I'm fed up. Should i make a fuss?

[lightbody]

My steering wheel has been squint ever since my left-pull fix was done nearly a year ago. It was in last week to get this, and other stuff, looked at because it was bugging me. The steering wheel is now straight when driving in a straight line BUT when i put the steering lock on, its squint whereas it used to be dead straight. Should I be happy with this? It makes me think that they've fixed the symptom, not the cause. Sloppy.

The heater self-destructed. A crappy bit of plastic (near my left shin as i drive) fell off, and this rendered the heater inoperable. If i shove it back on, it works but it falls off again.

They were re-fitting some of my forever-loose guttering for me, but they left the car reeking of glue/fumes, smears on the window, doortrim and steering wheel. They also seem to have glued on the roof trim - is this right?

They also returned it to me with the bonnet open! I just assumed the bootlid warning light was faulty again... took me a while to realise that the light was for the bonnet too.


I'm fed up! I feel like someone should be falling over backwards to help me and my expensive little car which i've had so many problems with in the past.

[lightbody]

Oh and also - i've noticed recently that when pulling away from a standstill it can be painfully slow. like the slowest car ever. unless you remember to dial in some revs for like 4 seconds before lifting the clutch, it crawls away slowly building speed until it comes to life. It might be connected with the aircon, but if so this is pathetic. I tried it without the aircon and it seemed the same.

Part of the excellence of the old Mini was the neck-snapping accelerator from standstill, made it feel alive, not big & stodgy like my new one does!

[macblob]

I know exactely how u feel .

I have been in and out with various warranty issues like nearly everyone that uses this forum and yet BMW couldnt care less or thats how it appears to me.

When i went in last week to book my car back in to have the seat looked at again all they ask is when do you want to book it in for, no apology for the fact that the problem has already been fixed before (so they say anyway).In general i dont think they are interested in the slightest which annoys me as I pay a good amount of money to have my cooper, but i dont want to be wasting my time being in and out of my dealers all the time.

BMW seem to forget that everytime you have to take the car in to them it is a total waste of our timeand money!!!


Maybe we should get a petition or a joint letter together from everyone that has had issues with the MINI and present that to BMW as there customer service sucks big time.

[Wul]

Rob/Brian - it took a 16 page letter detailing every visit, faults, repairs, outcomes and repeat occurences along with estimated fuel/time costs and photos to get a response from the regional customer services manager - on my next visit to the dealer i was satisfied they'd done their best as the technician isn't to blame for crappy design/manufacture.

I suggest you write to your dealers top man asking them to address your concerns, if they do nothing then take it to the next level.

However my car still has fults occurring and as yet they have not mentioned what happens when the 3 year warranty runs out and the car is troubled with the same recurring faults!!

I can email you some useful info if you wish?

[lightbody]

The thought of owning the car, after the warranty runs out, fills me with horror.
Seriously annoying because all my sums were based on owning the car for at least 4 years, and even in a best-case private sale i reckon my car will have lost at least £3000 in 18 months.

[lightbody]

Wul - thanks - anything you can email would be great (fedupwithmymini@roblightbody.com)

[lightbody]

I made a fuss... watch this space... but i'm not holding my breath!

[lightbody]

Dealer very helpful yesterday, but also thinking i'm just a difficult customer I think... I find I'm now making a fuss about small things, because all my tolerance is used up. Anyone else feel like that? I feel like i am being a nuisance/being unreasonable going on about them.

I want my bootlid to shut as easily as the one's in the showroom and i don't think thats unreasonable but
They fixed one roof gutter for me which came off and it is as good as a new one, but they left the other one all wobbly.

They've fixed my seat, again, which they say has had a new seat frame and THEN been fully greased. This, to me, implies that all MINI seats will need greasing/cleaning every 18 months? I bet BMW are glad they chose cheap seats!! LOL

Car very slugglish to drive with the aircon on, but they've checked and its OK.

Steering makes a peculiar new "squelch" sound when coming off full lock, but they've checked and its OK.

Steering wheel slightly squint when parked and steering lock is on (used to be dead straight/showroom cars dead straight) - they've checked and its OK.

[Monsta Mo Mini]

Don't think your being unreasonable at all Rob. I doubt if anyone spending 10K+ on a car would put up with the problems we've had to endure. God help them when the MINI becomes eligible for teh JD Power survey next year. Don't suppose any of the "spies" would care to comment ......


.....?????


.....thought as much.

[Big Col]

<watches as various shadowy posters start whistling innocently and shuffle away with a "Spies? Us?" look on their faces>

[lightbody]

You can do the Top Gear Survey now on www.topgear.com already and give em some stick - I have. Interestingly, it gives a completely inappropriate list of "which other cars did u consider" - they're all small cheap. Cars around £14,000 were my alternatives including MX-5s, MR-2s and the like, not Daewoo Matiz!!

[lightbody]

Tuesday evening saw BMW/MINI make make me a goodwill gesture which i was happy with and cheered me up.

But THEN, yesterday, with an indicated 29C outside, the airconditioning gave up the ghost! Inspection revealed a pipe had detached and spilled the refrigerant onto the ground.

I called the Customer Services Manager who had been helping me with my complaint letter and list of problems, explained I had to drive to Manchester and back today, and what could he do for me? Nothing was the answer, except book it in to be fixed. So today i did my 500 miles in a steamy MINI and had to explain to my customer why i arrived looking a bit bedraggled!

Going to switch dealers.

[lightbody]

Meant to add - despite all that, the MINI performed brilliantly today in some truly atrocious weather (torrential rain, deep water, thunder, lightning and me being in a rush, 90mph/40mpg

[macblob]

I filled in that top gear survey .

Gave BMW some stick, made me feel better lol

[lightbody]

... and now they don't have the bits available to fix my aircon, so i have another week to wait, ANOTHER visit to the dealer, another day of hassle... This is despite me telling their customer services manager on the phone EXACTLY what the problem was.

[IdLoveANewMini]

quote:Originally posted by lightbody

... ANOTHER visit to the dealer, another day of hassle...
Bit of a newbie here - but seems to me you have every RIGHT to make a fuss.

You've had loads of problems with this car and the dealership seems to be useless. Change dealers by all means, but it's time to get angry. Yes you should make a fuss - a loud one!

just my 2 cents worth :cool:

[lightbody]

Car went in yesterday to get the aircon fixed (over a week after it failed due to a split pipe). They now have the bits they need.

Or so I thought...

They called to say the condensor (the radiator-type thing at the front) had a hole in it that they'd discovered when pressure-testing it. They said it wasn't a warranty job becayse a stone must have punctured it. Bit of a coincidence that eh? A stone puncturing it, a pipe splitting and all of that just a day and a half after it was in their garage... Hmmm.... Anyway they said they WOULD do it as a warranty job, lucky me!

So, all in all its been in their garage for 3 days because of this and i've had 2 important business trips affected by it. (the whole point of me getting aircon was so i could arrive at customers cool, calm and collected!).

It also got me thinking to the fact that a number of times its been in its taken 2 or even 3 days to get it back. I wish I'd kept better notes. My Rover Minis were never so much trouble!

Grrr.

- R

[IdLoveANewMini]

quote:Originally posted by lightbody

.....My Rover Minis were never so much trouble!


...You sure 'bout that! :D

LOL

- M