Stephatron Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 So I know that a lot of us favor MINI of Alexandria. MINI of Sterling is literally 3 exits away from work (super convenient!) and I feel like it's a nuisance for me to keep going out of my way to Alexandria. Are there any service advisors people have worked with? If so, what're your experiences?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikev Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 I've been there only a couple of times... worked with a different person each time... haven't been around enough to get to know anyone in particular but didn't have any issues either time. But then I haven't handed them anything difficult either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbiedzinski Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 I've only been to MOS. Both Willy and Phineus were purchased there and it's closest for me. They seemed to have had a past issue with rotating service advisors frequently, but over the past 1.5+ years, Drew has been my advisor. He's straightforward and has always exceeded deadlines and expectations. I've been very happy thusfar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisTKD Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 MOS had a bad reputation because it was often difficult to get an appointment and their prices for routine maintenance were higher than MOA. Bad reps tend to linger long past the time when the issues have been resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikev Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 MOS had a bad reputation because it was often difficult to get an appointment and their prices for routine maintenance were higher than MOA. Bad reps tend to linger long past the time when the issues have been resolved. BMW has moved across the street, so the service department at MOS is nowhere near as busy as it used to be. I would be surprised if getting an appointment is a problem still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbiedzinski Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 And you can book service online, so it's easy to see when appointments are available. I don't think I've ever had any difficulty getting an appointment when I wanted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephatron Posted October 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2014 I love the proximity of MOS to be honest. I've only dealt with their parts department and they've been super awesome to deal with. I know bad reps linger far longer than needed and I have heard they're changing stuff for the better. I've gone to PMOA since 2012 and never had a problem. It just sucks to go there with my commute. I live in Manassas, work in Chantilly, three exits away from MOS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelit Posted November 5, 2014 Report Share Posted November 5, 2014 They have changed up a lot. Much better dealership than before. Drew no longer works there but Jack Conate is the man to see for all your service. Very honest and trustworthy. He has hooked me up many of times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephatron Posted November 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2014 They have changed up a lot. Much better dealership than before. Drew no longer works there but Jack Conate is the man to see for all your service. Very honest and trustworthy. He has hooked me up many of times. Hi Dave! I hope I'm not needing service any time soon after just getting everything fixed I've heard the parts guy there is pretty rad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelit Posted November 5, 2014 Report Share Posted November 5, 2014 Yes he is!! You should stop by sometime. Don't you need an oil change soon?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephatron Posted November 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 Yes he is!! You should stop by sometime. Don't you need an oil change soon?? Actually, funny story, I'm like 2,000 miles away but I got a free filter from Craig and need to grab the oil from him too. I'll try to pop by soon to say hi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelit Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 Well you can't beat free. See you soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcooper Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 I used to work at MOS back in 2008. The staff has changed a lot since then and many of the service advisors that I enjoyed working with have left... I can't comment much on the newer service advisors nor can I compare them to MOA because I've never taken my car there. But with that being said, the customer service there has always been pretty good. I've always been given a loaner and they've been very nice... But expensive? Yes. If it's warranty work then great, otherwise, I'd rather Mach V or someone do the work. MOS sales department was a pleasure to work with back in 2011 - Robin was great and very very friendly and Abraham is excellent as well; he even sent me and my MINI a Happy holidays card! Inquire about how to get a MINI vip card... they mailed me one about a year ago and I now get 15% off parts & labor at MOS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephatron Posted November 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 Well you can't beat free. See you soon! Exactly!! Free is my favorite number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephatron Posted November 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 I used to work at MOS back in 2008. The staff has changed a lot since then and many of the service advisors that I enjoyed working with have left... I can't comment much on the newer service advisors nor can I compare them to MOA because I've never taken my car there. But with that being said, the customer service there has always been pretty good. I've always been given a loaner and they've been very nice... But expensive? Yes. If it's warranty work then great, otherwise, I'd rather Mach V or someone do the work. MOS sales department was a pleasure to work with back in 2011 - Robin was great and very very friendly and Abraham is excellent as well; he even sent me and my MINI a Happy holidays card! Inquire about how to get a MINI vip card... they mailed me one about a year ago and I now get 15% off parts & labor at MOS Well, at least you're honest. I think regardless, the dealer is never cheap. I haven't had warranty on my car and I've had to pay for every repair out of pocket. I'm really hoping my car doesn't break again any time soon. Everything has been fixed for now. In all honesty, I don't like Mach V so I would rather go anywhere but there. I haven't been treated fairly there in 2011 and I refuse to ever set foot there again. I had a truly awful experience and I don't handle bad customer service well or being belittled and treated like an idiot. My preferred shop has always been PTUNING in Manassas. I've proudly gone there since 2008 and don't see anything changing that, especially because of the quality of work. Sometimes though, the dealer is necessary (like most recent repairs of high pressure fuel pump). