Beware to any potential consumers for are looking to buy a MINI or have yours serviced run for your life to another dealer and state. This group is the scum of the earth. Please read some of my posts regarding the outstanding
communication and customer service provide by these "DIRT BAGS" after my MINI broke down ona trip to CA. They denied my warranty on a 3 month old car with 5K and refuse to but in writing why my car was denied warranty.
They have been happy to discuss it on the internet but not call and talk to me the customer. MINI USA got invloved and said they would be calling me with a detailed plan of waht is needed to get my new car back on the road.
Instead I got a e-mail that had my info about the break down and just a number of $8630.12 for the repair. I asked for details 2 weeks ago about what I would be getting for $8630.12. They refuse to even reply to the request for a detailed estimate which is the law. If you deal with these guy's beware. If you live in PDX do not do anything aftermarket to your car as they make up there own laws and rules as they go along. SEMA seems not to apply to them only American and Asian car manufactures. You have been warned. My dealer Seattle MINI said they would try and get the car up north so they can look in the motor and actually see what failed. PDX Spent 3 weeks trying to find out how to void my warranty not what my car needs to get back onthe road. They never pulled the motor about to see what failed.
They must be very good because I do not know one wrench who can make that call without seeig what actually failed first. This willbe the guys that try to void your warranty for an exhuast upgrade. It is illegal but that is there and MINI USA's game. They run from responsibility and plan the consumer for ongoing quality and design issues. Good luck. Sorry for you OR people who ahve to deal with these "DIRT BAGS". They have a monopoly in OR and they act like it. Now we will see how the Attorney General's of WA and OR think of there actions. Someone's boss at PDX MINI is not going to happy with all the press and heat headed there way. An employee of PDX got on our E@RTC sight and called be a cry baby and complainer because I did not send a blank check. Stated that MINI PDX hates me and so does my dealer Seattle MINI.
I wish Seattle would call if they have an issue but this sems to be the MINI way. They can bring this statement to the bank- "When the dust all settles
from this the owners or VP's are going to hate the employees how created this situation almost as much as they hate me. If I worked there this is not a
position I would want to be in". It was their choice and actions or lack there of that created this situation. Now they ahve to live with it. PDX you have been warned. Becare where you break down if you are in OR with your MINI!

 

So you have no idea why your JCW broke down?

 

I would beware of the continued FUD posts by Island Maser.

 

Indeed. While I am not unsympathetic, the story has been fully told in other threads.

 

Point be made on this saga ,Island Maser and your ongoing battle with a dealership....I hope you will soon find a resolve.BTW did you ever think about trying a calmer approach it does have some merit.

 

I say blast them. Keep blasting, then blast more...lol. You go.

Some folks don't do mods. To them, those that do are idiots who get what they deserve. I understand that. Go drive your stock car and get all happy at your high mileage. Let Island blast them in peace...lol.

Personally I like modding everything. My computer is faster than yours and so is my car. To each his own.

 

Modding your car is great, but everyone KNOWS it runs the risk of irking the dealer and voiding warranty. If you can't wait until you've paid off the car/run out of warranty to squeeze those extra ponies out of your car, more power to you (ha-ha.), but you went in knowing it might cause hassles down the road.

Yes it can be illegal and shady for the dealer to void based on mods, and that is wrong and should be fought. However, it also is no surprise as this has been well documented over and over again.

Island Maser, I hope you get resolution from MINI but trashing a dealership, whether they deserve it or not, on internet forums can't accomplish much IMO.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...eply&p=3281782

No connection to him once again, and yes I would have toned down the rhetoric as well, but can't help but observe about the color of kettles.

 

I agree totally that a mod that destroys an engine should void the warranty. If you want to play, you got to pay.

BUT....I would only deal in facts, which is lacking here for whatever reason. A dealer can not assume a tune caused damage legally. They do so because they are lazy and don't want to tear down an engine without a signed work order or guaranty of payment. That is short sighted in my opinion, but really the point is the assumption of guilt is not the American way. Take the thing apart, diagnose what went wrong and stand by your interpretation of the facts...that being the important part.

A $20 an hour tech should not be making these decisions. People who should make the call can not rely on a guess, or anything other than facts. Sure the facts will be open to interpretation, but lets have a well written opinion as to what happened and why from the dealer. It is there responsibilty to PROVE the mod caused the issue. Not the other way around.

