The turbo oil feed line is inherently flawed and prematurely fails because of a bad design. This failure causes hot oil to leak all over a hot turbo. I was lucky enough to not have my engine catch fire with the failed o-ring on mine. I was driving on the highway when large clouds of smoke begin to flow from the engine compartment. I was forced to pull over and get towed home. I was out of warranty but still very low mileage (48k) when mine failed.
2008 MINI Cooper S engine complaints
Page 2 of 5: complaints 11 to 40 of 120, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Pristine condition, low mileage, dealer serviced mini cooper s (owned since new) began exhibiting a rattling noise from engine at 34k miles. Dealer diagnosed it as a timing chain defect and timing chain tensioner defect. This is a known engine defect. Reference class action suit and settlement 338403. This settlement by bmw/mini USA covers this flaw and bmw/mini knows that vehicles produced within the 2007-2010 timeframe have this flaw. This flaw can result in catastrophic engine failure. In my case, it was noisy under acceleration, and was into the dealer for service within days of first issue. This is a known flaw. However, bmw/mini settled the class action lawsuit and set aside millions of dollars for claims....but those claims must be filed by 7/1/16. I did not have the issue before that date, I had it happen in september 2016 - two months later. I have requested some accommodation from bmw/mini, however they are refusing to participate at any level, even though they know this was a flawed part and could have caused significant damage. I am not expecting full reimbursement, but if they know the car has a major flaw, they should have some coverage in place for any of these vehicles with the flaw. Thus far the regional service manager and mini USA have indicated because this happened after 7/1/16 they will not accommodate.
Fuel smell started to get stronger in the cabin and outside of the vehicle, but did not see any leaks on the floor till today. I also notice the green temperature notification come on today. I had my oil changed at the bmw/mini dealer in ontario last month.
Timing chain and timing chain tensioner broken and damaged the engine at mile 48544 - 48552
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 mini cooper s. While driving approximately 70 MPH, an abnormal noise was heard and the contact noticed thick, grey smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The oil warning light illuminated. The contact opened the hood and noticed flames in the engine compartment. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report and a fire report were filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was towed. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v008000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,777.
I own a 2008 mini cooper s and it has 62000 miles on it. As many other mini owners, I have " rattle noise" issue when cold start and popped up "engine oil pressure too low" warning yesterday when drove home on city street. This vehicle has had the timing chain tensioner/guide changed once before at 18,942 by a mini dealer.
Engine rattle upon startup. Next thing I know is the timing chain guides broke and the valves bent. Thousands in repair and mini won't cover a thing.
As many others have posted here, my engine began rattling loudly when I would start it up. To alleviate this, I would top off the oil and get frequent oil changes, in fact, more often than mini/bmw suggested it should get an oil change. This would usually take care of the rattle. One night, the engine rattle kept increasing and suddenly the car stopped in the middle of a busy street just 20 feet from railroad tracks without any warning lights or indications whatsoever. I had it towed to a nearby mechanics shop I trust (not the dealership). The timing chain had broken and bent the valves and I'm in the process of having a new engine put in (with the same faulty timing chain) to the tune of $6,500. I called mini/bmw USA because my mechanic said he's seen this problem frequently in my model. Mini said they would not do anything for me unless the car was diagnosed by the mini dealership, and even then there would be no guarantee they would cover anything because of "my vehicle's age." mini/bmw USA wouldn't even acknowledge that there have been frequent reports of timing tensioner/chains having problems. I'm even more surprised how frequent this problem is now that I'm looking on the federal safety agency website. This needs to be a recall and something that mini/bmw should cover and respond to, since there have been several class action lawsuits against the company because of this.
After mini/bmw repaired the timing chain tensioner and the timing chain, my turbo oil supply line developed a significant leak (within a week/ within 200 miles of mini service) causing smoke to escape from the bonnet, oil to cover the front engine/turbo/exhaust. Oil now puddles beneath the car when parked. The car has 89,xxx miles. I first noticed the smell of burning oil when driving across town at a speed of 40mph. When parking the vehicle, upon idle the smoke billowed from the bonnet of the car. According to mini forums, this problem of a failed o-ring in the turbo oil supply line is a known problem resulting in numerous failures that can lead to catastrohic damage to the turbo, catalytic converter, and engine.