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcooper Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Hi all, Any recommendations on where I should take my MINI to get a new alternator :banghead: My battery died this afternoon and needed a jump to get it to the shop. I thought, oh it just needs a new battery..Nope, guess not! It's at Advanced Automotive in Chantilly right now sitting until I decide what to do next. I think I trust them when they say it needs an alternator.. Seems surprising to me since it's a 2011. When, I called MOS they recommended I have it taken there so I can have them look at it... seems kind of silly to me. But they did entice me some however with the willingness to advocate to MINI USA for me about requesting some goodwill toward the repair... My extended warranty ran out just 2500 miles ago :banghead: I guess it would make the most sense to bring it there? Anyone else have any lucky with trying to get MINI USA to pay for anything at all out of warranty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Dan Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Hi all, Any recommendations on where I should take my MINI to get a new alternator :banghead: My battery died this afternoon and needed a jump to get it to the shop. I thought, oh it just needs a new battery..Nope, guess not! It's at Advanced Automotive in Chantilly right now sitting until I decide what to do next. I think I trust them when they say it needs an alternator.. Seems surprising to me since it's a 2011. When, I called MOS they recommended I have it taken there so I can have them look at it... seems kind of silly to me. But they did entice me some however with the willingness to advocate to MINI USA for me about requesting some goodwill toward the repair... My extended warranty ran out just 2500 miles ago :banghead: I guess it would make the most sense to bring it there? Anyone else have any lucky with trying to get MINI USA to pay for anything at all out of warranty? a reman alternator is less than $150 through Rockauto, and it'll take you less than two hours to replace it in your driveway.... just saying :top: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1975_mini Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Hi all, Any recommendations on where I should take my MINI to get a new alternator :banghead: My battery died this afternoon and needed a jump to get it to the shop. I thought, oh it just needs a new battery..Nope, guess not! It's at Advanced Automotive in Chantilly right now sitting until I decide what to do next. I think I trust them when they say it needs an alternator.. Seems surprising to me since it's a 2011. When, I called MOS they recommended I have it taken there so I can have them look at it... seems kind of silly to me. But they did entice me some however with the willingness to advocate to MINI USA for me about requesting some goodwill toward the repair... My extended warranty ran out just 2500 miles ago :banghead: I guess it would make the most sense to bring it there? Anyone else have any lucky with trying to get MINI USA to pay for anything at all out of warranty? I am a little confused here, you jumped it and it ran. Did it cut off while you were driving or did you stop and it would not start again? 1975 Mini 1000, 998cc A+ w/ K&N air filter, 10" Mamba wheels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1975_mini Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 I have only delt with PMoA, but they have been great with working with my extended warranty company to install OEM over third party parts at no additional cost to me. I have not had to deal with the big MINI mothership though. I do agree with Dan that just doing it yourself may be a good option, if you a sure it is the alternator. If it ends up not being covered you are looking at the something like $85 diagnostic $250ish for the alternator (10% part discount for DCMM member):top: so 225ish $200 labor ballpark guess so somewhere around 500 if they don't cover it. Hopefully someone has had some experience with MINI USA and out of warranty and can tell you the likelyhood of them covering. If you need tools or an extra set of hands please dont hessitate to ask. 1975 Mini 1000, 998cc A+ w/ K&N air filter, 10" Mamba wheels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcooper Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Out of warranty I've been quoted ballpark $1400 from both a local shop and MOS. Yikes. To clarify what happened: Yesterday morning she started just fine (been a little slow to turn over lately) drove it to get emissions done, they noticed it turned over slow as well. Did a battery test and told me I'll need a new one soon. Came home parked for a few hours - tried to start and then nothing. AAA gave me a jump, I drove it 7 miles to a shop to have the battery replaced. Then shop turned around and said alternator. Then this afternoon I noticed when they put my car on a flat bed they started it without a jump, again later I was able to start it and drive it through the parking lot into the service bay. No it sits and I wait for diagnostics to come back from MOS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcooper Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 MOS gave me a general quote for alternator and battery if that's what it ends up being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1975_mini Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Out of warranty I've been quoted ballpark $1400 from both a local shop and MOS. Yikes. To clarify what happened: Yesterday morning she started just fine (been a little slow to turn over lately) drove it to get emissions done, they noticed it turned over slow as well. Did a battery test and told me I'll need a new one soon. Came home parked for a few hours - tried to start and then nothing. AAA gave me a jump, I drove it 7 miles to a shop to have the battery replaced. Then shop turned around and said alternator. Then this afternoon I noticed when they put my car on a flat bed they started it without a jump, again later I was able to start it and drive it through the parking lot into the service bay. No it sits and I wait for diagnostics to come back from MOS. wow, that's right up there with my $1100 qoute to replace a $25 gasket. I would recommend you looking into an extended warranty, I have one through USAA that has been great. I know Ali is happy with the one she has maybe she can weighin on who she uses. In general if you do one claim you have made your money back, without one very rarely can you get out of the dealer under $1000 when you need a repair. Best of luck 1975 Mini 1000, 998cc A+ w/ K&N air filter, 10" Mamba wheels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1975_mini Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Hopefully they come back and say it is the voltage regulator, from your description the alternator is powering the car when running and the issue is related to charging the battery. The regulator controls the volts back to the charging system, fingers crossed as that is only a $45 part and very little labor to replace. 1975 Mini 1000, 998cc A+ w/ K&N air filter, 10" Mamba wheels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcooper Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 It was the alt... MOS came back and said they'll cover the alternator and battery in goodwill. But then proceeded to say that I'll need a new clutch soon and I need new control arm bushings lol. God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcooper Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Probably be beneficial just to look into an extended warranty.. Buy that and use that for clutch and bushings.. Anyone know if extended warranties cover things that have already broke? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
