So long story short.. my MCS just turned off on my wife while she was stopped and I thought we there was some sort of battery issue. After replacing the battery, the same issue occurred. The starter engages, grunts for a few seconds.. then smoke and smell of electrical burning.. I started to dig into the issue and decided to remove the valve cover and see if the timing chain bit the dust (like I have read about) and yes.. my fears were confirmed.
https://i.imgur.com/9flcb0Y.jpg
The cam pulley has broken off.. not sure if this is due to the tensioner issue that I have been reading about.. or something else..
So does anyone know if there are interference engines? Is the engine most likely damaged and need or replacement? Is it even worth taking to the dealership or should I just look for a shop that can do an engine replacement?

 

Yup, interference engine. Sadly if the engine was running when the chain went the engine is more than likely toast

Good luck with whatever path you take. How many miles were on the car? Tensioner recall ever performed?

 

It has 97k miles. I purchased it used from Carmax... so I do not know if the Tensioner recall was ever performed..

 

There are better people on here who will chime in, but I think you should call MINI NA at the very least to have them run the VIN on if the recall was ever done. If it wasn't, sounds like you have a claim for them to repair the vehicle.

 

Thanks for the info! I will give them a call.

 

Wow I have heard of this happening but not often, I don't understand how something like this can happen. The metal itself must have been weak when it was forged or something. Please let us know the outcome, I like happy endings!