[jeremybingham]

Nice one well found. Now go for it and keep us posted. So glad you found the receipt.

 

[Mini_Sar]

Thanks Jeremy! I just got notification from the garage who've been working on the car too. They've completed the work repairing the wiring. He said he's worked on a lot of vehicles in his lifetime and he's never ever seen wiring in that state. He said all 56 wires in the loom were affected and at least 7 of them were completely snapped inside the insulation. The upside is the work is now finished and the final bill is only £1644.40, significantly less than the £2548.60 + VAT that MINI quoted for the repair, excluding diagnostics.

Can't wait to pick it up in the morning... now I just have to get MINI to cough up the repair costs.

 

[Mini_Sar]

As expected, BMW UK have come back and said as the work has been carried out by a third party, they won't cover any of the costs. I was expecting that response However, I have written evidence that they were offered the right to repair and refused to do it. Not only that but they specifically told me they would not offer any repairs and "the decision cannot be changed".

I'll seek out some more legal advice next week on where I stand now but there are several things at play here now. The work should've been completed under warranty and wasn't - there's written evidence in the health report that it should've been done. Additionally a wiring loom failure of this nature shouldn't have occurred, regardless of the warranty, therefore they should've given me the option of repair under the CRA. They refused to do that and rejected my repeated offers to allow them to do the repairs. Finally, they also repeatedly changed the goalposts and lied about the nature of the repair and evidence suggests that this manufacturer's defect is well known to MINI/BMW and therefore they likely knew about the possibility of it occurring when they sold me the car.

Best case scenario, I can persuade them to settle. Worst case scenario, I take them to the small claims court and I'm pretty sure there's enough evidence that I should easily win the costs back, although after all this hassle I'd really love for more than just the costs back as it's been nothing but grief.

 

[jeremybingham]

Brilliant they have non leg to stand on. As you say present them with that evidence then politely suggest they pay or it's small claims where you'll be also seeking recompense for time wasted and the stress and anxiety. Keep us posted. Your dealer has been disgraceful and deceitful and others need to take note.

 

[Steeve]

Can you please describe where to stand and exactly where to look to see the area where the problem is? Does the scuttle panel have to be removed?
Would wrapping the harness in a waterproof cover, such as a bike inner tube work do you think?
Thanks, Steve

 

[Steeve]

Look like mine has cloth tape on...

 

[Mini123]

I have had a look for the wires on mine. No problem with the wiring loom yet but it is going for an MOT soon with a Mini/BMW indi, wonder if it would be worth asking if he knows about the problem and if there is anything that could be put over it to stop water getting in. Maybe some thick tape would help or if that would make it worse and stop any water from evaporating if it did end up getting in. For some reason my wires are just caked with dirt, that can’t help things.

 

[Soc]

My JCW is the 2017 model and the wiring harness has the fabric type wiring harness tape, so it may have been just a specific number of cars effected using the plastic tape.

 

[empo]

My JCW is the 2017 model and the wiring harness has the fabric type wiring harness tape, so it may have been just a specific number of cars effected using the plastic tape.

Down on the harnass the wires look open to all elements… i really dont know… actually on many cars wires are just open to all elements i think the issue here is that sometimes this compartment just gets flooded with water and the wires get soaked in it. And if they are covered with plastic tape the water stays in the wire harnass too long so they get damaged.

 

[Soc]

Down on the harnass the wires look open to all elements… i really dont know… actually on many cars wires are just open to all elements i think the issue here is that sometimes this compartment just gets flooded with water and the wires get soaked in it. And if they are covered with plastic tape the water stays in the wire harnass too long so they get damaged.

All it takes is some regular Maintanance - check and clean the drainage holes under the scuttle plate and make sure they are clear. I believe then you will have no issues

 

[minipro]

All it takes is some regular Maintanance - check and clean the drainage holes under the scuttle plate and make sure they are clear.

Where are these? Do you have any pictures?

 

[Mini_Sar]

Hey, sorry for the delayed response. So an update... for those of you worrying about the problem affecting your cars - if your wiring is wrapped in plastic insulating tape and sealed and appears waterproof, that's unfortunately what can lead to this issue. On later models the cars either have the wiring wrapped in fabric tape, to allow the water to evaporate, or the wiring is open to the elements with big gaps in the insulating tape to allow water to drain away.

