I went to the dealer today for an oil change and to get an alignment. It seems like every trip there, they think the minimum service bill should be 4 figures. I have 94k miles on the car and they are telling me the water pump is leaking again. The dealer originally replaced it at 60K miles right after it went out of warranty for $900. It's now 34K miles 2 years and 9 months later, and they say it needs to be replaced again for another $900. Prestige MINI in Mahwah, NJ is the one that fixed the original water pump as well and they say they only waranty their work for 2 years. ing

Has anyone else had water pump issues? Is there any longer lived solution? Replacing the water pump every two years is a little ludicrous, especially since the part is less the $200 and the rest is labor, since they have to remove the whole front end of the car.

Last year I had the cooling fan go, and this was the third time it failed, all the rest were under warranty. When they told me they wanted $700 to fix it, I bough an after market one online for $130 and it took me 2 hours to change it. I figured the after market one couldn't be worse then the OEM.

I recently also had to change the control arm bushings since they were worn out. (Dealer reapair $1k, parts cost $120). They also wanted to replace the upper strut tower bushings because they might be cracked,e even though they couldn't show me any cracks ( Dealer repair $1k, parts cost $250). The control arm bushings definitely needed to be replaced, but the shock tower mounts were fine, since I had it apart I replaced them anyway. So I'm a little wary of the dealers repair requests.

I've also changed the top engine mount 2x since I owned the car, the first being under warranty.

I'm asking them to make a concession on the cost of the repair, otherwise I'm not going to have them do the work, because obviously it didn't hold up very well.

 

Sounds like you need to find an independent shop and save some $$ on the labour...
most of the stuff is pretty comon on your list....the odd thing is the waterpump...but the 2 year dealer warrenty is standard for mini.

 

??? on the water pump....have you been experiencing any coolant leaks or seen water on the ground or floor or coolant smell or any leaks around the water pump area? If not, I'd be highly suspect of the SA's recommendations to get repairs that are not truly warranted and can wait.

Seems like you're an easy target and willing to go along with their program.

Like Zippy mentioned, get an indie Mini mechanic which can give you a second opinion if you don't want to go with the indie but at least you'll know you're not getting taken.

 

Lurking around these forums I've learned that...

- rear LCA bushings go out every 35-40k (mine replaced at 33k, warranty)
- passenger-side motor mount is made of bubble gum... can burst every 30k depending on driving style (mine replaced at 29k, warranty)
- leaky thermostat housing/flange (mine replaced at 18k, warranty)
- radiator fans relay tends to burn out (plenty of threads here)
- coolant pump is also a weak part (I just found dry coolant spots on the underside of the plastic air intake pipe from the air filter box to the SC)

German engineered, watered down by the Brits... slapped together by Mickey Mouse and Goofy!

The price quotes you got are similar to my dealer's. From what I've found out, Mini hasn't improved most of these parts. They intend to take back the $ they've spent replacing them under warranty.

Best you learn how to fix them or find a trusty indie mech or be prepared to contribute to the Mini Foundation.

 

Yeah mine has been in the shop for a week. New water pump, apparently I also am leaking coolant. And at 28,000 mi. Must be my driving habits on our little SPORTS cars! And the Hydraulic bushings are out as well, thought it was rollin like a drunk. But just wondering if my hydraulic engine mount failure 10 weeks ago could have led to the hydraulic bushings fail in the front end? And will my cooling fan now take a dump because it's been runnin' like a Union Organizer in Wisconsin!, Anybody got a bit of advice? And is it worth pouring $$ into the MINI xtra warranty or just indie it?

 

Just an Update. When my dealer sent me a satisfaction survey after my last service visit, I kind of railed on them after being a little upset over the second failed water pump. They responded to the survey and said that they contacted MINI USA and they offered me a 3 way split. I pay 1/3rd, BMW/MINI 1/3rd, and the dealer 1/3rd the cost of the repair. I also had a 15% discount coupon from the dealer. So I let them do the repair. At that price it was much less than an independent shop would have charged and actually about what I could have bought just the part it's self for. While they were in there they changed the belt which will save me a few bucks of labor on my 100k service, and they flushed the radiator, again something I'd have to do at 100k anyway. So I feel somewhat obligated to mention that Prestige MINI did stand by their work after I twisted their arm a little.

That said it's 6k later and My power steering is acting up. Figures I wanted to take a little road trip next week.

 

I think I see your problem here...

Nothing against dealers, but they will charge you more money than other places. I would agree, some things really are much better done at the dealer, but if you are able to find the right shop, your mini will be just as good, even though it has to carry the extra weight of the money you will have in your pocket.