So a few weeks ago I picked up my car from Escondido Mini after having some service work done and the battery replaced. On the way home on fwy up the hill I mashed the pedal and downshifted and the car hesitated / stuttered a bit..but then ran fine the rest of the drive

I then tried to replicate the issue so I could take it to the shop and have them check it out.

3300-3600 RPM for .30 seconds or more, shift from 6 to 5 or 5 to 6 - Easily replicated. Then one day I got the infamous message - car is reduced 1/2 power but it is safe to drive. I had this happen once before when the turbo failed so I did not think too much of it. The engine light was on but according to the car "everything was ok"



I took it to Mini and they scoped it, something wrong with #3 Cylinder which then required the head to be removed. Upon head removal it was noticed in the #3 Cylinder top there was a little chunk removed. They have never seen this before. The piston was removed and the rings were melted. They believe the cause is a bad fuel injector.







An Interesting amount of carbon, car has 77K miles and I am the second owner, bought it at 50K.

Brandon at Escondido Mini is taking super good care of us and is providing pictures along the way as well. I can't say enough good things about Escondido Mini (everyone from sales to the techs) and especially Brandon.

Here are some shots of the New Engine out of the crate







Tear Down / Old Engine








Of course while the engine is out I had them check the Clutch / Flywheel. It was only 20% remaining so that is being replaced as well





Since I had learned in the past never to buy a Euro car without a warranty or get rid of it before the warranty expires when I purchased the car from Ford, I also purchased their ESP warranty. Can I just say how amazing that warranty actually is!

I have got my money's worth from this warranty and then some. Turbo replaced, oil leak fixed, a few other semi minor repairs and now a new Engine!

The new engine will be costing me out of pocket deductible is $100.00. !

Suggestion 1
If anyone has the opportunity to purchase a used Coop from Ford I would absolutely suggest to purchase their ESP warranty. Every major repair or minor costs $100.00. I purchased the three year / 28K mile plan

Suggestion 2
Take your car to Escondido Mini and ask for Brandon. He's in your corner and will happily do everything possible within his ability to take care of you.

Next week I will pick up my brand new car (New engine, Clutch,flywheel, OEM battery). I just did the front and back brakes and new tires on all 4 corners. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be soon driving a "new" 2012 JCW.

All done!



TOTAL BILL - $16,816.36
Breakdown:
New Engine - $6,953
Misc Engine parts - bolts, antifreeze, injector, coil pack, etc... - $1,184.00
Labor + Diagnostic work that Ford requested - $5,382.00
Deductible - $100.00
Total Labor + Engine + Deductible = $13,619.35
HPFP - $1,352.00
Clutch & Flywheel - $1,230.89
Gift Card to SA - $50.00
Total out of pocket - $1,406.16

I am so stoked!!! I am truly blessed to have been on the good side of a car issue for a change. I must admit it is a bit "scary" and has got me thinking about purchasing a used older Mini for my daughter. It would have to be CPO or new.

I have had the car listed for sale for quite a long time, if I sold great, if not "darn" I have to drive it. Now I will have to revise the ad ($$$). But imagine someone could have bought this car and decided not to purchase the warranty (which I always strongly suggest they purchase when I talk to potential buyers) drove it away and a few 100 or 1000 miles later they have a dead car.

I take extremely good care of all of my cars and there are no mods on this one. Of course I cannot speak to the first owner how he drove it but it was under Mini's care and all service records look good. It was just a fluke occurrence but as we all know THESE THINGS HAPPEN.

Again complete Props to Brandon and Escondido Mini for always taking such care of us. I actually live much closer to another BMW dealership (who services mini coopers) but go out of my way because of the killer service we get there.

From sales to service you cannot beat Escondido Mini!

 

This is an horrible story ending well. I cannot imagine how much it would have cost without a warranty at so high mileage with the troublesome N14 engine.

 

True dat.
For a chance I ended up on the right side of the coin
The estimate for the work I have been told is close to 10K, let's see

 

You got very lucky. Another 1k miles and you would've been outside of your warranty if you bought it at 50k. I bet you would've felt a bit differently about your car then Very glad that everything worked out in your favor. Ford dealership will not be happy about losing $8-10k.

