2009 MINI COOPER S Complaints

WHY IS MY VIN # NOT ADDED TO THIS RECALL? IT HAS ALL THE SAME SYMPTOMS.. I CALLED MINI USA WITHOUT GETTING ANYWHERE. DID I JUST A BUY A LEMON? SEE INFO BELOW: THE COLD START ISSUE HAS BEEN A COMMON THEME POPPING UP IN THE FAULTS AND FIXES THREADS ON VARIOUS MINI FORUMS. SPECIFICALLY, MCS OWNERS COMPLAINING ABOUT A PECULIARLY LOUD ENGINE RATTLE ON START-UP. NOW THE R56 IS A N?INTERESTING" SOUNDING ENGINE TO BEGIN WITH. THE DIRECT FUEL INJECTION SOLENOIDS GIVE THE CAR A VERY DIESEL-ESQUE SOUND AT IDLE. BUT THIS IS A VERY DIFFERENT SOUND ALTOGETHER. BMW HAS DETERMINED THAT THE COLD START RATTLE WAS/IS BEING CAUSED BY THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER (WHICH IS IN TURN POWERED BY AN OIL-PRESSURIZED PISTON). MORE SPECIFICALLY THE SOUND IS CAUSED WHEN THE TENSIONER PISTON DOESN'T EXTEND ALL THE WAY (OR AT ALL) WHICH THEN ALLOWS THE TIMING CHAIN TO COME IN CONTACT WITH THE GUIDES ON THE ENGINE COVER. AFTER TWO YEARS OF RESEARCH INTO THE ISSUE MINI NOW HAS OFFICIAL REPAIR INFORMATION AT DEALERS THAT WILL ELIMINATE THE ISSUE. THE PUMA MEASURE NUMBER THAT WILL NEED TO BE REFERENCED IS 10686850-13 (WE'VE SEEN 10686850-12 MENTIONED BUT WE BELIEVE 13 IS THE LATEST) AND THE PART NUMBER IS 11.31.7.598.956. ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION WE'VE SEEN, ALL CARS AFFECTED IN WITH THE ISSUE WILL GET A NEW TIMING CHAIN, CHAIN GUIDES, CAM SPROCKETS AND VANOS UNIT. AT THIS STAGE MINI IS HANDLING THIS ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS WHEN THE OWNER COMPLAINS ABOUT THE SOUND. WERE GUESSING THEY WOULD LIKE TO STEER CLEAR OF SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF A RECALL (VOLUNTARY OR OTHERWISE) DUE TO THE COST OF THE SERVICE. HOWEVER DON'T BE SURPRISED TO SEE AND HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THE OFFICIAL FIX SOON. IN THE MEAN TIME IF YOUR 2007-2009 MCS IS AFFECTED WED URGE YOU TO CALL AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AT YOUR LOCAL DEALER. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE VEHICLE WOULD MAKE A LOUD NOISE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT FUEL LINE WAS CLOGGED, WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR THE FUEL TO FLOW FREELY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 29,643.

AFTER DRIVING TO WORK FOR 30 MINUTES, I PARKED MY CAR. I THOUGHT I SMELLED SOMETHING AS I WALKED AWAY, SO I STOPPED AN LOOKED, BUT I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING. FIVE MINUTES AFTER WALKING INTO MY BUILDING, SOMEONE TOLD ME MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRST WITNESS TO SEE SOMETHING (A CO-WORKER) SAID HE SAW SOMETHING ON FIRE DROP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR. WHEN I RAN OUTSIDE, THE CAR WAS PUTTING OFF A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SMOKE. WE TRIED TO USE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER, TO NO END, AND WITHIN MINUTES WE WERE SEEING FLAMES. FIVE MINUTES LATER, THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FIRE. IT WAS FAST AND HOT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT IT OUT, BUT IT WAS A TOTAL LOSS. I HAVE PHOTO DOCUMENTATION OF THE EVENT. *TR

