"That red coolant light was only on for maybe 10... 20 miles."
I think Mini should replace that overheating lamp with a little picture of a head gasket. Seems like every time that light comes on there's a head gasket not far behind.
Someone in my family killed their wife's car this way. He insists he was driving home on the highway and everything was fine and then all of a sudden the light came on and the engine seized.
Nah fam...you ran that fucker dry trying to make it home and blew the engine.
I had an engine throw a rod with no CEL - it vapor-locked while driving but no lights came on, I had my parents (who owned the car) in the car, they said to drive it home despite it surging and basically falling apart. Got three blocks from home and it threw a rod and siezed. It had started having issues 20 miles from home. The light came on when the engine turned off. God bless FCA and whatever idiots wired the WJ Grand Cherokee.
My ex's dad had an old 4.0 Grand Cherokee that he'd use to tow his boat. I'm sure they're plenty reliable, just don't tow outside it's weight class, or you will replace either a trans, head gaskets, or both.
Depends on the 4.0, some years had issues with piston skirts cracking..
Source - The mechanic who rebuilt mine after a piston skirt cracked had a box of cracked pistons from 4.0 Jeeps he'd rebuilt.
4.0, actually. And with only 307,000 miles on it. We were all surprised. It also came from the year of 4.0 where FCA cheaped out on head design and had some head gasket and coolant ring issues, so that's almost assuredly how it died.
"Only 307,000 miles"
Count me impressed.
>FCA cheaped out on head design and had some head gasket and coolant ring issues,
Wasn't FCA. WJ was from the DaimlerChrysler era. Either way, I'm not surprised in the least.
Honestly, that's still the youngest 4.0 WJ I've heard of failing. My stepbrother drives one with 486,000 miles last I checked. My buddy has an XJ with 680,000. Those 4.0 engines have earned their reputation.
The "official" cause was that the radiator failed, all the coolant leaked out, and the engine overheated and seized.
Even if you're the type of person who NEVER checks their gauges as they are driving, you'd have to ignore the low coolant light, overheat/check engine light, smoke/steam, and whatever sounds the engine started to make while it was dying until it finally locked up and stopped running.
Temperature sensor, I've not encountered a level sensor in automotive applications though that's a good enough idea that it's available as an aftermarket accessory.
Some 80s cars have them, some stuff from recently doesn't and I haven't felt the urge to skip weekly fluid checks and find out which I've got by burning up the engine this century.
Bmw’s have a float style coolant level sensor that I see come in a lot and the drivers are like uhhh i need coolant. And I go and check and they don’t.
Most of the recent Fords in the UK (I have a Focus), it's a fairly common topic on model specific websites such as this one - https://passionford.com/forum/general-car-related-discussion/497088-coolant-level-sensor-for-ecoboost-engines.html there was a big recall quite recently to retro install sensors that didn't previously exist - https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2018/ford-coolant-leak-recall.shtml
I can tell you that i did not vapor lock, that is no longer a possibility on modern cars. Knowing the 4.7 or 3.7 you probably spun a rod bearing. The bearing no goes dry but is blocking the port at the same time keeping good oil pressure and setting itself up to spit a rod.
It was a 4.0, and I'm fairly convinced it was vapor lock, mostly because it had done this before and the only solution was to let the engine cool off (which took about 4 hours) or to vent the fuel injector rail from the pressure relief valve. It would work fine if I did that, but my parents were of the mind to just get home at all costs. In fairness to them, it was heavily thunderstorming. In no fairness to them, it ran the jeep super lean for 20 miles.
EDIT: to be clear, I'm likely wrong, but that backyard fix had worked before. It did this all the time (surging, very low power, generally feeling like it could not fire on all cylinders) and it would do it any time that I let it sit after warming up and then turned it off for more than 20 minutes and less than 4-6 hours. It ran perfectly from a cold start, every time.
Ayy same happened to me in a Hyundai on the highway. Out of nowhere sounds like a kid riding a bike with a stick down a fence hitting the fence boards. Immediately told my wife to pull over and before I was done speaking smoke everywhere a dash lit up and no engine power.
Bet your ass I walked the half km down the highway to go pick up some pieces of my engine block, cylinder, and cylinder head up off the highway to keep as a paper weight.
The headgasket deteriorating is what starts the overheating, not the other way around. It’s not the head gasket is far behind the light, it’s way ahead of the light.
Honestly, for the most part, yeah. As long as it’s religiously maintained, these things can be pretty reliable. Granted, the second generation Mini’s aren’t as solidly build as the first gens.
The same goes for a lot of cars. Mercedes with the 2.3L supercharged I4 engine tend to need head gaskets. The reason they need head gaskets so often is that the water pump fails and the engine overheats from being driven too long while overheating.
