2008 MINI COOPER Complaints

WHILE DRIVING UP AN INCLINE ON A SEMI-RURAL ROAD IN ORANGE COUNTY, CA, MY CAR APPEARED TO BE UNABLE TO SHIFT GEARS (IT IS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION). MY HEAD LURCHED FORWARD AND BACK AGAIN FORCEFULLY, AND I WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE MORE THAN 20 MPH ON A 60 MPH SPEED LIMIT ROAD FOR THE NEXT MILE, UNTIL I ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS CLOSE BEHIND ME, OR I COULD HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED, AND LUCKILY I WAS CLOSE TO MY FINAL DESTINATION. I DRIVE A 2008 MINI COOPER CLUBMAN S, AUTOMATIC WITH PADDLE SHIFTERS. IT IS ABOUT $8,300 TO $9,700 TO REPAIR IT (2 DIFFERENT REPAIR QUOTES OBTAINED). *TR

I CHANGE MY OIL EVERY 3K ON THE DOT. I CHECK IT REGULARLY. FULLY SYNTHETIC EVERY TIME. I WAS TOLD WHEN I BOUGHT MY MINI WITH 42K THAT THE RATTLE UNDER THE HOOD WAS NORMAL. AT APPROX. 50K I HEARD THE SAME METAL RATTLE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A CHAIN SMACKING PLASTIC, SO I BROUGHT IT IN TO BE CHECKED. NOW I'M STUCK WITH A TIMING CHAIN REPLACEMENT THAT'S GOING TO COST UPWARDS OF $2,000. NOW I'M NOT ONE TO COMPLAIN OF NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR PARTS BUT WHO HAS A TIMING CHAIN GO OUT AT 50K? IF YOU GOOGLE TIMING CHAIN ISSUES YOU WILL SEE. THERE ARE TONS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. LUCKILY MINE WAS CAUGHT IN MY DRIVEWAY. IF THIS CHAIN GOES OUT ON A HIGHWAY... THIS CAN EASILY CAUSE A FATAL ACCIDENT... PLEASE DON'T WAIT FOR AN ACCIDENT TO HAPPEN. GET THESE CHAINS REPLACED WITH ONES THAT HAVE BEEN QUALITY CONTROLLED. THIS IS A TRUE SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

MY MINI HAS HAD REGULAR SERVICE AT HABBERSTAD MINI SINCE I PURCHASED IT. I HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT ENGINE NOISE IN NOVEMBER 2011 AND THEY FOUND THE OIL WAS LOW AND REFILLED IT. AT EACH SERVICE I MENTIONED THE NOISE AND NOTHING WAS FOUND EXCEPT TO TELL ME I NEED INDUCTION SERVICE, REPLACE LEAKING WATER PUMP (EVEN AFTER THE RECALL FOR THIS PART WAS DONE ALREADY) AND COOLANT EXCHANGE FOR $1300. THE LOUD RATTLING ENGINE NOISE PERSISTED AND CAR BECAME ALMOST UNDRIVEABLE. IT TOOK THEM 3 DAYS TO FIND THAT THE TIMING CHAIN ETC. NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, WHICH AFTER SOME RESEARCH ONLINE I HAD ALREADY FOUND TO BE THE PROBLEM. OF COURSE MY WARRANTY WAS NOW UP SO I HAD TO PAY $3000. AND MY CAR ONLY HAS 38,000 MILES ON IT. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE!! I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THEY HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THIS AND I SHOULD CALL MINI DIRECTLY AND LODGE A COMPLAINT, WHICH I DID. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS ISSUE INVESTIGATED, AS MINI MUST CERTAINLY HAVE HEARD FROM MORE CUSTOMERS BESIDES ME AND THEY ARE DOING NOTHING ABOUT IT. THE CUSTOMERS ARE GETTING STUCK PAYING FOR A DESIGN FLAW. PLEASE DO AN INVESTIGATION AND MAKE THEM ISSUE A RECALL TO REPAIR THIS DEFECT AND REFUND OUR REPAIR COSTS. MINI NEEDS TO STAND BEHIND THEIR MOTORER PLEDGE AND GIVE US THE QUALITY PRODUCT THEY ADVERTISE. *TR

