.

I thought Watchdog was supposed to champion the cause of consumers with faulty products not turn them into trivial whiners. Anyone would think that Watchdog had been sponsored by BMW, ie customers that complain about nothing and customers that are immediately given new cars when there electrics go wrong. What about the hundreds of us with a stack of problems that are still driving around in cars that are awaiting repairs, including some ie the "left pull/drift" that BMW still can not fix?

Sorry Watchdog, a replacement car is no good when the replacement is no better than the original.

[S_600]

Quote:

Originally posted by Hanny
On a serious note.

Does anyone else think it a bit dumb to advertise on national TV that some MINI's may be found unintentionally unlocked???

But on the good side the car thieves will soon be locked in the car ready for collection by Mr Bill.

[DiamondGeezer]

Apial,

If you feel that strongly, why don't you e-mail Watchdog and tell em?

[ricardo]

Quote:

Originally posted by Apial
I thought Watchdog was supposed to champion the cause of consumers with faulty products not turn them into trivial whiners.

Watchdog is about entertainment, not serious investigative journalism. Of course, it fails on that count too but it is designed to cater to the lowest common denominator.

If you ever see the programme feature a subject where you have some knowledge of the issues involved, you will invariably find that the presenters and researchers have failed to understand the situation.

For several years (including those with the dreadful Robinson woman) the programme has done UK consumers a great disservice by concentrating on trivia. Juxtaposing nonsense with issues which are often matters of life and death is irresponsible broadcasting. But it's a BBC tradition stretching back to the equally pathetic "That's Life."

Watchdog also attacks and criticises suppliers and manufacturers in such an over the top manner that the whole thing becomes laughable.

The MINI item was just another example of this "journalistic" excellence.