Didn't they recall the oil filter housing?
YES
Parallels your leak.
Good you stopped for a wash
My bet would be no damage except for the housing replacement.

 

I'll definately be following this. Curious if this is the oil filter housing. Is this a tsb or a recall?

 

The oil filter housing, if that's what this is, was a recall for a very small number of cars.

 

How do i check if i have a recall going?
I have a 14 Cooper S?

 

Call your dealer is a easy way.

 

You can go to MINI USA website and under Owners tab there is a Find Open Recalls in the drop down menu. You enter your VIN.

 

Also to check recall you can go to NHTSA.gov and search on recall. Works for other cars besides MINI too.

 

Well according to MINI USA there is no open recall on mine.
Just got me curious because i will be changing my own oil sometime next week, dont want dealer to blame crap on me about breaking something or what not

 

I am the OP and I just checked the mini website with the VIN of my dead Mini. It shows a green check mark and "no safety recalls were found for your mini."


Paul

 

Same issue I had at 4,500 miles. It was the oil filter housing. Mine was supposed to be fixed back at port in April.

 

I would be concerned with potential engine damage and reduction in engine life after something like this.

I would ask for a free extended warranty.

 

Sorry about your troubles. I'm confident they will get it fixed, even if it means a new engine.

What's going on loaner wise, if anything? Or did they tell you to rent something since you were a long way from any Mini dealer when everything went wrong?

Depending on what's going on loaner / rental wise, you might be able to get it towed to Irvine just by complaining about when it's fixed that you really can't afford the time to go 80 miles through LA traffic to pick it up -- but if you already have a loaner from Universal, then that might be a tougher argument to make.

 

Issue arose Saturday around 4 PM. Car delivered to Mini Irvine at 12:30 monday. They will look at it as soon as possible. Hours of time spent on the phone with two different towing companies, So Cal Automobile Association and Mini Roadside assistance. Two calls with Mini were each 1 hour in duration.

Everybody was nice. I did have a little difficulty in getting through to a person other than the receptionist at Mini Universal. In contrast, I got a human on my first crack at Irvine Mini. This reinforced the decision I made early on to get the car transfered from San Luis Obispo to the dealer near my house.

Irvine Mini said they would get to it ASAP and let me know what was wrong and I expressed concern that there was damage to the engine or the turbo charger and they said they would look into it.

Will update as information comes available.

Paul

 

Man, that is scary.
Exactly what is wrong with the oil filter housing??

 

There was a recall for leaking oil filter housing.

About the TSBs, even if your car doesn't fall in the VIN range, there's still a possibility for the same problem. My Mazda CX-5 has window rattle when it is slightly open, and there's even a TSB for that. When I took it to the dealer, he said my VIN is newer so it doesn't fall in that TSB, but he tried to fix it anyways. I still have rattles from the window when I leave it open 1-2 inches.

I'm hoping MINI indeed fix everything, but I'm getting worried seeing these problem posts. Others are talking about MINI disabling glide in highways in Green mode with the software update, yet they still advertise it as gas saving measure.

 

Got a call from Mini of Irvine. Their communication skills are above par if you ask me...

News is that it is the oil filter housing. Should be a quick and easy fix once the part is in stock, ETA a few days at most. No rental car issues - I don't need one, and it can be delivered to San Luis Obispo to the worried hands of my college age daughter at any time in the near future. She would like it ASAP, but given that my wife or I will have to drive it and then take the train home, it won't happen real soon.

I am irritated because I bought a new car anticipating worry free driving. I am particularly irritated because this was avoidable. The part was known to be bad and was replaced by a newly engineered part, but somehow my car slipped through the cracks and was not made with the new-style part. I can see if a car is made and LATER it is discovered that it had a manufacturing / engineering defect and Mini recalled to fix/replace the part. My car was made AFTER the problem was discovered and missed getting fixed and according to the Mini website was not listed as needing recall attention. This seems particularly negligent. There were no injuries as a result of this, but now I am wondering if the car is reliable after this episode. In the event that it fails and strands her or worse if she get's in an accident as a result of failure, I won't forgive myself for allowing her to keep the car. If you are a parent reading this you will understand my concerns. If not, you will likely have children and understand my fears when you do. **** happens, but if it does and you had the option to make a choice that would prevent it as a parent you will never forgive yourself.

If the car were mine, it would do commuter duty here in Orange County. If the car were to fail, as an experienced ( OLD MAN ) driver, I think I would be capable of handling it and there are Mini dealerships all over. That is not the case for my daughter and my faith in that car has taken a huge hit. To avoid these things I bought a new car, expecting reliability, not expecting to receive a car that "missed" getting a bad part fixed prior to delivery.

I figure most of you here are either parents or young people. Let me know what you think about letting my daughter continue to drive this vehicle and if you have children or not. I am curious to see if there is a difference in attitude. Also what you think the remedy to my problem is. I am thinking of getting rid of the car and taking a HUGE loss, asking Mini for a buyback with the buyback to be used to replace with a similar Mini ( I haven't lost confidence in the brand, just this vehicle ) or possibly sucking up my concerns and letting her drive this car knowing that if something serious happens I will have made the decision that leads to the regret of a lifetime.

By the way, they haven't tested the motor yet for damage. I would be willing to place a large wager that unless it is completely frozen or makes some obvious signs of distress I will be told that it's AOK, 100%, no damage from operating after dropping that much oil...

