2008 MINI COOPER S Engine Problems

HAD TO TAKE MY MINI COOPER S WITH JCW PACKAGE IN TO CORRECT A SERVICE LIGHT ISSUE. WAS CARBON BUILD UP ON THE VALVES. CLEANED IT FOR 1500.00. DROVE IT ABOUT A MONTH AND THE TURBO BYPASS SOLENOID VALVE FAILED. BACK TO THE MINI COOPER DEALER IN CLEAR LAKE. THEY REPLACED THE SOLENOID AND DID A OIL CHANGE FOR 550.00 GOT IT HOME AND NOTICED IT HAD A FAINT SMELL OF SOMETHING BURNING. THOUGHT IT COULD BE THEY GOT SOME OIL ON SOME PARTS THAT GET HOT. ONE WEEK AFTER THE TURBO SOLENOID WAS REPLACED I NOTICED A OIL SPOT ON MY GARAGE FLOOR. RAISED THE HOOD AND THE TURBO HAD A OIL FILM ON IT AND THE AIR INTAKE SUPPLY ON THE TURBO WAS LOOSE AND PRACTICALLY OFF THE TURBO. TOOK IT TO DEALER. THEY SAID LOOK LIKE OIL DRAIN BOLT LEAKING. REPLACED IT BUT THE ALSO CLEANED THE...

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR (GAS) STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AND SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS A DIESEL. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THAT THE TENSIONERS IN THE ENGINE ARE WORN OUT. I HAD THE UPPER REPLACED, BUT THE OTHERS ALSO NEED REPLACING. BASED ON MY OWN RESEARCH, IT APPEARS THE PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THE MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED OIL CHANGE. THE COMPANY RECOMMENDS CHANGING OIL EVERY 15000 MILES WITH SYNTHETIC OIL. THE FIX IS SUPPOSEDLY TO CHANGE THE OIL AT HALF THAT, 7500. I'VE BEEN TOLD THIS COULD RESULT IN THE TIMING CHAIN COMING OFF AND THE ENGINE BEING TRASHED. *TR

WE STARTED HEARING A LOUD NOISE AROUND 27,000 MILES. CAR WAS JUST OVER FOUR YEARS OLD AND OUT OF WARRANTY. ENDED UP WITH A TIMING CHAIN ISSUE AND IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. REPEATED CALLS TO MINI DEALER AND MINI USA PROVIDED WORTHLESS, STUCK WITH WHOLE REPAIR AND NO ASSISTANCE. *TR

WE STARTED HEARING A LOUD NOISE AROUND 27,000 MILES. CAR WAS JUST OVER FOUR YEARS OLD AND OUT OF WARRANTY. ENDED UP WITH A TIMING CHAIN ISSUE AND IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. REPEATED CALLS TO MINI DEALER AND MINI USA PROVIDED WORTHLESS, STUCK WITH WHOLE REPAIR AND NO ASSISTANCE. *TR

MY MINI COOPER S WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW, AND HAD ALL REGULAR MAINTENANCE DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP. HOWEVER, ONCE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED I TOOK THE CAR TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC WHO HAS PERFORMED WORK FOR MYSELF AND FAMILY FOR TWELVE YEARS. AFTER READING THIS WEBSITE, AND IT'S COMPLAINTS THE SAME PROBLEMS HAVE OCCURRED TO ME. THE OIL LINES BEGAN TO LEAK BECAUSE THERE WAS A CLOG, AND IT CAUSED THE TURBO TO BURN OUT. PARTS AND LABOR FOR A USED TURBO CAME OUT TO BE AROUND $1,800. A NEW TURBO ALONE WOULD HAVE COST ROUGHLY 2,000. NOW SEVERAL THOUSAND MILES LATER, THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK NOTICED UNDER THE CAR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THIS TIME, TO SEE WHAT THE EXACT PROBLEM WAS AND AN ESTIMATE BEFORE TAKING IT TO MY MECHANIC. THEY FOUND "SEVERAL LEAKS" OF WHICH THEY REPLACED THE WATER PUMP, THE WATER PUMP GASKET, VALVE...

I HAD BEEN SERVICING MY 2008 MINI COOPER S AT THE DREYER & REINBOLD BMW MINI DEALERSHIP FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR, WHICH I BOUGHT NEW. I JUST HAD IT IN THE SHOP AROUND 50K MILES AND WAS NOT TOLD THAT I SHOULD CONSIDER CHANGING MY TIMING BELT. ONE DAY I WENT TO START MY CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START. I TOWED IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME MY TIMING BELT HAD BROKEN AND DAMAGED MY ENGINE. I AM NO FACED WITH REPLACING MY ENGINE AND A BILL OF $6600+. THIS DEFECT THAT WAS NOT BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION HAS RUINED MY ENGINE AND AFTER THOROUGH RESEARCH OF FELLOW MINI DRIVERS, I AM HESITANT ABOUT WHAT OTHER DEFECTS MAY COME ABOUT IN THE FUTURE FOR THIS CAR. THIS SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE MANUFACTURER AND THERE SHOULD BE A LAWSUIT OR RECALL IN PLACE...

