2009 MINI - she was only 3 years old. 59k miles. We had a lot of fun times together. I took her and my 2 kids on a 5 state tour this past summer. We went from snow in the redwood forest, to 100+ degree desert, and more.

This past weekend I was driving in the mountains when the check engine light started flashing and I suddenly lost power. I could maintain speed, but couldn't pass at all. Pulling over, the car was idling horribly and I could hear some backfire coming out of the tailpipe. The engine light was alternating between flashing and solid orange (safe to continue journey, but attend to service soon). I made it home and took her to the dealership.

My dealership was very nice. I didn't have an appointment, but they took the car and said they would try to see it in the next day or two. At the end of the second day, I called them and they gave me the news.

Oil was all over the underside (I had just noticed some drops in the driveway back home last night) in the area of the timing chain. The computer was reading multiple misfires in each cylinder and there was oil leaking in the general area. The initial diagnosis cost me $190 and the subsequent diagnosis was going to cost over $500. A new timing chain kit was going to be $2500 and resetting the timing was going to be $200 more.

A quick search on NAM (thanks to advice from a super friendly local mechanic), told me that the timing chain is apparently a known and fairly common issue. I see that the cause is basically due to low oil (which I have experienced) which can cause the chain to stretch and ultimately break, skip, or break a tooth on the gear. I had remarked that when the car was low in oil, the low oil light never comes on. I was told by the dealership that the only time the oil light comes on is when the car is basically dry.

For such a basic thing such as low oil, I would imagine MINI should do something to notify an owner to prevent such catastrophe. The extended oil change periods and lack of low oil notification are really simple things that should be done and would prolong the life of these cars we love so much.

I'm not bashing the dealership. They're doing what they can. They're looking into see if anything can be done to mitigate the cost.

I'm just extremely disappointed with MINI in general. This was my first purchase with you. I really do love my car - she's fun to drive and park (mostly park in spaces where you have to do a double-take to believe you fit). Why can't MINI do a few simple things to extend the life of the cars and help owners keep their cars running fine for longer?

I honestly don't know if I will keep the car. I would like to, but $3500 now and another $3500 in another 3 years (or less)? Plus, none of this is covered under my extended maintenance - which is clearly different from the warranty that expired a scant 9k miles ago.

Thanks for taking the time to read. I just wanted to share my experience as a first time MINI owner. I hope to have a positive update to post in the next few days, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

I've seen this too often with people not checking their oil frequently enough. The oil dip stick is read off pressure that's why the oil light doesn't come on if oil level is low. By the time it does come on you're already 2-3 quarts low. That only leaves you 1-2 quarts. Not good.
Even though the oil change intervels are 15K (which is too long in my opinion) you still need to check the oil. Also, if you have a Cooper S the turbo will consume some oil as well (this is normal).
My 07 was out of warranty and at 62K my chain started making noise. Took it to dealer and they fixed it and submitted $1700 to Mini and I had to pay $500. I was ok with that since they were not obligated to do so.
I think with the cars of today even though they indicate longer oil intervels you still need to be prudent and do some self maintenance of your own.
Good luck with your issue and hope the dealer helps you at least part way.

 

So sorry to read this. I can understand how sad, mad and even annoyed you probably are right now. We spend so much money on cars, and with all the advances in technology, we simply expect the best in them. Understandably! good luck with it and i hope it all turns out well (even though it'll hurt the wallet... sigh...)

I learned (almost the hard way) when I had my last car (GTI) that you need to check the oil level every 1,000 miles, at least every 2,000. but i personally find it's easier to remember if you just make it every time your odo turns 000's. my VW dealer told me this when i called with concerns 4,000 miles after i bought it, concerns about a sluggish, clunky engine all of a sudden. i still had 4,000 miles to go before my oil change was due but they said to bring it in right away (i lived close enough to get there). turns out i had only a quart of oil in the car! holy smokes. that's when i learned that turbo engines require more frequent checking of the oil. turbo's usually suck up anywhere from .25 to 1 full quart every 1,000 miles depending on driving style. the salesman should have told me that, and he didn't. i was pretty pissed.

anyway, just sharing my story. i know it doesn't help now. :-(

 

Good luck and I hope the repairs are less expensive than expected. It is unfortunate but it seems most car companies want to feign ignorance and let's face it, most car owners want to be ignorant about basic car maintenance which is perhaps why they don't tell us about frequent oil checks.

