Hi everyone,
After reading people having successful good will claims for the common faults on the r50 generation mini I emailed Mini UK to perhaps pursue a goodwill claim.
Needless to say i'm disappointed with the reply:
After reading people having successful good will claims for the common faults on the r50 generation mini I emailed Mini UK to perhaps pursue a goodwill claim.
Needless to say i'm disappointed with the reply:
Reply:To whom it may concern,
I write with regards to my 2003 Mini Cooper which I have owned for the past 3.5 years, I love my Mini but unfortunately its not been great to me. Over the past year I've experienced almost every common fault possible occur and its left me fairly out of pocket.
It started with the airbag light flashing on, this was diagnosed as the passenger under-seat connector which after just being a little more firmly placed together resolved the fault after clearing it at an independent BMW specialist.
Around 8 months ago I experienced power steering failure, something which has been widely reported on as being a common fault with the elector-hydraulic power steering motor used in the R50 generation mini. I have attached a screenshot of a thread located here: http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-ge...steering-pump-failure-please-vote-yes-no.html on a Mini Owners club forum which details the amount of power steering failures that the motor has caused.
The pump was disassembled and the fault was a short circuit on the electrical part of the unit, the brushes had worn down so much that the filings were filling the housing to the power steering unit. The iron filings were removed and the circuit board cleaned, the unit reassembled with what little was left of the internal brushes (unable to source replacements) and the power steering is now functioning again in a state where it will not suddenly become heavy and has reduced the risk considerably, however the life of the unit itself is in question and it will need replacing indefinitely to keep the car on the road and safe.
6 months ago the third and biggest problem of them all, Unfortunately my gearbox developed a fault and having sourced a refurbishment via the seller: bmwminispares (as the midland r65 gearbox is no longer available) and having to pay for labor to remove the gearbox and refit the replacement exchange unit set me back a large amount of money. However upon replacement the gearbox replacement was great and all noises had disappeared. However 5 months after the replacement, familiar noises started again and I was at a loss as to what could be the culprit. Surely not the gearbox? I was recommended to replace the clutch release bearing although this had been done at the time of the gearbox replacement. This set me back a further £200. Unfortunately, the clutch release bearing was not the culprit. But I believe it to be another failed Midland R65 gearbox, this is also a widely common issue amongst the forum which tends to people converting to the later getrag 6 speed gearboxes which would be great. The seller refuses to honor the advertised 12 month warranty and now unfortunately, I'm at a point where I cannot drive my beloved car, its been off the road for 2-3 months now and unfortunately.
I would love to continue to be a Mini car owner and the greatest thing of all would to be able to see my car back on the road with these faults addressed and ask that you consider the car for a Good Will Claim as I have seen people that have had both labor and parts covered under the good will claim service.
"My power steering pump failed on Sunday 16th December, I made a quick call to my local garage BMW Scotthall Southampton, and also a call to MINI UK to register my details. Dropped the car off to the garage on 17/12/12 and asked them to make a goodwill claim. Received a call this morning and the dealer and they confirmed that MINI UK agreed to pay 100% of the parts and labour for the whole pump - Very Happy!!!
All I have to pay is £75 for diagnostics and for the fluids!
MINI Uk confirmed that they can consider a claim for any MINI up to 10 years old.
Very helpful service all round. I spoke to a lady called Miya at MINI UK who was more than helpful!
Restored faith with MINI and a very satisfied customer!!! From Failure - Successful claim - Fixed car in 2 days!!!"
I really appreciate the time you have taken to read my message and look forward to your reply.
Yours Sincerely,
xxx xxx
My displeased reply:Thank you for your email dated January 8, 2013. I am sorry to learn of the issues you have experienced with your MINI and I can appreciate the concern that this has caused.
Once a vehicle's warranty has expired and no Insured Warranty has been purchased, we are under no obligation to assist financially with a repair. We only use quality components in the construction of our vehicle range, however, we are unable to guarantee that a part will not fail during a vehicle's lifetime.
I appreciate that you would like MINI UK to provide goodwill for further faults with the gearbox of your MINI. I am sorry, however, this is not covered under the parameters for goodwill and we would be unable to assist you in this instance.
I acknowledge that you will be disappointed with my response and I am sorry that you have had reason to write to us under these circumstances.
Yours sincerely
MINI UK
Great service from Mini, disgusting approach of avoiding recalls and denying faults of engineering.Hi xxx,
I've been informed by other Mini owners that Mini accept Good Will claims for cars upto 10 years old, whether or not the vehicle has manufacturer guarantee or not. Using a gearbox design from 1986 for a car that is 850kg (citroen ax) as oppose to 1150kg kerb weight of the Mini Cooper is not good engineering and this was addressed with later models with the introduction of the Getrag gearbox. As for the power steering, this module was also changed from the electrical pump in later models.
As my concerns have been brushed off despite the serious safety implications of the manufacturer aware faults due to poor quality components, I will have no choice but to further report on my problems to VOSA.
Needless to say, Despite my love for the Mini styling... My next car purchase will not be a Mini, I will also not be advising anyone to purchase a Mini due to the faults which are almost guaranteed to occur. The facts are there with out of 2000 people that took the poll, over half had failures of the power steering. Much the same for the gearbox.
Kind regards,
xxx xxx