I have my car back after the Unit was replaced, it seems to be fine. It did not show any error codes on the PEAK tester I have. It seems MINI is concerned a bit and wants me to fax my invoices to them, maybe this means they will cover the repair and parts, we'll see. They also asked if I could bring the car to the nearest dealer to have the work inspected and make sure the repair was done correct. Will take it the 225 miles on Monday to have it inspected. I had a Dodge dealer where it happened repair it and they had to hard wire the wires to the Unit due to the fact that the connectors were fried. It seems to be fine at this point though.
I would like to hold onto the burnt unit until they agree to pay for the repairs atleast, they would like it back to inspect, that is fine with me as long as I don't need them for further proof of the condition of the unit. Pictures just don't have the same impact as the burnt up motor sitting there!
MINI has really been GREAT and has called repeatedly to discuss this matter, three different people are involved from MINI at this time that I have spoken to and all seem to want to help. As I said ... we'll see!

 

Blake, this is very important news! Every other person I know who's had the PS pump replaced, whether under warranty or not, hasn't been able to keep the part. I asked to keep mine, but I only got some of the other damaged parts. It seems that the PS pump is considered 'core' and goes back to MINI. The only reason I got to look at mine after it was out of the car was because I was friends with my service advisor. AND I still had to shell out for a completely new part even though I wasn't allowed to keep the old one!

Please, please, please hold on to the PS pump and don't give it back to MINI!!! And if they settle your bill for you, PLEASE let me know so I can press them to pay for mine too! And everyone else's who's had the problem... I really have to wonder at this point if they're being so good to you because you went through 'unorthodox' channels to have yours replaced, and they couldn't take the damaged part back themselves...?

Thanks for keeping us informed!

 

I do have the pump, and the burnt connectoins and wires also, I do not plan to give them the pump unless they pay the repair cost , parts and labor, it was about $1050 total at this point. I have talked this over with the service advisor at the MINI store and he is aware that I will not give them the pump until this is resolved for me.

 

I discovered my power steering wires were routed incorrectly resulting in damage to the insulating sheath; a cut into the wires would not have been far behind.


The wires were located here.


The wires were sandwiched between the heat shield and tubing mount along with one of the starter wires in this small space.


The heat shield had been incorrectly installed along with the faulty routing; the misplace grommet and some of the cuts on the starter wire can be seen in this photo.


I’m not saying this is the reason some of the power steering pumps have burned but I feel it would have resulted in a short eventually.

 

Wow huevo, that's amazing! When did you discover this? What year/build date is your MINI? Have you checked anyone else's vehicle for this 'fault'?

 

I found it today; it is a December 2002 build date and now I know what to look for the next time.

 

Richard, did you buy an adapter or make it yourself?

 

I bought the extinguisher and the bracket from

http://www.livermoreperformance.com/...#Brey%20Krause

 

When we were at our dealer getting ready to purchase our first Mini Cooper in February 2007 one came in on a flat bed. The sales person said it had a fire. I didn't think much of it at the time. It was yellow and I am almost certain it was a MCS.

 

I think that if we were to compile a list of power steering pumps that have been faulty, that should add to the list of ones that have actually caught on fire. Just because we have been lucky enough to catch the problem before a fire started, does not mean we should all suffer by paying the $1-2K to replace the pump that was obviously poorly designed. Just my 2 cents.

 

I think that if we were to compile a list of power steering pumps that have been faulty, that should add to the list of ones that have actually caught on fire. Just because we have been lucky enough to catch the problem before a fire started, does not mean we should all suffer by paying the $1-2K to replace the pump that was obviously poorly designed. Just my 2 cents.

 

Hi all ! the wifes mini cooper has just had the power steering pump and the loom set on fire as she was driving and guess what bmw said Yes you have got it !! i have never heard of that before, we have no problem at all with power steering pumps on minis but we can do it for you it will be £1200

 

Steve,

So sorry to hear about another one! I hope your wife is okay.

what are the particulars? Model year; Cooper, One, or S; place and date where it happened; how many miles; etc.? Was the car totaled or is it fixable?