This is why I have a list of a few local highly recommended BMW/MINI shops in my contact list in case I need help with out of warranty work. You might want to get a quote from a non-dealership - could be significantly cheaper.

 

Bummer on all fronts. I feel your pain...

But, just for the record the oil light indicates low oil pressure which can be caused by a very low oil level but is more likely caused by a failing oil pump.

The only way to be sure you have the proper amount of oil is to check it.

This is a cold hard fact not just for a Mini, but virtually any car on the road.

Good luck!

 

I'm with the others that I am very sorry for your problems and you would hope to have a car run trouble free for thousands and thousands of miles.

But low oil is the owner's responsibility. There is not a car made that can tolerate being run low on oil and not have something bad happen.
With the long change intervals many owners tend to not check the level, which we know is a mistake. Not much that can be done now but I don't think it is something MINI should be blamed for.

I hope you get a repair that goes well and you have many more happy experiences in your MINI.

 

The only thing I feel the dealerships should do is STRESS the importance of checking the oil level frequently. Maybe they don't because they are afraid it'd scare potential buyers off. Of course, once the owner has a problem due to oil they'd probably not buy another vehicle of that brand anyways. Lost the customer regardless.

 

I think this is a MINI problem, not the dealership. MINI should be setting the precedent to inform buyers of their responsibilities of car ownership if they want to avoid the issues and have return buyers. Perhaps they could add info about oil level checking frequently in the user manual (that nobody reads). I still think if MINI stress the importance of frequent oil checking, only a small minority will do so.

Anyways, I am more of the opinion that if someone buys a car (or house or whatever), it is their responsibility to be educated on their maintenance requirements, not the manufacturer, friends, mechanic, carpenter, real estate agent, etc. That might mean relying on other experts to assist (mechanic), but the responsibility still lies on the owner. But just my opinion.

 

walk0080....I agree, it's the responsibility of the buyer but as we have seen over and over on this site, some people just are ignorant of maintenance responsibilities.
Also, you kind of counterdicted yourself. First paragraph you say it's not the dealership's responsibility but Mini. Second paragraph you state not manufacturer.

I get your drift anyway. I'm sure you are like me and many others, we take care of what we have.

Mini was good enough to place a sticker in the engine compartment that notes to use Castrol. They could add another saying check the darn oil!

 

Yes I did but you still caught my drift...

IF MINI wants to try and avoid some pain, they should take action themselves. Because no matter what happens, there will be people who blame them.

BUT really it is not their responsibility to educate buyers on maintenance.

BUT maybe they should have designed the timing chain a little better...

BUT....

 

Oh, for sure on the design issue/s. Timing chain guide, water pump housing, and whatever else is made of plastic meeting metal. Heat + plastic = deterioration at some point.
You would think that with as many issues that have developed Mini would have someone looking into upgraded material and replace these items so they'd last.

 

What I would like is an easier to read dip stick!

 

^^That's interesting because actually don't have an issue with the dip stick. Granted, it's not like the older style flat ones but I really don't have a problem with it.
Try laying it on a paper towel, you can see the oil mark it makes.

 

Another question is what the oil change intervals have been?

My 06 has 94,000 miles and "uses" about a quarter of a quart between oil changes, just enough for me to add a bit before it gets replaced. I never let the oil level get off the full mark.

I wonder why this 09 is using oil at all?

Could it have been going way too long without an oil service?

That coulda been death for the t chain and tensioner as well.

