Lava, I'm not sure which spring was broken. I just know it's the "third spring" in the engine that was broken. Sorry I don't know anything about cars but the technician told me that the broken spring would affect the speed of the car.
I know the ticking sound is normal for the 07 model but in my case, the sound was not normal.
I hope this problem is not happening to other new 07 models! =)

 

I'll get the service report from my car and post it on here tomorrow.

 

Welcome to NAM, kakaa. I recommend keeping good records of all your MINI's service visits. Make sure that the dealership provides you with a detailed description of the spring, including its location. Also, in the future, if they replace parts, ask for the old ones. Best to keep records just in case...

 

Oooo! Lots of nice people on this forum =)
thanks for all the advices.

 

Heck, I'd want the spring.

 

i'm new so go easy on me. i just picked up an '07 mcs and heard ticking too. what i'd like to know is how you distinguish between normal and abnormal ticking?

 

The fuel injectors on these cars tick. Quite normal.

 

The ticking sound for my car was very frequent. It was pretty disturbing too. I just thought it was abnormal then I asked the technician and he checked for me. He just told me that it sounded abnormal. I don't really know how to distinguish it though.

 

And oh, it was coming from the engine.

 

what does "capitolize" mean? if you're going to criticize someone's writing, you better make sure you don't make a mistake yourself.

A bit of courtesy works two ways... if you don't spell check, no one will know what you're talking about.

 

Hey, you forgot to "capitolize"!

 

I'm waiting for Jerry Springer to post...

 

Simmer down, kids!

 

Hey, someone had to say it...

 

Follow up on it Kakaa - and let us know back here. We'll try to stick to the topic and hope the off topic banter dies out.

There has been some discussion of trouble with the timing belt tensioner - I am not sure if that involves a spring or not, but its mostly been paranoia over rough noises at start up. I have not seen anybody on NAM say they had service to this device.

If you were told it was "the third spring" I'm not sure what that means. The valve train is more likely to have receptive elements where you might refer to one by a number like that. I've read no reports of valve spring failures or any valve issues on NAM.

If you can find out from them what component it was it will shed more light.

 

 

Hi Kakaa, welcome and congrats on the new car. I am sorry you are having problems with it so soon, and problems with the service dept of your local MINI dealer too boot! I would continue driving it, and not feel unsafe. The car had a noise from a problem with a broken spring. It is probably a rare issue, as suppliers have to be checked and double checked on quality all the time, or they loose contracts. The problem wouldnt have felt so obvious if your service dept. had handled it accordingly instead of taking their time and/or giving you the run around. Like others have posted, I would go to another dealer, but maybe talking to the owner of the dealer you have had problems with would help you in the mean time.
As far as the spring goes, it was fixed, and the fixing of said spring was recorded. Maybe, if you are worried about it happening again, (like after your warranty is up), mention it to the owner when you talk to him/her, and let it be known that you had an unusual problem and if it happens again during your ownership you would like for them to work something out with you (like extending your warranty). I really wouldnt worry too much about it, though, unless you feel your service department didnt repair it as necessary. The spring, while noisy, was obvioulsy not destructive, or you wouldnt have a vehicle to drive anymore, right?
Just to be on the side of caution, keep accurate records of everything. Dates, times, what happened, who you talked to, and pictures if necessary. If future problems arise, and you have documented everything, you will have a much better chance of people being cooperative. Best of luck to you, I really hope you have no further problems!

 

Chows, y' need t' lern t' spik Cinedian, eeh!?

 

Well that's your valve train. Probably a fluke - there has been no pattern of problems with this. Do what you have to do to feel confident the car is running correctly now.

 

How courteous of you to point this out.........

I too was getting tired of seeing Kakaa smeared all over NAM, but I feel that Chows has adequately explained himself. So how about giving it a rest?

 

Looks like the No. 3 cylinder valve spring.

This happened to my friend's Corvette at the track a few months ago - No. 5 cylinder valve spring broke, valve fell in and kaboom! Block had a hole in it from where half the piston went out the side and the motor became nothing but a conversation piece.

 

Also, wanted to let Kakaa know that my wise crack was not directed towards him but rather the rambling that was happening in the thread.

I hope that you get your problems sorted soon Kakaa...

 

I thought that line of springs might have something to do with the variable valve timing rather than a specific valve?

 

The report says "Excessive ticking noise from engine- repeat concern. Perf. func check- noticed noise from valve train. Removed valve cover-found #3 vanos retainer spring broken."

They just replaced the retainer spring. There's another car in B.C. with the same problem (same dealership too). I hope that's ONLY 2 cars with that problem!!

 

Ah, but it could be a functional conversation piece: