Well, where should I start? I worked for a GM service center. Lead Tech.
Fully GM certified, Master ASE tech, And Master ASE Autobody Collision tech

When I contacted Mini they were really concerned I did the work myself, I need to have it done buy a professional mechanic?

Then My Girlfriend tried buying Clubman from local dealer, No reply No response,
She then had a JCW Clubman shipped from Seattle to Salt Lake City after about 2 months of trying to buy the car,

I took the clubman in for a oil change and I asked to have tires rotated at 3500 miles, Oil change lamp came on

The service advisor told me they did not change the oil just ret set the oil life monitor, and Mini does not recommend rotating the tires cause the car has a special wear pattern to the tires?

I commented I didn’t care what Mini recommends I wanted the work done, he refused
I explained that GM also had the death rattle in their engines from dirty plugged up oil control valves and actuators, And GMs first fix was to reprogram the Oil life moniter from 7500 miles to 3500 miles, ANd that I really want the oil changed that this is the break in oil in the engine. got the deer in the head lamps look, I left frustrated, I’ve yet to get reimbursed for my power steering pump fire

 

I rotate my tyres myself, it's out of warranty. Fronts straight back, backs cross to the front takes away that harsh ride that builds up over 5000 km and evens out the wear. I guess MINI is blinded by their own brilliance.

 

So I called again at the end of October, and I also got the "now it's the end of the year" response. I challenged them on why I should believe this, since none of their other projections have been anywhere close to accurate. I also asked if they could tell me where I was in line (no), or if they could transfer me to anyone who could tell me (no), or call whoever would know, and call me back (no). As for escalation paths, other than filing a complaint (already done) the only other option was to send a letter (no email options) to the Executive Office.

So, for those who'd like to join me, the address I got was:
Jamie Hennley
PO Box 1227
Westwood NJ 07675

I don't know if Jamie is a man or a woman. I wasn't able to find him/her on LinkedIn, but I was able to confirm the address is BMW, and get a phone number. http://www.bmwusanews.com/newsreleas...720A5E?&id=232


BMW of North America, LLC
P.O. Box 1227
Westwood, NJ07675

The phone # with this seems to go to Corporate communication (press folks)
Tel: (201) 307-3724
Fax: (201) 307-3607

And there are some other names there...
Dirk Arnold
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Tel: (201) 307-3954
Email: Dirk.Arnold@bmwna.com

Amanda Thomas-Henke
Assistant to Vice President
Tel: (201) 307-3724
Email: Amanda.henke@bmwna.com

I, for one, will be sending a letter to Jamie Hennley, but perhaps it's time to send some emails, also?

 

I performed the work myself after a rebuild at BBA reman...which failed again. I worked with Herb Chamber Mini of Boston with their Service Rep Casey. He was able to get me reimbursement for old pump (which had lifetime warranty from BBA) and compensation for new pump. Mini USA was out of stock everywhere...ordered one myself and they reimbursed.

Granted they are a dealer in boston with limited space and wanted my car out of there

 

I'm just amazed that this is still going on. We have been waiting 4 months for our refund. They win the award for coming up with new ways to alienate their customers. I'm a senior executive for an international retail chain, and if we treated our customers like this we would have been out of business years ago.

 

shark715, I completely agree, and said as much in my letter.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to use the format of the email address names to get an email through to Jamie Hennley, so snailmail it is.

However, I did find this: http://www.autonews.com/section/exec...#axzz2kP5eQ6mf

Which has a name for "VP MINI", which checks out in LinkedIn.

Jim McDowell
VP MINI
BMW of North America

(201) 307-4000
300 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff Lake, NJ - 07677
www.bmwusa.com

Any bets on whether his email is something like "Jim.McDowell@bmwna.com" based on the other examples above?

He's probably my next email/snailmail. Possibly more effective than going through the PR folks.

