2007 cooper s 15500 miles....

last week the cold start death diesel etc. rattle began. i took the car to the dealer and had the timing chain/tensioner replaced. i picked up the car yesterday and it drove smooth as butter.... silent too! well this morning on the way to work, i was coasting/downshifting to a red light and suddendly i get a check engine light and rpms drop to zero. i come to a stop at the light and try to restart the car: nothing. while attempting to dodge oncoming traffic i manage to push my car into a nearby parking lot. mini roadside comes to tow the car.

needless to say im ****ing heated. i love the car but seriously ive had it for less than two weeks and it has been in my possession for about 5 days total.

 

Bad engines happen rarely and hey... you unluckily got one in your MINI. They are replacing it and no cost so don't be upset.

 

Hope your next one is trouble free.

 

so what the deal? its all good if they r replacing it all for free

 

There's always the hassle factor. We don't know how far away the dealership is and what kind of loaner car they offered. You also don't expect this to happen to a modern car with such low mileage. MINI had no choice but to replace the engine, but I'd be more than a little disappointed if this happened to me. I hope this car doesn't turn into a lemon.

 

Nothing is really free. Bad quality and lots of free warranty work drives up the prices for the rest of the Mini owners. They make it up somewhere.

 

they are fixing it now under warranty of course.

in the mean time im driving around in a ****in gutless nissan versa. this is the worst car ever! so soul-less and boring. its being paid for too so i cant really complain about that.....

I just want my cooper s back!

 

on a lighter note, i received my alta cai and alta turbo inlet tube today.....

i just dont have a cooper s to put them on at the moment.

 

Just think how much more you'll appreciate your MINI once you get it back. As for those mods, the parts get better as they age, like fine wine.

 

i know. its funny how you take **** for granted.

 

At least with the Mini they don't make you wait till a work day for roadside assistance to help you out. With a new engine you should be worry free.

 

Sounds like someone screwed up when they tried to fix the cold start rattle. Either that, or the fix doesn't fix.

Probably a good thing that the CAI and tube came after the engine ate itself. Wouldn't have been good if it had happened the day after you installed them.

 

yeah cold start fix went wrong!
thats for sure..... i would have had to return it to stock on the side of the road before it got towed to the dealer. hahaha that would have sucked.

im thinking i may need to add one of those sweet shift ***** you make! i cant decided on which one though.

 

If they replaced the timing chain and the dealer said the rocker arm broke because the timing was off, that definitely says the "repair" caused the damage. The car wasn't any more a lemon than others that have timing chain/tensioner problems.

Most folks just get a new tensioner...you get a new engine!

 

I like an optimist Like you mention it looks like this car was a used car with 15500 miles on it and as such your lucky to purchase a used car and have the manufacture even do an engine repair let alone replacement. What we as Mini owners take for granted is never a possibility with most car manufactures. Now just like other car companies Mini dealerships hire employees some will be good and some will be bad. My last service I assumed my property would be safe and since I was on a road trip thought nothing of it until I got my car back and my iPod and cable was removed by someone. Again unlike other dealerships I just got a check for the replacement cost minus tax with out having to go to court etc.

 

Same guys that couldnt do the timing chain right will now install a new engine .

 

"Same guys that couldnt do the timing chain right will now install a new engine."

Cool! Then he gets a whole new car!

 

Might even be listening to your music if your iPod was in it.

 

You don't think the service manager might have had something to say to the bozo that botched the job? If it is obvious to you that this was caused by the mechanic, don't you think MINI will figure that out if/when they are asked to pay for it under warranty?. So, this could be a problem for the dealer. I would expect the service manager to be keeping a close eye on this mechanic, assuming the guy still works there.

 

You can complain and I'll understand. I just got back from vacation where I rented a versa. Oh gawd, that thing was awful. First I hated the steering wheel angle. Very uncomfortable to have my hands anywhere but the very bottom of the wheel. I hated the minimalist adjustments on the seat. The engine was ok off the line to about 10 miles an hour then it sucked. The handling was downright scary. Corners I could have taken in the MINI at 70 I could only take in the versa about 40-45. I was really wishing I could have rented a MINI. Even a just-a-cooper would have been SOO much better.

 

haha you are telling me! i just drove it from vegas to san diego and then back this weekend. the steering wheel angle is pretty funky! and you are right about the pick up to 10mph.... then its got nothing. not even enough to safely pass cars on the freeway! it gets decent gas mileage though.

 

at first they told me it would take 3 weeks..... but now that they are paying for the rental car, they said it will be roughly a week and a half. they have had my car since thursday, so stay tuned! i hope it turns out right!

i need to remember to take my ipod out of there!