My wife drives a 2009 Cooper S with about 41,000 miles on it and really likes it. It's had a number of issues- rainwater leaking into the interior, about 3" deep, timing chain needed replacement, exhaust replacement, other smaller issues- but Motorworks Mini/ BMW in Minneapolis has been pretty responsive. Most recently we were denied the annual oil change included in the maintenance package, we were 3 weeks early. A few weeks later the oil was changed but in that course of time the turbo fried. The dealer claims the oil had deteriorated and initially wanted $3500 to replace the turbo. The dealer contacted BMW who pretty much said they didn't care and that we should eat 100% of the repair cost. Further pressing produced a contact number at Mini/ BMW customer service. That call involved a callous response with the agent making a spiteful comment that I should call the president of BMW. When I asked if that would make a difference, the agent laughed. As a CEO of a boat builder I deal with both engine manufacturers, dealers and consumers daily. I understand the challenges all the way around but this sequence of events stymies me. I'm shocked that BMW runs their oil lifespan so close to their recommended change intervals. Further, the BMW customer service department attitude was heinous. I know I wouldn't tolerate that at my company. Lastly their lack of willingness to help at all smacks of a disregard for winning customers. Since I didn't get the oil changed on the EXACT date I'll take some responsibility and tendered an offer to pay 50% of the bill if BMW would pick up the rest. No dice, they certainly seem intent on sticking it to a customer who has a car still within the warranty period and would potentially buy many more Minis. My final resolution is to have an independent garage fix the car. Not exactly the hoped for solution. BMW's haughty attitude with intent to sour customers is succeeding! Buyers of Minis beware!
Yep. Unacceptable. If you were just a few weeks past the oil change date, they can't fault you... especially since you attempted to do the change a few weeks early and they refused. I've never seen any auto manufacturer treat the oil change indicator as a self-destruct timer. You should have a reasonable amout of time before and after the indicator to have the maintenance done before they start claiming negligence.
Sorry to hear of you troubles with MINI. I can't say that any of that behavior is acceptable from MINI USA. I really do hope this is just an outlying issue for them. I also think they are pushing the oil change intervals to far out there for a the sake of saving a few bucks. And...welcome to M/A, thanks for joining.
Thanks Jeff. Guess if your using oil that fast, other than a filter, Mini figures it's getting changed every five thousand miles anyway....so maybe Marko wasnt burning oil at the proper rate..lol Unacceptable.
Welcome to M/A. I've read your post a few times and nowhere did you mention if your wife (or yourself) regularly check the oil levels when fueling (or otherwise). Was the oil level routinely checked? If yes, was any "topping off" of the oil required? If yes, how much & how often? While I wholeheartedly agree that if the conversations with BMW/MINI transpired as shared, the comments were unacceptable. To be fair, we do only have one side of the story.
Sorry to hear of your problems. From the other side....I've owned 3 MINI's, a '04 MCS, '09 JCW and '11 Countryman. The '04 had 106K on it when traded with the original clutch, water pump, steering pump, supercharger, etc., etc. Absolutely no issues with the car or the dealer. My '09 has 75K, and other than the timing chain campaign it has had no issues, either car or dealer. The campaign was handled responsibly, timely and transparent to me. The '11 Countryman now has 18K without any issues. I am a MINI enthusiast that IS aware....aware that I've found a brand that has served me well, a dealer that provides me excellent service and experience, and a community that I am blessed to be a part of. Just wanted to provide the other side to your disappointment. I wish you the best in getting your issues corrected.
Sorry to hear about your troubles.. On forums like this we only hear from the bad experiences usually. Most people just go about their day without instance so I assume problems like yours are few and far in between compared to how many cars are sold. Still they should own up to it as they know they are pushing the limits of the oil to start with... This is just another reason why I and lots of other 1st Gen owners will hold on to their cars till they come out with a new engine... Keep us informed on how it progresses.. If I was in your shoes I don't know what I'd do as the car woundn't be paid for yet and now it needs $3500 worth of work done to it before you can even think of trading it in...
We had three cars come into Steves shop last week all with the dreaded death rattle. One cars upper chain tensioner was gone :eek6: It was low on oil. The girl cannot afford to fix it so she is giving it back to the bank. Seems all the R56s are coming in low on oil. I was told that the dealers are now over filling the crankcase to stop the death rattle.
