greatbear | Mini maximizing

Got my car back today, all fixed up. I have to hand it to Towson MINI, their service department is top notch (this coming from someone who prefers to do all car work himself, that's saying a lot). While nothing I took the car in for was serious, the dealer did everything right. To correct little cosmetic issues they replaced the steering wheel (leather was peeling), the left doorsill trim (was being 'stained' by water under a plastic overlay), and the driving lights (rusting inside the housings). Repaired a rattling of the dash by disassembling most of it to install updated mountings. Two minor emissions control issues were fixed. A TSB was issued for early cars having a potential problem of freezing door handles in wet, freezing weather, to be repaired by replacing the handles if the customer complains about it (I complained, even though I only 'almost' had the issue only once). And the repair and update for the glitch that was affecting the Navigation system brought about my only (expected) disappointment: I lost the Ann Richards-like British female voice so in character with the car, replaced by an American male voice. And the truly annoying "Americanization" is now being greeted with a disclaimer screen every time I start the car. This only makes me hate the litigious nature of our country even more, and wish that I could line up all the lawyers in the middle of a railroad track and plow through them all with a speeding locomotive. I'll even wear my seat belt and properly sound the whistle at all the railroad crossings and bridges. There is a hack to lose the nag screen and regain the female British voice.

I dropped the too-cool convertible this afternoon and picked up my car, all washed up and looking good after it's therapy. Nice touch.

Total cost to me to fix the car? Nada. Cost to BMW/MINI? Probably a cool grand and a half. Or better.