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Stock Problems/IssuesDiscussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for MINI Clubman (R55), Cooper and Cooper S(R56), and Cabrio (R57).
I just went through the Timing Chain Tensioner oil dump thing and I'll tell you it's a potentially devastating problem. In my situation the thing backed out and dumped all my oil on my way home from work. I was pretty lucky that I noticed the oil light flash as I braked hard at a traffic light. I immediately pulled into a parking light and shut it down. My car never ran out of oil but many others have and trashed their motors completely. The major problem here is that it isn't a regular leak. The oil is actually being pumped out of the engine under considerable pressure. It can all be over in minutes.
I wouldn't wait, you need to have this addressed NOW! Tell your Service Rep that you think it's leaking from the Timing Chain Tensioner and not the valve cover gasket. I bet they will get you in tomorrow!
I wouldn't mess with this problem! Good Luck
Thanks buddy, that's my fear. I don't need the car for work, I have a company car...so mileage would be minimal at best. I did tell the SA it's the tensioner bolt, it's not the valve cover. I only mentioned that because the SA was saying that's another common problem.
It's not backed out, just oozing. I'm watching it very closely and any change I'll guarantee a call. I did tell them I wanted it fixed now, but they didn't emergency budge. So maybe it'll start dumping worse, then I can kick it up a notch.
I've never had an oil pressure light, my oil never gets to that point. I've dropped maybe under 1/2qt in 5000 miles, even with this newly discovered ooze.
Well, I just started leaking oil yesterday. Still full so no catastrophic failure. Tensionor bolt clearly has oil on it. 2009 Clubman with 16500. Pretty sure I'm going to dump this POS. Between a failed fuel pump (on recall and replaced). BTW, the car has two fuel pumps. The dealer replaced the failed pump but refused to replace the working one. There is now a water pump recall I've got to get performed. Finally, add this to the mix. I"m a little worried to go out of warranty in August.
It is not simple recalls on these things. These are major engine destroying issues. My drive it till it dies mentality is not going to work on this car. If I am paying BMW prices for this vehicle, it better have supposed BMW quality.
Have you thought about returning to the dealer to negotiate extended warranties or is that bad taste in your mouth got you feeling like your fed up completely with the mini's in general? I thought about it when I sat down to talk to the dealer about the contract. We agreed on 100,000 miles bumper to bumper, plus a maintenance plan on top of that. Figured I'd save all the work for them. I know how to do maintenance on a vehicle but rather leave it to the experts on this particular vehicle due to my lack of knowledge on the mini's. Check your valve cover bolts as well as your head gasket to see if there are any leaks around there. Also check your lines going to your turbo is your clubman has one. Having only 16,500 miles is weird to hear that there is an oil leak.
Because the part is known to be defective. They'll replace it if it fails. There are two fuel pumps. Only one of mine failed. The answer as to why you should replace both is simple. It is a poor quality part and I would hope Mini wants to stand by thier product.
I was stranded at the airport after my car sat for a week because the engine couldn't get enough fuel to start. That was one pump failure. Do I really want that to happen again when the second one goes?
The other reason you replace it as I will probably never buy another Mini/BMW again based on the crap quality I have seen. Pretty expensive to lose a customer for life.
All modern day cars are going to be high maintanence vehicles regardless of brand due to all the electronics and especially if they are turbo driven.
My wife has a 2011 Nissan Juke that is on it's second recall now. Life goes on.
All modern day cars are going to be high maintanence vehicles regardless of brand due to all the electronics and especially if they are turbo driven.
My wife has a 2011 Nissan Juke that is on it's second recall now. Life goes on.
Maintenance is one thing. Constant repairs and recalls are another. Look the car is a blast but quick acceleration, tight turns, and a feeling of gripping the road are soon overcome by high repair bills, concern about breakdown, and overall poor quality.
If we as consumers continue with this attitude then yes we will get crap cars. If demand for quality is a requirement for car purchases then suppliers will be forced to listen. If not another manufacturer will step up and do that. It's simple economics.
Maintenance is one thing. Constant repairs and recalls are another. Look the car is a blast but quick acceleration, tight turns, and a feeling of gripping the road are soon overcome by high repair bills, concern about breakdown, and overall poor quality.
If we as consumers continue with this attitude then yes we will get crap cars. If demand for quality is a requirement for car purchases then suppliers will be forced to listen. If not another manufacturer will step up and do that. It's simple economics.
I don't mean to sound unsympathic about your issues, we all get a little nerved by recalls and breakdowns but I don't know if total blame on Mini/BMW is warranted.
Now, blame the damn Gov't. for pushing ethonal and ethonal causing havic on our cars fuel systems is another story. Now we're going to be seeing more stations with 15% ethonal added in the near future.
I don't mean to sound unsympathic about your issues, we all get a little nerved by recalls and breakdowns but I don't know if total blame on Mini/BMW is warranted.
Now, blame the damn Gov't. for pushing ethonal and ethonal causing havic on our cars fuel systems is another story. Now we're going to be seeing more stations with 15% ethonal added in the near future.
I am a conspiracy theorist as much as the next guy . Unfortunately this is all mechanical. I rarely run ETOH through my engine and 15K miles isn't enough to do that much damage. My used 1994 Civic with 175K that I had in school is more mechanically reliable than my 3 year old mini. Love to drive it but not sure it's going to last.
