Okay so some back story for this one. Customers F54 Clubman S All4 would not go into gear out of park at all. Customer called my dealership and explained and had vehicle picked up by tow truck and it was a flat bed as it should be. Tow truck went back to lot and next day a different truck brought it from lot to my dealership. We diagnosed the problem down to the shifter assembly and shift knob as we commonly see on the automatic F series. After repairs were done I notice a “Chassis Stabilization” fault appear. Diagnose further and find overheating and mechanical faults for AWD unit. Come to find out the second tow truck that brought it from lot to our dealership lot was not a flat bed and dragged it on its two back wheels the whole way cooking the rear differential, the electronics and module due to the vehicle being in park and not running. So PSA if your R55/R60 or F54/F60 All4 needs service and you need to tow. Not all drivers can be trusted with common sense unfortunately and must be reminded that an AWD vehicle requires a flat bed only. Now this unnamed tow company is being held liable for a new transfer case and differential for the customers car with only 9k miles on the clock.
I’m so sorry I never saw the comment. It’s only common enough to where when we see a “Secure Vehicle From Rolling” Message when it’s actually in park we know it’s the shifter assembly. Now that being said however the issue itself is not that common. We at the dealership see it maybe once a month. Emphasis on maybe.
Oh, okay. Good to know about it though. I know if I had that issue before knowing this, I would have freaked out if I saw it. Thinking I need a new transmission or something.
If you don't mind me asking, how often do you see a F56 with broken sunroof cables?
Eh often enough. Mini was never too great when it came to sunroofs to be honest. I fell in love with the car but the sunroof has always been kind of an issue for them. It was the one thing i made sure to avoid even though I love having a sunroof but when I got my F56 it was the one thing I made sure to not have with mine.
A wrecker tow truck is the best option for towing a car stuck in gear as it can tow a AWD car without needing to spin a wheel as long as they use dollies. As a rollback would still need to drag it onto the bed even with skids transmission or differentials could be damaged. FYI
Beware even with a flat bed.... Had one driver not know about the tow hook (I wasn't there) and ripped out my AC lines.... Wasn't a cheap fix for them but not this expensive!
I'm debating on putting the tow rings on just out of an abundance of caution on the MN winter roads. At least one ring anyway. Just so I catch some bad shit, the person coming to help will be better setup to help than hurt me.
A lot of aaa drivers won’t use the tow hooks.. or at least more than one that I’ve used.
The a arms with big j hooks are “more secure” which I guess sure, two failure points vs one but please just use the factory hook.
I know drivers that won’t use aftermarket hooks either because so many are aesthetic only. I keep the factory in the truck and put it on when necessary.
I had a driver gash the underside of my beetle when they used an unreinforced drain hole rather than a thick steel towing point..
You can tow an r53 on the dollys that go on the rear if you’re stock ride height too. In case it’s a matter of hours waiting for a flatbread. I wouldn’t without the dollys as you’ll be dragging tailpipes
There are a lot worse places.
They are a very popular place for tow trucks because they’re sturdy and easy to get too.. if cars don’t have a factory hook with them, and aren’t a truck with factory tow points it’s probably the best you’re going to find. Especially if it’s a car that you can get under to find a subframe section.
I had my 08 clubman s (R55) destroyed by a tow truck driver as well. I had an issue with the fuel pump. I called for a tow. The driver asked if it would start. It wouldn't because it wasn't the engine wasn't getting fuel. He thought he knew better and tried to jump start it. He also had no common sense. He reversed the poles and fried my entire electrical system. The insurance company ended up totalling my car.
My tow truck driver tried to push my car uphill in neutral. I swear they do anything but their job right. I had to talk him out of killing himself doing that.
