I just purchased a 2002 R53 This has me a little worried. read as much as i could and couldnt find anybody saying anything about after market components. I have a 17% SC pulley, after market exaust and after market intake i know that creats extreem amount of heat. Any issues known with this type of set-up? fire related.....

 

So far I have not heard or read anything about the aftermarket parts you have mentioned causing any fire related issues. I have all of those items on my R53 & it runs cool, even on track.

From what I understand it is the power steering that can cause the fire. I've also read of someones ABS unit causing a fire.

Welcome to NAM & enjoy that new MINI.

 

I have an 05 MCS 95000 and ps went at 65 mph around bend on highway. It took a lot of strength to keep me from running into the median. Dont think I would buy a MINI again let alone a BMW if that is how the company operates.

 

I have put over 750000 miles on 4 cars and never once had to replace a ps...never.......

 

sell it.

 

That is good to hear. Were those cars MINIs? I'm not looking forward to the cost of that repair, but maybe I won't have to.

 

I wonder if the PS unit should be considered a wear & tear item that needs to replaced at certain intervals based upon mileage and inspection of the unit.

Similar to timing belts/rollers, water pumps, shocks, turbo units etc.

 

Strange, my other car is a 1988 Toyota without power steering and at anything over 5mph, steering is pretty easy. Granted it will take more effort to turn without power steering, but still if you're doing 65 in a turn?? hmm. Welcome to NAM btw. I love how people will never post on NAM until they have a problem (First 3 posts are in this thread). Makes you wonder about all the people that don't have problems.

 

h

 

there are turns on highways......

 

Dont assume anything until you have the facts and the fact is I have been a member on NAM since I bought the car in 05...account was jacked etc...and had to create a new account. You know what is funny I have a 64 Ford F100 (No PS) and it is much easier to steer than this right now. I dont need spend all of my time on the site posting just use it for information.

 

When we first married we had a '62 Pontiac Tempest, slant 4, no power brakes and no power steering.
It did have 15 inch wheels during a time when 14's were the norm.
It also had a steering wheel the size you would typically find in a bus!

Kinda hard to turn wheels at a stop, but when it was rolling it was no problem.

None of my Jeeps had power steering.

My TR6's didn't either, but then they had rack and pinion.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled opinionating.

 

I can be a shock to find power assist gone, but it should still steer fine. That happened to me entering turn 4 at Nelson Ledges race course in a Toyota FX16. Surprised me but I was still able to finish the race. When in the paddock I saw that It threw the belt. Raced the next day without power assist too.

As far as a PS system being a consumable item that is changed at regular intervals like timing belts, no way.

I thought those Triumphs used rope & pulley steering.

 

I guess you can add mine onto that list.

2002 Mini Cooper, about 113,600 miles?

Photo is located here

 

WOW! I'm sorry! Are you the original owner or did you buy it used?

 

I've been looking around to see if there are any more recent posts about Mini's catching on fire spontaneously. Everything I've found is at least 1.5+ years old. Has anyone seen/hear/read about anything similar that is more recent?

Mine burned into the ground yesterday. Couldn't save it, but I managed to save my stuff that was in the car.

Photo here.

2002 with about 113,600ish miles. I don't quite remember.

I literally just parked it, ran inside to get something and came out and it was on fire. 3 mins tops.

 

It's too bad the original post hasn't been updated in two years, as it was a nice summation of that subset of fires reported in this thread (who can say how many more non-NAMers--i.e., the vast majority of owners--have had to experience this). The subsequent reports of fires since the April '08 update are getting buried in the thread...

Sorry about the loss of your MINI tlc. Sad indeed. Make sure that whoever is investigating the incident is aware of the record of fires documented in this thread.

 

I am the original poster of this thread. I stopped updating it when the site changed hands, and I found that I couldn't get in to the first post to make edits. I think I can now, but I've pretty much left the board. Is there any way I can turn this thread over to someone else to update? That would be ideal...

 

Always terrible to see this happening. I hope the investigators for the FD find the cause.

Curious. Ever esperience any undiagnosed electrical issues such as; lights coming on / off or other related problems with the power steering ? Any aftermarket wiring under the bonnet for fog lights, stereo or other related equipment ?

Thanks for your input. Our condolences on your MINI and may your motoring memories be your comfort.

Dave

 

I have been in talks with MINI North America. Essentially, they have been giving me the run-around since December 2009. I need as many people as possible to email me who have experienced spontaneous engine-bay fires. We will begin a class-action lawsuit with a product liability firm as soon as possible. To me, it is not about the money. We need a RECALL! Or a safety bulletin!! I could have been trapped inside my burning vehicle when the power shorted and blew up my battery.


EMAIL or PM me.

 

Similar story with mine. Happened in Oct 09. See post #376:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...1-post376.html

 

Add me to the list.

Today I drove my 2003 MCS to work (67k mi), and everything seemed 100% normal - this is a 100% stock MCS. I did hit a big bump in the road (real big, not like a small pot hole - almost bottoming out). It jarred the car pretty bad, but not the biggest bump I've ever hit in a car.

Anyways, once I get to work, park it, like normal (note - power steering is working fine, pump was getting a little more whine over the few weeks). By the time I get to my desk, and log into my computer, I see a mass email sent out to the entire company with the title "Blue Mini Cooper SMOKING HEAVILY."

By the time I got back to it, the smoke was still smoldering. Some co-workers said they saw some flame underneath (where the powers steering pump was). I got it towed home, so I could take a look at the damage, while I was waiting on the insurance company. Looked under there, and sure enough, alot of stuff melted - it looks like a main coolant line, p/s pump harness, and maybe even the engine harness! Not good, not good at all. I am just extremely thankful that it wasnt parked in my tuck-under garage at my home!!

Insurance is covering everything minus my deductable, and has been towed to the dealership.

Bad luck, but it could have been much worse!

 

bmalay, glad you're OK.

Did the coolant line actually burn through? ( might have kept the fire under control ) When the PS fan failed it this car, it overheated - the expansion tank ruptured big time - no fire, just scared the crap out of my wife.......

 

That's terrible......sounds like it overheated. I dont get it. We have so many improvements to these cars including modules which re-program our window operation and open garage doors, but no one has ever devised a warning lite or buzzer of sorts which comes on if the Power Steering fan stops working.....seems to me it would be an easy thing to rig up.

BTW: Disconnect the battery terminals while you wait for the insurance adjuster....especially if parked in the garage!

 

our mini club lost a mini because the p/s pump caught fire