WOW I'm not sure how some of you can think a recall is no big deal! Sure BMW will get it fix but being a newbie to the Mini world and drop over $30K+ for a 2011 car it' ain't the news you want to hear. Any recall will affect resale value... PERIOD!

 

From a simple water pump and circuit board replacement?

I don't think values are at stake here. If it's properly handled by the dealers, and backed by Mini, the values should not be impacted. This is not like the rear ends are falling out of the cars at speed.

 

Exactly. My take on this is that if the electical circuit board to the turbo's water pump fails then the turbocharger will overheat. Not intermittently, but permanently (because the electricity to it is gone). If the turbocharger is overheating then I would guess that the turbo would shut down (hopefully before a fire starts, which is the reason for the recall). You would know if the turbo shuts down (maybe the car shuts down too).
People are gonna want to blame all sorts of stuff on this that probably have nothing to do with it. I'm connected with the heart disease business, and all sorts of people want to blame their erectile dysfunction on their heart. I try and tell 'em that stent is nowhere near their Johnson

 

so what is it that catches fire--the turbo or the circuit board or is just the are together and the uncooled turbo sets the board on fire

 

This thread is a bloody riot.

 

I just got off the phone with MINI head office and spoke with a customer service representative. He seemed surprised and irritated that I was calling about the recall and claimed that he doesn't even know which vehicles are affected because that information has not been released to the public yet.

I told him the NHTSA released the information and that it has been all over the news (which is the truth) and he said that the details need to come from MINI to the customer in order to be accurate. He said that two people could own a 2009 MCS and one could be eligible for the recall and another not.

Also... he said that issuing a recall is in no way assuming liability for a vehicle fire even if the the recall is for the component of the car that caused the fire. Apparently recalls are routinely issued when an auto manufacturer finds a way to improve a component of a cars original assembly.

Very interesting.

 

Folks are getting a bit confused here. The problem is the circuit card within the aux water pump. If/when it fails and shorts out, there is excessive current in the wires servicing the pump. The wire insulation (and anything touching it) can smoulder and reach spontaneous combustion. It has nothing to do with heat coming from the turbo housing.

If you read the individual NHTSA reports (available in a related thread here on NAM) you'll find at least one account of the victim actually looking under the bonnet and seeing the electrical leads to the aux water pump glowing hot.

That said, I agree with the previous conclusions that the affect on resale value is being overblown. I actually like seeing the record of implemented recalls on CARFAX reports. It means the manufacturing stepped up to the plate to adequately mitigate the bugs, and that the work was done. Heck, I figure my MINI is now in the same category as the Lamborghini Gallardo and the Ferrari 458! (Of course, in the case of the Ferrari they had 10 cars out of 1248 go up in flames...)

 

Maybe if you plan on selling your MINI in the next few months, but long term it will have no effect on its resale value.

The logic is simple, the car has a problem, the manufacturer fixes said problem, and thus there is no longer a problem. Recalls happen all the time.

I don't understand some of the hysteria. My car is four years old, runs great (outside of that "German car rattling/squeaking"), and up until last week I wasn't concerned about it bursting into flames...at all. Now all the sudden a recall is happening and people are freaking out about even touching their car.

 

Perhaps you're right however lots of future car buyer/shoppers who know little about cars will know about this recall which could sway people away from this brand. I'm a car enthusiast thru and thru and when shopping for cars I usually do my homework but when my wife saw this recall on the news the first thing she said to me was qoute... "I thought you said this car was a quality car?"

Over the years domestic car companies have been stigmatized by these same quality issues this is no different. IMO Minis aren't in the same class like BMW models but instead looking more and more class with KIA's.

 

And just for record... We still enjoy our Mini !

 

I dont think this whole thing will impact sales and values much. I do think that it will impact the perception that MINI makes a quality product just like it did Toyota. As for the recall itself, there are certain laws in place that require the manufacturer to perform recalls based on a number of criteria. Most safety based recalls are not solely at the discretion of the manufacturer.

This exact circumstance is what got Toyota in hot water if the US government. If Toyota had known they had an issue and did not issue a recall then they were breaking the law. Officially Toyota's cars do not have issues but thats still being debated even now... I imagine that the US government is looking into this recall as they do others to make sure it was issued on a timely basis.

 

As I don't know there is any difference, I would guess they stopped at 2011 because 2012's are so new. Just a guess.

Sorry all of the S models have a problem. I hope MINI/BMW gets this fixed fast.

 

Have you ever owned a BMW? They are about as reliable as a weatherman. My 325 won't start if the temperature is below 30. No one knows why, not even BMW. Still the best car I've ever owned, but its about as fragile as glass.

 

I am relieved they have identified the problem and are fixing it. I had read the threads about engine fires and had ceased parking my Mini in the garage at home just in case (and I note that is the recommendation now, not to park the Mini in your garage until after the waterpump has been replaced). I doubt this will greatly impact resale value, or Mini's reputation. Design flaws occur, as long as they are identified and fixed, I see no lasting problem.

 

I'm 95% certain I fit the category of the recall since I have an 07 MCS. But honestly, if the dealer fixes it for free, I don't see what the big deal is. Regardless of electrical issues, BMW has always had a great resale value, I don't see why MINIs wouldn't.

 

If I recall, it was because of other people rear-ending them. Similar to the Crown Vic patrol cars, thus reinforced fuel tanks.

Now the question is, buy a fire extinguisher, or bag of marshmallows?

 

That's correct, I've also learnt through all of this that the coolant is flammable which doesn't help.

 

So any truth to it being only for the N14 and not the N18's?

 

The cut off date is January 18, 2011. I did not even order my car until the end of April. A delay put production in the begining of June 2011.

 

I think it is a voluntary recall. Mini found a problem and identified it and decided to replace the parts. They redesigned the part and started installing the updated part in January 2011. That is why some cars are not included. They were probably building up inventory of the updated pump since then.

I have owned many cars that had recalls. My ford truck missed a transmission recall by a couple of days. I was worried about why mine was not recalled. It turns out a tool was found to be out of spec and they recalled the trucks made from the last time the tool was in spec until the tool was back in spec.

 

not being mechanically inclined i have a few questions
1- if a short causes the problem is there not a fuse in the line to cut off the power?
2- does this pump run all the time or only when the turbo reaches a certain temp or when the motor is turned off ?
3- can this problem occur if a cold engine is started and then turned off a few minutes later ?
4- if this is a big nothing to cause concern why is mini telling us to park our vehicles outside if the risk is so small?

 

Can I ask how did you find out about "new part install starting in January 2011"?
My Clubman S is April production, would like to find out if I am "in or out" the recall...

 

I am guessing. That would be the only reason why they would have specific dates.

BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2011 MINI COOPER S, 2008-2011 MINI COOPER S CLUBMAN, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER JCW, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER JCW CLUBMAN, 2009-2011 COOPER JCW CONVERTIBLE, AND 2011 COOPER S COUNTRYMAN PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 14, 2006, THROUGH JANUARY 18, 2011. THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP THAT COOLS THE TURBOCHARGER HAS AN ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT BOARD THAT CAN MALFUNCTION AND OVERHEAT

 

I should have said "probably". Now that I reread my previous post it sounds like I am stating a fact.

 

Also, If you look at real oem it looks like there was a pat number change.