NHTSA Complaint #10695201 — 2009 MINI COOPER S

A FEW WEEKS AFTER I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A NOISE WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE COLD. THIS "RATTLING" NOISE WOULD CONTINUE UNTIL THE ENGINE HEATED UP & GO AWAY. I TOOK THE CAR IN THEY CHANGED THE OIL & TOLD ME THAT THE COOLANT WAS LOW. HE ASKED IF THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING WHICH IT WAS NOT. HE TOLD ME TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE TO SEE IF THE CAR OVERHEATS. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO TAKE THE CAR TO A LOCAL MECHANIC JUST TO BE SAFE. A FEW DAYS LATER, DRIVING 65MPH ON THE FREEWAY I NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF MY EXHAUST & THE HOOD, CLOSER TO THE WINDSHIELD NOT THE FRONT BY THE RADIATOR. SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM THE VENTS AND SMELLED "RUBBERY". THE THERMOSTAT SYMBOL APPEARED & THEN THE OIL LIGHT. I TOOK IT TO CARMAX WHO SAID "SRY, NO EXTENDED WARRANTY, NO HELP". I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC. HE TOLD ME INITIALLY THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS BLOWN AND THERE WAS A MATERIAL FAILURE OF THE HOUSING (IT WAS CRACKED), HE REPLACED ALL THE PIPES FROM THE COOLANT: $482. THE MECHANIC CALLED & SAID THAT HE COULD NOT "BURP" THE VEHICLE & THAT IT MADE A WEIRD SOUND SO THEY HAVE TO "BLEED IT OVERNIGHT". THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE SO THEY HAD TO TAKE THE ENGINE APART & FIND THE PROBLEM. THE HEAD CASKET WAS BLOWN & QUOTED ME A REPAIR BILL OF $5000+ .THE OWNER OF THE SHOP CALLED BMW AND ASKED IF THEY COULD DO A "GOOD FAITH" REPLACEMENT WHICH THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO IF THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 80,000 MILES ON IT... MINE HAD 85,000 MILES ON IT... FROM WHAT I AM READING ON THE COMPLAINT BOARD, THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE!! AS A RN IF THERE IS A FAILURE IN ANY PRODUCT WE IMPLANT IN PATIENTS, THERE IS AN IMMEDIATE RECALL, SO WHY, WHEN BMW CLEARLY KNOWS THIS IS AN ISSUE DO THEY WAIT FOR HARD-WORKING PEOPLE LIKE ME TO BE PUT IN THIS HORRIBLE SITUATION!!! I HOPE THAT BMW STEPS UP AN HONOR IT'S "GOOD FAITH" BEYOND 80,000 MILES AND REPLACE THE CAR. *TR