Well I'll start out by saying my clutch went out on my 08 MCS (46,000 miles) last Saturday. The SA told me it was not covered by Warranty. It is a wear and tear item. I thought this was reasonable since I had 46,000 miles and was a second owner and have no clue how the previous owner drove it.

I flipped out when I was told it would cost $4,000.00 to replace a clutch . My SA went to bat for me and after 5 days of uncertinty He got me a Goodwill discount of $2,900.00. You can't imagine how relieved I was . Car will be done Monday.. Last night was the first night I got a good night sleep in over a week.

On to the WARNING!
My Dealership sponsors a track day about three to four times a year. I was told by one of the mechanics, that if you partake in one of these Mini track days, your vin get flagged and it will void your warrant! He told me of an instance were a New JCW owner (1 month Owner) came out to one of their track days and his vin was flagged. 6 months later he had tranny issue and the would not cover it under warranty! The car is 7 months old!!!!!

This dealership encourages its customers to attend these track days without explaining the voiding of the Warranty! Just a heads up to anyone that does this. Make sure you clear any warranty issues with the dealership since they will have the ultimate say on the repair.

 

Sorry for the spelling my IPhone is getting ready to get smashed!

 

Thanks for the excellent heads-up

 

Wow! My dealer sponsors track days as well. I hope they don't void the warranty too........

 

Yes, very good information. It amazes me how crooked the dealerships are, I would not and do not ever take mine to a dealership for anything, if you do lets just say "make sure you bring vaseline".

 

And the dealership probably still made a profit.

Interesting that they void the warranty if you go to sponsored track days. That doesn't sound exactly legal but who knows in the 'States I guess. I would let the Service Manager know my opinion of the warranty/track thing and take my business elsewhere (after the clutch is done, of course!). I wonder what MINI Corp thinks of their behaviour. I understand tracking a car can be an issue with warranties, but flagging your VIN sounds like gross business misconduct.

 

Well considering the clutches cost a dealer maybe a couple hundred bucks, you decide if they still probably made a profit....

 

Track day void your warranty sounds bogus. But if that is how they want to act f them and don't go and go to other track days and they will never know.

 

Did you by any chance call around to your local Euro mechanics and see if you could get the job done cheaper?

Find one here -> http://soopercooperinfo.com/lindaminiinfo.html

 

4500 is too expensive for a clutch that costs ~$400 and the flywheel ~$1k. The whole transmission costs that much. Wow, what a rip off.

That's also horrid about the track day. Aside from running the car hard (don't we all?), what about that should cause the warranty to be in jeopardy?! Guess that why I'll always drive with either a NASA HPDE event or a Hooked on Driving event.

 

Axo, glad to hear the dealer is trying to help you out, especially when you're not the original purchaser. Still not happy that you need a new clutch at what I consider low mileage, but at least their willing to help out.

The part about track days is truly disappointing, sponsoring an event to try and build up goodwill and loyalty and stabbing the customer in the back at the same time. Doesn't really sound like a good business policy, hopefully something they will reconsider.

 

Have you talked with anyone at the dealership besides a mechanic regarding the policy on VIN flagging? Interesting dealership where mechanics are involved in the decisions about warranty coverage.

 

Sounds like a law suit in the making to me.....

 

It's ironic that MINI uses "bred for the track" in their advertising if they void warranties by attending track days.

 

OMG...this is such a bunch of horse hocky....

There is no such "database" or "VIN flagging" in existence nor any persons being paid to maintain such information. Let alone giging someone for attending a MINI sponsored event.

Whomever said that was full of BS. And as far as I know, you would have to enter your MINI into a "professionally sanctioned" racing event where points are levied for that to kick in. Runing a few laps for the sake of having a safe place to do so, or to perform "testing and evaluation" of equipment is not "racing" for that legal terminology....sorry.

 

In my province going 50km/hr over the speed limit is officially/legal termed 'street racing' and will cause you to loose your license and have your car impounded... The term 'racing' seems to mean a lot of things these days. But I agree, running laps on a track day is not racing, nor should MINI necessarily have any ability to deny a warranty claim.

 

Is this thread based on what a mechanic told someone? I doubt that a mechanic speaks for BMW/MINI.

Is anyone in a position to get a response from someone of authority within the corporation?

 

Probably yes..

 

We are all in such a position. Go to MINIUSA.COM and send an email.

 

Wreck your car at the track, then call your insurance company and tell them you wrecked it at the race track...then see if they treat you the same as if you wrecked it in traffic.

I'm not saying it's the same thing with warranties but from a legal standpoint, a trackday could be considered more than just normal street use. Just food for thought.

And yes, I have lots of track experience, just with half the wheels of a Mini. I know if I toss my bike off the track, I'm gonna be footing the bill because my insurance doesn't cover "Racing."

 

$2900 for a Clutch Replacement???

What fool paid that?

I had my M Roadster clutched replaced at a BMW Stealership for FAR less than that.

 

Since the dealer isn't the one issuing the factory warranty, I highly doubt they have any authority to void the warranty. Don't let them tell you different.

 

I don't believe MINI can arbitrarily void warranty unless they can prove that tracking causes any type of failure. there are some instances posted here on NAM that were similar to what your dealer mechanic said but the owner sued and settled out of court - MINI agreed to fix his jcw.

 

looking at the 'Service & Warranty Information" book that came with my 07, which provides a overview of the warranty

the significant wording comes very early on, in the section titled "This warranty does not apply to the following:

Damage which results from the negligence, improper operation of the vehicle, improper repair . . . . . "

I'm not lawyer, but in my job I have been in the witness stand more than once and I suspect that if push came to shove the question would come down to an interpretation of improper use.

I'm of course looking at the Cliff Notes of the warranty and if I were planning to press this I'd first look at the full text of the warranty to see if this term is further defined. But in my experience commercial use and 'racing' are typically called out . . . is an auto cross racing?

How far are you willing to pursue

 

This word is not etched in stone. It is a simply beware and check with your dealer before attending one of these events. This is second hand information.

As far as my Dealer, I am extremely grateful that they were able to goodwill almost 75% of the repair cost. They could have told me to pound sand. I have had nothing short of a great experience with the service department

My Salesperson also went to bat for Me and I am grateful. He told me the SA has a big influence in getting a goodwill reduction or full repair.