NHTSA Complaint #10410054 — 2007 MINI COOPER S

2007 MINI COOPER S: COLD START RATTLE HAD BEEN AN ON-AGAIN, OFF-AGAIN PROBLEM, BUT SINCE I'D HAD THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER CHANGED WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, I DIDN'T MAKE THE CONNECTION. AT 81,000 MILES, I WAS DRIVING WHEN THE RED OIL LIGHT CAME ON. THIS WAS THE FIRST AND ONLY INDICATION OF A PROBLEM. I STOPPED AT THE NEXT GAS STATION, GOT SOME SYNTHETIC OIL, AND PUT IN 2 QUARTS. I CONTINUED ON MY WAY, BUT THE OIL LIGHT HAD NOT GONE OFF. WITHIN ABOUT 1-2 MILES, AS I WAS ENTERING A HIGHWAY, THE CAR BEGAN MAKING A VERY LOUD RATTLING NOISE AND THEN STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER. I CALLED MINI ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, BUT AFTER ABOUT 15 MINS. ON THE PHONE, THEY FINALLY FIGURED OUT THAT THEY WERE NOT AUTHORIZED TO TOW OFF THIS INTERSTATE. I GOT AN AUTHORIZED TOWING CO. TO COME, AND I LET THEM TOW IT TO THEIR LOCAL GARAGE. THE NEXT DAY THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ENGINE HAD CEASED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE FOLLOWING DAY I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO PRESTIGE MINI TO DETERMINE IF THIS WAS, IN FACT, WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THEY DIAGNOSED THE SAME THING, SAID THERE WAS NO WAY TO KNOW THE CAUSE, AND QUOTED ME $6400 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE (WHICH THEY ULTIMATELY BROUGHT DOWN TO $5600). AT 81K MILES, THERE IS NO REASON THIS ENGINE SHOULD HAVE CEASED. PLUS, I HAD NO WARNING THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CAR--NO "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT, NO "CHECK OIL" LIGHT UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. BASED ON WHAT I'VE READ, NOW ABOUT THE 2007 MINI, I AM CERTAIN THIS WAS DEFECT RELATED. HOW DO I PROVE THAT? I'M AT THE MERCY OF THE DEALERSHIP. *TR