ConsumerWatch: MINI Cooper Driver's Clutch Dispute Solved

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) - A San Francisco car owner is back on the road after some help from the CBS 5 ConsumerWatch volunteers.

Last month, the clutch started to fail on Eli MacIntyre's 2009 MINI Cooper. But, when MacIntyre brought the vehicle back to the dealership for what he was sure would be a covered repair, he found out it wasn't.

"They immediately put the blame on me," said MacIntyre.  They called me an abusive driver."

Not only that, MacIntyre said BMW-Mini of San Francisco wanted MacIntyre to foot the bill. "They told me it would be $3,000 to fix." A considerable sum, considering the car only had 13,000 miles on it.

Frustrated, MacIntyre called the ConsumerWatch hotline. Volunteer Chuck made some calls, and a few days later, the dealership agreed to do the repair for free.

MacIntyre's not the only MINI owner complaining about his clutch. We found several dozen similar complaints on line from MINI owners.

MINI U.S.A. provided the following response to ConsumerWatch. 

MINI's New Passenger Car Limited Warranty does cover the clutch lining for normal clutch wear if there is a component failure. New MINI vehicles are covered by the warranty for four years from the date of purchase or up to 50,000 miles on the odometer. If a customer is experiencing an issue with their MINI vehicle, they should take it to an authorized MINI dealership for evaluation and service, and the dealer will work to identify and correct the problem. Complaints are handled on an individual, case-by-case basis.

As with most manufacturers, MINI does see a higher number of accelerated clutch wear cases in environments with more hills and heavy stop-and-go traffic, such as San Francisco.

If you need help with a consumer-related issue, call the ConsumerWatch Hotline at 1-888-5-HELPS-U (1-888-543-5778) or send us an email.

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