+1 2008 SeattleMINI, 4 months out of warranty, replaced the entire assembly, ~$2000.
39K miles.

 

+1 2008 Clubman S. Had the tensioner and guides replaced at 20 K in warranty and then just had to replace the tensioner again at 60K after it started the cold rattle again. Dealer indicated that there is a new "longer" sized tensioner that is supposed to correct this and keep it from happening again. It was supposed to be $180 to replace but the dealer comp'd the repair for me. The dealer indicated that there is a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty on the repair as an FYI. I was just beyond the 2 years but he still helped me out.

 

This just happened to me. Car is a September 2007 build. Was fine while driving on the highway but as soon as I turned off and stopped at the traffic lights, the rattling was really bad. Goes away at about 3k rpm. Rattles when warm. Oil is not low.

Since I am out of warranty, I will probably bring it to an indy to get fixed but I am unsure of which parts to get. I have decided that I would rather change everything instead of changing the tensioner only as I would like to have peace of mind driving my Mini. Don't want to be constantly worried about the chain snapping and blowing my engine up.

When replacing the timing chain, is there a new part number for the updated chain? From what I have read, there might be a new part but I am not 100% sure on that. Do I just use 11317516088?

When using a brand new timing chain, do I replace the tensioner with the part number 11314609483? Thought this new tensioner was only supposed to be used with the old stretched timing chain.

Thanks!

 

+1

2007 r56 hard top. 50k miles on my car.

east bay mini is actually currently fixing it right now. they said it will cost me 2200 all together. he mentioned that the chain was stretched and that there may be a defect of some sort. i cant remember. When he said defect, I said what???? defect???? and he quickly covered himself up. i was worried. thats why now i am on here to see if anyone else has the same issue.

 

Any chance you could find out the part numbers they used?

I am trying to get the parts together so I can get this fixed. Car is rattling really bad.

Thanks!

 

MINI only has one tensioner that they use now, the 9483 part.

I'm not entirely certain, but my suspicion is that they are no longer do tensioner-only repairs. If someone is getting the rattle, they get the whole timing "cartridge" replaced.

If you haven't already, try realoem.com to see if there is an updated part number available for the chain.

Good luck!

 

Apparently, at least with some dealerships, it depends on the condition of the chain. Mine was serviced for the early stages of 'the rattle' back in April, and only the tensioner was replaced; dealer claimed timing chain was within specs, and the guide rails were in good condition, so no other parts were replaced.

Others on this forum have pointed out to me that this is a 'band-aid' approach, and I would tend to agree. But I don't seem to have much recourse at this point unless and until the chain gets stretched beyond limits and/or the guide rails become damaged. And by then I'll be outside of the warranty...

 

According to my warranty vehicle inquiry report my '08 R55 got a new timing chain and rails under warranty at 29,839 miles. I bought the car last May with 32,000 miles on it so hopefully it will not be a problem any time soon.

 

I love my MINI. Nice gearbox, great little engine, handles well, fit and finish is super, so so much fun to drive...But major engine issues at 40K? I traded mine in last Sunday. I refuse to keep Seattle MINI and BMW in business that way. Someday I may buy another one but I will check for issues on this forum first. I live on the Eastside where there are many MINIs around but I have noticed that the used car dealers I pass everyday no longer have MINIs sitting in the front row. I was wondering if the reliability issues of MINIs are starting to effect the used car industry.

My timing chain was "toast" according the Seattle MINI. Service advisor said that the guides were worn and the chain would have broken soon. The rubber belt on my 1995 Accord lasted 75K and it still looked new (sold the car at 230K with zero part replacement due to failure), my 1987 Dodge D150 with 167K still has the original timing chain...

I loved my 2008 Cooper S. I checked out ~20 Coopers before I found the one I wanted, Black with the special red leather interior...

Grieving in Seattle,
Mike

 

yeah no problem. i just got my car back today. it cost me 1906. they gave me a 15 percent discount being that i am in the military. it really did help me out a lot. it comes with a 2 year warranty on work so im glad.

