So does it drive the same to you as before the leak? Same power and gas mileage? Is the oil smell gone? Any oil drips on the ground? With all that said I really think the car will be ok and not have suffered any permanent damage. I agree you haven't been treated the best but sadly they're in the business of making money first and foremost.

 

One primary problem - but the fallout is bigger than I would have guessed. With my daughter being away at college and not old enough to obtain a rental car transportation has been a big issue. Not wanting her to drive the car out of the area means a visit home was via bus and transfer to train. Not convenient at all.

Related fallout is Getting her and the car back to school since it looks like I am keeping it or losing a ton of money means that she will be accompanied on the drive with a parent who then gets the joy of the train back. Extra hotel stays, standing on the roadside for hours, literally hours of phone calls, etc. Not the "New Car Experience" one expects.

Finally it has yet to be seen if the life expectancy of the car is normal, or if it will suffer from oil leaks or poor performance/economy.

Ever since I was little and my dad and I changed oil on the family cars it was pounded into my head that only an idiot forgets to fill the crank case or replace the filter. In fact I always pre-filled the filter to make sure there was less delay in getting oil pressure and lubrication up. Now I am making payments on a car that committed the ultimate sin of running without oil because of a known defect that according to my dealer was missed while others had been fixed before getting delivered. I have always bought new cars my entire life. It's a long list and never have I had a car run without oil or had any failure that made me question the integrity of the car like this.

As far as my position with BMW/Mini on the vehicle, they have indicated that they will not buy back the car. I will have plenty of time when I am home alone on Sunday and Monday to ponder the course of action I will take with them. To me it seems reasonable for a company to make things right by replacing a product that is no longer trusted because of a problem like this. Any complex product like this is bound to have issues, how the manufacturer of the product responds to those issues is another thing.

This wasn't my fault. This wasn't a random failure, but an engineering mistake that was known before I even stepped foot onto the dealership. I wasn't given the option of selecting a car that had a defect that they knew about. Funny that I am worried about the resale value because I wouldn't sell a car without disclosing the fact that it ran dry on oil. Good thing I don't work for an automotive manufacturer. Customers would love me.

Paul

 

Excuse me if this has already been answered but what (if anything) did Mini offer in terms of a free extended warranty following the repair? I assume you asked.

 

Hi, Paul. Just got to reading this thread, and can definitely relate to the emotional roller-coaster you have gone through over the past month. We have 3 sons - one who is 29, one who is 26, and another who is nearly 18. I've actually been around the block with several different cars for all of my kids over the years, and deciding what the "right car" is for each kid is definitely something you learn only through the school of hard knocks - so to speak

While the kids were living at home - learning to drive, after getting their license, and even if they were in college but NOT relying on their car for transportation - I had used vehicles that, while not really old, weren't really new either. With the older two I had a mid-90's Saab 900S. Great car to drive, but a real PITA to work on or to find someone who knew how to work on it. I became a Saab-trained shadetree mechanic by the time we retired it. And I felt OK because it was always near enough to home for me to have my hands on it one way or the other. The current car for my still-at-home 18 year old falls into that same category - the 08 Mini. I got it because it met the needs I had for him (Asperger's kid learning to drive), was a clean car, and was close enough to a mini dealer that I could get help with things I wouldn't be able to tackle on my own.

Once they get off on their own, the rules change. Whether they've graduated and started to work. Or whether they need the car for transportation to/from college or need it to commute. In my case, the vehicles I chose were newer (or new) Honda products. Why? Because dealers were everywhere, and most everyone knew how to work on them. Yea, I owned Hondas for years and liked them - but they were the type of cars that you knew that if a problem arose, a dealer could be found within 20 minutes drive and get the problem fixed. As you've seen, cars like Mini's have a much smaller number of dealers and they're far apart. Here in NH we have one. That's it. Lucky for me it's 10 minutes from my house.

In terms of your particular car, time will tell as to whether there was any damage done or not. It is still under warranty, so if you do start to notice anything, you're not out any more money. Inconvenience? Yes. But not a hit to the pocketbook. I'm guessing your daughter now has the car back at school. Tell her what to look for (spots on the ground). Tell her how to check the oil level. And what to listen for. While this was a negative situation, you can turn it into a positive since she'll learn more about her car. Doing an oil analysis is a good idea as it will give you the best indication as to the health of the engine.

In terms of oil smell, some of that will go away. But I'd also have her regularly run it through a car wash with an undercarriage wash to help flush as much as you can. If it were me I'd likely have been under the car with degreasing spray and then run it through a car wash w/undercarriage wash to help advance the process. But over time, it will diminish one way or the other.

let us know how this goes. But let her be your eyes/ears while she has it to see whether it is a long-term issue.

good luck - andy

 

Another person had a similar oil leak, but less amount, for the same reason. His dealer replaced the metal shroud thingy under the engine so there was no oil smell at all he said. They should have done that for the OP too.

