Ask Honest John

Honest John Ask Honest John » MINI power steering pump failure - Should the dealer pay?
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

MINI power steering pump failure - Should the dealer pay?

The power steering pump (PSP) has failed on my wife's 2004 MINI. I understand that this is a common problem and my local dealer has refused to offer any goodwill payment as the work was carried out by a local garage.

Apparently in the USA and Canada MINI has extended warranty to 12/13 years for PSP. Why was this not a recall issue? Do I have any redress with mini?

Asked on 13 December 2013 by Bryan Davies

Answered by Honest John
Sorry, I regard that as ridiculous. The car has a design life of seven years and owners have no legal rights over any fault beyond six years unless a part is warranted for longer.

So quite apart from the fact that BMW has no liability whatsoever anyway for an independent repair, it's no use quoting consumer rights in the USA. They don't apply in Europe. It's a nine year old car. It broke. The repair is down to you.

10 warranty myths exposed

Here’s how to sort the fact from the fiction when it comes to car warranties.

Cheap Car Warranties
Similar questions
I bought a ten year old Ford Ranger from a dealer seven months ago, with a three month warranty. The timing belt went last week and the dealer's own mechanic fitted a new one just before we bought it....
I purchased a brand new Peugeot Boxer from a main dealer in May 2016. In June, it started to have a slight hesitation which has now worsened and makes me feel as if it might come to a complete stop at...
I took out an extra 3 year warranty, paid in full, when I purchased a Ford C-Max. I have since had an intermittent fault of the clutch pedal not fully returning. The dealer has told me that the gearbox...