A number of folks here have reported burns, either to themselves or others. How about posting some photos of the burns and/or scars, so that we can see what we're talking about?

 

Oh no.. please don't!

 

I get what you mean and I disagree somewhat. You would only be agreeing to a waiver if there were a recall on the pipes, but there isn't. I think you could get sued for a burn but probably wouldn't lose. You could (honestly) claim that you checked out your own car, didn't think your pipes stuck out, and didn't have it done. Posting here wouldn't matter unless you said something like "Mine stick out and I hope somebody gets burned-ha" or something stupid. I agree you have to watch what you say on forums. There have been a few legal issues where owners posted more than I thought they should have. Most are warranty issues that won't go to court, not PI matters, but still.

 

Got my MINI this summer. Wearing shorts. Getting packages out of the boot. SIZZLE! Nice half-moon tat on my shin. It was as easy as leaning against the rear bumper. I felt like an idiot. I do have kids so I just said to them be careful back there. ----Last week I had a minor service checkup and got the "exhaust fix". I have to say it looks better, well crafted. Like it was meant to be. In hindsight the original seemed to protrude just a little too much. I was mostly worried about how it might change the note of the exhaust. NO Change.

hmmmm.... I think I could use the tail pipe warmth again - it's starting to get colder in NJ!

 

After reading all the above posts, I am considering whether to let Mini do the service action on the tailpipes. BUT, if one of you who has already completed the change, please take a GOOD photo & post it, that would give me a better idea of how it will look. There are several pictures already posted but no one took a picture that was taken 6 feet away from the rear of the Mini. So, any volunteer out there who can take a better photo to show us the end result but 6 feet or so away? Thanks

 

All the new 2009 MINIs have the shorter tailpipes. If you have any around, you'll probably have a hard time telling the difference...or look at the new ones in the dealership when you take your car in.

 

At six feet you can't tell the difference between the old tips and the new ones. The tips themselves have exactly the same shape as the originals, the only difference is how far aft they're located when compared to the bumper, and that's only a matter of a few inches.

When I took the photos I posted here (check out page 2 of this thread), I actually took a few from 5 or 6 feet away and didn't bother posting them here because at that distance there was no difference between the old tips and the new ones. If you really want, I've got a picture taken of the rear of the car before the new tips were installed. I'll try tomorrow to take a picture of the car, as it is now, from the same angle and post both of them.

 

How many of you have actually checked your pipes after a long drive? They cool down fairly quick. Mine are usually cool to the touch w/in about 5 - 7 minutes time. They don't stay hot for very long.

(Yes, after all the complaining about hot tail pipes I decided to check it out to see how hot they actually get and for how long they stay hot).

 

My tips were even with the bumper so did not need to be any shorter. My opinion is if thay are at least even with the bumper do not let them shorten them up at all. If the tips are to short I would think the exhaust fumes would seep into the car when sitting at a Long traffick light.
Ronnie

 

I may be wrong but my thought is the people burning their legs are not burning them by touching the pipes. They probably stand in front of the tips while the engine is running and the Hot exhaust air is what is causining the problems. Turn off the engine and the problem goes away.
Ronnie

 

Interesting theory but actually they get burned by the exhaust tips because they extend beyond the bumper when hot after driving.When the exhaust tips cool down they retract back.

 

I went to the dealer today to look at the 2009 Mini and the tips are totally under the bumper when you look straight down from above. If you back up 4/5 feet, the tailpipe tips look the same, almost, as on my Mini, a 2007. So I will probably go ahead & ok the change.

 

I got mine looked at by the dealer and they did not need shortening. I'm sure there are some Mini's out there that need to be looked at. The dealer is not charging anything for the repair if needed. It is probably a good idea to get the tips examined and shortened if needed.
( I really do not think they grow longer when they get hot though)
Ronnie

 

i think this is a good reason to go aftermarket!

 

Here are 2 photos from a new 2009 Mini at the dealer, tailpipe changes. The left photo is taken at 4 feet away & the right photo was taken directly overhead. They look really short until you back off a few feet. Still thinking about it.