I CURRENTLY HAVE AN OIL LEAK DEVELOPING FROM THE TURBO OIL LINE THAT HAS RESULTED FROM A FAILED O-RING WITHIN THE LINE ITSELF. DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW, THE HEAT FROM THE TURBO WEARS AWAY THE O-RING, WHICH RESULTS IN OIL LEAKING FROM WHERE THE LINE IS BOLTED TO THE TURBO VIA A BANJO BOLT. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM BECAUSE IF THE LINE FAILS, THE TURBO BECOMES STARVED OF OIL AND BURNS UP, WHICH ULTIMATELY CAUSES THE WHOLE TURBO UNIT TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, THE OIL LEAKING ONTO THE TURBO HAS A POTENTIAL TO CATCH FIRE, SINCE THE TURBO BECOMES VERY HOT DURING NORMAL DRIVING. ALSO IF ANY OIL LEAKS DOWN TO THE EXHAUST PIPING UNDERNEATH THE TURBO, THOSE PLACES ALSO POSE A FIRE HAZARD. MINI RECOGNIZES THIS TO BE AN ISSUE, BUT REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN ADD A HEAT SHIELD AROUND THE CONNECTION TO THE TURBO....

THE CAR HAS BEEN SMELLING LIKE BURNT OIL FOR ABOUT A WEEK. I TOOK IT IN TO THE SHOP ON SATURDAY. TODAY, TUESDAY, WHEN I WAS SUPPOSED TO PICK IT UP, I WAS TOLD THAT I NEED THE FOLLOWING REPAIRS BECAUSE THERE ARE "LEAKS": 1) WATER PUMP 2) TIMING CHAIN 3) VALVE COVER 4) OIL FEED AND RETURN LINE THE CAR HAS AROUND 36,500 MILES ON IT AND WE ARE LOOKING AT ABOUT 8,000.00 WORTH OF REPAIRS! WHAT??? I PAID ALMOST 30,000.00 FOR THIS CAR AND NOW HAVE TO SPEND ADDITIONAL MONEY TO KEEP IT RUNNING? THE EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT I PURCHASED WILL COVER THE FIRST THREE ITEMS ON THE LIST. THE OIL FEED AND RETURN LINE IS NOT CURRENTLY COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY, EVEN THOUGH AFTER A BRIEF INTERNET SEARCH, I FIND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS ISSUE...

THERE IS A LEAK AT THE OIL SUPPLY LINE LEADING INTO TO THE TURBO HOUSING. THIS IS A MAJOR OIL LEAK AND SAFETY HAZARD. OIL LEAKING ONTO THE HOT TURBO CAN POTENTIALLY CAUSE A FIRE. ASIDE FROM THE POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD, THE LEAK, HAD IT GONE UNNOTICED, COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ENGINE FAILURE. THE LOCAL MINI DEALERSHIP SAID THE REPLACEMENT WOULD COST AROUND $1,000 WITH OEM PARTS. *TR

A SIGNIFICANT ENGINE OIL LEAK WAS DETECTED BY OIL SPOTS UNDER PARKED CAR. THE DIP STICK REGISTERED 1 QUART LOW. A QUART WAS ADDED AND THE CAR DRIVEN ABOUT 100 MILES THE NEXT DAY. UPON RETURN, THE OIL WAS A QUART LOW AGAIN. DURING THE PRECEDING TWO WEEKS THERE HAD BEEN SEVERAL INSTANCES OF A BURNING OIL SMELL AND ON TWO OCCASIONS SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THIS WAS DURING A RAINY PERIOD AND THE SMOKE WAS INITIALLY THOUGHT TO BE STEAM FROM GETTING WATER IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FROM PUDDLES ON THE ROADS. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE, THE DEALER FOUND THAT THE OIL LINE TO THE TURBO WAS LEAKING AS WELL AS THE OIL FILTER HOUSING SEAL. BOTH OF THESE COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN NOTED IN THE DATABASE PREVIOUSLY. THE COST TO REPAIR WAS APPROXIMATELY $1000 USD. *TR

I HAVE OWNED THE MINI SINCE NEW. ALWAYS REGULARLY SERVICED AT THE MINI DEALER. RECENTLY I STARTED THE ENGINE AND IT SOUNDED MORE LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE, VERY NOISY AND UNUSUAL. TOOK IT TO THE MINI DEALER AND AS I EXPLAINED WHAT THE SYMPTOMS WERE, THE FRONT DESK PERSON THAT TOOK MY DETAILS DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. THE PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS WAS CONFIRMED LATER THROUGH AN INSPECTION BY A TRAINED TECHNICIAN. LIKE MANY, MANY MINI OWNERS I HAVE HAD A TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM. THAT THE FRONT DESK STAFF CAN DIAGNOSE A PROBLEM LIKE THIS MADE ME CURIOUS, IT MUST BE SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER SEES IT REGULARLY. SOME RESEARCH CONFIRMED THIS WAS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH MINIS. OWNERS HAVE HAD TERMINAL ENGINE DAMAGE WITH ENGINES THAT ARE LOW MILEAGE AND SIMPLY SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. THIS ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE IS SERIOUS AND CAN LEAD TO A MAJOR...

