ugh...this thread is giving me bad memories...the same thing happened to me with Mini of Concord, only it cost me 3600 bucks total and they kept my car for over a month. They had me pinned down with that "we can look at your car, but if its determined not under warranty you have to pay the full price" bit. This was my first new car, and I didn't think I had any other options, so I told them to go ahead, thinking surely that it would be covered...I called an independent mini shop after getting off of the phone with them, and they told me Mini doesn't warranty the clutch and that it would cost me 1600 to get them to replace it. (at that point I was already locked into the MINI of Concord price). They also tried to make me feel guilty and responsible (how do we know you werent racing it), then they tried to tell me it was normal for San Francisco, because of the hills and stop and go driving. (i NEVER drove this car hard or irresponsibly) When I finally did get my car, the Service Advisor had the nerve to take me aside and ask for me (aka: bully me) to give him a positive rating on my experience with them. I hate to say it, but if you pay the 800 you're getting off easy...

PS: I called Mini customer service several times and they did absolutely nothing. I hope going the legal route works out for you, keep us updated on the progress...

 

If you sign anything AFTER the work is done, you just handed them the KY and bent over. You give up ALL your rights.

 

NO WAY!!! It sucks, but if you know you didn't abuse that mini, make them fix it at no cost!

 

No, don't pay it now unless you are satisfied with paying the $800. After the work is done, it isn't an estimate, it is a bill.

 

Uhg. Thanks for the tips and stories... it strengthens my weakening resolve.

I stopped by the dealership today.
Past the snooty bmw sales reps, I found my way to the Mini service dept.
I met Kyle, and he showed me the parts in question that were neatly stored in a cardboard box next to one of the cubicles.
I also got a photocopy of his handwritten estimate.
I'm taking it with a grain of salt, but he says the reason why they offered me a 50% discount was out of sympathy. I'm guessing much in the same way Ralphs would let an accidentally dropped jar of Prego slide.
He also mentioned that it is extremely rare that a clutch be covered under warranty. "99.9%" of the time, the driver fronts the costs.




the pressure plate, cracked in 2 places.


the clutch disc something or other











Hopefully I'll hear back from the BAR tomorrow.
Also, I contacted a lemon-law specialty lawyer.
It doesn't really apply, but should my car get fixed, and the transmission fail again, I have a legitimate case. Lemon laws apply to car defects that are life threatening.

and no, i didn't pay the bill.
though it was tempting, as i have two dates this weekend.

-andrew

 

This is silly of Crevier. There is a known issue with the flywheels on these cars to the point where they issued a TSB. If the pressure plate is cracked and the flywheel needs replacing ask that *** why you should pay for it. The LuK dual mass flywheel is a known weak spot on every car/truck it's installed in.

 

They need to get rid of the rating thing,I also felt pressure,like I'd really get screwed next time if I did'nt give 5 stars.

 

They don't need to get rid of the rating. They should do what Mercedes does: An independent company calls about a week after every service and asks a series of questions, including whether you were asked to give the dealer/adviser a good evaluation. The results are forwarded to MBUSA and only include your personally identifiable info if you specifically request it. On one occasion I was given a coupon for a free scheduled service after a minor problem at the dealership.

 

I have worked at NAPA auto parts stores for eight years off and on through my life, and I have NEVER NOT ONCE seen such a catastrophic break of a pressure plate!

Crevier is so full of bovine fecal matter!

 

Thank you for those pictures. I'm at a total loss of words.

I hope Mini is watching this thread. I'm going car shopping again now. That is HORRIBLE destruction in the drivetrain of a NEW vehicle. I cannot think of any excuse for that happening and NOT being a warranty concern. I'll be linking this thread on my car forum as well. People should know about this. I spoke VERY highly about the Mini after my test drive. I do not want to be responsible for causing someone to buy a Mini with these warranty concerns.

 

Let's remember that this is highly unusual, and the problem seems to be the dealer more than anything.

I can just about guarentee the vast majority of Mini dealerships would not act in the same manner as Crevier. In fact, I'm going to ask Chris at Niello how he would have handled it.

 

That's beside the point. There are people on here stating that they are on their 4th clutch. There's the 'infamous' 3-2 noise. There's broken valve springs. I'm not going to not get a car because there is a problem with a squeak or two, but this is terrible.

