Hello. I am sorry, I know this forum is mostly very postive, and I had great affection for my Mini until I came back from a ten day vacation this Sunday. When I returned my car would not start. I had the car towed in to my dealership, Pleasanton (CA) BMW and they looked at my car. I was not too nervous, because I have only owned the car 16 months and it is still well under warranty. But then they called me to say I got water in my engine and my warranty would not cover this. Why? Because, according to them, I must have driven through a "large puddle" to cause this damage. Now I live in California. There are no large puddles here, and if there are I have been driving through them. Oh, and how much does this cost to fix? $6500. AND, this morning they call to tell me my clutch had exploaded as well (news to me) and will cost me another $2100. But, again, this is not covered by warranty. Why? Because they are saying I must have ridden the clutch too much. Now this is my 3rd car that is standard and I have never exploaded the cluch on my other cars, so this has really come at me from left field. Obviously I am now having to contact a lawyer, but I was wondering if anyone might know of any similar problem with their own, or with acquaintences's Minis. Thanks.

 

Never heard of this, and hearing something like this from a dealer is very scary. Btu I do remember something in my manual (MCS 2004) about talking with your dealership about what should be done in the event that you will not be driving your MINI for an extended period of time. I don't have my manual handy or I would be more specific.

But perhaps this has something to do with the problem.

 

I have heard of this water in the engine before. Supposedly you aren't supposed to drive through big puddles as water can be sucked up into the engine. If you do a search you may find posts from other people this has happened to.

 

not driving your mini for 10 days is hardly an extended length of time, they're speaking of months at a time. i think the dealership is trying to get out of doing their job and that you've done that right thing my seeking an attorney. the dealer is only on your side when they're trying to get you out the door with a car. stand your ground on this one.

 

Why is this same exact topic in two places???

-joe

 

sorry i posted this twice, but i originally posted in the general section then realized it might be more relevant here. and for an update the dealership called and ship that they take back the whole water in the engine bit. they said there was no water in the engine, and somehow the rust is not a problem anymore. but the clutch is still a problem, they still won't pay for it and it will cost $2100. so i called my brother who works for infiniti in philadelphia and he called a friend who used to work for mini. she says that the clutch should only be costing $185. these people are trying to make me pay for the transmission, which costs $1500. and that she says is definitely under warranty. but the mini dealership in philly has already replaced three clutches this month. and that is very interesting after the mechanic here says he has never had to replace a clutch. so i am trying to reach these guys but they are very bad about returning phone calls. i am really hoping this poor service is exclusive to east bay mini.

 

Sorry, I don't know where East Bay MINI is (SF?), but I would strongly suggest that you find another dealer to service your car if at all possible. It would be well worth paying to have it transported to a more responsive dealer.

 

Well, water does not get into an engine by magic, so you must have driven through water at some point in time causing the hydrolock. Sorry there is nothing else to that.

The Owner's manual clearly states that you should not drive your car on standing water that is a foot (12 in/ 30 cm) from the ground.

Does anyone else besides you drives the car?

 

Please delete one of your posts!

>>they take back the whole water in the engine bit.

So they are no longer claiming there is water in the engine?

>>but the clutch is still a problem, they still won't pay for it and it will cost $2100.

Your original problem is that the car wouldn't start, right? If I were you I'd be asking the dealer what exactly the clutch has to do with your car not starting.

Having a bad clutch or transmission will almost never cause the car not to start. The only time that would happen is if for some reason the clutch was stuck engaged and the trans was stuck in gear. If that was the case, trying to start the car would cause the car to lurch forward, and you'd know something was very wrong.

 

Did the engine turn over when you tried to start it?

 

also, this is the second post from 2 completely different types of users where the dealer has said that their clutch "exploded."

what gives with that?

 

I agree with countrym, take the car to a different dealer and see what they say.

 

Hmmm, don't know if you have an MC or an MCS, I know I've seen posts about bad 5 speed trannys. And maybe even a something about a MINI not starting right up after a few days. Maybe a call to ASKMINI (866 275 6464), and some searches on NAM and MINI2.

Shelly

 

Dont forget you must push the clutch in to start manual transmission cars. There could be something wrong with the interlock switch or, indeed something wrong with the clutch, maybe a broken pressure plate spring. In any case, maybe the parts are $185.00, but the labor will kill you. The engine and transmission have to be separated to replace the clutch, which usually means transmission removal, very labor intensive. I cant understand why it would go bad just sitting there, thats why I tend to think it is the interlock switch or circuitry. Good Luck!