Gotcha... I was thinking I might have a new dealer to visit while in the area, but that is a little far.

 

Hey Carlisle, I hate digging up old threads, but I was just wondering if they finally figured out what went wrong?

 

Hey! MINIxB

I'm responding to this post over two months after you have left it. MY APOLOGIES. I see you are a Doctor Who fan. ME TOO! (You never forget your first Doctor right?) Heh heh heh.Here is an update for you and everyone, pardoning any information I may have already disclosed:

My insurance company paid for my new car (which totally rocks btw).

The fire report was "unable" to determine the cause of the fire. (hmmm... these cars burn efficiently I am told).

Two engineers from MINI came to inspect the remains of the car, and draw their own conclusions. Sadly, they claim I am not privvy to any information they discovered.

I have contacted a law firm, and we are in the preliminary stages of deciding how to pursue litigation.

This is my life now. Lovely.

 

I know you probably can't discuss it on advice of counsel. But I'm just trying to wrap my head around why you would be pursuing litigation if your insurance already paid for a new car.

 

I assume in his case he would want to know what the actual cause was,and their (Mini) findings to document said cause...I too would want an explanation.

 

That's easy. Because my frakin car shouldn't have burned to the ground while sitting in a parking lot in the middle of the day (not running I might add). My insurance company was legally obligated to replace my car. They can't "not" replace it--once they had ruled out fraud. It would have been criminal for them to NOT replace my car.

Now, factor in the fact that I could have been severely injured or killed-- what if I had been driving while the fire started? It could have easily caused an accident.

 

Correct. How can I be complacent about something like this? Sometimes I feel like I am the only one who feels it is completely and utterly unacceptable that a brand new car completely burns to the ground while parked at a mall in the middle of the day. This isn't okay. I need answers. I need an apology.

 

Agreed ,totally unexceptable and not even a degree of disclosure on what may have caused this horrific fire.As you said it could have been much worse and thank god it was'nt for your sake.Sure you got a new car but lets get to the facts so this does not happen to someone else..I really feel for you my friend and I definately would not give up until you get some answers.Good luck...BTW I like your new wheels.

 

I'll defer to your attorney, but I should hope the court would throw out a case of someone suing for "what if". With your car replaced, I suspect it will be a stretch to show that you have suffered any damages. As far as any "emotional distress" due to worry about what may happen, you could easily avoid that buy purchasing a different car. Since you got the same thing, must not be that big of a concern - I sure wouldn't drive around in something if I really thought it was unsafe.

 

At first I thought you worked for MINI or BMW. Then I went to your website. I read that you are trying to be a better Christian. That made me smile.

I'm not sure why you have taken such a personal interest in this, or why you are so adversarial. Maybe you're just ornery? I'm finding it difficult to picture you with a fluffy kitten calendar on your office door.

You suspect it will be a stretch to show that I have suffered any damages? Did you miss the part where MY NEW CAR EXPLODED INTO A BALL OF FIRE? Your logic is flawed: You reason that nobody owes me anything because my insurance company reimbursed me for the car already. They did this because they had to-- not because they wanted to, or because they felt badly for me. The guilty party has not reimbursed me for anything.

All vehicles are potentially unsafe. They heat up when they are driven, need to be cooled down when they stop, and contain all sorts of flammable liquids. To imply that I am not concerned about my safety is conjecture. You could easily have said: "The MINI is an import vehicle. You replaced it with a Subaru. Subaru is an import as well... I guess you haven't learned your lesson that imports are unsafe."

Had the fire been put out within the first few minutes, the car would have been repaired under warranty and spared this grisly fate. Because the fire destroyed the entire vehicle you imply that there needn't be any compensation on the part of MINI? How much of a vehicle needs to be destroyed or how much damage then needs to result from a mechanical or electrical problem before MINI absolves themselves from liability? One tenth of the vehicle? One quarter? Half? Had they been able to repair the car under warranty-- they would have been admitting liability. If they can't fix it-- (because the crispy half was towed away and the other half was scraped into a dozen or so buckets) they are not liable?

This isn't a get rich quick scheme. I didn't spill some coffee on my lap and claim it was too hot or find a rat tail in my burrito.

 

You are not the only one! and it IS completely and utterly unacceptable. An explanation is 100% warranted. Please keep us updated after everything is dealt with. Glad you are OK and enjoying your new ride.

 

I'm not sure why my pointing out potential flaws in the logic of pursuing a lawsuit at this point is considered adversarial, but ok. I am interested in it because I do see it as bordering on a case of ambulance chasing (notwithstanding your claim otherwise). I see lawsuits like what you are describing as doing nothing but driving up the costs of products. I'm trying to leave open the possibility that there is some legitimate basis for it, which is why I'm asking the questions. As much as you are convinced it is legitimate, I'm just not seeing it.

Even if we assume MINI was guilty of something, there is no need for them to reimburse you for anything. You have already been reimbursed. Your insurance company provided you with a replacement car. No one owes you anything anymore. Yes, at one point you suffered damages. But you have recovered those damages. There is nothing left to sue over imo. Your insurance company may have a cause against MINI.

That is correct. You have already been compensated by your insurance company. You are no longer due any compensation.

