One broken Mini!

[wal]

Well,
It's finally happened guys..
After the noise changed from considerably more frequent to constant,
the engine went into 'safe mode'?
Mini Assist refused to send anyone out as their policy is, if it still moves you have to drive it in! Eventually the engine started to make a horrific noise and the car ground to a halt..
The car has 28,000 on the clock and is one of the first 100 off the production line.
Will keep everyone informed..
[Edited by Wal]

[wal]

I have just been informed that my Mini Cooper S is to be fitted with a new engine this week.
Apparently the timing chain snapped and wrecked the valves and pistons etc.

All I can say is, the sound from the engine up until the car ground to a halt. Was the same noise the Mini was making intermittently since I bought it. Though as I said in my first post, it started to make the noise all the time and even louder just before the engine broke.
I am now convinced that the cold start rattle is responsible either directly or indirectly for the damage to my engine.
The most the engine has ever been revved to is just past 4,000 rpm and very rarely at that.

I dread to think what the cost of the repair would have been had I not got six months left on the warranty!
There is nothing I can say to make the situation we are all in any better.
OK for me at the moment, but not so for those that are nearing the end of their warranty.

I started this web site because I new my Mini had a problem. And having surfed the web, realised that my Cooper S wasn't the only one.
So enough now BMW and dealers, of this 'charicteristic of the engine' shit. I knew my engine was going to fail. Why didn't you?
Now is the time for the recall. Before this fault buries the Mini brand for ever!

[mini_jabba]

Ok so my Mini is now in the Mini Hospital,

After almost a month of daily engine noises, steadily progressing so it sounded like I was driving an old diesel, the car died on me last Friday, Engine warning light came on, the car sounded like a tractor! Lost most of the power. It's weird seeing a MCS struggle to get past 30mph. The car was in all day Monday and yesterday they phoned to tell me that some Valve management system is broken, which means that pistons are damaged and the engine has shut half of itself down. They think the timing chain has slipped, which has caused further damage. I AM SO GLAD that it is under warranty, I dread to think how much it would cost. Should be getting another update today, along with a courtesy car.

I am so annoyed! The car has been making noises for ages but Mini said they couldn't "reproduce the problem".

So, the car will be in for the better part of a week and I wouldn't be surprised if it required a new engine.

*shakes head in disbelief*

Concerned Mini Owner.

[mini-r56]

Hi all.

This too has happened to me. I was out driving my mini cooper s and the car felt nice to drive and no problems. I parked up at my house and about an hour later i went to start my car and nothing. So i called Mini breakdown who came out and the Engineer proceeded to start the car with no luck obviously. He did every test on it he could and everything was as it should be.

I mentioned to him the cold start rattle and how im all too aware that the timing chain on these cars are extremely poor, evident from that horrible noise, but he proceeded to continue trying to start the car, oh i dont know, atleast 10 times. Now im not the greatest mind when it comes to engines but i do know if your timing chain/belt goes and you try starting the car you mash all the valves etc up thus destroying the engine BUT this engineer clearly knew best.

So off my car went to the local bmw garage for a full check. Now let me make clear at this point the attitude of the staff was shocking, antagonistic and they were all the too happy to lie about many issues - So not a good start, but they go on about a couple mods i have like exhaust and intercooler and say i am not covered under warranty and that i have to pay £550 for them to strip the engine and look at it.

Ok so they get back and surprise surprise ITS THE TIMING CHAIN that has snapped (you know that lifelong timing chain that bmw state never needs replaced) AND whatsmore the intellectually void engineer who tried to start my car 10 times is the person responsible for destroying my engines insides so they hit me with a bill of £5500 to have a new engine put in its place (which will have the same timing chain problem no doubt and i could be looking at another bill like this in the very near future).

This situation is totally unacceptable because i bought this car last April and it had 11,000 miles on it and within 1 day of driving my new pride and joy (which YES was mini cherished supposedly) i felt 3rd gear was really crunchy and poor and i got a Check Engine Light which in my manual warned me to not drive the car. SO off it went to bmw garage for fixing. I got a call the next day to say everything was alright except they needed to keep my car for 3 more days to install a new Gearbox, Clutch and Flywheel! You can imagine my demeanor when i was told of this. So this instant problem along with many others meant my car spent more time at the dealership being fixed than in my possesion. Everytime i went in because my car had problems i always mentioned the cold start rattle and i got fed those lies like everyone else 'characteristic of the engine' and i pointed out to them that 'what if' when my warranty is over this problem turns out to be a serious issue that im left to pay for ? Well here i am left paying for it because my exhaust and intercooler have void my warranty (even though the fault lies with the timing chain, and the reason i need a new engine is because their engineers tried to start my car up many times which has resulted in irreversible damage, and they want me to pay) and even though peoples engines are now starting to fail bmw still will not be responsible and take action. Its good to see in these times of economic hardship bmw are still willing to rip people off and sell them cars with dodgy engines.

Sorry for the long one but i hope you can understand my frustration at the way the bmw mini dealership spoke to me/dealt with the situation after me spending the last year going back and forth with a completely unreliable car only to have a timing chain go and a bunch of unqualified people from bmw/mini trying to fix it but actually making it worse and having the cheek to charge me for their mistake - 1. The faulty factory timing chain AND 2. Their engineerrs destroyed my engine trying to start it with fauly timing chain..

[wal]

Hi mini-r56,
Welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear about your Mini. But as you know, you are not on your own!
Let us know how things pan out.
Regards,
Wal...

[wal]

The Engine Management light has been on twice since the new engine was fitted..
The first time Bluebell suspected? the fuel pump. It's going in again next Thursday...
Also having to bite the bullet and pay the 400 or so squid for the extended warranty..

[wal]

10,000 miles on the new engine and the clattering is back!
The timing chain has been rattling on and off since the new engine was fitted however the dreaded clattering has now started.
All the classic signs are there, a short loud growl then 1 second later the clattering starts.
Exactly the same as the original engine that self destructed!
Luckily got the extended warranty..
Think it's going to have to go this time. Love the car, but its been no end of trouble.
Does anyone know the latest PUMA fix?
Cheers...