US R56 Tailpipe Recall Now Mandatory
Thanks to those tireless consumer advocates (can you feel the sarcasm?) over at the NHTSA, MINI has now issued letters to 2007-2008 R56 MCS owners telling them that they must bring their car in for tailpipe re-fitting. Even if the consumer isn’t interested MINI is now obligated to perform the recall retrofit during the next scheduled service.
Enjoy your short tailpipes!
(note either the dealer installed JCW engine kit or factory JCW cars are effected by this recall)
Related stories:
+ MINI USA Tail Pipe Recall / MotoringFile
+ MINI USA Tail Pipe Service Action / MotoringFile
<p>Is this true for Stage 1 JCW’s as well?</p>
<p>let the bitching commence……..now.</p>
<p>I brought my MCS R56 in for an oil change a couple months ago and the service rep practically twisted my arm to get me to agree to a tailpipe swap. I have to say, I don’t see that much difference in my before and after pictures.</p>
<p>This all started from one idiot who was looking to get a bunch of money.
Its because of this guy, BMW fired all the Mini factory workers. ahahah</p>
<p>I have an idea, don’t lick hot tail pipes.</p>
<p>This pisses me off to no end. Thank goodness my JCW’s an R53!</p>
<p>My trip last weekend to the dealership saw me get new tips. Doesn’t really bother me, though I think the reason for it was sort of silly. No real visual impact, either. Heigh ho.</p>
<p>Mine got shortened during the voluntary action, I just preferred the more fitted look better. I really don’t care about the burning issue and, quite frankly, you’ll burn yourself on any tailpipe given the right situation (and stupidity). Flame away if you will, but I learned from age 5 not to touch the stove. Sure, I learned the heard way, but you don’t see me doing that anymore!</p>
<p>I wonder if the shortened tailpipes will now begin melting the rear bumper covers?</p>
<p>@<a href="#comment-253046" rel="nofollow">Dave Z</a>: If you’re running rich, it may make it a bit sooty, but I really doubt it’ll melt the cover, unless you’ve got something making the EGTs way high.</p>
<p>Any “long” vs. “short” comparison photos, yet?</p>
<p>I love this topic! All us R53/52 types can sit back and enjoy the ensuing bickering.</p>
<p>@<a href="#comment-253048" rel="nofollow">nervous</a>: No photos, but if you look at a “long” tip, it extends past the bumper by about 1/4″. Now it’s recessed in by about 1/4″</p>
<p>Long Pipes will be a rare thing now :)</p>
<p>BTW, sometimes coffee is very hot also. Don’t pour it on your skin.</p>
<p>According to the service manager at my dealership the JCW Stage 1 exhaust is excluded from the recall.</p>
<p>This is my one WARNING!</p>
<p>Stay away from the Milltek exhaust as it grows when hot and sticks out…..about 2 inches. (R53)</p>
<p>There, public warning issued.
Oh, also my three year old pointed at the snow blower exhaust and told me that it was hot and not to touch it.
I explained that once over a month ago. If he can get it, at 3, what does that say for the rest of America?</p>
<p>I brought my Stage 1 JCW in 2 weeks ago, and the recall is not for JCW tips (even though they stick out further).</p>
<p>thanks Kevin, i was just about to ask that question.</p>
<p>Does that mean those of us in Canada are safe?
