"Oh -- we LOVE our MINIs! Never had a problem, really -- well, i mean, there was the time that Scooter spontaneously combusted -- but we weren't in the car (or even the neighborhood!) at the time and, I mean, it was really only the front tires that melted to the pavement.... And the new rims were fine!"

 

I'm really sorry to hear about your loss. I hope it all works out in the end.

I am really interested in hearing about how it works out with USAA. I have been insuring my cars with them for over twenty years but have never made a claim. When my new MCSc arrives next month it will also be insured by them. I have heard they are a good company but I have no first hand experience with them other than sending them a fat check every month.

Good luck.

 

Jane, I've been with USAA for years and have made several claims with them. They have always been professional, on-the-ball, and more than fair. That 'fat check' you send them every month is well worth it IMO! Aside from the pain of having to make a claim, they are a joy to work with! Especially after hearing the horror stories that other people have gone through with so-called 'discount' insurers.

 

I have had USAA my entire driving life - wow - that's a long time (32 years).. I have nothing but FANTASTIC things to say about them. We have filed several claims with them over the years, but this will be the 2nd major claim (we totalled a truck several years back).

I love them and would never even consider changing to anybody else.

Donna

 

Or just Phoenix, there's a kid a my HS named this.

 

Your loss is great, but you are right, things could always have been worse. I'm glad no one was hurt.

I do have a question for you though... My first thought when I saw the pictures was electrical... Do you have any rodents living nearby that you know of? Does the car normally get parked in a garage or barn or anything like that? Just trying to think of what might have caused this... Critters can do some amazingly awful things with their little teeth...

 

We too are pretty certain it's electrical of some sort. The car has never been garaged and in So Cal, no barns anywhere close to us...We are still scratching our heads on this...

Donna

 

I had some squirels that thought under the hood of my truck(94 Dakota) would make a good home.Only cost me some vacume lines,they had to move fast.

 

I actually saw a Mini towed in several weeks ago......lady got in her car and it wouldn't start. Checked under the hood and squirels had chewed through wires. They had actually stored some nuts near the spark plug wires......

 

Now that it has been confirmed that this wasn't arson, please consider filing a report with NHTSA, as well as alerting BMW. As much as I'd like to believe that BMW would voluntarily take corrective action if there is a design flaw, I wouldn't bet any money on it.

NHTSA keeps track of all reports people file so if it turns out that this is not an isolated incident, NHTSA will be able to investigate and wield its clout if necessary to possibly prevent someone from getting injured or killed.

btw, some years ago Nissan offered to repurchase ALL of the minivans it manufactured because of an engine fire hazard. And it did this voluntarily. Somehow I don't see BMW as being that conscientious...

Thanks.

 

Donna and Mike:
I don't post as much on here as I used to, but when I read your post, my heart sank. I'm so very sorry to hear about the loss of Scooter, but I'm so very thankful that no one was injured. Take care.

Holly

 

Egads! that's horrible!!

Had you two been back here in Virginia perhaps the heavy 8" snowfall may have prevented spontaneous combustion.
Hmm, my '89 325i had an under-hood asbestos mat, held in place with plastic clips which should melt if the engine caught fire, dropping it. Not sure how much testing BMW did, but makes me wonder if fires had been a higher probability than we think.

 

Hey Donna,
Really sorry to hear about this. (Chris just emailed me, I assume other DCMM members must know as well?) Glad you all are ok.

On USAA, I have used them all my driving carreer, and they have been pretty accomadating. I don't have many accidents on record, but given that I always let Wagon Works here in VA do body work, even fender benders tend to be quite expensive. I am sure they will come through for you.

Attached is the photo from the first day I met Donna and Mike in person, over two years ago. Scooter is the on the far right side, along with Minh's blue S, Ron and Vanessa's Cooper and my Cooper. It was the first somewhat official MINI drive near DC, a trip to Annapolis and a crab feast!
Mike

 

Update - for those who might be wondering.......

First - let me start by saying that shortly after this happened, we filed a report with the NHTSA (no reply yet) and MINIUSA.

We have had several discussions with MINIUSA and of course our insurance company USAA. Back in May of 02', we paid out the door $25,343.40 for Scooter. USAA has offered us $25,542.24 almost 3 years and 62K miles later...:smile: Wowza - more than we paid! Can't say that we aren't happy about that...

We have asked USAA to hold the check as we are not ready to close out the claim. We still hold the title and do not plan on turning it over to them just yet as USAA has agreed to do a special investigation ALONG with a rep. from MINI. This is supposed to happen within the next week.

To be honest, I'm not holding my breath for any concrete outcome. MINIUSA pretty much told me over the phone that cases like this are very hard to prove one way or the other. I guess we'll be finding out!!

During another discussion with this same person from MINIUSA, I was asked if we were to buy another MINI, what would we be looking for as far as specs. I listed them out and a few days later, he called me back to tell me that he had found a car (out of good faith) with the items he thought we would want and had the car (already in production) put in our name and it will be shipped to Brecht MINI.

I explained to him - in very nice words - that it was very nice of him, but we weren't sure we were purchasing another MINI and that we could have easily made phone calls, etc. and found what we wanted. But we appreciated the time he took out of his busy schedule to find something for us.... Are you getting my drift here? I mean, those of us who have been in the MINI world for 3 years like we have are VERY AWARE of how to obtain a MINI. Anyway.........

Thanks for hanging in there with us. Thanks again for all of your emails, PM's and phone calls to various dealerships asking questions (yes, we've been told many of you called to voice your concerns).:smile: :smile:

To be continued when we have a final outcome...........until then, Thanks everybody for letting me continue to vent....

Donna
02' CR/W MCS (gone to MINI heaven)
05' Cool Blue MCSC

 

Perish the thought!

