2008 MINI COOPER S Complaints

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

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

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

MY MINI COOPER S WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW, AND HAD ALL REGULAR MAINTENANCE DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP. HOWEVER, ONCE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED I TOOK THE CAR TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC WHO HAS PERFORMED WORK FOR MYSELF AND FAMILY FOR TWELVE YEARS. AFTER READING THIS WEBSITE, AND IT'S COMPLAINTS THE SAME PROBLEMS HAVE OCCURRED TO ME. THE OIL LINES BEGAN TO LEAK BECAUSE THERE WAS A CLOG, AND IT CAUSED THE TURBO TO BURN OUT. PARTS AND LABOR FOR A USED TURBO CAME OUT TO BE AROUND $1,800. A NEW TURBO ALONE WOULD HAVE COST ROUGHLY 2,000. NOW SEVERAL THOUSAND MILES LATER, THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK NOTICED UNDER THE CAR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THIS TIME, TO SEE WHAT THE EXACT PROBLEM WAS AND AN ESTIMATE BEFORE TAKING IT TO MY MECHANIC. THEY FOUND "SEVERAL LEAKS" OF WHICH THEY REPLACED THE WATER PUMP, THE WATER PUMP GASKET, VALVE COVER GASKET, AND FINALLY THE OIL FILTER GASKET. AFTER THE $1,800 BILL FOR THAT WAS PAID, A CALL WAS RECEIVED DECLARING THAT THE CRANK CASE NOW HAS A LEAK IN IT AS WELL AND NEEDS TO BE RESEALED. WITH THE OIL LEAKING FROM THAT, THE CLUTCH COULD ALSO BE BURNING OUT AND NEED TO BE REPLACED COSTING AN ADDITIONAL $5,400. THE REPAIR BILL ON THIS ALONE WOULD BE ENOUGH TO BRING NORMAL HARD WORKING PEOPLE TO TEARS. ALSO, THE COLD START RATTLE IDENTIFYING THE TIMING BELT ISSUES HAS BEGUN ON MY CAR. THERE ARE THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ON THE INTERNET. GLAD TO KNOW BMW TAKES CARE OF IT'S CUSTOMERS AND IGNORES THE COMPLAINTS. *TR

I HAD BEEN SERVICING MY 2008 MINI COOPER S AT THE DREYER & REINBOLD BMW MINI DEALERSHIP FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR, WHICH I BOUGHT NEW. I JUST HAD IT IN THE SHOP AROUND 50K MILES AND WAS NOT TOLD THAT I SHOULD CONSIDER CHANGING MY TIMING BELT. ONE DAY I WENT TO START MY CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START. I TOWED IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME MY TIMING BELT HAD BROKEN AND DAMAGED MY ENGINE. I AM NO FACED WITH REPLACING MY ENGINE AND A BILL OF $6600+. THIS DEFECT THAT WAS NOT BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION HAS RUINED MY ENGINE AND AFTER THOROUGH RESEARCH OF FELLOW MINI DRIVERS, I AM HESITANT ABOUT WHAT OTHER DEFECTS MAY COME ABOUT IN THE FUTURE FOR THIS CAR. THIS SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE MANUFACTURER AND THERE SHOULD BE A LAWSUIT OR RECALL IN PLACE TO COMPENSATE MINI OWNERS FOR THIS FAULTY PART. *TR

I CURRENTLY HAVE AN OIL LEAK DEVELOPING FROM THE TURBO OIL LINE THAT HAS RESULTED FROM A FAILED O-RING WITHIN THE LINE ITSELF. DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW, THE HEAT FROM THE TURBO WEARS AWAY THE O-RING, WHICH RESULTS IN OIL LEAKING FROM WHERE THE LINE IS BOLTED TO THE TURBO VIA A BANJO BOLT. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM BECAUSE IF THE LINE FAILS, THE TURBO BECOMES STARVED OF OIL AND BURNS UP, WHICH ULTIMATELY CAUSES THE WHOLE TURBO UNIT TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, THE OIL LEAKING ONTO THE TURBO HAS A POTENTIAL TO CATCH FIRE, SINCE THE TURBO BECOMES VERY HOT DURING NORMAL DRIVING. ALSO IF ANY OIL LEAKS DOWN TO THE EXHAUST PIPING UNDERNEATH THE TURBO, THOSE PLACES ALSO POSE A FIRE HAZARD. MINI RECOGNIZES THIS TO BE AN ISSUE, BUT REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN ADD A HEAT SHIELD AROUND THE CONNECTION TO THE TURBO. THE LINE STILL HAS A RUBBER O-RING IN IT THAT WILL FAIL OVER REPEATED HEAT CYCLES, AND THE LINE NEEDS TO BE REDESIGNED. *TR