 

First off, do you have the S?
The turbo can eat a little oil if you run them hard.
If you run it hard you should change it more frequently.
If you just have a justa, it shouldn't eat any.
Second, at what interval do you have the oil changed?
I think and I believe many on here feel the 15K interval is too long and most recommend anywhere from 5-7500 mile intervals.
I run my car pretty easy and change mine at about 6500-7000 miles intervals.
If you did have the timing chain issue repaired than you probably do have the S (turbo). Low oil and possibly a lack of changing it could have resulted in the issue, however many of us feel the timing chain issue is due to plastic+metal+heat equaling eventual failure (design fault).

 

This entire discussion would likely be less confusing to folks if it were properly located in the 2nd generation forum rather than the 1st generation forum.

 

Thanks everyone for the comments, advice and support. First I want to apologize for being in the wrong thread. I meant to post this under 2nd Generation MINIs, but apparently in my despair, I wound up in the wrong thread.

Good news is that last week I received both an email and phone call from MINI USA acknowledging my problem and that they would work with the local dealership to investigate the matter.

I just received a call from my dealer indicating that the manufacturer has agreed to cover the costs of the repair.

I really appreciate Steve Carrabis at SF MINI for his help, for the loaner, and for keeping me up to date with information about my status. I don't have my car back yet, but Steve has really gone a long way towards reaffirming my faith in companies willing to do the right thing.

I will take all comments and advice given here to heart. For those in similar situations, don't despair and continue to write to to MINI USA as well as communicating through your local dealer. If you've shown yourself to be a loyal MINI owner (regular maintenance, etc), hopefully they will treat you in kind.

 

While every owner should be responsible for periodically checking their engine oil it is a poor design for a car made in this day and age to not be able to warn of low oil until you are pretty much doing damage to the cars engine. In my 1994 Mazda B4000 when I am a quart low the light will come on every time. It would seem rather simple considering the technology present in the MINI that such an oil level system could be engineered into the design of the car. In the absence of such a system the dealership or manufacturer should provide a friendly "reminder" of how the current system works and does not work so that an informed consumer can protect their investment from damage from something so simple. Besides, you could still check the oil every time you begin to use the car and still have something go wrong where an oil leak started happening while you were driving and you were warned well enough in advance so you avoided major engine damage a little easier than it takes with the current low oil warning system.

 

+1

 

If your Mazda's oil pressure light comes on when it's a quart low it makes me suspicious of your oil pump.

Oil lights on all cars indicate pressure, not level...

Friendly reminder to everyone: Check your oil regularly.

 

reading this just prompt'd me to go out and check my oil.

Damn, stupid dip stick design!!!!!

 

I have to be honest when I say that I am not familiar with the specific mechanics or electronics that determine when my "low oil" light comes on. I have a manual at home for the truck and I can check it out when I get home but I do not believe the light coming on is tied to the pressure but is tied to the oil level. The oil pressure gauge on the truck does vary in its level depending on temp, amount of oil and age of oil but I have never seen the "low oil" light come on unless I was actually down a quart.

 

Very cool.

If your Mazda has both an oil pressure gauge and an oil level indicator, that's fantastic.

Oil level indicators are tricky for a lotta reasons, but that doesn't mean your car doesn't have one!

If it does, I stand corrected.

 

Well, the Haynes manual was useless finding info but the web yielded some results. Here is a picture of the type of motor in my truck.



If you look at the oil pan you can see a switch that was described in the Ranger Forums as a "float switch" that will be triggered when the oil is below that mark. And this does make sense as when the low oil light does come on there are times that while I know it is low, if I am parked on an incline that allows the oil to tilt away from that switch I will get the light to come on but later on the same day I may park where the ground is flat or leaning towards the switch and the light does not come on. Does not sound like all that difficult technology to me. Seems they could integrate such a switch into the MINI engine, especially if the stock oil gauge really is pretty much useless.

 

Brightly colored engines? I see more you-ification options for MINI. Why stop at 10,000,000 possibilities - this would probably increase it by a factor of 10 at least!