I own a 2009 Mini Cooper S and when I went to a SMOG test ( I live in LA btw) and it failed due to smoke from the tail pipe. I tried to bring it to a mechanic and they say it is an engine problem. They suggested to put a No smoke/Stop Leak additive to the oil crankcase to minimize the smoke. They don't want to fix it and suggests to get a new engine. Should I try this additive or get a used engine instead for my Mini and how much an engine cost if I decided to get a new or used one?

 

Over the years I've found that those kind of additives don't do anything but lighten your wallet. 2009 with how many miles? Might be something else going on and these guys are looking for a payday. Maybe someone will offer up a good indy mini shop to look at your car.

 

Did you check for any codes? How many miles? I hate pouring quick fixes in, maybe a little Seafoam or something that goes thru but doesn't stay around.

 

Is it burning oil? If not it could be just a sensor etc that is off in your air and exhaust loop. If your burning oil and it's oil in your exhaust that's another story.

 

Thanks for the reply. It is burning oil and sometimes I can smell it inside the car. I searched for the cause and it could be a blown gasket head. Btw it only has 68,000 miles. I had the thermostat replaced like 2 years ago which was the cause of the engine light before. I also had a hard time looking for a mechanic unless I bring it to the Mini dealer which is too expensive.

 

Do you mean Los Angeles or Louisiana? I'm on mobile and can't see if you have a location. If you're in Los Angeles try miniworx. They have a couple locations around la area.

 

Motoring Magic would be closer to the OP, MiniWorx is right down the street from me and I live in Orange County Mission Viejo, CA.

 

Thanks I would check out Miniworx it's about 8 miles away from home. Is it okay to still use the car in this condition? I only use this car to go to work everyday which is 7 miles from home.

 

if its not overheating, and you don't have coolant and oil mixing in either of those fluids... i would not suspect blown head gasket. i would suspect you have either worn rings causing blow by (common problem, fix is a new engine), or carbon build up on the valves causing a bad seal and inefficient combustion (common $700 or so fix).

ask me how I know?

 

It does not overheat at all and not even loose power but it does eat up oil. No smoke on idle and smoke only comes out when revved too much.

 

Main Street Mini, they quoted me $400 for carbon clean. Ventura Ca. To far for me but they might be close for you. Let them look at it they might help. I found a shop to do it for $400 in central Indiana.

 

Thanks I could consider that too.

 

How could the fix for bad rings be to buy a new engine? Wouldn't it be much cheaper to replace the rings and hone the cylinders versus buying everything brand new?

 

At this point I would definitely throw in a can of engine restore or something similar to gauge what happens.
Greg

 

If you wanna get thru inspection, to buy yourself some time. They make smokeless on. Then after the test you can put regular oil in it til you make a decision what you wanna do to fix the issue

 

Yes that would help a lot. I just need to pass the smog so I can renew my registration and avoid late dues before I bring it to the shop. Can you please give me more info on this smokeless on?

 

Yea. Just gotta google it. I'll send a link or find the name. Please hold

 

Look up FHS OIL
or
Smokeless oil.com
It's expensive but it works.

 

Labor to Remove and Reinstall the engine is the same either way.

Paying labor + machine time to strip an engine down, install new parts (lets face it, its an N14 you may as well do the timing chain/guide, completely clean all the valves and disassemble the head, update the water pump and valve covers to the newer designs, thermostat etc). you can save a few bucks by just doing a ring job sure, but are you saving any money and labor in the long run?

And sure, you can do a lot yourself, but judging from the OP starting this thread I am guessing they are in the "not DIY" camp. If you have to ask, you probably shouldn't attempt it right?

/ hijack. hopefully in the OP's case its just carbon buildup on the valves...but given the factor of oil consumption, I'm guessing it could be worse.

 

What the hell?? So because you have some smoke coming out of the car they are suggesting a NEW ENGINE??? Are you insane???

You say that the MINI dealer is too expensive but instead you would immediately follow some yokole's suggestion of a new engine. Go to the MINI dealer and ask for a proper diagnosis...

 

You might have a bad seal in the Turbo.....you need to get a proper diagnosis before you do anything.

 

With the engine idling take off the oil filter cap turn it upside down it should just bounce around if it blows off bad rings and cylinders are probable also put your hand over the opening you should now feel a low but good suction. have an assistant rev to 2000rpm the suction should increase and level off. if the valve cover vacuum breather control is not working properly you will suck lots of oil but in most cases I think the engine will be toast by the time you know a turbo leak would be a good outcome a dealer rebuilt engine is about 3500 plus shipping etc. A swap is not a hard job if you have the right set up but it is a good job. Hmm its warm there and freezing here if you have a super nice garage and tools I might travel or I was looking for a spare n14 r56 to fix up.

 

This, or a failed PCV/valve cover both cause "oil burning".

Do you have any codes or engine lights?

I'd look into that before I poured a can of magic goop into the engine..

Ps - the magic cans of goop never fix anything..

 

Maybe this wasn't the case for the OP but I have a suggestion.

Since our cars tend to run fairly rich as designed by the manufacturer, ALWAYS make sure to drive your MINI for a while getting a smog test done.

Just driving a few blocks to a state inspection station for your appointment is not far/long enough for the engine and exhaust system ( cat ) to warm up to operating temps.

 

That's why I was like WTF?!?. I am going to make a diagnostic check on this car first before I put anything at the engine. The problem with this car is getting the right mechanic to diagnose it. I already brought this to several auto shops here in LA with high ratings on yelp but they just assume what's wrong with it without even checking the car and then tell me to bring it somewhere else or change the engine. They just don't want to admit they don't know how to fix it, I can tell because most of them have a hard time trying to figure out how to open the hood .