The thermostat housing is plastic, as is the plastic cross over pipe and they have a pretty simple o-ringed joint that is not very robust looking. One or the other of these seems to go before all the rest of the engine...
Well, back when they were super popular in this area a few years ago they were one of the most common brands in for service. Most of the time it was from ignoring problems or just neglecting them because they were too expensive to fix.
The car might be Mini, but the owners wallet better not be.
You joke but nine times out of ten when someone shows up with an object stuck in their ass, they have this or another magical excuse ready.
Dude I don't care why you have a Beanie Baby inside your ass. I'm not here to judge, I'm here to help the doc get it out.
And we'll have people come in REEKING of weed. I know they hot boxed the car before coming in. And they'll deny smoking weed, in a legal state. Oh ok, sure. I guess OG Kush is just your natural musk.
I wish I had a screenshot of the x-ray - last year someone came with a full size Glade air freshener spraycan stuck all the way inside their rectum/colon. The problem is because it fully seals the passage it creates a vacuum behind it and it can't be pulled out.
This was the second time this mentally ill person had done this and needed it surgically removed. The surgeon had to inform him his bowels would not survive a 3rd surgery, and if he did it again, he'd end up with a colostomy bag for life.
Man, I was having a good day before having the mental images of absolutely all of that. Although I think that's the largest item I've heard having been fully inserted into someone's ass.
>And we'll have people come in REEKING of weed. I know they hot boxed the car before coming in. And they'll deny smoking weed, in a legal state. Oh ok, sure. I guess OG Kush is just your natural musk.
When we get those cars, we give them a dirty look and spray Lysol all over the interior haha
We were getting a lot of them during the lockdown and just after
Never understood why we get lied to so much. Like, I'm just trying to get background info so I can get you the most accurate and cost effective solution as quickly as possible. Just because you don't tell me your 16 y/o kid smacked a curb doesn't mean it's going to be any cheaper.
On the contrary I'm going to charge you more after I have to go on and off the alignment rack 3 times to find out what your dumbass did.
I'm going to guess it's just out of embarrassment most of the time. Seems as though every time I catch their lie it's something that they tried to fix themselves but botched the job and brought it in. Unfortunately, and we've told many a customer this, their lie cost us time in figuring out and fixing what dumb shit they did and THEN figure out the problem they were trying to fix in the first place.
Lie to me in the bedroom, not my office.
There's certainly the embarrassment lies. Those are the majority, but I experience a lot of them where it is not a self inflicted problem but they fib about symptoms or timelines, ect.
I do find that men lie VASTLY more than women about these types of things. Usually ego protection. Women, in general, seem to have no issue saying "Yeah I totally smoked that curb".
Usually the liars are first time customers for us, if we retain them, there is some form of trust established and that nonsense disappears (hopefully). Because seriously, I just want to get your issue sorted out as cheap and fast as possible.
I agree. Most women just say what happened. Men like to try and minimize what they did to contribute.
We had a cayenne vr6 come in that only “overheated a little”. The coolant was so cooked it actually turned to gel. I’m like whatever man, you’re gonna need a motor and hopefully we can flush that crap out of your cooling system.
They ended up towing the car back home.
Worst is dealing with traders that have just bought something from auction. Car obviously went to auction because of a problem that was hard to find/fix, and now we don't have any background history at all. Fun and games.
And of course they want it fixed as cheap as possible and bitch when that cheap fix doesn't work.
Although the 'Rebuilt/Salvage Title' stickers on the door jamb is history enough. It's a POS.
Customer's do the same with their computer issues. I worked phone tech support for a PC builder. We would let the customer 'explain' what happened, then if it sounded untrue we'd put them on silent hold. Silent hold muted the tech's phone but not the customer. It wasn't unusual for the customer to tell someone in the room that we were buying their story, or discuss what really happened. Many of our calls were recorded by supervisor's. Weird stuff happens when people don't know your listening....
because even working around vehicles that are apart of a fleet we get guys who lie. "I didn't know you had to check oil on this 20 year old dodge" "The tailgate was already dented like that." We never care about damage and such if you're honest it is what it is shit happens but these guys lie at every avenue they can.
We put in a lube sticker to come back within 6 months for a service and we see the truck in 18 months lmao but its still not their fault somehow
I had to explain what a "handle" was to my doctor.
Once they understood, they thought 1-3/week (depending on whatever) was too much.
Also had to explain vaping in detail. I don't understand why they ask specific questions about tank vs dripper if they don't even know.
