I just took my '11 Countryman with 59k miles to the dealer because the engine light was on. They just called and said it was the hpfp, and oil pump (I believe). They said it would be about $2,000, but would ask Mini USA if they would cover part of the repairs. From reading the forum, it's evident this is an ongoing problem. My question is: If Mini USA declines the request, who can I call and complain to?

 

Hi Brett,

I have been in touch with MINI and BMW of North America via email and phone. Both contacted me after I posted on the MINI Facebook page. Good luck, I've been trying to get this problem repaired correctly since May.

 

LeCanard,

Mini USA picked up the repair on the hpfp, but the dealer also said the oil pump solenoid was leaking and had to be replaced as well. That one cost me $700. Let's hope it keeps running well now.

 

Hi Brett,

That's a bummer. Mine had that same thing happen. The oil pump solenoid leak seems to be a VERY common problem in the Countryman. Luckily, that happened while my car was still under warranty. I'm very disappointed in the car. I thought it would be reliable seeing as its made by BMW. I guess I was wrong.

 

so this was my first morning of driving my new-to-me 2010 used MCS in rush hour traffic... I had given myself a week to get comfy with the manual before I would have to brave the stop-n-go of a backed up interstate... so, just as I pass the last rural exit that would provide refuge, the dreaded yellow engine light... as I could not feel any loss in performance, I chose to drive on (crossing my fingers very tight, mind you)... oddly enough, I handled the traffic without a single stall, but now I'm a little bit worried about starting my motoring career with a check engine light... guess I'm going to feel much better about saving enough on the purchase to buy that extended warranty now...

edit - carbon buildup, covered on warranty... *whew* the Noob breathes a sigh of relief...

 

I just joined the club. Reduced power plus yellow engine light, both indicator at once.
Taking it to mini tomorrow even though it isn't scheduled til thurs.

I am seriously considering trading it in. Seeing all these problems and warranty goes only til march and then Mini's defective systems become my dime. I could get a new car with new warranty and not go on worrying about all of this stuff, which seemingly is happening to a LOT of CM owners. Mini doesn't seem to be quick about recalls. The TStat had a recall, I knew about it because of this site. Mini NEVER notified me, I had to call them. THAT JUST SUCKS! Now engine lights and who knows. Plus Consumer Reports just gave this car an extreme black mark....for reliability. Just reading this thread alone, no wonder.

So yes, getting it fixed under warranty this week and then very high possibility of just unloading it and that will be it for me and mini... Was a fun chapter while it ran well but this ticket to ride into the future is ridiculous. Not wanting to pay for what Mini won't owe up to.

Lots of soul searching to do. I love the car but...and that "BUT" is getting stronger by the post......

 

I had an issue with my CM 2012 that was similar and was told that if I hadn't brought it in, I would have needed my engine replaced. My engine light came on at about 35000 miles. I was told it was a faulty cylinoid, oil leaked onto the computer and the computer needed to be replaced. There is not a recall because they have more than one manufacturer of the part and there is no way to tell which minis are affected. He said they are checking all cars as they come in for routine maintenance. Two days later the car died. Now I am a woman and missed my hair appointment...you know what THAT means@@##!! The guy towing my vehicle said he is seeing LOTS of CMs!! This made me very nervous of course. The fuel injector or filter needed to be replaced. My SA was surprised that I was talking about not wanting the car...he said "you have 1 problem and you don't want the car??" Now at 52,000 engine light comes on AGAIN...was advised to continue driving since the first appointment was almost a week out and nothing seemed wrong with the car. After about 4 days, it went out but then was back on and off before my appointment (the half engine light). It has been in the shop 5 days...they replaced a fuel sensor. They kept it over the weekend to put the first 50-100 miles on my car to be sure I do not have to return right away again. I am with everyone else here that says...HEY I bought a new car and expect to NOT be taking it into the shop again and again. I also have never had an issue with any other new OR used car so early in owership and I am nearly 58. Hope that helps.

 

Fuse and Mini56, are these justas or S's?

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

I have an S (turbo)

Just heard back from the dealer. The CODEs are gone. Said that if it is driven without errors, codes clear. THIS is after I asked the tech DIRECTLY if HE would be able to get them if I brought it in. BEFORE I hauled it all the way out there. HE convinced me ABSOLUTELY! NOW No codes? I'm starting to see a pattern. If they don't know, claim the codes are gone and THEY can't find it.