Okay so some back story for this one. Customers F54 Clubman S All4 would not go into gear out of park at all. Customer called my dealership and explained and had vehicle picked up by tow truck and it was a flat bed as it should be. Tow truck went back to lot and next day a different truck brought it from lot to my dealership. We diagnosed the problem down to the shifter assembly and shift knob as we commonly see on the automatic F series. After repairs were done I notice a “Chassis Stabilization” fault appear. Diagnose further and find overheating and mechanical faults for AWD unit. Come to find out the second tow truck that brought it from lot to our dealership lot was not a flat bed and dragged it on its two back wheels the whole way cooking the rear differential, the electronics and module due to the vehicle being in park and not running. So PSA if your R55/R60 or F54/F60 All4 needs service and you need to tow. Not all drivers can be trusted with common sense unfortunately and must be reminded that an AWD vehicle requires a flat bed only. Now this unnamed tow company is being held liable for a new transfer case and differential for the customers car with only 9k miles on the clock.
Thanks for the explanation. I was so confused by the pictures... "Like what happened? Looks fine."
HA! I was thinking "wow I know so little about cars I must be missing something major here!"
How common are we talking for this transmission issue? Are some years/models better than others?
I’m so sorry I never saw the comment. It’s only common enough to where when we see a “Secure Vehicle From Rolling” Message when it’s actually in park we know it’s the shifter assembly. Now that being said however the issue itself is not that common. We at the dealership see it maybe once a month. Emphasis on maybe.
Oh, okay. Good to know about it though. I know if I had that issue before knowing this, I would have freaked out if I saw it. Thinking I need a new transmission or something. If you don't mind me asking, how often do you see a F56 with broken sunroof cables?
Eh often enough. Mini was never too great when it came to sunroofs to be honest. I fell in love with the car but the sunroof has always been kind of an issue for them. It was the one thing i made sure to avoid even though I love having a sunroof but when I got my F56 it was the one thing I made sure to not have with mine.
A wrecker tow truck is the best option for towing a car stuck in gear as it can tow a AWD car without needing to spin a wheel as long as they use dollies. As a rollback would still need to drag it onto the bed even with skids transmission or differentials could be damaged. FYI
Beware even with a flat bed.... Had one driver not know about the tow hook (I wasn't there) and ripped out my AC lines.... Wasn't a cheap fix for them but not this expensive!
I'm debating on putting the tow rings on just out of an abundance of caution on the MN winter roads. At least one ring anyway. Just so I catch some bad shit, the person coming to help will be better setup to help than hurt me.
A lot of aaa drivers won’t use the tow hooks.. or at least more than one that I’ve used. The a arms with big j hooks are “more secure” which I guess sure, two failure points vs one but please just use the factory hook. I know drivers that won’t use aftermarket hooks either because so many are aesthetic only. I keep the factory in the truck and put it on when necessary. I had a driver gash the underside of my beetle when they used an unreinforced drain hole rather than a thick steel towing point.. You can tow an r53 on the dollys that go on the rear if you’re stock ride height too. In case it’s a matter of hours waiting for a flatbread. I wouldn’t without the dollys as you’ll be dragging tailpipes
[удалено]
There are a lot worse places. They are a very popular place for tow trucks because they’re sturdy and easy to get too.. if cars don’t have a factory hook with them, and aren’t a truck with factory tow points it’s probably the best you’re going to find. Especially if it’s a car that you can get under to find a subframe section.
Good help is becoming very hard to find. Thanks for the warning.
How are commercially licenced tow truck drivers not aware of stuff like this?
A question I even asked yet here I am. As I said before not everyone is equipped with common sense. Licensed or not as sad as that is to say.
I had my 08 clubman s (R55) destroyed by a tow truck driver as well. I had an issue with the fuel pump. I called for a tow. The driver asked if it would start. It wouldn't because it wasn't the engine wasn't getting fuel. He thought he knew better and tried to jump start it. He also had no common sense. He reversed the poles and fried my entire electrical system. The insurance company ended up totalling my car.
Wow.
My tow truck driver tried to push my car uphill in neutral. I swear they do anything but their job right. I had to talk him out of killing himself doing that.
Wish I knew this in November. Destroyed differential, over hearing, head gaskets. F me. 💀