Nice info Stephen.
I forgot I ordered a scan gauge yesterday and I assume it can show high pressure signals with the right coding. I am pretty sure I read some post here about that.
Thank you for your great feedback.

Themis

 

You're welcome!

S.

 

34,000 on mine...Got my car back today!! It was like getting a Christmas present!

 

Took my car in because it started requiring 2 or 3 tries to start it in the morning. My car is a 2007 but has only 35k. I was also noticing that the idle had become less stable bobbing from ~500-900rpm at times. The dealer replaced the HPFP under warranty. Both issues seem to have gone away after the HPFP replacement.

 

My car is at the dealership since last Friday. About 100 feet driving out from my home, the engine suddenly stopped. The service guy thinks it is probably the fuel pump. They have to get BMW to verify the codes. If it is the fuel pump, then I don't have to pay for it. I am completely out of warranty at close to 70k miles in 3.5 years. I think they said the fuel pump is now covered for 10 years 120k miles. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Please let us know if the warranty was really extended on this!

 

2009 clubman s here.i got a card in the mail .

 

Lots of good info here, however it is not clear to me what the dealership will/won't cover on the HPFP.

Here is my situation - 2007 Cooper S, just over 51k miles. Cold start problem started this week, CEL came on the next day. Codes pulled at Auto Zone were 300-302-304 (Cylinder Misfires).

I called the local Austin TX Mini dealership service dpt and they stated that this sounded like the HPFP issue but that it is not covered by any warranty.

I am scheduled to take it in on Wednesday morning, it is my belief that this is a known issue and that Mini should replace it without cost.

Can you guy give me some ammo/advice on how to handle this so I don't end up paying for this when it's clear that I shouldn't need to. Just ridiculous to me potentially.

 

"MINI USA will demonstrate the confidence we have in our product by extending the warranty for the high-pressure fuel pump to 10 years or 120,000 miles from the original in-service date, whichever comes first."

Checkout https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-hpfp-hpfp.pdf

Now I wish they'd demonstrate the same confidence about their clutch and the cold-start 'fix'

 

One day my mini starts, the next day it is dead (2 years old, approx. 16,000 miles.) It is at the dealership now, having been towed from home. So far the dealer says new battery and fuel pump . Since it is the weekend they cannot order the pump until Monday, it should be in and installed Tuesday. At least I got a new '11 mini as a loaner, it is interesting to compare the cars

 

I posted this in a newer thread, but since this one is so complete, I'll add my story here.

My '07 S had trouble starting on two separate days last week after parked overnight in cold (<15º C) temps. Had to rev-it at start to prevent cut out. Second time it happened the Check Engine light came on solid yellow, with CD-031 (emissions) code. Left it at the dealer for three days and they finally concluded a new HPFP was the fix. First day, and so far so good.

I can verify that they definitely cover the HPFP replacement up to 10 years/120K miles -- which is good because I had just eclipsed my extended 4 yr/50K warranty by 2K. I'm assuming this pump is identical in design since the tech notes don't suggest otherwise.

They also determined the plugs were fouled, so those were replace on my dime. (I'm concerned about carbon deposit on valves, but they did not bring it up). Still not sure if carbon and HPFP is related, and I admit I have not been faithful to the 91+ octane recommendation.

I had had two bouts with the death rattle in the last year, with a new timing chain tensioner kit installed at 49K, and so far that's been fine (in that case, the tech notes did suggest a newly designed tensioner kit was put in).

(Also had the clutch kick it prematurely at 30K, which is another story)

 

Thanks to all for the great posts on the topic. My 2007 R56 today decided not to start. The symptoms seem similar to what everyone has described in this thread. Turns over great, and i removed a plug and verified i get spark - so fuel seems to be the obvious symptom..

BUT: I am at 51,191 miles - which means no free tow for me, as i am over the 50k limit. If i have them come get my car and its a pump, i guess that is all covered - but if it isn't the pump then I am out of pocket.

Is there a straightforward way to check if i am getting pressure? I disconnected what i think is a connector from the fuel rail (behind the plastic cover on top near the spark plug coils) on the left.. it looks like it comes out and curls up into the plastic cover. I disconnect that (simple click-in plug that smells like fuel) and turn over the car.. get no fuel jetting out...

Thoughts on how to verify?

Thanks all,
Rob

 

You should have gotten a letter extending the warranty to 10 years, 120,000 miles. I don't know if this effects the towing part of the warranty, but I would call MINI USA and talk it over with them. If no success there, call the dealer. It's only a little over, after all. My guess is they'll cover it, simply because it's a known problem and MINI's duck paddling to cover. As is BMW.

One other thought--do you have towing on your insurance? A lot of companies put it on automatically because it's so cheap.

 

Thanks for the reply. I am going to call motorwerks (our local dealer) tomorrow. The evening crew couldn't address all my questions. I would really like to diagnose prior to having it on the flatbed so there is no questions about the fees..

I took of the aircleaner.. where is the fuel rail??

----

EDIT: Nevermind, i finally found the HPFP and the fuel rail. Only way i can see to see if there is pressure is to undo the fitting between pump and rail. That doesn't seem like a good plan at 120bars of pressure (if its working).

Guess we roll with the dealer!

 

There is a fuel pressure sensor on the rail. It should read 8MPa at 5kRPM and 5MPa at idle (if I remember correctly). There is a BMW approved test that they carry out.

