2007 Mini Cooper

PROBLEM 1: CLUTCH/TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 50,000 JUST AFTER WARRANTY. UNABLE TO SHIFT ON HIGHWAY, HAD TO STAY IN LOW GEAR. TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. IT FAILED A SECOND TIME, WAS REPLACED AT ABOUT 80,000. I BELIEVE IT IS FAILING AGAIN AS THE CLUTCH IS SLIPPING IN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS; MINI COOPER SAYS THEY NOTE NO PROBLEM. PROBLEM 2: TIMING CHAIN. PARKED, MY CAR WOULD NOT START EASILY; STARTED ON 3RD TRY. MY CAR STALLED, STOPPED ON THE HIGHWAY AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN DUE TO TRAFFIC. RESTARTED AND CONTINUED. NO ENGINE LIGHT. DRIVING TO MINI SERVICE, CAR STALLED COMING IN; HAD TO COAST IN. FOUND TO BE TIMING CHAIN, VALVETRONIC ECCENTRIC SHAFT, PERHAPS PARTS FALLING INTO OIL PAN. $2800 IN REPAIRS. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT LAW SUITS OR RECALLS OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS BECAUSE I'VE HAD MAJOR PERFORMANCE ISSUES, MINI COOPER STATED NO KNOWN SUITS EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE. I FIND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SUITS, AND I "MISSED THE WINDOW" FOR THE TIMING CHAIN.

DRIVING PA TURNPIKE WHEN MY 2007 MINICOOPER TEMP LIGHT CAME ON, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED THE OIL AND ENGINE LIGHT. AS THE LIGHTS APPEARED, THE CAR WAS LOSING POWER. IT LOST POWER AS I WAS PULLING OFF THE ROAD. 3 MINUTES TOTAL. SMOKE POURED OUT. I OPENED THE HOLD TO SEE A 3 INCH HOLE MELTED AWAY. I CLOSED THE LID. CONTACTED MINI ROADSIDE SERVICE WHO WOULD NOT HONOR THE TOW. CALLED AAA WHO DID. CALLED MINI OF PITTSBURGH, JASON THOMPSON, WHO ONLY SERVICED MY MINI FOR 4 YEARS AND 35,000 MILES WHEN HE FIRST DIAGNOSED NEEDING A NEW ENGINE. I ASKED MANAGER CHRIS LASKO ABOUT ANY RECALLS? COULD IT BE A LEMON? NO THIS IS UNUSUAL FOR A MINI, WAS THE ANSWER. BEFORE AUTHORIZING REPAIRS I ASKED ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND THE EFFECTS OF OVERHEATING. NO ELECTRICAL ISSUES WHERE FOUND. THEY FELT CONFIDENT RECOMMENDING REPLACING A NEW ENGINE & PARTS. I OKAYED TO PUT IN ALL NEW STARTER, STARTER CORE, ENGINE, ENGINE CORE, ENGINE HARNESS, COLLAR SCREW, PING SENSOR, INTAKE MANIFOLD, CORE RETURN GASKET, IGNITION COILS, COLLAR SCREW, SCREW WITH WASHER, CORE RETURN WITH HEAT PR, SRP BELT, AND COOLANT, A WATER PUMP PULLEY, AND FEW OTHER 20 SOME PARTS TO GET IT BACK ON THE ROAD. A MONTH LATER, I RECEIVED A LETTER REVEALING A POTENTIAL PROBLEM WITH THE DURABILITY OF A VAPOR RECOVERY DIAGNOSTIC PUMP ON 07. FEDERAL EMISSIONS DEFECT WARRANTY COVERS 10YEAR OR 120K MILES. I CALLED THE DEALER, THEY SAID THAT IT DID NOT PERTAIN TO MY VEHICLE. 2015 DEJA VU AT 64K MILES. I WAS DRIVING, COMMUTING WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I DROVE 2 MILES TO MY MINI DEALER. THEY SAID THEY COULD FIX IT BY PUTTING IN A NEW ENGINE. I HAD IT TOWED HOME. I HAVE CALLED & LEFT EMAIL'S WITH BMW/MINI CUSTOMER SERVICE. I HAVE HAD ZERO REPLY FROM THEN. THEY CLAIM TO BE THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE. AS AN ADVERTISING ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, I THINK THE MORE HONEST AND REAL CLAIM WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE FARSE MACHINE.