Last weekend my 2013 Countryman ALL4 was towed from an underground parking lot. I inspected the car for body damage and saw nothing. On the drive home my wife and I were hearing a rubbing sound coming from the front of the car during slow speed turns. We tried to duplicate the noise before parking it for the night with no success. The then sat for four days due to a snow storm. She drove it again yesterday and realized the noise only happened at slow speed right turns.

Due to how the car was parked in the garage when it was towed I'm fairly certain they had to drag it as the transmission was in park and the E-brake was active.

What kind of damage could they have done? I'm taking it in to Mini this weekend to have them look at it.

Any suggestions/advise?

 

Could it just be snow built up around wheels?

 

That was my initial thought, too. The e brake should be okay from a short drag. I'm not sure about the trans, but your symptom doesn't sound like trans damage. Also check for loose wheel arch liners that could have been tweaked by the tow.

 

Thank you! I will check it out

 

Took the Mini to the dealership and they said the rear differential clutches are binding and that is what is making the sound. They can't replace just the clutches they have to replace the entire rear diff at $3200.00. The dealership said the factory warranty won't cover it due to it being "externally damaged".

 

how was it towed ? was it loaded on to a flat bed ?


ok sorry just reread the topic, 4wd cars should never be dragged that will damage transmission. they should always be load onto a flatbed.

 

I would give serious thought to consulting a lawyer. That is a lot of money to come out of pocket for someone else's negligence!

 

Dang, really sorry to hear that. Is there any possible recourse from the parking lot management?

 

Check with your insurance company. It may covered under comprehensive.

 

ouch, yes definitely check with your insurance first. If that doesnt work out, get a lawyer and sue the towing company

 

I work for a parking company and they do carry insurance for claims. Normally they carry GL and GKLL.

General Liability
Garage Keepers Legal Liability

I would pursue the garage/deck.

My company pays out claims all the time. Problems with gate arm dropping on car. Rare but it happens. Even ceilings leaks.

And I would not discount getting an attorney either.

 

why was ur car being towed in the first place ??

if u parked illegally or parked at handicap space , i am sure you will not win anything in court

 

I don't know about that. Parking illegally doesn't give them free reign to destroy your car.

 

I know this is an old thread but thought I would add my recent experience on this topic...

My 2013 R60 S All4 was recently towed by the NYPD because I was stupidly parked too close to a bus stop. They incorrectly towed the Mini though with just the front 2 wheels off the ground from lower Manhattan / FiDi area to the Brooklyn Navy Yard tow pound since the Manhattan lots are closed due to the pandemic. All in all, the car's currently sitting at Mini of Ramsey with a ~$5.5K bill to get fixed because of the improper NYPD tow... Luckily, my auto insurance (AAA) approved this under my comprehensive policy so we're just waiting for the new rear diff, clutch pack, and misc items to arrive for install. We'll just have to pay the $1K comprehensive deductible but that's still a sizable chunk of change for us since we just moved at the start of the month.

We still need to go back to the tow pound in person to physically get a damage claim form from them to then fill out and send in to get that process kicked off. Does anyone know if I could also file a claim online with the NYC Office of the Comptroller (link below)? We're going to file via the process the supervisor at the tow lot said (i.e. pick up the physical form in Brooklyn) but wanted to see if anyones had any experience in also filing via the Comptroller or similar, or if that would even be necessary.

https://comptroller.nyc.gov/services.../file-a-claim/

 

Have a similar story as the last poster.

Same car, 2013 mini countryman JCW ALL4, in my case I had a flat whole traveling from Alaska to Kansas (then to Oregon) in north Dakota. USAA called 2 tow trucks out, both of them were the drag behind. So anyway, they didn't secure the steering wheel. They didn't disconnect the axles. They didn't put the front end on a dolly.... when they started pulling the steering wheel turned and dragged the tires sideways down the highway for a hundred or so feet. And then after they secured the steering wheel they towed the car down the highway for about 30 miles to the nearest tire shop.

I was able to get to Kansas, had rubbing issues and such on the way but nothing that was major, figured that I would get it fixed when I made it to Oregon (I was on a time crunch). For reference, I was moving. My roof rack had all my clothes, some bedding and camping geat. Inside I had my rifles, PC, and projector. And the hitch rack had 3 Jerry cans, a cooler and cat supplies. I had rubbing on any bigger bump during the trip from Alaska to the spot in ND where I had a flat. I didn't think anything of the added rubbing after the tow. My dad and I crawled under and couldn't find any visible issues so I was off to Oregon. Once I got here, the issues persisted and got worse, and about 2 days before my appointment with the mechanic the transfer case blew out on the way home from work. I scheduled an appointment with the mini dealership 60 miles away, had insurance tow the car to my appointment for the time being. And the day I had it towed to mini, there was a chunk of transfer case and some ball bearing chilling under the vehicle.

That repair was over $7000 and took over 10 months to fix because the parts were on back order. Insurance was trying to give me the run around for 7 of the 10+ months. The tow company didn't want to take responsibility. And I was never able to get my deductible back. Switches to a different insurance afterwards.

Lucky for me, the customer service at mini was amazing. While the car was there they installed some new tires for me for free. They were extremely helpful with the insurance and the tow company as well. They were able to confirm and fight on my side to prove that the problems were because of the tow company and not because I drove from ND to KS to OR. they also explained to my insurance at the time that the car was clearly marked as an AWD(ALL4) on both the insurance papers and clearly visible to the tow company(ies) as well.