I have an 08 Justa (actually my daughter's). The engine light has been coming on intermittently for a few weeks. It's a bit more consistent now. I took it to an auto parts store and their scan tool came up with a P0012 code - "A" camshaft position - timing over-retarded bank 1.

After searching around it seems the likely culprit is the Vanos solenoid. It looks easy enough to change. I have a few questions though.

1) How do I know if it is the solenoid on the intake side or the exhaust side? One thing I read suggested the "A" indicated the intake side. I hate to base a repair on one web post of unknown authority though.

2) ECS has the oem part for $122. Rock Auto though is only $70.89

The brand at Rock Auto though is "Dorman" not MINI. I can't imagine that Dorman designed its own part and paid for a production run for what can't be a very big seller. I'm guessing it is probably the same as oem but in a different box. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

3) The Dorman part says it replaces oem # 11367604292, which is an obsolete part. The new part number is 11368610388. I emailed the Rock Auto to check that it is indeed the redesigned part. If I end up ordering it, does anyone know how to tell the difference between the old part and the newer design? Looking at the pictures the only difference I can see is the color of the o-ring.

 

P0012 code - "A" camshaft position - timing over-retarded bank 1. This should be the intake side which is the back of the engine. P0014 code - "B" should be the exhaust side. The update is probably inside the selenoid, so you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. BMW(Mini) uses Blue o-rings on a lot of parts.

 

Thanks for the info! RockAuto replied to my email today and said they would call Dorman tomorrow to see which version of the solenoid they have. Though if the old design worked for 80k miles maybe it doesn't matter?

 

Newer design looks almost like a solid piece of steel. Old one has larger openings which look like"windows ".

 

We only offer the OEM ones since they have a 2 year warranty.
N12 N16 Vanos Solenoid


I think the biggest reason we see these fail is due to lack of oil changes. Most the cars we have to replace them on are customers that don't change their oil but only every 15k.

 

Ok, looking at a few YouTube videos I think I see what you mean. It looks like those are micro screens and they are full circles on the new one and only partially go around the older one.

 

+1 the newest part number has the screen.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/11368610388/ES2715070/

 

 

Thanks for the photo. I went ahead and ordered the one from RockAuto. It is the newer version. I'll install it later this week when it warms up a bit.

 

Make sure it the newest one, sometimes those other universal sites don't have it marked right or you get the older version or something. Good luck.

 

Any feedback on whether this part fit and worked? I was thinking of buying one.

 

The intake and exhaust vanos solenoids are identical I believe, they can be swapped to help determine if the fault follows the solenoid.

 

The part fit perfectly and no more error codes.

 

I swapped the solenoids but received the same code P0012. So I think the solenoids are ok. The tensioner was loose in the past and I tightened it up. Would that cause the P0012?

 

I tried ordering from RockAuto online. When I was checking out, it said that they use Verified by Visa and wanted my social security number. I thought it was kind of strange. So I called their toll free number and after a few rings, the phone hung up. Is Rock Auto a legit place to order parts? I am a little concerned about giving my SSN and worried that they did not answer the phone.

 

Rock auto is legit. I have ordered from them. I have noticed lately when I buy online or pay online it ask for my San or drivers license number. It had something to foreign s federal law requiring identity verification. Sometimes I can skip the screen without entering that information and I get a message stating I denied is verification. I am reluctant providing that personal information too. I was thinking next time I would make up a number and see what happens.