2008 MINI COOPER Complaints

ON 15 AUG 2015 I PURCHASED A 2008 MINI COOPER 2D HATC WITH 122,629 MILES FOR $6,325 WITH NO WARRANTY IN STANFORD, NC FROM KARAS AUTO SALES, INC. ON 27 OCT 2015 THE MINI COOPER BROKE DOWN WHILE DRIVING AND PULLED IT OVER BESIDE THE ROAD. THE WRECKER SERVICE TOOK THE MINI TO A MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC STATED THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKE AND THERE WAS MAJOR ENGINE DAMAGE AND THE REPAIR BILL WILL BE FROM 8K TO 10K IN REPAIR COST. MINI HAD APPROXIMATELY 125K MILES ON IT. I'VE HEARD OF A LOT OF COMPLAINTS WITH THOSE MINIS WITH THOSE SAME ISSUES HAPPENING ANYWHERE FROM 30K MILES TO OVER 100K MILES FROM 2007-2010 MODELS. NOTHING ELSE HAS BEEN SPENT ON THE CAR FOR REPAIR. I'M NOT WASTING ANYMORE MONEY ON THAT JUNK MINI COOPER. IT'S TO LATE FOR THE LEMON LAW TO BE APPLIED. CAN ANYTHING GET DONE SO THAT I CAN IMPLEMENT A LAWSUIT AND RECEIVE ANY MONEY FOR THAT FROM BMW OR AND THE DEALER OR IS IT A WASTE OF TIME? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.

AS MANY OTHERS HAVE POSTED HERE, MY ENGINE BEGAN RATTLING LOUDLY WHEN I WOULD START IT UP. TO ALLEVIATE THIS, I WOULD TOP OFF THE OIL AND GET FREQUENT OIL CHANGES, IN FACT, MORE OFTEN THAN MINI/BMW SUGGESTED IT SHOULD GET AN OIL CHANGE. THIS WOULD USUALLY TAKE CARE OF THE RATTLE. ONE NIGHT, THE ENGINE RATTLE KEPT INCREASING AND SUDDENLY THE CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY STREET JUST 20 FEET FROM RAILROAD TRACKS WITHOUT ANY WARNING LIGHTS OR INDICATIONS WHATSOEVER. I HAD IT TOWED TO A NEARBY MECHANICS SHOP I TRUST (NOT THE DEALERSHIP). THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN AND BENT THE VALVES AND I'M IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING A NEW ENGINE PUT IN (WITH THE SAME FAULTY TIMING CHAIN) TO THE TUNE OF $6,500. I CALLED MINI/BMW USA BECAUSE MY MECHANIC SAID HE'S SEEN THIS PROBLEM FREQUENTLY IN MY MODEL. MINI SAID THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME UNLESS THE CAR WAS DIAGNOSED BY THE MINI DEALERSHIP, AND EVEN THEN THERE WOULD BE NO GUARANTEE THEY WOULD COVER ANYTHING BECAUSE OF "MY VEHICLE'S AGE." MINI/BMW USA WOULDN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN FREQUENT REPORTS OF TIMING TENSIONER/CHAINS HAVING PROBLEMS. I'M EVEN MORE SURPRISED HOW FREQUENT THIS PROBLEM IS NOW THAT I'M LOOKING ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL AND SOMETHING THAT MINI/BMW SHOULD COVER AND RESPOND TO, SINCE THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS AGAINST THE COMPANY BECAUSE OF THIS.

I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED WITH 86,100 MILES ON IT. WHEN DRIVING WITHIN THE FIRST 500 MILES, THE AIRBAG LIGHT AND SEAT BELT RESTRAINT SYSTEM INDICATED ON MY DASH (BOTH THE TACHOMETER AND THE SPEEDOMETER). AN ALERT FOR THE AIRBAG APPEARS AS AN ICON ON THE TACHOMETER. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO INDICATED THE AUTO GOT WET WHICH CAUSED THE AIR BAG MODULE TO FAIL, WHICH NOW NEEDS REPLACEMENT AT A RIDICULOUSLY HIGH COST.

AFTER MINI/BMW REPAIRED THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER AND THE TIMING CHAIN, MY TURBO OIL SUPPLY LINE DEVELOPED A SIGNIFICANT LEAK (WITHIN A WEEK/ WITHIN 200 MILES OF MINI SERVICE) CAUSING SMOKE TO ESCAPE FROM THE BONNET, OIL TO COVER THE FRONT ENGINE/TURBO/EXHAUST. OIL NOW PUDDLES BENEATH THE CAR WHEN PARKED. THE CAR HAS 89,XXX MILES. I FIRST NOTICED THE SMELL OF BURNING OIL WHEN DRIVING ACROSS TOWN AT A SPEED OF 40MPH. WHEN PARKING THE VEHICLE, UPON IDLE THE SMOKE BILLOWED FROM THE BONNET OF THE CAR. ACCORDING TO MINI FORUMS, THIS PROBLEM OF A FAILED O-RING IN THE TURBO OIL SUPPLY LINE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM RESULTING IN NUMEROUS FAILURES THAT CAN LEAD TO CATASTROHIC DAMAGE TO THE TURBO, CATALYTIC CONVERTER, AND ENGINE.

