Hey guys, just bought a used '11 BRG MCS. Loving it so far. Had a bit of a scare with this whole tensioner problem R56's have since the service papers mention a tensioner issue at 5K miles. The engine makes a slight truck-ish sound but I'm chalking that up to it being a 4-pot. Other than that it's a wondrous bundle of joy.

 

nice ride

 

BRG-NICE! check out scmm.org for the funnest bunch of folks driving MINIs in southern California

 

Welcome to NAM and congrats on your new MINI. It looks great. Thanks for the pic.

 

Thanks guys! It's definitely a sweet car, albeit with a seat that's a little un-comfortable. Hopefully something I can get over.
I've been doing some research on the R56 and I'm finding conflicting reviews. Some people on here say the tensioner issue was only for '07-'09, others say it was up to the early '11's. But more research says the '11's had the new N18 engine. So did the '11's have that issue even with the new engine? Because apparently the tensioner part number is the same. I know people have beaten this horse to death but I'd really appreciate a clear-cut answer.

 

By chance, is this the mini that was offered @ pacific BMW? AFA the chain tensioner, you at least have a fair bit of security with your remaining stock MINI warranty.

 

Uh oh, yes, it's from there. Why?


So the N18's do have tensioner issue's That blows.

 

Thought I recognized that mini! Nah, your "just bought" timing sounded right and if it is the same one, it was on "my list" of used minis I was salivating over. The dealer was too far a drive, I luckily found one closer to me.

I'm far from an authority on the chain tensioner issues, but threads I've read all seem to be 2010 and earlier models and further along in mileage. If I remember correctly, your mini was pretty low mileage, less than 10k (?). That's why I mentioned the warranty. In no way was I inferring a problem for that model year.

Was that service visit listed on the carfax?

 

Whew, scared me for a bit. I thought I bought some car you steered clear of because of problems or something. I actually didn't see the carfax personally. My father checked it out since I had to be somewhere and didn't have the time to sit and finish the deal. I knew it had a tensioner issue because of a dealer receipt I found post-purchase.

Nice Mini btw. Midnight Black was my preferred color choice, but I love BRG as well. I also wanted the chrome brake ducts, but it'd be a pain to add them on now. And I really like those stripes compared to the bonnet ones Mini offers. Are they OEM?

 

Thanks!...I'm pretty sure they're oem stripes as I've seen other minis around my area with the same scheme in both black and white.

Yup, I was very close to making a drive out that way to try an chisel out a deal on that BRG mini.....btw there is still one in alhambra very similar. Both were just too far away.

Have a great time in your Mini!

 

Thank god my car didn't work out for you