I have owned the mini since new. always regularly serviced at the mini dealer. recently i started the engine and it sounded more like a diesel engine, very noisy and unusual. took it to the mini dealer and as i explained what the symptoms were, the front desk person that took my details diagnosed the problem. the preliminary diagnosis was confirmed later through an inspection by a trained technician. like many, many mini owners i have had a timing chain problem. that the front desk staff can diagnose a problem like this made me curious, it must be such a common problem that the dealer sees it regularly. some research confirmed this was a widespread problem with minis. owners have had terminal engine damage with engines that are low mileage and simply should not have any problems. this issue with the engine is serious and can lead to a major accident because of a catastrophic engine failure while driving at highways speeds. although i was lucky, and do not have a huge out of pocket expense as i have extended warranty coverage, i still believe this is an important safety matter that bmw/mini appear to be ignoring. it should be the subject of a vehicle safety recall. it is poor engineering and design on their part, that should be rectified. *tr
I currently have an oil leak developing from the turbo oil line that has resulted from a failed o-ring within the line itself. due to a design flaw, the heat from the turbo wears away the o-ring, which results in oil leaking from where the line is bolted to the turbo via a banjo bolt. this is a serious problem because if the line fails, the turbo becomes starved of oil and burns up, which ultimately causes the whole turbo unit to be replaced. also, the oil leaking onto the turbo has a potential to catch fire, since the turbo becomes very hot during normal driving. also if any oil leaks down to the exhaust piping underneath the turbo, those places also pose a fire hazard. mini recognizes this to be an issue, but refuses to do anything other than add a heat shield around the connection to the turbo. the line still has a rubber o-ring in it that will fail over repeated heat cycles, and the line needs to be redesigned. *tr
The timing chain has locked up. i notice that this is a commom complaint. *tr
Engine rattle on cold start indicated a loose or stretched timing chain. required a premature replacement of timing chain, guides and tensioner
The oil input line to the turbo has started to leak. the car is currently sidelined because of chance of fire or failure of the turbo. *tr
My car had been making a rattling sound off and on for a short time (mostly in the cold mornings) i drove from houston to dallas. when parked on the side road, my car would not start up. i had no service light or any other lights come on. took it to the dealership and i was told my timing belt was broken. i have no means to pay for the repair. while searching the internet it appears this is a very common problem and mini cooper/bmw are aware of this and have done nothing about it. *tr
The car started leaking small amounts of oil in the garage, approximately the size of a dime. when the car was parked you could smell a slight oil burning odor. the car sat for 3 days, was driven and smoke began coming out from under the hood. there was no fire. the result is that the "turbo oil feed line" and "crankcase to valve cover hose" were replaced because both were leaking oil. at 50700 mi, we had to replace the valve cover and ccv assembly. this car was repaired under the recall pe11036 for a cooling fan issue. considering the low mileage on this vehicle, it seems to me that there have been too many issues with it related to the turbo charger and oil system. from reading other issues online it appears that there are design flaws with the shielding of these components from high heat sources on the engine. these repairs are very expensive and are not related to poor or abusive driving habits. *tr
The timing chain tensioner backed out of the engine block allowing engine oil to be pumped out of the engine. the tensioner works on engine oil pressure and it backed out far enough to allow the engine oil that normally pressurized the piston to be pumped out of the engine. i was lucky enough to see the streak of oil as i backed out of the driveway, but if i had not i am sure that more damage and potential fire would have occurred. this is surprising as this same part was replaced under a recall for being faulty. i believe that this is still a design flaw and something that should be addressed by mini. *tr
The oil feed line for the turbocharger leaked enough oil to allow enough smoke into the cabin to greatly decrease visibility. the fitting is comprised of a bango fitting that is crimped to the feed line with an o-ring in the feed line. the o-ring is the component that failed and my engineering back round has led me to the root cause being that the o-ring has seen enough thermal cycled to deteriorate leading to the leak. this is unacceptable from a reliability standpoint and i know that i am not the only mini owner that has had this happen to them. mini needs to own up to this design flaw. *tr
My mini cooper s was purchased brand new, and had all regular maintenance done at the dealership. however, once the warranty expired i took the car to my regular mechanic who has performed work for myself and family for twelve years. after reading this website, and it's complaints the same problems have occurred to me. the oil lines began to leak because there was a clog, and it caused the turbo to burn out. parts and labor for a used turbo came out to be around $1,800. a new turbo alone would have cost roughly 2,000. now several thousand miles later, there was an oil leak noticed under the car. i took it to the dealership this time, to see what the exact problem was and an estimate before taking it to my mechanic. they found "several leaks" of which they replaced the water pump, the water pump gasket, valve cover gasket, and finally the oil filter gasket. after the $1,800 bill for that was paid, a call was received declaring that the crank case now has a leak in it as well and needs to be resealed. with the oil leaking from that, the clutch could also be burning out and need to be replaced costing an additional $5,400. the repair bill on this alone would be enough to bring normal hard working people to tears. also, the cold start rattle identifying the timing belt issues has begun on my car. there are thousands upon thousands of complaints about this on the internet. glad to know bmw takes care of it's customers and ignores the complaints. *tr