 

Actually my math is off. I think I am covered for another 10 or 20K miles.
But yes I get your point

I knew the risks of buying this car when I did. I had an Audi S4 which cost me 15K in repairs right after the 50K warranty expired. That was my first taste of European reliability so I vowed to never buy another Euro car unless it was fully covered.

I am truly blessed this all worked out for me. It is a nice change!

 

My Coupe is my first Euro car ever and I would have never consider buying a used one because of reliability issues. I always buy new cars and never go on lease. I have a reason to do that way.

My plan has always been to get rid of it after the 3 years maintenance plan or at the latest close to the warranty expiration in July 2018.

Your story is a reminder I have to keep on track. Furthermore, there is no shops servicing Mini since I moved to WA and the dealer is in Seattle. This is a real pain to travel over there and I have a very busy schedule.

By the way, to spend 15K in repair is insane. It is more than the car's worth. This is a good cash down on a new car.

 

The S4 was a 60k car new when I bought it. It was in increments of 5k three different times in about 20k of driving So although it was a lot of money I would not say it was an insaine amount. Sometimes you got to pay to play or do what you have to do. I had no way to know it would have very unique problems. I have had other Euro cars since and have my own system as well

Definitely a good reminder as anything possible! If it wasn't covered by dealer I would take it to an independent shop and save a chunk of money.

 

New Engine time

 

All done!



TOTAL BILL - $16,816.36
Breakdown:
New Engine - $6,953
Misc Engine parts - bolts, antifreeze, injector, coil pack, etc... - $1,184.00
Labor + Diagnostic work that Ford requested - $5,382.00
Deductible - $100.00
Total Labor + Engine + Deductible = $13,619.35
HPFP - $1,352.00
Clutch & Flywheel - $1,230.89
Gift Card to SA - $50.00
Total out of pocket - $1,406.16

I am so stoked!!! I am truly blessed to have been on the good side of a car issue for a change. I must admit it is a bit "scary" and has got me thinking about purchasing a used older Mini for my daughter. It would have to be CPO or new.

I have had the car listed for sale for quite a long time, if I sold great, if not "darn" I have to drive it. Now I will have to revise the ad ($$$). But imagine someone could have bought this car and decided not to purchase the warranty (which I always strongly suggest they purchase when I talk to potential buyers) drove it away and a few 100 or 1000 miles later they have a dead car.

I take extremely good care of all of my cars and there are no mods on this one. Of course I cannot speak to the first owner how he drove it but it was under Mini's care and all service records look good. It was just a fluke occurrence but as we all know THESE THINGS HAPPEN.

Again complete Props to Brandon and Escondido Mini for always taking such care of us. I actually live much closer to another BMW dealership (who services mini coopers) but go out of my way because of the killer service we get there.

From sales to service you cannot beat Escondido Mini!

 

Congrats!

I have the same thoughts as you do with foreign cars and warranty. Man, although a small engine they have limited space to work with.
I read many posts where they say buying extended warranty coverage is not worth the price. But in your case, it was an extreme repair so... .

 

In addition to the motor see below. I am a firm believer in warranties for EURO cars based on my experience. I mentioned in post my experience with Audi B6S4.

The cooper was immaculate when I bought it, very well taken care of by an enthusiast. So none of this is a result of abuse. In fact I had babied the car (not sure why) for the first year before I pushed it and the turbo went out.

The warranty cost was $2,400.00. That was paid for just with the first two repairs
It is nice to have a solid peace of mind.

It's a gamble that I am no longer willing to take. You just never know.

My Japanese cars? I don't ever think about warranty.

Turbo - $1,800.
Oil Filter housing gasket, Thermostat replacement - $600.00
Amplifier replaced - $800.00
Front left speaker replaced - $100.00
HPFP replaced - $1,352.00
Mini Loaner cars during each visit (nice perk) - $

If I did not have the warranty I would not go to the dealer, I know a couple of good independent shops. But it sure is nice to know everything that has been replaced comes with a 2 year warranty and the dealer provides the white glove service