 

Are they replacing the broken HPFPs with the same crappy ones that were in there in the first place, or have they finally gotten a good company to make the part for them? Extended warranty be damned -- I want to be confident that my car won't die in the middle of a long road trip or something. 4 out of 5 people I know with MINIs have had the HPFP replaced, so I have very little confidence in this (among other problems that seem to plague a lot of MINIs).

 

Reading through this thread sucked. My '08 Clubman S seems to have all these related symtoms as well. Bad idle, check engine light, etc. Wonder if there will be an extension on the warrantee up here in Canada as well ??

And the bit about the replacement being the same unit is absolutely insane. From Mini's point of view, that's going to cost them a bucket load of dough especially with the warrantee extension. That just doesn't make any sense from a business poitn of view.

Anyways, my Mini is scheduled to be dropped off this afternoon as I can't afford to be left standing on the side of the highway stranded. With my symtoms, it sounds liek that is right around the corner.

 

Well Dang!!

After 3 years, and 67,000 miles, it looks like I'll have to add my name to the list of HPFP replacements. Car is a 2007 MCS, November build.
All the "classic" symptoms were observed, but no code thrown. The dealer is replacing it as a warranty based on our feedback. No hassles whatsoever

This hasn't soured my Mini experience, and I'm not bailing on my car. It's just too much fun. In fact I'm looking for a used Mini as a second car, as this is primarily my wife's car. She lets me drive it sometimes though, and when she does....... Hang On!!

 

get an R53, more fun, and less hassle

 

I think there are more than a few on this site who would disagree with you there!

Not everyone is having the HPFP problem--I haven't, for one--and those who do are covered by the extended warranty on the pump. What other "hassle" are you referring to? My R56 has been remarkably trouble free, certainly well within the range of any other car I've owned over the past 40+ years I've driven them. I have an early one, too--week 3, '07, driven over 70,000 miles. Routine driving, autocrosses, spirited country drives--it's all good.

More fun? That's subjective. I enjoy the much cheaper operating costs, better speed on a stock build, better brakes, safer, more comfortable, better reliability overall (especially considering the newest R53 is now nearly 5 years old), etc., etc. If I wrecked it, I'd replace it with the identical specs, all except for one item, which the factory now includes.

Friend of mine smooshed his beloved '05 MCS a few years ago. He debated at length whether to buy another one--he found a nearly identical specimen--or to buy a new '08. He bought the R56, and says he's glad he did.

 

I had an 05 MCS, with many mods on it, and I also passed up the chance to buy another one when someone ran a light and smashed it up for me. I bought an R56 JCW.

I have spent approximately 2-3 hours per day, trawling NAM and other forums, and I believe that the R53 is more reliable and easier to maintain than the finnicky R56. If you're never going to modify, then the 2011 R56 is probably the better car, but the Timing Chain Tensioner problem by itself would make any sane person wary of buying an R56. We'll have to see how the 2011's stack up, but so far I have been less than impressed with a lot of things on the R56.

 

As I say, I have a week 3, '07. I had a software issue with the cruise control early on (easily fixed), and replaced the SZL module after about a year. I nearly went nuts for about 4 months, before I found out what and where something was sliding from side to side--turned out to be a plastic BIC pen cap unaccountably slipped in one of the sunroof tracks. I've replaced tires a few times (normal wear for an autocrosser), and the dealer replaced rear brakes free near the end of my service warranty (normal wear), and we did the front brakes ourselves (normal wear). Routine oil changes. The Union Jack mirror caps yellowed, and have been replaced under warranty. The hood scoop was replaced under warranty because of dimpling. (The earliest models had completely closed scoops; I now have an open scoop.) A dealer in Albuquerque replaced the water pump when it leaked (under warranty). I've had a couple of rattles (dealer fixed). And I had to wait a while before I got the secret compartment, because my car's early production sequence had omitted them due to some problems, later fixed. That's IT, as far as I can recall. I bought my car with 3 miles on the odometer. I have taken my car to 16 states plus D.C., some trips multiple times.

I have 3 mods--gear shift ****, side stripes, and the thingies that help you pull the rear seats back up. I haven't felt the need for more.

I don't think that's finicky or unreliable. I've had lots of new cars of various stripes that have fared far worse, and I tend to keep my cars forever. (My previous car was a '94 BMW 325i that I bought in '96 and drove for 190,000 miles.) Other than the rattles, which the MINIs do tend to be prone to, I don't think any of the problems I've had will be repeated. The SZL was a problem for a number of people, but I think a new part is used now.

I guess it's safe to say that some people don't like the R56, and maybe you're one of them.

 

Never said that. Just think that the R56 is more flawed. Anyway, we should probably should keep this thread on topic

 

for those who got warrantied were you cars modded at all?

 

Funny story--my car started running bad, so of course my first thoughts were of the fuel pump. We kind of limped over to the dealer (about 15 miles), and expected to hear that news. A few hours later, my "trusty" dealer called back with a long laundry list of problems, totaling almost $1300, which included both fuel and electrical issues, but NOT the fuel pump! We then called a local mechanic who has serviced our BMWs (Bertinis in The Woodlands), and discussed the situation with him. His thoughts were that if we only used good gas, we probably didn't have the carbon problems that were on the list. He suggested we start with the 2 electrical items--replacing the spark plugs, which were overdue, and the #2 coil. We could always do the others later, after all.

So, Hubby did the work. Including the dealer's diagnostic labor, we whittled a $1300 down to about $250. And Zippeee! runs with her usual zip!

I've always had a good relationship with the dealer, so I'm not going to mention their name, but I am disappointed in them.