My 44K mile, daily-driven 2011 MCS had a very infrequent, but persistent, oil leak which would leave a small drop of oil on the floor every few days or weeks under the front passenger side near the outer edge of the oil pan area. I attributed it to either oil spillage from the oil changes I do (every 4.5K miles, but I'm thorough about the cleanup) or possibly the oil sensor leak I've read about here.

I also was starting to have an occassionally cold start hesitation where I would have to hold the start button several seconds while it cranked before it would finally start. I had this problem at about the 7K mile point when I first owned the car and that was fixed by replacing the HPFP O-ring.

I dropped the car off at Irvine MINI Monday and, as always, they gave me a nice courtesy loaner - this time, a new Countryman S which is a nice ride and surprisingly nimble on the canyon roads I commute on. I got a call from the service advisor that afternoon that they needed a part they would receive in the morning so I drove the CMS home.

I got a call the next morning that the car was done. I picked it up that afternoon and it was clean and all fixed as usual. The work done listed on the service manifest said the coolant temp sensor had been replaced under recall and that this would address the cold start hesitation issue. The oil leak was addressed under another recall where the gasket for the timing chain tensioner gasket was replaced - apparently, the gasket was the source of the leak.

So far, the fixes are working. No oil in the garage floor and the car starts right up when cold.

I have to say that every time I have dealt with Irvine MINI, whether for the scheduled service they did for the first 36K miles or for any warranty work, they have always been extremely courteous, helpful and efficient. For 2+ years, they have impressed me during every single visit. I only hope the Audi dealership we just picked up our new Q5 from can meet the bar Irvine MINI has set.

Actually, we were very close to buying a Countryman S to replace the H3 I recently sold but it was just a bit on the small side for what we need. I also had some concerns about reliability as my MCS hasn't been the best example of a reliable car to date. All the recalls and other warranty issues have me worried at this point to where I'm shopping for an extended warranty or considering selling it. A shame, really, but I need to have confidence in my daily driver since I commute some two-lane canyon roads with no cell phone signal.

 

Well - looks like neither fix took. The occassional cold start and oil drips reappeaered within a couple of weeks of the recalls so I dropped it off at the MINI Service department again this morning. Wonder how they're going to approach it this time?

These issues have been plagueing my MCS for quite some time along with a few other issues that it's been in for, including the HPFP issue. This is my dd and I rack up 20k+ miles ayear commuting through not-very-hospitable canyon roads where a breakdown would not make for a fun day. I have 46k+ miles on it now with just over 2 years of ownership and, honestly, I'm thinking about selling it for something more reliable and less troublesome. It's a great commuter and fun car to drive but I have to make my primary transport decisions based a bit more on practicality considering my commute route.

I just bought an extended warranty for the car since I'm about to run over the 50k limit but there are deductibles associated with that along with the inconvenience of taking the car in so frequently for repairs and the unsettling feeling that a catastrophic failure seems always around the corner. I'm aggressive when it comes to care and maintenance of all my cars so there is no neglect or abuse on any of them, and I do realize even the most reliable brands can have issues. Regardless, when it comes to my dd, I want the maximum reliability so I may just bite the bullet and start looking at Hondas and Toyotas again.

 

Update: The service associate left a message yesterday saying it was the oil pressure solenoid that is leaking which I had suspected from all the occurences reported here over the past year or so. They had assumed the recall to replace the gasket for the timing chain tensioner was the fix but, no cigar.

They had to keep my MCS overnight to troubleshoot the intermittent cold start issue as the other recall, the coolant sensor replacement they did last time, was apparently not the fix. As I mentioned previously - at least they are pleasant to deal with and give me a free loaner; nevertheless, this is not an optimal daily driver situation to have to continue to live with. This reminds me of my '86 Trans Am that was in the shop constantly for warranty work for the 4 years I owned that one.

 

Sorry you are having so many issues. Just let them sort it out. good luck.