2009 Mini Cooper

BOUGHT A 2009 MINI S FOR MY DAUGHTER IN AUGUST OF 2015 WITH 36K MILES ON IT. SINCE THEN I'VE SPENT OVER $5000 IN REPAIRS AND THE CAR IS CURRENTLY PARKED AND NOT BEING DRIVEN BECAUSE NOW THE TIMING CHAIN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR IS 5 MONTHS PAST THE "WARRANTY" PERIOD FOR THIS SERVICE BULLETIN CAMPAIGN, AND THIS REPAIR WILL LIKELY COST ANOTHER $3000OR MORE I'VE PAID FOR TO REPAIR THE OIL LEAK IN THE TURBO LINE AS WELL AS THE WATER PUMP FAILING, AND REPLACED THE VALVE COVER DUE TO OIL LEAKING, ALL WELL KNOWN ISSUES WITH THIS CAR. THE TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER ISSUES ARE WELL KNOWN BY BMW/MINI AS WELL AND THERE IS NO RECOURSE FOR OWNERS OF THESE CARS AT THIS POINT. MY CAR ONLY HAS 48,000 MILES ON IT! THERE IS NO REASON FOR ALL OF THESE PARTS TO BE FAILING THE WAY THEY ARE. I WILL HAVE SPENT MORE THAN DOUBLE WHAT I PAID FOR THIS CAR BEFORE ITS DRIVABLE AGAIN. VERY UNHAPPY WITH MINI!!!!!

TURBO OIL LINE LEAKS AND DRIPS ON TURBO MANIFOLD CAUSING BURNING OIL SMELL AND SMOKE. THE ENGINE CAUGHT A SMALL FIRE, LUCKY I WAS PARKED ON SIDE OF A HIGHWAY ROAD UP IN THE MOUNTAINS. (NO FIRE STATIONS OR VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC) I SMELT SOMETHING BURNING UNDER TO HOOD WHEN IT HAPPENED AND CAUGHT THE FLAMES IN TIME TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. 2 SEATTLE AREA MINI DEALERS STATE THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH ALL THE TURBO ENGINES IN THIS CLASS. THEY WANT YOU TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR IT'S A $1300 FIX. I BELIEVE THAT MINI/BMW NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND REPAIR/RECALL THE TURBO OIL LINE BECAUSE IT POSES A SAFETY ISSUE THE CAR COULD CATCH FIRE AND POTENTIALLY INJURE SOMEONE CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, OR WORSE DEATH.

MY 2009 MINI COOPER HARDTOP WITH 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION CONSUMES ONE QUART OF ENGINE OIL PER 1000 MILES. THIS IS TRULY UNACCEPTABLE. IT IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND EXPENSE THAT IS VERY ANNOYING. NOT TO MENTION THE SAFETY SIDE OF IT AND THE POSSIBILITY OF BURNING OUT THE ENGINE. BMW/MINI NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND REBUILD AND REPAIR THE ENGINE TO CORRECT THIS VERY IMPORTANT PROBLEM.

MY MINI HAS UNDER 50,000 MILES AND IS A 2009, AND TWO MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING IT, ONE WEEK AFTER A NEW OIL CHANGE A RATTLING STARTED IN THE TIMING CHAIN REGION UNDER THE HOOD. THERE ARE SEVERAL ONGOING AND RECENT LAWSUITS INVOLVING THE FAULTY TIMING COMPONENTS, HOWEVER BMW HAS REFUSED TO DO A RECALL. I HAVE NO OTHER OPTION WHERE I LIVE THAN TO TAKE IT TO A MINI DEALERSHIP, WHICH IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS SITUATION, QUOTING A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF $2000-$4000 FOR A COMPLETE DIAGNOSTICS/REPAIR. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW COMMON THE PROBLEM IS AND THE FACT THAT A COMPANY THAT IS KNOWN FOR BEING REPUTABLE, BMW, IS BEING SO UNPROFESSIONAL IN ADMITTING THE FAULT. ALSO, I HAD TO TOW MY MINI TO PREVENT THE CHAIN FROM SPONTANEOUSLY BRAKING ON MY WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP AS WELL, JUST ANOTHER FEE, TO PREVENT INCURRING AN EVEN PRICIER DAMAGE TO THE TURBO ENGINE, JUST UNBELIEVABLE.