 

Due to the unanticipated volume of requests, it is taking longer than our initial estimate to process reimbursements. We sincerely apologize for the delay, and checks for approved claims are expected to mail by the end of the year. Thank you in advance for your continued patience and understanding.

If you have additional questions, our MINI Customer Relations and Services Department is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., ET. You can reach us at 1.866.ASK.MINI (275-6464).

Our mailing address is:
MINI, a Division of BMW of North America, LLC
Customer Relations
PO Box 1227
Westwood, NJ 07675-1227

 

hi all, just wanted to post that i got my check from MINI for my PS fan repair, i can't remember when i sent in the letter, but guess it was within 1 week of receiving the notice, so maybe 6 months processing time?

I nearly wrote it off actually, didn't receive any updates or notices on progress. They did pay more then i expected, at the time i had the ps-fan replaced i paid to have the radiator fan rewired onto a separate fuse line (so that if the fan blew it didn't take out the radiator fan with it). that increased my labor by quite a bit but they covered the full amount.

so hang in there guys they are super slow but i got my payment.

 

I sent in my reimbursement request on May 25th. I just called today and was told that they have received it and it is under review. They weren't able to tell me any more about a timeline for a decision.

I can't imagine that they wouldn't cover it. I sent in a receipt for a rebuilt pump that I bought on line (put it in myself) and big color pictures of the motor, showing that the brushes ate through the armature leading to the motor becoming an open circuit. To me, that's an open and shut case of a failure, but I'll keep everybody posted in this thread.

Val

 

Sent in my receipts and everything in June. Received my check today for the whole amount - power steering pump and fan - minus the charges I paid for shipping. I am quite pleased to get this money back. Good on MINI for making good on their recall promise.

 

I am the owner of a 2005 MINI Cooper S, and I am FURIOUS!!! Two weeks ago, I was on my way back to work from lunch, and my power steering SUDDENLY and WITHOUT WARNING failed on me IN THE MIDDLE OF A CURVE!!! Somehow, I fortunately managed to regain control of the vehicle and limp to the parking lot to pull over. It was frightening. My heart was pounding and I had no idea what had happened. AND THEN, as if that weren't bad enough, I turned the car off, started to get out......and discovered......my POWER STEERING PUMP WAS STILL RUNNING EVEN WITH THE CAR COMPLETELY OFF!!!???!!! I knew this was not good and was afraid if it kept running it would melt something down or cause a fire. Not to mention running the battery down!! I tried to re-start the car and stop it several times to see if it would reset and turn the pump off. No luck. The pump still kept running when the car was off.

I quickly did some research on the internet, and I immediately found that this was the known problem with the MINI power steering and that it was covered under an extended warranty for 13 years/150,000 miles. I only have approximately 70,000 miles on my car so I was relieved to read this, but the urgent problem remained that my pump would not shut off! So I quickly called MINI of Nashville in TN and spoke to a service representative there. He was super-nice and professional, but he told me that the best thing to do at this point was disconnect the battery. So, I had to actually disconnect the battery to get the pump to shut off!

I then called MINI USA to report the problem and determine what steps I should take for the extended warranty coverage. I even have the extended warranty letter from MINI USA which explains that MINIs between model years 2002-2005 will be covered for the power steering pump and the associated pump cooling fan. I was told by the customer service rep at MINI USA to take it to the dealership and the dealership would file the extended warranty claim for me. I am located in Huntsville AL, and we don’t have a MINI dealership here, so that’s why I had called one of the nearest dealerships at MINI of Nashville in TN. At this point, however, my power steering was now unpredictably intermittent when the car was running. So it was very scary and difficult to maintain control of the vehicle, since the power steering would suddenly fail and then later suddenly come back on, causing a jerk-and-swerve reaction in the steering wheel for me…….back and forth, on and off. This is a DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE!!! Also, at this point, my car was getting more difficult to start, since my battery was run down from the pump continuing to run when the car was turned off. I did not feel it was safe to drive it to Nashville TN, so I requested that it be towed. I was told by the customer service rep at MINI USA that a towing fee would NOT be covered, even if it was the extended warranty problem. So I had to tow the vehicle, at MY EXPENSE, to the dealership 2 hours away.

