I gotta know. What dealer is this?

 

tom bush bmw and mini of jacksonville, florida.

 

Yeah really ask them how you could overrev an automatic?
It was possible on older automatics if you deliberately selected a lower gear setting at a high speed. I dont know about the MINI specifically but I thought most modern automatics have computers involved in the shifting and there is an electronic lock out from ever manually selecting too low of gear (all the manumatics have this). These days with an auto you could blame them for even letting the car be capable of overreving in an auto. Just not something that happens. Sounds like you need to be a much surer of yourself next time you talk to the dealer. Any problems like that should be warranty covered.

 

A diagnosis fee is bogus when the car is under warranty. I never saw such a charge until we got a VW; we found the local VW dealers charge such a fee for rattles and other noises.

That is why we quit buying VWs.


- James

 

Well I'd love to ask the Motoring Advisor, be he's out of town till sunday.

I'm trying to get a loaner... this is miserable.

 

Whatever you do, or threaten to do, put it in writing. Also keep a written journal of what they do or say.

 

This whole ordel, to me, is reminiscent of the e46 m3's when the engines failed at very early mileages (such as mine). BMW NA and BMW AG claimed it was abuse by over revving. But when the SMG transmission came out several months later, they were screwed.

 

that is the biggest pile of crap. but keep hope alive. you are in the right, they are the ones that can't fix the problem. They will have to come to an agreement soon.

 

Well the shop foreman called today, and made sure it was ok to take the car home with him, as he thought he had made headway. I cleared it... and told him to call me thursday afternoon, as I would be in court sessions all morning.

 

So this is what the local sales man over at sunshineminis.org had to say about the issue.

Let me know what you think.

Personally, I find it very unprofessional. And I shall forward a copy of this, to his sales manager.

http://www.sunshineminis.org/forums/...de4715ed601d4b

Oh by the way, the latest update is: the shop foreman took the car home, I forget the which way he said, but the car worked in one way from work/home, but didn't work the other way.

So, for the sake of making sense. It ran fine to his house, I guess. But wouldn't start correctly to go to work the next morning.

 

So you're tbonecooper, well well.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=122323

 

actually, wait. I'm not going to say anything on that. cause it doesn't pertain to this issue. and I wont' debate a old thread and my **** poor choice to even mention anything in it. As I stated before, the car never went to any dealership over that matter. A call to the parts department told me it was cheaper to replace everything in the car.

Now back on topic... Robin, please... Lay off. And i'm being nice, mature, logical, rational, sane, etc.

 

A very wise man I know would say, "There are always 3 sides to any story. Yours, mine and the truth." Unfortunately, these forums usually only provide one side, and at times, it's clouded with emotion or anger.

I truly hope you get your situation resolved, but I have wondered through reading this posting over the past few days, if you have had as many issues with this service department over time as you say, why keep going back there? If I thought a business was the "worst", I would travel as far as needed, spend as much as needed to avoid dealing with them. Unless I was looking for problems.

One other question in my mind, I thought the engine was in pieces. But the service manager drove it home? Something isn't adding up or I read it wrong.

In any event, I hope it works out and you get your Mini back and get back to the joy of motoring.

 

As far as why I keep going back there.

I live in Jacksonville Florida. It was bought in Atlanta. I'm not sure of road side assistance would pay to have it towed home to Atlanta. Furthermore, it never works long enough for me to personally drive it there... And I'd have to have a way to get back to Jacksonville.

As for it being in pieces, drove it home. I'm only quoting what I'm told by a employee working on the car. More or less, at this point... If I was told it was in "a million pieces", I don't know I'd believe it. Maybe if core pieces were pulled apart, or a intake manifold, or something was removed... yada yada. Something that would only take 15 minutes to half an hour to put back in.

I don't question the mechanical ability of the techs... I know a few of them pretty well. I'm just tired of their excuses. If they don't know what's wrong with it, stop trying, and get someone in who does. In my world, the Info Tech world. When we have a 10,000 dollar Juniper router that just likes to power cycle itself (on and off constantly), if you aren't Juniper Certified, you don't go near it. You'll bring someone in (usually at Juniper cost if you have a SLA with them) to fix it.

I'd be a "little" happier with them, if they'd just tell me, right now, we're not sure, we don't have a time frame. I'm almost to the point of having my car pulled out of service, and towed, at my expense, MINI USA's, or theirs, to the dealership in Atlanta. Or Orlando.

and re: being clouded with emotion or anger, I usually wait several hours before I post on here... and think things thru (unlike I've done in the past)... so I don't give a completely biased opinion.

 

Road Assistance will transport your disabled MINI to the nearest MINI dealer. Any distance after that would be money out of pocket.


I don't understand the over-rev'd thing. On engines that had ample valve clearence over-rev'ing was called "floating the valves". The engine lost power because the valve springs couldn't close the valves quick enough to take advantage during the power stroke. If you didn't break a valve spring you just took your foot off the gas and let it recover. On "0 tolerence" engines the valves open far enough to contact the piston. Float a valve or let a timing belt slip and you have either busted a piston or bent a valve stem.
I dont know if the MINI is "0 tolerence" or not. I suspect it has clearence because it has a timing chain, not a belt.

Either way, neither should be an on again/off again problem due to over-reving. If you bent a valve stem it is forever bent and won't run right. You don't have a busted piston.

I aint troubleshooting it, but, my money is on a catterwonkie computer.

Good luck.

I give $0.02 off coupons with my post.

 

So I got the car back today... they claimed bad gas again.

The first time they told me they had done, it but the truth came out from their service manager... the tech said it only had a "wee" bit of gas in it and just filled it up. SO if the gas in it was bad, good gas wouldn't fix it. Even 3/4 a tank...

---

So I ran the gas out of it tonight (it was almost to the low fuel alert) and put new gas in it... still starts fine... Perhaps it's finally fixed.

They did say, no bent valves or any engine damage... like they originally assumed.

 

Here is a picture, albeit not that great... of the service notes

 

It is pathetic that they cannot tell whether it is an over revved engine or a bad fuel....

 

that sucks. i hope all is well, but it sounds like its going to happen again. i would still call mini and complain. did you have to pay the diag. fee?

 

Well the car is running fine. Good news !

I forgot to mention that diag fee... That was so they could take the headers off and look-see if the valve stems were bent (I think that was the way the shoppe manager put it). Nah they never charged it.

If it happens again, I will call MINI. Otherwise, I'm satisfied

 

great news!

 

It is just BS to give a new car owner that much trouble for a warranty service. That is not how they should treat their customers. They accused the owner of the wrong doings before they could correctly diagnose the problem. I am slightly getting upset.

 

It's cool.. In the end.. they look idiotic accusing me of such... then it turning out to be something else.

 

Update...

The car is still shutting off when I try to start it. I'm attempting to locate a video camera, so I can record what it does for you guys... from the inside and outside... maybe someone can offer further insight when they see it on video...

I'm taking it back to the dealership on Monday... And trying to locate a Regional MINI Service Manager to ask about it. I'll call MINI Customer Service back and see what they can do.. This is the 3rd time.

 

Have you talked to the service manager? At my dealership he's in charge of both MINI and BMW.