Hi all- I am an owner (for 5 days) of a 2008 S Sidewalk edition mini with 19k miles on it. It is Silver White and very nice over all.

On my 5th time driving it ( I was on hwy ), I heard a horrible metal noise and then the check engine light came on as i was pulling over to the side of the road. The bottom line is, the engine failed. That is all I know at this time. When I bought the car I had: 5day return policy, a 30day warranty, and I also bought extended warranty for 72 month /100k miles.

This is my question:
They are debating what to do about the engine: Replace New, Replace Refurbished, Rebuild the one that is in the car now.

Would you:
a. Turn the car back in?
b. Demand replace new or turn back in.
c. Be ok with a re manufactured engine with appropriate warranty.
d. Be ok with them rebuilding the engine that is in it.

Bummed in TN.......

 

Sorry for the disappointing news. Who is they? Did you buy it from a MINI dealer? Private dealer? Who will be doing the work? Is this a particular car with particular options or color that you lusted over and FINALLY found after months of searching?

If it was a MINI dealer doing the work I would choose B. Have them replace with new if it was a specific car I really wanted, or hand it back in and go looking for another car if it was one that was not that special to me.

 

This was a car color , type features ,and sidewalk edition we had been looking for for some time. We feel the car is special to us and this adds to the downer factor plus that in 5 days of ownership, we had this happen. This is a 3rd car for us- just for fun. On the second day we had her home, we spent 5 hrs on her washing, claybaring, waxing conditioning - you name it.

That's life, so we are trying to be objective about a go forward strategy.

We bought the car from Carmax and we expect to hear today what they are willing to do for options. The engine must be just past the factory warranty period or that would be the best first option.

Anyone else have thoughts on this. I am sure this will be a tough decision tonight for my wife and I.

 

One point...
A NEW OR EVEN A REMANFACTURED MOTOR WOULD PUT YOU IN A BETTER, MORE $$ CAR...
the only thing they owe you is a running motor...you bought a used car, with a used motor...
imo it is likly you will get a remandactured motor, or a used with a warrenty, but looking for a new one is kinda crazy unless it was a 5 day old NEW car...
good luck, sucks you got screwed on a used car deal, but if you get a rebuilt motor, and a rental, you end up in a better situation!!

 

P.S.
Carmax seems to have a pretty good reputation for doing the right thing, so i think if you decide to keep it, it should be fine. They will get it running again, and it sounds like you might end up with a fresher motor.

 

Are you sure the car is out of warranty from the manufacturer? The warranty in 2008 was 4 years or 50K. Depending on the build date it might still be within the 4 years.

If it is a new engine and the work is done properly by a MINI dealership then you could essentially have a new engine in a 4 year old car. I would not want to go any other route with the car than that. The car had a low mileage engine on it. If you had 99K on the car and the engine failed then having a remanufactured engine does not sound so bad, but with only 19K on the car I think a 0 miles new engine is fair.

Sucks to have a major component go after 5 days of ownership, but to be honest, you are unlucky it happened at all but fortunate that it happened as soon as it did. Imagine if this had happened after 10 days or 30 days. Your options at that point would be much more limited. At least now you can walk away if what they offer does not feel right to you. While it would not be very nice to have to start your search all over again, at least you will have that option.

 

First, sorry this happened.

Call a MINI dealer to find out the date that the car was PUT INTO SERVICE. That is when the clock starts for the 4 years. It could very well still be covered! Don't wait another second to do this! If it is covered then have it taken to the MINI dealer and let them deal with it.

IF it is not covered, walk away from it. Sure, it is a great car with low miles but CarMax is not MINI. I would only have MINI or an independent MINI shop do this kind of work.

Good luck to you!

 

Although it was an unpleasant shock and a disappointing experience to have your new-to-you car break down so dramatically, it may really work to your advantage.
I would be leery of buying a used Gen 2 MINI unless the engine had been replaced or rebuilt.
It sounds like you may come out of this with a better engine than what you thought you getting originally.

A SW Sidewalk edition?
That's got to be a beautiful car.
After a 5 hour detailing session, you're bound to have bonded with it!
Seriously, you have been over the body with a fine tooth comb and must be satisfied that it's in good condition.

This could be the best bad luck you've ever had.
Good luck.

Edit to add 7/16/12:
This is a Gen 1, not a Gen 2 car.
Sorry to have caused confusion by my mistake.

 

Good stuff above on checking the Mini warrantee. This would get you a new bottom end at least and good rebuild. Failing that I would think they you would not be getting a brand new motor because it would likely cost double options C or D and would be a better situation. Can't see the dealer springing for that.
I would think C would be the next best. No reason why you can't get a well done rebuild covered by warrantee. Save you the hassle of finding another perfect Mini with low miles.
Option D really depends on how much damage to your motor and who is going to do the rebuild. Could be great or no good at all. The motor would have to be pulled apart and inspected to see if it is fixable. If marginal are they going to tell you? Whereas a rebuilding specialist business would be more likely to pass on bad donor blocks because they are not worth the effort or the risk.

 

PS I feel your pain. I bought a 2006 cabrio in a nice colour with the options I wanted. I then spent about 20 hours on buffing the paint and cleaning everything while fixing a few small items. Next the tranny starting shifting poorly about 2 weeks into ownership. Turned out fine though because I also bought a warrantee which was honoured. Tranny is fixed better than when I bought it at no cost to me and all is happy and bright.
Hang in there.

 

Don't let them rebuild the existing motor unless you know who's going to do it and they've got lots of experience with Minis. If you really like the car, then insist on a quality rebuilt engine. Not remanufactured which means it was taken apart, checked for obvious problems, and put back together with new seals and maybe new piston rings. And I'd insist that the engine come from a reputable aftermarket rebuilder. One that specilizes in Minis only. And if it's a manual transmission, I'd make sure that a new clutch and throwout bearing goes in as well, even if you have to buy those.

