Amazing.
People out there are getting serious burns and all you can do is call them morons and idiots. Yes, the tailpipes are hot. Yes, we know they can cause a burn. ... and yes, we burned ourselves anyway. Would a simple fix prevent further burns? Yes. Is it worth it if one less child gets burned? yes.

Let me clear a few things up. I have a 2007 MCS. The tailpipe extends out beyond the bumper. It does so when it's cold and when it's hot. I burned myself on the tailpipe... and not from the exhaust heat. It's my understanding that Mini has already adjusted the tailpipe in the 2009.

Another clarification for those who simply think this is a lesson that ought to be learned by those who are drunk, stupid, and can't operate the blinkers:
These burns are serious. My burn was a full thickness 3rd degree burn that required IV antibiotics and 10 days of dressing changes twice a day. My burn developed cellulitis around it that could have spread and put my life in danger. These are not simply bothersome. They're not cool tattoos and Mini is not simply "branding" me. These are real injuries and when they happen to children, nobody out there should be joking about them.

Why are some burns worse than others? Simple. The degree to which tissue will be injured is based on the temperature of the material, the duration of contact, and the pressure. In my case, I was lifting a heavy object out of the back of the Mini when my left shin came in contact with the tailpipe. it was after a long drive and I was bracing myself to get the object out. The time of contact was short, but the temperature was hot and the pressure was plentiful. When burns happen to areas that don't receive a lot of blood supply, they're even more dangerous... and I think everyone out there would agree - there isn't much tissue and perfusion between your skin and your bone on the shin.

As to all this talk about lawsuits and the nonsense about McDonalds.... perhaps another clarification would help:
Nobody (to my knowledge) has sued. This isn't a get rich scheme. This isn't an attempt to legislate anything or to dupe anyone. This is an attempt to fix something that is hurting people.
If this does become a class-action suit, then it will not be because Mini's tailpipes are hot. it would be because Mini didn't listen when dozens of people were getting hurt and complaining.
This should not become a lawsuit, but if it does, my share is going to the burn unit in my hospital.
But I repeat: Nobody has pushed for a lawsuit.

So, what's wrong with the tailpipe? Don't all tailpipes get hot? Isn't coffee supposed to be hot? Aren't knives supposed to be sharp. Absolutely. Here's the difference:
Nearly everyone burned by their tailpipe was acting in a very normal way. They weren't lifting up the hood and kissing the engine. They were lifting something out of their trunk. When you reach in and pull something out of your trunk, you shouldn't get hurt doing so. You shouldn't have to think to yourself: "hmmm... I'm pulling something out of my trunk - this is dangerous - I better be extra careful.
Why are they getting burned? When you look at the 2007 MCS, the tailpipe comes out past the bumper a bit. It doesn't come out a lot.. but just enough - so that the FIRST thing that your shin comes in contact with is the tailpipe. A simple inch would solve the problem.

I took my Mini to the dealer and they loosened the tailpipe and pounded away. They were able to push it in about a quarter inch. not quite enough.

So, if there's a recall coming that's going to prevent one of my three sons from getting burned, you bet I'm signing up.

final clarification: I do know what I'm talking about. I'm a doctor specializing in anesthesia and critical care. I see burn patients daily. If Mini can do something to prevent this obviously wide-spread problem, it should. I don't care about fault. i don't care about lawsuits. I just want it addressed.

ori

 

I agree, fix it. And for those who have the burn-prone pipes and enjoy the excitement of potential burns, just don't take your vehicle to the dealer for a refit! No harm, no foul.

 

PICTURE, PICTURES!! Let's SEE if the tailpipes are indeed changed from 2007. I JUST picked up my MINI - are the tailpipes different or NOT? If they are, then by all means a recall may be warranted, but I for one would like to SEE if they pipes are the same or different. I went through the trouble of taking and posting the 'current' tailpipes, can someone please take a picture of the 2007, early 2008 tail pipes??

 

No warning stickers on my other ride, then again I never ride this with any exposed skin either...

 

Maybe my post didn't come through -- I took "cold" tailpipe pics this morning, and will do "hot" pics after work. Tinker -- were your pictures of hot or cold pipes?

 

It's reasons like this (and the past experience of last 4 new cars ordered) that I always buy the end of the year run for the model, you can have the trophy for "I got the first 200X model car!" and the hearburn (no pun intended) that goes with all the tweaks (ie hood scoops, footwell heat, exhaust pipes, countless software issues) and I'll take mine last off the boat and ready to run.

My heart goes out for all victims, seriously, and if the injury list keeps growing, we will see a recall. The Fed won't roll their eyes to kids getting hurt.

One more month until I get my 2008! I can't wait.

 

And now we see why cars don't come with side-pipes any more.

I've brushed my leg on the pipes before, no serious burns but if you're reaching for something way up there with the seats folded your leg can come in contact. My little brother branded himself shortly after I got the MINI, it's not the best design but I don't care about it all that much. If they issue a voluntary recall, great, I won't bother since it's not worth my trouble to take the car into the dealer, but if it makes the cars a little safer for some people, more power to them.

 

They are hot!! (although it doesn't really look much different cold either)

 

Why would you go willingly burn yourself if you knew they were there and hot?! It was completely unnecessary to quote everyone in this thread that promotes personal responsibility. We know what we said and we stand by your ability to make sound decisions all by yourself...and take responsibility for your actions when you don't.

 

IMO Ori has an excellent point, and that is that the Mini taipipe is in the middle. My 2/07 build has it exactly flush with the bumper looking down, so it's pretty easy to touch it unloading because touching even the edge will burn you bad. I have felt it once. I'm interested whether the 09 models are different.

