Got paid today. IN FULL!!! Parts and labor. Work was done at a local shop. Took 4 months..... But BMW of North America came through.

 

I had my PS pump replaced by a local mechanic in 2011. Second PS pump went out a few months later. Found out about the warranty stuff last week and filed a claim. they emailed me back the next morning and when i called them up they said i would be covered for the cost i paid to have it replaced the first time and that it would be replaced again for free. They connected me to the closest MINI dealership (Flow MINI) and i set up an appointment. Went to my appointment this morning and had the whole PS pump and fan replaced. So glad i didnt have to pay the $1100 bill!

 

Was it a check in the mail and did you submit through a dealer or send in a letter? I'm still waiting so I'm curious if they have started sending out checks to those who mailed in their documents.

 

The work was done by a local shop. I sent in the original documents (Paid, itemized receipt). Sent to MINI USA directly. It took just over 3 months.

 

god bless bmw and mini they were so kind to replace my pump and fan free of charge at the charleston sc mini dealer it started to run on at 92K miles on my 04 mini

 

I had Mini of Peabody replace my steering pump and fan. Mine failed suddenly and I drove for about a week and a half with no power steering while I waited for parts. Then a day before scheduled repairs it began running constantly. I drove it down and they were awesome.

Mini of Peabody was dynamite! Thanks Mark, Lauren, Tiffany and the Technicians who worked on the car!

Matt

 

Just posted on a related thread and then found this...

It will be four months since I sent in my paperwork to Mini the first week of October....my work was done by a local shop also. Mini tells me (on my umpteenth call) that my claim was approved 8/12/13 but supposedly have "no idea" or way of finding out when/whether a check has been sent...four months is ridiculous!

Going to check some more posts to see if it is taking four months for other people.

 

Made my monthly check-in call to MINI. I got a nearly identical response as last months call:
“It is in the system, but due to a very large response, it is taking longer than expected to process”.

I wanted to see if they knew how to say anything else and I eventually got: “They hope to be finishing up processing in the next couple of weeks”. I don't think it is true, but who knows.

It has been 4 months. Hope lost, but this thread proves at least some have been paid.

 

I hope so too. According to realoem.com, the part # on my PS pump ('06 MCSc, prod date Jan 2006) is the same as the one made in Feb 2005. In fact, this same part # went to the end of production for the 1st gen cabrio in July 2008. They never improved the PS pump!!! But yours failed and is not covered, I would file a complaint with NHTSA and point out the obvious BS with Mini since they're the same pump post Feb 2005.

Edit... see next post.

 

Apparently, there was a lawsuit against BMW/Mini for model years 2002-09...

Source

A class action lawsuit claims BMW has been selling 2002-2009 Mini Coopers with a defective steering system that makes the Mini “virtually uncontrollable in traffic and starts a potentially catastrophic fire in the engine compartment.”

The BMW Mini Cooper class action lawsuit, filed October 12 in Newark Federal Court, claims that the vehicles have an inherent defect that compromises and diminishes the quality, safety, durability, craftsmanship and performance of the Mini Cooper. The lawsuit claims the defect manifests in the steering pump of the vehicle and causes, among other things, the complete loss of power steering and control of the vehicle while it’s in motion, and often results in the ignition of a fire in the engine compartment.

According to the Mini Cooper class action lawsuit, internal BMW documents show the company knew about the problems with the power steering and/or power steering pump in the cars, but failed to correct the problems and continued to sell the Mini Coopers without telling consumers the full truth about the dangerous defect.

The National Highway Transportation and Safety Agency (NHSTA) opened an investigation into the matter in April 2007 after it received over 32 complaints about loss of power steering and fires in 2002-2004 Mini Coopers. In response, BMW acknowledged that the defect’s primary cause was an insufficient seal of the power steering pump ground cable at its attachment to the chassis, which results in water ingress that corrodes the power pump power cable connector and leads to loss of power steering and “localized smoldering.” The NHSTA closed the initial investigation after BMW claimed to have fixed the defects, but NHSTA opened a new investigation into the later Mini Cooper models after it received numerous complaints from car owners about the same problems.