I DROVE THE CAR FOR LESS THAN A MILE AT CITY SPEEDS AND PROCEEDED TO PARK TO RUN ERRANDS. ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER I NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE CAR, UPON CLOSER INSPECTION I REALIZED THE CAR WAS ON FIRE AND CALLED 911. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED TO THE SCENE (ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER) THE FIRE HAD SPREAD THROUGH THE VEHICLE. THE CAR SHOWED NO WARNING SIGNS BEFORE THE FIRE STARTED AND ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN PERFORMED. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS TO BE DETERMINED. *TR

ENGINE OIL SPRAYING FROM CAMSHAFT CHAIN TENSION-ER SEAL. OIL WAS SPRAYING OUT UNDER PRESSURE. I WOULD CONSIDER THIS TO BE A FIRE HAZARD, AS HOT EXHAUST COMPONENTS ARE NEARBY. *TR

I HAVE A 2009 MINI COOPER S WITH 27,000 MILES. TWICE THE ENGINE VALVES HAS BEEN CLEANED BECAUSE OF EXCESS CARBON BUILD UP. JUST LOOK AT THE DISCUSSIONS ON THE WEB. SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH CAR. *TR

I HAD A GOODYEAR RUNFLAT TIRE THAT WAS OEM AND LESS THAN 2 YRS. OLD W/ 20,000 MILES BUBBLE ON THE SIDEWALL. IT WAS REPLACED AT DISCOUNT TIRE. THE TIRE COST $257 ON A 2009 MINI COOPER S. THESE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE. TIRES ARE EXCELLENCE ROF AND NOT INTEGRITY SINCE YOUR SITE MISTAKENLY DOES NOT GIVE THE CORRECT OPTION. *TR

I HAVE A 2009 MINI COOPER S. BOUGHT NEW. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM. THE ENGINE HAS A RATTLING NOISE WHEN ENGINE HAS STARTED ON A COLD DAY. THIS NOISE HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY LOUDER EVERY WINTER. THE NOISE SUBSIDES AS THE ENGINE GETS WARM. HAVE TOLD MINI ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND NO ACTION. *TR

I PARKED MY 2009 MINI CLUBMAN S ON A MODERATE HILL. AFTER 10 TO 15 MINUTES, WITH THE PARKING BRAKE FULLY ENGAGED AND THE CAR IN FIRST GEAR (STANDARD TRANSMISSION), THE CAR ROLLED BACKWARD DOWN THE HILL, STRUCK A CAR PARKED BEHIND IT, THEN PROCEEDED TO ROLL INTO A BUSY 3-LANE HIGHWAY. IF I HAD NOT BEEN STANDING 100 YARDS AWAY WITH A GROUP OF RUNNING MATES (WAITING ON A LATE ARRIVER), THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. AS IT WAS, WE HEARD THE INITIAL COLLISION, SAW THE VEHICLE ROLLING INTO TRAFFIC, AND WERE ABLE TO STOP TRAFFIC AND THEN PHYSICALLY STOP THE LOCKED CAR IN THE INTERSECTION BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO RETRIEVE THE KEY AND OPEN THE DOOR AND APPLY THE BRAKES. ON THE ADVICE OF MY INSURER, I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO MY MINI DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. MY DEALER WAS INCREDULOUS DESPITE MY FINDING OTHER REPORTS ONLINE OF VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL OCCURRENCES. *TR

MY VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS IN OUR GARAGE. WHEN I PULLED IT OUT ON THE 2ND I NOTICED A LARGE POOL OF OIL ON THE FLOOR. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE IT TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER SYSTEM HAD FAILED AND THAT IF NOT IMMEDIATELY REMEDIED THIS WOULD CAUSE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. OVER MY COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE DEALER, MINI OF STERLING IN STERLING, VA, I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS A FREQUENT OCCURRENCE, AT LEAST ONE A WEEK, AND IS A RECOGNIZED PROBLEM WITH A KNOWN WORK-AROUND. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD SEEN CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AND THAT WITH MY COMMUTE OF 45 MILES ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS THAT SUCH A FAILURE AT SPEED WOULD RESULT IN A MAJOR CRASH.