Have not heard of a non-s with this issue.

 

Just takes more miles on a Justa. See my detailed posts about measuring chain slack. The timing chain "system" is the same on N12/14.

DOC

 

Here is some fuel for the fire. Wonder how many were timing chains.

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2013/01...uks-least.html

 

When the engine actually goes (as mine did in my 2006 Mini) your tune changes. Yes, I am a sucker for Mini's and have another one on order but bet that I will not follow their guidelines for maintenance!

 

Huh? Really the tune changes? Can you pls explain that?

 

Have you blown an engine on a 6 year old Mini, with only 62k miles on it, after you felt you completely maintained it according to the manual, had proper logs and then just gone, oh well, no biggie!!!! I'll just put a new engine in it and drive away happy?

Doubt it! You're bummed! Very bummed and perplexed!

 

I restore English classic cars as a hobby, I've lost track of the number of engines and transmissions I've rebuilt over the years. Though my MINI is the newest car I have, I wouldn't hesitate to tear into it if the engine failed, I've done it on other cars before.

Dave

 

myself i would love to be able to tear into one of these and replace the tensioner,chain and guides at regular intervals. I just hate not having one to practice on my own first.lol Youtube and a Bentley can only teach you so much. My dealer sure doesnt want to find any problems, but i bet they come up right after the warranty expires. Even though it shouldnt work that way... Since they get paid either way....

 

Been over 6 months since the OP contacted the lawyers.....they must have declined to pursue the matter?

I wonder......after all the sturm and drang expressed here......what exactly would those who feel wronged have MINI do for them? warranty the car "forever" against a part wearing out? Not gonna happen

Change the timing chain and tensioner to a different design? As in re-engineer the entire engine and then apply those changes in the field? Not gonna happen.

Address the shortcomings on a case by case basis....that is what's happening

And to the OP...

FACT - MINI will change the oil more frequently than what the OBC says, and for free - under the maintenance agreement. The warranty manual says change your oil once a year or every 15K - amended later to read once a year or every 10K. You all did read your owners manuals, right?

But as a car owner, it sounds like the OP is suggesting that the fault lies with the manufacturer for not insisting that they (the owners) treat this car just like any other, and change and check the oil periodically.

I would be willing to bet someone a coke that the number of failed tensioners compared to the number of cars sold is MINIscule.

 

If your salesperson told you the timing chain/tensioner was possibly going to fail at 16k due to a known issue would you have bought the car? Don't think so... At a minimum BMW/Mini should standardize their response to this issue. Some dealers give owners the have no clue look, some charge the owners to change the parts, some don't think twice and take care of you. I've owned cars that go over 100k with never a peep from the timing chain. My Mini had the chain/tensioner replaced at 23k. As early as 16k as some have identified? Houston, we have a problem.

 

106k miles stock timing chain.. no issues.. tuned for 50k.

2007 even..

its driver.

 

Wow 1/100 is not very good in my book but 1/40?

 

My '07's motor was replaced back in 9/2011 (my brothers fault -another thread) but it needed another replacement in 10/2012. With parts failing one after another from time the car was bought used in 8/2010, I decided to lemon the car end of 11/2012 and won my case. It sucked because I put time, money, and love onto that car only to fail on me. But I'm determined to come back to MINI and this time a JCW... if only the dealers would give me a good deal.

 

Agreed, not just driver though, but more so owner.

and maintaining proper engine oil levels as well as servicing or @ minimum topping up your oil when levels start to fall below .5 qt mark. go figure, these engines require oil to operate them, and on occasion it might be good that you inspect the level.

