2009 MINI COOPER S Complaints

TURBO OIL FEED LINE LEAK, OIL FILTER HOUSING GASKET WHICH IS COSTING ME CLOSE TO 1200$. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT COOLANT WAS LEAKING FROM THE RADIATOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V008000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 44,000.

MY CAR HAS BEEN LEAKING OIL AND THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED IT WAS DUE TO THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER. THEY ARE CHARGING $357.98 TO HAVE IT FIXED. MY CAR WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW AND HAS ONLY 50,000 MILES ON IT. AS SOON AS MY 4-YEAR WARRANTY EXPIRED, MY CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP MULTIPLE TIMES DUE TO ENGINE ISSUES. SERVICES THAT HAVE BEEN PERFORMED AT 50,000 MILES: 1. THERMOSTAT IS LEAKING COOLANT- $ 671.99 2. WATER-PUMP ALSO LEAKING COOLANT- $661.20 3. COOLANT FLUSH- $169.80 I USE ONLY PREMIUM GAS FOR MY CAR, PERFORM REGULAR OIL CHANGES, AND MAINTAIN MY CAR METICULOUSLY. THESE PROBLEMS SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING AFTER 4.5 YEARS OF DRIVING. I BELIEVE THAT MINI PRODUCES FAULTY CARS THAT DO NOT LAST, HAVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO RELIABILITY, AND THEN CHARGES AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT TO FIX SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN BROKEN IN THE FIRST PLACE. *TR

KNOWN ISSUES: TIMING CHAIN AND INTAKE VALVES. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT APPROX 40,000 MILES. DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED 2 ISSUES THAT SEEM TO BE KNOWN RECURRING ISSUES FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL: CARBONIZED INTAKE VALVES REQUIRING CLEANING, AND REPLACE TIMING CHAIN. THIS BILL WILL COST OVER $2600. SEVERAL COMPLAINTS HAVE APPEARED FOR INTAKE VALUE BUILDUP AND ALSO FOR THE TIMING CHAIN ISSUES. INTERNET SEARCHES SHOW THIS AS A COMMON ISSUE AND ALSO A KNOWN ISSUE BY BMW MINI. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL AS THEY KNOWINGLY SOLD THESE DEFECTED CARS IN 2009. WITH ONLY 40K MILES TO DATE, I PLAN TO KEEP THIS CAR FOR AT LEAST 4 MORE YEARS. MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE WITH BILLS LIKE THIS ONE. *TR

FIRE DID NOT OCCUR, BUT THERE IS A RISK. MANY MINI COOPER MODELS WITH TURBOCHARGERS ARE EXPERIENCING A LEAKY OIL FEED LINE TO THE TURBO AFTER APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES. DUE TO A POORLY INSULATED RUBBER GASKET. IT IS A MANUFACTURING FLAW, BUT MINI HAS FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE ISSUE. THIS IS A FIRE RISK. THE OIL IS ALLOWED TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE BAY, AND IT CAN DESTROY THE ENGINE BECAUSE MINI COOPERS DO NOT HAVE AN OIL SENSOR. *TR

WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC AT DEALERSHIP TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER HAD BEEN REPLACED WHILE IN FOR SERVICE IN PAST BUT NOW IT NEEDS REPLACED ANOTHER EMPLOYEE 2 DAYS LATER SAYS NO RECORD OF IT. I NEED TO PAY FULL AMOUNT. TOO EARLY FOR TIMING CHAIN REPLACEMENT TO BE REQUIRED IN A DECENT CAR. DEFECT. NEEDS RECALL. *TR

I STARTED THE CAR AND A LOUD RATTLING NOISE CAME FROM THE ENGINE. I DROVE ABOUT 5 MILES AND THE OIL CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO A JIFFY LUBE THAT WAS WITHIN 2 MILES AND THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. BY THE TIME I GOT TO JIFFY LUBE THE CAR DIDN'T HAVE ANY OIL LEFT. THE CAR WAS SERVICED BY THE MINI DEALER ONLY 4 MONTHS PRIOR. HAD THE CAR TOWED 1 1/2 HOURS TO THE NEAREST MINI DEALER. MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY THE TIMING TENSIONER CHAIN. THE DEALER SAID MINI WOULD COVER THOSE REPAIRS BUT THE TURBO OIL FEED LINE WAS LEAKING TOO AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT. IT COST ME $900.00. I ASKED IF THE CAR HAD A HEAT ON IT AND HE SAID NO BUT THAT I DON'T REALLY NEED ONE. I THOUGHT THERE HAD BEEN A SERVICE BULLETIN PUT OUT SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF THE HEAT FROM THE TURBO CAUSING THIS ISSUE BUT HE SAID IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. *TR

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

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