So I finally got a CEL... I know I shouldn't be happy about it, but the rough idle on cold starts has been driving me nuts for a while now! No rattle, just rough, with hesitations for 100m of driving sometimes.

They set me up with a loaner, and I waited...

Yesterday no update.

Today they call and say they found an oil leak at the timing chain area; the tensioner, and chain... He was very vague.

Then they said the code was due to the dipstick, and that it was causing pressure problems in the case and popping the code. They didn't elaborate on what code. They also complained they couldn't read the oil level, because it isn't the OEM dipstick. It's a Craven Speed dipstick.

As for codes, my Garmin reported a P301 - nothing else.

I think I'm being snowed, and I now worry that they are going to try and pin the repair on me. And if not, is the guy missing the real cause of the P301?
Isn't it a miss-fire on #1 cylinder code? Plug, coil pack type problem? Yes/no...

I have a very hard time believing crankcase ventilation is going to be a cause of a miss-fire on #1 only. Have I missed something (no pun intended), or am I in for a dealership runaround?
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Some service writers are technically proficient and some are not. Sounds like he is not. You can ask the mechanic when you pick up the car at the dealer.

 

Yes 99% of the time. You do not mention the year of your MINI. Is this a dealer you took it to?

 

Heh! Good point. 2012 MCS under warranty - so yup - at the dealership...
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Besides....no ventilation occurs through the dipstick hole...the dipstick even has a oring to keep it sealed....
Sounds like your service guy on the phone is used to giving snowjobs.....
Personally, i would wait till tge car is done...hopefully competetly by the guy in the shop, then slam them on the customer service survey. He is TRYING to make YOU feel the car issue YOIR fault for using an aftermarket dipstick.....so you somehow feel if it was not for you inepitide the car is more reliable ....and so maybe you don't dispute any costs or warrenty items....
It would make me livid!! And fight twice as hard. Please post the dealer/sa info here so we know where to stay away from when all is ok!!

 

The update...

I picked the car up a few days ago, and knuckled under wrt the dip stick. I put the OEM one back in just to be able to say "I told you so" should any codes come back... When they delivered the car to the front, I could hear RIGHT away it idled better and with far less clatter.

They replaced #1 injector, found an oil leak at the tensioner (ostensibly) and replaced it as well. I don't know if I got the longer model - the service guy had no clue what I was asking about, and the receipt has NO detail. The chain is quieter now, so I suspect yes...

The next morning, I start the engine, and the idle hunts wildly between 800ish and 1500rpm, then settles smoothly at 1100. I am worried, but wonder if perhaps the computer needs to relearn the engine - a hopeful guess. Otherwise all seems good.

After work, again it hunts wildly, and now I am worried... Sure enough, as I get about 5km down the highway, the check engine light comes back with 4 codes! P0300, P0301, P0302, P0304.
I decide not to go home, but drive direct to a different dealership that is actually more convenient, but wasn't where I bought the car - I went to the other place out of misplaced loyalty!
On the way there, I tromped on the gas to dodge a truck, and heard the turbo and diverter valve - summer windows down sounds in winter with windows up and 18 noisy tires beside me!

So I describe the whole mess to my new advisor at Downtown Mini in Toronto, the next morning (they were closed when I got there, so I drove home and came back early) and he assures me they will sort it out.
That afternoon, he calls me with the verdict...

They found the turbo inlet hose disconnected, causing the mass air flow sensor to misread, leading to the hunting idle, then they checked to see why I had so many miss fire codes and found all my plugs fouled.

Downtown Mini Toronto replaced the hose and the plugs, and now the engine is running better than it did when I bought the car NEW!

I know those turbo hoses can be a problem, but honestly! A dealership should know better!!! Town and Country BMW/Mini Markham are in my bad books, and I will make sure as many people as possible know it... Sadly they are well placed in an affluent area with seemingly millions of BMWs around; I suspect they won't care!

Downtown Mini Toronto... Thank you for taking such good care of me!

Summons is healthy for the first time ever!
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I hope you call the manager and let them know your issues. Sometimes upper management thinks things are fine because they never hear from people like you.