Vehicle was brought in for warranty repairs just before warranty expired (6/9/12). service department was asked to inspect 'turbo oil supply line' as this was tsb (sim-11-03-08) for clogs/blockage caused by the deterioration of the rubber o-ring in line that when heat cycled falls apart and clogs the line causing damage to the turbocharger. service department stated a inspection was performed and noted there was no blockage. turbocharger oil supply line is now broken and no longer supplying oil to turbocharger. diminished performance and the smell of oil was the reason for discontinued driving of the vehicle. upon inspection it was discovered the oil supply line has broken. i do not know the extent of the damage until repaired. turbocharger may need replacing as a result of this known failing part. *tr
As i was driving my car started chugging. i pulled over and kept chugging. i stopped the car, looked under the hood and saw if something was wrong. did not see anything. started it up again and once i accelerated it stopped chugging. drove it very scarcely and brought it into the dealership. was told it was a timing chain. very lucky that it has not snapped or skipped because you would have possibly lose control. the car only has 36000 miles on it and has had the oil level topped off every few fill ups. they do not look at this as a manufacturing defect, even though it has happened on quite a few cars. my local mechanic said he has never heard of a timing chain snapping or stretching to where it needs to be replaced at 36000 miles. it is dangerous and also very costly to pay for. *tr
Began to hear loud knocking noise from engine of my 4 year old mini @ 66000 miles. have had my mini serviced according to the schedule at the same dealership for 4 years. after hearing the noise did research online to notice that minis have a timing belt /tensioner issue. noticed on the same night that my oil light came on and the interesting thing is that i just had my oil changed in august of 2012 and this was november 2012. took car to dealer and the servicer said they had heard of some mini's timing chains failing at 14k miles. after diagnosis he notes that it is the timing chain and that the oil filter gasket was leaking which caused the timing chain to fail. this is not correct as my vehicle has never leaked oil, and i had just gotten my oil changed 3 months earlier and no mention was made by my service technician. this seems to be a common issue in minis and they are not providing any kind of relief. *tr
Bought car from dealership after a lot of research on issues with these cars an complaints. brought varro mini dealership and asked about timing chain and tensioner and was told mine was fine even though they never opened up cover to inspect chain or tensioner. have been back three different times with multiple issues with timing chain/tensioner horrible rattle. mini says there is no known defects with timing chain/ tensioners ever brought up. i then was told by my brother that he i taking his mini in for a service action on the timing chain/tensioner, turbo heat shield, thermostat housing. we have exact same car, same build date, and rolled out from same factory but mini states ours isn't covered under the service action even though we have the exact same car and everything. and my brother is also out of warranty but theirs is getting fixed free. please help. i am aware of the freeman-skeen class action lawsuit and have file a complaint with bbb so i guess i'll have to find legal help since they don't pay attention to nhtsa complaints. *tr
Knocking noise when starting and running. i thought it was from the wrong fuel added to it, or low oil when i purchased it. i corrected those two issues, but it still makes the knocking noise. i am very afraid it will seize. i believe the timing chain and tensioner system needs to be replaced. *tr
Driving in the mountains when i began to smell burnt oil. as soon as i was able to i pulled over, immediately there was a cloud of smoke coming from under the front hood. i opened the hood and though there was no fire it appeared that the smoke was coming from oil leaking onto the turbo from the oil feed line. after letting the car cool i proceeded home. now whenever the car is sitting idle i can smell burnt oil and after getting home i can see oil pooling on the top of the turbo. i have been told there is an issue with the connection on the turbo oil feed line due to the design of the line and heat from the turbo and i will have to replace this at my own cost. *tr
My car started making a weird noise in the front of the car near the engine when i turned it on. then it continued to make the loud noise as i drove. i took the car to the dealer and they said the timing chain stretched and caused the guide rail to break, which fell into the oil pan. the dealer said i was lucky my engine didn't look up while i was on the highway. this was a $2100 fix on a 4 year old car with 53,000 miles. *tr
The turbo charger has totally failed (car is under half power) and the top guide on the timing chair (tensioner system) is broken. i have done the proper maintenance with exceptional care. the turbo is cooled by the known failed auxiliary water pump with integrated circuit board and is currently under recall. mini/bmw is refusing to cover these failures clearly caused by defective parts and design (oil line leading to turbo gets gummed up because it is too small). they are attempting to charge me over $5200 to repair the car (20% of the vehicle cost in 2008) for what is absolutely a manufacturer problem. my car is not operational and has not been operational for over 2 weeks while i continue to 'fight' bmw's determination not to cover these problems. reading countless blogs with owners experiencing the same problem(s) i believe bmw is intentionally selling a product it knows is defective and collecting thousands of dollars on repairs. no car should experience a total failure of a turbo and broken timing chain in 60k miles. this is outrageous and nhtsa should protect us consumers from this fraudulent activity by issuing a recall - sooner than later. *tr