 

Amen HRM. If Jan's tune loaded and removed 6 weeks prior caused the Tune it is on my nickle. Until you look in the motor you have no idea what happened. If I had a detailed quote i would be ok with approving to start the repair. The dealer went A-hole form day one. Chris the tech was on a witch hunt because he does not like Jan. I am caught in the middle. If they dealer what call and discuss the situation like men it would be nice too. Instead they said and e-mail and then fial to to even answer basic questions. They wanted to play hardball they are going to get hardball. I tried the nice and calm approach early on. As long as I would send them a blank check they would be happy. They refuse to put the reason the for warranty being void as the software tune because they are afraid Jan will final agnaist them for slander with no proof. I don't blame Jab a bit because his tune had nothing to do with the engine failure. I truely believe that and until I see a little proof or the Dirt Bag dealer at least tells me what the Max RPM was etc. So far nothing.

 

Any tune has the chance of voiding you warrenty.....
You need to pay to play....so the story comes out...it was tuned. An overly agressive tune can destroy a motor....esp if you get some bad gas.....

 

Overly aggressive tune....that needs to be defined. Jans tunes do not push the timing to unreasonable levels. If anything he has room to go, but doesn't. Some canned tunes (I can say the GIAC that was installed in my car) bumps the timing way high, sort of risky, but they also bump the A/F to super pig rich (at least on my car) which negates things.

To some a tune is magic, but if one were to factually study the tune, test the A/F ratio and examine the changes and consequences I don't think they can say that "tunes are dangerous". It just is not true.

Bumping redline 5% (like 400 rpm...just a guess, but 6800 to 7200 sounds right) shouldn't damage anything. Could it be uses as an excuse...yes...does it make it true...no.

I totally see the point of a manufacturer not wanting to pay for other peoples mistakes or experiments. That is more than fair, but at the same time, I don't think it is fair to hide behind a mod as a cause just because it is there. That is not fair either.

BTW, I was extremely happy to get a PM from an anonymous (zero post) user. What an honor to have some idiot waste time creating an account only to taunt me with 13 year old mentality. You sir made my day. I know it is from this thread since all my other posts are trying to help strangers with issues. I stand by my opinion and besides, it is too late to remove myself from the gene pool. I have three grandchildren already and the oldest at 9, can taunt better than you...lol and he isn't even a $20 an hour tech!

 

My understanding from one of the posts in the other thread is that MINI USA advised the OP that the warranty was not being honored due to over revs and non-stock software on the vehicle. I don't understand why the OP continues to post that no reason has been provided.

Also, in the main thread on this issue, there were several posts where the OP indicates that techs at the MINI dealership described one of the pistons as missing "chunks" and the skirt had been damaged. That sounds like at least some work on tearing down the engine has been conducted.

 

I think it is because while that may be true, they have to prove the modifications caused the problem. You just can't say..."it was modded, we won't fix it." They also don't seem to want to say what the over rev is exactly. If the limit is set to 6800 and the rev counter shows 6801, that is pretty weak, so over revs isn't really a valid claim on face value.

If you take a spark plug out and stick a camera in it, you can see damage, no tear down required. Doesn't really say much either.

So, in summery, having software installed and "over reving" doesn't mean anything substantial with regards to what failed and why.

 

I would think that sticking a camera in through the spark plug hole would then amount to ".. look in the motor.." as the OP seems to want the dealer to do. Is that enough to provide a definitive answer as to whether a tune or over revs resulted in the failure? It doesn't sound like it to me. But it may be enough that, combined with the electronic data retrieved, is sufficient for a reasonable person to conclude the tune and over revs resulted in the failure.

And I'm probably in the minority on this, but I suspect that MINI at this stage does not have to prove the tune caused the failure. It is now on the OP to prove that MINI improperly voided his warranty. In the course of doing that, his attorney may be able to force MINI to provide proof for their conclusions. Fair? Probably not. But it seems like that is where the saga is.

At this point, the OP needs to retrieve the vehicle and get his attorney on the case. I suspect the continued posts here and even the MINI SUX tour he is threatening will not get him any closer to resolution than he was three weeks ago.

 

I believe the lesson learned here is putting ones car ,that being a MINI ,outside the limits.When you tune a car beyond its threshhold (max point)it has to" stress out" the major motor components.Really, we don't know how (Island Maser)was driving his car.Did he max it to the limits after the tune.?I have said time and time again these cars are only 4cyl.with small turbos that even after a hefty tune can "break",why risk it!?!?!

 

I wish this dude would use proper spelling and grammar and learn the use of paragraphs and spacing. Its almost impossible to understand what he is trying to say. And I have been following his saga for quite some time.

One person has a bad experience with their car and a dealership does not make it bad for everyone else. BEWARE indeed.

All car dealerships and and their service centers are a bunch of thieves.

Island Maser. I wish you good luck in dealing with this disaster and I hope you can work this out to your benefit.