Hey everyone...

just had my car deposited at Mini of Peabody, and the diagnosis was that the tensioner came out. No idea yet as to the total damage, but going forward, I'm curious if anyone here has dealt with the dealership over this repair/issue. They have been nothing but great towards me so far since I've relocated, so I'm hoping for as good an experience as possible.

My MCS is only at 47k, so it goes without saying I wasn't expecting any timing chain issues.

 

soooooo... no one else has had this problem? this club, alas, is a little too exclusive for me to want to be in it, methinks (to paraphrase Mr. Marx)

 

Having the tensioner back out completely is pretty rare. There was a batch of MINIs produced a few years ago where the tensioners didn't get tightened down completely and would come out. Outside of that incident though, it is rare to see any reports of the tensioners backing out as quickly as yours apparently did.

 

I have a 2008, and I was reluctant to buy this year because of said problem. I am doing everything possible to avoid this problem. I'm interested to know how your issue worked out.

 

I had the tensioner get loose. The oil level will drop if it is loose. It seems to be a common problem, so any mini owner should check if the tensioner is loose.


If the engine starts to sound like a diesel, than it is recommended to change the tensioner to the new version, which is slightly longer and tightens the chain.

 

Thank you, I hope it never happens...or I have enough time to fix it.