Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes?

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Thu 22 Oct 2020 19:34
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - lucklesspedestrian

Hi

Daughter bought a 2017 Mini Cooper on 11th Sept from a fairly large dealership in the midlands (we're in Scotland). Last week the brakes started grinding and she took it into her local Kwik Fit who said it needed new rear discs and pads and a sensor (cost about £240).

I was wondering if she had any legal comeback regarding the cost of the brakes from the dealer she bought the car from given that she'd only had it for 6 weeks?

She has a 3 month warranty but I know the brakes might be classed as 'wear and tear' but 6 weeks??

Thanks in advance

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Thu 22 Oct 2020 19:57
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - elekie&a/c doctor
I think I would be questioning the advice of KF . Does it really need discs as well? You may get a contribution from the dealer , but as you say , wear and tear . The minimum requirement for an mot is 1.5 mm pad thickness.
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Thu 22 Oct 2020 20:00
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - Bromptonaut

Hi

Daughter bought a 2017 Mini Cooper on 11th Sept from a fairly large dealership in the midlands (we're in Scotland). Last week the brakes started grinding and she took it into her local Kwik Fit who said it needed new rear discs and pads and a sensor (cost about £240).

I was wondering if she had any legal comeback regarding the cost of the brakes from the dealer she bought the car from given that she'd only had it for 6 weeks?

She has a 3 month warranty but I know the brakes might be classed as 'wear and tear' but 6 weeks??

Thanks in advance

What do Kwik Fit say about the wear pattern?

If all four pads are worn then it should have been noticed at inspection and rectified before being exposed for sale.

If it's irregular then maybe there are calliper(s) sticking and it should have been noticed at inspection and rectified before being exposed for sale.

Either way I'd say the dealer is in the frame.

As it was sold in England then it may be worth working through the Citizens Advice tool for s/h cars:

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/buying-or-repai.../

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Thu 22 Oct 2020 20:26
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - daveyjp

Does the dealer advertised a '1001 point health check' as part of the prep of their vehicles? If so time to get back in touch and tell them it shoukd be 1005 as they appear to have missed the brakes on your car,

I would also avoid Kwikfit, especially on a car you ahve just purcahsed. Far better to go to the Mini dealership.

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Thu 22 Oct 2020 20:33
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - gordonbennet

Grinding suggests pad material gone and metal to metal, so yes it probably does need new discs.

Not sure i'd be using the workshop mentioned, as alluded to above it probably needs a jolly good full brake service, which in my humble means DIY (best of all) or using a good competent indy who knows how to, and is interested enough in quality work, to do this most important job properly..

Get the fronts looked at too.

The dealer should do the job for you if they have some honour, you'll know minutes after contacting them if they have any.

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Thu 22 Oct 2020 20:38
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - SLO76
Had you taken it back to the selling dealer I’d say yes, it’s very likely they’d replace the discs if and I repeat if they actually needed changing. You didn’t however give them a chance to check it. This fast fit chain like many others are notorious for up selling, telling you that something needs replacing when it has plenty of life left in it. Their staff are on commission which to me should be illegal in the motor trade.

I’ve had a few customers return to me with cars they’ve been told by this chain while they were in for a puncture that they needed new shocks or brakes only for me to send it to the workshop I used and no fault to be found. I wouldn’t use them if they were the last garage on the planet.

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Thu 22 Oct 2020 21:55
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - FiestaOwner
Had you taken it back to the selling dealer I’d say yes, it’s very likely they’d replace the discs if and I repeat if they actually needed changing. You didn’t however give them a chance to check it. This fast fit chain like many others are notorious for up selling, telling you that something needs replacing when it has plenty of life left in it. Their staff are on commission which to me should be illegal in the motor trade. I’ve had a few customers return to me with cars they’ve been told by this chain while they were in for a puncture that they needed new shocks or brakes only for me to send it to the workshop I used and no fault to be found. I wouldn’t use them if they were the last garage on the planet.