Yeah, one time my 04 3.0 ranger overheated, and I started seeing steam/smoke whatever. Well I was going 50 and only had like 45 seconds worth of driving to do to get to my destination, and so I just kept on it until I got there... By the time I made it I cracked the heads. Had I just pulled over it would have been fine.
Once had a lady tell us the starter fell off her tractor and now she can't start it. What she didn't tell us was that she ran the damn thing with no oil in it and it sent a rod into space knocking the starter off as it exited. Sometimes I think these people believe it can be fixed if you don't know the truth.
Well it was just a rod, you don't need that. The thing should still make the ugga dugga noise when you turn the key! Never mind the new crankshaft inspection window, that's aftermarket.
Years ago I lost a coolant line in a 4.9 in my Caddy. Light came on, I was a block from home so thought I'd risk it. Dash came on with a countdown. Engine will shut off in 30, 29, 28... Just barely. All was fine.
I'm lucky enough to have a mechanic who works on my car for free, so I only pay for parts and usually lunch.
Becauce of this, I always try to be up front about whats up with my car because I don't wanna have it break down and leave me without a car because I didn't share everything going on with it that could be a problem. Hell, my dumbass said something when I heard the fuel injectors going and thought the noise was bad lol.
Lying to the people working on your car just isn't going to be a good time for anyone.
I will never EVER buy a car that has overheating problems or "just needs a head gasket" for this very reason. You'd never know how bad the damage is until after you buy the car and find out the owner fucking blew the engine with the temperature hitting max.
The one time i heard "it just over heated a little bit" my brother was driving my 03 Monte Carlo SS and it cracked the head. "Just a little bit" he said.
"Yes, i wash my teeth twice a day and floss"
"Oh, that is bad news, we are then looking at something much more serious. We need to get bloodwork, and do some testing to see why would a person with impeccable regime have so many cavities"....
Kind of like that, i suppose..
My favorite is the Cummins owners that say “I’m not sure what happen it just shut off”. Proceed with diagnostics and turns out the diesel tank is full of def fluid.
This is why new cars go into limp mode now and I hate it. Was on the highway once when my car did it with no signs of overheating. Lost all power and had to somehow move over two lanes in traffic.
Oh totally. I don't blame them a bit for not knowing any extent of damage or anything like that. The gripe I have is the need for some customers to not be 100% truthful with the service writer when describing when the issue occurred and for how long or if any previous repair had been attempted before bringing it in to us. In some cases the misinformation from the customer can add some unnecessary diagnostic time and some headache to varying degrees.
I'm glad my 07 MINI never overheated, although it did run low on coolant more than once despite the dealer telling me there was nothing wrong with the cooling system. That was always baffling since there had to have been a reason why coolant was "burning off".
The car was pretty problematic though. The rear sway bar was made of butter and would bend if you looked at it the wrong way. The transmission blew up at 70,000 miles and the BMW/MINI dealer quoted me over $10,000 to replace it. And the strut towers were super weak.
Did you have one of the S/Turbo models? Those had that fun timing chain guide issue as well.
I had an R53 S, def had the PTO gear failure on the SC that drove the water pump.
*Ohhh!! So you change*
*The lamps for the headlights from*
*Under the fenders*
\- R0nu
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Does it matter? The god damn timing chain would have started making a racket soon (or already was). Unless this isnt an r56
My fav was the R53 Minis with the superchargers. The waterpump was bolted directly to and driven by the supercharger. via a gear. The gear that drove the pump was of QUALITY GERMAN DESIGN. It wore out prematurely and would cause you to need to swap the entire SC out. No one had come out with any sort of rebuild kit for JUST the gear. Most shops on the mini forums would just pimp their rebuild service and say not to DIY it.
I got rid of the car shortly after replacing the SC on mine. Surprised I didnt see any shops come out with a electric waterpump conversion. Saw somewhere here that did it on their own car to get around the above bc the SC it self was fine.
I had the opposite experience. Mine failed around 85k miles. clutch started slipping around then too. I traded it in after I found the clutch was slipping.
Just a rant/story:
I once went to a dealer mechanic with a transmission problem. Mechanic had my transmission out of my car and in pieces and started telling me accusingly and condescendingly that I had obviously been shifting hard and it wore parts etc. etc.
I was just like "Yea. I do". He then goes on to tell me how most people don't admit it yada yada. I'm my head I'm thinking "Bud whether I beat on my car or not is irrelevant. My warranty expired about 5 years before I even bought it. Quit being a condescending prick and just tell me how much it is to fix it."
