I have gone through 2 warped hood scoops in 9 mos of owning this car. My dealer service manager recommended a CF one. The dealer would not provide it to me, but told me to call miniusa and request it. They refused, stating that if I had bought 15-20 cars from them in the past they would have covered it, and that if I would have contacted them before I took it to my dealer they would have. They also said if this 3rd one warps, to call them, maybe they will provide me with a CF one then.

I am not happy with this, as I have gone through 2 of them in only 9 mos, as it will happen again. And I have had 2 mini coopers, 2007 S, and the current one, and currently own a 2011 BMW X5 50i, and have had 2 past BMWs. I guess owning 5 BMWs over the years is not good enough.

My car has been in service at my local mini dealership 8 times in 9 mos! It is has been there a total of about 6 weeks. My blue tooth issue is still not resolved. After three complaints about it sounding like a diesel they finally changed the timing chain tensioner, and after complaining about another noise in the engine bay, they replaced the water pump. Now it has a new sound, of which they cannot figure out what it is. I have had so many problems with this car, and miniusa, has been unwilling to do anything for me. This is my second mini, and would buy another one, but I just think I got a lemon. Not sure what to do, as it has been in service for over one week, and the dealer is not sure when it will be done.

I guess I am just venting, and tired the 25 mile drive to the mini dealer every week. Would be nice if mini would just take the car back, and I would immediately purchase another one, hoping it would be better. Right, they wont even replace the scoop!

 

each state defines lemons differently. With the number of visits you've gone through, you may be getting close. As far as the scoop goes, thier answer doesn't make sense. "We want you to damage another part on our dime before we give you a fix that will work" just means that they're going to pay more!

Not a very high IQ move on MINIs part...

Matt

 

Sorry to hear you are getting a bit of a run around. These scoops melting has been a long standing issue for many owners of the 2nd Gen Turbo models.

Probably has something to do with the fact that the snail is mounted right up front under the scoop area. They get really hot, and on any other 4 banger I have seen, they are mounted in the back by the fire wall and exhaust manifold. Not sure why they choose to mount it up front, but there must have been a good reason.

Does anyone know if the M7 Aerogel shield helps in this regard. I had the M7 Aerogel pad under my other intercooler, and it worked great.




http://www.m7tuning.com/parts/produc...roducts_id=137

Less expensive than a JCW CF Scoop I think too.

 

Try popping the friction post (it is located in the middle of the rear of the scoop - and in my opinion is the source of the warpage) out of it's hole. It might keep creeping back in and inching back down again and again. Keep an eye on it. The scoop *may* regain it's shape after several days/heat cycles. I've kept mine in this configuration and it is perfect after 14 months and 12K miles.

I copied and pasted a post from which I took advice. I don't think enough people saw this or tried it but it works!

 

I guess I am confused.

Has Mini refused to replace the scoop, or have they refused to replace it with a carbon fiber one?

It seems to me that they would have to replace the stock one. Did they refuse that, too?

 

Yes, the "good reason" is that the exhaust manifold is on "front side" of the engine. :^) Engineers have to get very creative in tight packaging situations (like on the MINI, for example) and so configurations that we may think of as "standard" will get replaced with another solution that provides some benefit. (usually cost, ease of manufacture/assembly, or aesthetics, and usually in that order!)

 

The thread title makes it sound like they refused to deal with it outright, but your post seems to say that they will go one more round before considering a CF version. If that's the case, I know it's frustrating but I would just go with it. They are obligated to repair it but not necessarily with CF. Technically they fulfill their obligation and you don't have much to push back on. However, I don't get what they said about contacting them before going to your dealer. I thought most of the time if you contact MINIUSA directly about any problem, they would tell you to take it to a dealer.

I have no doubt that internally they look at purchase history and adjust how they respond, but I'm shocked that they wouldn't respond more diplomatically instead of insulting you by saying that you aren't a good enough customer.

 

At last, someone with more issues than I. Sorry about that actually.
Sounds like you have a dealer with a worse attitude than BMW. Their name should be widely distributed. I had no issue with Annapolis Mini on my timing chain or sunroof sticking. Known problems, fixed the first time. I just hope the only time.

I can't believe someone from corporate would give you the "if you had bought more" line. Their name should be brought to their managements attention. Even if a customer is a total jerk, that is not how you run a business. You have very good reason to demand a resolution. A specific fix, like a cf scoop, is not your choice. It is theirs.