HAD TO TAKE MY MINI COOPER S WITH JCW PACKAGE IN TO CORRECT A SERVICE LIGHT ISSUE. WAS CARBON BUILD UP ON THE VALVES. CLEANED IT FOR 1500.00. DROVE IT ABOUT A MONTH AND THE TURBO BYPASS SOLENOID VALVE FAILED. BACK TO THE MINI COOPER DEALER IN CLEAR LAKE. THEY REPLACED THE SOLENOID AND DID A OIL CHANGE FOR 550.00 GOT IT HOME AND NOTICED IT HAD A FAINT SMELL OF SOMETHING BURNING. THOUGHT IT COULD BE THEY GOT SOME OIL ON SOME PARTS THAT GET HOT. ONE WEEK AFTER THE TURBO SOLENOID WAS REPLACED I NOTICED A OIL SPOT ON MY GARAGE FLOOR. RAISED THE HOOD AND THE TURBO HAD A OIL FILM ON IT AND THE AIR INTAKE SUPPLY ON THE TURBO WAS LOOSE AND PRACTICALLY OFF THE TURBO. TOOK IT TO DEALER. THEY SAID LOOK LIKE OIL DRAIN BOLT LEAKING. REPLACED IT BUT THE ALSO CLEANED THE OIL OFF THE TURBO? NOT SURE WHY. I DIDN'T TELL THEM IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS LEAKING. MAYBE THEY KNEW? DROVE IT HOME AND IT STILL SMELLED LIKE SOMETHING BURNING. LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND THE TURBO WAS COVERED WITH OIL. BACK TO THE DEALER. THEY CAN FIX IT FOR 1200.00 IT IS THE TURBO OIL FEED SUPPLY AND RETURN LINE. ALSO THE OIL DETERIORATED THE AIR INTAKE LINE AND CAUSED IT TO DEFORM SO THAT IT NO LONGER WILL STAY ON THE TURBO INTAKE. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION LOOKS LIKE THE TURBO OIL FEED LINE IS A MAJOR ISSUE. MULTIPLE REPORTS OF THIS FAILURE. I ALSO SAW A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE HEAT SHIELD ON THE OIL FEED LINE. BUT THEY FAILED TO DO THE INSTALL ON MINE. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE HAD IT IN FOR SEVERAL SERVICES SINCE THE BULLETIN. THERE IS DEFINITELY A ISSUE WITH THE OIL FEED LINE TO THE TURBO. WON'T BE PURCHASING ANOTHER BMW PRODUCT. WILL NOT BE USING THIS DEALERS SERVICE IF I DECIDE TO KEEP THE MINI. *TR

THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING HAD A SMALL CRACK IN IT RESULTING IN EXCESSIVE COOLANT LEAK. DUE TO LACK OF TEMPERATURE GAUGE AND NO WARNING LIGHT, I WAS UNABLE TO TELL THAT MY ENGINE WAS OVERHEATING. THIS PROBLEM IS DUE TO A FAULTY PLASTIC THERMOSTAT HOUSING. *TR

ENGINE HAD A COLD START RATTLE FOR A LONG TIME. THEN WHILE DRIVING, THE RATTLE GOT WORSE AND AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED AT THE DEALERSHIP, IT WAS DUE TO THE PLASTIC TIMING GUIDE BREAKING DUE TO NOT ENOUGH TENSION ON THE TIMING CHAIN. I HAD TO STOP DRIVING IMMEDIATELY AND GET MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. MY WARRANTY HAD RAN OUT SHORTLY BEFORE THE INCIDENT. *TR

OIL LEAK FROM TOP OF TURBO OIL LINE CONNECTOR NEAR BANJO BOLT. THIS IS DUE TO A FAULTY O-RING FROM THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR (GAS) STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AND SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS A DIESEL. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THAT THE TENSIONERS IN THE ENGINE ARE WORN OUT. I HAD THE UPPER REPLACED, BUT THE OTHERS ALSO NEED REPLACING. BASED ON MY OWN RESEARCH, IT APPEARS THE PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THE MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED OIL CHANGE. THE COMPANY RECOMMENDS CHANGING OIL EVERY 15000 MILES WITH SYNTHETIC OIL. THE FIX IS SUPPOSEDLY TO CHANGE THE OIL AT HALF THAT, 7500. I'VE BEEN TOLD THIS COULD RESULT IN THE TIMING CHAIN COMING OFF AND THE ENGINE BEING TRASHED. *TR

AIR BAG LIGHT GOES OFF WITH CODE 93B1 PASSENGER HEAD AIRBAG NOT PRESENT. MINI KNOWS THIS IS AN ISSUE AS IT HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS ISSUE. THE TSB NUMBER IS SI-M-65-10-08. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR

WE STARTED HEARING A LOUD NOISE AROUND 27,000 MILES. CAR WAS JUST OVER FOUR YEARS OLD AND OUT OF WARRANTY. ENDED UP WITH A TIMING CHAIN ISSUE AND IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. REPEATED CALLS TO MINI DEALER AND MINI USA PROVIDED WORTHLESS, STUCK WITH WHOLE REPAIR AND NO ASSISTANCE. *TR