MINI of Nashville performed diagnostics and found that the power steering failure was indeed the exact problem covered by the extended warranty. They verified without question that I had the original parts which had the problem, not the newly designed parts. They filed the necessary paperwork to get it covered under the extended warranty and get approval to start the repair/replacement. HOWEVER, MINI of Nashville then called me the next day to tell me that their regional warranty rep had responded to the claim and REFUSED TO COVER THE REPAIR UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY!!!!!!!! REASON??? HE SAID MY CAR WAS BUILT IN MAY 2005, AND THEY STOPPED COVERAGE IN FEBRUARY 2005!!! HE CLAIMED THAT THEY HAD STARTED TO PUT THE NEW PUMP AND FAN SYSTEM ON THE CARS AFTER FEBRUARY 2005!!! THEY REFUSED TO COVER MY REPAIR EVEN THOUGH MINI OF NASHVILLE PROVED I CLEARLY DID NOT HAVE THE NEW RE-DESIGNED PUMP/FAN SYSTEM!!! AND EVEN THOUGH THE EXTENDED WARRANTY LETTER FROM MINI USA DOES NOT SHOW ANY SPECIFIC MONTHS AT ALL...IT SAYS MINIs MODEL YEARS 2002-2005!!! MINI USA IS NOT HONORING ITS EXTENDED WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH MY CAR HAS BEEN PROVEN BY A MINI DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE ORIGINAL PARTS WITH THE EXACT PROBLEM.

The exact month the car was built in 2005 is obviously irrelevant, since my car (built just 3 months after their supposed cut-off date) has been proven by MINI of Nashville to have the original faulty power steering system. I have been battling this issue with MINI USA for two weeks now, and I continue to get a ridiculous run-around. They keep repeating the same thing....." ….your car does not fall within the warranty period which ended Feb 2005...." I want to be sure to point out, though, that MINI of Nashville has been great. They proved via their diagnostics that the problem was the extended warranty problem, and they have backed me in trying to fight MINI USA in this refusal of my extended warranty. Their service manager even got personally involved. He personally called the regional warranty rep and also that warranty rep’s boss to explain the situation and to demonstrate their proof that my vehicle had the warranty problem. He got the same ridiculous run-around that I did. My issue is not with MINI of Nashville; my issue is with MINI USA.

CAN YOU BELIEVE MINI USA WOULD NOT EVEN LISTEN TO ONE OF ITS OWN MINI DEALERSHIPS, WHO IS ACTUALLY TRYING TO BE HONEST AND DO THE RIGHT THING???? WOW. So here I sit, two weeks later, still without my car (which is needed to get to my job!). And now MINI is telling me I have to pay $2300 to replace the pump, associated pump cooling fan, and supply/return lines????? Needless to say, I'm LIVID.

I wanted to post this so you will all know how MINI USA treats its customers……and how they are now backing out of their word and their documented extended warranty coverage. If MINI USA is going to try to screw people over like this and that’s how they do business, then I’m sure there are others who will be quite interested in my story………for example, the local media, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General, and more.

 

WALL OF TEXT! SOMETHING BROKE! I WAS NOT HURT! I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS TO MY ITEM!

Is that pretty much what that said, I couldn't make it past the first few lines?

 

really sorry to hear about what happened, but look at the 400 previous posts, we already know how we are treated as customers

 

Join the club. Mini USA doesn't give a **** about you or I or anyone else for that matter. Like I've said before, it's better to shame them on their Mini USA Facebook page so the greater community know how they deliver the shaft to customers who have legitimate gripes about this issue.

 

This is sad to hear I guess i got lucky...my dealer took my information and receipt and I received a reimbursement check in 3 weeks. I reacted as soon as I saw the letter though so maybe I got in before the flood.

