2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman: check engine light

Filed Jun 11, 2015 · Fuel system, Transmission · 86,500 miles · WA

Driving on the interstate approximately 70mph, suddenly vehicle began rumbling. Immediately check engine light flashed and the car immediately stopped accelerating. The motor kept running but with a continuous rumbling and accelerator was completely inactive. Car will start but no power output, pressing on the gas is futile.

Filed Feb 24, 2015 · Engine, Transmission · 46,504 miles · TX

Took in for oil change, burning smell, and rattling sound when engine cold. I was given a list after they had a few days of: material failure of oil pan gasket, oil filter housing leak, turbo oil feed line leak, material failure of thermostat housing, material failure of water pump, and material failure of timing chain, timing chain guides, tensioner. I ended with a total repair cost of $4,666.30. Two weeks later I again have a burning smell and the trim covering the turbo charger cracks. I am told this is normal and it is just out of the 5 year warranty on this even though I have an extended cosmetic warranty. In december the check engine light comes on but goes off after I call dealer. I am told if it is off, may just be emmisions error. On 2/20/2015, my oil pressure light goes on, dealer has no openings until 2/23/15. I take in and now it has more issues, stems and valves, which will be another $2k in repairs. It is still not due for oil change but I had requested one since I was there. It is low on oil due to valve and the engine issue. All of these issues are identical to a those vehicles with the tensioner,water pump, turbo feed line recall.....but yet I am told mine does not have the recall on it.

Filed Jun 23, 2013 · Engine · 34,000 miles · CO

Engine warning light taken for mini dealership for service on 8 aug 2012, 3 dec 2012, and now in june 2013. Vehicle now has about 36,800 miles and is no loner under warranty by about seven months. Engine temperature light now comes on and vehicle had no oil showing on dip stick. Cannot tell if oil is burning off and no evidence of leak. Repairman now states that the timing chain is the issue and will cost upwards of $2800 to fix.

Filed Jun 19, 2013 · Engine, Transmission · 36,000 miles · CO

Timing chain failure. Vehicle engine light appeared, engine temp shot up and I had to stop immediately. Engine would not restart and vehicle towed to repair shop. $1,800 repair.

Filed Dec 11, 2012 · Engine · 52,000 miles · IN

Check engine light came on and there was big decline in performance. Also, the engine has been making a rattling sound like a diesel engine for several months now when the engine is cold. The car just exceeded its 50,000k mile warranty, of course. I took the car in for service at an independent dealer. Got a call today saying that my turbo needed to be replaced at the tune of about $2700! Also, the timing belt needs to be replaced at a tune of about $1300. I spoke with the technician and he tells me that he sees these problems in bmw/mini all too frequently on vehicles with low mileage. He says mini knows there is a problem with the original timing belt so mini doesn't even make that model of timing belt anymore. He said they also know there is a problem with the oil supply line to the turbo being too close to the exhaust which cooks the oil and clogs the line which eventually leads to oil starvation for the turbo. Mini recommends oil changes at 15,000 mile intervals which could also be an issue but I've read about people who had the oil changed every 5,000 miles and still had problems. Mini has recalled the auxiliary water pump only because it became a safety issue. My car is defective and outside of the warranty so now I'm stuck with a $5500 bill for repairs.

Filed Sep 6, 2012 · Engine, Transmission · 72,000 miles · TX

Noticed a loud rattling noise coming from the front passenger side after a cold start. The noise went away after driving for about a minute so, it was attributed to the same loud noise that minis make after cold starts. However, noticed that the noise seemed louder than normal after a couple of other cold starts and decided to tow the car in after the check engine light (yelllow) came on and the engine was jerky (as though the engine was about to stall). Drove the car home with no incident (about 5 miles). I towed the car to the dealership the next day and was told the timing chain guide(s) broke and disintegrated into the oil pan. Engine possibly needs to be replaced. A quick search online and on this site shows this has happened to a lot of mini owners (since 2008) and complaints have been filed. Why aren't there recalls yet????