http://on.miniusa.com/topic/Technica...er-S/700023141

I have been reading many threads that have somewhat to do with this issue, and was reading through the Mini Owners lounge, and found this thread regarding cold start and idling issues.

You read through and it will give an account of a mans issues with 2 MCS one 08 and 10 models.

Read through the whole thing yourself, and see what you think, but basically the BMW engineers said that the MCS was programmed (designed and engineered), for spirited driving, and also frequent use.

I found this pretty amazing, as I've seen a few threads like this in here before, but I wonder if driving habits were ever discussed as a cause. This guy drives less than 5k a year, but I figured this would give people food for though. And also an idea of what the BMW engineers are thinking when theyre designing our cars.

I'm unsure if this is readable if you dont have a Owners Lounge account, if it isnt, I'll paste the text if needed.

 

Your link took me to the Mini Owner's Lounge login screen, and since I do have an account there, I did find the thread after a bit of searching.

It is an interesting thread especially regarding the short trips. When I took delivery of "Sunny", my commute to work was approximately five miles. I worked there about twenty months. My commute now is close to thirty miles to work, and at this point, I've been there almost a year.

A few months ago I installed Marshalltown water temperature and oil pressure gauges. I find that "Sunny" doesn't reach full operating temperature until about the distance I would have gotten to work.

In addition, I have a vacation house about two hundred miles from home. I've driven the Mini straight through about five times and my oil usage seems to be less. I usually take my other car, but with fuel prices what they are, I'm taking the Mini when I can.

The further I drive it, the better it seems to run. I'll report back after 100k miles.

 

Thanks for the link! The explanation of problem and discussion of solution are excellent.

 

It really made no sense to me that BMW would engineer something like that, (a car that would deliberately deposit carbon on the intake valves), which sort of explains why many dealerships weren't prepared with the carbon build up removal tool.

In the article they explain that the hydrocarbons in the oil is what creates this spongy like tar material on the back of the intake valves, layer by layer.

I'm a little worried because I may be moving to a place that is closeby to my work later this year, and I wonder if I'm going to have to let it warm up properly in the morning just to make sure I dont have this problem, or at very least find somewhere to drive it longer than 5 miles.

 

Needless to say I'll definitely be investing in a set of gauges, oil temp and boost preferably, as soon as I pick up the car.