Yeah, I'll probably just call and make my appointment as well. Not as much fun.... I really wanted my letter though..... I like seeing this kind of stuff in writing on MINI letterhead addressed to me..... Still kind of perplexed why it doesn't seem letters are going out.... Has anyone gotten one???
I bet you will get your official letter complete with certificate of authenticity in the mail eventually. In the mean time I'd be glad to write you guys a letter for MAG. :ihih:
I got a phone call 2 weeks ago and my letter last week. Haven't had a chance to schedule the work yet.
My sister's letter came today from Corporate. She lives five hours from her dealer. The closest dealer is three hours away. I wonder what happens if her car catches fire while she is driving to have the problem fixed? Who covers that loss? Anyone have the dealership offer to make arrangements to tow their car?
So far, all indications are the fires occur after the engine is shut down. That's when the secondary WP starts running. It's job is to cool down the turbo. So there shouldn't be an issue.
Hey.... Just got a letter from MINI that the 2nd gen "S" models have an issue with the auxiliary water pump and they are issuing a recalled...... Just thought I would put the word out..............
A lot of people seem really confused by this recall..... This is NOT to replace the regular waterpump that cools the engine. This is to replace a small secondary electric pump that cools the turbo after you shut off the engine. The problem is with the circuit board that controls the pump, apparently it might fail and cause an electrical fire that can turn catastrophic if not caught, that's why MINI recommends parking the car out of the garage. However, out of the 100,000 or so cars under this recall, only about 5 have had a fire - worldwide. So, the chances of your car having a problem are very, very, very small. The secondary pump does not affect the driveability of the car or cause it to overheat, even if it fails.
I know you two well enough to know the insurance is paid in full. Drive it down there, and if it catches fire along the way, there's plenty of professionally trained FF'ers around to do their thing. Now remember, that might be to watch it go to the ground, as most cars do when that occurs. :biggrin5: But not to worry, Bitzie'll find another PW/B out there in no time. Advice is cheap... Gasoline is not. :cryin:
Got letters on Monday, one was fixed today since I had an appointment. Will do the other in April when I take the 07 in for the annual oil change. Did you folks know that the est. for a battery replacement on the MCS is around $250. This is due to the excess labor to R&R the battery. Bad MINI design or intentional, what do you think. Don
If someone could scan one of the letters and send it to me I'll be happy to post so all can see what MINI is sending. Please redact your personal information first.
You do realize that our cars are like a member of the family don't you? While there may be other Pepper Whites out there, it is not the same. :nonod: The recall letter makes the following statement: "In some cases, a plastic burning smell or burning and/or smoke from the front of the vehicle may be noticed. Should any of these warnings occur, pull off the road to a safe location away from traffic, and switch off the engine. If you notice a plastic burning smell or burning and/or smoke from the front of the vehicle, do not open the hood. :mad5: All occupants should carefully exit the vehicle and move to a location away from traffic. Do not continue to drive your vehicle. Contact MINI Roadside Assistance at 1-866-646-4772 immediately to have your vehicle brought to the nearest authorized MINI dealer." Sounds to me like it could potentially catch fire while it is being driven. Rare admittedly, but it could happen. I would not want to drive five hours, over mountains in hot weather to test the odds. :fingerscrossed: As for insurance you will more than likely receive low blue book and more than likely in for a big fight to obtain more. :incazzato: Her car has very low mileage, just over 20,000 on a 2008. Mine just turned 18,000 on a 2007. (Mine is not under recall however.) Try replacing our cars with a suitable equivalent. :frown2: It is worth asking for a flatbed. Asking never hurts. :ihih:
Kiki, sounds like all we have to do is to say we smelled smoke. Seems they would have to tow it in then? Just don't tell them that there was a guy smoking a cigar close :lol: Janet got her letter yesterday also. Looks like we need to get up to Sac soon?
Sorry if I struck a nerve. I was just looking at the whole recall/fire thing from a practical perspective while on the road. Now the inside the garage thing is a whole-nuther story. If I had one of the suspect models, it'd be parked outside until I had the recall fix tended to. Didn't mean to sound insensitive, but was merely allowing a hardened side to escape I guess. Too many years of exposure.....
I was just messing with you. Not upset at all. My grandfather was a fireman and trust me, life is much more important than "things". If something happened to MINI or Coop I would have a really long hard cry however and my mood would be pretty bad for months. My cars and I tend to "bond" and as you know, I still own the first car my Dad bought for me. That baby is a 1961 and who knows how many miles it has on it, I have worn out several speedometers. When I was a kid, my grandfather scared the begeebers out of me and I was not able to strike a match until I was well into my pre-teens. I almost did not get my camping badge in Girl Scouts as a result! I have a great deal of respect for fire.
Hey, I just had a scathingly brilliant idea. Janet and Bitzie can drive their MINIs up to Sac; you and I can drive our MINIs in front and rear as pace cars to keep other cars a safe distance away; and Firebro, you can borrow one of your fire trucks and follow just behind the recalled MINIs just in case. You can even hose them down every so often, just for good measure!
I suppose it's possible that it could catch fire while driving, if whatever is causing the circuit board to fail only partially happens, then causes a short the next time the car is started, but since I don't know how the thing is wired or where it gets the signal to run it's all speculation... I do know that on the BMW's it runs when the engine is on, where on the MINI it's only supposed to run after shut down. Since they're replacing them on BMW's as well, I wonder if some of the boiler-plate got carried from one car's recall letter to the other? At any rate, the incidences of failure are extrmemly rare, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. A recall does not mean that every car will fail, only that there's a possibility of it and they want to try and ensure that it doesn't. To me it sure seems like they're going way beyond normal on all recalls these days, which I suppose is a good thing - till it either bankrupts the company or makes cars so expensive no one can afford them anymore.
Well 2 for MAG today. They were ready for me when I arrived for my appointment tonight. Took maybe an hour for the replacement and had me back on the road. No problems at all. Even though they didn't have me as owner of record since I just adopted this car from chkmini. I would say you can call and get in without the letter.