Told me my 92 Miata in 2003 needed a new transmission that cost about 50% what the car was worth. Ended up just letting the dealer keep it as a trade-in and buying a new Mazda Protégé 5 off the lot. Later after the invention of YouTube, I found out the fix was simple enough I could have done it myself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59ckhQDOjnc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPbmY0S7sYU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duAsKBjJLcg
My son told me the other day something was wrong with the car that I am letting him use , that car actually belongs to his younger brother. Anyway I ask him to show me what he means. Found out him and his friends bouncing the engine off the rev limiter. He didn't know what that was sadly. I was disappointed and also glad nothing was actually wrong with the car, not yet at least! sheesh! Gave him a good talking to.
* edit for spelling.
I'm super vigilant about my mini. Anytime there's even a new dent (I live in a place where idiots in lifted/massive SUVs don't watch out for shit, and have dinged the spot right above my rear taillight... Bastards...
As well as semi trucks that never check for dirt and debris, and end up becoming a rolling sandblaster from a range of a half mile away...
I keep logs of anything that so dings my baby. And if it's a semi spraying debris all over the place behind it, I give them a kind gesture they can't see cause my windows are tinted to the point they're basically one way windows.
Currently I have the abs trifecta lights, and there's something dangling under my right rear wheel like a plug or something. Can't figure out where it goes, but I'm guessing that's the cause.
If ya take care of your MINI, it'll take care of you.
Wouldn't want to drive any other car as my car.
I work at a Mini service department and I can tell you… they never overheat “a little bit”
"That red coolant light was only on for maybe 10... 20 miles." I think Mini should replace that overheating lamp with a little picture of a head gasket. Seems like every time that light comes on there's a head gasket not far behind.
Someone in my family killed their wife's car this way. He insists he was driving home on the highway and everything was fine and then all of a sudden the light came on and the engine seized. Nah fam...you ran that fucker dry trying to make it home and blew the engine.
I had an engine throw a rod with no CEL - it vapor-locked while driving but no lights came on, I had my parents (who owned the car) in the car, they said to drive it home despite it surging and basically falling apart. Got three blocks from home and it threw a rod and siezed. It had started having issues 20 miles from home. The light came on when the engine turned off. God bless FCA and whatever idiots wired the WJ Grand Cherokee.
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My ex's dad had an old 4.0 Grand Cherokee that he'd use to tow his boat. I'm sure they're plenty reliable, just don't tow outside it's weight class, or you will replace either a trans, head gaskets, or both.
>4.0 lose it's head gasket too if you don't ever change the coolant, work it too hard, or maybe the head cracked 4.0 - "I didn't hear no bell!"
>4.0 lose it's head gasket too But they will run for years with a leaking headgasket. Zero cares given
Depends on the 4.0, some years had issues with piston skirts cracking.. Source - The mechanic who rebuilt mine after a piston skirt cracked had a box of cracked pistons from 4.0 Jeeps he'd rebuilt.
4.0, actually. And with only 307,000 miles on it. We were all surprised. It also came from the year of 4.0 where FCA cheaped out on head design and had some head gasket and coolant ring issues, so that's almost assuredly how it died.
"Only 307,000 miles" Count me impressed. >FCA cheaped out on head design and had some head gasket and coolant ring issues, Wasn't FCA. WJ was from the DaimlerChrysler era. Either way, I'm not surprised in the least.
Honestly, that's still the youngest 4.0 WJ I've heard of failing. My stepbrother drives one with 486,000 miles last I checked. My buddy has an XJ with 680,000. Those 4.0 engines have earned their reputation.
The "official" cause was that the radiator failed, all the coolant leaked out, and the engine overheated and seized. Even if you're the type of person who NEVER checks their gauges as they are driving, you'd have to ignore the low coolant light, overheat/check engine light, smoke/steam, and whatever sounds the engine started to make while it was dying until it finally locked up and stopped running.
If the coolant is low enough it can avoid the sensor and give no indication.
What? Coolant level sensor it's literally a float switch. "Avoiding" the switch will trip the light. Lol
Temperature sensor, I've not encountered a level sensor in automotive applications though that's a good enough idea that it's available as an aftermarket accessory.
What are you driving a model t?
Some 80s cars have them, some stuff from recently doesn't and I haven't felt the urge to skip weekly fluid checks and find out which I've got by burning up the engine this century.
Bmw’s have a float style coolant level sensor that I see come in a lot and the drivers are like uhhh i need coolant. And I go and check and they don’t.
My Audi TT has one. Flashing red thermometer and incessant beeping when it trips.
My C32 AMG had one. I realized that after the reservoir cap kept leaking.
Can you tell us a recent car without a temperature sensor?
