2009 Mini Cooper

TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR INSTALLATION HEAT SHIELD FOR TURBO FEED LINE. THIS IS A RECALL AND NEWLY INSTALLED PART TO PROTECT THE TURBO FEED LINE DUE TO OVERHEATING. TO MY SURPRISE THEY INSTALL THE HEAT SHIELD ONLY TO TELL ME THAT THE TURBO LINE IS FAILING AND WANT TO CHARGE ME $1000.00. THE FAILURE OF THE LINE IS OBVIOUSLY DUE FOR THE SAME REASON THEY ARE INSTALLING A HEAT SHIELD. THUS ITEM SHOULD BE RECALLED AND REPLACED. *TR

I NOTICED POWER STEERING FLUID ON MY DRIVER SIDE FLOOR MATS. I CHECKED UNDERNEATH AND NOTICED THAT IS WAS DRIPPING FROM MY WIRING HARNESS. I CALLED ALEXANDER MINI COOPER AND THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO A MECHANIC TO CHECK OUT THE PROBLEM AND IF THEY COULDN'T FIX IT TO BRING IT IN AND HAVE IT DIAGNOSED FOR $180.00. THEY SAID THAT THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE PROBLEM BUT I BELIEVE IT IS A FAULTY POWER STEERING PUMP ON MY CAR. CAN YOU ASSIST ME WITH ANY RECALL INFORMATION SO THAT I CAN GET THIS REPAIRED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE WATER PUMP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON 21 NOVEMBER 2013 WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON MY MINI CAME ON. I CALLED THE DEALER TO SCHEDULE THE APPOINTMENT. BY THE TIME I GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH THE DEALER, THE LIGHT TURNED OFF. AROUND 5 MILES FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND THEN THE CAR ERUPTED IN FLAMES. I AM UNSURE WHERE ELSE TO FILE A COMPLAINT BUT I THOUGHT I WOULD BEGIN HERE. *TR

THE VACUUM PUMP (ATTACHED TO EXHAUST CAM SHAFT) ON MY 2009 MINI COOPER JCW SEIZED ON THE HIGHWAY IN MOVING TRAFFIC (LUCKILY IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE) - VACUUM PUMP SEIZER LED TO EXHAUST CAM SHAFT FAILURE, WHICH LED TO MULTIPLE ENGINE PART FAILURE / ENGINE PUNCTURE (DESTROYED ENGINE AND TIMING CHAIN): DESTROYED ENGINE = NO POWER IN MOVING TRAFFIC = SERIOUS HAZARD. *TR

JUST PURCHASED USED 09 MINI , 2ND OWNER, ON START UP CAR SOUNDED ROUGH, DIESELING SOUND AND WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT IT WAS COMMON. THEN WHEN DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS OR WHEN SLOWING DOWN, TERRIBLE RATTLE SOUND. TOOK IT IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE, AND THE RATTLE WENT AWAY, BUT THEN CAME BACK SHORTLY BEFORE NEXT OIL CHANGE WAS DUE. TOOK IT IN FOR OIL CHANGE AGAIN, AND SOUND WENT AWAY AGAIN, BUT THEN CAME BACK WITHIN DAYS. FINALLY WAS ABLE TO GET AN APPT WITH THE CLOSEST AUTHORIZED DEALER, 50 MILES AWAY, BUT COULDN'T GET IN FOR TWO WEEKS IN ORDER TO GET A LOANER. THEY HAD IT FOR TWO DAYS, REPLACED THE TIMING CHAIN, NYLON PARTS WERE IN THE OIL PAN FROM THE GUIDES BEING SHREDDED. PICKED UP THE CAR ON THE THIRD DAY, AND FIR ALMOST ONE WEEK IT SEEMED FINE. JUST SHORT OF ONE WEEK OUT OF THE SHOP AND HEARD THE RATTLE AGAIN. BUT THEN IT WAS FINE, SO I THOUGHT IT WAS AN ANOMALY. ONE WEEK TO THE DAY SINCE PICKING IT UP FROM THE REPAIR, BARELY MADE IT INTO THE DRIVE FROM TAKING MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL. CALLED THE SHOP AND HAVE IT SCHEDULED TO GO BACK IN. HAVING THE CAR TOWED TO THE SHOP AS THE REPAIR TECH TREKS ME THAT IT IS "UNSAFE TO DRIVE." *TR