Like I said, I'm sure your attorney may have a different view on this. I'm just struggling to understand on what legal basis this would get past the "GO" stage.

 

I could see bringing it up under a Freedom of Information Act case, to demand that MINI disclose the findings of their investigators, and I wholeheartedly support any such actoin.

Any sort of suit asking for damages or compensation IS a bit of a stretch once the car has been replaced and you've been compensated for the value of any items within it (which your insurance company would've done when they cut the check for the car itself if you provided them with an itemized list).

 

It is a horrifying story because I keep my two little dogs in the car when I run into stores (weather permitting of course).

We have a seen a few references on here about the electric power steering unit wiring becoming damaged causing a fire. Additionally, there have a been a few reports of the power steering motor failing to turn off and overheating while the car is parked. This one scares me as my car's power steering failed to turn off one day. There was a distinct sound coming from the car when I opened the door, and really wondered what the noise was. I just happened to grab the steering wheel and it moved with ease! Put the FOB back in the dash and pulled it back out and the noise and power assist stopped. Scary!

 

I find these comments from this poster jcauseyfd extremely funny as the PRO LITIGATION in the USA for any and all incidents regardless of how ridiculous they are go forward.
Here in Canada we do not naw on the bones like you do. I think Carlisle has every right to persue at the very least an answer to why his car went up in smoke. You are not immune to the law suits for emotional distress in the aftermath there, so why shouldn't he have the right also.

Everyone else on this thread has been very supportive and offered a kind word, do you really need to dig the knife in deeper?

On another note to Carlisle, when you purchased your new Mini from Durham, I hope you got to meet one of Canada's best ambassadors for Mini, Christina "LILCOOPR" her enthusiasm for the brand would have made you buy another car regardless of what you were feeling.

I hope you are enjoying your new car.

Best of luck from another Ontarian.

 

If you post to the internet, your inviting comment. No matter what you post, someone will have an opinion contrary to your own. So, here is my opinion :O)

I think you have 99% support that we all feel bad this happend to an obvious MINI enthusiest. We're all happy you were able to find another MINI and your going to continue with your passion.

You haven't shared any details of your potential lawsuit, so it may or may not be frivalous. Just know that frivalous lawsuits hurt all of us to some degree, so sharing that detail changes you from victim to villain in some eyes.

 

Also his insurance company wants to try and recoup its costs. I also do agree something needs to be done as his insurance had to pay for a new car when its pretty obvious that the car was at fault here.

 

Incorrect. Any car insurance provider I have ever dealt with will not cover the contents of a vehicle. They are insuring your car, and things that are attatched your car. Contents of the vehicle are listed under home insurance.

Perhaps it is different in the USA. This is to prevent "double dipping" -- insurance fraud wherein ppl claim reimbursment from car insurance and home insurance for the same incident.

 

Hey! She is a good friend of mine! I was just bbm-ing with her this morning. I'll have to make it out to more Kitchener/West Enders meets this summer! I wonder if you and I have already met though? Hmmm... Kitchener really is just down the road afterall...

 

We've seen a couple of this type of instance here on this forum. No one ever seems to know why this is occurring. Just the fact that MINI sent someone to check on it is enough to make a cold shiver run through me. How often does that happen?

The real bottom line is that if MINI or anyone else has information regarding potential safety issues with their product, they should make that information available so as to prevent recurrences.

it is so very fortunate that the car burned up in a parking lot rather than to have caught fire in the garage after its owner had retired for the night.

Can you imagine what CNN would do with this matter if a couple of kids burned to death in a house as a result of an issue that the manufacturer had withheld information about?

Should that have occurred -- or should it occur in the future -- our investments in our little cars would be down the drain sorta like the old Firestone 500 tire or exploding Ford Pinto. (The Pinto was not really a bad little car in its day).

I applaud the OP for not taking the insurance check and running away. It is all to easy to turn your back on doing the right thing once the dollars have been removed from the equation.

If my little car has an issue, I want to know about it. Its that simple.

 

It could be different here, though I wasn't the person directly affected by the one instance of something similar I've been close to (a friend's car was destroyed, and an insurance company made him come up with an inventory of everything that was in it. not sure if that was the auto insurer or home insurer, I'd assume auto because he wasn't a home owner/renter).

If there's no insurance that's covering your possessions, I can see asking for coverage on them, though if it were me in that case I'd still be more interested in being provided with the findings of MINI's inspectors.

That said, it's entirely possible that the findings of MINI's inspectors were "No idea guys, there wasn't any clear indicator of a cause" or "The battery exploded - not our fault", neither of which would be particularly satisfying, however informative they may end up being.

 

Just because I live in the US does not mean I think everything about how our country operates is right (or good). I would think my comments pretty much indicate that I have a problem with the litigious nature of our society.

I thought that is where he was going, but he has pretty much indicated that is not the case.

Maybe you should go back and check my post on the first page of this thread.

 

I have recently noticed that both of my Xenon headlights are cracked; Mini will not warranty them since it's not a common occurrence. I wonder if that may have been the cause of your fire... bummer for you tho', but something (albeit late) to check.

 

Since when does something have to happen frequently to be covered under warranty?

 

Looks like the NHTSA is investigating these fires.

http://detnews.com/article/20111015/...#ixzz1atAeRK6q