 

timing chain - pk922
chain tensio mi - 11317534833
slide rail mi - 11317546697
guide rail mi - 11317568241
sproket bmmi - 11217588996
bearing bolt bmmi - 11317534771
chain tensio bmmi - 11314609483
gasket ring bmmisa - 11317550461
hex bolt bmmi - 11217616164
timing chain bmmisa - 11317516088
bearing bolt bmmi - 11317534768
gasket ring bmmisa - 11317631972
torx bolt bmmi - 11367545863
torx bolt bcbmmi - 11367545863


i copied this directly off the receipt i received. so i dont know what anything means. im not mechanically inclined when it comes to the insides of the working part of the engine.

i have noticed an observation though prior to repairing the timing chain. prior to repairing i was getting about 29 - 30 mpg going down 880 here in the bay area. after the repair, my mpg shot up to now 35 to 40 mpg. i could not believe how much of a difference it is to change the timing chain. of course this is going off of my computer on the dash.

the response in my mini is now the way its supposed to be.

oh it does say on the note that my chain deflection was at 71mm prior to the install so it was way off from what it should have been.

oh well. live and learn right?

v/r

nam

 

Interesting. Do you know the part number for the tensioner?

Hope it is a strong band aid that lasts for a long time!

 

That's one of the confusing things concerning the replacement of my tensioner:

Most folks report receiving P/N 11-31-4-609-483 when their tensioner gets replaced. The paperwork for mine shows a different tensioner, P/N 11-31-4-609-482. RealOEM shows the -483 part number on their exploded parts diagram pertaining to my vehicle, but ECS Tuning carries both parts (see previously-embedded links) -- which appear to be essentially the same...

But I haven't been able to get a really good explanation of the difference between those specific parts...

Yeah, you and me both!

 

+1 2008 MCS.

Sorry, but I am going to go slightly off subject for a moment. But, I promise I will bring it back around full circle.

I just had to take my MCS in for a blown turbo this week at 60k miles. After reading many posts about blown turbos between 17k and 30k miles, I decided to ask the service tech if this was the first turbo the car had had. He begrudgingly informed me that while this was the first turbo the car had had, the motor had been completely replaced with a brand new motor at 45k miles due to a timing chain failure. This further infuriated me, as I had just had the tensioner replaced (on my dime) at 55k miles (on a brand new motor). I love my MCS and it is probably one of the most fun cars I have ever driven. But, I am afraid it is time to part ways and would encourage any other MCS owners to find another quality fun ride. The build quality of these cars are awful. Will post an update as to whether or not Mini replaces the turbo on good will as this is another engineering failure on their part. BMW / Mini discovered this was a problem as the oil feed line goes directly over the turbo (operating at about 1000 F). They realized their mistake and since 2010 have been providing this oil feed line with heat shielding. I can go on and on about the engineering short falls here with factory claimed oil change intervalls and so. But, I am sure you can find many others who have already spelled this out.

 

unfortunately I didn't save the article... But for every 100 MINI's sold there is 150 dealer visits. Mini was not dead last in reliability.. That trophy goes to SMART ....

 

Absolutely insist that they keep the car til they "produce" and diagnose it. I was continually put off by my dealer with the excuse that its just the MINI's "diesel" sound. My timing chain just broke, destroyed the engine, and im looking at $5500 in repairs.

Oh and, +1 07mcs

 

+1 2009

 

+1
2008 MCS

Check engine light came on at 29k mi. and I complained about the cold start rattle. East Bay MINI replaced everything under existing warranty.

 

+1 2009 MCS started the cold start rattle. Brought it in and they replaced everything with the chain

11-31-7-568-241 - Guide Rails - 113056
11-31-7-534-833 - Tensioner - 113055
11-31-7-534-771 - Bearing Bolt - 119500
11-31-7-534-768 - Bearing Bolt - 119500
11-31-7-55-461 - Gasket Ring - 119500
11-31-4-609-483 - Tensioner - 113050
11-21-7-588-996 - Sprocket - 113035
11-31-7-546-697 - Slide Rail - 113057
11-36-7-545-863 - Torx Bolt -11950
11-31-7-516-088 - Chain - 113030
A few more bolts and gaskets

 

+1 on 2007 MCS at 50k. At first, MINI of Peabody offered to split half the cost. I was in the market for a countryman so we negotiated this fix in the deal as well.

 

+1 2007 Mini Cooper S 29,000 miles at repair now, replacing timing chain. car sounds like a diesel all the time now.

 

does anyone know if later model cars have had this issue fixed? Should my 2012 JCW be fine?

 

The dealer covered the cost of my timing chain problems in full on my 2009 clubman. I was out of warranty (60,700k). Downside- I didn't have my car for about 4 weeks while I was waiting on them to decide if they could help split costs with me. I was ecstatic when I got the call that they would cover it in full. Saved me $2500!

 

If you hear a "zing" at cold startup, I think things are no different.

DOC

 

+1 2008 Clubman S