Its a Mini Fiasco

Flipo's Mum

Flipo's Mum

Heavy owner of a Heavy
Aug 17, 2009
9,611
1,492
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Perthshire, Scotland
Update re my complaint to Mini about car coming out of warranty with faults not having been fixed, being fobbed off, etc.
Car went in last Thursday for repairs, they offered to carry out the MOT and service (yeah cause they'd get some money out of me!) and it failed its first ever MOT! They kept it in overnight and sorted the problem - needed a new headlamp unit which was covered under the warranty thank god.
Since then my car alarm has gone off four times in the past two days. Feeling a little demoralised and have called and complained today. Don't know what I expected them to do (well, I would have liked them to beam the car down to their garage, sort it, and beam it back, star trek style) but of course thats not possible so I have to do another 200 mile journey to them next week to let them look at it. And I have to pay for the fuel.
This is their last chance. After that, the heavy guns are coming out. (My dad!)

In other complaints - landlord was hanging about outside my flat this morning waiting for other landlord to help him put in sound proofing upstairs. Have my fingers crossed that this goes a long way to sorting the problem as I'm stressing out that I'm going to have to move soon - there's no flats nearby for rent and I'm just fed up. I'm grinding my teeth all night, not sleeping properly, workload is mounting up, can't get time off till mid August, piling on the weight and not getting in and settled until 10pm any night. I just feel like I'm running on empty and about to lose it.

Sorry for the moan, I'm just feeling pretty low and crappy.
Now feeling like making a complaint to channel 4 for putting on not one but two wedding movies back to back last night. Do they not know I'm single and feeling demoralised?:tongue::poop:
 
Oh gawd FM - I feel stressed just reading your posts. I don't envy you in the slightest and your stress triggers are exactly the same as mine - I would be losing the plot if I were in your situation too.

I know that's absolutely no consolation or help but it's the best I can offer ATM. Very sorry!

I reckon you get your (lovely!) butt down to Mini with your Dad in tow, with all your evidence and say you are NOT leaving the forecourt until they sort the problem 100% and confirm the compensation you will be receiving. Otherwise you will go to the press (watchdog or such like). It's not what I would want to do but I know I would get to the point where I can't take anymore and would either blow my lid (big style) or lose my marbles.

Sending a virtual hug from all the way down south!
 
Oh :poop:

I hope you can get some sleep soon at least - will make everything else a little easier to deal with. Can't offer any advice on the car thing - hate them and all the bother that goes with them. Had mine in this winter for an oil change and they told me it needed a whole new undercarriage thing (don't remember tech name) as it was bent. Mechanic asked me if I hadn't heard a clanging noise? I was too embarassed to admit I had, but just thought it was one of the various bits of horse stuff I keep in my car :giggle: It as covered under warranty anyway (yeah Hyundai).
 
oh hun. let your dad sort the car! that's what dads are for and also what they seem to do best :D i sympathise with noisy neighbours although mine are suspiciously quiet of late. and feel for you with the single thing. i've been feeling pants about that lately! another virtual hug for you!
 
Oh FM, what a nightmare! I would get the big guns out now ( dad!). I would. I am more than capable of fighting my own battles but I like to bring my dad into the equasion sometimes as the voice of reason!! I'm about to go on the hunt for a new car and dad shall be with me every step of the way. He is also a time served mechanic and owned his own franchise until he retired last year. Damn these car repair bills... I never realised how lucky I was!!

I hope you get the noisy neighbour problem sorted. Don't they realise that you have a horse and need your sleep?? :banghead:
 
We recently had problems with our car and thankfully as we had a small amount of finance on it I got the finance company to deal with the dealers and they agreed to take the car back and pay off the finance. I suppose you have any of it on finance ? Our car went into the garage 14 times in 18 months.

I would write a list of all the problems and ask them to buy the car back from you as its not fit for purpose. Have you contacted trading standards or on some home inurance policys you get free legal cover, might be worth a call and see how you stand.

Minis are very expensive cars and for you to have so many problems it clear your car is a friday arvo car. As for 200 miles I would ask them for a token guesture of your petrol expense or for them to arrange for someone/flatbed to collect your car and not return it untill they have done a full inspection and someone has road tested it.

