[Apial]

Glad you got yours sorted.

EVO mags staff MINI Cooper "Works" is featured in this months mag. They have just written the final report after running it for a year. Their car still pulled left when they traded it in.

Why? I think that we should ask Wollaston MINI that question.

Were they one of these dealers who will not supply the redesigned suspension? Its time we started a list of willing dealers and un-willing dealers.

 

[Apial]

Is your dealer willing to cure the left pull?

We bought a MINI from Sopers in Lincoln. They were given the car for 2 days to fix the left pull in July. Back came the car with the explanation that they had adjusted the steering back to BMWs spec, they even said it had gone back to the BMW depot at Thorne for checking. The car was now fixed as far as they were concerned.

The old suspension was still fitted, and the car drove as it always had, with a pull to the left. This was easy to spot as our other MINI had been fixed by Astles at Grimsby.

When Astles heard of our trouble getting the MINI fixed they offered to do it. The chassis number was sent to BMW who approved the repair. They even loaned a BMW 320td for free!

The mystery of why Sopers would not fix the car remains, but as you can imagine, there will be no mystery as to where we will be taking our business in future.

My advice to any owner who is being fobbed off is to find another MINI dealer and take your problems and your business elsewhere.


Well done ASTLES for fixing a car that they had not even sold!

 

[Apial]

MINI Uk have never denied the problem to me personally. They have issued public statements that have tried to play down the extent of the problem. I don't expect them to issue a recall or anything, as the cost would be collosal.

They have given me updates as to when the fix was going to be available, but it was always going to be the dealer in the end who had to apply the fix.

Some dealers will not own up to the problem. I know that Sopers for example have fixed other forum members cars, but only after they complained loudly. In our case we decided not to shout MINI2.com at them, but just made a normal request for them to fix it. Their attitude was initially dismissive. This obviously was not a good idea. Why did they not want to fix it? Is there an Official Policy not to fix the car unless the Customer complains to the point of being upset and stressed about it?

Astles had admitted the left pull problem existed almost a year ago. They had already had one MINI returned with overheating and were trying to bend over backwards to make amends. They could hardly refuse to validate the complaint of left pull on the second car. They might have sent us back to Sopers, the supplier, but they didn't. Instead they approached BMW to resolve the situation.

I find the EVO car case even more disconcerting. How could their car remain unfixed? It was no secret to BMW or Wollaston that EVO had this car, and all its faults would be published. Had they been my Customer I would have fixed it asap. Or did they not fix it so as to keep the fix secret from the general motoring public?

Perhaps BMW are learning the PR tactics from Mercedes. Remember the A-class and the infamous elk test? The public soon knew about it. We all knew that all the A-class cars had to be shipped back to Germany to the factory where the new electronic fix would be fitted. It nearly crippled Mercedes. If they had not told anyone then they could have saved millions. Obviously this would have been impossible to keep quiet, so they had to do it or else never sell another A-class.

The reporting of the left pull has been almost at a whisper in the general motoring press. This is advantageous if you want to stay quiet about the problem. Now that the factory has introduced the corrected version since March, the murmurs of complaint will gradually subside, and the capital cost of the warranty work will be spread out over a longer time frame, until March 2005 when it will no longer be a Warranty item (unless extended warranty is purchased).