'Mini Cherished' Dealer Debacle

[astcooper]

First post here and one im sure you knowledgeable guys will have an answer.

3 weeks ago to the day i took delivery of my 2007 Cooper from Astle Mini Grimsby. As with any approved dealer they claimed that after i signed the car it would go through mini cherished checks and be sold to me 'as new'. Now i dont know what these checks are (i would like to know) but it seems the car is a shoddy excuse for a 'cherished' mini!

After a number of problems were encountered i took the car into my new local mini dealer in essex (Fairfield) where i asked for their opinions on wether the car was sold in a suitable state.

Heres what they have identified ... so far!

due a number of service items - air filter, pollen filter, oil change and spark plug change (the car has only done 31,000 miles and its last service was at 23,000 miles 2 years ago!) it was my understanding that any service due within 4000 mies was done as part of the mini cherished checks!

(Red = not warranty covered)

ABS control unit was completely faulty - new one is on order

Poly belt needed replacing on the engine due to high pitch squeal

greasy substance on door seals causing issue resulting in condensation appearing on damp days (needs new for each door)

creaking / clicking dashboard when driving - claim new dashboard top is needed


Rear brake discs 'excessively corroded and scored' - replacement pads and discs needed

Whoosing water noise behind dash - air in cooling system, caused by a leak, preliminarily blamed on badly corroded water pump - replacement needed.


Now the faults that they havent checked yet but i noticed included:

car has seemingly unlocked itself on 3 separate occasions when i have returned to it.

and this is the most bizzare one... when driving at normal speeds 30 - 70 mph, the heater on full blast works fine, but when slowing for traffic / stopping at lights etc the power of the heater blowers die down with the slowing of the engine also when setting off the heaters slow further like the car is about to stall. its very bizzare and the dealer is still looking into it.

Now, if your still reading this rant ! my question was, should the mini have been sold to me in this state,

and more importantly ... what the hell is that heater issue caused by?! the dealer doesn't seem to sure.

i have been informed by fairfields that they will chase the costs from astle for selling me the car in that condition and to not worry about incurring any costs, just i dont foresee it being that simple ... can astle have an argument against paying for the faults found despite i have only had the car in my possession 3 weeks and the consumer protection act covers me for 6 months

Thanks!

Scott

[sony]

In one word: no. I personally never believe these "checks" are done properly, if at all. I don't trust dealers and never will. I had the squeal you mentionned a few months back and got it rectified under warranty, no questions asked.
Have you contacted MINI customer service? Complain, complain, complain!!!

[astcooper]

I was a bit naive and fell for the whole Mini cherished talk, for some reason i thought the car might actually be in mint condition for the money paid! Like you say though, i don't think the checks have been done at all.

Fairfield are in contact with Astle at the minute sending them the report, if they agree to fix all the problems free of charge (which i assume they will, especially given that they sold a car with a braking defect) then im happy to let Fairfield do the work and leave it there.

However, if Astle say no they can request the car back to do a second look and do the work themselves... which i have already explained it not happening! not only is it 200 miles away but im not having them touch the car again because ive lost all trust.

Eiher way a complaint it going to Mini UK about the dealer.

[vaughnt]

Sorry to hear about these problems astcooper- I have had 2 mini cherished cars and made sure I check everything very closely as I think the cherished programme is sometimes a cover to sell rubbish. When I picked my current Cooper up there were quite a few door dings and I nearly walked away as the woman said they wouldn't touch them as the car was over 3 years old (07 like yours). I then pointed out an older car and said the dings from that one had been sorted, to which she had no answer and agreed to sort them out.

As for the Grimsby dealership, I do find when I've been looking that they are normally overpriced. Also the hull stratstone dealer once had a 05 Cooper conv in black for sale that was in shoddy condition and I just walked away.

Good luck with claiming back and quote the relevant law - trade and descriptions act I think- if they get funny with you.

[rainbowdreamer]

My MINI Sidewalk was purchased through the MINI cherished scheme at 15 months old. It was absolutely mint and fault free.

Guess it is down to luck and who had the car before you.

[Norfolk-Mini]

Having worked within a main dealer as a General Manager for several years I can understand your situation fully.
Firstly every used car should have a car check and they should have this documented. I suggest asking for a copy of this?
Whilst these checks are carried out, all the items that are identified for rectifying are not necessarily fixed. This is because within a dealership the differnet departments are so often just interested in protecting their own profit margins (ie. Service department will want to replace as much as possible on the car, but the sales department will not want to pay for it as it would leave them a smaller margin!)
I am surprised that so many of the items have been missed, in particular the service items (was this not part of the TLC pack anyway?). It has been known for some cars to slip through the net though!
Some of the items such as the condensation and rattles would possibly not be picked up because the cars are only given a short test drive, and these faults are usually identified when someone lives with the car.
Most of your issues seem like they can be rectified easily, and I would think the selling dealer would put things right. The heater problem seems a bit strange, and you should ensure this gets rectified because it sounds like it could turn into a problem.
If you can keep your cool and speak with the Sales Manager at the supplying dealer, then I am sure you will get it fixed. The Sale of Goods Act does say that the dealer has to be given reasonable opportunity to put things right. So if they do not fix it, or cannot, then you have the right to return the car.
Unfortunately I find that when a dealer gets bigger, the attention each car and each customer receives, declines.
Well, I hope you get things sorted!