It doesn't matter if your dealership is in Charlotte or Winston-Salem. I've had HPFP issues with a dealership in Louisiana and one in Florida ...... both gave me the "bad gas" story. Makes one think that all dealerships have gotten the "alibi" of "bad gas" from Mini corporate headquarters. Very few dealers take responsibility for the HPFP until they are "put in the corner" and have no logical explanation for our troubles.

 

Regarding the % of ethanol (i.e. exceeding 10%) being the cause of HPFP failures, I've done a ton of research and it's still a mystery to me. This goes back to the days of the HPFP failing in the BMW 335i/N54 motor, as far back as the car's intro in late 2006. They STILL fail like crazy! Lots of owners were trying to track down what was going on, since BMW was being completely mum on the issue. They were trying to regionalize the failures, to see if weather was an issue, and also kicked the ethanol/fuel question around, and from what I could gather, came to no conclusions.

If this is BMW/MINI's official position - that bad gas is causing these failures - then they need to state it in writing, and tell us what qualifies as "good" gas. MUST it be </= 10% ethanol content? Top-tier gas only? Quit stonewalling and address the issue!

 

First off I run Top Tier Premium gas. Hendrick's MINI claimed I had over 20% in my fuel, charged me $157 to drain the tank and reset the error codes. Told me I no longer had a fuel system warranty . The problem wasn't the fuel (Shell V Power) it was a bad HPFP. Flow MINI fixed my car under warranty even after I told them what Hendrick's MINI had said. Do I need to take a mobile gas lab with me ever time I fill up? As far as I am concerned there needs to an investigation into whats going on by State Attorney Generals or the Federal Government. If MINI ever tries this crap with me again, I'll have the gas tested by the refiner and the State, because I no longer believe anything a MINI dealer tells me.

 

Given the nature of the site, it's hard to tell how prevalent these types of problems are. I agree the "bad gas" comments are in bad faith and the gas pumps should be more reliable based on the fuel quality in the USA. You would expect a tolerance range in the first place instead of blaming the customer. It really comes down to the part design and quality.

Do we really think dealers are testing the fuel? Is it reasonable to be told 1 or 2% above the stated tolerance voids the warranty claim? Unfortunately, it's not economically feasible to challenge a dealer and they know it.

In the end, though, it is hard to determine the magnitude of the problem, not only with the fuel punps, but also the other issues like the cold engine clatter. It is very surprising how few complaints show up in the NHTSA site (an easy process) . There seems to be a disconnect with some of the venting here and what people are reporting, if anything.

 

Well, since my problem at Hendrick's MINI I have started saving every gas receipt. Also the North Carolina Department of Agriculture will test gas, they license the Service Stations here. If the pump isn't marked E85 the maximum ethnanol content allowed is 10.2%. As far the NHTSA site, I thought that was for safety related problems only.

 

Here's a VERY interesting thread about the ethanol problem over at Bimmerfest. Check this out...

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=426695

 

The ethanol-in-the-fuel excuse for not covering the warranty is, as we say in the biz, a bunch of crap. Stick to your guns, We have seen tons of failures with both BMW and MINI pumps: both BMW and MINI know it's a weak link in the system. Be persistent; you will get satisfaction.

I'm interested on how ThumperMCS made out with his mods. Any problems there???

 

I had my HPFP replaced at about the 5k mark. No questions asked from the dealer.

 

They all know me and know my mods very well. They don't care. They're always excited to know what I'm going to do next haha.

My mod's aren't the reason the HPFP failed so they have no reason to make a stink about them. Contrary to what others in this thread are saying about their dealers...my dealer is VERY aware of the HPFP problem and replace them constantly they said.

 

Good news for me there, since "your" dealer is "my" dealer.. at least until Roger opens up his new Mini store in Tempe sometime this spring.

The bad news is that they're replacing lots of HPFPs here. I was hoping maybe that less were failing here than in other areas. Obviously no such luck.

 

Ditto the problem with HPFPs. I had mine replaced at Scottsdale too, and they never so much as mentioned fuel. Claiming that your fuel did it and your warranty is void is an excellent reason to never go there again. Unfortunately this forum has been peppered with reports of certain dealers refusing to to warranty work claiming the customer did the damage. Items like the fuel pump, the clutch, some unknown rattle (claimed he went 2k miles beyond recommended oil change lol), some downtube causing a big engine failure. There have been a number of these that I've read in almost 3 years. Sometimes the dude lawyers up and wins but usually if he just goes down the road he gets it taken care of.

 

What were your "symptoms"?

 

It seems to me like this is a major concern for 2nd Gen MINI's. Are there a lot of failures for the 1st Gen as well?

 

The first gen cars don't have a HPFP. They are more tolerant of ethanol in the gas as well. Of course some of think it's just a poor pump design to start with.

 

So my mini Cooper s 2009 has had two hpfp's changed in 8000 miles. Both times I got crap about what fuel quality I run, comeon with that crap! If this happens again I'm thinking about pressing mini with the California lemon law. Love the car and it's fun to drive but I've been without my car for ten days in the last year, not happy!

 

Here is a related post.
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=383255