2008 MINI COOPER Complaints

I HAVE OWNED THE MINI SINCE NEW. ALWAYS REGULARLY SERVICED AT THE MINI DEALER. RECENTLY I STARTED THE ENGINE AND IT SOUNDED MORE LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE, VERY NOISY AND UNUSUAL. TOOK IT TO THE MINI DEALER AND AS I EXPLAINED WHAT THE SYMPTOMS WERE, THE FRONT DESK PERSON THAT TOOK MY DETAILS DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. THE PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS WAS CONFIRMED LATER THROUGH AN INSPECTION BY A TRAINED TECHNICIAN. LIKE MANY, MANY MINI OWNERS I HAVE HAD A TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM. THAT THE FRONT DESK STAFF CAN DIAGNOSE A PROBLEM LIKE THIS MADE ME CURIOUS, IT MUST BE SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER SEES IT REGULARLY. SOME RESEARCH CONFIRMED THIS WAS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH MINIS. OWNERS HAVE HAD TERMINAL ENGINE DAMAGE WITH ENGINES THAT ARE LOW MILEAGE AND SIMPLY SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. THIS ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE IS SERIOUS AND CAN LEAD TO A MAJOR ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAYS SPEEDS. ALTHOUGH I WAS LUCKY, AND DO NOT HAVE A HUGE OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE AS I HAVE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE, I STILL BELIEVE THIS IS AN IMPORTANT SAFETY MATTER THAT BMW/MINI APPEAR TO BE IGNORING. IT SHOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF A VEHICLE SAFETY RECALL. IT IS POOR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN ON THEIR PART, THAT SHOULD BE RECTIFIED. *TR

WE PURCHASED THIS CAR IN LATE SEPT./EARLY OCT. 2012 WITH 29K MILES ON THE CAR. MY WIFE DRIVES THIS CAR, AND WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE, AS SHE WAS ENTERING THE OFF RAMP IN FOREST LAKE, MN HER CAR STARTED TO JERK/RUN LIKE CRAP (LATE JANUARY 2013). SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME, I TRIED TO FIGURE OUT THE ISSUE, BUT EVERYTHING I CHECKED TEST GOOD, SO I BROUGHT IT TO A LOCAL IMPORT TECH, AND HE DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE TO BE THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER, ALLOWING THE TIMING TO JUMP. HE SAYS HE STARTED UP THE MOTOR TO TEST FURTHER, IT IDLED FOR LESS THAN A MINUTE BEFORE THE MOTOR DIED AND NOW WILL NOT START. I NOW, AFTER OWNING THE CAR FOR 3-4 MONTHS, HAVE A MAJOR ENGINE FAILURE. I DO NOT CARE TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THIS HAPPENED WHILE MY WIFE WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT HIGH SPEEDS.... THANKX *TR

TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILURE ON 2008 MINI COOPER LEADING TO LARGE OIL LEAK UNDER PRESSURE. LOSS OF ALL ENGINE OIL, OIL SPRAYING ONTO HOT EXHAUST SYSTEM, ENGINE OIL PRESSURE LOSS AND OIL WARNING LIGHT. COULD EASILY LEAD TO COMPLETE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE/SEIZURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND ACCIDENT. *TR

STRANGE KNOCKING/RUBBING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FOR THE YEAR 2007+ MINI COOPER. FROM THE MINI DEALER REPAIR DETAILS IT APPEARS TO BE A ISSUE WITH THE TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER SYSTEM. IT ALSO APPEARS THAT WITHOUT BEING FIXED THE CAR WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE A TIMING CHAIN FAILURE AND POSSIBLE MOTOR DESTRUCTION. THIS COULD OCCUR WHILE DRIVING AND I COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE CAUSING A CRASH. MINI WILL NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT WITHOUT THE VEHICLE STILL BEING UNDER WARRANTY. I CALL FOR A RECALL. *TR

THE OIL INPUT LINE TO THE TURBO HAS STARTED TO LEAK. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY SIDELINED BECAUSE OF CHANCE OF FIRE OR FAILURE OF THE TURBO. *TR

