138 replies to this topic

[Decayingdoll]

Hi all,

 

Firstly, apologies if this is in the wrong section...

 

I bought my Rover Mini 1275 from a garage on the 10^th October 2015,

She's the 3rd mini i've owned, but there's been an 8 year gap between Winnie (my current mini) and my last mini - a Park Lane I called Betty.

 

Winnie cost a pretty penny, (way more than I'd ever spent on a mini before!) but I wanted to do it properly this time and buy from a reputable mini dealer so I got a good, solid car. I need a reliable car that can get me to and from work, I'm a teacher that works at a college in the middle of nowhere! 

 

I started to notice her wobbling on the brakes, especially at high speeds and so took her to my usual mechanic for a check-up. Whilst she was there, I asked him to give her the once over and let me know what the overall condition of the car was, especially in the unseen areas. He gave me a call and said it looked seriously rusty underneath and that he didn't want to attempt putting it up on the ramps incase it went through the floor of the mini! Not good...

 

I took her to a mini specialist with the correct ramps and asked them to have a good look and let me know how bad it really is. 
They put her up on the ramps and showed me the damage to the floor, to say it upset me would be an understatement.

The subframe is very weak, it has multiple visible repairs (in his opinion, very poor repairs), it’s cracked and corroded. The floor and outer sills on both sides are very rusty, corroded, weak and holed. It would appear that an under seal has been applied to a majority of the floor in an attempt to cover this up. I had a good cry and went home to think about my next steps…
 

Luckily, I work in a college that has a well established Motor Vehicle department so I decided to pop to see them for some advice. I took my list of issues, with images (I would attach but I think they would make you wince!) and asked their opinion. They said it should not have passed it's previous MOT and said it would definitely not pass its next one (due in October). They even said it was dangerous for me to drive as the subframe could snap, or my foot could go through the drivers side floor. Serious crying ensued... 

 

When I got home I dug out the recent MOT paperwork and the only advisory notes state “subframe corroded but not seriously weakened rear (2.4.G.1)”.

 

 

Whilst I completely understand that rust is all part of the ‘mini experience’ I did not expect to purchase a car that required so much work doing to it for the price that I paid. All of the mechanics that have viewed the car have said that for the rust to be at such a critical level it would have been like that for some time, way before I bought her and to sell her in such a state without declaring it is unacceptable. I have written a nice letter to the dealer that sold me the car, but it's been over a week and I haven't received a response  

 

Has anyone experienced such a situation? 

Am I best to head to Citizens Advice ASAP? Trading Standards? Small claims court?

 

I can't let this go, I'm absolutely beside myself. I've been quoted around £2800 to get the panels in the floor replaced!
I sold my VW Polo to restart my passion for minis and to start with Winnie was the best Mini I'd had! She's beautiful (ignoring the seriously rusty underneath!!) and she drives like a dream. But now I'm stuck knowing that she'll fail her next MOT without some serious work undertaken.

 

Apologies for the lengthy post! Any help/advice greatly appreciated. 

 

- Sad mini owner from Suffolk

[Carlos W]

We're now 7 months on, you're going to struggle to do an awful lot about it legally.

 

When did you find the damage?

 

Are there no teachers in the motor vehicle department who would help you out for some beer tokens?

[Decayingdoll]

Hi Carlos,

 

I really hope you're wrong (no disrespect!). Because I bought Winnie from a reputable mini dealer I didn't think to have her checked. It's only because the brakes started acting iffy that I had them give her the full look over. (we found the damage Monday 11th April)  

 

The guys at work think I have a good case for Trading Standards and I have a friend that's a stenographer that says she's seen similar cases in court. I'm going to book an appointment with CAB this week to get some advice.
 

I've tried fluttering my eyelashes! But apparently most of the cost is labour.
s she's an MPI apparently it takes a lot more work to remove everything and sort the floor out. The panels themselves aren't too expensive! 

 

Thanks again for your reply,

Edited by Decayingdoll, 26 April 2016 - 08:21 PM.

[CityEPete]

MPI minis can rot worse than any other age of mini ime, if it was covered up last summer with underseal and used all winter I can see how it could go from ok to rotten but a proper mini place should have known exactly where to poke and prod imo. Good luck.

