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.

TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE COMMONLY REFERRED TO BY MINI OWNERS AS "THE DEATH RATTLE". THE DEALER CLAIMS THE ISSUE IS CAUSED AS A RESULT OF BEING 1.5 QUARTS LOW ON OIL. BUT DOZENS OF OTHER OWNERS ARE REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM WITHOUT BEING LOW ON OIL. I SUSPECT THE LOW OIL LEVEL IS A COVER ALLOWING THE MANUFACTURER TO NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROBLEM. NO OIL INDICATOR LIGHT IS TRIGGERED AT THAT LEVEL. MINI IS TAKING ACTION ON THIS ISSUE BUT HAS STOPPED SHORT OF ISSUING A RECALL. AS SUCH, THOUSANDS OF MINI OWNERS RISK SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THEIR ENGINE AT SPEED AS A RESULT OF POTENTIAL TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. FURTHERMORE, MOST OWNERS HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR (BETWEEN $1,200 - $1,700) TO PREVENT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. THIS IS A DEFECT. IT REQUIRES CORRECTIVE ACTION BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED WHEN TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED, THERE WAS AN UNUSUAL POP COMING FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE, SPECIFICALLY WHEN ATTEMPTING A TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT BOTH FRONT SWAY BAR BUSHINGS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION MOUNT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 40,000.