I do not understand the warping problem. It seems common and common too individual cars ( drivers?) I don't push my car that hard engine wise, and I have a couple of miles of slow streets before I park it and shut it down. It is over 100 again here so it is not a cold climate. No problem in my 09. Could this actually be failing aux water pumps causing heat soak damage? ( fire is next).

I would think any of the available heat shields would work fine. Or DIY.

If it is any consolation, BMW seems to treat all of it's owners the same. A seven series owner gets the same arrogant run-around as we do. You may not know how bad it really is until you have owned an Acura. I really enjoy my Mini, but I will reserve judgement if I will ever own another BMW product.

Why is the turbo in front? Cross-flow engine. Intake is in back. Why does "everybody else" do it the other way? I take your word for that. Well, the engine is French. It is an old joke that they always do it differently from everybody else. Not better, not worse, just different.

 

Just a thought. Not a safety issue so NTSB won't care, but Better Business in your local area may help you. Hey have a pretty good threat for making bad business behavior known.

 

I second contacting the Better Business Bureau if you have such an organization in your area. They aren't afraid of anyone, and will always to work to help a consumer with a LEGITIMATE claim such as yours. I'm sorry to hear about your hood scoop. It is well documented that they warp.

I think it is amusing that MINI sends out letters to people (I got one) telling me that they are happy that I chose to buy a MINI, and that they value me as a customer, blah, blah, blah. But then again... I don't know of a car company that actually goes out of it's way to make people happy. It's all about profit. Sad. So, so sad.

 

Herlemen,

the dealership is replacing my original scoop with a new one, the same color, interchange yellow. Since this will be my 3rd scoop, my service dept mgr stated that mini should replace it with a CF one. He stated to call them and request it. He also stated that the dealer will not cover my CF scoop, that is why he stated to call miniusa, or BMW corporate. BMW corporate refused.

rkw, I know it sounds stupid, but yes I was told if I would have called initially before bringing it to the dealer they might have replaced it with CF. That makes no sense! And I currently own a 2011 BMW X5 50i, just got it 2 mos ago, 72000.00 msrp, I have had 2 3 series in the past, a conv and hardtop, and this is my second mini cooper S. Aaron, is the managers name at miniusa, who had the ***** to tell me if I had purchased 15 or 20 cars they probably would have replaced it with CF. I was amazed and pissed off that he said that.

I am not going to go to the bbb, my dealer is actually okay, they just like to make me come back 2 or 3 times before they listen to me and do the proper repairs! They are the only dealer in my area, I have no choice but to continue servicing with them.

 

I think three failed repairs for the same thing classifies the car as a lemon! Anyway, it's stupid. With all the money you've given to the corp, to have some d*ckhead say that 5 BMW cars isn't enough but 15 MIGHT be is a way to loose a customer!

Hope it all works out. But MINI isn't doing this the cheapest way that they could.

Matth

 

Yes the M7 heat shield works, I've had it from day one, 2 years and 16K miles later no sign of warpage or any heat damage to the valve cover or anything else. Works great!

 

Dr. Obnxs, I couldn't agree with you more! I am going to check into the lemon law, I know an attorney who has helped a couple of my friends. It did not cost them anything, the attorney fees were straight from the car company. We will see. Thanks.

 

Lemon laws don't apply to a cosmetic part, they are for cars that break down and can't be fixed. If you pursue the lemon law on this I think it would be an abuse of the protection that the law was written for....

My suggestion is to sit down and talk to the service manager at the dealership, if you don't get what you want, ask to see the general manager or the owner, and quietly explain your position. If they can't or won't help you, ask for a meeting with the MINi area service rep.

I know it seems like a lot of work for a simple problem, but you eventually will succeed......

 

BBB...worthless.
Hey don't you love it when the dealer calls you one week after you bought your car
and asks how everything is. I usually ask them to call me 6mn to 1 year and ask me how things are

 

MiniDave, you are correct. However, I have had many problems with the car, as stated it has been at the mini dealership 7 or 8 times in 9 mos, for about one week each time. I did not have working headlights, or a working radio the first day I drove the car off the lot! It took 4 trips to the dealer, and 3 radios, and a wiring harness to get it to work. This is my 3rd hood scoop. This is my 4th time at the dealer complaining about my bluetooth not working correctly. 3 times until my chain tensioner was finally replaced. And just had a water pump put in. And now after the water pump install it makes a gearlike whining noise, of which of course the dealer states their is nothing wrong. It did not do it before, and I hear it, but the dealer states it is normal. And my bluetooth used to work amazing, then one day all of the sudden I could not hear the other party, and they could not hear me. Yet the dealer says it is normal.

