Greetings all. I will try to be brief. 2 months ago, my wife and I bought our 2nd MINI--a 2011 CPO Cooper hardtop. We bought extra warranty/maintenance protection with it as well.

Last weekend, it was rather warm in NYC and we went to turn on the A/C to discover it's not blowing cold air. No problem, called up dealership to have a look (I figured it just needed recharged).

Dealership told me that the we hit something (we did not) or something hit us and the reason the A/C isn't working (condenser and other issues) was because of that impact. However, there is no damage to the bumper (no dents that would indicate any impact) There is a scratch above the license plate and the flimsy plastic license plate holder was 'cracked' in a few places.

I'm willing to entertain the idea that it's possible that someone may have bumped it when parking (this is NYC after all)--hence the broken plastic plate holder. However, there is zero physical evidence other than that.

Is it possible that simply bumping into it could cause that much damage to the A/C? I just can't imagine MINI would place vital parts in an area that is that susceptible to being damaged by simply bumping into it.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

-Mike

 

Even a big chunk of snow or ice at highway speeds....heck..a condensor (that radiator like thinggy) mounted on the front of the radiator that cools the ac coolant, can and does fail on many types of cars from tiny impacts overtime.... Rocks, gravel, sand, etc...but not really a better place to mount it on any car...so just a fact of life. Good luck!!

 

Are you lowered? Have seen R56 AC line catch on lowered ones.

 

Not lowered.

I do not want to think the worst of the dealership or MINI (I've contacted MINI USA and no response yet), but I can't help but think something else is going on.

I had one person tell me there was damage to the bumper (there is no damage), then another person say the damage is underneath the car. Then I'm told (by the salesperson who sold me the car)that damage underneath is normal wear and tear and is covered by the warranty.

I will post pictures later today.

 

If there is physical damage, then they should be able to show it to you.

///Rich

 

One thought....
The ac worked when you bought it right? It operates under high pressure...around 2000psi...so it is unlikely if it was damaged it would have matained its charge long enough to be sold with a working ac...remember, the ac runs when the defroster is on....our cars low frontend and small size means many SUV drivers will squeeze into space a in front of us...or try...and bump our cars...
Crap does happen...even on a newer car...not EVERYTHING is covered...sometimes you gotta pay...
DO ask....if they are willing to say it was "preexisting wear, etc" and cover it great...Maybe get you a discount of a couole $$, but I would not burn any bridges over an item like this....Having a dealer label you as a owner who has issues might make it hard to get real stuff done later....pick your battles...
One statement....
You were WRONGED....somebody hurt your Car...and left...cost you $$$...But trying to get a 3rd party to pay is no better...passing the buck...rather than spend hours dwelling in this, just fix it and go for a drive. Just my 2¢.

 

Sounds like it could have been damaged before you bought it. Was the a/c ever confirmed working? Agree that the condenser is probably to blame, even a small piece of gravel at highway speeds can cause a leak. A slow leak from an o-ring is also a possibility, the dealer could have charged it to where it was working before and now it's gone. Assuming there is no new physical damage, a good dealer should fix your 2 month old CPO car at no charge.

 

If something hit your car on the road and damaged something isn't that covered under comp insurance? I'm not saying that it should be covered but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

It's highly unlikely that bumping will damage the condenser (front most component) without leaving significant accident damage. There is a significant slack in the refrigerant lines to allow to put the nose/radiator into "service" mode, so it would require moving condenser and the nose by more than 4+" to induce any damage to AC system.

Press the dealer to show you want damage they found, and where the refrigerant is leaking form the system. Don't accept getting dismissed off-hand with a generic "you damaged it, pay-up" comment.

If necessary, take it to another dealer who may be more interested in performing warranty work. I had to shop my '08 MCS to 3 dealers before the last one figured out how to get reimbursed for the timing chain replacement job ($2+K !!). Too many dealers are clueless and incompetent *sigh*

a

 

If you hit a 'fixed' object it's covered by collision. If something is thrown or bouncing and hits your car (missile) it's considered comp.

 

... and both are subject to a sizable deductible, making insurance claim repairs hardly a bargain. You will also need to prove that you actually hit something that caused the damage, which remains to be firmly established.

a