I am new in this forum, and would like to say hi to you all, and look forward to share lots of information and ideas.

My car is a 2008 R 56 S , with 30 k miles blew 2 pistons within a month. Still under warranty at the time (expired 2 days ago!!)
Car has a documented history of repetitive visits to the dealer for timing broken chain tensioners and other engine noise issues.
In March 2012 under normal driving the car began to misfire and was towed to the dealer. it was then found that cylinder 3 had no compression due to a broken piston skirt, and proceeded to replace the piston, under factory warranty.

3 weeks later, number 4 does exactly the same. This time, BMW does not want to cover the damage, has flagged my VIN and now I am left on my own to try and fix a car which is still considered almost new !

Are there any threads on this issue?

I appeal to anyone who can share a similar experience and perhaps combine efforts and put an end to what I consider a manufacturing problem.

thanks

 

Take that one up with your local lemon laws.

 

There has to be more to this story. Why are they blaming you? You said it is under warranty, so they have to fix it unless there is a reason they can deny the claim.

 

Agree with HRM, got to be more to this story than what is being told.
Did it lose all it's oil? How long have you had it? The orig. owner may have beat the **** out of the car which is causing the issues (so misuse may not be covered if the dealer can prove it).

 

Wonder if they plugged into the computer and found it had been loaded with one of the agressive tunes from alta with their tool....
for them to flag a vin, they have to be pretty sure that you did something....
I am just waiting for that Paul Harvey guy to say"the rest of the story...
"

 

Zippy, you may be on to something there.
I won't mess with the tune on mine, only suspension, OCC, etc. Things that will improve handling or maybe longevity of the motor. Frequent oil/filter changes. Stuff like that.

 

Guys, I cannot disclose the full extent and details of events, for obvious reasons, since the matter is far from being over. All I can say for now, is that the car hasn't been subjected to abuse, maintenance neglect, raced, "popularly" driven, or mechanically modified to directly cause this kind of damage.
I do ask, however, if anyone has had the same experience, or if there are any known threads in this forum concerning similar issues.
Thank you again.

 

There has to be more to this story.

 

Yeah. Sounds to me that the things he can't tell us are the thing he even thinks maybe the cause of the damage. I have never had any of my cars VINs flagged and I have heavily modified some of my cars.

Now, I did have a 2008MCS as you have. Mine started the death rattle at around 500 miles. I told the dealer it made me to nervous and wanted them to by back the car. After about 3 months and contacting the state attorney generals office Mini USA bought back my car. I had the car for a year and only ended up being out $300.00.

 

Obvious to whom? Not us who are reading this. It's hard to answer an unasked question.

 

I'm doubting the previous owner took care of it like a member of their family. If they did take care of it, then you got a lemon. I would fight to get this fixed under warranty and do your best to sell it. I'm not sure how attached to the car you are, but if you're having repeated major mechanical problems like this I would be on to the next car in your life. MINI Coopers aren't all bad. Even the R56 platform. But when you get a bad apple, give it to the next guy.

I also don't get why the dealer "flagged" you. If you're under warranty, then they have to pay for it. If you're being absolutely honest with everyone here that the car isn't modified, then you're covered. The only time you get "flagged" is when you have an ECU that's been tampered with or there is obvious evidence that you're beating the living s**t out of your car.

 

Airfox,

Realizing that you can’t disclose everything right now, the dealer by law cannot just “red flag” a VIN without justification. There is either something you’re not telling us or they’re not telling you.

Even with an aggressive tune where I melted 3 valve covers, the manufacturer denied my warranty and banned me from using it.

When I told them to prove to me how my tune was effecting the turbo coming loose, they couldn’t and reinstated my warranty only to be followed by a refund check for the work the dealer made me pay for.

The Magnuson Moss act clearly states that a manufacturer cannot void a warranty if you don’t use their brand specific item unless they give it for free. (ie. oil filter)

The other thing is they cannot deny a claim under warranty because you’ve modified the vehicle. If however, the modification directly effected the part in question, they they have every right to deny a claim.


So what’s the rest of the story?


Mark