Helpful hints for new car owners

A couple of weeks after I bought CR's Mini Cooper S test car, I received a package from Mini in the mail. (Apparently everyone gets it.) Along with the roadside assistance wallet card, the care package contained a cute little notebook, a deck of Mini playing cards, and a card to fit in one of the two glove boxes titled "The Idiosyncrasies of Your New Mini."

That card's title is an understatement. As we've mentioned in our test results and our video for the Mini, its controls are a mess. Just a few examples: The volume knob floats around on its own in the center of the dashboard. It takes two actions - dock the key fob (logo up or down?) and push the start button - to start the car. (Unless you splurge for the transponder key.) The turn signal wand is electronic; you can even program how many times it will flash after a brief poke. All in all, the card covers ten areas of Minidom that might need further explanation.

Why would a car company send a card explaining this stuff long after you bought the car? I'm guessing it's so that owners don't kvetch about "unique" design features in various surveys. Many surveys don't ask solely about problems that require repair. Instead, their measurement of "quality" includes product design and performance issues. So, if the Mini's card clears up how something works and a buyer is no longer confused by the feature, they probably won't complain. Ta-da! No more problem in the survey's eyes.

No doubt, Mini isn't alone at this. Engineers told us that GM put a hang-tag on the neat one-lever release handle for the Saturn Outlook/GMC Acadia/Buick Enclave's second row seats so that customers would very easily figure out how to fold the back seats. This tag emphasizes the feature and reduces the likelihood of complaints. We've seen placards about run-flat tires and window decals about performance tires on newly-purchased Toyota and Lexus models. This is likely due to complaints of rapid tire wear; informing the buyer up front lessens the chance of an unpleasant surprise later.

It's not just written material, either. Although I waved off the full Mini preflight inspection when I picked up our test car at the dealer, the salesman was still very certain to point out the aforementioned volume knob. When we bought our Honda Fit, the dealer pointed out that the small release toggle on the front seat to slide it forward (needed to fold the rear seat flat) wasn't strong enough to use as a lever. Apparently these handles frequently broke on the Jazz, the Fit's European version.

Now, I'm far from arguing that the consumer should be less informed about their new car. These measures will improve customer satisfaction, especially since not many buyers ever crack the binding on their owners manual. (You should.) But I have to wonder if it would be simpler to just have a normal volume knob in a Mini rather than being told twice how to use it or Honda making that release a bit stronger.

--Tom Mutchler

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