When starting car, I get a grinding, rattling noise from the engine. I have been told this is the chain tensioner on the car
Purchased at 61,000 miles 9/9/14; had synthetic oil change 5/15; 9/29/15 car began to have a rattle but unsure if it was front of car or back of car. Rattling stopped on acceleration. No warning lights came on. 10/4/15 car died at 69,362 miles while driving on a two lane road on a curve. Was able to coast to getting half the car off the road. Bypassers pushed me off the rest of the way. Towed to mechanic who said it was the timing chain guard that split off. Called mini they said their dealership service dept had to look at it. Had it towed to oh 70 miles away. They told me I had an oil leak which caused the following to be damaged - crank shaft, harmonic balancer, cylinder head, timing chain and guard and maybe other stuff but they couldn't tell without further examination. Told $5,000 plus to fix, but I see mini estimate states $3,500-4,500. My local mechanic found no evidence of an oil leak causing the trouble, nor did I have an oil spot where I parked my car in the garage or work parking lot. No oil or engine light came on.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while parked, there was an abnormal burning oil odor from the vehicle. The failure recurred constantly. The contact parked the vehicle and noticed oil leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 59,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mini cooper s. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle began to decelerate after the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was powered off and back on and was able to be driven; however, the vehicle would not accelerate past 55 MPH on a 70 MPH highway. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that one of the cylinders failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
The turbo oil feed line is a known failure point on the engines put in this generation of mini cooper s models. The oil line uses a "o" ring gasket behind a pinch/crimp connection. This connection is directly in contact with the hot side of the turbo and fails due to excessive heat. This allows engine oil to leak out over the turbo and down the front of the engine. This could cause the engine to run low on oil at best. At the worst it could cause a fire if the turbo gets hot enough to ignite the oil that is leaking out.
Turbocharger oil feed line leaking. The part is poorly designed and according to the research I've done prone to failure. The dealer wants $1200 to replace it. When I questioned the service person about the heat shield recall from just last year to prevent this issue from occurring, he reassured me that the heat shield recall was because of the number of paint jobs they had to do on hoods from the heat off the turbo damaging the hood paint. I think mini should cover the cost of replacing the oil supply line since they are well aware that this part is faulty, it gets too hot and leaks. The heat shield recall doesn't stop the damage already done. It seems my 2008 mini is not immune to any of the "known" issues this car has. Everytime I visit the mini dealership it's another well known issue/repair. While the dealership was very helpful with the last issue (timing chain), they were not with this latest one. They said because it was out of warranty there was nothing they could do.
When the car accelerating on the first and second gear, there was a small jerking motion. Took it to the shop and they didn't find any problem with the car. One the day of the incident date, 01/08, when I started the car, the car have a loud engine sound, sounds like the car is chocking for air. The engine light is on with the RPM pointer running up and down (gas paddle is untouched). Took it to the dealer and the next day and they found there is oil leaking from the oil feed line to the turbo. $1200 to replace the part. Did some research online and found many mini owner had the same problem.
I own a 2008 mini cooper s and it has 38600 miles on it I have owned it for a year and have to replace the timing chain. This vehicle has had the timing chain changed once before at 13,485 by a mini dealer. As for this time it is still drivable and has not caused any incidents.
The dealer informed me my oil feed lines to the turbo were leaking and would need to be replaced soon. After doing some research found the couplings that attaches these lines to the turbo are defective. The dealer says there is not a recall and will cost approx: $1200.00. The dealer installed a turbo shield to help with the heat that is causing the line to prematurely fail. With so many affected shouldn't mini be fixing this issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mini cooper s. While driving 60 MPH, smoke appeared from the vehicle and the service engine, coolant, and oil warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle stalled and was able to be restarted after several attempts. The contact stated that coolant was added on two occasions, but the coolant indicator illuminated one week later. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed that the thermostat, water pump, and engine were melted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v008000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000.
I was driving on freeway and car just stalled. I made it to side of freeway. It was a very dangerous situation being on freeway in small car that stalled. Luckily, I was driving in the far right lane so I was able to make it to the shoulder. Repair shop advised that timing chain broke. There was additional serious collateral engine damage due to timing chain breaking. Car is perfectly maintained and regularly serviced.
The following reports are from: orlando mini 350 s. Lake destiny drive orlando, fl 32810 (407) 835-2727 incident 1 @ 47,603 miles: service advisor [xxx]. [xxx] found timing chain rattle "noise at idle up to 2,100 RPM. Noise is a rattle under valve cover near cyl 1. Interrogated fault memory, no faults. Found noise to be related to valve-train. Performed steps outlined in bulletin 110207. Measured timing chain slack at 71.5mm. Needs completed replacement timing chain cassette." replaced tensioners (part # 11-31-7-598-956, part # 11-31-7-534-833), and many other parts. Incident 2 @ 96,125 miles: 100% client goodwill provided. [xxx] found that the "timing chain tensioner failed, found vehicle timing chain tensioner to have failed causing vehicle to become out of timing, replaced timing chain and tensioner at this time, cleared faults from system and test drove vehicle, all ok..." replaced tensioners (part # 11-31-7-609-483 [already updated from the one used above], part # 11-31-7-534-833), and many other parts. Incident 3 @ 105,543 miles: service advisor [xxx]) found "defect code 00 11 08 03 00, check timing chain tensioner, found it was an updated model, ok after that repair" since it was updated. Nothing was replaced. Noise got worse. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
I was driving in a three lane highway when the engine stopped suddenly and would not restart. The 2008 mini cooper s was towed to a local mini dealer. I was informed that the timing chain had broken because the timing chain tensioner had collapsed. Mini USA informed me that there was a recall for the tensioner which my car qualified for and if the dealer could state that was the cause the engine would be replaced free of charge. The dealer refused to make the connection and refuses to tell me after a tear-down what caused the failure. Mini is taking no responsibility and I'm left with a $12000 repair bill, beyond what the car is worth. It is well documented that the failure of the tensioner causes engine failure.
