Ok sorry for being OT but either every mini has these issues or the crooked mini dealers literally have a script they read off when people bring in R53's. That is almost word for word what I have been told by 2 separate mini dealers inspecting my car, with a year (and repairs/inspections from my own mechanic) inbetween.

Hesitant to bother with this recall, they'll take my car for 10 hours, tell me I need $6k worth of work and find some reason not to do the recall repair.

 

I verified the fan works, just not on low speed; plan to replace the low speed resistor rather than the entire fan assembly. Since I will already be there, I will replace the CPS o-ring and thoroughly clean everything I can. Then I will monitor for more oil leaks.

 

Welp as a new to me Mini owner, it was not so fun to experience the dreaded PS failure today. But looked up my VIN and I guess she falls under the recall umbrella. We shall see how it goes dealing with the shop here in Sacramento. Hope all goes well!!!

 

Coincidentally, I saw something where Mini has recalled the 1st gen mini's for the PSP if the car has less than 150K miles or is 13 years or younger. Looks like this recall went into effect on 12/1/15. Here is where I saw it.

http://www.motoringfile.com/2015/10/...g-pump-issues/

I hope this helps.

Doug

 

Whew, my 06 MCS is not part of the recall:-)


Must be the bullet proof power steering pump that was developed after 2005 ;-)

 

Well I called the dealership and got the "We don't know what's going on, here's a number to call" service. Called and no answer. We shall see. I'm very good at being a pest.

 

According to my dealer here in Atlanta, the "recall" is not a full recall "yet." Whatever that means.

 

Ford is having issues now with electric PS pumps failing and a recall has not been issued.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/12/report-ford-regulators-aware-power-steering-issues-still-no-recall/#more-1252385

 

Got the electro hydraulic power steering (EHPS) System recall last December as well. Any update on this? Tried to call the 800 number on the letter but was on hold for 30 minutes and got automated answers only. It does indicate they are not "ready" to conduct the recall on the letter but will further advise you with a letter. But since we had a diagnostics test, DEM replacement and service engine done at the Mahwah dealership, we had paid for this service as well. It cost about $700 for a new steering unit but on the bill it doesn't indicate as "EHPS" rather H**CS. Any ideas if it's the same thing, cause I would love to get reimbursed for that money.

 

I just got the official Recall Campaign No. 15V-660 Electro-Hydraulic Power Steering (EHPS) System letter in the mail yesterday. It's dated March 2016. The letter says that they informed me of the recall in December 2015 and indicated they were not ready to perform the recall at the time, but that they are ready now to perform the recall. They encouraged me to schedule an appointment with an authorized MINI dealer ASAP to have the recall performed free of charge.

I called the closest dealership this morning and am now scheduled for the service. The symptoms I have are that the steering effort is much greater than normal at low speeds, and there also is some kind of grinding noise coming from the power steering pump or fan. The noise is intermittent, much more noticeable in cold weather than warm for some reason, but the increased low speed steering effort is always present.

Glad to finally get this fixed. The car has 99,500 miles, and I did have to put almost $4000 into it last year for an exhaust, water pump, wheel bearing, and clutch, but that is behind me and I am looking forward to at least a few more years with this car.

 

Thats great, I got mine a while back also. Hopefully i will get the update , ready to fix letter also.

I am going to try to do my power steering lines ahead of time, just encase also. i have a bunch of miles on mine.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-2-2016-a.html


Wonder if the newest pump is even quieter. I know in 2005 the pump noise was revised again. When I had my last pump replaced , i noticed the steering was much sharper and crisper.

 

All fixed at MINI of Kennesaw. New pump and fan installed with no issues.

 

Update: Recall performed at Mini of Warwick in RI. New pump, fan, hose clamp, and fluid. Fixed free of charge.

I checked the price of the pump and fan at Pelican Parts: $424 + $72.

They did do an inspection without me asking, and let me know that the control arm bushings were worn and the brake fluid looked dirty. I declined their offer to fix them, but thanked them for looking, and there was no pressure from them.

 

Just posting my experience (i have not seen to many regarding this recall, not many early owners left?)

I took my 02 MCS into Passport Mini of Alexandria (PMOA) yesterday, when i called the SA seemed to not know about the recall before pulling it up on the computer. But they said to bring it in, a different SA wrote it up.

They did suggest some additional work (some oil leaks--oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket which have been pointed out to me for the last 5 years!) as well as suggesting the PS lines be replaced. Unfortunately they were not bad enough that they said i *had* to replace them as i would've argued that be included in the recall (they're not), so i declined and will have a look later.