 

From the looks of those pictures a person would actually have to purposly stick a leg under the car to burn themselves. If just loading or unloading your leg would hit the bumper before touching the tip of the pipe. Of course if the engine was running the hot exhaust would probably burn your leg. That is if you held your leg there long enough.
Mini asked if a problem they will fix it so this is not a problem at all for anyone. I'm sure there were some cars with the exhause sticking out too far but Mini's are not the only cars with center exhaust but with the hatch the way it is I guess people will find a way to burn their legs off. The pictures are really good and show just what you would have to do to burn your legs.
Ronnie

 

Metal expands as it heats. Those pics are from a fixed MINI it looks like. So an older MINI would have the exhaust sticking out a few inches, just enough to brush up against it and burn your leg.

There was a thread about this on NAM, but I can't find it at the moment.

 

Correct, the pics are from a 2009 at the dealer. But the question was whether to allow Mini to make the changes on an 07 or 08. I agree with Ronnie, if the engine was running, you would/could still burn your leg even if they fixed it. Infact, not seeing the pipes at all may be an even bigger problem. At least when you see them stick out you know the burn potential is there. The pipes are very close to the bumper on the 2009 and if they expand when hot, they would still be sticking out, unlike the second pic which was taken on a parked Mini(cold). There are many cars out there with the same problem & they are not being recalled. Decision made, no changes to Quid.

 

My wife was one of the people who got 2nd degree burns on her leg. I read alot of the posts about how people must be stupid to get burned. The real reason that you get burned is because the body work will flex inward when you're reaching for something that's laying on the folded down seats. This makes the tailpipe "stick out" about 2 inches more depending on which body work you have. Hers has the sports package with the same color lower plastic all around. That plastic at the tail pipes can be made to move alot with just the right position and pressure from your leg. Believe me, I told her she was not being careful until I started looking at it. I also think the tailpipe is totally designed differently. This one can be touched as soon as you get out of the car. The old one was about 350 degrees..... It's not just shortened. It's made to shed the heat that was being retained in the old one. Mini had a bad design and wants people to think that the 1/2 inch shorter pipe was "the fix". Fact is, now when the body work flexes it's only sticking out 1 1/2 inch. So if the pipe were still 350 degrees you would get burned. Only Mini / BMW engineers know what was changed to fix it.

 

NHTSA was to have a public meeting next Wednesday about the tailpipes and whether BMW North America should have to do a safety recall. BMW blinked and will be agreeing to the recall in lieu of a public meeting. I wish BMW/MINI had done the right thing earlier and saved my kid from the burn.

 

You're kidding me, right? You think the exhaust contracts and expands???




Forget burning yourself on those tips... has anyone noticed how sharp the edges are? (JCW tips)

I've cut myself at least twice wiping them down... the edges are sharp as hell.

Don't matter, I ain't changing them for cuts or burns.

Mark

 

Interesting to hear that the NHTSA is holding a public meeting. That was the thing that BMW-MINI was trying to avoid in their letter they wrote to the NHTSA when this issue first appeared. At least BMW-MINI is doing it without formally pushing back on the issue, although it would have been nice to see the problem fixed without NHTSA having been involved at all.

 

That hearing was scheduled for December 17. It's now been canceled.

BMW-MINI will be conducting a full recall for a safety defect related to the tail pipes. Up till now it was a service notice. I suppose that the NHTSA felt it was more serious than BMW-MINI wanted to admit.

The details of the letter about the recall should be on the NHTSA website today.

 

Yeah, it's hard to argue against lawyers when people are being injured.

It'll be interesting to see how good MINI's records system is. I was one of the first to get the new pipes on the first day of the service campaign and I still received the letter from MINI advising me of the issue. I hope they don't send me the recall letter.

 

I figured I'd post a few "after" pictures for you guys, the difference is relatively minor. My decision was purely aesthetic. All in all, I'd say they look better off at this new length. They still hang down a bit too much, but that's another issue for another forum!

Side View:


3/4 View about 10ft back


Directly Behind:


Directly overhead and slightly back: