I have an appointment for mine to go in for its first oil change at 6K and I told them I didn't want the tail pipes done and she said ok and made a note in the file not to touch them. So you don't have to have it done YAY

 

Here's the link to the now-official Recall:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls...h&summary=true

 

I would say that anyone who thinks there is an appearance difference between the two tips is thinking such only because attention has been called to it.

I seriously doubt that if the MINI was on the showroom floor with the modified tips that anyone would say "Oh, why are the tips so short, why are they flush with the bumper. That's a deal breaker for me."

The things are a hazard as is, I don't see the logic of anyone saying "Not me, I want them longer tips."

But whatever, if anything happens BMW is covered since they gave people notice and people not opting to get it done are liable.

Heck, if a service person working on the MINI gets burned, arguably the dealer could sue the customer for his or her passing on the fix.

IMHO the possibility of even one person being burned over the life of the MINI, which is what, 20 years, then people should be responsible and get this fixed. No one can predict when someone might be injured and scarred by this.

It's not all about you and what pleases you. Think about others, friends in shorts loading or unloading the MINI, little kids running around and playing near the MINI. Obviously MINI has hence reluctantly issuing a recall, a pretty serious step.

 

OH wow again if you are stupid enough to touch the pipes.....not sure how anyone would touch exhaust with their legs I have tried and you basically will fall over backwards trying to get your legs to touch the pipes. It should be up the owner what they want done to their car and then next owner can always have it done there is a database of all the cars that have had the service done and mini has to honor it no matter when you decide to get it done.

 

So I guess all the people reporting in here that they have burned themselves or have loved ones who have been burned, are, in your opinion, stupid.

And on anyone's home testing, I guess BMW and the government should have contacted you to decide whether or not a recall was necessary. I am sure BMW would have liked to utilize your services to get out of this mess.

And for sure, defense lawyers love to defend with the "hey they are just stupid" defense. Keeps them on the hook, all the time.

I dunno if this is a mandatory recall or optional, where the "smart people" can simply pass on having it done. [waive.]


I'm not sure how it works with mandatory recalls where if someone has notice and passes on it, if BMW has to honor a subsequent owner's request to have the mod done. Logic would seem to require that BMW give notice and once someone passes on it, that BMW no longer has an obligation to do the mod, subsequent owner or not.

A "lifetime recall" seems pretty harsh to impose on BMW, especially when the current owner says "Thanks, but no thanks." [Assuming in a mandatory safety recall that a "smart" MINI owner, as opposed to the stupid ones, has the option reject the safety modification.

 

Wording seems pretty clear, I didn't any info on time limits or if it was manditory. This appears to be a Cooper S issue only.

 

my main concern w/ the recall was that they'd remove my JCW tips for some shortened skinnier non JCW recall type tips.

 

I don't think it's mandatory at all. Some recalls are, some aren't. They changed mine last fall without asking when I had the regular service done. I couldn't tell the difference, and I looked for it from about 40 feet away when I picked up the car because I knew it was being done some places because of this forum. Then I asked the guy and he said they'd done it. It's a safety issue that could prevent someone else from getting burned pretty badly (maybe someone's kid playing behind the car is what I though of). Like I said in other posts you can't tell the difference.
I'd guess that if owner A didn't do it owner B could have it done as long as they still had the parts. Some people get that stuff in the mail and never take the car in before they sell it.

 

I think it's a good recall because of the high number of burns reported but I'm not running down to Mini to get mine done anytime soon........

 

funny.

had my CooperS in yesterday. I have the JCW engine kit.

While those pipes stick out farther than the regular pipes, the JCW pipes are not a part of the recall.

Odd?

Politics.

 

I think the factory JCW setup is a bit different from the Cooper S, mine don't stick out beyond the bumper.

 

I think that this is in part due to the stock S bumper length. Because of the way our MINIs are shaped, I think a person would just put their foot under the "tall" ride height to get more leverage in the boot, without even realizing it. So MINI, dont recall our nice loooking S tips, just make our MINIs sit lower so our feet dont fit under!! I will get H&R on the phone right now and tell them to send over how ever many sets of lowering springs are needed for that recall! hahaha

 

Some of you are questioning the reasons why we should follow this recall and shorten the tips. Understand that this issue was rectified in late '07 and really only affects early to mid '07 builds. These affected tips stick out quite a bit compared to the "fixed" later models. Sadly, I don't have "before" pictures to show how bad it was, but they looked a bit comical. I'm sure there are a bunch of you looking at your pipes wondering what all the hoopla is about. More than likely, you either like the look, or have the later version and don't get what we're talking about. I wouldn't advise preaching to those people who've been burned. I've only ever been burned on my manifold while changing my oil so I can tell you first-hand, it sucks!

