2008 MINI COOPER S Complaints

ENGINE DEVELOPED A KNOCKING, RATTLING SOUND WHICH GREW LOUDER OVER TIME. THE LOCAL MINI DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED A TIMING CHAIN GLIDE AND TENSIONER FAILURE. REPLACED THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY. WAS TOLD MINI REALIZED THE GLIDES WERE INFERIOR AND WAS NOW USING UPGRADED GLIDES IN THE REPLACEMENT KITS. WHEN ASKED IF THIS SHOULDN'T BE A WARRANTY REPLACEMENT SINCE IT COULD LEAD TO TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE, WAS TOLD THIS WAS UP TO MINI-USA, NOT THE DEALER. THIS IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE IF THE TIMING CHAIN BREAKS WHILE DRIVING, SEIZING THE ENGINE, AND LEADING TO LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

TENSIONER ALLOWED TIMING CHAIN TO SLAP THE CHAIN GUARD, SUCH THAT PIECES OF THE CHAIN GUARD EVENTUALLY GOT CAUGHT IN THE TIMING CHAIN AND THE CAR WAS OFF TIME AND OFF CAMBER. PIECES OF THE CHAIN GUARD WERE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE VALVE HOUSING. REPLACED TENSIONER AND WHOLE TIMING CHAIN ASSEMBLY. 2ND TENSIONER LASTED ONLY 3 WEEKS. AM ON MY 3RD TENSIONER AND HOLDING MY BREATH. *TR

MY 2008 MINI COOPER S (WITH 28,300 MILES) HAS EXPERIENCED DIESEL SOUNDING ENGINE PROBLEMS COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I LOOKED THIS UP ON THE INTERNET TO FIND THIS WAS A TENSIONER OR TIMING BELT ISSUE WITH THE CAR. ALMOST 600 PEOPLE HAVE USED THIS SITE: HTTP://WWW.MINICOOPERSPEED.COM/MINI-COOPER-COLD-START-KNOCKING-NOISE-ISSUE-2007/ TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS A FORMAL REQUEST TO PLEASE REQUEST ACTION ON BMW'S PART TO RECTIFY THIS TIMING BELT SITUATION. THE OWNERS OF THESE CARS SHOULD NOT AND CAN NOT BE FORCED TO PAY FOR THIS ENGINE PROBLEM OF SUCH A NEW CAR. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED, AND BMW NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A PERMANENT FIX. *TR

TURBOCHARGER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THE DEALER WANTED TO CHARGE ME $3,700. BUT THE CAUSE OF MY TURBOCHARGER NEEDING TO BE REPLACED WAS THE CAUSE OF MY AUXILIARY WATER PUMP - THERMOSTAT HOUSING GOING OUT IN 04/12/11 WHICH CAUSED THE TURBOCHARGER TO OVERHEAT AND BECOME DAMAGED. I REMINDED THE DEALER ABOUT THE WATER PUMP BEING REPLACED SO THEY CONTACTED MINI USA AND IT TOOK THEM 2 WEEKS FOR THE DEALER AND MINI USA TO COVER THE REPLACING OF THE TURBOCHARGER UNDER WARRANTY. EVEN THOUGH THEY REPLACED THE WATER PUMP BACK IN APRIL 2011, THE CURRENT FEB 2012 RECALL FOR THE AUXILIARY WATER PUMP IS BEING REPLACED CONCURRENTLY WITH THE TURBOCHARGER. THESE ARE THE 3 COMPLAINTS ON MY CAR IN LESS THAN A YEAR: 04/12/11 - WATER PUMP REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. 10/20/11 TIMING CHAIN REPLACED AND COST ME $2,239. AND NOW 01/27/12 THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME ANOTHER $3,700 FOR THE TURBOCHARGER. WHO PAYS ALMOST $6,000 IN REPAIRS ON A CAR THAT IS 3 YEARS OLD? *TR