MY PASSENGER SIDE SEAT, WHICH HAS A WEIGHT-SENSOR TO DETERMINE AIR-BAG OPERATION (ON/OFF, FULL FORCE, PARTIAL FORCE) IS FAULTY, AND WITH A 110 LB PERSON SEATED IN THERE, THE SENSOR STILL BELIEVES THE PERSON WEIGHS BELOW 25 LBS, AND AS SUCH, DISABLES THE AIRBAG. THIS IS CONCERNING TO ME AS I DRIVE WITH A PASSENGER MUCH OF THE TIME, AND MOST OF THE TIME THE AIRBAG IS DISABLED. THIS SEEMS LIKE A SAFETY-RECALL ISSUE TO ME. I HAVE ALSO DONE MUCH RESEARCH THROUGH THE VEHICLE MAKE FORUMS SCATTERED THROUGH THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THIS ISSUE EXISTS ON MANY OTHER VEHICLES OF THE SAME GENERATION. THANK YOU. *TR

MY CAR HAD BEEN MAKING A RATTLING SOUND OFF AND ON FOR A SHORT TIME (MOSTLY IN THE COLD MORNINGS) I DROVE FROM HOUSTON TO DALLAS. WHEN PARKED ON THE SIDE ROAD, MY CAR WOULD NOT START UP. I HAD NO SERVICE LIGHT OR ANY OTHER LIGHTS COME ON. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND I WAS TOLD MY TIMING BELT WAS BROKEN. I HAVE NO MEANS TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. WHILE SEARCHING THE INTERNET IT APPEARS THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND MINI COOPER/BMW ARE AWARE OF THIS AND HAVE DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT. *TR

THE CAR STARTED LEAKING SMALL AMOUNTS OF OIL IN THE GARAGE, APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF A DIME. WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED YOU COULD SMELL A SLIGHT OIL BURNING ODOR. THE CAR SAT FOR 3 DAYS, WAS DRIVEN AND SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THERE WAS NO FIRE. THE RESULT IS THAT THE "TURBO OIL FEED LINE" AND "CRANKCASE TO VALVE COVER HOSE" WERE REPLACED BECAUSE BOTH WERE LEAKING OIL. AT 50700 MI, WE HAD TO REPLACE THE VALVE COVER AND CCV ASSEMBLY. THIS CAR WAS REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL PE11036 FOR A COOLING FAN ISSUE. CONSIDERING THE LOW MILEAGE ON THIS VEHICLE, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THERE HAVE BEEN TOO MANY ISSUES WITH IT RELATED TO THE TURBO CHARGER AND OIL SYSTEM. FROM READING OTHER ISSUES ONLINE IT APPEARS THAT THERE ARE DESIGN FLAWS WITH THE SHIELDING OF THESE COMPONENTS FROM HIGH HEAT SOURCES ON THE ENGINE. THESE REPAIRS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AND ARE NOT RELATED TO POOR OR ABUSIVE DRIVING HABITS. *TR

THE OIL FEED LINE FOR THE TURBOCHARGER LEAKED ENOUGH OIL TO ALLOW ENOUGH SMOKE INTO THE CABIN TO GREATLY DECREASE VISIBILITY. THE FITTING IS COMPRISED OF A BANGO FITTING THAT IS CRIMPED TO THE FEED LINE WITH AN O-RING IN THE FEED LINE. THE O-RING IS THE COMPONENT THAT FAILED AND MY ENGINEERING BACK ROUND HAS LED ME TO THE ROOT CAUSE BEING THAT THE O-RING HAS SEEN ENOUGH THERMAL CYCLED TO DETERIORATE LEADING TO THE LEAK. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FROM A RELIABILITY STANDPOINT AND I KNOW THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY MINI OWNER THAT HAS HAD THIS HAPPEN TO THEM. MINI NEEDS TO OWN UP TO THIS DESIGN FLAW. *TR

THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER BACKED OUT OF THE ENGINE BLOCK ALLOWING ENGINE OIL TO BE PUMPED OUT OF THE ENGINE. THE TENSIONER WORKS ON ENGINE OIL PRESSURE AND IT BACKED OUT FAR ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE ENGINE OIL THAT NORMALLY PRESSURIZED THE PISTON TO BE PUMPED OUT OF THE ENGINE. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE THE STREAK OF OIL AS I BACKED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, BUT IF I HAD NOT I AM SURE THAT MORE DAMAGE AND POTENTIAL FIRE WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. THIS IS SURPRISING AS THIS SAME PART WAS REPLACED UNDER A RECALL FOR BEING FAULTY. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS STILL A DESIGN FLAW AND SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY MINI. *TR