I am a conspiracy theorist as much as the next guy . Unfortunately this is all mechanical. I rarely run ETOH through my engine and 15K miles isn't enough to do that much damage. My used 1994 Civic with 175K that I had in school is more mechanically reliable than my 3 year old mini. Love to drive it but not sure it's going to last.
Where in the world do you live where you get 0% added ethonal. I use only Shell and Chevron and even they have 10%. Up to about 4 yrs ago the Chevron's down here didn't have any but that changed.
This happened last year around Jan 2012. I was driving back home from work ..my oil pressure light suddenly went on and the car displayed a message asking to pull over...just as I pulled over onto the shoulder my engine completely shut down .. tremendous amount of oil leaked all over the car including the exhaust pipes.. However I was able to fix it as it was covered under warranty..
Not sure if this is a known issue with mini cooper s 2009 models...
Got the Chronic today - Timing Tensioner Oil Leak - Hopefully fixed before complete tining chain or massive oil failure event. If you've got an 09 model MINI then apparently you've either experienced this failure already or you've got it coming - beware. Oil began leaking on my <60K mile Clubman S shortly after a dealer oil change. Dealer decided to fix it On the house even though it was out of warranty. I'ts apparently an easy fix - Accept nothing less where this issue is concerned.
been there, done that. Like I said I think the Mini is a POS....too many issues and too expensive to get repaired. My 2010 has had several expensive repairs and now the radio is dead, another $500 a $1000 repair out of my pocket. Just not a quality/ dependable car.
My Mini Cooper Clubman Suffered A Complete Oil Leak. While Driving To My Office The Oil Pressure Warning Light Came On And The Car Started To Rattle. I Checked The Oil Level And Replaced It Only To See 4 Quarts On The Ground. Had Road Side Assistance Tow It To Closest Dealer. The Dealer Informed Me That The Timing Belt Had Slipped/ Degenerated And Had To Be Replaced (the Tensioner And Or Belt Has Been Re-engineered-- According To The Dealer). I Still Am Not Sure Why It Causes This Sort Of A Major Loss Of Oil. It Does Happen
Fortunately, No Engine Damage And It Is Being Returned Tomorrow
Like you, I drove to work yesterday morning and the low oil pressure light came on shortly after. Halfway to work (5 miles into the drive) I saw a "Drivetrain malfunction: Drive moderately. Maximum drivetrain output not available. Consult service center." When I exited the freeway and stopped at a red light, I felt the car shake a few times when accelerating from the light, then smelled smoke.
Called Mini dealer from office and was told to bring it in the following morning (today) @ 7:30a. Thankfully I made it to the dealer... the car clanked and rattled and shook every time I gassed. I was told when I arrived that it might just be a software issue, but then received a call midday to tell me that I might need a new engine (the car is 4.5 months old and has almost 3k miles).
He called a few times, each time with a more detailed explanation: the oil leak caused the low oil pressure warning, and a defective oil filter/gasket (he wasn't exactly sure what it was) caused the leak. He said that the gasket was recalled, but I guess they overlooked the car I purchased from them. Well, they said they tried to salvage the engine, but they couldn't and ended up ordering an engine from the manufacturer in Germany (they claimed there are no spare engines stocked in the country) and that it is guaranteed to be a brand new, off the production line engine.
I'm pretty disappointed that this happened to a (almost) brand new car.
I am a mechanic for a living. I think I can aswer the question of "why did you keep driving". The answer (far too often) is "it was still running", or "I was trying to get home, or to the next off-ramp". Not putting anyone down here, but when your car is having obvious major issues, pull over and stop the engine. Unless you are being chased by aliens, bigfoot, or a serial killer. And, yes, I understand that MINI's "seem" to have a lot of stupid reliability and/or manufacturing issues. But here on these forums, we are hearing of ONLY the ones with issues. That is why they are here, venting, or looking for a solution to their problems. The majority of MINI owners, I would suspect, are very happy with their cars. But we do not hear from them. I see a lot of MINI's on the road lately, so I have to assume that most folks are just loving their MINI, as I am, and only reading these forums in order to know what to look for as far as issues go, if indeed there are any issues. The "silent majority", if you will. With 36k on my 2011 MCS, I have been thouroghly impressed by my MINI so far, and any issues were covered under my factory warranty, which just expired. I have an independent extended warranty, and my local MINI dealer says they will honor that warranty if issues should arise. As others have said, these MINI's are NOT Hondas or Toyotas, and require a bit more attention. There is a bit of a tradeoff as far as fun vs reliability. I choose more fun with a bit more maintenance required. Just me. Motor On!
Hi, I'm new here, but have been studying the r56 and carefully taking apart my recently acquired 07 cooper S with messed up timing components and couple bent valves.
This was probably the first thread I stumbled upon through google, so I figured I'd post this since I think it's the main reason a few of you are seeing the tensioner back out so easily. Very poor decision on Mini's part imho...
10-25-2011, 12:15 PM
. Unfortunately this is all mechanical. I rarely run ETOH through my engine and 15K miles isn't enough to do that much damage. My used 1994 Civic with 175K that I had in school is more mechanically reliable than my 3 year old mini. Love to drive it but not sure it's going to last.