AIR BAG WARNING WITH THE FAULT CODE 93C3 WHICH HAS CAUSED A RECALL OF 91 THOUSAND VEHICLES... MY MINI S IS NOT A RECALL CAR. (ON THE SAME GRID AS THE RECALLED MINI'S...SAME OEM REPAIR PARTS) MINI USA REPRESENTATIVE [JAMIE] SUGGESTED I REMOVE THE AIR BAG AND PUT A SIGN UP IN THE DASH INDICATING 'NO AIR BAG" IF I DID NOT WANT TO PAY THE $1500.00+ IN REPAIIR COST... AND THAT WILL ALLOW ME TO PASS THE STATE INSPECTION.

THE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE 16600MILES. THE WARNING LIGHT FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG GOES ON INTERMITTENTLY. THE LIGHT FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG ILLUMINATES "OFF". TOOK TO DEALERSHIP AND FOUND THE PASSENGER SEAT MAT FAULTY. STARTED FLICKERING WHILE DRIVING BUT NOW THE LIGHT IS ON CONSTANTLY WHEN START CAR AND DRIVING. I HAVE READ THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM FOR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED UP TO JULY 2008. MY MINI S SHOWS A PRODUCTION DATE 8/01/08. I HAD THIS CAR BUILT TO MY SPECIFICATION IN JULY 2008. I HAVE PAID FOR THE PART BECAUSE I BELIEVE THIS IS FOR THE SAFETY FOR WHOM EVER RIDES WITH ME BUT THE PART IS ON BACKORDER AND WE ARE WAITING FOR IT TO ARRIVE FROM GERMANY. BMW/MINI HAVE NOT RESOLVED THE ISSUE IF IT IS STILL HAPPENING. THE COST TO REPAIR IS APPROX.$ 2153.00. IF I WAIT TILL I GET A RECALL AND THERE IS A FATALITY.....? IF AT A LATER DATE A RECALL IS MADE FOR MY VEHICLE CAN I GET THE FULL COST REIMBURSED?

WHEN STARTING CAR, I GET A GRINDING, RATTLING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS THE CHAIN TENSIONER ON THE CAR

PURCHASED AT 61,000 MILES 9/9/14; HAD SYNTHETIC OIL CHANGE 5/15; 9/29/15 CAR BEGAN TO HAVE A RATTLE BUT UNSURE IF IT WAS FRONT OF CAR OR BACK OF CAR. RATTLING STOPPED ON ACCELERATION. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. 10/4/15 CAR DIED AT 69,362 MILES WHILE DRIVING ON A TWO LANE ROAD ON A CURVE. WAS ABLE TO COAST TO GETTING HALF THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. BYPASSERS PUSHED ME OFF THE REST OF THE WAY. TOWED TO MECHANIC WHO SAID IT WAS THE TIMING CHAIN GUARD THAT SPLIT OFF. CALLED MINI THEY SAID THEIR DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPT HAD TO LOOK AT IT. HAD IT TOWED TO OH 70 MILES AWAY. THEY TOLD ME I HAD AN OIL LEAK WHICH CAUSED THE FOLLOWING TO BE DAMAGED - CRANK SHAFT, HARMONIC BALANCER, CYLINDER HEAD, TIMING CHAIN AND GUARD AND MAYBE OTHER STUFF BUT THEY COULDN'T TELL WITHOUT FURTHER EXAMINATION. TOLD $5,000 PLUS TO FIX, BUT I SEE MINI ESTIMATE STATES $3,500-4,500. MY LOCAL MECHANIC FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF AN OIL LEAK CAUSING THE TROUBLE, NOR DID I HAVE AN OIL SPOT WHERE I PARKED MY CAR IN THE GARAGE OR WORK PARKING LOT. NO OIL OR ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL BURNING OIL ODOR FROM THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED CONSTANTLY. THE CONTACT PARKED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED OIL LEAKING ONTO THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V205000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER DID NOT GIVE A SPECIFIC DATE FOR WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER COULD NOT PROVIDE AN ESTIMATED DATE FOR WHEN THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WOULD RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND REMAINED LIT FOR MONTHS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.