I NOTED THAT AT IDLE THE ENGINE OF MY 2009 MINI COOPER WAS NOT RUNNING SMOOTH AND INSTEAD BEGINNING TO PULSATE/VIBRATE. WITHIN IN 3 DAYS I HAD MY MINI AT THE SERVICE CENTER. ON THE WAY TO THE APPOINTMENT THE ENGINE CUT OFF AT IDLE AT A STOP LIGHT BUT WAS ABLE TO RESTART. NO SENSOR LIGHT. I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. AS A RESULT THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE DAMAGE ALSO CAUSED AN OIL LEAK SO THAT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING WITHOUT OIL, THOUGH I'D RECENTLY RECEIVED AN OIL CHANGE. ADDITIONALLY, THE VACUUM PUMP WAS ALSO LEAKING. AT NO TIME DID ANY SENSOR LIGHTS COME ON AS A WARNING, INCLUDING A CHECK ENGINE, LOW OIL, OR LOW COOLANT . I WAS INFORMED THAT REPAIRS WOULD BE UPWARDS OF $3500.00, OVER HALF OF THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE. DESPITE THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT THAT I INQUIRED ABOUT, MINI FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEM. IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE SETTLEMENT OF THE LAWSUIT RESULTED IN EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ON THESE VEHICLES FOR THE TIMING CHAIN ISSUE TO 7 YEARS/100,000MI. MY MINI ONLY HAD 64,000MILES AND WAS WITHIN THE 7 YEAR MARK. ADDITIONALLY, I LEARNED THAT MINI HAD PREVIOUSLY ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE VACUUM PUMP. HOWEVER, I WAS REPEATEDLY TOLD THAT FOR BOTH OF THESE ISSUES "[MY] VEHICLE WAS NOT ONE OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES."

AT 89,044 MILES MY 2009 MINI COOPER, PURCHASED FROM VISTA MINI SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC COOLANT LOSS DUE TO A CRACKED THERMOSTAT HOUSING, AND AS A DIRECT RESULT THE VEHICLE SEVERELY OVERHEATED IRREPARABLY DAMAGING THE ENGINE. I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE TURNPIKE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN THE WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT FOR THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE CAME ON, AND BEFORE I COULD SAFELY PULL THE VEHICLE OVER THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY SLOWED TO A VERITABLE CRAWL (ALLOWING ME JUST ENOUGH TIME TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD). THE VEHICLE WAS ULTIMATELY TOWED TO A MINI DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT THEY DETERMINED THAT IT WOULD NEED TO HAVE THE ENTIRE ENGINE REPLACED. WHICH WOULD BE A RATHER COSTLY REPAIR, REQUIRING AN OUTLAY OF FUNDS FAR GREATER THAN THE VEHICLE'S VALUE. THEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY DECREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF COMPLETING THE REQUIRED REPAIRS. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE BELIEVING IT TO BE A QUALITY PRODUCT, AND ONE CAPABLE OF BEING DRIVEN FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. HOWEVER, THE EXPERIENCE I SUFFERED SEVERELY SHOOK MY CONFIDENCE IN THE PRODUCT, SO I BEGAN TO DO MY OWN RESEARCH ON THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. IT TURNS OUT THAT NOT ONLY MINI ENGINES, BUT ALSO THOSE MANUFACTURED BY BMW, SHARE A SIMILAR DEFECT, IN THAT THEY BOTH ARE PRONE TO THE THERMOSTAT HOUSINGS CRACKING AND CAUSING RAPID COOLANT LOSS. COUPLE THAT WITH THE WELL DOCUMENTED CRITICISM OF THE LOCATION OF THE COOLANT SENSOR IN THE ENGINE, AND YOU HAVE CREATED THE PERFECT NUCLEUS FOR GENERATING A CATACLYSMIC MELTDOWN OF THE ENGINE THAT LIES SECRETLY HIBERNATING WITHIN THE PRODUCT LINE. THEREFORE, I DO NOT FEEL THAT IT IS FAIR FOR ME TO HAVE TO BEAR THE BURDENSOME COST OF REPAIR FOR A PROBLEM THAT IS ENDEMIC TO THE PRODUCT LINE AS A WHOLE.

THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER ON MY MINI WAS CHANGED AS PART OF SILENT SERVICE BULLETIN WHICH AUGHT TO BE A RECALL. BY THE TIME IT WAS REPLACED IT WAS TOO LATE, NOW A YEAR LATER MY TIMING CHAIN IS OUT OF SPEC AND RATTLING AWAY IN MY CAR WITH A REPLACEMENT SET TO COST ABOUT $2000 FOR PARTS THAT MINI CLAIMED WOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. MINI REFUSES TO REPLACE ANY PARTS UNTIL THEY'VE FAILED SO I'M STUCK EITHER PAYING OUT OF POCKET AND NEVER SEEING A DIME BACK, OR RISKING LIFE AND LIMB ON THE ROAD UNTIL THESE PARTS FAIL SO THAT MINI CAN OWN UP TO THEIR MISTAKE...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.