NHTSA Complaint #10358610 — 2004 MINI COOPER

MY CAR STARTED TO MAKE A WHIRRING SOUND, I WASN'T SURE WHAT IT WAS SO MY DAD HAD A LOOK AND WASN'T SURE. THE NEXT DAY I WAS DRIVING ALONG A 60MPH ROAD AND AS I WENT TO TURN A SHARP CORNER MY POWER STEERING FAILED. I HAD TO MANUALLY PULL THE CAR ROUND THE CORNER WITH ALL MY STRENGTH SO AS NOT TO HIT THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. IT THEN KEPT FAILING INTERMITTENTLY FOR THE REST OF THE DRIVE HOME. I TYPED MINI POWER STEERING INTO GOOGLE WHEN I GOT HOME AND FOUND PAGE AFTER PAGE OF PEOPLE HAVING PROBLEMS JUST LIKE MINE. I RANG MINI AND THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP IN CHELTENHAM WHICH I DID. I LEFT THE CAR WITH THEM AND THE NEXT DAY THEY GOT BACK TO ME TO SAY IT DEFINITELY WAS THE POWER STEERING PUMP. I ASKED IT THEY WOULD FIX THIS AS IT WAS A DANGEROUS FAULT WITH THE CAR. THEY SAID THEY WOULD SPEAK TO MINI ONE AND GET BACK TO ME. I EVENTUALLY HEARD BACK FROM THEM AND THE ANSWER WAS NO, THEY WOULDN'T FIX IT AS I DIDN'T BUY THE CAR FROM A MINI DEALERSHIP. I WAS UNHAPPY WITH THIS DECISION AS IT WAS CLEARLY A DANGEROUS MANUFACTURING FAULT SO WENT INTO THE DEALERSHIP IN CHELTENHAM TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE FACE TO FACE. I SPOKE TO THE MANAGER THERE AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THINGS, THAT I DIDN'T BUY IT FROM A MINI DEALERSHIP, IT WAS OVER 5 YEARS OLD AND OVER 30000 MILES ON THE CLOCK. IT WAS A PRISTINE 2004 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE WITH 35000 MILES ON THE CLOCK. HAD ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED WITH MINI AND I HAD ONLY OWNED THE CAR 3 MONTHS. THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD COST ME 800 TO FIX IT. I COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS AND TOLD THEM HOW UNHAPPY I WAS AND THEY OFFERED ME HALF OFF THE LABOR TAKING THE PRICE TO 590 APPROX. I WAS STILL UNHAPPY SO THEY OFFERED TO RING MINI ONE AGAIN AND PUT MY CASE FORWARD. 2 DAYS LATER WE GOT A CALL AND THE ANSWER WAS AGAIN NO. I THEN FOUND A COMPANY ONLINE WHO RESTORE FAULTY POWER STEERING PUMPS WITH A 2 YEAR WARRANTY FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE SO WENT WITH THAT. IT WAS FIXED IN JUNE AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS SINCE. *TR