This happened to our son last night when he was taking his guitar out of the hatch.

Here is the link to the photo in my gallery: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...31143&cat=1395

This is the third time since Thanksgiving this has happened to someone, so this strikes me as a safety-related design deficiency.

Thoughts?

 

Exhaust is hot. Don't put body parts near the pipes.

Perhaps that sounds oversimplified, or perhaps I don't completely understand the situation, but that's my initial thought. I haven't ever seen a car with cool exhaust, though i suppose many cars have downward-pointing pipes so it isn't as noticeable.

The MCS pipes are right there which, in my opinion, makes them easier to avoid.

 

You just have to be careful.

 

You might consider a sign for the boot: "BEWARE: My Rear end is HOT!!"

 

Another reason why I like the Miltek exhaust setup.. The tips are tucked as they should be.. perfectly inline with the bumper...

 

Here is the link to the photo in my gallery: https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...31143&cat=1395

 

Did the same thing with my Cooper. Only happened once.
Just think of it as your MCS giving you a nice "HOT" Kiss

 

LMAO, a safety-related design deficiency! EVERY car's exhaust is hot.....DUH.

This is like that lady that poured hot coffee on her and sued Mcdonalds....

-Cody

 

I've done that but was getting stuff out of my PT Cruiser. Like nolimit said, I only did it once!
Annette

 

The real deficiency would lie with a person who let it happen more than once

 

Got bit by my Borla. Ouch. Still have the scar. I Bought an aero kit and now the exhaust is safely tucked away.

 

Headline: MINI Mods Owner!

 

egads... not good. i hope your son's alright.

 

i just got bit for the first (and last) time on sunday...

 

Try touching a set of these with your leg. I have had to scrape skin off of these before when people don't heed the warning.

 

There is a tiny little warning sticker:

http://bolus.shackspace.com/MINI/hazzard.jpeg

 

Eeek! I hit my leg against a motorcycle exhaust once...

I can actually remember looking down and seeing my melted skin pull away from the muffler pipes like chewing gum.

Thanks for the pleasant memory!

 

Actually I think he has a point... This is the STOCK, OEM exhaust and not a MODded one, so you can't say that a add-on part sticks back too far. Most cars put the exhaust a bit under the bumper or even inside it, but on the MCS it sticks back straight into the center, where (obviously) someone can brush it with their leg when loading and unloading.

I'm not even going to get into a discussion of the hot coffe thing (which was valid, BTW, seeing as how lots of places back then kept coffee FAR HOTTER than any human mouth could stand it to be, simply to be able to use it longer in the pot before replacing it - now they cool it down to merely "hot" instead of "volcanic"), but I'll say that, if this happened to someone in my family or, God forbid, my 4-year old, I'd be putting some pointed questions to Mini about why they made the design decision to put a scalding hot pipe in such a location. I'm just glad that on my Cabrio this won't happen (since the trunk opens DOWN, tailgate-style, on that car).

This is NOT a motorcycle and, for better or worse, constant safety upgrades to vehicles have left us with the expectation that we do not need to watch out for things like red-hot pipes sticking back from our cars. Now I will, but seeing as how others have been "bitten" in this way, I don't think it's unreasonable to classify this as a "design flaw" needing attention.

 

Ya know, I had a stove do that once to me. hmmm, why isn't there a warning sequence that one has to go through every time someone turns on the burner? I don't see a design flaw in this, more like an issue of not paying attention to your sourroundings.

Be alert, the world needs more lerts.

moral of this story: some things by their very nature are designed to heat up. Don't be surprised when the laws of thermodynamics are applied to the unwary.

 

How about this warning sticker?

I don't mean to be flip about this... It could be designed differently and I'm sorry for the pain that your son is feeling right now.

 

I personally really like the aesthetic of the stock pipes, the way they extend beyond the little bumper skirt. I would be greatly annoyed if the company had to redesign it because some people weren't paying attention. I suspect I wouldn't be alone in this.

Just because lots of things have been dumbed down doesn't mean that you're excused from situational awareness. And if you choose to excuse yourself, prepare to be branded by an exhaust pipe.

MGC, I celebrate your entire post

 

I'm sorry, but if after the FIRST time people don't remember that the pipes are there, it's their own fault for getting burned.

 

They could easily design a heat shield or something else that would make it safer, is all I'm saying. Of course "hot things will burn you" but that's not the point. Products are recalled ALL THE TIME because it is discovered that, when used properly, there is still a danger of people getting hurt. Are you going to tell someone who's toddler was just strangled by a collapsing playpen that "well, bars of metal compressing the throat will kill you don't let your child play with the release latch - DUH!" or "well, if you slide down in your seat (because there's no restraining bar in the center) then OF COURSE your head will become trapped, cutting off your oxygen - just don't let your kids slide down... DUH!" No, of course not - you'd expect that the manufacturer would fix the problem before more people get hurt.

Is this a huge deal? Probably not. Common sense is a wonderful thing. But I know for a fact that if it happened to me, i'd be complaining. If enough people do, then they'll fix the issue, probably with a voluntary recall and a replacement pipe end with a heat shield. Unfortunately, "business as usual" generally means that no such change happens until someone sues.

 

I think that an exhaust pipe (which has never, in my understanding of automotive history, been anything but hot) is a far cry from malfunctioning latches on children's swingsets. That's just silly.

If the majority of people have managed to remain unscathed by a non-abberation, it is also silly to change the whole set up for the few people who had to learn the hard way that exhaust gasses, and the metal pipes through which they pass, are hot.

If you get burned, slap on some antibiotic ointment of your choice and consider yourself recently educated and unlikely to repeat the incident.

 

(my bolding)
Time to reset the expectations. All cars have hot pipes sticking out of them (red-hot??) It's not like the boot is that big - it's easy to stand to one side or the other.

I've never been 'kissed', but now that I think about it, it could be the MCS's way of saying "Don't be rubbing against the painted surface that is my bumper."

findude/ImagoX- if the exhaust tips concern you, any muffler shop can set them further back, or cut them off and replace them with non-protruding tips.
Hope the boy heals quickly. If it makes him feel better, have him tell people he was attacked by a giant squid, but got away!