The sum total of all of these problems is the reason i am considering contacting an attorney. It has been at the dealer for the past 9 days, and am suppose to pick it up tomorrow.

The funny thing is I still love the car, I think it is a good car, just have had these issues. I would really like mini to take it back, and I will immediately purchase another mini that cost as much or more.

 

and I don't agree about failing to fix something on the car numerous times is an abuse of the system. Cosmetic or not, it's something that they can't or won't fix, screw em! Especially when they COULD fix it if the wanted to. How long ago was it that they claimed to have a reformulated plastic mixture to fix the problem? How many others have gotten good will on the CF part and had no other issue?

Independent of it being a cosmetic part or not, getting it dealt with takes time from the owner. Doing it over and over and over is an abuse of the customer relationship. IF the particular legal definition of lemon in the particular state allows for it being designated as a lemon for this, or because of the amount of times it's in for service, or the number of days that it's in for service (all of which are part of the CA law), then who are we to argue the intent of the law? IF the definition fits, use it. If it doesn't, it doesn't. But the only way to know for sure is to read the law for the state in question and then check to see if the car meets the standard based on how it's written.

Matt

 

Different states may have different wording, but my understanding is that it refers to problems that keep the car off the road for a set period of time, a non-functional hood scoop would hardly qualify....also, it's not that the dealer has failed to fix it, it's that the part keeps failing.

However, the OP has had a laundry list of other problms too, I wonder whether his problem is a "bad car" or an incompetent dealer service dept. on those issues.....

Back to the hood scoops for a minute, why do you suppose some cars have so much more problem with this than others? My '09 has 19K on it and the hood scoop still looks fine. It gets plenty hot here in Kansas, and I've had my car on the road course at HPT twice too, as well as city and extended hiway driving, so I don't think it's just running conditions. But I am curious....

 

one of them being how hot the turbo is when it's parked, and how much airflow/wind exposure etc is around the car when it's parked. But this is just a guess....

Matt

 

There's been a lot of speculation on other boards whether opening the scoop up and making it functional would make any difference to the warping situation by allowing the heat a place to escape. Also, I wonder why it's closed off in the first place, given it's location it seems a natural to have it there to cool the turbo.....it must have some effect on the way they want the air to move thru the engine compartment but this really puzzles me.....

Maybe, instead of putting a shield like M7's over the turbo, the answer is to put some sort of non-metallic shield on the underside of the hood scoop?

 

I'd be running a turbo wrap. But that's just me.

Matt

 

http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/G2.../InvDetail.cfm



WOW Is it made out of Gold?

Maybe you can negotiate for dealer credit to the amount of the new scoop and installation costs then go purchase what you really want?

I agree that a sit down with the owner and area service rep with all your records in hand .... and the threat of lemon law might be a last ditch effort!

Fingers crossed for you,

Bob

 

The CF replacement shouldn't be necessary any more. From March '10 onwards, the scoops are new and shouldn't warp. Hopefully replacement parts are the same new part by now. Here's a MF article from earlier this year explaining..

http://www.motoringfile.com/2010/01/...w-hood-scoops/

 

MINIdave, I live in the northern part of LA, almost desert, and it is warm here all year round. And mostly hot for 6 mos of the year. I drive 40 miles on the highway each way to my office 4 days per week. Maybe that has to do with the warping.

However, I had a 2007 MCS hardtop, did the same amount of driving, and in the 3 years I had it. It NEVER warped! Go figure. Maybe the hood scoop material is different now, I doubt it. Cant explain that. My service manager today said that there is no fix yet for the scoop, and that he was told mini is aware of the problem and was supposed to have had a fix for the 2010 cars. But put it on the back burner, and for the 2011 cars maybe it will be fixed, ie, a different material in the scoop to prevent warping.

I picked up my car with the same warped scoop, as after 2 attempts to get a new scoop painted, both times it did not match my hood. It was lighter, noticeably. So, my service manager is trying to get the CF scoop approved. I have to give him credit for trying. If that does not work, I will see if I can pay the difference between the regular scoop and the CF scoop and put it on my car at this point. I did install an M7 heatshield, so we will see if that prevents future warping. Not a huge issue, but, like I said I have been to the dealer 4 times regarding this scoop. Just want it to look right thats all.