Problems with 2007 MINI Cooper S ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Upon starting my engine every morning there is a large clattering noise coming from the passenger side of the engine compartment. it seems to be an issue with the timing belt tensioner as the part does not get enough oil in it as it drains out after sitting for a few hours. if the part is not replaced or fixed the timing chain will eventually break and ruin my engine. my car is out of warranty and this is a factory issue that bmw/mini refuse to acknowledge or fix. *tr

R56 mcs mini 2007 - bought used in sept 09 had the "cold start rattle" but didn't know what it was at the time. engine light came on at 38,000 dealer replaced timing chain . on the way home vacuum pump seized causing damage to the values. dealer sent pictures to mini and the decision was made to replace the engine with a new one.

2007 mini cooper s. after 26000 miles i have a what appears to be a rattling engine when starting the engine from a cold start (sitting overnight). so this happens every morning. i live in florida with relatively warm temperatures. i took it to the dealer and they claim the diesel engine sound coming out of the car is normal. i didn't by the car this way. i have found various forums and youtube videos of this problem. please help. *tr

The car has been at the dealer every other week for the last 6 weeks. on cold starts the car would run rough, hesitate almost stall and the heat wasn't working unless you were driving or had your foot on the gas. then the check engine light came on brought it to the dealer they replaced the timing chain changed the oil and bled the coolant. a few days later it stalled on a cold start and the heat still wasn't working. the dealer this time found excessive carbon in engine and a leak at water pump. computer did not throughout a code for either. dealer opened a case at the manufacture. 2 weeks later i brought it back when the windows would go half way down and the door would unlock. dealer reset the windows and i went to pick it up to find the windows half way down and the doors unlocked. dealer replaced the motor. 2 weeks later my battery light when on. on the way to the dealer the car died. dealer said there was an oil leak the led to the alternator belt slipping off and my battery didn't charge and now is dead. i won't get it back until sometime next week. this car only has 26,000 miles on it. *tr

2007 mini cooper s spontaneously caught fire while turned off and parked in my garage. i had traveled less than two miles when i parked the car. fire started under the hood and completely totaled the car by the time the fire department arrived and put it out. *tr

Very noisy clatter when starting engine when cold. engine sounds like a diesel when cold. goes away after a couple of minutes. dealer says its normal ??? problem occurs every morning. *tr

Engine exhibits hash noise during startup 50% of the time after minimum of 8 hr shutdown at below freezing temperatures. the issue is a defective timing chain tensioner which the dealer won't replace because 1) they can't reproduce the startup noise or 2) this is "normal." other vehicles of this make, model, and engine have experienced catastrophic engine failures because of dealer inaction and subsequent timing chain failure. *tr

Engine exhibits harsh noise during startup 50% of the time after minimum of 8 hr shutdown or if parked nose low. the issue is a defective timing chain tensioner which the dealer won't replace because 1) they haven't received an effective repair kit from bmw or 2) try to explain it away with the excuse that this timing chain metal-on-metal rattle is "normal." an increasing world-wide number of vehicles of this make, model, and engine have experienced catastrophic low mileage engine failures because of dealer inaction and subsequent timing chain failure. *tr

Cold start chatter. very nasty diesel engine sound upon startup when engine is cold. sound lasts for up to 1 minute if i start driving right away, or 5 minutes if i let it sit idle. occurs between 800 and 3000 rpm. reproducible every time the engine is cold (ie, has not been used recently). *tr

Engine noise on cold starts. my car has made diesel like noises on cold start up for the past year. at first the dealer said it was normal. upon insisting they advised of a bleeding procedure and then of a faulty timing chain tensioner. after 7 months they finally replaced the tensioner (they had to hear it before they could repair it). the dealer had it for a week and said it was all fixed. the noise came back three days later. i took it in a second time and they got bmw engineer to look at it. they replaced a check valve that was supposed to trap oil in the vanos system and said once again it was fixed. the noise was back three days later. i took it back to the dealer and they were not able to duplicate the noise. i have been in touch with mini of north america and they have asked me to keep a log as to how i drive and when it happens with temperature. the engine has oil and water on demand rather than all the time like regular engines. starting this up with no oil in the head is bound to cause damage. *tr

On 2007 mini cooper s, purchased new 12-2007, experiencing warped/melted/deformed scoops on bonnet(hood) due to extreme heat issue from turbo, scoop originally had zero cutouts, my cooper has 3 cutouts in scoop made by mfg, opening not large enough or fan does not run long enough to cool down the bonnet scoop or fan does not run at all, fan runs about 30% of the time only & warping occurs on the bonnet scoop which is painted plastic. if the bonnet scoop was metal, this would not be an issue. heat can reach 235 degrees. have been opening hood when re-parking in the garage to allow to vent/cool down. opening hood not always possible ,obviously, when parking not at home. would like mini (bmw) to address this problem, needs to replace the painted to match hood scoop, addressing with bmw 12-19-2008. *tr

Car clunks while going over rough roads. as per diagnosis from mini dealership, the "transmission motor mount is too small and does not dampen shock from road bumps or acceleration torque" and was replaced. *tr