I would caution people on flaming MINI on their Facebook or any other site. Defamation of character or brand is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Stick to facts and share your experience ONLY...take a deep breath, control your anger and choose words widely.

MINI will always have better, more knowledgeable, and better equipped lawyers than you do and frankly as a marketing executive myself I would say that protecting their brand is their number one job...through innovation, product development, and defending it if they feel necessary.

I believe this was a voluntary action on MINIs part as I do not believe this was a government mandated recall...so it's at their discretion. I don't have the letter anymore but I'm sure it likely speaks to this and uses words like MAY be covered not your car is COVERED.

Good luck to all - inconsistency of experience hurts a brand but there are examples of us who were properly accommodated.

 

To update the forum - I did finally get my check, for the full amount, so you can count me in as another anecdote of someone who did get reimbursed. I sent mine in late May, within a week or so of getting the letter, so somewhere between 5-6 months is how long it took, if you add a couple weeks to get it actively into the system.

So, I'm happy to get my check, but I also feel at this point as though I earned it through persistence and quite a bit of verification and tracking on my part. I wish that things had gone differently in the customer service and communication on timing for closure, but at the end of the day, they did pay out.

I wish others good luck, and I truly hope that Mini is able to close the reimbursements for those who have also been waiting by the end of the year, as they have indicated to many.

Oh, and on the plus side? My massage therapist had guessed that I drove a Mini by a comment I made about the car having a stiff suspension, and related how his Mini was awaiting him getting the cash for a power steering fan replacement, and I mentioned the extended warranty to him. He was able to get the dealership to fix it, so at the very least, spread the awareness to your fellow Mini owners.

 

Telling the truth is never defamation, and no army of attorneys can change that.

Do you seriously think after all these years all of the sudden they are offering reimbursements (or possible reimbursements) just because it's the right thing to do? The Canadian government forced BMW to take action, and obviously they were concerned that the same was coming in the U.S. Just look at how many complaints NHTSA has logged on the issue. No question it was on their radar screen and they are very aware of the action Canada took.

You think this action is to defend their brand? The right way to defend their brand would have been to replace all the defective parts when they were first aware of the problem almost 10 years ago, not let customers continue to drive cars with a major safety defect! Simply extending the warranty is not good enough.

 

That's why I said just stick to the facts???!!!!

I am not going to speculate on intent or motivations behind why it was extended but it was not mandated by law or any kind of government action..there is a massive difference.

As for defending a brand - I never said anything about this being a defense of their brand - I said they would and if it required take legal action to do so.

Please re- read my post I didn't attack anyone so why are you choosing to come after me??!!!

Your opinion is that extending a warranty is not good enough...and you are entitled to it. Their financials or whatever else they have been look at for the past 10 years seems to make them think otherwise. There are tons of financial models that have gone into play before the decision to arrive at the extended warranty. Don't forget we are a population of few who are true enthusiasts...I don't have a count on how many NAM members there are but I am sure we are only a small percentage of the total MINI owners.

No where do I defend MINIs actions or condemn anyone's comments.

 

You seem like a smart guy (or maybe Gal) probably well educated, good moral ethics, champion of the code of law. Someone we all want to know and be friends with. All good!!
We need people like you on our side, challenging all those things against the Goliaths of our so called capitalist machine. As you've been aware or not, there's action going on in our country, right now, to bring to their knees the corporations that fall short of decency and fairness to fellow Americans and our employed visitors. We have an infection in this country that's starting to ooze puss and the antibiotic of morality is loosing its efficacy.
I was going to bring up what Hogan3 elaborated on, which was the call for action 10 years ago. The multiple law suits, multiple reportings to NHTSA, multiple reportings to BBB, multiple threads and posts on this site and every other Mini Cooper forums about owners experiences. To name a few, loss of control of vehicle, engine compartment fires, fried batteries etc. And most importantly, our dependence on our vehicle for a livelihood which allows us to own one. Ignorance prevailed.
Now, the main reason of this detour in this thread was brought on by a member who experienced what I and I'm sure many, many, many others have. Supposed reengineered PSP on build dates after 2/05. We have verifiable issues with our cars that exist in the edited build dates of the extended warranty (recall is much more of an apologetic way to put it but you a better chance of seeing your God). Bottom line is, we got problems which equals expense, they don't want to hear it. Pitiful!!!
What I find beyond hilarious and if I owned this company, I would be truly ashamed of that with ten years of planning for this roll out of a warranty, that such a massive hemmorage has taken place to execute a plan. That might have been a MARKETING initiative.