SO now we wait and see...

My guess from our conversations, is I wasted my time getting it there.

Yes, ride it out long enough and the warranty expires and its my dime. Might be it for me and mini. I'm not playing this game much longer....

Paying for repairs for an expensive to maintain car is acceptable. Not getting it fixed when there is a problem while under warranty is just a con job. NOT ACCEPTABLE!

 

The techs are unable to reproduce the cold start problems. The tech drove it for a few days, no engine light. The fuel system is now pulled to a vacuum and watching the bar. If it holds no vac leak, if it moves, one of the fuel pumps or a line or gas cap etc....

The wait continues.....

 

Just picked up the CM.

First off, communications is not their strength...

Was told they couldn't pull any codes.

The service sheet says code 2C58 for charge air pressure and misfires in cylinders 1 and 2. Worked through test plan no presumed cause faults were present. Cleared memory let vehicle sit for days and could not reproduce a rough start.

Vehicle has correct fuel pressure at pumps (5 bar) and high pressure fuel pump read 9 bar.

Cannot reproduce concern and no fault codes returning in fault memory.


They did do a ton of maintenance items.

But nothing found...

Yellow Engine Lights mean nothing.........
If its not flashing red and staying on, ignore...
If its yellow and stays for a few trips and then gone, mini can't do anything about it anyhow.

I asked about getting an OBD II reader and they said that they don't use those codes. Even if I go to autozone and write them down, mini won't use the codes. It has to be ON solid when they get them....

 

I've been reading a lot of threads regarding reduced power. Many folks have been taking their cars to the dealer only to have them throw parts at the problem and to find the light back on five minutes down the road. When my light came on in my 09 JCW I tried to pull a code with my scanner only to find no codes. After calling the dealer and finding out that there is no less than 50 different things that can cause that message and I decided that the cost of repair at the dealer out of warranty would be a last resort. My Issue popped up right after a fill up. We always use high test gas but in this case I believe that we purchased sub par fuel. I'm not sure if the car has a octane sensor or not but when I ran that tank completely out and refilled with fresh 93 octane the light was out when I started the car at the station.
So, the moral of the story is- be patient! If you cant pull a code and the light is yellow and not red, it is ok to drive the car. Run the fuel out and refill with high quality gas with maybe a shot of lucus injector cleaner. Good Luck!!!

 

I have a 2011 MC SAll4 with about 34,000 miles on it.

I've lost track of the number of issues with this car that is not quite three years old.

I had the clutch replaced after one year--I am not an overly aggressive driver but the thing was almost dead when I took it in. Mini replaced it at no cost, but I was out of a car for several days.

I had the tires replaced to the tune of $2,000 at 30,000 miles. I have never had a car with tires that went BALD at 30,000 miles--past cars the tires have lasted to about 40,000 miles before needing replacement, and the most I ever spent to replace tires was around $1,000 for four new tires for my previous car. (Don't get me started on the rip-off with run-flat tires)

About four months ago something or other in the right front tire was jostled loose. I can't recall exactly what it was but every time I made a left turn the car made a horrible screeching sound. I was almost positive it was a bad bearing in my wheel. Turned out to be something else, but that was yet another day spent waiting around in the dealership for a fix.

In between I have been to the dealership multiple times for various issues--in fact, I think only three of my service appointments in total have been for routine maintenance. The rest of my visits--at least a dozen, likely more--have been for other stuff.

The CEL has been ongoing for the past 18 months or so. Every time I've taken the car in I've mentioned it and asked for them to diagnose, and every time I've been told they can't see any problems. Well, yesterday the CEL came on and unlike in the past, it stayed on, and now my car is protesting when I start it--the engine is taking longer to turn over.

Needless to say, I'm at the breaking point with this car. I am taking it in on Friday and I will have to wait, as--big shocker--they have no loaner cars available (they NEVER have a loaner available for emergencies). I have lost track of the number of hours I've had to spend waiting at the dealership for them to fix various problems. I am sick to death of it. I have taken a photo of my instrument panel with the light on. I am making a list of possible causes for the problem and I'm going to demand they look into every single one. And if the light comes on again, the car goes and I'm getting a Toyota. ENOUGH.

