2009 MINI COOPER Complaints

BOTH THE TENSIONER AND THE TIMING CHAIN WENT ON THIS CAR WITH IN A FEW DAYS. WE WERE LUCKY THAT IT DID NOT TEAR APART THE ENGINE. WE CALLED MINI COOPER, AND NEW COUNTRY MINI WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW, AND WERE TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO ISSUES WITH THESE ITEMS. HOWEVER, EVERY MINI CHAT ROOM IT WAS A HOT TOPIC. WE ORDERED THE PARTS AND MY HUSBAND INSTALLED THEM. IN OCTOBER WE RECEIVED A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE SAME PARTS, AND CALLED THE 800 NUMBER. I SPOKE WITH THE ADVISOR AND EVEN THEY COULD NOT GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER ON REPAIRING THIS CAR. FIRST THEY WOULD REIMBURSE US FOR THE PARTS, THEN THEY WANTED TO SEND A FLATBED TO PICK IT UP (THE FRONT DOOR LOCKS ARE ALSO FROZEN SHUT) AND PROVIDE A LOANER, THEN THEY NEVER SHOWED. I NEED HELP. THIS $34,000 CAR IS A DEATH TRAP. *TR

THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR IS FROZEN, IT CANNOT BE OPENED, FROM MINI FORUMS I HAVE SEEN WHERE THIS IS A SERIOUS ONGOING PROBLEM. NOW THE BACK BARN DOOR IS FROZEN SHUT. THE LOCKS ARE OBVIOUSLY BROKEN, YET THE DEALERSHIP EXPECTS THAT WE WILL COVER THIS OUT OF POCKET TO THE TUNE OF $1800. OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE PROBLEMS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON 21 NOVEMBER 2013 WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON MY MINI CAME ON. I CALLED THE DEALER TO SCHEDULE THE APPOINTMENT. BY THE TIME I GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH THE DEALER, THE LIGHT TURNED OFF. AROUND 5 MILES FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND THEN THE CAR ERUPTED IN FLAMES. I AM UNSURE WHERE ELSE TO FILE A COMPLAINT BUT I THOUGHT I WOULD BEGIN HERE. *TR

FUEL LEAK A/P MINI SERVICE; NOT COVERED BY EXTENDED WARRANTY; AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ADVISED SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPORTED DESIGN FLAW IN CRIMP DEVICE HOLDING OIL LINE CONNECTING TO TURBO. ADVISED BY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TURBO UNIT DEFECTIVE, NEEDS REPLACEMENT. MINI OF FAIRFIELD RETURNED VEHICLE IN AN UNSAFE MANNER WITH STRIPPED BOLTS AND IMPROPER PLACEMENT OF OIL PAN. AFTER CALLING BMW OF NORTH AMERICA MINI OF FAIRFIELD DECIDED TO CHANGE OIL LINES WITHOUT CHANGING TURBO UNIT. ON DRIVING VEHICLE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM HOOD; VEHICLE REVVING IN PARK, AND A METALLIC SOUND COMING FROM UNDER VEHICLE; RETURNED TO MINI SERVICE AND AFTER FURTHER EVALUATION (DIAGNOSTIC FEE $100)I WAS ADVISED THAT CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE; I TRIED 2 DIFFERENT MINI SERVICE DEPARTMENTS NEITHER WOULD REPLACE TURBO UNIT CONSIDERING THE FIRE HAZARD AS REPORTED. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON....EXCESSIVE CARBON BUILD UP. HAPPENED AGAIN AT 68K MILES .... *TR

I PURCHASED THIS CAR WITH 24K MILES ON IT. IT NOW HAS A LITTLE OVER 28K MILES. IT HAS BEEN STARTING AND RUNNING JUST FINE, UNTIL THE WEATHER TURNED COLDER. NOW IF THE CAR SITS OUTSIDE FOR A FEW HOURS WITH THE TEMP BELOW ABOUT 45 DEGREES, THE ENGINE RATTLES AND SOUNDS HORRIBLE WHEN I FIRST START IT. THIS IS A VERY LOUD RATTLE COMING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE. THE NOISE IS SO BAD THAT I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL IT WARMS UP AND THE SOUND GOES AWAY. AFTER A LITTLE RESEARCH ONLINE, I AM SHOCKED TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND THAT IT IS THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER AND GUIDE SYSTEM. I WISH I HAD RESEARCHED THESE CARS BEFORE MAKING A PURCHASE BECAUSE NOW I OWN AN EXPENSIVE PROBLEM. *TR

MINI COOPER SENT A RECALL FOR A FAULTY TIMING CHAIN IN MY 2009 MINI COOPER. THIS IS THE 2ND TIMING CHAIN REPAIR IN 2 YEARS. WHEN I HAD IT IN FOR THE REPAIR I INFORMED THE TECH I SMELLED OIL BURNING AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING DURING A HIGHWAY DRIVE. THEY LOOKED AT THE CAR AND INFORMED ME THE TURBO LINES WERE LEAKING WHICH POSE A RISK IF I LEFT IT UNREPAIRED. THE TURBO LINE REPAIR IS A $1000 REPAIR ON A CAR WITH LESS THAN 35000 MILES. THE TECH INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE GOING TO PUT A HEAT SHIELD ON THE VEHICLE ALSO AS PART OF A RECALL. PERHAPS THIS SHIELD SHOULD HAVE BEEN INSTALLED PRIOR AND THE LINE WOULD STILL BE INTACT. *TR

NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10043724 THERE HAS BEEN A SERVICE BULLETIN BUT NOT A RECALL ON THE TURBO HEAT SHIELD. WITH THE LACK OF THE HEAT SHIELD THERE COULD BE ENGINE FAILURE BY A LACK OF OIL SUPPLY. I PAID OUT OF POCKET FOR THE ALL THE REPAIRS CAUSED BY THE LACK OF THE HEAT SHIELD TOTALING $636.37, BUT MINI WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE COSTS AS THIS IS A SERVICE BULLETIN NOT A RECALL (THOUGH MY DEALER HAD LEFT A MESSAGE STATING THAT IT WAS AN OPEN RECALL). THIS SHOULD BE AN OPEN RECALL AS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. *TR

THE VACUUM PUMP (ATTACHED TO EXHAUST CAM SHAFT) ON MY 2009 MINI COOPER JCW SEIZED ON THE HIGHWAY IN MOVING TRAFFIC (LUCKILY IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE) - VACUUM PUMP SEIZER LED TO EXHAUST CAM SHAFT FAILURE, WHICH LED TO MULTIPLE ENGINE PART FAILURE / ENGINE PUNCTURE (DESTROYED ENGINE AND TIMING CHAIN): DESTROYED ENGINE = NO POWER IN MOVING TRAFFIC = SERIOUS HAZARD. *TR

TIMING CHAIN BROKE..I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD ON MY WAY HOME COMING TO A STOP SIGN SLOWING MY SPEED LUCKILY TO MAKE A LEFT TURN WHEN I HEARD AN AWFUL NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I TRIED MAKING MY LEFT TURN WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND IT STARTED SPUTTERING VERY SLOWLY MOVING. I MADE IT HOME SPUTTERING..LUCKILY WAS CLOSE TO HOME OTHERWISE I WOULD HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED. AFTER SOME LONG AND FRUSTRATING TROUBLESHOOTING FROM A NICE NEIGHBOR, HE FOUND OUT THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN CAUSING SEVERAL OTHER PROBLEMS. HE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT IT HAD VERY LITTLE OR NO OIL. WHICH I HAD NO INDICATION FROM THE CAR COMPUTER THAT IT WAS EVEN LOW. THIS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM BUT AGAIN I HAD NO CAR INDICATION. IT WILL COST ME AT LEAST $7000.00 FOR COST AND LABOR TO FIX SINCE IT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY OR NOT EVEN SURE IF IT'S COVERED...THIS IS MY 3RD MINI..FIRST ONE WAS A LEASED ONE AND I UPGRADED TO A MINI S WHEN THE LEASE WAS OVER AND LEASED ANOTHER ONE. I BOUGHT THIS ONE WHEN THE SECOND LEASE WAS OVER..EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THIS ONE..I HAVE HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE. EVERYTHING IS DOCUMENTED ON HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE TAKEN IT IN...SO VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS ONE!!!! *TR