Mini Downtown Reviews (%countItem)
Mini Downtown Rating
Address: 20 Sunlight Park Rd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4M 1B5
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Vehicle: 2015 Mini Cooper Countryman All4 S
Dealership: MINI Downtown
Dealer # XXXXXXX
Purchased: July 9, 2018
Total Km's at purchase 45 760
Clutch replaced: January 27, 2019
KM's at time of clutch replacement: 66 000
Sales Associate: ***
Dealership Manager at time of purchase and complaints: ***
Head of Service Department: ***
3rd Party Mechanic:
***
***
*** street
Foxboro Ontario ***
Tel: XXX-XXX-XXXX
July 9, 2019
Purchased pre-owned vehicle from MINI Downtown. They acquired vehicle from ***.
Aug 29, 2018
Complained to MINI of a rubbing sound in first gear. No slipping.
MINI said at some point in the future the clutch may need to be replaced but it was a "normal" sound that often occurs with MINI transmissions (this part was verbally explained to us when we picked up the vehicle). Advisor: ***
Week of Jan 21, 2019
Clutch slipping. We brought in to MINI. Were told clutch needs to be replaced and that this item would not be covered under warranty because it is considered normal wear and tear. Advisor: *** XXX-XXX-XXXX ext ***
Spoke with ***. When he realized we had purchased the vehicle in July, he was surprised and indicated that the clutch was definitely not a result of our driving. He had ***, Service Manager call me.
*** confirmed that clutch could not have been damaged in the short time that we owned the vehicle. A three year old vehicle is also very early for a clutch to go. He suggested phoning MINI Canada for assistance.
Spoke with MINI Canada (associate unknown), who said they would make a formal complaint against the dealership but did not offer any compensation or assistance with the problem. Were told that the clutch falls under "normal wear and tear" and that we did not buy the vehicle "certified pre-owned" so the responsibility falls to us for this repair. I have not found anything in our purchase agreement that makes this apparent. I did not realize that in buying a vehicle from the dealership it would not automatically be "certified pre-owned".
Called *** and left message. Call was never returned.
We picked up the vehicle from MINI and had the clutch replaced at *** in Foxboro. Cost to us: $2 193.71
Feb 12, 2019
Vehicle returned to us with new clutch from ***. Were told if check engine light comes on to come back.
Feb 20, 2019
Check Engine light on. *** looked at it. O2 sensor is corroded and had been attempted to be repaired with black electrical tape. The connection likely became loose when the clutch was replaced. This is not our doing and the corrosion makes it clear that it was damaged before we purchased the vehicle in July of 2018. *** at *** will confirm this.
February 21, 2019
Called MINI Downtown. Unable to speak with ***. Left a message with ***. Explained situation detailing correspondence with ***, ***, Head Office, messages left for *** (two). Explained that we feel we were sold a faulty vehicle and MINI has not taken responsibility for this. ***
*** called back. He explained that we would be paying a $300 deductible and then the O2 Sensor would be covered under warranty. *** has quoted us $250 for the parts (labour not included), after market. MINI O2 sensor is valued at $370 before labour costs. *** indicated that he would speak with *** to see about having our deductible waived for the repair.
*** called back Feb 21. Reiterated many times that because the vehicle is pre-owned he has no way of knowing what could go wrong with it, nor can he claim responsibility for wear and tear items such as the clutch. His offer is to split the cost of our deductible to have the O2 sensor replaced. (cost is $150 to us. No reimbursement offered for clutch).
We are aware that in purchasing a pre-owned vehicle there are certain issues that may arise that cannot be foretold by the dealership. However, upon confirming these issues were present before we were sold the vehicle we have not seen MINI make any efforts to remedy the situation. We would like to be reimbursed for the cost of the clutch replacement and for the O2 sensor to be repaired at no cost to us.
The client had come into MINI Downtown looking to purchase a specific pre-owned MINI Countryman which we did not have in stock. The client sourced out the vehicle themselves and advised us that *** had the vehicle she was looking for and wanted us to purchase the vehicle from them on their behalf. We advised the client that we have no history of repairs, conditions or previous ownerships on that vehicle but client wanted to proceed anyways. We purchased the 2015 Mini Countryman from *** with 45,779 kms and shipped it to MINI Downtown.