The BMW Mini Cooper class action lawsuit is brought on behalf of a nationwide class of persons who purchased and/or leased a 2002-2009 model year Mini Cooper. It is seeking damages and restitution for class members, attorneys’ fees, and an order prohibiting BMW from selling, marketing or advertising the Mini Coopers without a detailed warning about the defect.


A copy of the BMW Mini Cooper Defective Steering Class Action Lawsuit can be read here.

Law firm: Wasserman, Comden, Casselman & Esensten, L.L.P.

 

I just tried to email after reading the two posts in May featuring copies of the extended warranty letter. The first two times I tried to email, the message bounced back undelivered. Then I noticed the email address in the bodies of the letters didn't match the address on the sidebar of the second letter. In the body of both of the letters posted, the email address is MINI.Assistance@askmini.com, but on the sidebar of the second letter, it's listed as MINI.Assistance@askminiUSA.com. I haven't received an answer yet, and will resort to the phone number if needed, but thought this might help others.

 

Has anyone signed up for this?

 

13 weeks and still waiting.....

 

The last time I recall waiting this long on an offer required me to send in two cereal box tops and a stamped, postage paid return envelope. When I called in September, the customer service rep from MINIUSA said I could/should call back if I hadn't received my reimbursement by October 1st. Where oh where is my calendar?

Does anybody have any idea the quantity of MINI's produced over this period of time the warranty extension covers? Are we talking hundreds of thousands of claims at $1000 or so apiece? Do we need to get Jerry Lewis to do a telethon to help them raise money to take care of this?

 

Got the letter on the rebate and mailed in the info to Mini the end of May. Work done by the dealer in Milwaukee so should have been a no brainer for Mini. After many calls (last one in September) was told it was approved and should be sent by Oct 1. Still waiting and am beginning to wonder if this is a scam on Mini's part or if they just can't handle it. So much for a company not delivering.

 

The checks are German engineered... which takes a lot of ingenuity and effort. And when they arrive, make sure you deposit them quickly before the warranty expires.

 

On a different extended warranty reimbursement problem (O2 sensor), I sent in the paperwork five months ago. About a week ago, I started getting voicemails from someone at Mini saying they had a "resolution on my case" and to call them back. But every time I call back, the person is never in and I leave voicemail, the last couple times asking that we stop this telephone tag and to send me email. Nothing received and the calls have stopped. I suspect that fact I'm getting a phone call rather than a check means they're denying the claim for some reason. Emails to the address they provide for resolution in these things bounce.

I've pretty much given up on this.

- Mark

 

So now more than 6 months after I sent in paperwork and after 5 phone calls I'm told I need to send a copy of my bank statement to verify that it was paid. The documentation I sent from the mechanic wasn't enough. So now I've got to figure out which credit card I used to pay for this repair back in July of 2010.

So annoying the bill is for $265. I work at a store and I only have access to physical for receipts for 6 months and in the comp for a year. And I'll have to request statements for my accounts since it's been so long.

 

Got my check this weekend. Glad this is behind me. Good luck to everyone still hanging on waiting and hoping!

 

Finally, my check came today! 8.5 months later but now it's done and over with.

 

Just replying to this thread to report that I had my PS pump replaced today at Global Import MINI in ATL. Service was a lot quicker than I expected, and I was treated very well considering insomnia made me a bit scatterbrained. I was very happy with the service department.

 

I am 4th owner of a R53 2005 MCS and the power steering is feeling pretty bad (like it doesn't exist!). Its at 78K miles...

I am a new owner so don't have the letter. Am I still covered? Anyone else in same situation and had it replaced by MINI?

Cheers!

 

Hey Moot
Try calling MINI and have your VIN ready. The representative should be able to let you know you're eligible from that info.
I'm the second owner of my MINI, and it wasn't a problem but I did receive a letter. In the meantime, check the PS fluid level and give it a top-off if need be. Sometimes the problem is a leaky supply line to the pump (not covered lol).

 

The warranty is on the car, not the owner. It is covered if it meets the conditions. Specifically for you, the car must have a production date of Feb 2005 or earlier (see the document in the first post). The VIN plaque on your door jamb has your production date.

There is also a power steering delete kit coming soon: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...able-soon.html

 

Thanks guys... I'm not entirely sure if mine is bad or not. It feels much heavier than other cars I've driven, not undriveable, but not sure if thats normal or not? I guess a dealer could confirm my fears...