 

Update-
Per CoopersGuy reco- I called mini and got the "Put into service" date.
December 2007 -so its just out of warranty. I does still have extended maintenance - which was something new to learn about for me.

I get the official conversation tomorrow about the options. As it stands now it would appear they are trying to source a re-manufactured engine. They will warranty it under my extended service contract- til 2018.
I am very concerned and am thinking about just getting out of the deal. That said - what are the odds of getting a good reman engine and never having a worry again? I mean I do have a great extended warranty........ I have been thinking about this all day and am on the fence.
Love the car- but there are more out there...........

 

A Sidewalk would be a 1st generation MINI with the Tritec engine, right? I thought it had a better reputation, reliability-wise, than the 2nd generation with the Peugeot Prince motor.

Mine has been good to me so far, 4 years and 36,000 miles so far with no problems.

Good luck with your Sidewalk, bummed in Tennessee.

 

Yes, this is a Gen1 supercharged engine....I also would like to know why it failed. Did somone (Carmax) change the oil and forget to put it back in?

Did it run out of water and overheat? What exactly failed?

What's wrong with it will determine the right strategy.....but with a new longblock installed by a competent shop I'd be a happy camper, myself.

If the engine is installed by your MINI dealer it will have a 2 year warranty too.

 

Yes, my mistake, it is a Gen 1.

Edit to add: The extended maintenance and the extended warranty are two different plans, and it sounds like you've got both. It can be confusing. The MINI extended maintenance covers basic maintenance done at a MINI dealership, like oil changes, brakes, fluids, windshield wipers, ie, "wear and tear" items while the regular warranty covers defects.

Good luck. I hope it works out for you so that you're happy with your decision.

 

You should be fine with the reman motor especially with a 6 year warrantee. Better than say a 50 k motor with no warrantee. If its going to fail it will likely fail early on due to a bad rebuild.

 

Sounds like a remanfsctured motor is a good deal for you..
You will have a basicly NEW motor (a remanfactured part/motor is to new standards, rebuilt is just fixed, and to inservice tolerances), and a car with a great body!!
spend the $500, and give them a new clutch while it is appart, and you end up with a killer deal!! One downside is the downtime, but you said it is a 3 rd car, so you are fine there!!
the tritec motor is pretty simple, so a reman is fine....the gen2 is much more complex, and not so sure there....

 

PS
just a reminder, a motor rebult by a shop (non junkyard) is going to be a rebuilt block/head/internals....the bolt-ons, such as alternator, etc will be reused from tge old engine unless they were dammaged when the old moror blewup. And since you will have 2 extented warrenties!! Wow...should be a pretty inexpensive ownership experance for the future.
As to why the old motor blew....just guess....wonder if it was run low on oil....refiled, and traded in real fast...or maybe the dealer got it at action after said event. Just a guess....

 

Since you have the extended maintenance plan, a new clutch might be covered.
Some dealers will replace a clutch under the maintenance plan, some don't.
It can't hurt to ask for it.

 

As long as the outfit doing the remanufacturing is good, and the person doing the installation is also good, you should have no problems. I'd want to know exactly what is done to the remanufactured engine. New pistons/rings/bearings/seals (including valve stem seals)? Cylinders bored/honed? A complete valve job? Crank reground? Components balanced? Etc.

And yea, I'd want to know what happened to the original motor to make it fail. You may never know, but at the very least, I'd want to know if there was bearing damage on the bottom end. Did it throw a rod? Etc.

I have an 06 cabriolet with every possible JCW option. It's a wonderful car and has run flawlessly. (About 55,000 miles so far.) The 1st gen engine is extremely reliable and has won a few rewards. The second gen engine had some problems early on and there were a number of documented failures. Don't know if they've been properly addressed.

 

Hey thanks every one for all your comments.

This is where I am at.

The offer is to replace the engine with a re-manufactured long block purchased from Mini. Carmax will install it - they have done Minis before in this location. The engine will be warrantied for 2 years unlimited miles by Mini (meaning i can take it to a mini dealership if there is issues with engine) , it then will be covered by my 6 year 100k mi Carmax warranty (remaining 4 yrs). This warranty is transferable to another owner for $30. My car is an automatic so no worry on clutch etc. I think this is a good offer for the car and the situation.

We do not now or may not ever know what went wrong in the factory engine that went bad. It would take a dis-assembly to diagnose of course.

I really enjoy the car and I am looking forward to having it back as soon as it is repaired. I am also very happy with the frank honest dealings of the Carmax team. Everyone I have spoken to through the car sale to today has been top notch.

 

Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

Excellent news!
Yours is not the first good feedback that I have heard about Carmax.
I hope your Sidewalk brings you many happy motoring miles and smiles.

 

One thing I'd be absolutely, positively sure they do is to drain and refill the lube from both ends of the supercharger before they install it on the engine. With the charger installed on the engine, it's impossible to do at one end and a challenge to do at the other end.

 

I wouldn't worry about the extra maintenance others are suggesting. While I did learn something about the supercharger from martinb's post, I don't think that is necessary on a 19,000 mile car. If the car had 50,000 or more, I'd do it, but yours is still basically new.

I'm glad you are getting a new longblock from MINI. The engine isn't hard to remove in these things, and not just because they are tiny. Dropping in the warranted MINI longblock should be a reliable solution that wouldn't give you problems later on. Hopefully all of those warranties you have won't be needed. Let us know how the car is doing when you get it back. While a good tech can do it right the first time, you'll want to pay attention to things like alignment (not likely to be an issue), vibrations, belt noises, etc. Hopefully that won't make you paranoid for the first few miles! Ha.