2007 MINI COOPER S Complaints

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY; ENGINE ROUGH ON START UP; SOUNDS LIKE RATTLING CHAINS WHEN SHIFTING; MINI SAID OUR OIL WAS TOO LOW SUBSEQUENTLY DESTROYING OUR TIMING CHAIN; TECH WAS AMAZED THAT THE CHAIN GUIDES WERE SHORN OFF AS WELL; MINI DOES NOT HAVE A CHECK OIL INDICATOR LIGHT ON THE CONSOLE; WE CHANGE OUR OIL EVERY 5000 MILES EVEN THOUGH MINI RECOMMENDS EVERY 15000. SO, WE HAD TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN ON A 5 YEAR OLD CAR WITH LESS THAN 44,000 MILES. COMPLAINED TO MINI CORPORATION AND PROCEEDED WITH CONFLICT RESOLUTION EXPERT. MINI DENIED OUR CLAIM BECAUSE OUR OIL WAS LOW AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. REPAIR COST $1,950.83 AND WE ARE STILL MAKING A CAR PAYMENT ON THIS NEWER VEHICLE. RESEARCHED SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET AS WELL AS TALKING WITH 3 ACQUAINTANCES WHO OWN A MINI. WE ARE FORTUNATE WE CAUGHT THIS ISSUE BEFORE WE HAD TO REPLACE OUR ENGINE. ACCORDING TO THEIR WEBSITE, BMW/MINI FINDS OIL USAGE AT 1 QUART PER 1000 MILES AS ACCEPTABLE. IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEY NEED TO INSTALL A CHECK OIL INDICATOR LIGHT ON THE CONSOLE AND CHANGE THEIR MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE FROM 15000 TO 3000 MILES. *TR

I BOUGHT MY 2007 MINI USED 1 MONTH AGO. WHEN I WENT TO TEST DRIVE THE CAR THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START AND THERE WAS A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE IT FIXED AND CALL ME BACK IN FOR A TEST DRIVE. I WENT BACK AND WHEN THE CAR STARTED IT HAD A VERY SLIGHT RATTLE THAT EVENTUALLY WENT AWAY. NOW IN THE MONTH TIME THAT I HAVE HAD THE CAR IT TAKES ME 6 OR 7 TRIES TO GET THE ENGINE TO START, AND WHEN IT RUNS IT HAS THE RATTLE THAT HAS PLAGUED SO MANY OTHER MINI OWNERS. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. ACTION MUST BE TAKEN TO CORRECT THE INADEQUACY OF THE INFERIOR TIMING CHAIN SET UP. THE DEALER HAS TOLD ME THAT IT IS A "NORMAL" MINI NOISE AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO GET USED TO IT. THAT IS IN A SENSE A "COP OUT" FOR A PROBLEM THAT IS HEAVILY KNOWN IN THE MINI COMMUNITY AND THAT BMW MINI IS WELL AWARE OF. THIS IS A MAJOR MECHANICAL DEFECT IN THE CAR AND BMW MINI NEED TO OWN UP TO REPAIR WITH AN UPDATED AND CURRENT CORRECTIVE ACTION OR REPLACE THE ENGINES FOR ALL THE LOYAL MINI OWNERS EXPERIENCING THIS VERY COSTLY PROBLEM THAT COULD LEAD TO TOTAL DRIVELINE FAILURE. WE PAID FOR A GOOD RUNNING RELIABLE VEHICLE AND ARE NOT GETTING WHAT WE PAID FOR. *TR

MY CAR HAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. HAVE TO REPLACE IT FOR $9000! IT S MINI COOPER S 2007 ONLY 29800 MILES!! THE DEALER WILL NOT REPINES ANYTHING AND THE WARRANTY IS OUT! *TR

ENGINE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER MALFUNCTIONING CAUSING DECREASED ACCELERATING POWER AND A LOUD RUBBING/KNOCKING NOISE WHEN DRIVING, THAT WILL CAUSE ENGINE DAMAGE IF NOT PROMPTLY FIXED. IT IS A WELL KNOW MINI COOPER PROBLEM (2007 MODELS TO CURRENT YEAR) AND THE MINI DEALERSHIP I TOOK MINE TO HAS HAD MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ISSUE. MINI HAS CAME OUT WITH REPLACEMENT PARTS AND A SERVICE GUIDE ON HOW TO REPAIR THE ISSUE AT A HEFTY COST (IF THE ENGINE HASN'T ALREADY BEEN DAMAGED); HOWEVER, MINI/BMW HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL OR REPLACEMENT AT NO COST TO CONSUMERS TO BACK UP THEIR PRODUCT. ESTIMATES FOR REPAIR IN MY AREA WERE $1300-$1600 IF REPAIRABLE BECAUSE AGAIN, IT WILL CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE IF NOT FIXED QUICKLY. MY CAR HAS 41,000 AND HAVE HAD MY MINI SERVICED AT THE DESIGNATED TIME INTERVALS AT ONLY MINI SERVICES AREAS. SUCH A MAJOR REPAIR THAT COULD HAVE EVENTUALLY CAUSED MY ENGINE TO STOP WORKING SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AT 41,000 MILES. MINI/BMW SHOULD BACK UP THERE PRODUCT WITH REPAIRS AND NEEDS TO FIND AN ULTIMATE FIX BECAUSE IT IS AN ISSUE EVEN IN THE CURRENT MODELS. *TR

TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER REPLACED JULY OF 2011 NOW AUG31,2012 LOUD NOISE TIMING CHAIN STRETCHED SO REPLACED & TENSIONER REPLACED AGAIN. *TR

IN JANUARY 2012 WITH 37,000 MILES ON IT MY MINI STARTED HAVING VERY NOISY STARTS. THE NOISE WOULD GO AWAY AFTER IT WARMED UP. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MINI DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS THE TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER. THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN, TENSIONER GUIDES ETC FOR HALF PRICE AS A GOOD WILL GESTURE. NOW I FIND OUT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE CONTACT NOTICED A BURNING ODOR. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE ON THE SHOULDER AND NOTICED SMALL FLAMES AND SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE WITH A BLANKET. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE OIL RETURN LINE THAT WAS CONNECTED TO THE TURBO CHARGER HAD BEGAN LEAKING OIL AND CAUSED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, AFTER THE REPAIR THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER A SECOND TIME FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN THEN STATED THAT THE TURBO CHARGER AND THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE TURBO CHARGER COULD HAVE BEEN DAMAGED DURING THE FIRE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT HAD PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT STALLING AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER WAS REPLACED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,800.

