a modern engine self-destructing before 100k miles...

all i can say wow.

 

hahah thats funny cube is lame. if you guys would feel like helping out a fello NAM'er ask your dealer how much it would be to buy the engine back or even just the good parts. thx

 

A friend of mine ACTUALLY just bought one of these! Don't understand it ...

 

any update

 

I am VERY pleased with how well I was treated. MINI paid for the flatbed to ship my car 97 miles to the shop. As I posted before they got me a rental car back home while it was in the shop (Nissan Cube). The bill for the work on the car would have been $6700 but was 100% covered. I was also given $250 from MINI for the 20 days they had my car. It took longer I was told because they had to order the new block from Germany.

The only bad part..... dealer told me they didn't know what the cause was.

Here is a quick list of the new parts as stated in paperwork:

hex bold with washer (I bet someone stripped one)
exhaust valve
shaft seal
profile gasket x2 (not sure what this is)
motor oil\filter (duh...lol)
gasket set
friction wheel
gasket set cylinder head
cylinder head gasket (sounds a bit like the line above )
set bolt cylinder head
spark plug
engine block with crankgear


Runs like a champ now!!! I just hope it does not happen again. Would like to have known WHY it did this though.

 

So they replaced the block, repaired the valve on the original head and reused it. I would of thought they would go ahead and replace the head as well but maybe that's asking too much. Regardless congrats on your new motor and best of luck with your MINI.

 

So it appears this might be a "not infrequent" issue...1 mile for my GFs my 2007 MCS engine cut out...coasted to side of road...starter would turn over but engine would not start...

HAD noticed "rattle" in preceding month when engine was cold...

my MCS had 36,600 on it (bumper to bumper ends at 36K - power train to ? will have to look)...but dealer did all work...had to send out for new heads??

invoice is in car - I will take another peek, but it seems we are all talking about a similar issue.

tim

 

I'm pretty sure the 2nd Gen warranty goes to 50k miles.

The OP did not report a cold start rattle issue.

 

Make sure you report your issues to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/

 

2007s Cold start last few weeks and just got the bad news yesterday. The cause of my midnight I95 shutdown was a seized vacuum pump resulting engine failure. 52k miles no extended warranty. Est repairs $9,000 no word yet on assistance from Mini...not getting warm fuzzier because I'm still upside down. My third car, first two each lasted ten years with both way over 100k... Big WTF!

 

the vacuum pump would most likely lock up due to lack of lubrication. when the small oil port on the pump can not get any oil (typically due to sludging), it can lock and break the cam gear. Hint: never, ever let your MINI get past due for oil. also, change it more frequently! it might cost you a little bit, but it is excellent protection (and peace of mind).


By the way, most aftermarket warranties are more comprehensive than the MINI extended warranty. MINI maintenance is good to have (if you drive enough to get the benefit), but the extended repair warranty is overpriced and lacking in sufficient coverage. Beware, a lot of warranties out there are terrible! If you live in Washington DC metro area, most dealers sell Fidelity (JM&A) warranty. They are by far one of the best out there. If you can get that one, buy it!

 

That reminds me, I had better buy the warantee. Acura rebuilt the top of my RSX when I wiped a cam after the warantee was out, because they say " that just does not happen to Acura's" I have not heard of that attitude from BMW.

 

no sludge in engine per independent BMW tech. I have own maintenance records that Mini didn't even ask for before shuffling me along without any help. It's in my record that I complained about engine noise and Mini did nothing..."it's not a problem..." "it will go away". They never checked tensioner chain or pump. First time I took my car into mini for service they told me that the oil service light was wrong it was good for 15 to 20 thousand miles and gave me a "low mileage oil change" at 13k.

I have never experience such a lack of concern from a dealer...both from maintenance and post warranty engine failure. My own fault for not being proactive and in their face. I am an engineer and allowed these guys to talk down to me. No more, this $9k bill is my license to be an *********.

"the ultimate driving experience"- if it runs

 

After I graduated from college back in the summer of '07 and landed my frist job in the "real world", my father told me to buy my dream car. Since I lived at home with my parents I thought why not? Not being mechanically inclinded a new car wouldn't break down and leave me stranded when visiting college friends and I had already logged 124k miles in my old car. My old car, a trusty 98 Ford Escort my parents gave me when I turned sixteen, may not have been a looker or cool by any stretch of the imagination but I never had problems with it. The only major replacement it required was an alternator at about 90k... eventually my luck would have run out... it was a Ford afterall. It took me two months to decide to throw practicality out the door and settle on a Mini Cooper. I'm one of five siblings and short by their standards at 5'10" so by buying a Mini I would make designated chauffering difficult. I didn't care, I was soo excited. I went online and searched the closest dealership inventory and picked the one I wanted, drove out there... and decided it was love. I thought Vinnie (my Mini) and I were going to be really and truely happy together. If my Ford and I had a companionable relationship together, surely my Mini and I would be the stuff of dreams.... boy was I wrong.

A few times in the winter of 08/09 my car either was slow to start or didn't... which made getting to work really difficult. I emailed Mini about the problem but my "local" dealership had changed locations/contact info and somehow I missed that memo. Since there was only one instance when it wouldn't start at all and it never happened again I let myself be convinced by some of the engineers at work that I probably just had frozen water in my fuel lines.

