Hey all,

I posted this on the R56 :: Hatch Talk (2007+) forum but it seems like this section is more appropriate for this.

I have a 2009 MC JCW with 39500 miles on it.

Yesterday, I was driving on a highway and a engine overheat message came up on my screen, and then realized that the coolant was leaking.

I'm guessing it's either the thermostat or water pump.

The problem is, my warranty expired on 02/02/2013 (still have less than 50K miles though). It's really frustrating that this happens less than a month after the warranty expiration.

Should I just go to a private mechanic to fix this, since doing it at a dealer will cost a lot more?
Or should I go to a dealership and try asking them to honor the warranty and fix this on a goodwill? If so, should I discuss about it before I leave my car at the dealership or after?

What do you guys think is the best way?
Thanks in advance for any comments and advice.

 

Ask your SA over the phone. No harm in asking. If declined, then call around indie shops.

 

concur that it can't hurt to ask and hope for a 'good will' extension of the war'ty

you don't tell us where you are but yes, I'd at least get prices from some outside mechanics b4 I had any of this done.

First, can you determine which end on the engine you are loosing coolant from? Do you park in a garage? Can you put some clean cardboard under the engine overnight?

I'm pretty 'attentive' to my cars and recently saw some fluid under my car that was new. I put a clean drip pan under the car and determined I had a few drops of coolant off the driver side of the engine each time I parked the car. This is significant because the water pump is at the other end - the drive belt end. One mechanic I talked to tried to tell me I had a bad water pump & therm' housing. Hmmmmmm, wrong end of the motor for a water pump issue. When I questioned that he immediately backed off -"oh ya ... that's right ..."

An independent mechanic is almost always gonna be less cost then the dealer but there is some slack in that ALMOST. And even going to an independent is not without risk (see above) - I got three estimates on my job once I determined it was a cracked thermostat housing (that I did not want to mess with). The prices I got varied by over $100 .... the price for the part alone varied by $75!

1. You need to determine where the leak is and knowing that the therm' and the water pump are at different sides of the car is a good starting point.

2. Get a price from the dealer even if they won't 'good faith' it. That's your 'beat it' price.

3. Call around .....

now I understand this is easy for me to say. I'm retired, I can kill time doing this.

if you have a trusted mechanic you could just drop the car off but your story suggests you don't. Want this fixed fast ..... take it to the dealer. Want this fixed cost effectively? Is there a MINI group near you for a recommendation?

(did you top off the coolant and see how fast it went down? I never got a trouble light or overheat .... I saw fluid on the garage floor long b4 my coolant level was an issue)

 

+1 on what captbj said.

 

Hope your dealership helps you out. Regardless of who does it, if it turns out to be the water pump, make sure to get the new aluminum pump. Don't replace plastic with plastic!

Best of luck. Let us know how it goes.

 

Its simple, look on the transmission side of the vehicle (under hood driver side) where the snorkel attaches to the intake filter housing. If you see fluid on the transmission casing or anywhere near the driver side of vehicle, its your thermostat. If you see fluid on the passenger side of vehicle (turn wheel full lock to left and look @ LCA) nearest drive belt area its your water pump.

As for hoping the dealer will goodwill your vehicle, theres no harm in trying. I've seen tons of vehicles get t-stat and water pump jobs good will/honored, especially JCW's as this is MINI's performance "creme de la creme" vehicle. I'm almost sure if you speak directly to the Service Manager they will either 100% cover it, or work something out along the lines of you pay for the parts/fluid and the dealer will internal the labor @ warranty time which in all honesty is pretty fair.

Just a heads up, if your vehicle is overheating though It's more then likely the Thermostat, but if it turns out it is the water pump you will more then likely have to replace more then just the pump itself as usually when the pump fails and begins to leak to the extent that your vehicle is now displaying or beginning to overheat it is leaking something good and has more then likely contaminated the water pump pully wheel as well as the water pump friction wheel and possibly the drive belt. With the technician already being in that area of the vehicle and having to remove those parts, its in your best interest to have them replaced at the same time and know the install is "clean".

Another thing to note, while independent shops will most defiantly be a touch cheaper, they rarely will admit that there tech or install was the result of a failure if per say the new pump or t-stat you have installed fails. They may cover the labor, or the part, but usually never both if it fails (blame the part is usually the out for them). MINI USA will honor for 2 years both labor and parts on all work performed (with no questions asked for the most part, unless failure was due to physical damage caused by customer neglect), so you can go back to enjoying your vehicle the way it was intended and for many that's a piece of mind worth the extra Gouda.

Best of luck with your venture.

 

Thanks guys for all the advice.

Turns out that the problem is the coolant hose.
Seems better than a water pump or thermostat,
but the estimate came out to be $342.97 ($209.25 Labor, $81.82 Parts, $26.80 Shop Supplies, $25.10 Tax).
Seems far too high for replacing a hose. (To be fair, I'm not too tech saavy so I'm not fully aware of how complicated the job is.)

And the dealership (Hassel Mini at Freeport NY) wouldn't even consider 'goodwilling' the job for me.
The service manager there was pretty darn stubborn to offer me any kind of help.
I guess I'll have to suck this one up, but this dealership just lost any future business from me.

 

Are there any other MINI dealerships you can call/go to????

I would call around and ask the other dealerships in your area if you have any. I live in the Bay Area in Northern California and there are at least half a dozen dealerships with in a hours drive.