As I was driving the car, the hood in the front started to release smoke. There was also a smoking smell. This continued throughout the ride. Brought the car to a mechanic who indicates that the car is leaking oil onto the engine, making it extremely dangerous to drive as it can cause a fire. This problem continues to exist after I replace the oil pipe.
I have now experienced my second timing chain tensioner failure within a three year period. Countless reports are surfacing around the globe of the faulty design, and the manufacturer (bmw) has acknowledged a design flaw. They have yet to issue a recall as the federal govt has not yet mandated the repair. This is a very dangerous situation (and expensive ~ $2k) should the system fail. The only notice is a rattling sound in the engine compartment prior to failure. Bmw claims the tensioner should be good for upwards of 120k miles. My vehicle has less than 50k and this is the 2nd failure I've experienced in the last 3 years. Considering the number of mini cooper vehicles on the road, a nationwide recall is the only measure to ensure this problem is adequately addressed.
The 2008 mini cooper s started making the infamous "death rattle" noise. I took it to a mechanic who specializes in imports. He changed the oil, which wasn't due for another 2,000 miles, and he changed the oil filter. The noise continued so he added oil stabilizer to ensure that oil was being filtered. The noise still persists at start-up, and goes away after the car warms up for a couple minutes. The mechanic told me I'd have to get the time changing belt replaced to fix the "death rattle," which is a common thing in mini cars.
Found large oily mark under parked car. Turns out to be the thermostat hose leaking due to cracks because of being made of plastic. This is a known design issue by mini/bmw that could cause an engine to overheat producing a file or blowing the engine. This should come under a recall. Checking online, you can see that it was such an issue last year, that dealers were not even able to get parts for weeks due to the number of failures. Calling the dealer, they readily admit it is a huge problem and they have to replace lots of them. Of course, it is $600 a pop for the fix. Due to the large cost and admitted design flaw, these should all be placed under a recall before someone is badly hurt. Also anyone that has had to have this fixed should be reimbursed for that expense.
When you start the car in the morning while its cold and start driving, you hear a rattling noise in the engine which coming out of the timing-belt area. It started 5 days ago.
My mini has a faulty oil supply line going to the turbo charger. The dealership has known about these faulty lines for sometime. Instead of replacing the line with a better design they have installed heat shields to prevent the heat from burning up the o-ring in the fitting on the line. They installed another heat shield on 2/21/14 over top of the oil line to prevent the heat from burning up the o-ring that is already bad. Now they inform me that since the heat shields are in place I need to pay to have the oil line replaced which cost $805.00. I think that mini cooper should have recalled all these vehicles and repaired the faulty oil lines since they have been doing this from 2007 models to 2011 models. This is a bad safety problem under the hood because when the oil goes to leaking on the turbo charger which is really hotter that the exhaust manifold it causes excessive smoke from coming out of under the hood and could cause a large fire fueled by motor oil pumping out on top of turbo charger. Allowing the dealerships to put shields over top of the bad oil line needs to be stopped. They need to fix the problem that exists for free and not try to cover up the problem as they did on my car and then tell me that the oil line needs to be replaced. After the warranty run out. They were well aware of the problem then and now because of them putting heat shields on to prevent this problem.the oil supply line should have been replaced and then the shields put on. Thanks, hope to see a recall very soon.
Turbo charger fuel supply line is leaking on my 2008 mini cooper s. The dealer suggested a replacement cost of $750. There are many complaints online about this issue and the leak is happening due to poor design. The leak may cause fire damage and might cause extensive damage to the car.
Turbocharger oil feed line leaking. The part is poorly designed and according to the research I've done prone to failure. The part is not covered by the cpo warranty and the dealer wanted $1400 to replace it. I replaced it myself with a better designed aftermarket part. I think mini should cover the cost of replacing the part with a better design.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2008 MINI Cooper S?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history