In April of this year I was driving two hours away to my best friends house for her 25th birthday. I had about fourty miles to go and I thought I heard a weird noise but it wasn't loud or scary so I just figured it was either from the rougher interstate road or background from my audiobook (not a professional recording). I get one block from my friend's apartment and decide to grab a pizza since I haven't eaten all afternoon and we were soon going out for drinks. I'm pulling into a spot in the Little Cesars parking lot and my breaks stop working... if I wasn't drifting into the parking lot at a pedestrian friendly slow place I would have crashed into the building wall. No engine failure/malfunction lights to warn me of impending doom so I'm completely confused. I go in and get the pizza and carefully drive my car the block to my friends apartment and still the breaks aren't working right. Every few pumps produced a very slow breaking. I call my father who of course thinks I'm making this up since my car only had 46k miles and couldn't possibly be dying. He just tells me to check the brake fluid and calls me silly.... I wasn't. The next day I turn my car on after asking my father to drive two hours to rescue me, he listens to the engine which started sounding not so good. He thought I was having a problem with my vacuum pump based on the noises it was making but being unfamiliar with foreign cars he wasn't sure. He checked to make sure there was oil and investigated my brake problem. Again, he thought there was no way a newer car could be dying on me. Vinnie had to be towed 61miles to the nearest dealership.

A few days later I get a call from Mini saying that my engine is really really dead and I got a shame on my for missing an oil change. It had been 11k miles... I know, I know... things had been hectic. They told me I was out of oil... which confused me because I had oil when dad checked it... but aparently not any more. The invoice states "No oil showin gon dip stick. Removed valve cover. Found exhaust am seized. This caused cam gear to break and fall into the bottom of the engine. Replace with new Mini engine. Swap all accessories." It took a month for the dealer and I to swap information since I had two long trips I was working around going out of state to my brothers' graduations, getting rides to and from work, etc. After I was told the information had been submitted for warranty I called every week to check on the progress... my typical answer was "still don't know anything yet". Sometimes I would be told that they'd call but they never did. I emailed twice and the service advisor never responded back... not even with a "still don't know anything yet" and after six weeks I finally got an answer when I called... No, it isn't covered... Ohh snap. My final bill came out to be $6176.92. I couldn't believe that the service advisor basically dodged me and then I wasn't covered. It was one week shy of three months before my Mini and I were reunited again. I spent my 25th birthday without wheels because of this.

My three year old macbook died within two weeks of my car dying... I took it into the Apple store, tears in my eyes and the genius bar looked at it and told me that my model had a problem and they'd replace my hard drive for free and upgrade it as well. I was soo happy I could have hugged him. I was out of there in thirty minutes with a happy Mac. That's the kind of customer service I expected from Mini. Instead I learned that some dreams are better left as dreams... be careful what you wish for.

Two weeks ago a tail light goes out and my car diligently warms me of the exterior lighting failure... thanks Vinnie for having my back this time.. why couldn't you have told me about engine failure and impending doom?!? Where was my warning light on that one?

 

/Strugi

that's really messed up.

if the car is still under warranty, and i believe you were at 46K miles, I would raise hell with MINI USA.

you have a perfectly legitimate case. talk with a lawyer, and take appropriate actions and tell us the progress.

it's a bummer but you can't do anything about what has already happened, but don't make that ruin your future plans.

good luck

 

Are you missing the fact that the poster missed the indicated oil change by only 11K miles?

 

ahhh.. my apologies

i misread it as it has been 11K miles since an oil change.

 

hoonpv,

Hopes he gets it fixed w/o too much more trouble.

 

My wife left home Friday morning, drove about 100 feet down the street and 'BANG' . . . noise and dead motor that won't restart.

After being towed and inspected at the dealer, same scenario: vacuum pump froze, cam (exhaust side, I believe) snapped and piston and valve damage followed.

It's an '07 S with 33k miles - still under warranty, but requires some sort of OK from a factory Rep before repairs can happen.

 

sounds like those repairs would involve a rebuilt engine. make sure it's the latest and greatest version. yr. story is one big reason why I will not keep my car beyond the factory warranty; the Prince engine is the 2Gs weak link. Good luck.

 

I posted earlier in this thread...mine was a failed vacuum pump (with subsequent damage) as well (at 36,000 miles)...I find it difficult to get an accurate oil reading with the MINI oil stick (stupid rings) if the oil is clean (I have put in 3 extra changes over life of car)...but I did stick in an extra quart before I called MINI and had it towed to the dealer, just in case...

 

Kind of how I feel about mine.

 

Wonder why it didn't give you an oil light when it was so low on oil...

 

Hmm...why do you think it's failing? Just a bad part that should be replaced every so often or can this be tied to the oil changes every year or 15k?

Sturgi...man u almost made me cry...sooo sorry that you had to go through that. This car is my dream mobile as well. : /

 

My wife just had this problem on her 07 Cooper S one week ago.

The engine died when she just got off a highway and was waiting for a red light (very lucky otherwise it would be much more dangerous for her to control a powerless car on a busy interstate). She tried a couple of times but the car wouldn't start, so she called the road service and had the car towed 70 miles to the dealer in Baltimore, MD. We were very upset at that moment since our mini was 4 months or 1000 miles out of the factory warranty.

The next morning the dealer called my wife and told her the engine failed due to the vacuum pump, and quoted about $5K to fix the engine. However the dealer said they will talk to miniusa to see what miniusa could help.

Few hours later in the afternoon we heard from the dealer that miniusa would cover all the cost (including the $200 towing expense) and put a new engine in (instead of fixing the old one) based on “good will”. My wife picked up the car last Saturday and the dealer told her the new engine is covered under a 2 year/unlimited warranty.

I couldn't say we are not happy about the outcome - our 4.5-years-old out-of-warranty mini now had a brand new engine at zero cost to us. But I would prefer to have a reliable car from day 1. Our mini also had the tension/time chain issue back to 2009. We are planning to sell the mini next year.

What I learnt from this - it is better off putting the money in extended warranty than extended maintenance package.