As you've seen, you're not alone in this problem!

 

how bad is it when guys start carrying extinguishers . ... this is really sad .

 

FYI - the NHTSA has opened a preliminary investigation of this issue as relates to the power steering pump - as of 4/19/07. Though this investigation appears to only affect the 2002-2003 model years.

 

This is positive news. I hope everyone who had fires have made NHTSA reports- and mentioned 'their allegations' that the fires were from the PS pump! NHTSA will review all the MINI complaint reports and look for those keywords.

 

I'm SO hoping that this stemmed (FINALLY) from an email I received about a month ago from the DOT and NHTSA, asking me about all of the reports I made on our MINI fire. I've been corresponding with an agent - have sent him our entire file. Still awaiting some feedback from him. I'll keep everybody posted as I hear things back from him.

Donna

 

WooHooo!!! This is GREAT news!! Let's hope it leads to something being done!

Donna, thank you for all your vigilance regarding MINI fires!

 

It just happened to me this past weekend.

I was driving into my underground garage this past Saturday night (4-21-07), and the power steering kept dropping in and out. When I pulled into my parking spot, I noticed smoke coming from under the hood. I took a look and it seemed to be getting worse, so I got the car out of the building and up onto the street. When I got the hood open this time, there were flames on the lower rear of the engine. I called 911 and got a few fire extinguishers from the hotel across the street. With the second extinguisher, I was able to get the fire out just as the fire truck arrived. The firemen disconnected the battery and made sure the fire was out before they left.

It was a big mess, but luckily there was only damage in the engine compartment as I got it out fairly quickly. If I hadn't noticed the smoke, it could have turned out a lot worse...and there would have been 300+ families evacuated from my building.

Today the dealer told me that it was a stuck relay in the power steering unit that caused the unit to overheat and melt the insulation from some wires, causing the fire. He said that it was the second or third one he'd seen.

The repairs are all covered by insurance (they can fight over who pays), but I have to say that it was pretty tense there for a few minutes trying to get the flames out.

 

Surfboy, I notice you're in San Diego... mine happened in San Diego too. If the service guy you're referring to is Scott at Brecht, he's seen two others that *I* know about - mine, and another that came in when mine was being fixed. I wouldn't be surprised if he's seen a couple more since then.

What model year is your car? Cooper or S? How many miles on it? I'll add you to the list... <sigh>

I'm glad you caught it early and that your car's fixable. They did a good job on mine at Brecht.

Jenn

 

Yes, Scott is the service advisor that I talked to yesterday. It's good to hear that they did a good job getting your S fixed up.

My Mini is a 2003 non-S Cooper with 55K miles. I have the yellow/black Mini with roof racks. There's a few photos in my gallery.

BTW, I remember meeting you on a West Coast Mini Rally a few years ago. You showed me how to hook up the rear fogs as extra brake lights. Thanks!

Glad to hear that you still are driving your Mini after going through the PS pump troubles.

:: dave ::

 

Hey Dave,

I've just added you to the list - you're no. 22.

I vaguely remember meeting you on a WCM run. I really miss everyone in WCM!!

Scott should take good care of you, but you might have to call a few times to get through to him. Tell him I said hello...

Jenn

 

You WERE very lucky. I'm am so afraid my garage will go up in flames one day, that I am considering selling my 04 MC. Hopefully this NHTSA investigation will be fruitful.
I just they don't restrict their conclusions to 02 and 03 MINIs, since it appears that other model years are also a problem.
Make sure NHTSA knows about your incident by filing a complaint online http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

 

Is there any way to avoid a fire, or just be prepared for it to happen? I have an '03 w/45K.

 

Know how to unplug your battery fast. Keep the tools to do so in your boot. Keep a fire extinguisher in your car. That's what I'm doing. I still love my MINI despite this serious issue. Surfboy88 was the first Cooper (non S) I've heard of with an engine fire.

Richard