After a 30 minute drive, i parked and then pulled something out of the trunk. while reaching in, i burned my left shin on the tailpipe. i showed it a couple of days later to our burn unit director and he told me that it was a functional full thickness burn in an extremely dangerous location (because of the poor blood perfusion to the shin, healing is impaired and infection risk is high). he sent me home from work on antibiotics and i had to be on bed rest with my leg elevated. i spoke to mini and they suggested that i be careful - as the tailpipe can get hot. i thanked them for the advice and made the following point: sure, it gets hot... it's an exhaust tailpipe. however, it's the first thing my leg comes in contact to and it's in the center of a car that requires you to get close in order to pull something out of the trunk. i suggested that bmw issue a recall and adjust the tailpipe so that the first thing the leg hits is the bumper (like most cars). i was told that no change was planned at this time. my points: it's a bad design. it's an extremely dangerous problem. it is a very common problem (a simple google search or northamericanmotoring search will show this). bmw needs to do something to protect its customers and even more importantly, its customers' children. *tr add picture *121108 cw updated 12/11/08. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 mini cooper s. while driving approximately 45 mph, the engine warning indicator began to illuminate as a loud rattling noise emitting from the engine area. the vehicle suddenly stalled and failed to restart. the vehicle was towed to a dealer who was unable to duplicate the problem or determine the cause of failure. the malfunction continued to occur. most recently the vehicle was taken to an independent auto shop and they stated the engine timing tensioner and the high pressure fuel pump would need to be replaced. the technician advised the vehicle be taken to a dealer for repair. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 36,000. the vin was unavailable.

I burned my lower front leg on the chrome tipped dual exhaust pipes of out 2007 mini cooper s (turbo version). *tr

I own a 2007 mini cooper s hardtop. last may, while taking some shopping packages out of the back ,through the hatch of my vehicle , i was burned on the side of my left calf by the exhaust pipe. a couple of weeks after, it happened again, just not as badly as the first time thankfully. the first burn did blister and today,sept.30,2008, i still have a mark on my leg from this painful event. *tr

During start up, loud valve tapping noise is heard. noise persisted during multiple segment of the trip where engine was shut off for up to 30 min and restarted. subsequent noise was not as prominent as the initial start up on the same day. *tr

New 2007 mini cooper s does not stay running in cold weather when started. the car has to be revved above 1000rpm's for 2 minutes to keep car running. so far original computer has been reprogrammed, a new computer installed since the reprogram didn't work and new hoses placed thinking there is an icing issue. car was at service center for 1 month, told everything was fixed and tested, started car two days later and it did exactly the same thing all over again, it does not stay running when cold. *tr

Cold start rumble/rattle/clatter from engine. intermittent and sporadic sound from engine bay upon start up primarily during winter months, sound disaptes and goes away as car warms. the sound is very rough clatter, sounding like metal on metal - oil starvation on start up? i have serious concerns on long term damage and compromise of the normal life of motor - in other words getting screwed outside of warranty. this is not a single incident, but an ongoing condition. *tr

During cold start vehicle makes loud metal on metal sound persistent for several minutes. sound is similar to older diesel engine with rattling and rough sounds. in the uk dealers have been responsive to the issue replacing the chain tensioner and now in some cases the engine. dealers in the us deny the issue and provide no remedy calling the sound normal. issue is causing undue engine wear. *tr

Car has been outside in the cold weather and when started it sounds like not firing correctly-backfiring noises. engine lights pop up. mainly 1/2 engine power light and cruise control failure. car really only has 1/2 engine power. top speed is 45mph, downhill. car lurches around, engine revs every second or so. 1st time shut car off and turned back on then it was fine. check engine light remained on. car spent night in garage, was fine next morning. that night same symptoms at start up but didn't go away - had to make long commute home at slow speeds. car spent night inside again and was fine in the morning. called dealer, car towed to dealer. service manager kept using engine and throttle interchangeably - causing great concern when i was told that the problem is condensation getting into it and freezing, but they reassured me it is the throttle and not the engine. dealer said they put a special lub in it and to not drive short drives-i never do, 24,000 miles on a 9 month old car. 6 weeks later exact same problems again. car to dealer. loaner car (2007 mini cooper s) did exact same thing my car was doing. the loaner car did come out of it about 30 miles into commute. could get up to highway speeds, all lights went off except check engine light. something seemed to thaw out. was told the throttle was freezing in cold temps and affecting many mini's, bmw's, and jag's. dealer changed oil in my car, 1 week after 1st oil change. dealer said they are doing investigation but that i have to live with it for now. local mechanic said it sounds like the sensor that tells the computer how much gas to spray into the chamber is frozen. probably made of cheap materials, gets hot, moisture condenses and freezes on sensor causing problems but not sure without being able to see car go through one of it's "fits". car has been fine for past 4 weeks. some people at dealer admit to problem while others will not, telling me it is just my car and only when i have it. *tr

Received blistering and permanent scaring burn from exhaust pipe while removing cargo from rear of vehicle. *tr

Received blistering and permanent scaring burn from exhaust pipe while removing cargo from rear of vehicle. *tr

Vehicle produces loud metallic sounds from the left side of the engine on cold start. mini usa has repeatedly stated this is okay, however now at 25000 miles the noise is constant and loud. reading data from other mini owners this problem is now extremely common on all mini coopers with the 1.6l produced after 2007. mini has quietly replaced numerous belt tensioners to fix this problem but refuses to admit this is a large issue over the entire fleet of vehicles. issue results in a $3-4k labor bill to repair. *tr

Gets extremely hot under the hood and deforms the plastic hood scoop. *tr

Lower leg sustained burn resulting in scaring as result of coming into contact with edge of rear exhaust pipe(s). exhaust pipes extend too far beyond rear bumper creating exposure to a person accessing trunk. *tr

The center pillar heat rises to an extremely high temperature in my car. this happened in the summer when temperatures were very hot.(100+) it's hot enough to startle a driver or burn them; this could cause them to react by moving their foot on the accelerator in an unpredictable way, which is quite a safety hazard. it burned my right ankle. i'm writing now because i really didn't know any better then, plus i didn't know about this website. now there are reports of mini cooper ss catching on fire. i am concerned. *tr

The tailpipes, when hot, apparently protrude enough to cause severe burns to the leg. my 7 year old daughter sustained a serious burn this way when getting something out of the hatchback. *tr

The hood scoop of my car deforms due to extreme heat. *tr