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Stock Problems/IssuesDiscussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for MINI Clubman (R55), Cooper and Cooper S(R56), and Cabrio (R57).
I've been a lurker here for quite a while. Now I would humbly ask for some advice.
I have a 2009 MINI Cooper S. Purchased used from CarMax a little less than a year ago. Had 49,xxx miles on it when purchased. Initially car ran great. Then a few days after purchase (and of course after the return period had expired), the car started occasionally blowing blue smoke. Took it to CarMax and they of course couldn't find anything wrong with the car. I have religiously checked the oil and made sure to always have plenty available as I know these burn oil like mad.
About five months ago, the car developed the death rattle. In short order I had the timing chain replaced and all seemed fine. I had one incident of the car starting and running very rough - like the engine was gonna jump through the hood. I immediately turned off the car, then restarted it, with the behavior going away. Took it to my mechanic and he read an engine fault code for misfire on a cylinder (unfortunately I don't remember which cylinder).
About three weeks ago I was driving the car back to NYC from Buffalo NY when out of the blue the car started running very rough - same kind of thing as before. Check engine light came on (yellow) and began flashing. I pulled over and turned off the car. Checked all fluids, everything seemed fine. Was able to restart the car and limp it to Corning, NY where it' s still sitting as I haven't been able to find anyone to either repair it or transfer it down to me in NY (for less than a $1700 tow that is). Currently I am planning to rent a truck and trailer to go pick it up myself next week.
The extremely generous and helpful mechanic at the local import auto shop diagnosed the car with zero compression on Cylinder 1. The fault codes are reading as misfires on several cylinders and other errors. You can see the codes in the photo attached here. He also said that the plugs were caked with soot and there was a lot of carbon buildup. I changed the oil religiously every 3-4k miles, using premium synthetic oil, and did all regular maintenance on the car through my mechanic, who I trust, so I'm wondering of this was from abuse by the previous owner or if it's just random engine failure (which these seem to be rather susceptible to).
I still owe $$ on the loan for the car. It's about $12k for a new engine, which I just cannot afford. I'm seeing low mileage pulls on car-parts.com for around $3-4k. It's only got 67k miles on it and everything else about the car is working fine. I absolutely LOVE driving this thing, but I cannot afford any more headaches with it (I can't really afford to replace the engine, but I don't see that I have much choice) My question for the group is, is it worth it to put a used or remanufactured engine in this car? Have any of you had a similar experience and what was the outcome?
I mainly just want to avoid any more issues with the car. I love it, but I need something reliable and that's not going to bankrupt me in the long term. Thanks in advance for your input.
Before investing in a used / reman engine, invest in a teardown --- pull the head. There's a good chance the pistons and block are OK and you might only need a valve job. Still a bunch of labor costs, but there's no cheap fix for the problems you describe. These engines are notorious for running lean and burning valves.
If reliability is your goal, get away from the N14 engine --- fix it, then trade it for a later model.
Before investing in a used / reman engine, invest in a teardown --- pull the head. There's a good chance the pistons and block are OK and you might only need a valve job. Still a bunch of labor costs, but there's no cheap fix for the problems you describe. These engines are notorious for running lean and burning valves.
If reliability is your goal, get away from the N14 engine --- fix it, then trade it for a later model.
^ this. You need more information. You could get very lucky and it's just a cracked valve, requiring head work.
You have made a terrible mistake. These cars are not Toyotas and will statistically require lots of money or lots of elbow grease.
That said, I have only been stranded once in ten years (with R60, never with my R56), and that was the dealer's fault during warranty work prior to me taking it of the lot.
Evidently their service manual said "Finger Tight" for the water pump pulley bolt torque spec...
I'd be tempted to roll it down a hill and take insurance money to buy a Honda (I keed.. or not). Do you have another car? If you do, take your time tearing the motor down and try fixing it on your own.
