R56 - Airbag & seat belt warning light

[Simon Syddall]

Have looked in R56 forum and not found any other airbag/seatbelt warning light problems, though plenty on R50, R53. Have any R56 owners experienced this? and got it fixed?

My partner's R56 MCS is just 3 weeks old, has about 600 miles on it and the seat belt and airbag warnings came on in the speedo, together with an airbag in the tacho display. Taken to dealer, who fiddled around, reset it and it came back on again. They are now talking about having it for "at least two days" and dropping the headlining.

I am sure that I could find a bad connection, with my Maplin ohm meter, in considerably less time. My instinct, without putting on the latex and hitching up the computer, is that it has to be the connection of the car to one of the seats - why is that beyond my dealer? and his £00000s worth of "technology"?

I find it very poor indeed (having spent £21k on a car, £25k on my car 9 months ago and £14k on my daughter's car, at the same time, that a courtesy car was not instantly offered and when requested - and an MCS or BMW 118 specified, this would delay sorting the problem for another two weeks. I wonder if one would have been, if we had just spent £80,000 on an overblown and vulgar 7 series or ostentatious X5?

This fault, I assume, totally disables the airbags - a safety issue that I am not happy about. BMW would be liable in negligence, for any loss or injury arising out their knowing about or reasonably foreseeing it - which they surely must do, when it has been shown to them and they cannot attend to it, there and then.

I am also not happy that, when they wanted my partner's PXer MC Park Lane JCW, for a "Used Car Event", a replacement vehicle was no problem, apparently.

This episode and the poor management of it just points up the cavalier approach to customer service. If people's experiences, documented in MINI2, surrounding BMW trying to duck paying for the R50/53 similar faults, are anything to go by, then BMW's arrogant treatment of paying customers, just shows their complete disrespect for them.

The fault itself (and others - like steering racks, gearboxes and ABS units, go to point up shoddy sub-assembly manufacture ) and also bad assembly standards. Still, it did start life as a Rover.

I know one guy started a petition on the R50/53 fault and that Quentin Wilson and VOSA were both mentioned, but haven't seen evidence that it has yet given complacent stealers and BMW CS the slap, which they need and which is long overdue. I am sick of how we have been treated, over five MINIs now, it must get better some time! Frankly, if they p*** us around, they can change to whole car. We are still waiting for its aero kit, mentioned elswhere.

[KenL]

Is it not possible that they want your car for two days so that they can devote some time to fixing it? The fault may or may not be that simple to find. If it is the fault, finding a high resistance connection, that may well be intermittent, is not as simple as you suggest.

I can understand your frustration, but whether or not you have bought 3 cars, all owners should be offered the same level of service. They should supply you with a car but it is not always the case that they have them on short notice, even if they do, they may not have one to your specification.

I am sure the car will be fixed, and hopefully, you will be a happy MINI owner once again

[Simon Syddall]

Quote: Originally Posted by KenL (original)

I am sure the car will be fixed, and hopefully, you will be a happy MINI owner once again

Thanks, Ken.

Transpires it was 4 days they wanted it for. However, we have now moved the appointment, with courtesy 118, to Monday (from 1 May), since I had a motivational chat and pointed out to the Service Manager what their liabilities were, on safety items. I bet they hate people like me. I am never rude or abusive, just very clear on my facts, before I go in and not prepared to back down. I constantly go the extra mile for my clients and I hate staff and suppliers, who will not do likewise. Dammit, it is their job, for which they are paid - from my patronage.

All customers should get identical service - from an £8000 second owner MINI to a new X5. At the moment, we all get crap service, unless a fuss is made.

My frustration is around this "try it for two days, go away, it isn't fixed, re-book, two+ days, we have to order parts, parts are on back order, parts are wrong ones" - it's crap and you go round and round. I agree that an intermittent fault is very hard to find - though a "stress test" usually finds it.

Time will tell

[KenL]

Glad you are happy Simon.

Remember warranty work can be done at any dealership. If you are not happy with the service, try another dealer.

[Simon Syddall]

Since the original sorry tale (doesn't time fly?), there have been three recurrences.

We still have the "we've booked it in for two days" scenario - apparently, it takes 1 hour plus, to do a diagnostic test. I cannot understand why the "brain" which flashes up the warning cannot be interrogated to find out what it thinks is wrong. (Or, is this what takes the hour +?).

It hasn't stopped me buying a new R56 JCW, which is a totally different car to the MCS, or a used Cooper Clubman, but I am now getting very pee'd off with the airbag issue and wonder if there is a problem with just this car, or with crap components/sloppy assembly, in general.

On my recommendation, my father now has a Clubman (just been in for fault with window closing), my sister has an R56 MCS and at least two work colleagues, one of whom's MCS has been back with badly fitted bonnet, water marked seats and peeling viper stripes. All of us taking our custom elsewhere would make quite a big hole in Soper MINI's customer base!!

Anyone else got any experience or thoughts? Dealer is going to be asked for the reports on each of the four, this time (MINI Customer Services say I have a right to this information).

[Simon Syddall]

Been in to Soper's, for two days.

Diagnosed as a loom problem.

New parts ordered and fitted and warning light has not returned - 10/10!

It's now hot in the UK (rare, I know) and the aircon now doesn't produce cold air.

Another visit looms.

What the Trade seems not to understand, is that this is all time and frustration.

What they also fail to appreciate is that this lack of performance and quality of detail on the product will be a big "no" in the process of spending another £22k + on an automatic MCS Clubman..................

Need some faith restoring.