=)</p>
<p>Here we go I can see it now. Clients coming in the showroom making one of their first questions “Didn’t you have a recent recall on your cars?” not know what it was for. Just so they can try and look for negative stuff. I can’t stand that!!!</p>
<p>@<a href="#comment-253063" rel="nofollow">Alexander Chemerys</a>: I answered this earlier but for some reason it’s stuck in moderation.</p>
<p>@greg – Agreed! I’m not usually much of an R53 fanboy, but for some odd reason I’m REALLY happy my tips can stay where they are… if they were any shorter, they just wouldn’t fill out the back of the car properly.</p>
<p>Great, just great! I wonder what I can get started by touching the heat shroud or turbo on my R56 Cooper S…</p>
<p>It’s also really dangerous to lie on the ground behind an R56 just before someone backs out of a parking spot. And you could really do some damage to your vision if you stare into the high beams with your face just inches away from the lens. Just thought I’d share a couple of safety tips.</p>
<p>I am surprised there is no recall on the 335i dual exhaust and the M3, M5 as the exhaust on those cars are extending quite a bit from the bumper.</p>
<p>yay America!</p>
<p>I got the new tailpipe replaced. It looks worse but sounds a ton better. So overall its a fair tradeoff.</p>
<p>Not sure legally how Mini can enforce this change since it’s your car. Just say no people, it’s YOUR property and if you don’t want the pipes touched they can’t.</p>
<p>Really glad the JCW exhaust is excluded from this recall or I would not be a very happy camper.</p>
<p>I must presume this is a USA only thing? Most comments here are hilariously correct.</p>
<p>Can you say “CIRCUMCISION?”</p>
<p>Bwahahaaha – perhaps if you guys paid more attention to properly regulating your banks and weeding out all those grossly crooked and greedy people from your business and investment sectors and less time regulating silly stuff like this, you might not have stuffed up the global economy!</p>
<p>It was a flawed design. Mini screwed up, now they have to fix it. The end.</p>
<p>Come to think of it, you could really hurt yourself if you try to close the door with a foot or hand still outside. Talk about a flawed design. Clearly there should be a sensor that locks the hinge unless you are completely inside the car.</p>
<p>Now if someone could just burn themselves on one of those cold start engines. Would they recall & fix it? Problem solved. ;-)</p>
<p>Thousands of dollars spent by the federal government having Mini fix what it was already fixing, good use of funds during these times. England would be proud of us officially becoming a nanny state.</p>
<p>Silly, wasteful and other wise useless, all centered apparently around some Mini owners </p>
<p>I think there are more pressing quality issues with the current MINIs (Cold start issue, frozen throttle bodies, defective clutches) that merit further attention from MINI than the length of some exhaust pipes.</p>
<p>But if you want to “detract” from the bigger problems, this “forced recall” indeed works like a charm.</p>
<p>Come to think of it, you could really hurt yourself if you try to close the door with a foot or hand still outside. Talk about a flawed design. Clearly there should be a sensor that locks the hinge unless you are completely inside the car.</p>
<p>I feel much safer now.</p>
<p>I’m about to go in for my 1 year service. I’ve already replaced my entire exhaust with an aftermarket one and they better not touch it. The tips on it stick out even further.</p>
<p>I guess I can bring them my stock parts sitting in my basement if they really push the issue.</p>
<p>I’m curious what they really could do if you do not agree to have the recall performed?</p>
<p>We can argue the merit of this recall all day long but it kills me that the previous generation has an issue with engine fires and NHTSA has done nothing in spite of the real risk of someones house burning down.</p>
<p>design flaw my a@@! these were made that way on PURPOSE because they look COOL! now some wimps have ruined one of the unique features that helped make the Mini what it is.</p>
<p>The third generation may be so watered down with safety and “green” bs that it will be completely toothless.</p>
<p>If the original fool who complained about the pipes is reading this “thanks alot”……jackass</p>
<p>Well – It’s good to see that a few more people out there are as passionate about this issue as I am – It’s not a flawed design, but rather a cool design feature of the car — If the goal is to have vehicles that will never injure anyone, then we better go back to walking as the only means of transportation</p>
<p>Can’t do that Demon, we might trip and fall! ;)</p>
<p>I tripped once when I was walking.</p>
<p>I said no when, during my R56’s first service last Tuesday, my dealer asked me about the retrofit. They applied no pressure one way or another.</p>
<p>I wonder if there is a JCW Stage 1 owner in the USA that will be unfortunate enough to get burned by his/her tailpipes.</p>
<p>@<a href="#comment-253156" rel="nofollow">Demon</a>: No. We can’t go back to walking. What if somebody twists their ankle?</p>
<p>Americans are to blame for this!!!!!!!utter stupidity</p>
<p>Easy there Jacob. Or we will go “American” on you. Where are you from? France?</p>
<p>@<a href="#comment-253344" rel="nofollow">jacob</a>: Agreed.</p>
<p>@<a href="#comment-253436" rel="nofollow">greg</a>:</p>
<p>Greg, this attitude is what reflects so badly on us Americans and our perception in the world. We are no longer the richest, the best at everything, etc. I think our country needs to reconnect with its roots and do a soul check of sorts.</p>
<p>This is a great nation, but we are wounded in so many fronts. We need to overcome some of these attitudes we have towards other nations whom we perceive as inferior or contrived.</p>
<p>C4. You usually have good posts. However, it is pathetic that there aren’t 50 posts here defending the USA against any negative comments from Euro twerps. Spare me PC drivel. I’ll never apologize for standing up for America. ” Our country needs to reconnect with our roots”? WTF does that mean? Perhaps you and those who feel the same need to reconect with your b@@@@ One idiot complains, causes a recall, and you are ready to impugn America???</p>
<p>Ok – comments now closed. You can thank greg for that one. I’d delete his last comment but I have no idea what “b@@@@” is suppose to mean.</p>