My 07 MCS has 35,000mi and just had his chain tensioner replaced. Has the factory improved the replacement part or will I need to replace it again in that short time frame? This repair was within the warranty period but the dealer said it was a 3,500. repair!

 

I just bought my 07 MCS and it now has 75k on it, the timing tensioner was replaced at 3k and nothing but good maintenance since then!

 

My '09 Clubman S had the tensioner replaced in May of '09 at 3K and it's been fine since.....

 

I'm looking at a 07 MCS that's still under warranty. Am I supposed to wait for the stupid chain to break and take the engine with it or is there some kind of recall/TSB for it?

 

I am under the impression they just were not tightened enough at the factory. Nothing else was wrong with them. They loosened, backed out and bad things happen.

 

I think th OP was asking if the new and Im assuminig he meant on the 2011's been improved.

 

Just bought a used Cooper S 44,000 miles. Complained of difficult starts (because I had them, and thru a check engine light). Replaced the high pressure fuel pump, and the timing chain tensioner under 50,000 bumper-to-bumper.

 

Normally to get it fixed you have to demonstrate some symptom that indicates a problem with the tensioner. Normally this is a really bad rattling sound during a cold start, but there are some instances where it manifests itself after the engine has warmed up.

If you get that rattling and take it in and the shop pursues it, they will take a measurement and determine whether you just need a new tensioner or the tensioner plus some other bits (rails, etc.).

 

That's pretty discouraging. I'm buying this car when the weather is warming up, and by the time it gets cold again it'll be out of warranty.

:(

 

Cold start just refers to the fact that the car has been sitting for a while, e.g. overnight. Not the actual air temp.

 

I experienced the symptoms once. I then waiting a week or so to see if it would happen again and called my MA and scheduled the car for service. When I dropped the car off I told them I plan to leave it there until the tensioner was replaced (I had a loaner). They didn't fight me at all and took care of the issue.

Be straight with your MA and see what happens.

Todd

 

This is a bit more encouraging. Thanks guys! I'm looking at a nice white MCS tomorrow, 2007 still under a bit of warranty.

I appreciate it!

 

you can also get the number for your local mini service shop and give them a call when you are looking at the car to see exactly what kind of service has already been done and if its had good maintenance. you just need the last 8 or so of the VIN.

 

Mine was rattling - took it in and they replaced every bit and piece no questions asked! I did not even buyn the car at that dealer... but I would in the future as there service has been great!

 

Tell them to replace the timing chain and all its parts and you will take it!!!

 

If your Mini is nearing the end of it's warranty and you have intermittent timing chain noise on cold start but the dealer couldn't reproduce it, I would highly recommend you pay the hour of labor to have them remove the valve cover, check the spec on the timing chain, and replace the valve cover seal while they're in there. They may not find anything, but I cannot imagine a timing chain replacement is cheap out of warranty and I know that replacing valves if it fails certainly is not! The $120-$160 out of pocket for the peace of mind is certainly worth it in my opinion.

 

Is this timing tensioner problem specific to certain model years?

 

Yes - 2007+ R56 (2nd Gen) MCS models (both Cooper and Clubman I think). The question of this thread is at what point did MINI finally solve the problem. Maybe sometime during the 2010 model year? And there appears to be a batch out there that had the "new" tensioners installed, but not properly tightened down (so really it is a different problem).

So, some of the owners who experienced the problem early may have had it fixed, but the tensioner they got didn't really fix the problem (and they may have been back for repeat repairs). Those who got the new tensioners later probably got the "new" ones and they've been fine.

And the question is still out there for those with the "new" tensioner as to their long-term reliability. Probably no one has racked up enough miles at this point to know for sure.

 

So what would you suggest a guy like me do? I have a 2008 MCS with 15,000 miles on it, but since it has a salvage title the dealer said the warranty is void. I have an independent shop (Dr. Import) just down the street from my office that does excellent work. Should I have them replace these parts with updated parts now or will I be able to tell when they're going bad before it slams a piston into a valve?

 

If your car suffers this (or other) issues that have a safety element to the issue--breaks down on the roadway in any dangerous situation, dumps an oil puddle, underhood smoke, etc, consider reporting it to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). If they see a trend in these that has a safety overtone, they can start talking to the manufacturer in the recall direction. My sense is more than a few recalls have come to pass if trends are spotted in the reporting data. I ran a search on the database just for 2008 MCCS's and got 37 hits, the majority of them seeming to be about the same tensioner issue.

Their basic reporting website for this:https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

The starting page I used for searches (on the right side you can do it by year, make, model, etc.: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints/

I have a 2010 S and get the sense I may be in the somewhat better off/built motor/tensioner group, but it's not clear. Dropped my car off for service today and couldn't help but hear the conversation with a customer estimating what could be a couple thousand $ repair on an out of warranty for timing chain issues if things got more worn. When I inquired, SA didn't have a definitive answer for when/if there was a cure based on build date, though I didn't get the sense he was super versed in the issue either.

 

Your right on by saying basically time will tell on the new updated tensioner fixes.I'm a fortunate one that hasn't experienced the problem.But I feel for the ones that have had the multiple problems.

 

Oh no... I've heard this noise before... Now I'm scared. I've got 40,000 on my 2007 MINI Cooper S, and the warranty's up July 2 of this year... It's at MINI of Allentown now, getting the thermostat housing replaced, and they did a carbon clean of the cylinders, or something like that today, along with tinting the windows. I'm calling my MA and seeing what they can do. I hope it's not gonna be one of those deals where, "we can't seem to make the rattle while it's here..." kinda things. I don't have time to screw around with the warranty going out soon! :(

 

issue exists on 2011 models??

 

From my understanding while taking to my Service Advisor the 2011 has the new N18 engine with should not have this issue. A lot of issues have been addressed on the N18 that previous engines had.

Now will the N18 have the same issue, its still unknown...

 

please take al look the this link