My '13 Roadster S just got out of servicing. It has about 16k miles. Dealer found the oil selanoid leaking. Before we bought this it was found and fixed with an "upgraded" part on our '12 Countryman All 4 S. I asked if the new '13 Roadster we were buying would have this issue. We were told no. All new ones were being built with the "upgraded" part and all old ones have been fixed. Even Motorwerks Mini said today that our Roadster should have the upgraded part already on it...

This being said are the new selanoids going bad just as the old ones, or are the new ones not actually being built with this part on it... Either way I recommend having this looked at during your next service visit just in case. Apparently it's the same part on all Mini's regardless of model. The leaking selanoid can allow oil to "wick" down the electrical wires and if left unchecked could go as far as the computer and damage it.

The problem presents itself as oil collecting on the back of the motor, and as I have not seen it first hand I'm being told it's easy to spot the leaking selanoid from under the vehicle, but not from the top.

Good luck all, and hopefully this is not actually a new one and mine was built before this pro lem was spotted and never checked. I am not having mine fixed yet as I don't have time at the moment and the dealer could not confirm which part it was without removing it.

 

*solenoid -- A solenoid is an electrically-operated switch or valve.

My '12 had the same problem, caught by the dealer when I took the car in for an unrelated issue. Oil had leaked into the wiring harness so that was replaced as well, and since the electrical connectors were different on the new harness, the thermostat housing was also replaced.

 

its a TSB under warranty. engine harness needs replacing as well as new oil pressure solenoid and o-ring. They'll also check the DME to see if oil seeped through the harness to the DME, since the oil can corrode the wiring. Seeing as it's a '13 it'll probably only need a harness and solenoid. My '11 had this issue.

 

I understand this. My point of this post was because the dealer said it was fixed for '13 models and they were not expecting it on it, and said it should have been built with the new part. So this post is for anyone else that either already had this fixed or has a newer model that shouldn't have this problem.

They had just fixed my '12 Countryman with this problem when I bought the '13 and I asked the service dept ahead of time to avoid having this problem later. But even so, I am still having this problem later.

 

The dealer made an assumption & was wrong. This won't be the last time your dealer is wrong. Let them fix it & enjoy your new MINI.

 

I asked my dealer before I bought mine if all recalls were done on it yet. They said of course! 4 months later it's in there for 4 bulletins and recalls that I found through research after experiencing obvious symptoms. Snakes they are.

 

I am not complaining about the dealer being wrong. I'm just sharing info so others know what to look for. I'm sure my dealer is not the only one that is either misinformed or assuming things. If your not looking for it you won't find it and if you don't live by a dealer and you take your car to a different garage for routine MX you won't know to look for it.

 

telltale sign for me that something wasn't right was when I started smelling hints of engine oil thru my a/c. I also noticed about quarter sized oil spots at my parking spot. brought the car in yesterday morning and they replaced whatever needed replacing by late afternoon. there apparently is an oil pump solenoid repair kit that they installed. this is allegedly a common issue with the VANOS system among BMWs and Minis.

 

O wow, yours must have been leaking pretty badly. Mine is not leaking enough to leave anything behind or smell, just starting to get oil visible on the back of the motor. What year is yours? is it the '11 in your sig I'm assuming?

 

i'm prob making it sound worse than it really is. while there are spots on my garage floor, they're more like spots from individual drops - maybe 1 or 2 a week. I have never had to top my oil off in between my 5k mile oil changes. and I think part of the reason the smell is noticeable is b/c I live in a warm climate. and yes, I drive a 2011 MCS. hopefully all is fixed now as I am 2500 miles from exceeding my warranty period.