Had to have my wife's 09 Clubman S (bought new) towed to dealer after sudden loss of power. Found that chain tensioner guides failed. Leakdown shows 30% leak in cylinders 1-3 and 50% leak on #4. Dealer says not covered due to having new tensioner installed in 2010. Car has 134000. Changed with synthetic oil every 6000mi. Since Mini does not specify chain changeout interval, how in the hell are you supposed to guess the condition of the system?. Engine was quiet, no hesitation. I'm trying to fight this with Mini but my guess is I'm stuck with car. Might just put car up for sale as is to get out of it. THE FIRST AND LAST MINI THATS FOR SURE!

 

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. But please don't paint the entire brand with that brush. Consider an F56, or R53 if you've ever enjoyed the time you had with the car.
Its no help right now, but The 07-10 engine issues are well documented, but are not reflective of the whole family.

I had a catastrophic loss as well and rebuilt it. The smiles and awards I get are worth every cent of the $9K repair bill. There are few cars out there with as high of a smile factor.

Good luck with your decision.

 

It is going to be much cheaper to fix your MINI, even buying a new engine, than it will be to buy another car. Just don't go to the dealer for major repairs, their shop rate is too high. Go to an independant MINI specialist.

My 2010 Clubman S has had no problems. The only time it has been to the dealer is for the free oil changes, they took care of a couple of recalls at the same time.

People come to car forums to complain, I suspect that the great majority of '07 to '10 MINIs are trouble free, like mine.

 

It saddens me to hear about Mini usa not taking responsibility for a flaw in their design of the timing chain and all components. Mini USA should be paying for every timing chain failure if its proven to have had regular oil changes. Mini has a final tensioner part number that makes it 5th generation, in 2010 I believe they were on their second or third revised part number for the tensioners.

Sorry to hear of your bad news.

 

Whew, dodged the bullet. I was thinking of buying a Clubman till I read this. It reminded me that I had to help a friend, on his 08 S Cooper, change out his tensioners (Mini is on their 4th or 5th attempt to fix this!?!) at 39K and he had to have a direct injection sensor changed at 52K. The sensor was $900, at least that is what the dealer charged him. That made me decide that the Mini I'd buy would be a non-S. I ended up with an 05, Chili red convertible. The top stopped working but the sunroof still did. Took it to Mini of Grand Rapids (Michigan) and got it back, $300 later, with the passengers side sunroof visibly bent and now non-functioning. Sunroof cassette replacement cost - $6,000, to get the entire top functioning again - $8,000. Mini service is batting 50% with me. I contacted BMW/NA and they said they'd call Mini of GR, but GR never responded. Love the car, but I can't afford the company to involve themselves with my car.

 

You're not forced to go to the dealer are you? It would be a great idea to stay away from dealers and go where prices aren't outrageous.

 

I'm not forced to go to the dealer, I do my own work to the point of removing engines and doing my own overhauls. I took it to Mini of GR to troubleshoot it, give me the trouble codes so that I could fix it. I suspected a wire that is flexed everytime the top goes down. It would be my first foray into top mechanisms. As a result I've decided manual tops (like my Miata) are the way to go.
I checked for Mini recalls and TSBs and was alarmed at the consistency of complaints concerning cam chain guides, high pressure fuel pumps, power steering pumps, A/C issues, massive and sudden oil leaks that empty the oil in moments (one car failed in 2,700 miles, before the first oil change - dealer blamed him.). In looking at 1st gen recalls and TSBs there were few complaints.

 

Second Gen R56 MCS's major design flaws, for instance if the vacuum pump seizes so does your exhaust cam, oil leaks at the oil filter housing which have four channels, two coolant and two oil channels to leak. My two coolant channels started dumping coolant on the freeway, if I hadn't see it my engine would be toast! Imagine had the oil channels leaked onto the freeway, could have cause a series of very bad accidents! Piston failures (disintegration), burnt valves, broken valves. The timing chain/tensioner issues could cost you a new engine $10,000-$12,000 all because of a $25 dollar part!

If I knew what I know now I would have shopped for a 1st Gen R52/R53, those engines are tough! No need to strengthen up the bottom end, can handle 350+ hp easily. I've seen MCS 2002, 2005 MCS's still on the road still looking like they just drove off a new dealer car lot, the 1st Gen stated out with extremely high quality paint usually reserved for high dollars Mercs and BMW's to help sell the new brand at the time, I've seen some sick looking single stage paint jobs on the MCS 2002-2005 that you just never see anymore any 90% of cars sold today.

 

I bow to you, oh SystemLord, thanks for your input. My '05 convert is great and I find it solid but it is essentially worthless since the dealer ruined the top. My issue with my car is that the top will eventually deteriorate despite the first owner garaging it and my garaging it and putting a car cover on it. As I look into the 2nd gen the engine issues alone make me pause. I loved my Miata, but it was just too small. I think I'll look for a 1st gen Mini hardtop. I'm done with power operated convertibles, give me a manual any day.

 

One thing that has guided me in my car purchases is complexity. The 2nd gen Mini an example. The DI, HPFP, variable valve timing, drive-by-wire (how can you blip the throttle while spraying intake cleaner in there?), etc is just more complex stuff to break down and cause expensive repairs. I like my cars as simple as possible, though I'm not afraid to strip down an engine to bare bones.

 

Our 2010 S is at 92k. I replaced the oil filter housing gasket and the thermostat housing myself. Other than that it has been trouble free and avgs 32-34 mpg combined driving.