All fives?

Went in for service last week. Having over 150K miles can really put a dent in a guys wallet. Consider yourself warned. My wish list has exceeded US$4K, with almost half of that in labor (7 hours to replace front suspension components? Ugh). But that is not while I am writing here today.

My service was adequate as usual. Everyone was nice but I wasn’t killed with kindness or overwhelmed with any sense that my SA was very knowledgeable about what was happening with my car or with MINI in general.

I get my invoice in a booklet-type device that has, plastered all over it, we strive for 5’s. There is a card inside that says to tell MINIUSA ‘All fives’ when they call. I even received a follow up call from my dealer about 5 days after my visit, again insisting that I give them all fives.

MINIUSA called today. Any guesses on what I said?

While I’m all about giving a good, nay, outstanding, report when it is warranted, I’m not going to do that just because. If the rank is 1-5, then to me 5 would be absolutely perfect without any flaws whatsoever. Also, to me, that is just about impossible to hit.

I must admit I am in the wrong point in my life to own a high-mileage, serviced by BMW, automobile. I’m the first one to admit that. This is something I should have realized in the first place before I even purchased the car. But I was, like many of you, blinded by the greatness that is this car.

One of the things that will keep my dealer from getting a perfect score from me is the cost of service. $108 for an oil change? $20 (or $40 for those dino killing Iridium plugs) for spark plugs from the parts counter? $175 for an hour of labor? Really? These are the prices you want me to pay for a car that cost less than US$25K?

I’m not an idiot. I know they are in the business of making money. It just so happens that I am as well and like to keep as much of that money as possible. That means I don’t like having to pay for new facilities. Or paying double (or more) for parts. Call me a cheapskate if you want, but that’s how I think.

I don’t want to come off like I’m complaining, because I’m really not. The only blame here lies on myself for not knowing what I was getting into when I purchased this car. I’ll have the repairs done and figure out a way to pay the exorbitant rates for labor because I really love the car. Consider this more a warning to you out there that don’t have a high-five or 6 figure income and drive cars well outside of the range of the warranty.

And stop bugging me to give you a score you didn’t earn! If you wow me with service and do a seriously kick-ass job, I’ll give you the proper score. Begging for a good score looks bad and makes me think that you are trying to cover up for less than good service. Provide better service and you’re scores will increase. Bonus, you won’t have to ask.