The issue doesn't just come down to regular maintenance - my car was cleaned and maintained regularly and never had any blockages in the scuttle drainage and this issue still occurred. Additionally, for some reason MINI thought it would be a good idea to run the washer fluid hoses inside the wrapped wiring loom, so in many cases the washer fluid hose splits and develops a small leak. This then leaks inside the sealed wiring loom but the water can't drain away and this results in the wiring swelling and becoming damaged.

If you check back through my photographs, you should be able to identify exactly where the affected area is on your wiring if you want to check it. If your wiring isn't fully sealed by plastic insulating tape then you're unlikely to have this issue, as MINI did take steps to correct the issue on later models.
For clarity, once the bonnet is open you're looking to identify the point at the back on the left hand side of the engine (if you're facing it from the front of the car) - it's tucked right in the back corner and is the point where the wiring loom enters the engine compartment through the bulkhead from the passenger compartment.

As far as my case goes, the dealership have now been back in touch, as I notified head office that I'm taking legal action. They're trying to argue that their reference to the new "wiring loom" required on my vehicle health report was in relation to the wires that plug into the coil spring (also known as the clock spring) they replaced, as part of the repair that was done under warranty. When asked why, if that was the case, they told me it required the dashboard out last year they didn't have a comeback and just changed the subject.
The repair the car had last year was to swap out the coil spring cassette in the steering wheel due to a fault with the cruise control. I've attached a photo of the part... they're trying to argue that the little wires that plug into it are called a wiring loom.

I did explain that regardless of the repair last year, I can still claim the cost of the repair under the Consumer Rights Act anyway, as the main wiring harness in a car shouldn't fail when the car is barely 6 years old, but they seemed pretty put out about the whole thing and upset that I was planning on taking court action to recoup my costs. I've given them until Friday to confirm whether or not they intend to settle, as this has been ongoing for three weeks now and told them if I don't hear from them by the weekend that I'll be going to small claims as I'm not wasting anymore time dealing with them, given they've repeatedly refused to cover the repairs.

Sooo, the saga continues but honestly, I'm pretty sure the service manager thought I was an easy target because I'm female. He was extremely patronising the whole time and eventually said something along the lines of "While we couldn't help you out with the repairs in this case, as you're now aware that the parts we replaced were unrelated to the main wiring loom, we hope that you'll continue to use our services in the future". I was like I don't think so pal 😂

 

[Mini_Sar]

Can you please describe where to stand and exactly where to look to see the area where the problem is? Does the scuttle panel have to be removed?
Would wrapping the harness in a waterproof cover, such as a bike inner tube work do you think?
Thanks, Steve

You don't need to remove the scuttle panel to take a look at your wires, you can look without removing anything at all. Just pop your bonnet and look at the rear section of the engine compartment, at the very back near the bulkhead; you'll need a torch to peep down inside but you should be able to quickly identify what your wires are wrapped in. On UK right hand drive cars, you're looking at the driver's side - I've re-attached a photo of the area to help you identify it. In my picture the wires have been unwrapped to reveal the damage, but yours will either be fully sealed in plastic insulation, wrapped in fabric or exposed with just some loops of tape to hold them together, depending on which model/year you have. I hope that helps!

 

[Mini123]

I wonder if the plastic tape is for the full length of the wiring loom, or most of it. I was thinking, could the tape be taken off but it would need to be as far as where the washer fluid hose joins, no idea where that would be though. Is there any pro active action that could be taken to stop the damage caused by the split in the hose.

 

[Mini_Sar]

I wonder if the plastic tape is for the full length of the wiring loom, or most of it. I was thinking, could the tape be taken off but it would need to be as far as where the washer fluid hose joins, no idea where that would be though. Is there any pro active action that could be taken to stop the damage caused by the split in the hose.

I've got the whole damaged wiring loom back from the garage who did the repairs. I'll grab you a photograph so you can see the full length of the wiring and insulation, in case it helps. I wouldn't like to tell you what to do to avoid the issue honestly, it's really down to MINI to advise, as it's their terrible design that's causing the issue. However, you may be able to make your own educated guess at what to do by looking at the affected wiring. In my case, it was only one section affected - quite a large section - but the rest was dry, but that's not to say that'll be the case for everyone.

 

[Mini123]

I've got the whole damaged wiring loom back from the garage who did the repairs. I'll grab you a photograph so you can see the full length of the wiring and insulation, in case it helps. I wouldn't like to tell you what to do to avoid the issue honestly, it's really down to MINI to advise, as it's their terrible design that's causing the issue. However, you may be able to make your own educated guess at what to do by looking at the affected wiring. In my case, it was only one section affected - quite a large section - but the rest was dry, but that's not to say that'll be the case for everyone.

