Yet another MotD is right around the corner. If you haven’t yet, click on the logo to head over to the site and get yourself registered if you are planning to go.
Sadly, yet again, I won’t be making the trek this year. I know many of you think that I have to go, but, in all honesty, I can’t. It all boils down to money and time, neither of which I have very much extra of.
In a perfect world, I would have the time and cash to make the drive. I’ve already been offered the use of a JCW Clubman even! If I could take the almost 2 weeks I would need to drive over, do the event and drive back (not to mention the money for fuel), I would be all over it.
I could always fly. Meet up with Todd or Chad and ride down and back with them and fly home. Again, this takes time (about a week) and money for an airplane ticket, that I don’t have.
I appreciate that all y’all want me to go. I really, really do. And one of these years I will get down there. This is just not the year.
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I’m starting to be very afraid to drive in Arizona. Take the above mentioned Tweet for example. The woman was so close, I could not see her headlights. And not just once. She was on my ass, less than 12″ from the back of my MINI for at least 2 miles. This wasn’t an isolated incident. This happens to me every time I drive. Every. Time.
Maybe it’s just me. Since I’ve owned the MINI, I’ve been rear-ended twice. I’ve been driving for almost 30 years and I’ve never been rear-ended until I got this car. But we’ve already talked about that.
Related, and something that I’ve been noticing. For a people that appears to be in such a hurry to get everywhere (otherwise they would back off a bit), they sure do take their time starting from a green light. Again, everytime I drive I’m stuck behind someone that has decided to let the idle speed of their car move it through the intersection, waiting for at least 100 yards before actually pressing their right foot down.
Crazy making this.
I know a big part of it is that Arizona is one of the few states left that allows you to use your cell phone while driving. Make a call? Yep. Text message? Oh sure, why not. Post to Twitter/Facebook/[insert favorite social network here]? Absolutely. While driving next to a vehicle driven by a law enforcement officers? Sure thing buddy! Bring it!
Just another thing in the list of things that drive me crazy enough to actually want to put words to screen. As always, thanks for listening. And, sound off in the comments if you have your own idiots driver horror story to share.
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Last week was very interesting for MINI. First, they were ranked at the top of the charts for dealer service, only to be brought down later in the week by bringing up the rear in the dependability study. Both sets of results came from JD Powers.
This is something that we talk about during Woofcast 372. One of the biggest issues facing MINI right now is in the dealer network and their reluctance to ensure that MAs are properly trained. For example, I know of at least 2 dealers in my area that completely skipped the R60 training in Austin earlier this year. I’m sure there are other dealers in the network that skipped training as well. After all, training costs money, and dealers are in the business of making money, not spending it.
That said, one of the things that I am most passionate about is training. Training is one of those things that continues to return on your investment, sometimes for years. Training would have prevented many of the issues that I’m sure cropped up in the dependability study. Things like how to operate the radio, how to open the doors or where the bonnet release is (on cars built before it was moved to the drivers side in RHD cars) or even how to check the oil.
The MINI is less than perfect, even on the R56. While they were less problematic than the first gen cars (my MINI lived at the dealer for the first 18 months I owned it), the problems, especially on the MCS, seemed to be more major. Turbo problems, cold start issues, fuel pump issues and power steering problems have plagued owners of the R56 for a while. But every MINI? According to this study, each MINI that rolls off the line has no less than 2 problems.
Now for the blame portion of the post. But not really. Sure, MINI could produce a car that has controls that make sense. We would hope that MINI could produce a car that has fewer mechanical issues. We like to think that the dealer network cares about their customers enough to ensure that their staff is properly trained. We can only wish for the day that JD Powers stops doing ridiculous studies. But we aren’t there yet.
Instead of placing blame, I’m instead going to choose to help educate where I can like a proper fan boy should. I will continue to let all y’all know that it’s time to check your oil. Help spread the word that the MINI is safe and reliable by evidence of the ’03 MINI Cooper that is rapidly approaching 250,000 miles on the odometer. And I will continue to encourage MINI owners to send questions into the show so that Chad and the rest of us can help answer them.
Blaming is easy and cheap. It’s doing things right the first time that costs money and time.
Comments are open.
(3) commentsFor those of you that don’t follow along on Facebook or Twitter, my son (aka teh lad) recently joined the Navy. This weekend, he graduated Navy Bootcamp, turned 19 and made me a very proud father. I jotted down a few words about it here on my personal blog.
What is MINI related, and I’m sure you can relate, is the weird looks I get when I wave to MINIs while driving a silver Ford Focus (a car I will be talking more about in the future I’m sure, if for no other reason it was ruined with a CVT transmission). I’ve been doing it so long that sometimes I forget I’m not driving a MINI with the WRR logo on the roof!
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One of the things that I really like about Arizona is that there is always something going on. Every Friday in the Phoenix area there are at least 4 different meetups at random pubs throughout the valley. Almost every weekend there is some kind of ‘festival’ happening too. And, every First Sunday is Cars and Coffee.
MINI of Tempe is the place. They host as many local MINI enthusiasts that will show up. Feed us coffee and donuts and lets us gawk at the cars on the lot, talk amongst ourselves or with the sales people and generally let us be MINI geeks for a morning.
This is the 2nd time I’ve been able to attend and it’s always a good time. Talking about the Rocketman MINI, the Paceman vs. Clubman and Countryman. Plus a game of “are you going to…” about the big MINI events coming up this year like MINIs on the Dragon and A MINI Vacation in Vegas. Toss in a bit of reminiscing for good measure and you have the makings for a pretty great Sunday morning.
Last thing for me to do is join the local club so I can start going on a few runs. Been a while since I’ve done that and I’m overdue to drive my MINI in a line of other MINIs on some twisty roads.
But, before I can do that, I still have a few repairs to make on Roxy, primarily the front control arm bushings. I know, I know. I’m hoping to give Detroit Tuned a call next week to get those ordered, then it’s just a matter of saving up the cash to get the work done. I have gotten a few recommendations for local shops to check out besides the dealers too, so that should help.
Finally, AMVIV is coming up pretty quick. Sadly, I can’t make the Dragon again this year, but AMVIV I can. We are planning something really cool this year that we hope is as cool as what we did at Aliente Station during AMVIV 7. The only way to find out is to go, and I expect to see as many of you there as possible, especially since MINI United was cancelled for this year. Come to Vegas instead!
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