LOUD KNOCKING NOISE UPON STARTING THE CAR. IT WAS VERY LOUD SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. A METAL PIECE FROM THE HOUSING FOR THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE OFF AND CAUSED DAMAGE THAT COST $2239 TO REPAIR. THE SERVICE REP SEEMED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I ASKED THE SERVICE REP FOR MY OLD PARTS WHICH I HAVE KEPT AND UPON INSPECTION THE PARTS LOOKED GOOD (TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONERS (PLASTIC PARTS). THE FLAW IS IN THE DESIGN, A ONE INCH LITTLE METAL PIECE THAT CANNOT SUPPORT THE VIBRATION OF THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE OFF AND CAUSED ALL THE DAMAGE. I'VE READ MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE REGARDING TIMING CHAIN PROBLEMS ON S MODELS, THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR

WATER PUMP MELTED - THERMOSTAT HOUSING REPLACED AT 49,492 MILES. MY ENGINE LIGHT LIT UP YELLOW AND BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT WORK IT WAS RED. I TRIED POURING COOLANT AND IT JUST SPILLED OUT ONTO THE GROUND. I TOOK IT TO MINI TO GET IT SERVICED AND THEY SAID THE HEAT FROM MY ENGINE CAUSED THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING TO MELT AND WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THEY REPLACED IT WITH A NEW PUMP BUT NOT WITH THE ONE THAT IS NOW THE FEBRUARY 2012 RECALL THAT MINI IS DOING ON ALL 2007 - 2011 S MODELS FOR (THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP THAT COOLS THE TURBOCHARGER HAS AN ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT BOARD THAT CAN MALFUNCTION AND OVERHEAT). SEE NEXT COMPLAINT FROM 01/27/12, AS THE CAUSE OF THE OLD FAULTY WATER PUMP THIS HAS NOW CAUSED MY TURBOCHARGER TO GO OUT AND MINI TRIED TO CHARGE ME $3,700 TO REPLACE IT. BUT I REMINDED THEM THAT MY WATER PUMP WAS PREVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE AND THAT HAS CAUSED THE CURRENT PROBLEM WITH THE TURBOCHARGER AND NOW THEY ARE REPLACING IT UNDER WARRANTY ALONG WITH REPLACING THE RECALLED ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP. *TR

TIMING CHAIN COVER BROKE APART AND SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE. I FEEL THIS IS A DEFECT. MINI & THE COMPANY THAT HANDLES THE EXTENDED WARRANTY IS REFUSING TO COVER. *TR

WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED COLD IN THE MORNING WITH AN AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF AROUND 37DEGREES F. THERE IS A RATTLE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO A DIESEL ENGINE RATTLE BUT LOUDER. COULD BE A TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM THAT WILL DESTROY THE ENGINE EVENTUALLY. BMW NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

I DROVE LESS THAN A MILE AND SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE. THE TURBOCHARGER WAS LEAKING OIL ONTO THE ENGINE, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED THE CAR TO CATCH ON FIRE. *TR

THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE, THEN STOPPED AT A GAS STATION TO ADD AIR TO A LOW TIRE. WHILE THE CAR WAS IDLING, WHITE SMOKE CAME FROM THE ENGINE, FOLLOWED BY DARK SMOKE. WHEN THE HOOD WAS OPENED, WE SAW A SMALL FLAME COMING FROM INSIDE THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE. WE RAN TO GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER FROM THE GAS STATION ATTENDANT; BY THE TIME WE RETURNED, FLAMES WERE VISIBLY SHOOTING UP OUT OF THE ENGINE. WE WERE ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE WITH A HAND-HELD FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT CALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST MINI DEALER. THE SERVICE ATTENDANT DECLARED THAT HE HAD NO EXPERIENCE WITH ANY ENGINE FIRES IN HIS TENURE WITH MINI. AFTER AN INVESTIGATION (PICTURES TAKEN BY SERVICE AND EMAILED TO MINI CORPORATE), THE AUXILIARY WATER PUMP WAS FOUND TO BE THE SOURCE. IT WAS REPLACED, ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF CONNECTORS AND HOSES, AND THE ENGINE WAS CLEANED OF FIRE EXTINGUISHER POWDER. WHEN I ASKED SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, THE ONLY ANSWER I RECEIVED WAS THAT THIS STAFFER HAD NEVER HEARD OF A CAR FIRE LIKE THIS IN HIS TIME (3 YEARS) AT MINI.