 

The broken pressure plate is fishy. Hard to believe that it broke because of driver error or "negligence". Is there a metallurgist in the house?

btw, great to see that the MINIDivision borg is still making appearances pretending to be helpful!

 

Ha, I had the same thought. Sorta like when it dropped into the windshield stress crack thread 4 years ago, never to return!

As far as the pressure plate goes, that is catastrophic PART FAILURE! There is absolutely NO WAY that 6 months of the worst kind of driving on earth could cause that sort of failure.

Insane. I'm flabbergasted.

 

Ah, the good ol' pre-NAM days...

 

I talked with Chris at Niello. he told me the first thing they would do is look for other signs of driver abuse, like well worn tires from burn-outs, etc.

He told me the dealer must PROVE you abused the car to sidestep the warranty. He agreed with me that a gouged pressure plate is one thing. A broken in half pressure plate smells of defective, and as long as no other evidence of driver abuse was found, they'd (his shop) replace it.

This is of course hearsay through me, but that's why I always recommend Niello to those around here.

 

Hm. Would it be cheaper to have the car towed up to Niello?

Random thought.

 

the car is new. The car is broken. There is a warranty. There's no proof of abuse. They should pay. Here's a question for them. How can they tell the difference between driver abuse, or a defective clutch that wouldn't fully engage? There's NO DIFFERENCE in how they would cook the parts.


But if they don't pay, and the complaint doesn't get traction, then 50% is better than 100%!

Matt

 

Damn! FWIW, if there was supposedly abuse before the pressure plate friggin' snapped in half, wouldn't the scoring marks seen on the pressure plate be more uniform, as opposed to the spotty marks currently on it? As for the clutch, yes, it's scratched up - that can happen when the pressure plate friggin' snaps in half.
Pay nothing. Scream loudly.

 

There is TONS of life left on that clutch. You can see that from the pictures. I don't get it. Unless I've read this wrong, Mini is not warranting this repair. That's insane.

It's correct about the dealership having to prove abuse, but Mini has already backed them. Somehow either the dealership proved it or they told Mini a convincing story and they bought it. Regardless, it doesn't speak well for the build quality of a new vehicle. I can take a car out back and shred a clutch in 1k, but the pictures speak for themselves in this case.

 

Your clutch disc, from what I can see has plenty of wear left in it, no damaged or broken springs, and no evidence of blueing from heat.
You other pieces parts is however .....ugh....I cant even think of an appropriate word for the condition its in...howabout @#!*$@!.
OK, whatever you do, please, please dont back down! Even if it means your dates will drive their cars. MINI needs to cover this. I cant even begin to understand how they could possibly think that you did this. It is obviously a defective part. Aghh, this makes me mad!!!

 

Shouldn't they have given you a loaner for your dates this weekend?

If they didn't give you a loaner, then they SUPER-suck!

 

I am a metallurgist, but without seeing the fracture surfaces it is difficult to evaluate the failure. Angelos, did you look at the broken surfaces? Were there any obvious holes, cracks or something that didn't look like metal on those surfaces?

 

go back and get your hands on that broken pressure plate. Take high-res close-up photos of the broken surface, paying special attention, as the previous poster mentioned, to any holes or foreign substances in the metal.

 

OK, I'M ****ING FUMING NOW.

I'll try to keep it short.
I threw in the towel and agreed to pay the $750 to have the damn car fixed.
750 is not worth the inconvenience, the up-hill battle, the stress, etc etc.
I'm eternally grateful for all the support poured out on NAM, but I just don't have the patience for this anymore.

**** IT. I want my car back.

So i call Kyle this morning, everything is kosher.

I call Kyle back just now, and he said the car JUST got finished.
GREAT.
Now I can have mini-roadside service tow my car back up to me (1.5 hrs away with traffic).

WAIT, NO YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BACK JUST YET.
I was told I could just give my CC info over the phone and be done with it.
Now, they want me to drive the **** down there, have the foreman sit in the car with me, and evaluate my driving, in case i might need some tips on driving.

ARE. YOU. ****ING. KIDDING. ME.

This is obviously some sort of damage control ploy or perhaps something to use against me in the future, should the clutch go bad again.
I even said I'd withdraw the BAR complaint I filed if they would just release the car to me.

I'm angry and ****ing insulted.
I was told one thing, and this ****s with my plans for the rest of the week.

I don't know whom to point the finger at, but this seems to be coming from Mini of North America.


AHHHHHHHHGGGGGG!!!!!!