The vehicle passed the Ontario safety standards inspection after we replaced the engine drive belt and rear brakes. It was delivered to client on 07/09/18. In client's benefit we also performed an oil change as the service counter showed another 3 months to go so the client would not have to return and pay out of pocket. Client did return 08/28/18 with 49,011kms on the odometer with some concerns on the MINI Countryman one of which was a noise from the clutch. We road-tested the vehicle as we cannot see inside the transmission and determined that the clutch is currently not slipping upon acceleration at time of the road test.
The MINI Countryman was driven until 01/21/19 with 66,081kms on the odometer when it was brought into MINI Downtown with a clutch that failed. During the process we explained to the client how the clutch auto adjusts until it cannot adjust anymore. Due to this the only way to determine how much wear is on the clutch would be to remove the transmission and inspect inside. Of course this is not feasible as it is a 11.8 hour job. The car was sold with an Ontario safety certificate and passed at the time of delivery and the clutch is unfortunately a wear & tear item and is not warrantable. Since delivery about 20,000kms has been put on the MINI Countryman. The client declined the repairs and went to another shop for a non OEM clutch replacement.
Unfortunately after the service at ***, her engine light came on and she returned there for them to tell her that the Oxygen sensor is faulty. She called us at MINI Downtown asking for us to cover the repair for the oxygen sensor. The vehicle was sold with an Ontario Safety and the oxygen sensor was never touched by MINI Downtown as it was working at time of safety. We always scan the vehicle when it is worked on in our shop and there were no faults present for the oxygen sensor when it was safety or when it returned for the clutch inspection. This part is not something that is checked during a safety process however it is covered under the extended warranty with OEM parts. We informed the client that they have an extended warranty and they should have come here to begin with. The client has a $300 deductible and because in lieu of their experiences, which we agreed to cover 50% of it as a goodwill gesture from MINI Downtown.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
We came to MINI Downtown looking for a pre-owned MINI Countryman. They did not have one in stock but upon doing our own research we saw that *** did. We requested the vehicle be sourced from *** and MINI Downtown obliged. We were under the impression that a vehicle from one MINI dealership would meet the same standards at another. This is evidently not the case.
While the vehicle apparently passed the Ontario safety standards inspection, it would not have had someone noticed that the oxygen sensor was badly corroded and had been tampered with using electrical tape. We do not suggest that MINI Downtown tampered with the oxygen sensor, but the fact is, their argument suggests that they could have tampered with or neglected the vehicle in any number of ways and they would not be held responsible because the dealership maintains the argument that they are not responsible for previous repairs, conditions or ownerships on the vehicle.
ONE MONTH into owning the vehicle, at 49 011kms we noticed difficulties with the clutch, specifically a sound and grinding noise. It was not slipping but we were concerned so we brought it in. SIX MONTHS into owning the vehicle, at 66 081kms the clutch did began slipping badly so we returned. TWO MINI mechanics confirmed that the clutch needed to be replaced and was in poor condition when we purchased the vehicle. This was confirmed by a THIRD mechanic of an outside auto shop. Understandably, the dealership could not have known this when we purchased the vehicle as the whole front end of the vehicle needs to be disassembled in order to examine the clutch. However, upon discovering the issue was present BEFORE we purchased the vehicle we hoped the dealership would take some responsibility for the problem. They did not. Instead, I was told by the Sales Manager that while he "did not suggest it was due to our driving, he had seen vehicles require a new clutch for similar mileage before due to poor driving techniques." So yes, he is suggesting it is due to our driving and, while we would be perfectly willing to take responsibility for that were it the case, THREE mechanics confirmed that it was not.
What concerns me is not that we were sold the vehicle with a faulty clutch and oxygen sensor. What concerns me is that on discovery that these things were issues prior to the sale, the dealership did not make any efforts to remedy the situation. Instead, we were asked to pay more money to them to have these items replaced. What would stop a dealership from knowingly selling a pre-owned vehicle that was not in good condition in order to make more money later from the repairs?
To be clear, we did not buy a cheap beater car from a stranger down the road. We didn't even purchase it from a decrepit used car lot. We purchased a $30 000 vehicle from a MINI/BMW dealership. These are luxury vehicles we are talking about. I have looked through our contracts and have no evidence that makes it apparent that the vehicle wasn't "certified pre-owned". We thought that our purchase would come with a certain level of quality assurance. Evidently we were mistaken. We will not be purchasing any future vehicles from MINI or BMW due to the *** business dealings and poor customer service we experienced.
Knowing that the lease contact of my previous vehicle *** 2013 (VIN# WMWSU3C56DTXXXXXX) would be due on March 2018, on January 2018 I had visited the Downtown Mini dealership and signed the lease for a new vehicle 2018 *** (VIN# WMZYV5C32J3EXXXXX). *** was my sales rep at the time. After we made our decision and agreed on pricing of the new ***, *** asked if I would like to get the new car sooner and offered to pay for my last month's lease payment for the old ***. *** I agreed to that at the time thinking would do *** a favor so he gets the commission sooner ***. I completed the vehicle inspection for the 2013 *** a few days prior to picking up my new car and everything was great and no charges nor repairs required. The old vehicle's mileage was not anywhere near exceeding the agreed mileage. When I went downtown on February to pick up the new car and finished the paperwork, I asked about how would I get the security deposit back from the old ***, they simply said it would be refunded within about 5-10 business days. A couple days after I put in deposit for the new car, I had a call from *** to follow up if I was leasing with them again. I answered I had leased a new *** with downtown location. I also asked the lady how to get the security deposit back from the old *** (since it was signed in the Markham dealership), she said it would be simply be refunded and shown on my bank statements in a couple weeks.After a month an a half I still havent seen the security deposit returned in my bank statements, on April 4th I called ***. The representative said that was not in his authority to authorize the payment but he would pass on to someone who could do it. In the mean time I had tried to contact my sales rep *** and also the manager who did my paperwork at the time, *** in regards to the issue. But I did not get any response from either until over a week later. *** replied to my email and said *** no longer worked there anymore and he would pass my case to someone who could resolve it. After a week, someone (I forgot his name but his extension# was ***) called me and said my security deposit was used to pay for the final lease payment for the 2013 ***. I had told him according to my contract the payment was supposed to be paid by Downtown Mini, but he said they did not received any payments from the dealership that was the reason why it was deducted from my security deposit.
May 10 called *** again to follow up. The rep claims that he could not see the terms in my agreement about the dealership agreed to pay for the final lease (not sure how that happened, I thought my contract would be same as the head office contract) and they suggested me to call the current manager of Downtown Mini to find out. I made the call *** answered but he responded nothing he could do regarding the matter since he was not the one dealing with the paperwork of my vehicle. He said the final lease payment for the previous *** might be already subtracted on my discount even on my contract it was clearly stated it would be paid by the dealership. The strange thing is he did not see any record from my returned vehicle in my file. He said the VIN # was deleted already so he could not find out the amount that was supposed to be paid by the dealership (I later consulted friends who work in the industry they all said that VIN for any car are kept record for at least 4years. I've been pushed between departments and none claims responsible for the matter. To me getting the new vehicle a month early is not a "discount" as I was paying 50% less for my *** 2013, and It was well took care of throughout and my inspection report was good. If the dealership did not stop my final bank payment my deposit would not be used to pay for that final lease.
I would like the amount of my security deposit back in cash or cheque. According to my contract, the final lease payment was to be paid by the dealership, not from my security deposit. The manager *** and *** did not mention at all that the final lease payment was already put in as part of the discount. *** asked me about returning the previous car earlier AFTER we had chose the new car and agreed on the pricing.
Sales Manager reached out to client directly as this issue was already in the works to get rectify prior to Revdex.com involvement. There was a confusion as were 2 companies involved with this particular transaction. Normally a security is never used to cover a payment however in this case it was. None the less, the other account has a credit set aside to cover the payment. A cheque has already been cut to the client for the refund of the 1 payment. Client is now very satisfied and email the Sales Manager thanking for her help to sort this out.
Case is now closed.
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I appreciate the rapid response from that particular Sales Manager ***. I have agreed to close this file when I receive the refund in cheque through mail.