Warranty Work - No Mini Dealer Close By (Potential Buyer)

[methorian]

Sorry if this has been asked/covered before. I did some searches and didn't find anything...

I've mentioned before on here that I'm contemplating trading in my '18 BMW i3 Rex for a Cooper SE. I'm in Central VA and there are no Mini dealers close by. Took a trip up to DC this past weekend and was able to test drive one at a Mini dealership up there (loved it, though they were having issues with their charger so it was only at 18% SoC, and the battery was cold-soaked).

I didn't think to ask, but I'm wondering what would happen if I purchased and had some sort of major failure under warranty? The closest Mini dealer is 98 miles from my home (per Mini website), down in North Carolina. Would I have to get the Cooper SE to that dealership to have work done? Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!

 

[AndysComputer]

If it’s a major failure such that you break down then Mini Assistance would have a tow truck out to you and they would take it to the dealer.
If the car is driveable and takes a charge then 98 miles one way for you to drive should be doable, even in cold weather provided you stayed off the highway.

 

[methorian]

If it’s a major failure such that you break down then Mini Assistance would have a tow truck out to you and they would take it to the dealer.
If the car is driveable and takes a charge then 98 miles one way for you to drive should be doable, even in cold weather provided you stayed off the highway.

Thanks. It was mostly the break down event I was/am worried about. Didn't know if Mini had mileage limitations on their towing services.

 

[Puppethead]

Thanks. It was mostly the break down event I was/am worried about. Didn't know if Mini had mileage limitations on their towing services.

My MINI dealer in the Twin Cities provides service to owners as far away as Fargo, ND which is 200 miles (maybe farther, that's a location I was told about). You should ask the dealer about distance, they'd certainly know best since they're the ones providing the service.

 

[methorian]

My MINI dealer in the Twin Cities provides service to owners as far away as Fargo, ND which is 200 miles (maybe farther, that's a location I was told about). You should ask the dealer about distance, they'd certainly know best since they're the ones providing the service.

Thanks! I reached out to the sales person I spoke with via e-mail, so we'll see what they say! Figured I'd ask here just to get others feedback as well.

 

[revorg]

I had my first routine service at Flow Motors (in Winston-Salem), even though I purchased the car many states away. This was many moons ago. They were efficient enough.

http://www.1revorg.org/mini.html

 

[Urbanengineer]

I have warranty work at a different mini than I bought from soon, I should’ve bought from them, they are awesome to work with.
I will caution you that working with far away dealers can be troublesome. The sales dealer we worked with will only tow your car for warranty work (stated) if you bought a certain level maintenance package from them. It’s concerning to hear others got the option of free towing.

ours will be in for rear hatch issues and the front flapper vent repair. Thankfully the dealer has an EVSE on site.

 

[Carsten Haase]

The sales dealer we worked with will only tow your car for warranty work (stated) if you bought a certain level maintenance package from them.

Dealers will lie about anything if they think they can get away with it... Here's a section from the 2022 MINI warranty document for the standard 4 year/50k mi warranty:

In the event of a mechanical breakdown, a collision or road hazard event, your vehicle will be transported (at no cost) to the nearest authorized MINI Dealer. However, you may request for your vehicle to be taken to your servicing MINI Dealer as long as it is within 50 additional miles or less of the “nearest” authorized MINI Dealer.

This doesn't cover every situation where you may need to be towed to the dealer but it definitely contradicts the maintenance package bs your sales dealer said.

 

[Jim In Tucson]

I was concerned about this same issue, as the local MINI dealer does not “believe” in electric cars so they don’t carry the SE. Therefore, all of us SE owners in Tucson had to buy our MINI’s in Phoenix, which is 95-100 miles away depending on which dealer.

My Essee has been so well behaved and reliable that I finally stopped worrying about the unknowns. The SE is awesome. End of discussion.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

[Urbanengineer]

Dealers will lie about anything if they think they can get away with it... Here's a section from the 2022 MINI warranty document for the standard 4 year/50k mi warranty:

In the event of a mechanical breakdown, a collision or road hazard event, your vehicle will be transported (at no cost) to the nearest authorized MINI Dealer. However, you may request for your vehicle to be taken to your servicing MINI Dealer as long as it is within 50 additional miles or less of the “nearest” authorized MINI Dealer.

This doesn't cover every situation where you may need to be towed to the dealer but it definitely contradicts the maintenance package bs your sales dealer said.

that is some valuable information. Trying to sell a maintenance package with a MINI SE was a joke to us too. Brake fluid and windshield fluid…? Good luck with that!

 

[Texas22Step]

I was concerned about this same issue, as the local MINI dealer does not “believe” in electric cars so they don’t carry the SE. Therefore, all of us SE owners in Tucson had to buy our MINI’s in Phoenix, which is 95-100 miles away depending on which dealer.

My Essee has been so well behaved and reliable that I finally stopped worrying about the unknowns. The SE is awesome. End of discussion.

I agree with this line of thinking, for sure. The only time I have been on my MINI dealer's property was to test drive an SE and to take delivery. I have found my SE to be quite reliable.

All of this said, #@&* happens, so the free towing, etc. mentioned in @Carsten Haase's post above is good to keep in mind.

 

[wessy]

…the local MINI dealer does not “believe” in electric cars so they don’t carry the SE.