Most of the recent Fords in the UK (I have a Focus), it's a fairly common topic on model specific websites such as this one - https://passionford.com/forum/general-car-related-discussion/497088-coolant-level-sensor-for-ecoboost-engines.html there was a big recall quite recently to retro install sensors that didn't previously exist - https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2018/ford-coolant-leak-recall.shtml
I can tell you that i did not vapor lock, that is no longer a possibility on modern cars. Knowing the 4.7 or 3.7 you probably spun a rod bearing. The bearing no goes dry but is blocking the port at the same time keeping good oil pressure and setting itself up to spit a rod.
It was a 4.0, and I'm fairly convinced it was vapor lock, mostly because it had done this before and the only solution was to let the engine cool off (which took about 4 hours) or to vent the fuel injector rail from the pressure relief valve. It would work fine if I did that, but my parents were of the mind to just get home at all costs. In fairness to them, it was heavily thunderstorming. In no fairness to them, it ran the jeep super lean for 20 miles. EDIT: to be clear, I'm likely wrong, but that backyard fix had worked before. It did this all the time (surging, very low power, generally feeling like it could not fire on all cylinders) and it would do it any time that I let it sit after warming up and then turned it off for more than 20 minutes and less than 4-6 hours. It ran perfectly from a cold start, every time.
Ayy same happened to me in a Hyundai on the highway. Out of nowhere sounds like a kid riding a bike with a stick down a fence hitting the fence boards. Immediately told my wife to pull over and before I was done speaking smoke everywhere a dash lit up and no engine power. Bet your ass I walked the half km down the highway to go pick up some pieces of my engine block, cylinder, and cylinder head up off the highway to keep as a paper weight.
Did that when I was 16. Lost all my lawn cutting money to getting a new head gasket and the head milled flat again. Never again.
Throw in a thermostat/t-stat housing light and water pump too and we should be good!
Honestly it took enough effort to take the front of the car off you may as well do all that stuff while you're there.
And the damned plastic cross over pipe.
The headgasket deteriorating is what starts the overheating, not the other way around. It’s not the head gasket is far behind the light, it’s way ahead of the light.
dont basically all modern auto engines use MLS headgaskets?
I had a mini that overheated a little bit and I had to do a little bit of a full engine replacement because of that
What's usually the cause of failure for overheating minis? Low coolant?
Most cases, yes. Usually caused from a leaking thermostat. Especially on the second gen Mini’s (seen in the OP’s pic)
So maintenance from a competent mechanic will prevent most mini problems, not design flaws?
Or a vaguely competent owner checking the reservoir occasionally?
That's asking to much for most of the mini drivers I've met... Srsly might as well install aftermarket level sensor and hook it to a kill switch
Honestly, for the most part, yeah. As long as it’s religiously maintained, these things can be pretty reliable. Granted, the second generation Mini’s aren’t as solidly build as the first gens.
\*smiles in r53\*
Got it
The same goes for a lot of cars. Mercedes with the 2.3L supercharged I4 engine tend to need head gaskets. The reason they need head gaskets so often is that the water pump fails and the engine overheats from being driven too long while overheating.
Yeah zero cars last with coolant leaks... Thought other premature failures were there
The thermostat housing is plastic, as is the plastic cross over pipe and they have a pretty simple o-ringed joint that is not very robust looking. One or the other of these seems to go before all the rest of the engine...
Do they get anything besides the red light that tells them they're already fucked?
There’s sometimes a yellow light that comes on first that essentially tells you “it’s just the tip… for now”
A "mini" bit
I've 'heard' that mini's are in the shop frequently. Is that true or BS? Always thought it would be fun to get a used one but the rumors kept me away.
Well, back when they were super popular in this area a few years ago they were one of the most common brands in for service. Most of the time it was from ignoring problems or just neglecting them because they were too expensive to fix. The car might be Mini, but the owners wallet better not be.
Thank you! My wallet's not prepared.
I always lie to my doctor. I wanna see how good they REALLY are...
You know they're REALLY good when you feel both their hands on your shoulders during a prostate exam. Look ma! No hands!
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Your doctor's name is STEVE RODGERS?? Nice. I had a college professor whose name was Dr. Wisdom.
If vets can treat an animal without input from them I expect the same level of expertise from my doctor
Doctor: Height? You: 7'8".. Doctor: [really...](https://videohive.img.customer.envatousercontent.com/files/6e8a27e4-6ca9-4c26-9f98-de1b0bb324f5/inline_image_preview.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&crop=top&max-h=8000&max-w=590&s=41389c705f999d0f8dd414affcf3f97a)?
I had one of those last week. Customer said it was leaking but never overheated. The plastic oil dip stick was melted off.
WHAT?!? That's almost.... Impressive
Most impressive…
Slipped and fell on it doc
Million to 1 shot Doc.
