My car is a mess !!

[weepuk]

Hey there , just new to this site so hi there how ya all doing ?
Well im in a crisis i have the new R56 got it 2007 i have been having lots of problems with it since i got it .

I first had problems with sunroof which has been in 13 times for now and 2 new sunroofs put in and still having probs as the sun shines it struggles to open. Then seal on the back window was falling off that had been in 8 times before that was sorted , but the last time it went in they scrached my window and wasnt going to tell me ( fixed now though ) . Engine probs , as i noticed my engine was sounding great so took it in 3 times couldnt find prob so went to another garage , they told me first it was my turbo 1 week went by then told me my cam shaft was scrached due to oil starvation . then took them another 2 weeks to finish , gave me it back with no petrol and oil all over engine bay ( how good is that ) . I also went on mini run to Ireland , car was fine on way there but went to get off and got left sitting as all electrics went and every other car was gone . Eventually got it going . The same has now happened twice .

So that 2 garages been to and still peed off ! so went to another after they fixed it . I am wondering if anyone has had any miss haps as me and if they got them resolved ? Im sure there is a few other things that have happened but cant remember all :argh:


Thanks for reading my story:smilewinkgrin: and hope to hear back !!

Debs

[MrMischief]

Wow. That's a lot of problems :sad:

If you bought it new from MINI it will be under full warranty (which you've obviously made good use of), but if you're still not happy with the car you should write to them and catalogue all the issues you've had and get the vehicle replaced with another one.

:welcome:

Steve

[Craig]

Hi Debbie,

I have to agree with Mischief on this one... It's what I did with my first S which had 13 ish different faults and the car was off the road for nearly 7 weeks of the 6 months I owned it. After much arguing with MINI and Dealer, they eventually replaced it with another one.

This car was slightly better, but it still had some majorish problems and I eventually gave up with having the car in and out of the garage and sold it after 5 months at a rather large loss to myself.

I have to say that the earlier cars (Cooper S only it would appear) were not good quality and I would never advise anyone to buy them. The more recent cars seem much better quality... Quite a few members have got rid of their S's that were early models (MarkyC, Ian King, Illegal Hunter, N12JLK to name a few).. :argh:

[k333rah]

Hey,

So sorry to hear you went through that. I agree with Steve. Seeing as it is a new mini you should get a replacement car. If the replacement is missing qualities your current car has then demand them to pay for them.

I bought an 05 plate cooper and had to wait a month on my car just to get replacement wingmirrors and new spots. They kept mucking me around. Since i had the car its has also been in countless of times. First week of having it, it went in as it had no back breaks. Then went in due to a light that kept coming on but could find no fault. Then i took it in for the gear box but turned out it was the clutch which they TRIED to charge me £417 for just looking at it. The the steering pump was replaced.

Due to all this and me moaning at them and refusing to pay any bill as i have a warranty they offered me a free valet (whoop te doo) but i took it, stupidly as they cracked my windscreen and never told me. Drove mins down the road noticed and turned back. Argued with them and got a replacement windscreen.

So now writing a letter of complaint to head office with all these issues, my first purchase of a mini being a negative one at BMW and an unsafe car. I think you should definately do the same as your issues are major as it is a new car!

Sorry for the rant but its good to know when someone else is going through hell with a garage.

Keira

[AndyP & Lenore]

Doubt you will be able to have the car replaced after two years. But don't rest until your car is right. And all credit to you for sticking it out with what sounds like a Friday PM shift car.:frown:

A.:thumbs up:

[Gismo]

I kinda agree with AndyP, i doubt you'll get a new replacement now, but, don't give up, if you've kept a log of all your porblems and dates etc then maybe they could offer a similar car as replacement to yours and as near to the same spec as possible, worth a try

[Ferengo]

Write a complaint to MINI, they usually get in touch with the dealer and then the dealer can't do enough to help :D. Had my car in about 15 or so times for dash rattles but got it fixed eventually.

What dealers have you taken it to? Stick an NMS.co.uk sticker on your car (available on the main page link) and take it into John Clark or my personal favourite Grassicks. It's a good way to show you have people behind you like a club :thumbs up:.

[Smurf]

First of all... :welcome:

Hi Debs!!! Good to see you on here too... :smilewinkgrin:

The guys on here are fantastic with help and advice - and I would agree, get an NMS sticker on your car!

Hope you get some satisfaction from them eventually.

See you soon!!

[ELFMAN]

See? Told you Debbie, you're never alone with the NMS Crew! A fine bunch they are.

Remember to let whoever you write/talk to know that you're in a couple of MINI Clubs and the bad publicity isn't doing MINI any favours. As I said, you can use other members experiences to back up your case too. Get your 'list of woes' organised and clearly set out and get on to MINI again. Hope you get some results.

[AndyP & Lenore]

Aha... Smurf and Elfman saying Hi like you're not new to them... Leads me to guess you in the MINI Clan. And you were maybe on the Thistle run last year from Falkirk Wheel to Anstruther. If you're who I think you are, we spoke when parked up at Falkirk wheel. We had the Laser Blue R56 (I think we were in the line on front of you). I think we did a bit of comparing notes on R56 ownership/problems.

Looks like your troubles are still there though.:frown:

A.

[weepuk]

Thanks for all your comments and support.

I will let you know how I get on in the future.

Until now The dealerships and mini customer services have been little or no help.

Customer services previously offered me a whopping £300 in vouchers to be used in bmw buying parts/accessories for my inconvenience so not going to expect much now.

Thanks again to everyone.

Special thanks to Elfman for your words of wisdom, regarding NMS.

Debs

[MrMischief]

You could also contact Which and explain all your problems to them, also let MINI know that you're thinking of taking this action as they won't like any negative publicity that may arise from it. Or try good old Trading Standards, even though you've had your car for such a long period they may be able to persuade MINI to come to an amicable agreement, such as supplying a similar spec, mileage & age of car to replace your own vehicle.

Good luck :thumbs up: