MINI USA Tailpipe Service Bulletin
We’ve been informed that MINI USA has quietly begun offering owners a chance to replace their exhaust tips to keep them from extending too far from the edge of the car. As reported previously on MotoringFile, the NHTSA is looking into several complaints (three to be exact) that they have received leg burns from contact with the exhaust pipe on the R56. The Feds are currently conducting an “engineering analysis”, which is sometimes a precursor to a safety recall.
We’ve been told MINI USA is taking this step to avoid an actual recall. So if you have an ’07 or ’08 R56 MINI and really really want short tailpipes, head down to your MINI dealer.
I understand the reasons why (MINI must appease the complaints that the NHTSA received and when a Federal Agency is looking in to your product, a preemptive measure is much better than a recall), but this just exemplifies the ‘wussification’ of a very select few MINI Buyers.
I owned a 2003 Cooper S for 4 years and now have a 2007 Cooper S that I have had since May of 2007 – In the almost 6 years that I have been driving MINIs, I have yet to burn myself on the exhaust. I am a cyclist and put my bike in the back of my MINI – I take both wheels off, put the seat backs down and lay everything out in the cargo area of my MINI. I am well aware that the exhaust tips are right at shin level and that after driving they will be quite hot. I have not consciously steered away from the exhaust, but have just not ever had an issue with this concern. It really makes me wonder what is next to complain and make a federal case about – perhaps: the front end is too low and it scrapes on curbs when I am parking or pulling into my steep driveway, the xenon headlights are too bright and I keep getting flashed by drivers in oncoming vehicles or I opened my hood to check out my engine and touched the heat shield to the left of the turbo. Perhaps these examples are a bit ludicrous, but I just really find things like this to be utterly absurd – If you burn yourself on the exhaust of your MINI, it is YOUR fault not that of MINI or your dealer. Learn from YOUR lesson on the dangers of hot exhaust!
Just as I said before: When Carroll Shelby built the Cobra, I am pretty sure he left the following line out of the ‘owner’s manual’ – “Be careful upon entering or exiting your vehicle as the side-pipes will have become hot enough to scorch your flesh from a spirited driving session.â€
Now, while I completely agree that we should all just let the litigous morons of the world scald the crap out of themselves as a lesson that this is in fact a mechanical device that does get hot, I never really liked how they looked. Aestetically speaking, of course.
They look just just fine from every angle except the side profile. Not only do they sit about a half an inch to far out, but they hang way too far down. I’d like to see them fitted closer to the rear valence for a more finished look. Tighter and cleaner. Maybe this fix will solve it!
” we should all just let the litigous morons of the world scald the crap out of themselves ”
Except, that there were/are no lawsuits about this issue.
This is starting again! That just burns me up.
How long until they issue a recall on the Cooper S for people getting speeding tickets?
I brushed against the tips of my ’08 Cooper S once. I learned a quick lesson and just as quickly got over it.
They should just skip the recall and send out a supplementary motoring pack with a sticker that says “Warning: Hot exhaust may be hot.” That ought to cover it.
Aesthetically, it might look nice for them to sit flush, though.
The law is designed to protect a minority of owners. You have to stand really close, and the pipes have to be really hot after a long drive to sustain such damage. It only applies to Cooper S with centre pipes.
The same danger applies to tow bar balls and bars which protrude and can damage your shins if you are not careful to watch where you stand or pass by – but this can’t be blamed on the car design.
I am surprised at the large numbers of recalls and as they call them “product enhancements” that BMW issue.
If the threat or inference of a lawsuit weren’t automatically implied, this issue would have been largely ignored. As it is, it’s being quietly swept under the carpet.
What I’m getting at is this: you can’t design out stupidity. It’s representative of just about every ridiculous product warning sticker that we have to have here in America. “Beware, your toaster is hot after use” “Caution, bicycling is a dangerous sport” “Improper use of this extension cord may cause injury and/or death”
The word to the wise is this: after you’ve scaled your leg on your exhaust… it’s hot, DON’T DO IT AGAIN! And for god’s sake, quit looking to blame others for your own stupidity.
Sorry all, rant over.
To be blunt (cause I’m in a cranky mood), there are real moronic posts here.
1) Let’s look at statistics.. “It never happened it me” in a fleet of 50k cars a year is statistically insignificant.
2) Processes. NTHSA got complains and is studying the issue. That’s the way it should go! Maybe they’ll agree that it’s a bad design, maybe they won’t. Time will tell.