In my letter to the dealers I said I was not happy to drive it as felt for my safety so it sat on our drive way. I was concearned that when the warranty ended it would cost me money, I calculated the cost of all the work it had done to date and explained how I didnt feel the cost was acceptable. It went in so many times for mechanical problems, it had four new wheels and roof bars due to corrosion, wingmirror covers, the list goes on.
 
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Can't offer any advice for you as having a similar time with my car and looks like i will be going to court.

I'm sure your due some good luck, so chin up hun and big {{HUGS}} from me! :happy:
 
Ach, just let your Dad loose on them; after all, why keep a dog and bark yourself?:devil:

Hope the soundproofing works; if not, I hereby volunteer to visit at 1 a.m. and play my banjo (badly, cos it's the only way I know how) at them in revenge.

If you're still feeling shite, remember that I'd cheerfully give up my left nut in exchange for the privilege of owning that gorgeous big beastie you ride, so you've got at least one blessing to count:biggrin:

Hope it all resolves itself for you soon; I'm sure it will though.
 
Thank you for the sympathy guys, I'm pretty peeved just now and hate to think what its doing for my karma by complaining so much.:unsure::biggrin:
Innocence, I'm intrigued as to whats going on that you are getting the legal bods involved! Hope it is worked out in your favour.
God I spend my life telling people to use their legal expenses on home insurance lol (since I work for an insurance company) why the hell didn't I think of doing that myself Libbylou, thankyou! And yes I do have some finance on the car so will investigate what that means - although the finance is through mini themselves so not sure it'll be any use tbh.
CMP, mechanic dads are fab aren't they! Mine is thoroughly jaded though, he hates other mechanics and knows all the tricks they try to pull, makes me totally paranoid about going near them incase they scam me. Its a shame as I know there are some genuine ones out there. Even though he's retired you should still be able to con him into doing a few things for you - I have mine booked for a brake pad change in a few thousand miles.:wink:
I've just had a voicemail left on my phone re the sunroof. I had left with the car last Friday, asking them what would happen if the cleaning they had carried out didn't solve the issue. The voicemail advises that the repairs carried out during the warranty were done so if it failed to work once the warranty expired then that was that, they had resolved the problem and if there were any future problems then they would look at some good will claim but couldn't guarantee what value that would be if anything.
It just so happened that I got this voicemail as I was making a special trip out to my car in the glorious sunshine to test the sunroof and lo behold, its not working. Straight back on the phone to them, I advised that the car is already booked in for next monday and despite the voicemail I want them to look at the sunroof again since its still not fixed. They have agreed without charge.
This is going to get dirty, I can feel it in my bones. Waiting till my dad's in a better mood to let him know the situation as he's not feeling well just now (although maybe thats the best time to let him off the leash and set him on these guys lol!)
Sorry for the whinge, nice to vent somewhere and Ian I'll keep you posted, banjo playing at 1am sounds like a fab revenge tactic although I'm thinking 7.30am on Sunday after one of their big parties might do more damage.:giggle: Good thing I've got my Flip to keep me sane - although if he takes off tonight after leaving the mounting block again I'll be making a formal complaint in writing. To whom I have no idea but I seem to be getting into the swing of this moaning lark. Poor, hard-done-by Flipo's Mum. Yeah right!
 
YEAHHHHHHH if you have finance go direct through the finance company would prob be fronted as mini but a lender hidden behind the name.- Apparently not they have their own finance co ! however They have joint liability to ensure the item you were sold is in working condition. Its in their interest to make sure it is all working ok. If the warranty ends and you cant afford to fix the car then the value is a lot less so they have their interested registered on a car that isnt worth as much as the finance states it should be.

If you want rid of the car like we did as it had big mechanical issues like drivers shaft at £900 before vat and labour then ask them to get a full test completed on the car from different source, explain your scared to drive it incase something happens, you feel like your driving a death trap. If they refuse to pay for a full check then state you feel they are being negligent of they duties.

I will find my letters that I sent to our finance co and give you some ideas. My supid laptop has wiped all my word docs so will have to have a dig about.
 
