Hello - Appreciate it may be difficult to tell, but any guesses as to where this oil leak could be coming from? This is a Mini cooper (non S), r56, 1.6, 2007 model with 105,000 miles.

This is only three weeks after the clutch and timing chain replacement. Looking at the pics could it be that this leak is related to the clutch/timing chain job that was done recently?
Or is it just bad luck and a gasket/ o ring somewhere failed.

I managed to squeeze my head under the car and I could see oil was dripping on the exhaust.

 

Do you know if this was present when you picked it up after the clutch/timing chain work ? Hoping it is just residual oil from the job. Can you mop it up ? Is the place that did the work close to you - have them put on the lift and clean up and see if it comes back in a week ? This should be pro bono on their part

 

Thank you, It's definitely leaking, not excessively, but I see small puddles wherever I park. I check the oil levels regularly too and the level is not dropping much.
The garage that had carried out the repairs told me they'd charge £100 just to look at it! and I had just spent 2k on repairs.

 

Sorry to hear and that sucks about the garage ! If it was not leaking before the timing chain/clutch it is hard to imagine that the replacement is not part of the issue ...

See if you can go higher up the chain at the garage. I'd say something like that this seems to be to much of a coincidence ... can they please check. And if not related, you pick up the extra tab, but if not - it is on them. Then again - if it is 100 quid just to look at it, I doubt I would trust them at this point. Might be worth it to find another place ....

 

@gbout_1989 ,

It sounds like the rear main seal is the culprit for that leak. I'm assuming that who ever did the clutch job never got around changing the rear main. That procedure should always be automatic whenever the clutch job is being performed. I'm guessing someone forgot to change out the rear main and it was a bad coincident.

 

Here is a thread that might help. A couple of options it could be, rear main seal being the worse case. However, if it was not leaking before and is now and it is the rear main seal, wouldn't the shop that did the clutch work be responsible ?

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...o-n18-r56.html