Maybe I'm more sensitive to this particular issue since I've done several custom exhausts on my prior cars, but I did notice it and comment about it to my wife when I first bought the car, not after the issue was brought to the forums like others have previously suggested. I was waiting to buy an aftermarket exhaust anyway so I wasn't going to do anything about the stock setup, but since it was free and I was in for a clutch service, I pulled the trigger and went for it. Now they're flush with the bumper and look absolutely beautiful though, in my honest opinion, they still hang down a bit too much.

 

Not necessarily stupid but clueless.....everyone should know an engine gets hot and so does the exhaust. People should not have to be babied their whole life. Its amazing its only the US that is doing the recall and the people across the pond are smart enough to figure it out that you don't put skin near an exhaust pipe after driving the vehicle.

Its like if you ever road a motorcycle the exhaust pipes run all down the side if you put your leg there it will get burned. I even had a dirt bike fall on me in the mud and burnt my leg pretty bad did I call Honda and complain? No cause it was my fault I fell and knew the exhaust would burn myself.

People just always want to find an excuse as why it isn't their fault that something happened.

Also what about the MC's do they not stick out the same or is it just because they are off to the side?

The whole point of the matter is that people need to learn these things and learn to stay away instead of being a diaper country were everyone will eventually have no common sense because it won't be needed anymore.

Just a thought: The people that need this are the same ones that they have to print CAUTION HOT on the coffee. Like you are just going to gulp it down before you touch it to your tongue?

Last note is that there may have been a design reason for them sticking out as far as they did. (1) Now if the tips are to far under the bumper it can possibly draft the exhaust underneath the car and then risk coming into the cabin (ie:carbon monoxide poising) (2) Also if they are recessed to much then you risk the potential to melt or discolor the rear bumper from the hot exhaust. (so the S's might be melting up front and in the rear now)

Good luck only time will let I will stick with mine that i know better than to touch and if I do one day I will know it was my fault for not paying attention to what I was doing.

 

Actually the recall affects 2007-2008 MCS.
Taken from the recall:
Link http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls...h&summary=true
The 2009 MCS comes from the factory with the shortened tailpipes.

 

I received my notice last week, and this is my primary concern as well. When I made my appointment with the dealer, I made a point of mentioning that I have the JCW kit on the car, and they said that it still needed the work done. I asked if they needed to order any special parts because the tips are different, and he replied that he didn't think so. Since he didn't seem too certain, I spoke with MINI directly this afternoon. They were able to confirm that my MCS with JCW kit does require the recall, but were not able to provide me with details on exactly what work will be performed. Now I will have to call the dealer back and ask to speak with someone who has perhaps done the work. I don't want to take the car in only to have them act surprised and tell me they will need to order the correct part and re-book an appointment; nor do I want to end up with a set of regular MCS tips.

I will also insist on keeping my original JCW tips; heck, I paid for them, and I might as well end up with a nice set of JCW paperweights after all of this.

 

Hi Bishamon,
They will need to check the tips. I had mine done a while ago and I asked if the tips could stay and the recall could be on my record as finished. As it was my tips did not need any adjustment anyway. I have a 2009 factory JCW with the nice big stainless steel tips marked "JCW" and they are not removable from the exhaust pipe at all. I was worried that they would cut my tips off and put on short extensions or some crap like that. They did say if I did not want any change that they would not mess up my car by cutting off and installing a set of extensions. If your tips do not stick out far enough to burn your legs they will not change them anyway.
I think most people are being burnt by leaving the engine running when going into the boot and the hot exhaust is what is burning their legs.
It seems a lot of cars such as the Mini as well as a Corvette that have center located exhaust pipes and a hatchback are all capable of burning a leg or two if you get to close to the pipe with the engine running.
Ronnie948

 

I just welded a hemisphere of 6in spikes protruding from the end of my exhaust to prevent anyone from getting close enough to burn themselves.

 

Excellent idea!


I took my car in on Thursday, and they incpected the exhaust tips and sent me on my way.

 

-- had my '07 MCS in this week at Patrick MINI; they allowed me to say "no thanks" to the tailpipe change and initial on the invoice that I was declining --

 

I think a sunroof recall would be more prudent...

 

Had my 2007 MCS in for an annual. The tips were moved, and the change is barely noticeable.