Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||||
| SI-M61-01-12 | 01/01/2012 | 10043725 | Mini: after drive-away locking activates, it is not possible to unlock the boot. *kb | 04/24/2012 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 12/21/2012 | 43000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 11/20/2012 | 35900 | ||
| As i was driving my car started chugging. i pulled over and 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. | |||
| 06/25/2012 | 53500 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 11/08/2011 | 36000 | ||
| There is a loud knocking noise (most likely the timing belt) and the car keeps jumping. | |||
| 04/07/2012 | |||
| I have a 2008 mini cooper s that has a timming chain issue that seems to be a problem for this model ,as i researched this issue found that looks like a production issue which i believe should be corrected by mini/bmw. not everyone has $2000.00 to have this fixed,i have 28k miles which i consider a farely new car still not fare for us consumer who shell out alot of money for a car we believe to be reliable and is not , please review this problem and help us consumers be treated fair we need your help to stop these companys from taking advantage of us until something horrible happens. | |||
| 10/12/2011 | 52000 | ||
| Engine developed a knocking, rattling sound which grew louder over time. the local mini dealership diagnosed a timing chain glide and tensioner failure. replaced the entire assembly. was told mini realized the glides were inferior and was now using upgraded glides in the replacement kits. when asked if this shouldn't be a warranty replacement since it could lead to total engine failure, was told this was up to mini-usa, not the dealer. this is also a safety issue if the timing chain breaks while driving, seizing the engine, and leading to loss of control of the vehicle. | |||
| 10/20/2011 | 57803 | ||
| Loud knocking noise upon starting the car. it was very loud so i took it to the dealer. a metal piece from the housing for the timing chain broke off and caused damage that cost $2239 to repair. the service rep seemed to know about this problem. i asked the service rep for my old parts which i have kept and upon inspection the parts looked good (timing chain and tensioners (plastic parts). the flaw is in the design, a one inch little metal piece that cannot support the vibration of the timing chain broke off and caused all the damage. i've read multiple complaints on this site regarding timing chain problems on s models, this should be a recall. | |||
| 08/30/2010 | 18000 | ||
| I had a loud noise under the hood of my 2008 mini cooper s, followed by the timing belt breaking. i had it fixed to the tune of $2000+. it was not covered under warranty. i was told it broke due to being down 1 qt of oil. i have heard this is a common complaint. | |||
| 01/05/2011 | 70000 | ||
| I would like to see a recall issued or at least investigated for any mini cooper 2007 and up with the bmw engine. this engine has a faulty timing belt tensioner that is prone to fail causeing severe engine damage. i have a 2008 and just lost my engine due to this tension failure. after spending the 600.00 dollars to have my engine taken apart and diagniosed, i was told that bmw already nows about the problem but has not issued any type of recall for it. they also told me that it will require a new engine some where in the dollar amount of 14,000.00 to replace, unknown at this time if the dealer will cover the loss. this problem is well known be the dealer but it looks like they have done nothing to correct this problem and continue to use this same engine in there vehicles. i was told by one of the workers that bmw has not issued a recall because the problem does not pose a direct safety risk, are you kidding me, going done the highway and having a total engine loss is very much a safety risk. i am sure that my complaint is just another drop in the bucket but i hope at least hope someone takes the time to have this problem corrected before someone is seriously hurt or killed. | |||