THE ENGINE QUIT WHILE PREPARING TO ENTER A HIGHWAY. THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING TO TURN ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND IT JUST QUIT AND PARTIALLY BLOCKED THE HIGHWAY. LUCKILY THE HIGHWAY WAS ON A SLOPE AND TO PREVENT FROM BLOCKING THE HIGHWAY AND RISK INJURY, I WAS ABLE TO COAST INTO A FIRE STATION ALONG THE HIGHWAY AND FROM THERE PUSH THE CAR OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE IS A BROKEN TIMING CHAIN WHICH BROKE WITH NO WARNING. THE REPAIR WILL COST ABOUT $4000. THE FACT THAT IT BROKE AS I WAS ENTERING A HIGHWAY AND WITH NO ON-COMING TRAFFIC WAS VERY LUCKY. THERE IS NO WARNING FOR THE ENGINE TO STOP. THIS SEEMS LIKE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR 2007 MINIS AND AS THESE CARS AGE THE LIKELY HOOD OF THE PROBLEM OCCURRING INCREASES. THIS CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME THE ENGINE IS RUNNING AND WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS AN ABRUPT ENGINE FAILURE CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE AND WITHOUT NOTICE. IT WAS OVER 100F THE DAY MY ENGINE QUIT, I WAS OVER 90MILES AWAY FROM HOME IN A SPARSELY POPULATED RURAL AREA WITH NO CELL PHONE COVERAGE. IF IT HAD HAPPENED 15 MILES IN EITHER DIRECTION IT COULD HAVE BEEN HOURS BEFORE ANYONE FOUND ME AND MY CAR. *TR

WITHOUT WARNING THE CAR STARTED JERKING AND RUNNING VERY ROUGHLY AND THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. WE BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE MINI DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. WHILE THE DEALER WAS VERY HELPFUL, THE DIAGNOSES WAS DISTURBING AT BEST. AFTER TEARING APART THE MOTOR, CLEANING IT AND REASSEMBLING, THE PROBLEM REMAINED. IT WAS "MINI SERVICES" RECOMMENDATION TO THE DEALER THAT THE TIMING BELT BE CHANGED. THIS IS A 13 HOUR PROCEDURE THAT COST JUST OVER $2000 AND PROVIDES NO GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM. IN ADDITION, THEY MAY RUN INTO MORE PROBLEMS ONCE THEY ARE INSIDE OF THE ENGINE. TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY, THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED DO TO A SIMILAR PROBLEM WHILE UNDER WARRANTY. WE HAVE ELECTED TO PAY $5000 FOR A NEW MOTOR AND 2 YEAR WARRANTY SO AT LEAST WE WOULD HAVE A SLIGHT PIECE OF MIND THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD NOT REOCCUR AT OUR EXPENSE. I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THE RISKS OF OWNING A VEHICLE BEYOND THE WARRANTY PERIOD. I JUST WISH BMW MINI WOULD RECOGNIZE THIS PROBLEM AND STAND BEHIND WHAT APPEARS TO BE A RAMPANT PROBLEM WITH THE "TIMING-BELT-TENSIONER" ON THE 2007 S MODELS. I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THE PAGES OF OWNERS THAT ARE REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM. MY WIFE LOVES THIS CAR. THERE IS NO WAY I WOULD PURCHASE ANOTHER MINI PRODUCT AFTER PAYING OVER $30,000 FOR THE 2007 63,000 MILE DISPOSABLE MODEL. *TR

TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER FAILURE MENTIONED BY OTHERS ALSO OCCURRED IN MY CAR. FAILURE IN MY CASE WAS PROGRESSIVE: STARTED WITH ROUGH STARTS, NOISY IDLE (FROM CHAIN IMPACTING COVER!) PROGRESSED TO NON-EXISTENT ACCELERATION ABOVE 4000 RPMS (A SAFETY ISSUE ON THE HIGHWAY) . BROUGHT THE CAR TO MECHANIC AND WHILE HE WAS INVESTIGATING THE OBVIOUS AIR LEAK, CAR FAILED TO START. DEALER EVENTUALLY DISCOVERED BENT VALVES FROM IMPACT WITH PISTON PREVENTING PROPER SEAL, BUT ONLY AFTER REPLACING SNAPPED TENSIONER GUIDES AND TIMING CHAIN DROPPED INTO OIL PAN FOR $2,525. HAD THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING IT POSES A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. THEN THEY TELL ME THEY CAN REPLACE ALL VALVES FOR $4,500. TOTAL COST, OVER $7,000. EFFECTIVELY, THIS IS A TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE AND IT WOULD BE CHEAPER TO DROP IN A COMPLETE NEW ENGINE. MINI AND THEIR DEALERS ARE WELL AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND AS IT CAN - AND HAS - RESULTED IN FAILURES FOR OTHER MOTORISTS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IT POSES SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED WITH A RECALL. *TR