I personally would change the oil the first time at 1,500 miles...
And hope the chain noise was fixed. If not... Move on

 

I have emailed the sales rep if the TSB was performed. If it isnt making noise then I guess they have no reason to perform it.

A friend will be test driving the car for me Wednesday. I have a youtube video if the noises that I will ask him to listen for when they 1st start up the car.

 

You aren't driving it yourself? Well hopefully they are the same or higher mechanically inclined. Best of luck. Hope to see a new fellow MINI Owner here on the forums

 

No, I am unable to. The car is in the Philly area and I am in Atlanta.

But, I do have a good friend in the Philly area who is in the used car business (works at a local Ford dealer), so he knows what to look for.

I just need him to confirm that it is "as advertised" and that the car isnt on the verge of falling apart or not as visually appealing as the pictures show.

 

I understand. I drove 3.5 hours! To buy this 2006 Cooper S from a guy who said it was "PERFECT" literally I was told this many a times. Leather NAV HIDs Sunroof you name it. Got there and it had dings EVERYWHERE and a bad throwout bearing. So ridiculous dings and clunky sounds from the bell housing. Yeah you could say I walked in and out in less than 5 minutes and was FURIOUS. So be careful

 

Dealer states that the TSB was not performed because there was no need. Which means they probably couldnt identify the issue themselves.

 

Is this at a MINI dealer? If so and you want to pursue the vehicle, maybe you could tell them you'll take it if they perform the TSB? At least the tensioner replacement if not the whole thing? Or maybe ask them to measure the stretch in the timing chain, since that measurement is what determines whether the TSB will actually be performed?

 

Yes, it is at a dealer. When my friend test drives the car, I am going to have him listen for it.

 

My 08 MCS had the timing belt tensioner go. I do not drive my car hard. I suspect but cannot confirm that the tensioner part was not designed well. According to this theory, if you let the growl noise go awhile, the belt stretches since it is not taut. I just had enough wear on the belt to get it replaced.

I do know that the new tensioner was better than the original, per the MINI service manager.

 

How much is the car? The HPFP has nothing to do with using 87 gas. There was a batch of those pumps that failed.

 

Car is listed for $17,722. Thinking of offering $20k even with warranty.

 

So, of course, the car is making some form of knocking noise.

My buddy test drove the car and says he hears some noise. Said that another Mini that I had him drive DID NOT have the noise.

So maybe it is the tensioner? He has to listen to the video of the noise again to confirm whether its the thing he heard.


If its the case that it has the tensioner issues. I probably shouldnt drive the car 850 miles back to Atlanta from Philly should I?

Man this is frustrating..