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Is it common for the MINI Cooper S's power steering to fail?

I have a 2003 MINI Cooper S with 42,000 miles on the clock and today the power steering has just stopped working. I have looked on a couple of MINI web sites and this appears to be a serious problem with MINIs between 2001 and 2007, but BMW says it's not enough to do a recall and a new pump can cost up to £800. This does not seem fair or right. Advice would be most welcome.

Asked on 13 September 2010 by freedom

Answered by Honest John
Your seven-year-old car requires a new PAS pump and possibly a new rack. Even though it is a common problem, with a seven-year-old car that's down to you.
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