The timing chain tensioner backed out of the engine block allowing engine oil to be pumped out of the engine. The tensioner works on engine oil pressure and it backed out far enough to allow the engine oil that normally pressurized the piston to be pumped out of the engine. I was lucky enough to see the streak of oil as I backed out of the driveway, but if I had not I am sure that more damage and potential fire would have occurred. This is surprising as this same part was replaced under a recall for being faulty. I believe that this is still a design flaw and something that should be addressed by mini.
2008 MINI Cooper S engine complaints
Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 120, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mini cooper s. The contact stated that smoke was seen coming from the engine. The vehicle was unable to cool down so the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer for diagnosis but they were unable to duplicate or diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure recurred and he was unable to drive the vehicle for more than a few miles without it overheating. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 7,400. The current mileage was approximately 8,234. The VIN was unavailable.
Vehicle was brought in for warranty repairs just before warranty expired (6/9/12). Service department was asked to inspect 'turbo oil supply line' as this was tsb (sim-11-03-08) for clogs/blockage caused by the deterioration of the rubber o-ring in line that when heat cycled falls apart and clogs the line causing damage to the turbocharger. Service department stated a inspection was performed and noted there was no blockage. Turbocharger oil supply line is now broken and no longer supplying oil to turbocharger. Diminished performance and the smell of oil was the reason for discontinued driving of the vehicle. Upon inspection it was discovered the oil supply line has broken. I do not know the extent of the damage until repaired. Turbocharger may need replacing as a result of this known failing part.
As I was driving my car started chugging. I pulled over and kept chugging. I stopped the car, looked under the hood and saw if something was wrong. Did not see anything. Started it up again and once I accelerated it stopped chugging. Drove it very scarcely and brought it into the dealership. Was told it was a timing chain. Very lucky that it has not snapped or skipped because you would have possibly lose control. The car only has 36000 miles on it and has had the oil level topped off every few fill ups. They do not look at this as a manufacturing defect, even though it has happened on quite a few cars. My local mechanic said he has never heard of a timing chain snapping or stretching to where it needs to be replaced at 36000 miles. It is dangerous and also very costly to pay for.
Began to hear loud knocking noise from engine of my 4 year old mini @ 66000 miles. Have had my mini serviced according to the schedule at the same dealership for 4 years. After hearing the noise did research online to notice that minis have a timing belt /tensioner issue. Noticed on the same night that my oil light came on and the interesting thing is that I just had my oil changed in august of 2012 and this was november 2012. Took car to dealer and the servicer said they had heard of some mini's timing chains failing at 14k miles. After diagnosis he notes that it is the timing chain and that the oil filter gasket was leaking which caused the timing chain to fail. This is not correct as my vehicle has never leaked oil, and I had just gotten my oil changed 3 months earlier and no mention was made by my service technician. This seems to be a common issue in minis and they are not providing any kind of relief.
Driving in the mountains when I began to smell burnt oil. As soon as I was able to I pulled over, immediately there was a cloud of smoke coming from under the front hood. I opened the hood and though there was no fire it appeared that the smoke was coming from oil leaking onto the turbo from the oil feed line. After letting the car cool I proceeded home. Now whenever the car is sitting idle I can smell burnt oil and after getting home I can see oil pooling on the top of the turbo. I have been told there is an issue with the connection on the turbo oil feed line due to the design of the line and heat from the turbo and I will have to replace this at my own cost.
Knocking noise when starting and running. I thought it was from the wrong fuel added to it, or low oil when I purchased it. I corrected those two issues, but it still makes the knocking noise. I am very afraid it will seize. I believe the timing chain and tensioner system needs to be replaced.
I was told my warranty expired end of june. I bought mini-s 08 used in february from a mini dealership in westchester, elmsford, ny. I noticed a knocking noise that to me didn't sound normal not too long after I bought the car. The people at mini told me it was from something else, a loose piece and that they "fixed the problem." this noise only became worse, and now the car is at 45,000 miles and not even 6 months from purchase. The noise became even louder, which then it sounded like a tractor trailer. I changed the oil, the noise wasn't as loud but still there. My mechanic said that the timing belt is going to snap soon, and is a dangerous problem that can cause an accident, and once it breaks, the whole engine will be destroyed.
My car started making a weird noise in the front of the car near the engine when I turned it on. Then it continued to make the loud noise as I drove. I took the car to the dealer and they said the timing chain stretched and caused the guide rail to break, which fell into the oil pan. The dealer said I was lucky my engine didn't look up while I was on the highway. This was a $2100 fix on a 4 year old car with 53,000 miles.
The turbo charger has totally failed (car is under half power) and the top guide on the timing chair (tensioner system) is broken. I have done the proper maintenance with exceptional care. The turbo is cooled by the known failed auxiliary water pump with integrated circuit board and is currently under recall. Mini/bmw is refusing to cover these failures clearly caused by defective parts and design (oil line leading to turbo gets gummed up because it is too small). They are attempting to charge me over $5200 to repair the car (20% of the vehicle cost in 2008) for what is absolutely a manufacturer problem. My car is not operational and has not been operational for over 2 weeks while I continue to 'fight' bmw's determination not to cover these problems. Reading countless blogs with owners experiencing the same problem(s) I believe bmw is intentionally selling a product it knows is defective and collecting thousands of dollars on repairs. No car should experience a total failure of a turbo and broken timing chain in 60k miles. This is outrageous and the federal safety agency should protect us consumers from this fraudulent activity by issuing a recall - sooner than later.