I'm hoping it's due to the clamps and that a new set of clamps will lock them back down, if not will have my local mechanic take care of it.

I wasn't having any issues with the PS pump but i have an early 02 so figure i'd take advantage of this and get a new pump. The fan had been replaced earlier so they didn't do that.

EDIT: Whoops spoke before i checked the invoice, looks like they also replaced the fan--which i feel wasn't necc. as i just had it replaced a few years ago and reimbursed under the fan replacement recall. like i said before my ps-pump was fine, but happy to reset the clock on that part, now if i only i could reset the clock on a few other parts under warranty!

 

Who may know what the first symptoms of power steering pump failure are?
My R53 got a recall notice in the mail, but when I took it in to have it done, the report said that my pump was not one of the affected units. (!)
Naturally now, a month later, I am hearing and feeling little 'creaks' or snaps in the wheel as if the wheel itself had some slack somewhere. Could these be early signs of PSP failure? My R53 is 13 years old, so the cutoff for any warranty appeal may be over anyway.
This has become a rescue car, good money after bad, but I feel like I need to get it working right to either enjoy it or sell it. It's too fun to sell, unless things like this keep coming at me.
Any perspective appreciated...

My signature photo is my R55, so ignore that for my R53 world questions :-)

 

That's strange, a 2003 should be covered by the recall. I received 2 recall letters for my 02 r53. I can't think of any reason why your pump would be excluded. Only certain 05's and all 06 are not covered.

Have you called Mini yet? That would be the first thing I would do. I even googled the number for you : 866-275-6464

You can see the safety recall for your car on this website.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety/Recalls+&+Defects

 

If you have the pump/ fan replaced with the updated unit in the past ( before the recall), then its already been done. They look at the pump and check for the updated part# , if it has it you dont get a new pump. Just had mine checked.

 

Thanks for the clarification ecs.

Always wondered how many pumps you can get though. Sounds like its only one but what if it dies? How long is the replacement pump covered?

Another question you might know, is the new pump the same part number as the 06 pump?

 

Thank you Shawnn and ECSTuning. I'll see if I can find any evidence of the updated part number.
Does anyone know what to make about the creaking or clicking, of the steering wheel? It steers just fine, but strange sounds concern me.

 

what is the updated pump number? Saves me a half a day of wasted vacation

 

Its the strut mount

 

The creaking is probably a strut mount as mentioned above. The clicking could be the universal joint in the steering column. I think mine has a little click/notch feeling at one point but I only ever notice it driving slow and backing up.

 

Apologies for the noob question that I'm sure has been answered elsewhere, but I've been searching and searching, and I'm not really seeing what I'm looking for.

Own an R52 wih 194k-miles on the clock. Bought from a friend a couple months ago. Wife was driving it last week. Put the top up and down a couple times while parked, listening to the radio. Then started it but had no power steering. I was out of town and unable to have a look. MINI friend and previous owner told me that happened to him once when his battery was bad. Wife drove it home. Tried the next day, and the PS was working again. She drove it a whole week, with no issues, but described a faint humming coming from somewhere that she couldn't pinpoint. I got home yesterday. Hopped in the car after it had been sitting for a couple days. No PS. I checked the battery at both idle and with the car off. Voltage looks good. It appears to be a relatively fresh battery. Drove the car for about ten miles with no PS, back home, turned it off, tried again, still notta. While I was tinkering and letting the car idle, I too heard the faint humming, which sounds like it's coming from deep in the dash. I'm not sure.

I know this is not the appropriate place to post this question, so if someone could point me in the right direction, or call my attention to a thread where this has already been discussed, I'd appreciate it. My gut feeling is the PS pump has gone out, but I'd like to be able to troubleshoot a few things and know for sure, maybe figure out what sort of a nightmare it's gonna pose for me to fix it myself.

 

When my pump died, it would sometimes turn on for the first few minutes of driving and then turn off. Sometimes after letting the car sit for a while, the pump would work again, sometimes it wouldn't. I'm guessing your pump is dying, but you could always check all the electrical connections to make sure there isn't a problem there.

Do you know if the pump has already been replaced at some point?

 

I got it back during my drive today, then it went away again, and then back but only sorta kinda, and then gone again. I'm thinking it's on it's way out too, but just gasping a few last breaths.

Not sure. I need to look into that.