I have my 2011 countryman s in the shop because I keep getting the (yellow sprocket exclamation mark) error when I start/shut off my car. My MP at Moritz MINI in Arlington Texas called today and stated that the error was being caused by fluid that leaked through the bottom of the cup holder and fried an electrical component beneath it! Has anyone ever heard of such a thing and is there a recall to fix this design flaw?

 

I do know from sad experience that fluids can get out of the cup holder. The "teeth" you see in the cup holder provide a means for liquid to get out, and also BTW punch through foam cups at times draining a drink right out of a cup (that is what happened to me).

I've not heard of a recall though, and had no idea anything friable lived under the cupholders.

 

before i ordered my cms all4, the salesman told me that the cupholders will punch through a foam cup

scott

 

Does anyone have a pic of these scary looking teeth that love to eat our beverages while we motor?

 

i was sitting in a 2013 cm a couple weeks ago at the dealer and noticed that the cupholders have been changed ... the cup piercers are gone

scott

 

The good news about that is that the cup holders are easy to remove, so perhaps it's possible to get the newer, gentler cup holders in your car - certainly for the rail where you can just take off the whole cup holder assembly and put on a new one.

 

BMW cup holders work pretty well

 

Every time I pour coffee directly into my drink holders it immediately drains out through the bottom. Terrible design IMO.

 

The Service Rep said it was the sensor that reports whether the car is in park! I guess I'll learn more on Thursday when I pick up Stanley. And I will take a picture of the 2013 CM cup holder since my beater loaner car is just that!

 

2013 cup holder
2013 window/mirror controls
2013 door lock button on each door
2013 driver side sunshade (I need to see if this can replace my 2011 handle)

 

Well I picked up Stanley today and the paperwork states they replaced the "gearshift assembly" due to fluid contamination! Had MINI chose to not cover this under warranty it would have been expensive!

 

sorry to revive an old thread, but would you happen to have any paperwork that states that this was replaced under warranty?

I was just denied warranty service, because they found fluid leak that came from the cup holders. This has got to be a pretty common thing.

already a second problem with a car thats not even a year old :(

 

I was also denied warranty work today on my R56 for the same reason (2008 MCS automatic) because of a shorted PRNDL sensor due to fluid leaking from the cup holder. The car would not start. It's covered under Mini Next until May. I was quoted $1512 to repair it, the dealer refused to cover it under warranty.

I am still in shock. I haven't had a beverage in the cupholder since the summer and I really don't remember it leaking. I would sincerely appreciate any info on this repair being covered. My Mini is 50 miles away at the dealership and I'm about to hire a towing service to bring my poor Mini home on a flatbed.

 

Could the "fluid" contamination have come from underneath? As in water? I've read another thread about this on this forum. Do a search. Doesn't really seem possible for fluid to leak through the solid plastic cupholders. Ask them to show you where the fluid leaked through. Have them prove it to you. I'm sitting in my garage looking at mine right now. Not buying it.

 

I had this same issue. In the 2011 CM, the cup holder had a screw in the center at the bottom. If you spilled something with high fructose corn syrup, ie any soda, then the syrup can seep through the threads and cause the malfunction that you all are speaking of. This in fact happened to me on my last car, the '11 CM.

Initially, the service advisor said that MINI would not cover it because the issue came from 'outside influence'. I pitched a fit and told them that it was obviously a design flaw since what kind of cupholder would LEAK into some crucial electrical components?!?!!? I didn't hear from the dealer for a couple days (while cruising in a loaner) and finally he called me back to say they would fix it under warranty because it was indeed a design flaw. This is one reason the design of the cup holders have changed. Nevermind the 'teeth' that bit through the styrofoam cup.

If you throw a big enough fit, they'll fix it. If they won't, take your business elsewhere.

 

Additionally, it can take quite a while from the time of the spill for the syrup to seep into crucial components...mine was a couple months. But prior to the part failing, it became a little tricky to get the car out of park because the pin was starting to stick.

 

Thanks for your responses. I will call the dealership on monday and try to reason with the SA before I send the towing service down for the car. There's no way I will pay 1500+ for repairs on a warrantied car that wont start on a 12 degree morning because of a ficticious beverage spill 6 months ago into cup holders with a design flaw. Whew that sums it up.

This whole thing sucks because I was totally going to buy a new one next year...I really like the redesign.

 

On the bright side, since I've started lifting my MINI up to my mouth to drink my coffee from the cup holders, my right bicep has really gotten a great workout.

 

It would be nice if they heated the cup holders so that your coffee stayed hot too.