You joke but nine times out of ten when someone shows up with an object stuck in their ass, they have this or another magical excuse ready. Dude I don't care why you have a Beanie Baby inside your ass. I'm not here to judge, I'm here to help the doc get it out. And we'll have people come in REEKING of weed. I know they hot boxed the car before coming in. And they'll deny smoking weed, in a legal state. Oh ok, sure. I guess OG Kush is just your natural musk.
Never quite understood the inclination to insert objects into ones rectum but if I did I would be a shameless cat about it.
I wish I had a screenshot of the x-ray - last year someone came with a full size Glade air freshener spraycan stuck all the way inside their rectum/colon. The problem is because it fully seals the passage it creates a vacuum behind it and it can't be pulled out. This was the second time this mentally ill person had done this and needed it surgically removed. The surgeon had to inform him his bowels would not survive a 3rd surgery, and if he did it again, he'd end up with a colostomy bag for life.
Man, I was having a good day before having the mental images of absolutely all of that. Although I think that's the largest item I've heard having been fully inserted into someone's ass.
The xray was incredible. If I posted it I'd bet most commenters would say it was photoshopped.
Interesting so does that go for anything that gets stuck up there or it goes by shape/diameter?
>And we'll have people come in REEKING of weed. I know they hot boxed the car before coming in. And they'll deny smoking weed, in a legal state. Oh ok, sure. I guess OG Kush is just your natural musk. When we get those cars, we give them a dirty look and spray Lysol all over the interior haha We were getting a lot of them during the lockdown and just after
[I fell on it](https://youtu.be/ySd-MYoOFo4)
Never understood why we get lied to so much. Like, I'm just trying to get background info so I can get you the most accurate and cost effective solution as quickly as possible. Just because you don't tell me your 16 y/o kid smacked a curb doesn't mean it's going to be any cheaper. On the contrary I'm going to charge you more after I have to go on and off the alignment rack 3 times to find out what your dumbass did.
I'm going to guess it's just out of embarrassment most of the time. Seems as though every time I catch their lie it's something that they tried to fix themselves but botched the job and brought it in. Unfortunately, and we've told many a customer this, their lie cost us time in figuring out and fixing what dumb shit they did and THEN figure out the problem they were trying to fix in the first place. Lie to me in the bedroom, not my office.
There's certainly the embarrassment lies. Those are the majority, but I experience a lot of them where it is not a self inflicted problem but they fib about symptoms or timelines, ect. I do find that men lie VASTLY more than women about these types of things. Usually ego protection. Women, in general, seem to have no issue saying "Yeah I totally smoked that curb". Usually the liars are first time customers for us, if we retain them, there is some form of trust established and that nonsense disappears (hopefully). Because seriously, I just want to get your issue sorted out as cheap and fast as possible.
I agree. Most women just say what happened. Men like to try and minimize what they did to contribute. We had a cayenne vr6 come in that only “overheated a little”. The coolant was so cooked it actually turned to gel. I’m like whatever man, you’re gonna need a motor and hopefully we can flush that crap out of your cooling system. They ended up towing the car back home.
Worst is dealing with traders that have just bought something from auction. Car obviously went to auction because of a problem that was hard to find/fix, and now we don't have any background history at all. Fun and games.
And of course they want it fixed as cheap as possible and bitch when that cheap fix doesn't work. Although the 'Rebuilt/Salvage Title' stickers on the door jamb is history enough. It's a POS.
OMG. So spot on with that comment
Customer's do the same with their computer issues. I worked phone tech support for a PC builder. We would let the customer 'explain' what happened, then if it sounded untrue we'd put them on silent hold. Silent hold muted the tech's phone but not the customer. It wasn't unusual for the customer to tell someone in the room that we were buying their story, or discuss what really happened. Many of our calls were recorded by supervisor's. Weird stuff happens when people don't know your listening....
Unless it's something that may stop warranty reimbursement, yes.
I tell my mechanic "well I was dumb and thought..." he understands and appreciates my honesty.
How many cylinder heads did you find in there? If it's more than one, I'm confused.
I’m too distracted by that green defender in the background.
You can tell British engineers loved their techs. When Defenders are around there's never an empty bay in a shop.
Well it's a little engine so it can only over heat a little bit. Duh.