I have heard the "R56 Low Oil" thing before and was warned about it by my MA. Never used a drop in 53K. Guess it just depends on the car. Jim
I think some dealerships are more lenient than others. I brought my car in because it needed new front brake pads (and to check out the flywheel noise) and even though my car was saying I'm not ready for an oil change, they did it anyway. I didn't care if they had done it or not. I take it to a local BMW shop and get it done every 5K out of pocket. Sorry to hear of your woes Marko- I hope all ends up well. It sucks we hear of dealerships and BMW not be supportive sometimes.
Monica brings up an excellent point. If I had brought Schultze in 3 weeks early and was told it wouldn't be covered under the free maintenance, I would've stressed the importance of my busy schedule AND the fact that the dealerships can access a MINI's history when the service appt is made by phone. My local dealership asks for the current mileage when an appt is being made, even though they know the mileage WILL change by the time Schultze is brought it. If the OP stopped by "unannounced" for the oil change, that's something different entirely (to a degree) because the dealership wasn't able to inform him that it wasn't "time" yet. If the on-board computer was stating it was time for an oil change, the dealership had no grounds for refusing to do it. The "policy" is one oil change every 12 months or when the on-board computer states it is needed. Bottom line, if the OP is a very busy person, sometimes it's easier to just pay for the oil change vs. coming back later for the "free" oil change.
I've been using Motorwerks for maintenance for the past four years, primarily with my former '05 R50. I'm still 2.5K miles and/or 3 months from the first "official" oil change maintenance milestone on my '11 R56 (I did my own DIY oil/filter changes on the new MINI at 1500 and 7500 miles). My historical modus operandi with them has been to schedule the appointment when the MINI's maintenance clock showed about 400 mi remaining, as I'm 165 miles distant from the dealership. By the time the appointment would roll around and I'd make the trip, I'd often be a bit into the negative numbers (but not always). I've never experienced any hassle with their service department. In fact, all of my dealings with Motorwerks--both the purchase of my '11 and the service experiences--have been good. I did hear one negative experience from one of our club members who needed some work done on a Saturday and was passed off to one of the co-located BMW SAs. He was treated quite poorly and the work was substandard. But never anything bad from the MINI side of the shop. This last comment might be slightly OT, but I wish there was a way I could do the "official" oil/filter change myself and still keep the warranty viable and valid. Has anyone been able to work that angle? All the talk of intentional overfilling and spilled oil on the aux water pump from filter removal causing shorts/fires (an unproven but credible hypothesis) makes me believe that I could do a better and more careful job than any maintenance tech doing work in mass production mode.
A whole lot has to do with the dealer. The OP seems to have one that doesn't care about its cutomers. I feel we are fortunate to have a good dealer here in Cowtown who treats us well. Although not everyone who uses them may feel the same as we do. I know there are folks who think it is fine to run 15,000 on oil, BMW loves it. If folks would change their oil in a more timely many many problems could be easily & cheaply averted. Now chime in & tell me how great 15,000 mile changes are.... ut:
Something tells me that the 'do the official service yourself' isn't gonna fly... they will want a MINI-trained tech to lay eyes on the car. I agree with you, though... for the actual oil-change part of the job, I'd do it with more care than the average tech (though even I screw up every now and then). I'm not good enough to say that I'd spot all of the other possible leaks or issues that a real trained tech would notice.
If you find that a good job has been done find out the tech's name & ask for him when your car goes in. Not all tech's are careful, but when you do find one stick with them. I changed my oil between the free changes. The ones MINI paid for they did. I figured a trained eye looking at my MINI was a good thing.
Sad that your MA is warning you on something that shouldn't be happening to start with. Glad he did for you, but I'm sure most aren't as it would keep me from buying the car.. What were you thinking when he/she told you that your car may go thru a quart of oil every 5000 miles???? and that it was within MINIs tolerence to do that.... I would have ran across the street to the Honda Dealer which is owned by the same people and where I bought the car I traded in on the MINI...and I will add I could stop in unanounced and get an oil change on the spot. My MINI dealer wants the car for half a day with an appointment...