 

Don't forget, you can't look at a dipstick any more.

That's not exclusive to MINI or BMW products, either. Same situation with our 911, and a few other makes.

 

Tell me about it. I rented a BMW X3 when we had to drive from Chicago to Arkansas for my wife's mother's funeral last year. took ma a day to figure out there wasn't a dipstick. of course, no owners manual in the Avis car... My 08 still has a dipstick, fortunately...

 

Could be worse. Our '07 911 has a 5-minute countdown after you shut off the engine before it will give a reading! That allows all 142 gallons of oil (joking, but there's a bunch) to settle in one spot to be measured.

 

Wow, I'm amazed at the thought and effort some of you have put into getting the right car for your children in this thread.

I'm not much older than some of the "kids" mentioned here (I was born in the 80's) and this is how it went for me:

My Dad: "When you turn 18 you can't live here anymore."

Me: "Ok."

I didn't have a car until I bought a 1985 Corolla I found on the side of the road for $500. It happened to be a Corolla GTS so that's what sparked my interest in cars... I've been obsessed ever since and ironically cars have been my motivation to succeed financially.

My Dad was (obviously) never a car guy so I bought him a 60th anniversary Corvette last year for his 60th birthday (1953) so he can join in the fun also

 

sweet!

 

Pretty cool! Does he like it?

 

You've got to be kidding asking that!

 

Same thought here but that's understandable if a child happens to be a girl.


You are a GOOD son!
I hope one of my sons would be able to do that when I turn sixty in a few years. It doesn't have to be a Vette. I wouldn't mind if it's a Camaro SS, Mustang GT or Challenger R/T.

 

Actually no, I wasn't. My father has always been indifferent...at best...to the lure of the automobile. (I could tell you stories.) He thinks I'm nuts to like them, and he thinks my husband is nuts, too. If I gave him anything other than a beige Buick, he wouldn't know what to do with it!

 

Just to end the story:

She is still in the car, Mini USA took good care of me, the car is fine for now. The outcome was not exactly what I wanted, but I think the same can be said of Mini USA. The car runs strong, has no leaks or smells. Hope it stays that way.

While I signed no agreement, I offered confidentiality in my arrangement with the company. Let me just say that in the end the company was respectful and responsible. Better than I have read about from other companies. My belief that the company is honorable, reputable and fair has been strengthened.

I bought my daughter some grill badges for xmas. Too bad I couldn't find one that says "Ran out of oil and still kicking ***!"

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, and to those who don't, please accept my holiday greetings and enjoy the season with your loved ones and friends.

Paul

 

Paul, I was wondering if you could summarize what Mini did to make things right ( sort of) without betraying your unilateral confidentiality agreement. I'm rather dismayed they didn't man-up and offer to buy the car back or at least give you a new one.

 

I was an MDT for Toyota, team leader and on TQC with Toyota for many years before making the switch to Mini cooper....I ve seen both sides of this industry, and I can say, from what Ive seen, mini seems to do the right thing, and seems to be a very stand up company. Which is very refreshing to see now a days when car companys are all concerned about them self's and the bottom line and not so much customer satisfaction anymore.

Glad it all worked out for you and your daughter in the end!

 

190+ posts of steamy sexy hot oil spewed about and then you throw cold water on the entire thing with "I offered confidentiality in my arrangement with the company"

Next time I will read the reviews before going to the movies!

jk - good luck with the car!

 

lol!

 

Darn.....all these pages and no final verdict! A bit more detail would be nice, especially for those considering a new purchase. Glad it all worked out to your satisfaction.

 

Paul, first thanks for posting your MINI's suicide and BMW/MINI's denial of liability. Your experience hopefully has saved countless others from being similarly preyed upon by BMW/MINI. From personal experience I have known BMW's callous attitude when it comes to warranty issues; but, thought MINI had progressed beyond robbing owners blind.

Good Luck with your MINI and thanks for keeping us informed! P.S. I'm not buying a `15 MINI !

 

That's a little strong, isn't it? After all, we don't know what has happened since this episode, and a lot of warranty issues are handled at the dealer level, which varies throughout the network. I never had any problems with my '07, which had 2 miles on the odometer when I picked it up, and over 103,000 when I sold it. My '15 is doing fine, and I haven't had any issues--warranty or otherwise--in 8400 miles.

For the record, I've also owned 5 BMWs, including my current 530Xi Sportwagon, and have had no dealer problems with them, either.

 

Hmm this is rather harsh. I know quite well how good MINI/BMW can be regarding warranty repairs and their willingness to help even when the car is out of warranty.

Can I ask what happened during your MINI ownership to warrant such anger?