Hi.

I have a 2012 R56 Hardtop S with 10k miles. Under both factory and extended warranty. Hose A separated from Hose B dumping all engine coolant on the highway. Car stalled out minutes after check engine light came on. Need a new engine. Dealer said it was not covered under warranty because they believe it was collision. Insurance said no evidence of collision.

Is there any history of failure with this part? Any idea why this is not covered?

Any help or advice is much appreciated.

Thanks.
dk

 

Sorry to hear about you loss...
Guess if you had stopped....it would have been a simple tow/warrenty issue.

 

What evidence do they have of a collision? I have seen many cars have the ends of coolant hoses back themselves off the connector because of heat causing the hose to expand and burst. It happened to my mothers car 3 years ago, coolant hosed entire engine compartment!

Another Mini failure in customer satisfaction! That's why their at the bottom of the list for customer satisfaction! They will stay their until they get their act together. Contact the BBB!

 

Issue is not that hose failed...
It is that the driver failed to stop....
I think MINI is TRYING to do you a favor and make it easier to file a claim with your insurance company.....
Once a failure happens....you must stop the engine and stop driving if continued operation will/may result in additional dammage..... And driving a car without coolant... Well...I think that is outside the scope of a warrenty.... When a hose fails, a driver has a couple minutes (max) to pull over, shut the car off, and investigate....drive too long...the motor overheats and seizes... Head warps...etc...bad things happen.....just like driving a car without oil...but with a radiator hose...the smell, maybe steam, etc SHOULD have given ample warning carnage was coming soon.....
By stating you may have hit a piece of road debris...maybe a truck tire cap(aka "gator"), mini is giving the original poster (op) a partial leg to stand on on getting the cost of a new/reman motor covered.
Again, good luck to the op! This is a crappy situation.

 

Do you have pictures of the failed hose and the area around it? It would be interesting to see what it looks like.

Even though several people are saying you should have stopped right away, I disagree because when you're flying down the highway and a hose fails you wouldn't really notice especially at night until you get a warning light and by then it's too late, the damage is done.

If there's no damage from debris, etc., then Mini should cover it, if there is damage then your insurance should cover it. Either way you're covered.