Agree with everything SLO said above. You needed to give the selling dealer the chance to fix it before involving another garage. This is the problem when buying from dealers that aren't local.

Did it come with a fresh MOT when it was bought? Was there any advisories for the brakes? Did the work really need done?

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Thu 22 Oct 2020 22:08
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - RT

The OP's in Scotland but bought the car from a dealer in the Midlands so taking it back is not easy - this is the reason that buying from a distant dealer isn't to be recommended.

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Thu 22 Oct 2020 23:12
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - drd63

As others have said, KF might not be the best bet for the work. However I assume you’ll have paid upwards of £11k for the car, for all the angst pursuing the dealer is likely to cause I’d just suck up the £240.

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Fri 23 Oct 2020 07:08
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - Falkirk Bairn

3 year old Mini - possibly on the 5 year service deal.

What does that mean?

The brakes got a cursory glance and a squirt of brake cleaner if they were lucky.

My DiL had a mini for 4 years -"serviced" by Mini and it needed 2 calipers /disc & pads on rear when in & failing an MoT aged 4.

Did she and my son learn a lesson? NO - same thing with other cars as they think a visit to the a garage every 2 years for a "service" (read little more than an oil change) is all that is needed.

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Fri 23 Oct 2020 08:58
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - John F

Age is irrelevant. Mileage? Even if there has been brief metal to metal contact, the disc is not necessarily rendered unserviceable. Front discs can last 100,000 miles; rear discs the life of the car. At 70,000 miles there is virtually no wear on my Audi's rear discs - and there is still at least 3mm on the pads.

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Fri 23 Oct 2020 09:29
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - Andrew-T

I thought it was common for rear disc brakes to become seizable if they aren't given some vigorous exercise occasionally. Maybe that is the case, so get them sorted.

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Fri 23 Oct 2020 09:37
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - Bromptonaut

I thought it was common for rear disc brakes to become seizable if they aren't given some vigorous exercise occasionally. Maybe that is the case, so get them sorted.

I'd understood that too. Most braking force is exerted at the front. If you're gentle on the brakes and car is mostly lightly laden the rears do very little.

That was why I asked the OP if the wear was uneven.

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Fri 23 Oct 2020 11:41
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - sammy1

Probably going to see a lot more problems like this due to covid and distant buying with more cars bought unseen. The TV at the moment is being bombarded with the likes of Cazoo delivered direct to your door, some of theses purchases are bound to have minor problems which I bet the terms and conditions do not cover.

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Fri 23 Oct 2020 16:07
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - lucklesspedestrian

Update

Should have said, the work had already been done by KF.

However after contacting the supplying dealer my daughter reports that they have agreed to cover it and the money should get paid to her early next week.

So, well done them!

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Fri 23 Oct 2020 16:40
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - SLO76

Update

Should have said, the work had already been done by KF.

However after contacting the supplying dealer my daughter reports that they have agreed to cover it and the money should get paid to her early next week.

So, well done them!

Good on them, keeps their reputation intact and they didn’t need to fork out based on KF’s probably dishonest advice.
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Tue 27 Oct 2020 11:28
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}

Let us know the dealers name. They deserve some credit for coughing up. But not for poor PDI.

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Tue 27 Oct 2020 17:11
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - Westbury33

That is a great result and the dealer should be applauded !!

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Tue 27 Oct 2020 19:49
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - lucklesspedestrian

It was Premier Car Supermarket in Derby.

Weirdly they sold my B in L a Seat Leon recently with a duff battery and they stumped up the cash for the replacement he had to buy just a week later. So bit of a theme emerging!

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Tue 27 Oct 2020 17:40
Mini Cooper - Dealer liable for new brakes? - nick62

3 year old Mini - possibly on the 5 year service deal.

What does that mean?

The brakes got a cursory glance and a squirt of brake cleaner if they were lucky.

I agree. Our car had a five year service plan and when it was six years old I had it serviced by an indy. I nearly stood it on its nose the first time I touched the brakes after collecting it, I guess they never had the wheels off it in those five "services"?

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