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Well, my little mini car is back in the garage today for repairs. I arrived at 9.10 and was provided with a courtesy car and told that I would have to pay £10 for the insurance upon its return. (I said 'I'm not prepared to pay that - this is your fault I'm back here and I will not be penalised again. I'm already paying fuel costs to get here, back to work and back here again and I didn't pay this charge last time.' Girl wasn't best pleased with me but got the charge waivered).
I fully expect them to call later telling me they've 'resolved' the issue and give me the car back tonight and then a few weeks from now it will all go pete tong again when the sun comes out. (Reminder - sunroof doesn't work if too sunny and car alarm likes to sing to itself at random times of day and night).
I've just called my home insurance legal expenses line and a very nice lad was very passionate about telling me that I have a case. I've to see how this repair works out, write an official letter of complaint to the garage stating that they are in breach of the supply of goods and services act advising the repair wasn't carried out to a satisfactory level with reasonable care and skill and enclose three independent quotes for repair. If they don't respond to this within 14 days then I've to issue county court proceedings.
I will dig out my finance docs tonight and investigate what you've suggested libbylou. I'm not taking this lying down! (can you tell I have PMT just now?)
Feeling like a tiny tiny fish about to try and take on a shark. Surely BMW will step up?!
 
Flipo's Mum said:
Thank you for the sympathy guys, I'm pretty peeved just now and hate to think what its doing for my karma by complaining so much.:unsure::biggrin:
Innocence, I'm intrigued as to whats going on that you are getting the legal bods involved! Hope it is worked out in your favour.
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I bought my car from a private seller, now before i bought it, he claimed it developed a fault with the immobiliser. He had it in a vauxhall (apparently) but they found nothing and just changed the battery in the fobs. I agreed to go through with the sale as he said he would pay to have it repaired if it happened again. Anyhow the day i picked it up the fault returned as i was driving home and i couldn't get into it in the evening. I had to have the car recovered the following day where it spent 3 weeks in the garage. It turned out that it was a immobiliser problem but the thing that caused it was missing safety features like airbags causing the immobiliser unit to fry as it was bypassing the relays. My garage guys plugged it in and found more than 30 fault codes so how vauxhall missed this!.

Upon further talking to the guy (who has now said isn't paying for the repair) he said that the car always used to play up in the wet and that when he said he took it to vauxhall, it was really a mate doing a favour!

So £1083 later my car is now considered fit for purpose and i'm starting court proceedings because a) the car was not sold as seen B) i have written confirmation that he would pay for the repair c) the car was not fit for purpose, therefore not as described d) lying about the car as a whole!

The car has actually been in an undeclared accident which is why is didn't show up on the HPI. The garage guys have given it the all clear though and replaced all the safety features that were missing.
 
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Thanks RM and Ian - Happily just got a call from them to say they will be keeping it in overnight for investigations after they managed to 'recreate the fault' (techno speak for we left it in the car park to bake for four hours and the sunroof has stopped working.) well duh! Glad to hear I'm no longer being doubted but ideally they will replace the whole flamin sunroof. We shall see, at least I get home early to go enjoy some sunshine - not driving an additional 120 miles to get my car back! They haven't even looked at the alarm yet though.
Innocence wow! That is one mighty repair bill - what a g!t selling you a dud car, how can he sleep at night - I imagine things could have been alot worse if something had happened and there were no safety features after the last crash. I would be so angry, I really hope it is sorted in your favour, but even then I bet he'll declare himself bankrupt or soemthing. Barsteward.
 
Flipo's Mum said:
Thanks RM and Ian - Happily just got a call from them to say they will be keeping it in overnight for investigations after they managed to 'recreate the fault' (techno speak for we left it in the car park to bake for four hours and the sunroof has stopped working.) well duh! Glad to hear I'm no longer being doubted but ideally they will replace the whole flamin sunroof. We shall see, at least I get home early to go enjoy some sunshine - not driving an additional 120 miles to get my car back! They haven't even looked at the alarm yet though.
Innocence wow! That is one mighty repair bill - what a g!t selling you a dud car, how can he sleep at night - I imagine things could have been alot worse if something had happened and there were no safety features after the last crash. I would be so angry, I really hope it is sorted in your favour, but even then I bet he'll declare himself bankrupt or soemthing. Barsteward.
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I hope you get your car repaired to a satisfactory standard FM!

I doubt this bloke will declare himself bankrupt, he's in the RAF and i know where he is based. It is frowned upon by the military for this sort of behaviour, therefore if he doesn't respond to the letter i sent him today, i shall be informing his CO aswell as opening a court case.
 
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