I AM BEING TOLD BY KNAUZ MINI REPAIR THAT THE TIMING BELT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. IT IS A $2000 REPAIR. IN LOOKING AT THE INTERNET, IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT CAN HAVE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES. IN FACT, THERE IS ONE CLASS ACTION SUIT IN NJ ABOUT IT. MINI REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TO A DESIGN FAILURE. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY AT @ 55MPH, THE COOLANT TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED YELLOW AND THEN RED ON MY 2009 MINI COOPER. I STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND OBSERVED THAT THE CLIPS WHICH SECURED THE LOWER RADIATOR HOSE IN PLACE HAD BROKEN AND THE RADIATOR HOSE WAS HANGING HORIZONALLY ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, DRAGGING ALONG THE GROUND. A HOLE HAD BEEN WORN THROUGH THE HOSE AND THE COOLANT HAD LEAKED OUT. AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED HOME ($285), I PURCHASED A NEW RADIATOR HOSE AND CLIPS FROM THE MINI DEALERSHIP ($160) AND HAD IT INSTALLED BY MY MECHANIC ($100). I ALSO LOST A 1/2 DAY OF WORK. A TOTAL LOSS OF OVER $600. BECAUSE OF POOR DESIGN AND/OR INFERIOR MATERIALS INTERNET RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THIS IS A COMMON MINI COOPER PROBLEM. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING WHICH WOULD CAUSE THIS ISSUE, DESPITE MINI COOPER'S ATTEMPTS TO PLACE BLAME ON THE DRIVER'S WHO EXPERIENCE THIS ISSUE. IF MINI COOPER WOULD PROPERLY ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AND REMEDY THE SITUATION, IT WOULD SPARE COUNTLESS DRIVER'S FROM BEING STRANDED ON THE SIDE AND THE EXPENSE OF FIXING WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REMEDIED BY A SERVICE BULLETIN OR RECALL. *TR

RE: 2009 MINI COOPER AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT ON JUNE 19TH, 2013, AT @ 54,200 MILES, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE TACHOMETER GAUGE AND CENTER SPEEDOMETER GAUGE AND AN OVERHEAD LIGHT WARNED THAT "PASSENGER AIRBAG IS OFF". ON AUGUST 26, 2013, AT 61,396 MILES, THE MORRISTOWN, NJ MINI COOPER DEALERSHIP CHARGED ME $140 FOR THE DIAGNOSES OF THIS ISSUE. INDICATED ON RECEIPT THAT "MRS MODULE HAS AN INTERNAL FAULT..... FAULT CODE 93D7 INTERNAL CONTROL UNIT FAULT.... AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AND PROGRAMMED.... PARTS AND LABOR COSTS $1100." SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED ME THAT PART WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND THAT EARLIER MODEL YEARS HAVE HAD CORRECTIVE ACTIONS PROVIDED AT NO EXPENSE TO THE CONSUMER. NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED TO THE 2009 MODEL YEAR. *TR

THE FUEL LINE LEADING TO THE INJECTOR RAIL WAS DAMAGED BY THE HEATER HOSE SUPPORT BRACKET. THE ABRASIVE EDGES OF THIS PLASTIC BRACKET RUBBED A HOLE IN THE HIGH PRESSURE REINFORCED RUBBER HOSE AND CREATED A FUEL LEAK IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. *TR THIS WAS DISCOVERED AFTER THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE AND GASOLINE FUMES WERE VERY STRONG AFTER EXITING THE CAR. I READ UP ON THE INTERNET AND DISCOVERED ANOTHER SIMILAR CASE, AND I TRACED MINE TO THE BRACKET AS THE PROBLEM. HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2007/MINI/COOPER/10467501.ASPX WHEN ORDERING THE NEW FUEL LINE, I WAS INFORMED A NEW SUPPORT BRACKET FOR THE FUEL LINE WAS RECOMMENDED WHEN CHANGING THE LINE (APPROXIMATE TOTAL FOR LINE AND BRACKET - $135.00). BMW IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS SOLD FOUR LINES THIS YEAR SO FAR. WHEN THE NEW PARTS ARRIVE, I WILL ASSESS IF REVISIONS TO THESE PART(S) HAVE BEEN MADE UNDER THE "RADAR". LUCKILY MY GARAGE DOOR OPENER/EXHAUST DID NOT IGNITE THE FUMES/FUEL. I HAVE PHOTOS OF THE HOSES/BRACKET AND FUEL LINE INTERFERENCE, AND FUEL TRAIL ON THEM IF NEEDED.