 

I made it to 81k miles with my 2011 All4!

This past week the car would sometimes be hard to start, but gave it a bit of gas and it was okay. Fuel rail pressure was 900-1000 at idle and 1700 or so under load, so I was hoping it was just some water in the tank. I should have taken it to my mechanic and saved the towing charge.

This morning, could barely start it at all, then finally got it to settle down (got reduced power message and all that). Checked fuel rail pressure. 87 instead of 1000. So chalk up another dead high pressure fuel pump. Message on the dash is humorous about running at reduced power, but safe to continue. Can you actually drive a MINI with only the low pressure fuel pump?

 

How exactly is tire wear Mini's fault, troll?

 

Ahh... They've had their rant and now they're moving on. You dont want to provide them with a reason to keep ranting....

 

Pidge, I think you are being too harsh. I really doubt she is a troll as there are just an overwhelming number of owners here with similar experiences, especially 2011 owners. From the way she wrote, I get the feeling she is not very car knowledgeable, and simply got wildly ripped off with the tires. I'll bet I can guess where she bought the tires...her dealer. big mistake! There's just no reason to spend anywhere close to that amount for tires, even if they are run flats. And there is simply no excuse for her dealer being unwilling to deal with the CEL light. I hope you did not scare her away, and that she comes back and identifies the dealer so the rest of us are forewarned.

 

I took the car to my favorite German car mechanic, and they confirmed it was the HPFP. Parts and labor was $581.69. Dunno how dealerships can get away with charging $1000 or more. Car is happy again.

 

Because some of us are foolish enough to go there and pay their ripoff prices

 

I got the engine malfunction reduced power message 2 weeks ago while driving my 2013 CM ALL4 on the highway. It was shaking a lot, even in neutral, but I managed to get it over to the dealer. They said I had multiple misfires in one cylinder and tried to replicate the issue. They drove it and got the error so they replaced all of the spark plugs. After driving it another 100+ miles without an error, they gave it back to me. A couple of days later, the engine malfunction alert is back on. I'm wondering if it's a HPFP issue that they didn't catch last time it was in, but that surprises me since it seems like a known issue and they had it for a whole week.

Any advice on how to make sure it gets resolved this time around? Thanks!

 

Any recall on injectors, fuel pumps etc????

 

I just had CEL reduced power and it was the High Pressure Fuel Pump. They replaced, luckily still under warranty. At 39,000 miles getting nervous as I closely get to 46,000 miles.

I really enjoy this car but I hope these issues don't continue.

 

At 34,000 miles, I've finally fallen victim to the dreaded Engine Malfunction and my SA just called and confirmed that the High Pressure Fuel Pump was failing.

On the upside, I've got a silver Paceman JCW ALL4 as a loaner and will have it through late tomorrow morning at the earliest. Damn peppy enough and I can feel the added power, but it's somewhat wasted on an automatic transmission that responds more directly than most others, but still hunts for the right gear and over-revs when using cruise at moderate speeds.

I very much like the much-improved side mirror controls and blacked-out gauges, but a little iffy on the door-mounted window switches and door lock buttons.

 

I too have the dreaded yellow light and reduced power warning. They called me today to come back and pick up my 2011 MCCS with 37,000 miles. She said they replaced the O2 sensor. Big surprise...the light is on again. I actually felt bad for my sales rep when I called her. I've had this car for two days, have read your posts and am thinking I just need to return the vehicle. I have always wanted this car and am so bummed reading all of these posts....

 

So...I haven't been on here in ages. Well, our '12 CM S All4 had the mystery light this past weekend. There was no power loss whatsoever and it drove normally. It now has a doctor appt this Saturday at the nearest dealer (60 miles away). The light went away, but this morning I noticed the idle is about 200-250 rpm higher than normal.

As to dealers saying the cars are showing no codes, I know for a fact that BMW products keep a record of all codes that have been tripped until cleared by the dealer so whatever has tripped the light has to be recorded.

Hopefully they find something and are able to fix this...kind of worried. We ordered it new and it currently has only 8800 miles on it.