My mini cooper s has less than 60000 miles on it with proper maintenance and has had failure of the friction wheel (aka timing chain or tensioner system). The first signs of the issue are a very loud, rattling noise during acceleration and as the problem gets worse, it continues to rattle during idling. The mini corporation is very aware of this problem and while the dealership itself worked with me to lower the cost because they say it happens frequently even with proper maintenance on the car and while the vehicle is still under warranty, the corporation wouldn't acknowledge or help with the cost to fix it. Also, if the problem isn't fixed immediately, it will lead to a blown engine. Furthermore, I have read that several mini owners have replaced the friction wheel only to have the same problem reappear not long afterwards. This is an issue of faulty manufacturing and mini needs to stand up and absorb the cost to fix it and/or recall the minis affected to ensure it no longer happens.
Timing belt and tensioner needs to be replaced, has broken guides and causes very loud "diesel" sounds. Only 50,000 miles on the car. Oil leak in oil line going to turbo.
I have a 2008 mini cooper s that has a timing chain issue that seems to be a problem for this model ,as I researched this issue found that looks like a production issue which I believe should be corrected by mini/bmw. Not everyone has $2000.00 to have this fixed,I have 28k miles which I consider a farely new car still not fare for us consumer who shell out alot of money for a car we believe to be reliable and is not , please review this problem and help us consumers be treated fair we need your help to stop these company's from taking advantage of us until something horrible happens.
Vehicle makes a loud noise from the engine compartment at cold start, dealer informed me it's the timing chain and tensioner, total cost about $1950.00. Dealer informed me it's a common problem but there is no recall from mini USA.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I bought car new in nov 2007. Car was used as transportation every day to and from work (~100 mi total). Car was well cared for, service was performed as required, etc. In sept 2008 after sitting undriven for 10 days while I was away on vacation, I drove 50 mi to work and there were no signs of trouble except that an indicator for a blown headlamp came on when I initially started up. When I arrived at work and pulled into a parking space I noticed wisps of smoke coming from the grill and intake and suspected overheating. I peered into the intake and saw glowing orange, and smelled the smoke and realized this was a fire not an overheating. I had a colleague call 911 and grabbed a fire extinguisher. When I got back to the car smoke was pouring out of the hood. Not wanting to open the hood I aimed the fire extinguisher into the grill, intake, and gaps but it didn't do much. At that point I grabbed valuables from car and walked away. Flames began coming out of the hood over the windshield. Car was completely engulfed within 10 minutes. There were no injuries or property damage except for the car itself. Insurance declared it a total loss. Mini was notified. I have photos of in-progress and aftermath. Having seen the recent publicity about the investigation into the engine fires I thought I should log my very relevant experience.
On august 15, 2011, I drove my vehicle to work as I do every morning. On the way, I stopped for gas. After filling up the vehicle would not start. It should also be noted that the engine was very, very hot and the coolant overflow tank was overflowing. The car was towed to the closest dealership and, after investigating, it was determined that the engine was starved of oil, had seized, and would need to be completely replaced. This vehicle has always received regular scheduled maintenance since it was purchased new from mini in 2008. The last service was performed by the dealership on a leaking oil pan gasket. Furthermore, there had been no warning signals whatsoever that the engine was in danger.
Housing for the timing chain came loose and caused damage that will cost $1800 to repair. The service guy knew exactly what the problem was. He said he has been seeing a lot of them in the past two years and its a 10 hour job. While I was signing for the loaner, someone else was on the phone saying they replaced the timing chain on another car. This appears to be a design flaw where mini is making a ton of money on repairs. The service guy also said, "it appears to be a problem with the housing, because once we replace it they never have the problem again. And I some of the cars had this done two years ago."
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 mini cooper s. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who advised him that the timing belt tensioners needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. A few days later he heard a noise coming in the engine after the vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who advised him that they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
2008 mini cooper s - engine failure due to faulty vacuum pump. While driving my well maintained 2008 mini cooper s under normal driving conditions, the engine issued a loud, brief metallic noise and stopped running. The engine was still turning, but was not running. Had the car towed home. Upon inspection of the valve train, by removal of valve cover, the exhaust cam gear was sheared off and several valves had been bent. The exhaust cam would not turn. Further research into the matter indicates a failed vacuum pump caused the exhaust cam to lock-up and shear off the cam sprocket bolt. The pistons then impacted the valves causing severe internal engine damage. This car also fell victim to the "cold start" issue and had the valve train replaced at 60,000 miles. Mini has indicated that since the warranty period has expired, they will not assist in the repair. I suggest this issue should result in a product recall of all r56 equipped mini vehicles for replacement of the vacuum pump. This issue is well documented on the internet, and bmw is aware of the problem. This is evidenced by the procedure executed to repair the "cold start" issue includes a step to remove and inspect the vacuum pump for binding.
I have 2008 mini cooper s, I have been having problems with it even the first year I had bought the car. It was still under warranty and they were able to fix the problems. But lately, three years later there was a loud rattling noise in the engine. I have brought it to a mechanic and was told to bring it to the bmw dealer because of the timing chain defects that may lead to engine damage. The car is no longer under warranty, and the dealer will not fix the car free of charge.
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