Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: My Mini has died!

This is topic My Mini has died! in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 07-29-2010, 03:55 AM:

After only 3 years suddenly my Mini Cooper S engine stopped working. After towing the car to the Mini represantatives and service in Cyprus, the answer is that my car needs a new engine which will cost me nine and a half thousand Euro! I have not even finished the lease for the car. The excuse that my car is 7000 km above service and that is why this happen!! I am not sure how to handle it and thinking of going to court with this. [Confused]

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 07-29-2010, 04:03 AM:

$12,411.36 USD ... ain't that a bit WAY TOO MUCH for a 4-banger motor replacement? DANG! that' half the price of the car!

Is it diesel, or petrol?

I trust that you kept your oil changes and checked your oil on a regular basis ....

Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 07-29-2010, 04:09 AM:

Its petrol and the last oil change I did do it at a gas station and not at the dealership service. What a retard excuse they gave me.
Demetris

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 07-29-2010, 04:14 AM:

Oil pump went out, I bet. Plus, with you having it for less than 3 yrs, it should be under a warranty of sorts unless you've extended the mileage requirements per the condition of your lease.

Kept your receipts on any services rendered, plus the venues attended for service, would they have record of doing the service work performed on your Mini that you could get copies of so you can have a 'paper trail' to defend yourself?

Yea, I'd run that one with the court authorities on this case ...

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 07-29-2010, 04:16 AM:

quote:
My Mini has died

I was going to ask if you meant car, computer or skirt! [Smile]

Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 07-29-2010, 04:28 AM:

1st year they told me the bushings of the front wheel axle was gone and had to change the whole front axle. Under waranty. Last year as I was driving suddenly it lost the turbo! They had to replace the whole turbo unit even though they told me that they replaced the engine. This year is the engine. I am getting bloody ripped off. I don't know what I shall do about it [Frown]

The warranty is supposed to be for 2 years only. I bought it in 2007.
Demetris

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 07-29-2010, 07:58 AM:

They replaced the engine before? There's your problem! They must have done a shitty job of replacing the engine last time!

In the US, there is something called a "Lemon Law." If you buy a car or other major purchase and it proves to be defective, the company is obliged to replace it. This is not a warranty claim. This goes over and above the warranty. I don't know the laws in your area but it might be worth it to do some research and find out.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 07-29-2010, 08:50 AM:

A repair shop in my neighborhood has replaced 5 Mini engines since the car was introduced. Two replacements were from BMW the others were from a major rebuilder (Jasper I think). Big rebuilders like Jasper have a better handle on problems than OEMs and have much better warranties.
Sounds to me like what you really need is a large jug of gasoline and a match.

Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 07-29-2010, 09:59 AM:

After asking some other authorised service engineers, I was informed that BMW engines (which is what is in Mini) are done in such a way that they cannot get damaged to the extend the dealership is telling me due to some safety mechanism which does not allow the engine to start or continue a journey if something is amiss. I concur with the match and gasoline method [evil]

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 07-29-2010, 10:23 AM:

I've got close to 200,000 miles on my BMW and it still runs like new.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 07-29-2010, 01:43 PM:

Well, at first I was going to notify Mr Bean about this but your car is the newer Mini so that won't help you... and he probably wouldn 't have nmuch to say about it anyway. I certainly do sympathize with you big time though. My Land Rover engine blew up several months ago... not because I went past service... It got serviced spot on as the Brits would say. It just decided to blow up while I was driving along. Thankfully it happened locally and not out in the boonies somewhere. I wish it had also gone up in flames or something a bit more dramatic because then insurance woulda covered it. I neither had a match nor was the cigarette lighter in the vehicle at the time the engine parts left this planet. A new engine... which I am able to get at an extremely healthy discount from a friend that restores Land Rovers is $5800 USD. More than the Rover is worth... In my case I can write it off so I won't loose completely on the thing. I will just part the rest of it out...
BTW: My Rover was built during the time when they were owned by BMW... Some similar engine connection perhaps! The Rover engine plant was sold to the Chinese... but the engines are still available... The real motto is DO NOT EVER BUY A BRITISH CAR! My Hummer runs rings around what the Rover can do anyways....

Mark

Posted by Jonathan Worthing (Member # 803) on 08-02-2010, 06:11 AM:

Who would drive a Hummer [Big Grin]

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 08-02-2010, 10:40 AM:

I thought BMW was a German car, not British. Bavarian Motor Works

Rick

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 08-02-2010, 11:30 AM:

I would contact the factory. In the U.S. sometimes the dealers overcharge while the factories want you to be happy. See if the factory rep can assist you with the balky dealer. Louis

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 08-02-2010, 02:45 PM:

Isn't the Hummer just a plastic rebodied Chevy Suburban with tiny windows and weird styling? It hasn't been anything like the military vehicle in many years.

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 08-02-2010, 04:15 PM:

You say your service should have been done 7000km earlier. Have you done it elsewere or have you just put it back for 7000km?
Newest engine may be a bit fussy when it comes to oil type. What kind of oil have you used last time?

The turbo was not working and they replaced the ENTIRE ENGINE? I think if you report a flat tyre, they may decide to replace the entire car, just to make sure everything is ok.

Have you got some warning lights before breakdown? Sometimes the alarm buzzer is very low and cannot be heard over some music.

Sorry to hear that. I'm so pissed off with official service centres. They just try to take your money. My golf warranty has just expired, so I'm quite happy to stop paying 300 pounds for oil and oil filter. You may want to call BMW, but I wish you good luck. When I called Volkswagen UK asking for help dealing with one of their official dealer that SMASHED my 2y old car in the workshop and gave it back to me "patched", they eventually told me "it's not VW fault, you have to deal with the dealer on your own, there is nothing we can do to help you".

Good luck.

Posted by Lance C. McFetridge (Member # 95) on 08-05-2010, 06:38 AM:

I have had two Clubman S. Sorry to hear about your troubles, maybe now is the time to go the John Cooper Works upgrade.
Lance

Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 08-23-2010, 04:30 AM:

Just an update, I visited today the distribution garage and they informed me, after an e-mail I send to the CEO of the company, that they are looking at the true costs of fixing the car and is about half the price what they told me at first. Still I am waiting for a result and will inform you all accordingly. Thanks for the advices.
Demetris