[Decayingdoll]

Thanks Pete!
I completely agree, sadly it wasn't even mentioned to me when I bought her and the subframe has multiple patches.

The advert didn't mention any rust, and you'd like to think a reputable mini garage would look the car over before putting it up for sale. 

 

I heard that! If I'd have known that information when I was looking to purchase a Mini I would have avoided an MPI...

 

Appointment booked for CAB :) 

[robminibcy]

unfortunately I have to agree with Carlos, when buying any used car it is a case of buyer beware, specialist or not and a rotted floor is a simple thing to check. The body work on a mpi is no different to any other mini so don't get done by anyone saying otherwise although due to poor quality metal and paint they are often as rotten as much older cars or worse! Yes they are more complicated electrically as they have an ecu but other than that theres little difference to a 1959 mini.

 

2800 sounds a lot for floor panels though if it is just for the parts and not the labour to fit them? If it is just for panels I suggest you look at minispares.co.uk as they are much cheaper and offer great service and discount to tmf+ members.

Edited by robminibcy, 26 April 2016 - 08:43 PM.

[nollyd]

oh dear,please dont let this put you off minis,its not winnies fault,she needs some tlc by the sounds of it,are there no enthusiasts close by who would weld the panels in for you to help you out,im miles away myself in the midlands but 2800 to replace floor panels seems a bit steep in my opinion.i really hope you can sort it one way or another.keep us posted.

[Decayingdoll]

Thanks for the reply Rob, I see what you're saying.
I visited the car twice, she was on a shingled forecourt so I couldn't get underneath to look.

 

My previous mini's cost me around the £3000 mark and were bought from eBay. 

Winnie was way over double that price and as it was from an actual mini specialist I trusted I was getting my moneys worth.

 

I have a telephone appointment with CAB tomorrow.

Under the consumer rights act 2015 (came into play 1st October 2015) goods supplied must be of satisfactory quality. If all the mechanics that have looked at her think she should not have passed her recent MOT and will definitely not pass the next one I feel that she was sold in an unsatisfactory condition.

 

I'll see what CAB say tomorrow. Thanks for your help :)

Edited by Decayingdoll, 26 April 2016 - 08:52 PM.

[Decayingdoll]

Thanks Nolly! I haven't met any other mini owners around this way since owning Winnie! 

 

I love Winnie (even if her floor made me cry!!), and it certainly hasn't put me off. 

I just feel a bit gutted about it all. I also don't have anywhere near £3k to fix her when she cost me £7k 6 months ago...

[Shifty]

Have you contacted the garage that sold you the car yet?

[Tamworthbay]

It's going to be a tricky one, perhaps give them a call and give them a chance to come to some arrangement with you. The threat of a name and shame on the lines of 'pictures will be put on my Facebook page with the price I paid and how you have ripped off a poor innocent buyer etc etc' can work wonders if they chose to ignore you. The hard part is proving when the issues arose as a car can deteriorate quickly in the wrong circumstances, I don't doubt it was like that when you bought it but for legal action to stand any chance you have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that it was and that is harder to do. Good luck.

[Decayingdoll]

Hi Shifty,

 

I have, I sent a letter by recorded delivery Monday 18th April 2016.

I wanted to give them a chance to respond just incase they were as shocked as I was and wanted me to drive her up there to have a look.

But I have received no response  

 

P.S Adore your car. One day I'll own an Elf! 

[CityEPete]

I guess with the newest cars being 16 years old, 4 years older than the life expectancy of a modern car and known for rusting even when a year or two old any garage could argue that it goes with the territory to some extent, tricky one unless you can prove you were denied any chance to inspect it yourself or by a third party I'd say :-(

[Decayingdoll]

Thanks Tamworthbay.

I wrote a letter as I wanted to have the evidence that I'd contacted them. 

I was really hoping I'd receive a reply with some suggestions/offers. 

 

You're right, word of mouth can cause a whole lot of issues... I just didn't want to have to go that way

[CityEPete]

Well for 7k I'd have wanted a car with no underseal, just shiny paint with a coat of clear waxoyl over the top! Shame.