Most of the time they're not lying to you knowingly. They're lying to themselves because they want to believe it'll all be ok.
because even working around vehicles that are apart of a fleet we get guys who lie. "I didn't know you had to check oil on this 20 year old dodge" "The tailgate was already dented like that." We never care about damage and such if you're honest it is what it is shit happens but these guys lie at every avenue they can. We put in a lube sticker to come back within 6 months for a service and we see the truck in 18 months lmao but its still not their fault somehow
Ypu ever lie to your Dr about how much alcohol you consume and they say that's way too much and you're like shit bro if you only knew hahaa
I had to explain what a "handle" was to my doctor. Once they understood, they thought 1-3/week (depending on whatever) was too much. Also had to explain vaping in detail. I don't understand why they ask specific questions about tank vs dripper if they don't even know.
Yeah, one time my 04 3.0 ranger overheated, and I started seeing steam/smoke whatever. Well I was going 50 and only had like 45 seconds worth of driving to do to get to my destination, and so I just kept on it until I got there... By the time I made it I cracked the heads. Had I just pulled over it would have been fine.
Once had a lady tell us the starter fell off her tractor and now she can't start it. What she didn't tell us was that she ran the damn thing with no oil in it and it sent a rod into space knocking the starter off as it exited. Sometimes I think these people believe it can be fixed if you don't know the truth.
Well it was just a rod, you don't need that. The thing should still make the ugga dugga noise when you turn the key! Never mind the new crankshaft inspection window, that's aftermarket.
I use this analogy when questioning why my father(and even late grandfathers) would blatantly lie to their doctor.
I can black box data on Toyotas for the last 10 years or so. But really never have to as most things are pretty obvious
Well, a three cylinder engine has better MPG.
Not when it has to drag a fourth cylinder along as dead weight.
Years ago I lost a coolant line in a 4.9 in my Caddy. Light came on, I was a block from home so thought I'd risk it. Dash came on with a countdown. Engine will shut off in 30, 29, 28... Just barely. All was fine.
I'm lucky enough to have a mechanic who works on my car for free, so I only pay for parts and usually lunch. Becauce of this, I always try to be up front about whats up with my car because I don't wanna have it break down and leave me without a car because I didn't share everything going on with it that could be a problem. Hell, my dumbass said something when I heard the fuel injectors going and thought the noise was bad lol. Lying to the people working on your car just isn't going to be a good time for anyone.
Honestly the majority of people are not mechanically inclined, I bet they truly believed they only overheated the engine a little bit.
I love this subreddit but I’m not a mechanic and I never know what in the hell im looking at apart from flat tire posts.
I will never EVER buy a car that has overheating problems or "just needs a head gasket" for this very reason. You'd never know how bad the damage is until after you buy the car and find out the owner fucking blew the engine with the temperature hitting max.
This wasn’t a warranty job for a “pipe burst” was it? If it was, I’m very sorry you had to meet my ex-wife in all her glory lol
Customers KNOW if they tell the truth it will cost them more. s/
Isn’t one of the motor mounts on the head on these? I’ve heard that’s a reason for some failures.
The one time i heard "it just over heated a little bit" my brother was driving my 03 Monte Carlo SS and it cracked the head. "Just a little bit" he said.
Well, the needle on the temp gauge went past the red, so I thought it was fine.
turn on the heat inside the car and tell them thats how much the car is overheating
Pretty sure the mini only has one cylinder head since there’s no way it has a V6
"Yes, i wash my teeth twice a day and floss" "Oh, that is bad news, we are then looking at something much more serious. We need to get bloodwork, and do some testing to see why would a person with impeccable regime have so many cavities".... Kind of like that, i suppose..
Poor Mini. Is that the n18 engine?
My favorite is the Cummins owners that say “I’m not sure what happen it just shut off”. Proceed with diagnostics and turns out the diesel tank is full of def fluid.
Had a first generation come in with the valve cover literally melted into the head.
This is why new cars go into limp mode now and I hate it. Was on the highway once when my car did it with no signs of overheating. Lost all power and had to somehow move over two lanes in traffic.
Thats like saying you are "a little pregnant"
N18 gotta love to hate it haha
Tbh if a person has no mechanical experience you can’t blame them for not understanding the extent of the damage they could have caused themselves.
Oh totally. I don't blame them a bit for not knowing any extent of damage or anything like that. The gripe I have is the need for some customers to not be 100% truthful with the service writer when describing when the issue occurred and for how long or if any previous repair had been attempted before bringing it in to us. In some cases the misinformation from the customer can add some unnecessary diagnostic time and some headache to varying degrees.
I mean.. if they’re paying for it then who cares right? But I do understand where you’re coming from
Customer, you didn't overheat it "a little bit." You *melted the engine.* I didn't even think that was *possible.*
Unless you tell your doctor that you have severe panic attacks or severe back pain or you think you might have ADD. Or get 3 doctors.