OK, I just have to ask, because it's difficult to guess... what else would you possibly replace Scooter with?

(Note: SOME level of understanding is granted due to the fact you have another MINI anyway)

I just read through the entire thread, since I am fairly new here and it popped to the top with your update. It was quite a shock to see that at the end!

 

To be honest, we haven't totally made up our minds yet. We have spent many hours the past few weekends, looking at our options and test driving LOTS of vehicles. Mazda is at the top of the list right now - the RX8, the MazdaSpeed or possibly wait for the 2006 model due out in a few months.

There are some things I just can't post publicly yet - let's just say we are waiting for the joint investigation to be over with.

We are/were one of THE very first owners of the MCS in the US. I can't even put into words what this whole thing has done to us emotionally... Something like this JUST doesn't happen unless there was something terribly wrong! It comes down to a trust factor which right now, is very hard to swallow....

Donna

 

I still can't believe this happened, I hope the investigation goes well, who knows, maybe they'll find something.

on a side note:
The two family friends that have had RX-8 have had horrible problems with them, and in the end, ended up selling them. I like Mazda's as a whole, but I think the RX-8 needs a little more time to get the little bugs worked out.

 

Good luck with it Donna/Mike! :smile:

- Mike

 

Wow, I guess that puts to rest concerns about the residual value of our MINIs. It's always nice to hear about an insurance company that does the right thing. I know losing Scooter was a heartbreaker but still glad to haer that it turned out OK.

 

If I were you, I would take the insurance claim check and run with no further hesitation. This was a very unfortunate incident, but let the insurance company and MINIUSA do the investigation. You need to move on.

I think it is your call whether you want another MINI or not, but I would not let this incident erode my confidence on these cars. This problems seems to be more akin early production samples. Have you read/heard of anyone having a '04-'05 MINI suddenly catching fire? Doubtful.

Don't complicate things for you any further. Take the insurance money and be done with it. MINIUSA is the one that needs to conduct the investigation and worry about issuing a recall if need be.

 

Wow, I guess that really answers my earlier question about the quality of USAA insurance. Hmm, I wonder what they would give me if I my 1995 Subaru Imprezza with 162K miles mysteriously caught on fire?

I am glad in the end things are working out well for you guys.

 

Please read and consider:

Donna and Mike are not being stubborn here by not immediately accepting the check from their insurance company. They are acting in the best interest of the MINI community with their strong stance that this incident must be investigated and a cause for it must be found.

It may very well be that this was a unique isolated incident and just moving on will be the most appropriate action, but an investigation must be completed so that a cause can be determined. If there is a previously unknown defect in these early 02 models, thousands of people's lives could be at stake here.

It is an unfortunate event (and not really a tragedy) when your MINI bursts into flames while parked, but it would be a genuine tragedy if this happened to another MINI and someone in our community was severly injured or killed. I don't even want to think about what might have happened if Donna and Mike had been driving at highway speeds when this occured.

Donna and Mike are one of a handful of people that were the first to help create the friendly community of MINI owners here in the U.S. I applaud them for caring so much about our community that they are pushing through with this investigation. They have great insurance and it will be no problem for them to accept the check and replace their beloved MINI with another, but they are going the extra mile for us here.

If there is a defect, MINI must address it to ensure the safety of all of us regardless of how much it is going to cost BMW/MINI to fix it. If a cause cannot be found, my opinion is that MINI should also take a look at another vehicle built at the same time which has components that have not been obscured by fire damage.

Thanks for the update and we will all look forward to learning the results of the investigation.

 

Being that there is a history of early model MINIs having issues with wiring harnesses burning out, Donna and Mike's unfortunate situation has the potential of saving someone from a similar, if not far worse fate. I applaude their decision to stick it out regarding MINIUSA's investigations and their ultimate choice as to their replacement car.

To you both, I am sorry that this happened, and I am hoping for the best as far as your resolution. Something tells me that this incident might just help to prevent others like it, and you guys deserve nothing less than the best outcome/resolution.

 

(for something completely different)

WAIT!!!! You mean MINIs don't fall from the sky? They aren't brought by the stork? You can't be serious that there is an actual WAY to find a MINI without help of some high-mucky-muck at MINIUSA???? Say it isn't so!!!!

Now, my world view is SHATTERED. Up until today, I believed that the way you got a MINI was that you had to put a model under your pillow at night and hope that the MINI Fairy would bring you the one in full size to your door. I'm really clear on how you could find a model with the options you wanted (like real seat belts or a parcel shelf) -- but I'm SURE that there is a MINI Fairy (she has striped wings like a bonnet and a wears a roof flag for a dress).

Have I been drinking too heavily lately?

Donna: I do wish you the biggest hugs in the world. Frankly, I'm not sure how you are being such an adult about it -- I would have wanted to pout for a few years before doing anything else. You go, Girl!

Hugs,
PB

 

Absolutely. I am not questionning Donna/Mike's good intentions at all, but it seems to me that investigations pertaining to incidents like these, take time to complete. There could be a million reasons behind the sudden engine fires and therefore this is not something that MINI will be able to determine in a matter of weeks, although the sooner the better.

The had a fire in the car which was declared a total loss. Their insurance company responded swiftly to their claim and cut them a check for more $$$ than the originally paid for the car. I personally would not hesitate in taking the check and move on. I am not sure but if not accepting the claim money right away is heralded as an act of heroism, to each thier own, but the truth is that MINIUSA and not the insurance company is to be ultimately held responsible to whatever happened inside that parked MCS.

Car companies in general, treat sudden fires in a very secretive manner and this instance will not be any different. I also share on the general concern about this problem as we also own a 2002 Cooper which presumably should not be any different that Mike/Donna's car.

I am just stating my opinion and hope for a prompt and quick resolution to all parties involved.