My CAT recall replacement story is long and not funny.

 

well let's have it......

 

Thought you'd never ask !
OK here's the condensed version:
Took daughter's '07 coop in for 2nd annual service at the dealer where I bought my '08 S (250 mi. from home). Her car had not been serviced at this dealership before.
Turns out CAT needed replaced. Went in @ 2 pm Friday. At 5:30 they said it was finished. Went to the mall to shop, but decided to look under the bonnet first, just to check it out. Couldn't raise the hood without tugging back and forth with effort. NOT normal! Closed hood and checked fit and found corner of bonnet at the wheel well on driver side touching quarter panel with paint chipped off on panel. Also paint chipped off bumper near the grille on left side. Not good. Drove right back to dealer at 5;45, they close at 6.
Pointed out problem to SA and I assume the mechanic. Mechanic gets in and says I'm going to show the Service manager and drives off. 10 min. later he comes back, then here comes the Service manager. He says ther's nothing he can do because the hood has been moved ! Because there is a small paint chip missing from a bolt on the hinge of the hood. I say someone could have scratched that paint off with a pair of channellocks within the last 5 min. and the paint around the hinges show no sign that the hood had been moved.
I also pointed out where the bolts for braces that they had to loosen to get the exhaust out were not in the same place as before which shows they did not get the alignment correct when they put it back together and that was the cause of the problem.
So after about 15 min. of this back and forth Service manager finally said bring it back tomorrow and they'd fix it.

 

Well I can tell you from removing my manifold and CAT(I have the instructions that the techs follow) that in order to do so the entire front end including the bolts you mentioned for the braces need loosened. Basically the service mgr. was attempting to cover the tech's @ss for sloppy work and damage since the chipped paint you mention happens to be exactly where they pull the fender trim out as part of the procedure. No big surprise from a dealer(having been employed by a few in the past) but it would have been nice if you had a pdf copy of the procedure to march into the GM's office with during the fiasco.

 

Got the cat converter replaced last week, generally positive, also got sunroof, fixed, light bulb indicater light addressed (lights for rear license plate burnt out). They also did a CBS service, replacing the brake fluid, unexpected because I've only got 8600 miles after 20 months. Also got to drive a cooper S, little car really scoots, but i missed my lumbar support, hell getting old...

 

That disaster at the dealer is why I try really hard to not be lazy and do a complete inspection of the car BEFORE it leaves the shop. It's nearly impossible for them to deny they caused a problem if it is found before the car is driven away. I won't fly an airplane without a preflight inspection, so I don't see any reason why I shouldn't do the same thing after my car has come out of a shop for maintenance.

 

I agree with checking things over after shop work. I have an unusual $400 ding on my car that could only have been made by a seatbelt getting caught in the door, and we hadn't done it. I found it 3 days after I brought it home from the dealership, with no driving on 2 of these doors. I just can't prove it.

 

I went in for my one service last week and the service manager told me about the recall. I have a Cooper S with an April build, but 2008 and not 2007.

I didn't end up getting the service because apparently I was two weeks early of my one year???

I have not received a letter from Mini and am wary about pulling out the front end of my car unless necessary.

Has anyone received a recall for a 2008 Cooper?

 

We had ours done. Of course, the next day after it came back was the first day we needed AC and guess what, no AC - just HEAT pouring out. Had to take it back. Service report said it was connections that were all loose and also a fuse or something causing the engine to overheat. Hm. Why would all the AC connections be loose after a catalytic replacement??

Grr. Well, it's fixed now.

 

That sounds like a bad dealer policy. I'd discuss it with the service manager (who might cover both MINI and BMW.) Someone pretty high up in the food chain.

I emailed my SA, who is also active in the local clubs. He told me mine wasn't involved (week 3 '07 MCS), so apparently not all need it. Unless you get something in the mail, as with the tailpipe deal, or performance suffers, I wouldn't do anything.

 

Replacing the manifold requires unplugging the compressor which they obviously forgot to reconnect

 

I had mine done yesterday and it all went well. They found my computer saying it wanted a brake fluid flush so they did that too. I made sure to go over the car before I left just in case. Had a Clubman S loaner.

 

well i just got my cat replaced at mini of manhattan, and same thing. i couldn't lift the hood easily and noticed it was rubbing against the right headlight lens leaving a nice deep scratch.

i'm still waiting for a response for "corporate" since this is "aesthetic" as my SA told me.

 

I got my cat recall performed 1.5 weeks ago. Today my service engine light comes on for the first time ever. I live 180 miles from the nearest dealership (I lived closer when I bought the car). Really frustrating. I love driving a MINI but it might be time to sell.

 

Took my mini in for annual oil change at the end of April and was informed that the CAT had to be replaced. Since the dealer is a 3 hr drive decided to have it done at that time. East Bay Mini did a good job with no after mod problems. When the great state of CALIF sent my over inflated registration renewal it included a requirement to mail only and include a certification that a specific manufacturer recall #09EA01 had been performed. It didn't state what the recall was for only gave a recall number. Anyone know if this is the one for the CAT? My printout from the dealer didn't have a recall number on it.

 

Why not go on the internet and see what that recall number is? Or ask the dealer?

 

Per my letter from MINI

"MINI Voluntary Emissions Recall Campaign to Replace the catalytic Converter

Campaign Number 09E-A01"