 

Hey drink8648 - I agree 100% with everything you said especially the part about me being smart. :-)

Unfortunately most of the time the marketing department is small and has to fight against a board of general managers, engineers, finance teams, supply chain teams...

THE FOLLOWING IS A DRAMATIZATION:
the finance team will say what does it cost and what is the impact to the business?

Engineers would defend their design and look to the procurement people for sourcing a bad pump.

Supply chain team would say redirecting the pump manufacturer to produce these pumps would pull them off pumps for the R56...and you see why we end up in a world of inaction.
THE PRECEEDING WAS A DRAMATIZATION

I do personally wonder what the failure rate on these pumps is...and that was likely a factor in what actions MINI took. My personal take is that when safety is in question 1 person getting hurt is too many. We have to remember we are a self selected non representative sample of the total MINI owners...so in our eyes the failure rate is close to 100%. There are some people with very high mileage MINIs who have never had an issue at all.

I almost tagged a car on the other side of the road when my pump went out. Luckily i used to own an 89 CRX (no power steering)...however that car was designed without power steering. This was much worse to maneuver. Not impossible but much harder.

 

I'm not out to attack anyone here other than BMW/Mini. I'm not trying to attack you, I'm trying to convince you

I admit we don't know all the facts. But from what we do know it's not difficult to fill in the blanks. The pumps supplied to Canadian cars were no different than for U.S. cars, and the Canadian government saw a substantial enough failure rate to force a recall. The failures were not isolated incidents. Whether the rate was 20% or 80%, it was too high. And there's no reason to think the failure rate in the U.S. has been different.

It's also easy to see that BMW knew they had a problem early on. If that was not the case, then why would they change the design of the pump so quickly, and why would the changes to the design specifically address the problems with the original design?

If in fact the failures did not cause any accidents, they are just plain lucky. Just go back and read some of the reports on this thread and forum that describe the failures. And there were many, many reports of failures at relatively low mileages...just go back and read the posts in this forum and on the NHTSA website from 7 or 8 years ago.

 

Thanks Hogan...The scary experience i had happen was it failed mid turn and then would intermittently work. So if I was running in a no power situation and using pure muscle to turn it once it kicked back in I would be putting power plus the full muscle force behind it...causing an over exaggerated turn maneuver....it did not lead to an accident but I was being very attentive to my driving and surroundings. Some people (less experienced/younger) drivers could be at risk. Most newer drivers have never experienced a car without power steering.

At any rate I really do hope everyone stays safe, that MINI puts the resources behind this to handle everyone's claim in an expeditious manner, that enough pumps are brought in from wherever they are coming from to put SAFE minis back on the road.

Happy and SAFE holidays!

 

Bought my son a 2002 mini that has a whining power steering pump that the sales men said was on recall list but it is really a 13 yr or 150,000 factory warranty for failure only.

 

Was beginning to get discouraged with BMW, my power steering pump (that I replaced like 3 years ago but wisely kept all paperwork) claim that I sent in a month or 2 ago seemed to be ignored. But to my surprise yesterday I opened the mailbox and there sits a nice check from BMW USA for just under 1k. Thank You BMW you have retained a customer.

 

Glad to hear they took care of you, but it just makes us more angry.

We mailed in our paperwork in July! We called several times, and were finally able to get them to confirm that they have our paperwork, but that was long ago, and we still don't have our money.