I was told my warranty expired end of june. i bought mini-s 08 used in february from a mini dealership in westchester, elmsford, ny. i noticed a knocking noise that to me didn't sound normal not too long after i bought the car. the people at mini told me it was from something else, a loose piece and that they "fixed the problem." this noise only became worse, and now the car is at 45,000 miles and not even 6 months from purchase. the noise became even louder, which then it sounded like a tractor trailer. i changed the oil, the noise wasn't as loud but still there. my mechanic said that the timing belt is going to snap soon, and is a dangerous problem that can cause an accident, and once it breaks, the whole engine will be destroyed. *tr
Strange knocking/rubbing noise coming from the engine compartment for the year 2007+ mini cooper. from the mini dealer repair details it appears to be a issue with the timing chain and tensioner system. it also appears that without being fixed the car will eventually have a timing chain failure and possible motor destruction. this could occur while driving and i could lose control of the vehicle causing a crash. mini will not fix this problem that they know about without the vehicle still being under warranty. i call for a recall. *tr
My mini has a faulty oil supply line going to the turbo charger. the dealership has known about these faulty lines for sometime. instead of replacing the line with a better design they have installed heat shields to prevent the heat from burning up the o-ring in the fitting on the line. they installed another heat shield on 2/21/14 over top of the oil line to prevent the heat from burning up the o-ring that is already bad. now they inform me that since the heat shields are in place i need to pay to have the oil line replaced which cost $805.00. i think that mini cooper should have recalled all these vehicles and repaired the faulty oil lines since they have been doing this from 2007 models to 2011 models. this is a bad safety problem under the hood because when the oil goes to leaking on the turbo charger which is really hotter that the exhaust manifold it causes excessive smoke from coming out of under the hood and could cause a large fire fueled by motor oil pumping out on top of turbo charger. allowing the dealerships to put shields over top of the bad oil line needs to be stopped. they need to fix the problem that exists for free and not try to cover up the problem as they did on my car and then tell me that the oil line needs to be replaced. after the warranty run out. they were well aware of the problem then and now because of them putting heat shields on to prevent this problem.the oil supply line should have been replaced and then the shields put on. thanks, hope to see a recall very soon. *tr
Timing chain and timing chain tensioner broken and damaged the engine at mile 48544 - 48552
We purchased this car in late sept./early oct. 2012 with 29k miles on the car. my wife drives this car, and while traveling on the interstate, as she was entering the off ramp in forest lake, mn her car started to jerk/run like crap (late january 2013). she was able to drive the car home, i tried to figure out the issue, but everything i checked test good, so i brought it to a local import tech, and he diagnosed the failure to be the timing chain tensioner, allowing the timing to jump. he says he started up the motor to test further, it idled for less than a minute before the motor died and now will not start. i now, after owning the car for 3-4 months, have a major engine failure. i do not care to think what would have happened if this happened while my wife was traveling down the interstate at high speeds.... thankx *tr
Loud engine noise coming from chain tensioner at startup. sounds like diesel engine. also happens during cold engine start. *tr
The following reports are from: orlando mini 350 s. lake destiny drive orlando, fl 32810 (407) 835-2727 incident 1 @ 47,603 miles: service advisor [xxx]. [xxx] found timing chain rattle "noise at idle up to 2,100 rpm. noise is a rattle under valve cover near cyl 1. interrogated fault memory, no faults. found noise to be related to valve-train. performed steps outlined in bulletin 110207. measured timing chain slack at 71.5mm. needs completed replacement timing chain cassette." replaced tensioners (part # 11-31-7-598-956, part # 11-31-7-534-833), and many other parts. incident 2 @ 96,125 miles: 100% client goodwill provided. [xxx] found that the "timing chain tensioner failed, found vehicle timing chain tensioner to have failed causing vehicle to become out of timing, replaced timing chain and tensioner at this time, cleared faults from system and test drove vehicle, all ok..." replaced tensioners (part # 11-31-7-609-483 [already updated from the one used above], part # 11-31-7-534-833), and many other parts. incident 3 @ 105,543 miles: service advisor [xxx]) found "defect code 00 11 08 03 00, check timing chain tensioner, found it was an updated model, ok after that repair" since it was updated. nothing was replaced. noise got worse. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mini cooper s. the contact stated that smoke was seen coming from the engine. the vehicle was unable to cool down so the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer for diagnosis but they were unable to duplicate or diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that the failure recurred and he was unable to drive the vehicle for more than a few miles without it overheating. the manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 7,400. the current mileage was approximately 8,234. the vin was unavailable.