 

I still think this is just like accidentally shutting your finger in the car door. You didn't mean to do it, the car design isn't to blame, it's a potential risk for children, you may be aware of the dangers, and you can end up with some pretty nasty bruising.

Most people wouldn't take the time to write an email to MINIusa whenever they caught their finger in the door....

 

I had an 02 cooper with the tip on the right hand side and I still had incidents with accidental burning. If you happen to put your leg where the exhaust is you're going to get burned whether it's in the middle or off to the side.

 

I agree or like cutting up vegetables with a knife and you cut your finger.... basically Sh## happens. There is potential risk for injury in EVERYTHING around us. Just some is more pronounced than others and the exhaust may be one.

 

it's not if you have been burned

it's when you got burned

just a matter of time, you don't feel it until it's too late, and it only takes a second

being mechanically savvy or knowing how to use a blinker has absolutely nothing to do with it

 

I respectfully disagree. I think touching a hot tailpipe with your leg is different because of where it is, basically hidden under the bumper. Think about it: you're taking something out of the boot looking there not at your leg and you need to move the leg a tad closer to the bumper to reach your item or brace to move it out. That's what the OP did. It only takes a second or so of good contact to burn through the dermal layer of the skin.

I think most unloading from the boot starts with the person near the middle, Mine has 2 exhaust tips, a pretty wide footprint of hot metal. If they can move them farther under the bumper why not? Again, I'd like to know if they have moved it for the 09s.

 

i apologize, but i like to quote people who just don't get it.
"Why would you go willingly burn yourself if you knew they were there and hot?! "
People drive to work knowing that there are dangerous drivers out there. People know knives are sharp and yet they get cut. People know that doors closing on their fingers will hurt and yet they do it.
What's the difference?
When I reach to close the door, there is a certain amount of risk that i expect. If an injury results from something that carried an expected risk, then you're right - BE MORE CAREFUL. If an injury results from something that is unexpected, then we should look into it.

Example: What if the edge of the door was sharp and getting your finger caught in it meant a severed finger. Would you still be saying: "be more careful?" No, you'd be saying: "The door's edge doesn't have to be that sharp."

Putting McDonalds coffee between your legs is not a normal thing to do. It adds incredibly to the chance of getting burned.
Reaching in to pull something out of the car is a normal behavior... and if a couple pipes of burning hot metal can be moved in a couple of inches so that fewer people get burned doing something normal, then I fail to see the downside to making that change.
ori

 

The McDonald's story gets a lot of references but most people never paid attention to the details.

The woman's assertion was never that she wasn't an idiot for spilling coffee on herself, it had to do with the temperature of the coffee being too high.

One of the things that came out in the lawsuit was there is an "American Coffee Association" recommendation for brewing temperature and McD's was like 45 degrees higher than that.

Why would McD's brew their coffee that much higher? The higher the temperature the more coffee you get out of a batch of grounds....multiply that by millions of cups a day and it saved them a substantial amount of money.

I think the basis for her winning the suit was she would not have been as badly burned if the coffee were brewed to the correct temperature and the reason why it was so hot was because McD's was trying to eke more coffee out of the grounds and therefore make more profit.

If you wonder why McD's coffee tastes like *** it's because they burn the crap out of it for one reason.

Anyway getting back to the point, if you burn your self on a car exhaust....well don't touch the stupid thing!

Analogeezer

 

I'm starting to understand now...not that I've ever done it myself but I can see it happening if you're not paying attention. Plus, we reach into our hatches all the time, if something is deep and you have to lean in to any significant degree the tailpipes on an S aren't placed very strategically. Shortening them up would solve this.

It's all fine and dandy for us as owners but when your SOs and especially your kids are getting burned it becomes a serious issue.

 

I know full well when and why it happens....from experience. As I've mentioned, after a long trip, I reached in to grab my luggage and burnt my leg on the exhaust pipe which was off-centered. The baggage happened to be on that side of the car so naturally my legs were positioned there.

It might be "hidden" under the bumper....but we all know where our exhaust is without looking. I think it's safe to say that 99% of these occurrences happen because we "just weren't thinking" whether you could see the tip or not.

I still don't see how it's any different than shutting your finger in the door. In order to close the door you've gotta give it a push and sometimes because you're "just not thinking" you don't pull your hand out fast enough and it catches.

I'm not saying they shouldn't do the recall.....just discussing the similiarities between these accidents. Though, I will laugh if they move the tips too far in because it will quickly lead to melted rear lips

 

Ummm maybe it's just me....but I'd expect that if I pressed my leg up against a scalding hot piece of metal (exhaust pipe) it would burn my leg. Everyone knows that an exhaust pipe is hot because engines work on the principle of combustion. So how is that different than expecting a "certain amount of risk" from closing the door? It seems like you'd expect a certain amount of risk for putting your legs near hot objects as well...just like standing near a hot stove.

 

I completely agree with Ori.

This is such a simple fix for Mini moving forward you have to wonder why we're even having this discussion.

 

Me too. Even if the owner is cognizant of the tailpipe's position the fact is it's in a position that makes it pretty easy to touch and borrowers or passengers could get burned pretty badly. I think it's an easy fix for Mini too.

 

They could just make the tips out of carbon fiber, that would solve the problem.

 

Good lord! Take it back! With those pipes you could burn two people simultaneously!

Ciao,

Jeff

 

Having burnt myself on my pipes, I think it's absolutely absurd that corporate is even considering a recall.

The pipes are hot, and you brush up against them accidentally sometimes. It should be a lessen to be more wary of your surroundings. But no, lets write to MINI USA and convince them to save ourselves from our own stupidity.