Hello everyone I am new to being a mini owner and am very happy with my car but do not want to dog the new R56 MCS I just purchased on 02/23/08. Everything so far upto last night was great; the mpg, comfort, ride, feel, sale, finance, pretty much everything. Which in turn now makes me a mini addict and I can't stop talking about them.

Here is what happened. I was driving in along on my way to Ace Hardware to go buy some light bulbs for my home. I came up to the light near the store and waited to turn. Once it was green I proceeded my normal way and when I went to shift into 3rd gear I looked at my tachometer and it read zero. So I turned down my radio listened ,coasted for a bit ,and turned into a parking lot nearby under no power but everything else on my car my still on. Stopped the car ,turned off by taping the Start/stop button. Tried to restart and the starter turned on but was just wining and that is all, no motor cranking ,just a sound from the starter. Nothing else. This made me very upset after several attempts . I have had the car for a week and a half. The roadside assistance was very helpful and picked the car up this morning at 6 and is now on its way to mini center of san antonio. I am a wind turbine technician and pretty good with mechanics but this just blew my mind. SH#t

please if you have any regards or questions respond.

 

I would call the mini towing service, the number for which is on a sticker in the rear hatch compartment. They will tow it and fix it.

 

So sorry to hear about your problem. Awful. I had a starting problem once with my car. About a month after I got it, it started and then stopped in the morning. It eventually started again after resting and then giving it as much gas as possible when starting it.

I believe my problem was bad gas and it hasn't happened since. I bought gas at a suspect station that sells little premium and it had water or other junk in it. I don't think this will help figure out your problem, but it is super scary to have a brand new car stop on you.

Hopefully your dealer will fix this to your satisfaction. Good luck!

 

Unfortunately as with most new things this type of stuff will happen. If something is going to fail due to a manufacturing defect or bad part during assembly it will usually happen within the first few days of ownership.

Or it could be a fluke.

Knock on wood, I haven't had any problems with mine.

Sorry to hear about your problems, thank goodness for Roadside assistance.

 

It sounds like you ran out of gas or had bad gas.

 

the great news is you get to experience some great MINI service right away. i <3 the service department. they always take care of me.

 

I agree...the dealer/warranty will deal w/ this and have you back on the road. If it is gas, you might think about where you could have picked up some bad stuff.

 

Sorry for your problems. Let us know what happen.

 

Have you put gas in the car, or is it still what the dealer put in? If you filled it, what did you use?

There is a rumor going around that some dealers will put cheap gas in the car before delivery to save money.

 

Sorry to hear your woes. Follow up and let us know the outcome.

I bet it had nothing to do with your NAM name and the fact that March is in like a lion......

 

I don't see how cheap gas could cause a problem. Doesn't Mini's ECU like most modern cars will moderate engine performance based upon fuel octane? The car may not run at top condition but it will still run. You could probable run it on kerosene if you had to (not that I would recomend that). Doesn't mean you shoudl use cheap gas of course.

If fuel was the issue it could have been something in the gas (like water which is not that uncommon) - but how cheap would a dealer go? Unless they were on the border and driving into Mexico to fill the cars nothing about the US gas supply would be worth that effort.

A car is a complex thing - a jillion things could go wrong. It's amazing that everything works most of the time.

BTW - I've always been told two things about gas stations - never fill up when a truck is there unloading (stiring up sediment) and stop filling if the pump is running really slow (down to the last 2% in the tank). Don't know how true those are but...

 

but maybe I misunderstood the post. 1) Car died. 2) Whirring of starter (no engagment) and no starting.

Let's see what the OP reports when he gets the news from the dealer.

Matt

 

No, sorry dude I am not that ignorant, it had almost a full tank and I am absolutely positive it was not my gas being bad or low. I only fill up at chevron stations which is the top tier gas recommened by BMW. And to add to that I am positve It has nothing to do with the fuel delivery. I thought it over today after the service manger called me and apoligized and I kinda think it is the flywheel or starter bearing or throw pin inside. But thanks everyone for commenting it makes me not as upset.

2008 MCS, Pure Silver with bonnet stripes cloth and Premium and convience package.


I will post as soon as I get the Report back to tell everyone what happened lets hope its not a lemon. iisshhhh!

 

You Might want to finish reading the whole thing before responding MINIEMEE..... ........

 

Not a rumor for my dealer at least. MA confirmed that Otto's does in fact fill all their cars up with 89. Pretty disheartening but not the biggest deal I suppose... That first tank was gone in about 300 miles anyway.

 

There have been some reports here of cars stalling and the dealer finding nothing wrong with the car, other than the gas having too much ethanol or similar problem. Not so much the octane of the gas, but other issues. I had similar problems with an old Integra when I tried a different brand of gas. The Integra takes 87, the lowest grade available here.

However, that doesn't seem to be the issue here.

 

I will tell you this though If it ends up to where the have to take the motor out to fix the problem or replace the motor I will be denying the car and demanding a new one. (1.) It won't drive like a new car anymore (2.) the Lemon Law covers this (3.) If that is the case it is Bullsh!T

 

That's not just a rumow. My MA, when I asked him about the whole "does it have to have premium gas?" issue, said they always put the cheap stuff in the cars on their lot. It's not something I make a habit of, and rarely even put in the mid-grade stuff (only when I absolutely have to stop at a low volume station). I guess dealers need to make sure they don't go broke buying gas for their customers

 

I see a MINI service advisor having a really bad day. (I'm clairvoyant.)

 

Even in a city as honkin' big as SA, they want to make it right. Repeat customers and word of mouth goes a long way.
Keep us posted on how your dealership handles this.

 

Welll I am sorry to say this guys but I will probably not be a mini fan or owner much longer because today I talk with the Service manager and this Is what he had to say. He is now saying that my they pulled the valve cover and all the springs are sprung and that all the rockers are cracked,but to pull the head they need my authorization...... hold on thats not the worst of it.......They talked with the engineers and diagnosed the problem and are now saying that it is my fault and that all the labor and parts to inspect and fix the problem I will have to pay for everything, becuase they said I MISSED A SHIFT............wait lets not forget that I purchased this car brand new on feb. 23 0f 2008 it had 12 miles on the odometer it now has 1000 i had it for one and a half weeks and it is back at the center waiting for my approval. So now my lawyer is talking with them to see if we can resolve this in a easier manner before taking BMW to court so ..... I am very upset and don't really know if i even want the car back or not ... I don't KNOW .................................................. .........................

 

Shouldn't they be able to download your engine data and prove that it was over-revved?

 

I would think so but still If they are still supposed to by law honor their agreement . Sooooooo

 

Did you ever have one of those incidents where you downshifted into the wrong gear and the engine over-rev'd?

 

Nope Not a single missed gear . used it only as a communter car on the highway 80 miles a day for mpg's and drive it to work and back and thats it ..........