Paul

One more note, they read the key at the dealership for error codes. Not a single one registered from this episode. ( I guess the car is OK after all! )


PJ

Comments encouraged.

 

Mine missed the fix as well. What has happened to your car since the fix? is it OK? Does it burn oil now?

Paul

 

I'm a parent. My daughter is 21 and is off to college about an hour away.

I'd certainly let her drive a car which experienced this episode. I'd trust that the car is going to be fine after repair and release from the dealership, and on the off chance that something else does happen (related to the original mishap or otherwise), I'd treat that as a learning episode for her to become additionally self-sufficient. If she got stranded somewhere, I know her first phone call would be to me, and I'd talk her through what she needed to do to take care of her car.

If it were me, I'd not even consider getting rid of the car at a huge loss. However, you'd better believe that I'd be face-to-face at my dealership explaining my extreme disappointment at what happened and see what they could do to rectify the situation. Extending the warranty due to the negligence related to the missed recall item would be a sufficient response for me. But only you can answer what would work for you. If you have lost trust in that car, nothing someone tells you on NAM is going to assuage your conscience.

Best luck.

 

It runs great. The oil burning I had was the oil running along exhaust.

 

My neighbor's college student had a Kia. After 3 years of ownership, he experienced a stuck accelerator. I don't remember the details but it sounded very scary. They took it to the dealer and there were no recalls or anything and dealer said they couldn't replicate issue. Neighbor said it may never happen again, but they lost confidence in the car and didn't want to live with the doubt. My son has the same car only 1 model year newer so I've told him about it and hope it never happens to him. It's a very personal decision.

 

Thanks for the reply. ( My daughter just turned 18 and is about 4 hours away.)

I am still working out my feelings about the car and your reply is exactly the kind of feedback that I need to decide how about I feel about the future reliability of the car.

I am 52 years old and when I was very little ( maybe 10 ) I did the shade tree mechanic thing with my dad. Usually it was oil / air cleaner / plugs / brakes, starter motor, etc. From very start my dad would preach that it is too easy to get distracted when changing the oil ( he liked to let it drain over the pan for an extended period ) and forget to fill the pan before firing it up. In fact, he always had me fill the filter before putting it on. His ( and a few years later my ) technique was to put the full cans of oil somewhere like the top of the air cleaner or even on the driver's floor of the car so you couldn't forget to fill before running off in the car. the bottom line is that running the car without oil was a costly mistake that even if it doesn't ruin the car will cause damage equal to thousands of miles of wear and tear. Currently it is so cheap to use a dealer coupon to get an oil change, and environmental laws make disposing of your oil less easy than in the '70s that I usually pay to have it done. Before I drive off the lot I am the nut that pops the hood and checks the oil. Never has it been under filled or unfilled, but I do get an over fill once in a while... But I digress... Back to the '70s in fact...

Since the mini lost so much oil at the end, and a good sized puddle at the two stops prior to the smoking / drain out as well as a trial of oil between stops I cannot imagine much of oil was remaining in the pan and that the car was receiving proper lubrication. Even if there is no apparent damage now, I am skeptical that the car will be in the same condition internally as it would have been had the part not failed.

I can tell I am torn by this issue and hence the rambling text above... Bottom line is that feedback from other people is of interest to me and can cause me to feel one way or the other. I am not commited to feeling one way or the other regarding this issue, especially as I haven't heard from the dealership as to their opinion of the condition of the motor.

Thanks again, hope your daughter has success and a good experience in college.

Paul

 

Someone in an earlier post suggested pressing Mini for a free extended warranty. I think that would be appropriate.

 

Just fortunate you noticed it while stopped for a car-wash.
Underway on Hwy 5 at 70 mph , the engine would have just
overheated as a result of no lubrication and seized
in a matter of seconds.
Since it will not go back to SLO for awhile, make sure you can locate the housing. Use the Mini as your commuter to monitor the repair.

I sent my daughter off to UCI with a VW Rabbit convertible and then to Georgetown U. for law school with a BMW 3 series convertible.
Poor choices both.
College parking lots are subject to sun, dirt, door dings and recalcitrance.
If I were to choose again I would open with a bicycle ( Cal Poly SLO?).
Not feasible? Then a low mile white generic with the highest reliability rating
and a dealer within easy range of the University (Toyota Camry, Honda CRV).
The variables/opportunities presented by a nice new sports car are not necessarily conducive to academic success at the University.
My daughter was very successful at both Universities, however the vehicles
were consistent, avoidable thorns.
"Dad, you can't go to the Hamptons in a Honda".

 

The loss of the oil and the impact on future reliability would certainly weigh on me and would be compounded knowing my daughter would be driving it. The suggestion of an extended warranty would be the minimum I would ask of MINI but would push hard for a buyback considering your car slipped through the recall. I would certainly not keep the car beyond the warranty in any event.

 

I think I also would push for an extended warranty. If MINI thinks its 100% then they should stand behind it by giving you your extended warranty. My other concern is MINI's track record of updated parts is horrible! They just fail again down the road.. They make it sound like they reinvented the wheel with these so called updated parts. Nine times out of ten there not any better then the so called bad part. Also MINIs monitoring system didn't seem to respond that great until basically it was out of oil. That isn't very comforting..
Good luck!