NHTSA Complaint #10486391 — 2007 MINI COOPER S

I OWN A 2007 MINI COOPER S, THAT I PURCHASED BRAND NEW IN JUNE OF 2007. I IMMEDIATELY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CAR AND KNEW THAT THIS WOULD BE THE LAST CAR I WOULD EVER OWN. IT IS A $31,000 CAR THAT I HAVE BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS MADE EXPENSIVE ($560/MONTH) PAYMENTS ON FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS. ABOUT TWO YEARS INTO OWNING THIS CAR, I NOTICED WHEN IT WAS COLD OUT THAT MY MINI WOULD GET WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS "THE DEATH RATTLE". WHEN I CALLED RALPH SCHOMP MINI (WHERE I HAD PURCHASED IT), THEY TOLD ME THAT THE NOISE WAS NOTHING THAT I HAD TO WORRY ABOUT AND THAT IT JUST HAD TO DO WITH COLD WEATHER. A YEAR AFTER THAT MY MINI WOULD STRUGGLE TO GET MOVING, I THOUGHT IT WAS A BATTERY PROBLEM, AGAIN THE MECHANICS AT RALPH SCHOMP MINI TOLD ME NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT, AGAIN JUST COLD WEATHER. A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, I NOTICED THAT MY CAR WAS ACTING UP SEVERELY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THEN A COUPLE DAYS LATER IT WENT OFF AND IT SEEMINGLY STOPPED HAVING ISSUES. ABOUT A WEEK AFTER THAT, IT STARTED ACTING UP AGAIN AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. I ATTEMPTED TO TAKE IT TO ANOTHER AUTO PLACE TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED, BUT IT WAS NON-CONCLUSIVE, AND THE SYMPTOMS ONLY GOT WORSE. I HAD MY MINI TOWED BACK TO RALPH SCHOMP MINI, AND THEIR DIAGNOSIS RESULTED IN SAYING THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER MALFUNCTIONED AND HAD COME LOOSE WHICH DID SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND THAT I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. AN ENGINE SUPPOSEDLY BUILT TO LAST AT LEAST TO 250,000 MILES ONLY MADE IT UNTIL 52,000 MILES AND WILL COST ME AS MUCH AS $8,000 TO REPAIR. MY WARRANTY EXPIRED LITERALLY SIX MONTHS AGO, AND I AM ONLY ABOUT THREE MONTHS AWAY FROM HAVING HER PAID OFF. IN LOOKING UP THIS ISSUE ONLINE, MANY OTHER 2007 MINI OWNERS HAVE ALSO HAD THIS ISSUE. I AM INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED IN THE ENTIRE SITUATION, AND WOULD ENCOURAGE A RECALL TO BE ISSUED ON 2007 MINI COOPER S. *TR