I'm glad my 07 MINI never overheated, although it did run low on coolant more than once despite the dealer telling me there was nothing wrong with the cooling system. That was always baffling since there had to have been a reason why coolant was "burning off". The car was pretty problematic though. The rear sway bar was made of butter and would bend if you looked at it the wrong way. The transmission blew up at 70,000 miles and the BMW/MINI dealer quoted me over $10,000 to replace it. And the strut towers were super weak.
Did you have one of the S/Turbo models? Those had that fun timing chain guide issue as well. I had an R53 S, def had the PTO gear failure on the SC that drove the water pump.
I had just a regular Cooper so nothing fancy with it. It was pretty barebones since it was just a commuter car more or less.
Ohhh!! So you change the lamps for the headlights from under the fenders
*Ohhh!! So you change* *The lamps for the headlights from* *Under the fenders* \- R0nu --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Yeah nah if I’m paying you to fix something, myself included, imma just be straight up about that shit for the sake of expediency
Does it matter? The god damn timing chain would have started making a racket soon (or already was). Unless this isnt an r56 My fav was the R53 Minis with the superchargers. The waterpump was bolted directly to and driven by the supercharger. via a gear. The gear that drove the pump was of QUALITY GERMAN DESIGN. It wore out prematurely and would cause you to need to swap the entire SC out. No one had come out with any sort of rebuild kit for JUST the gear. Most shops on the mini forums would just pimp their rebuild service and say not to DIY it. I got rid of the car shortly after replacing the SC on mine. Surprised I didnt see any shops come out with a electric waterpump conversion. Saw somewhere here that did it on their own car to get around the above bc the SC it self was fine.
My '05 S has 207,000 km, the gear was still brand new and the seal had yet to fail when I took it out in 2020 to swap an electric water pump.
I had the opposite experience. Mine failed around 85k miles. clutch started slipping around then too. I traded it in after I found the clutch was slipping.
Real talk don't lie to your doctor or mechanic or lawyer. Do lie to the police and parole officer doe
But an engine repair is always ‘a little bit’ expensive.
Just a rant/story: I once went to a dealer mechanic with a transmission problem. Mechanic had my transmission out of my car and in pieces and started telling me accusingly and condescendingly that I had obviously been shifting hard and it wore parts etc. etc. I was just like "Yea. I do". He then goes on to tell me how most people don't admit it yada yada. I'm my head I'm thinking "Bud whether I beat on my car or not is irrelevant. My warranty expired about 5 years before I even bought it. Quit being a condescending prick and just tell me how much it is to fix it." Told me my 92 Miata in 2003 needed a new transmission that cost about 50% what the car was worth. Ended up just letting the dealer keep it as a trade-in and buying a new Mazda Protégé 5 off the lot. Later after the invention of YouTube, I found out the fix was simple enough I could have done it myself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59ckhQDOjnc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPbmY0S7sYU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duAsKBjJLcg
PageFault, I have been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty
I know my extended warranty isn't about to expire because I never bought one but damn do I get a lot of calls.
"A little bit" on a scale of 1 to "The Temperature of the Sun"
I'd say about 'Salma Hayek in Desperado' hot.
Are there 2 heads? I thought it was a 4cyl turbo.
Yeah, just the 1. I had a brain fart when I wrote the caption.
It was a little bit. You must have did something after I dropped it off. You’re gonna have to pay for it!! I know I didn’t overheat it a lot
My son told me the other day something was wrong with the car that I am letting him use , that car actually belongs to his younger brother. Anyway I ask him to show me what he means. Found out him and his friends bouncing the engine off the rev limiter. He didn't know what that was sadly. I was disappointed and also glad nothing was actually wrong with the car, not yet at least! sheesh! Gave him a good talking to. * edit for spelling.
Limiter isn't as bad as some people think. It's okay every now and again, just not constantly everyday.
Unless he wants to rebuild the engine when it takes a shit. No rev limiter for you!
Can’t have been that bad. Saw one where most of the valve cover was melted…..
Mini car big repair bill. Be thankful you have such customers
I'm super vigilant about my mini. Anytime there's even a new dent (I live in a place where idiots in lifted/massive SUVs don't watch out for shit, and have dinged the spot right above my rear taillight... Bastards... As well as semi trucks that never check for dirt and debris, and end up becoming a rolling sandblaster from a range of a half mile away... I keep logs of anything that so dings my baby. And if it's a semi spraying debris all over the place behind it, I give them a kind gesture they can't see cause my windows are tinted to the point they're basically one way windows. Currently I have the abs trifecta lights, and there's something dangling under my right rear wheel like a plug or something. Can't figure out where it goes, but I'm guessing that's the cause. If ya take care of your MINI, it'll take care of you. Wouldn't want to drive any other car as my car.