Thanks for that. I wonder if the pipe splits because of the washer fluid freezing or if the pipe just degrades over time. I know some people have had the problem after only a short time of owning their car. Mini should just do a recall as it looks like a design fault.

 

[Mini_Sar]

Thanks for that. I wonder if the pipe splits because of the washer fluid freezing or if the pipe just degrades over time. I know some people have had the problem after only a short time of owning their car. Mini should just do a recall as it looks like a design fault.

No problem, I hope it helps! But yeah I completely agree, it should really be a recall as some of these wires failing can create safety issues on top of making the car essentially undrivable, but they would obviously prefer to avoid the costs and let their customers fight it out if/when they're unfortunate enough to encounter the issue :/
I've seen some reports of it affecting cars at just a year old and other cars being unaffected until they're almost 10 years old so it seems like a matter of luck if/when it becomes an issue for cars with this design.

I just wish in my case that they'd accept they're wrong and do the decent thing, as the whole thing is creating a massive amount of stress and honestly putting me right off MINI which sucks because I've always loved MINI. I hate that they've ruined that for me by being such total asshats.

 

[Haydon23]

Hi Sar,

I’ve received the bad news today that my Mini has the same fault with many of the wires of the loom fully broken.
I’d already made tentative contact with a couple of people I know within Mini and they said they were rejecting pretty much all claims to do with the wiring and loom with cars manufactured between 2014 and 2016.
I think it’s absolutely disgusting by Mini when they know full well it’s their design fault.
Have you resolved your claim with Mini or is it still ongoing?

 

[Mini_Sar]

Hi Sar,

I’ve received the bad news today that my Mini has the same fault with many of the wires of the loom fully broken.
I’d already made tentative contact with a couple of people I know within Mini and they said they were rejecting pretty much all claims to do with the wiring and loom with cars manufactured between 2014 and 2016.
I think it’s absolutely disgusting by Mini when they know full well it’s their design fault.
Have you resolved your claim with Mini or is it still ongoing?

Ah man I'm so sorry to hear that. It doesn't surprise me that that's what you're hearing from the inside though, as I've hit a total brick wall with my claim and the branch and MINI/BMW are completely ignoring all communications now. I'm waiting for them to confirm if they'll allow the complaint to go to ADR for resolution but if they don't reply soon then I'm taking it to court.
I was told by citizens advice that I had to offer them the option of ADR though, to cover myself in court and show that I've tried to give them opportunities to cooperate.

It is absolutely disgusting though - I unfortunately won't be buying another Mini or BMW after this and I definitely won't touch Peter Vardy again either. I can't risk having this type of situation arise again in the future, as they clearly don't care at all about their customers.

I hope you manage to get it sorted, if you want to share evidence for trying to claim the repair costs back just drop me a DM, I'll be more than happy to help.

 

[Soc]

Ah man I'm so sorry to hear that. It doesn't surprise me that that's what you're hearing from the inside though, as I've hit a total brick wall with my claim and the branch and MINI/BMW are completely ignoring all communications now. I'm waiting for them to confirm if they'll allow the complaint to go to ADR for resolution but if they don't reply soon then I'm taking it to court.
I was told by citizens advice that I had to offer them the option of ADR though, to cover myself in court and show that I've tried to give them opportunities to cooperate.

It is absolutely disgusting though - I unfortunately won't be buying another Mini or BMW after this and I definitely won't touch Peter Vardy again either. I can't risk having this type of situation arise again in the future, as they clearly don't care at all about their customers.

I hope you manage to get it sorted, if you want to share evidence for trying to claim the repair costs back just drop me a DM, I'll be more than happy to help.

It kinda saddens me that a premium brand such as MINI/BMW would put any owner with this wiring loom issue through so much stress and worry.

I paid a big price for my JCW with all the extras and now I am worried about the long term ownership of it. Will it start to cause issues in the next 5 to 8 years of ownership costing big money to fix? This is why you pay the premium price for innovation and reliability, otherwise, why not go with Kia with its 7 years warranty.

You think with all the experience of BMW/MINI they would not design components as essential and common as a wiring loom to fail in such a basic way - water ingress!

They should at least, repair it under the ' goodwill gesture' banner, this way they don't have to admit that the design is flawed.

I hope you win via the small claims court and claim additional compensation for the stress caused etc. I can see them settling out of court.