Does everyone use t-bolt clamps on these cars?

Mine falls off every time I drive it. I finally tightened it down so tight that the clamp broke. At this point, I'm at my wits end with this car. I'm too far from the dealer I bought it from to lemon law it and just want to push it into the ocean.

 

There've been reports of some of these having oil in the inner wall and subsequently on the OD of the inlet tube for the turbo. Clean it with some alcohol, let it dry, and re-install with a hose clamp. I did this with mine, it is still sliding off slowly, but at a much slower pace than before. I also have an Alta Silicone Turbo inlet on order. Maybe that'll help, too.

 

Thanks. I just cleaned it out. I'm going to reattach it and get some t-bolt clamps for good measure. I still find this to be ridiculously unacceptable for a new car running stock boost levels.

 

That is odd... maybe your tube came trashed from the factory... never had problems with mine. The ALTA-supplied one is slightly tighter, so your problem might be solved with it!

I wish you luck. It does suck your car came this way.

 

mini sucked hardcore too =/

 

I never took mine off, so I keep it on by doing nothing.

 

I assume you're talking about your 09 JCW here? I hate to state what I think is obvious, but what about your warranty? Regardless of how far away the dealer is, you have to give them a chance to fix the car before you can call it a lemon. If the rest of the car is working, it's going to be a hard to prove it's a lemon simply because it had a bad t-bolt clamp on the intake pipe.

Take the time and bring it back to the dealer. They'll be able to fix it in a few minutes and it'll probably be the last time you see this problem. I wouldn't worry about the broken clamp affecting your warranty, either.

 

OPC,
FWIW, I had the very same problems and I honestly believe it had something to do with the Super AGS. I tried everything including cleaning with acetone but within a few days/hours it would start to slide off again. Installed an Alta CAI and Alta turbo inlet tube and it is rock solid now.

 

For my solution, I used one of the stock clamps from my Evo and put it on there pretty tight (After the puny OEM clamp from the Mini snapped when tightening) and while it isn't pretty, it hasn't budged in about 4 days.

I have a handful of t-bolt clamps in case it doesn't hold in the future.

 

Yeah, I suspect as much, too. There were some fitment issues on the M7 unit...something about 2007 models vs. 2008.
The Alta turbo inlet tube has been on back-order since December , so I won't know for a while if it is enough on its own. I already have a NIB Alta CAI that I can install, but I didn't want to cut into it for the strut brace clearance I would need/want.

 

I'm glad somebody has brought this up so I have company! LOL

I have cleaned the thing several times and it still pops off after 2-3 weeks. I need my sunroof attended to soon at the dealer so we'll see what they say about it.

 

I am anxious to see what the dealer has to say. Please keep us informed.

 

bleh that sucks...hopefully that works out for ya

 

Wow, that's crazy. No problem so far, but I plan on getting the Alta tubes in the future anyway. Good luck!

 

Has the dealer told anyone of a better fix yet?
I've cleaned many times, and also changed clamps.
Mine slips off and the reduced power light comes on, and throws a CEL.
Maybe I'll call dealer Tuesday.