Mini Georgian is a complete rip off center. - UnderestimatedConsumer
Mini Georgian is a complete rip off center. I am appalled at their behaviour and that they are gaslighting me saying they did nothing wrong.
In July, I had a routine oil change and they did a "routine" service report, saying it needed all 4 rotors machined soon. I refused the service.
In Sept they solicited me to bring the car in to have the rotors machined. When I said I'd come in when the tires were changed for winter, they offered me a 20% discount and said the offer was only good until Oct 9.
As a result of this pressure tactic, I did the brake service on Oct 6. I assumed that they would machine the rotors and replace the pads from the quote they gave me.
They also told me I needed to leave the car with them for the entire day. I assumed that meant it was a significant job and would take a long time.
I was shocked when they called me about an hour after my appointment and said the car was almost ready. I expected this meant that I would only be charged for less than 2 hours labour.
I was absolutely astounded when I got the invoice and they had charged me $1102.50: $945 in labour for a 2 hour service. Things only got worse from there.
There were no hours indicated on the invoice, only the $945 charge for labour. The only other items on the bill were disposal fee, 4 torque screws and brake grease. They did not replace the brake pads. There was no indication of the measurement of the rotors before they did the job, or after they did the job.
I then realized I had been taken advantage of and started investigating. I found out a number of things:
1. The service report from July showed that the rotors were perfectly fine. They were given a "green" rating, showing they needed no service at all. I'm not sure why they told me on that same day that my brakes were worn and needed service.
2. Mini Canada does not recommend machining rotors - they recommend that worn rotors be replaced entirely. They machined mine against industry standard.
3. Industry standard is to replace brake pads when rotors are changed or machined. They put my old ones back on, which means my brakes will wear faster than they should because of the hardened old brake pads.
4. I only drove the car 2,000 km between July and Oct when it went in for service. There is no way that the rotors were over 6mm on July 24 and needed servicing by October 6th with 38,000kms on it.
I complained and the GM Michael Ferreira sent me a condescending email telling me I didn't understand how servicing works. However, they either charged me $500 per hour for labour, or they charged me for 4-6 hours of labour they didn't do. Either is unethical and unacceptable.
When I pointed out all that I had found out about what they'd done, he stood by his statement that they'd done nothing deceitful or unethical. He agreed to give me half back as "good will", but the job shouldn't have been done - it should have waited until the sensors indicated it needed service. It was an egregious and deceitful attempt to get me to do two brake jobs instead of one, when it was needed. So, I asked for all my money back, and they've refused.
I had a third party look at the car. They confirmed the car didn't need service, and they had been even more deceitful than I knew - they didn't machine both sides of the rotors - they didn't even take them off the car. They didn't replace the torque screws, and they didn't even grease both sides of the brakes. They spray painted the rotors to cover rust spots. He said machining rotors isn't even done anymore - when they are worn, they get replaced, for about what I paid to simply have them machined, for no reason.
Do NOT use this service department. They are just looking to take your money and will aggressively push you to do work you don't need. They don't care about your vehicle. Don't trust them.
Read More
Dealer Reviews
Cars for Sale
Dealer Log In