 

I posted for the first time here on 11/1/12 I purchased my 2007 MCS in october 12 I feel in love with the car when I test drove it. I now have a very bad taste in my mouth as I am victim to a timing chain tensioner breaking the plastic is cracked. According to service.records this car was taken in for "engine rattling sounds coming from the passenger side of the engine compartment" by the previous owner the car was then traded in. The timing chain was "adjusted" by service department. I have drove the 1641 miles the oil/filter are new the level is perfect. The factory warranty is out of the question as im the second owner I did purchase an aftermarket service contract but the MINI dealer wants over 2k for the repairs. I am all for MINI/BMW taking responsibility for a flawed design. If anyone argues the original design was not a flaw the why the change in design? This is a safety hazard I am a Paramedic the most dangerous place on the road is in the emergency lane during a breakdown. I will support anyone that is willing to try for justice concerning this issue.

 

The banter back and forth on this forum will get nothing accomplished accept letting us vent as consumers of an automobile we should expect they perform http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchVehicles the link is to report the problems we are having the more people to report the faster the issue will potentially be fixed.

 

thanks, I was looking for this info-

I know there have been instances of low mileage failures, but what about with proper maintenance + changing your chain & tensioner every 50 or 60k, like you would with a belt? TBH I'm not a fan of chains from what I've seen..

 

This is finally going somewhere. Anyone who has had a chain failure or engine blow, email Jeffrey A Koncius Esq, at Kiesel & Larson LLP with their year, model, mileage at time of failure, repair bill or supporting details and a description of what happened before and after the event. His email is koncius@kbla.com, and no, this is not smoke n mirrors, this guy is serious about pursuing a case and is collecting all the data he can find. I have spoken with him already. Wish us all luck. < fingers crossed >

 

Good luck indeed. The only people who make out on a Class Action Lawsuit are the lawyers. I have had 2 cars with the N14 motor and MINI has made the car right both times...who do I have to complain about? They owe me nothing. I even recall you could have a refund if you paid for a tensioner replacement outside of warranty and if done at owners cost.

 

Can you or somebody point me to this possible refund? I sure didn't get one.

I've posted my story elsewhere on here last year and I don't feel like rehashing all of it again. All I'm going to say is, I plan to avoid BMW products like the plague in the future.

 

Keep us informed about this. Mine just broke off at under 45k miles and has managed to all but destroy the engine. The mechanic says it will probably be cheaper to buy a slightly used engine for $3,500-$4,500 than to try to fix the broken one.

 

I purchased a 2012 clubman s in November before reading about all these problems with the timing chain. Is the 2012 car also experiencing this and these other problems. I'm loving the car but I thought I was buying more dependability. I did a 1st oil chg at 3k and will probably do them at 5k. 15k sounded nuts when I heard it. Also can someone summarize the recalls current status. I know trolls can say a lot of negative things in posts, but I think the majority of these horror stories seem to ring true. Hard to believe a corporation with BMW reputation would allow this to go on!

 

There is no recall. Recalls are a Federal deal, and only done when there is a serious safety problem. (Like when the aux coolant pumps were catching fire and burning peoples' cars to the ground.)

There is some sort of Technical Service Bulletin which calls out a measurement procedure and courses of action to take when the measurements are a certain amount. When the measurement is one value, a longer tensioner is fitted. When it becomes larger, the whole chain and associated parts are changed.

Evidently a law firm has decided to act on the complaints of a number of MINI owners and is starting to work on some form of class-action lawsuit against MINI. There are no results of that now, and probably will not be for some years--if ever.

The problem seems to be much less common in Cooper models, and more so in S and JCW models. To the point where my SA told me "the regular Cooper doesn't have that problem". (Though I believe we have seen at least one or two examples on this forum.)

 

[QUOTE Evidently a law firm has decided to act on the complaints of a number of MINI owners and is starting to work on some form of class-action lawsuit against MINI. There are no results of that now, and probably will not be for some years--if ever.)[/QUOTE]

Details on the lawsuit can be found at BMWMiniCooperclassaction.com. A copy of the court complaint is available for reading on the website. It clearly shows that BMW was well aware of the Problem, but failed to warn owners about it, and they subsequently suffered major engine damage. If you are one of the victims, reading the complaint is certain to make you angry.

 

Thanks for the information, the complaint lays it out. Good luck to you who have suffered this failure. I hope this moves quickly.