The other weakspot on early MINI's is the Rover Midland gearbox so I always change the gearbox oil after buying a Mini to remove all potentially damaging debris and prolong life expectancy. Make sure the garage use the correct oil/fluid which is MTF 94 (2 litres).
How its done: http://www.lonestarminiclub.com/foru...read.php?t=474
Pump failed at 41,000 miles on a Nov 2003 Mini Cooper S. Have had to source a replacment myself as BMW would not give me any good will. Not very happy at all.
my personal issue about the power steering failure
i post this on another forum about this issue.... i am just gonna cut & paste to save some time....
march 24, 2010
This problem happen to my gf’s 04 Cooper, this is extremely dangerous when the driver is female, she couldn’t get off the freeway and she was forced to park on the exit ramp, she turn off and restart the car and the power steering works again…… This is my personal experience, I couldn’t believe this issue is never recall…..
march 24, 2010
LOOK, JUST LIKE TOYOTA, BMW WILL NOT DO ANYTHING UNLESS D.O.T. FORCE BMW TO DO THE RECALL….. FILE A SAFETY COMPLAINT……….. I’M FILING IT TOMORROW……
AND FOR THOSE WHO ALREADY PAID FOR THE REPAIR, YOU STILL CAN FILE A COMPLAINT…. JUST SAVE YOUR REPAIR INVOICE FOR REIMBURSEMENT…………………..
“BY PHONE: Call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at
(888) 327-4236 , TTY: (800) 424-9153″
april 30, 2010
did anyone read my post on march 24, 2010 ???
okay, here is an update, i file a safety issue to D.O.T…….
they told me, since 2002, only 10 mini cooper owner (including me) file a safety concern on the vehicle (the power steering failure)
the same day, i also call BMW usa & file a complaint on the same issue
on April 27th, 2010……… we got approve by a local BMW dealership, we will just need to pay for the labor of $250usd & BMW usa will cover the rest………
ALL I CAN SAY IS.... CALL D.O.T. & COMPLAINT THE PROBLEM !! FOR A NATION WIDE RECALL, 10 COMPLAINT IS NOT GONNA CUT IT !!
oh damn....power steering just died while i was on a roundabout....not funny!!! mine is a mini one 1995, 67000 miles on clock. just managed to get it home and parked... havnt really had any other problems with it...its my 'baby' ((
Guys, my almost 10 year old mini one (51 plate) caught fire due to to steering pump failure. where the pump had shorted out, the wire loom caught alight at the bottom back of the engine. It took my insurance over a month to tell me they were not liable . So i took it to bmw (which i thought was my last [most expensive] option). After agreeing to pay for the system check (£52), they took it in and replaced the damaged parts. I thought i would end up paying loads but they contacted MINI UK and they paid for it all!!! when they tested it, something was leaking due to fire damage so they paid for the replacement of that aswell! i was very impressed as i'm the 2nd owner and the car is long out of warrenty. I bought a full service and had all my consumables replaced (about £400 worth of stuff) which i thought was a sign of good will from me as they paid for over £1300 worth of repairs and labour.
The car's full service history is with the dealer i'm with and the consultants and mechanics were extremely helpful, and in the end i didnt have to pay for the initial £52!!!! it was superb.
they even cleaned the car inside and out! it feels completely refreshed now and handles amazing!
IMHO i think MINI UK chose not to do a complete recall for all potentially effected vehicles as it was too expensive and uneconomical - especially when not every effected mini will encounter this problem in its lifetime. instead, they take each case into consideration and do the repairs one at a time.
Be patient and friendly with the staff and wear something smart. Don't get angry as aggression is not attractive and won't get you anywhere. Good luck!
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to nick3 For This Useful Post:
Congratulations, my dealer charged £93 for a diagnostic and would not refer it for Goodwill until I asked them to. They then said I didn't qualify as my car was 8 years old. I strongly suspect that Mini reputation relies on the quality of individual dealerships. Neeless to say my pump is being replaced elsewhere.
Have a 2003 Mini Cooper manuf in 10/2002. Loved it until one day I come out of school & can barely steer the car. I had been a driver for about a year & lucky for me the dealer was down the street. They fixed it no questions, no explanations, nothing. I had a rental car for 2 days & assumed whatever problem it was, the dealer would fix it so it wouldn't happen again.
Today, I'm down at the beach eating lunch before a 2 hour drive home. I get into the car to begin my trip & the steering is just like my problem 7 years ago. Tried turning the car off & back on again, problem persists. You lucky stiffs get to save yourself from a costly repair because you can turn your car on & off and it works again.
Tomorrow I'm bringing my car into Jiffy Lube, hopefully just a power steering fluid issue. If I need to replace my power steering pump SO HELP ME, I will be totally upset & feeling chained to this car because it is paid off & I cannot afford a brand new car.
Did I mention I recently had to replace the ENTIRE fan to my engine because it would not stop running? Yeah, about $400 for that. Now I'm looking at maybe $700 for the pump because I have learned with my car it is ALWAYS worst-case scenario.
Definitely NOT loving this car.
Last edited by cjfarq; Jun 28th, 2010 at 02:22 AM.
Reason: left some things out that give further detail
Presumably that was still within the warranty period?
Your MINI is over 7 years old so things will go wrong eventually. Unfortunately, if you were to build a car that would be completely problem-free for 10 or 20 years, the purchase price would be absolutely astronomical. Affordable cars will eventually break when they age and maintenance costs rise.
Have a click on the link in my signature and have a read of my consolidated guide to the power steering pump issue - it contains advice for how best to approach your dealer for assistance. I also have a template letter available via e-mail if you'd like to send me your e-mail address via private message. You may also want to read pulsey's post on a DIY power steering pump repair (not replacement):
Is there a seal or gasket material that belongs between the two halves of the Power Steering Pump? The impossible to remove stains on both of these two pieces as well as the channeling left me wondering.
Last edited by kemopots; Jun 28th, 2010 at 06:56 PM.
Reason: No photo upload
It's a long time since I rebuilt mine, I did not use any sort of seal or gasket, I simply took in apart and re-assembled it.
I can't remember if there was an o ring around the pressure sensor.
I had a couple questions because you seem like you know what you are talking about. I talked to the Goodyear dealer to check the power steering fluid level (Jiffy Lube wouldn't touch my car, "company policy") and he advised me that power steering pumps usually last the life of the car. They only go bad when other things go bad.
It's funny how the power steering pump is the only thing that failed on my car.
When I brought it in to my trusty car repair shop, the owner advised me the design of the Mini's power steering is poor. The power steering pump has it's own electric motor (which is not as trusty as ones that rely on the belt) and it's own fan. Adding to the mix two things that can go wrong & end up costing more in repairs.
This is my first car. I know it's not going to just need gas, oil, wiper blades and the occasional car wash. I just don't understand why this car has so many things that fail on it which is just not typical of almost every other car on the road.
That being said, I've had two recent repairs which don't seem like they are caused by any wear & tear-related failures. Is the Mini design just poor? Are their any positives to my car? I honestly feel like I own a lemon.
LinkBack to this Thread: http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-generation-faults-fixes/49527-important-have-you-had-power-steering-pump-failure-please-vote-yes-no.html
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my personal issue about the power steering failure 