3) The idea that dangers are always present so get over it implies that there is no place for regulatory action or intervention. We have safety standards all over the place (Water quality, want to drink lead?, aircraft design and maintenance, building codes and on and on). To act like it should be a “buyer beware” world is just stupid. Sure some examples seem extreme, or actually are, and some are under regulated when compared to current knowledge (check out arsnic level regulations in drinking water).
4) There is some merit to saying to adults that they should be more careful, what does one say to the small kids who have been burned by what can only be described as a less than ideal tail pipe design?
What’s really surprising to me is that with the reports of getting burned on the first gen Mini S exhausts, why BMW/Mini didn’t address it when they did the R56+ designs. Now that’s just stupid! But I forgot, it’s the buyers responsibility to watch out for them selves. anyone remember “Bag O’ Glass” from Saturday Night Live?
Matt
Please keep these THREE people away from all two wheeled vehicles. If these ever come within tripping distance of any production motorcyce sold in the US, they’ll ruin my other favorite past time! Thalk about exposed hot engine parts!
Again… THREE people!?! That’s enough to get NTHSA interested!?! There were dozens more than that complaining about a top end rattle in the R56… and what ever came of that? Granted, oil starvation won’t cause a nasty blister on your calf… but hey, whatever.
Don’t let these people breed!
I agree with Matt and I’m not breeding so there’s something for everyone in this post.
I have not seen the JCW tips. I suppose this picture shows they protrude less and a similar looking tip could fix the current issue? Wonder what you would get if you ask for a replacement right now? The JCW ones? I personally like that look better than the current S tips which are a touch ricey.
Thank you, Dr Obnxs.
I have a ’08 JCW cabrio (first gen) and feel the protruding pipes are a large asthetic and would miss them if shortened. I love to see the ingraving
On the pipes JOHN COOPER WORKS, especially on the ’09 factory model…..NOT!!!
If it fixes the rear looks of the R56, I am all for it.
I have owned 2 R53 S in the past 5 years and I have yet to burn my legs with the stock exhaust tips.
Four Minis owned. Potruding JCW tips. Zero burns.
I’m really sorry to say this people but I really think that Jeremy Clarkson was right when he famously said “I truly believe that some people in America have started breeding with vegetables”. The rest of us on this planet roll our eyes and shake our heads when we read this sort of thing.
Something to think about. Politicians use a “rule of thumb” metric…. 1 letter = 1000 voters who feel the same, 1 call = 100 voters that feel the same. I’m sure there’s some equivalent for NTHSA complaints, but I have no clue what it is… Also, if you read all the NTHSA complains about Mini windsheild cracks, there were 16 as of about a year ago… How many posted about windshield cracks? In the low hundreds? And the on-line community is what, 10% of ownership? Do some freakin math!
Matt
PS, I burned my leg on my car once. I’m not dumb enough though to think that if it happened to me, everyone will have it happen. Same idiot logic comes to the conclusion that if it didn’t happen to me, it shouldn’t happen to anyone….
But it’s too late… I already have two kids! 😉
I would like my JCW’s tips to stick out more (like on my AMG). I don’t think my car has the problem, but I will decline this recall’s corrective measure if the dealer thinks it does.
Thanks Doc… of course, as you know, many times sanity on a blog has as much affect as a baby fart in a tsunami.
Addressing the idea of fitting the Exhaust tips closer to the rear valance – I have seen cars with the aero kit installed (R53 Cooper S) and because of the close fitment of the exhaust on those cars it was necessary to fabricate a heat shield. Prior to installing the heat shield, the exhaust melted that area of the rear valance. It would seem to me that the engineers that positioned the exhaust on the R56 Cooper S did so to prevent any damage to the rear valance from the heat of the exhaust – it would also seem logical that the tips are positioned as they are so that there is no exhaust residue left on the rear bumper cover which would also be undesirable. A re-design of the exhaust would cause our beloved MINI to lose a great deal of its character.
I keep my thing long and i’ll keep it that way…
Maybe I am the stupid one. I have had my 08 S for less than 2 months and today I have the 2nd burn on my shin and I just went down the street to crab a bit to eat. My 3 year old also burned herself just walking around the car. So while I don’t consider myself a genius, I do think this is an issue they should correct. I don’t have time to remember to “stand back” as I get groceries out of my car.
Regardless I just called the dealer after reading these posts and I am taking it in next week. So thank you for having the discussion.