WE PURCHASED THIS CAR IN LATE SEPT./EARLY OCT. 2012 WITH 29K MILES ON THE CAR. MY WIFE DRIVES THIS CAR, AND WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE, AS SHE WAS ENTERING THE OFF RAMP IN FOREST LAKE, MN HER CAR STARTED TO JERK/RUN LIKE CRAP (LATE JANUARY 2013). SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME, I TRIED TO FIGURE OUT THE ISSUE, BUT EVERYTHING I CHECKED TEST GOOD, SO I BROUGHT IT TO A LOCAL IMPORT TECH, AND HE DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE TO BE THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER, ALLOWING THE TIMING TO JUMP. HE SAYS HE STARTED UP THE MOTOR TO TEST FURTHER, IT IDLED FOR LESS THAN A MINUTE BEFORE THE MOTOR DIED AND NOW WILL NOT START. I NOW, AFTER OWNING THE CAR FOR 3-4 MONTHS, HAVE A MAJOR ENGINE FAILURE. I DO NOT CARE TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THIS HAPPENED WHILE MY WIFE WAS...

THE TIMING CHAIN HAS LOCKED UP. I NOTICE THAT THIS IS A COMMOM COMPLAINT. *TR

STRANGE KNOCKING/RUBBING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FOR THE YEAR 2007+ MINI COOPER. FROM THE MINI DEALER REPAIR DETAILS IT APPEARS TO BE A ISSUE WITH THE TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER SYSTEM. IT ALSO APPEARS THAT WITHOUT BEING FIXED THE CAR WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE A TIMING CHAIN FAILURE AND POSSIBLE MOTOR DESTRUCTION. THIS COULD OCCUR WHILE DRIVING AND I COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE CAUSING A CRASH. MINI WILL NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT WITHOUT THE VEHICLE STILL BEING UNDER WARRANTY. I CALL FOR A RECALL. *TR

THE OIL INPUT LINE TO THE TURBO HAS STARTED TO LEAK. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY SIDELINED BECAUSE OF CHANCE OF FIRE OR FAILURE OF THE TURBO. *TR

MY CAR HAD BEEN MAKING A RATTLING SOUND OFF AND ON FOR A SHORT TIME (MOSTLY IN THE COLD MORNINGS) I DROVE FROM HOUSTON TO DALLAS. WHEN PARKED ON THE SIDE ROAD, MY CAR WOULD NOT START UP. I HAD NO SERVICE LIGHT OR ANY OTHER LIGHTS COME ON. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND I WAS TOLD MY TIMING BELT WAS BROKEN. I HAVE NO MEANS TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. WHILE SEARCHING THE INTERNET IT APPEARS THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND MINI COOPER/BMW ARE AWARE OF THIS AND HAVE DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT. *TR

THE CAR STARTED LEAKING SMALL AMOUNTS OF OIL IN THE GARAGE, APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF A DIME. WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED YOU COULD SMELL A SLIGHT OIL BURNING ODOR. THE CAR SAT FOR 3 DAYS, WAS DRIVEN AND SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THERE WAS NO FIRE. THE RESULT IS THAT THE "TURBO OIL FEED LINE" AND "CRANKCASE TO VALVE COVER HOSE" WERE REPLACED BECAUSE BOTH WERE LEAKING OIL. AT 50700 MI, WE HAD TO REPLACE THE VALVE COVER AND CCV ASSEMBLY. THIS CAR WAS REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL PE11036 FOR A COOLING FAN ISSUE. CONSIDERING THE LOW MILEAGE ON THIS VEHICLE, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THERE HAVE BEEN TOO MANY ISSUES WITH IT RELATED TO THE TURBO CHARGER AND OIL SYSTEM. FROM READING OTHER ISSUES ONLINE IT APPEARS THAT THERE ARE DESIGN FLAWS WITH THE SHIELDING OF THESE COMPONENTS FROM HIGH HEAT SOURCES ON...

THE OIL FEED LINE FOR THE TURBOCHARGER LEAKED ENOUGH OIL TO ALLOW ENOUGH SMOKE INTO THE CABIN TO GREATLY DECREASE VISIBILITY. THE FITTING IS COMPRISED OF A BANGO FITTING THAT IS CRIMPED TO THE FEED LINE WITH AN O-RING IN THE FEED LINE. THE O-RING IS THE COMPONENT THAT FAILED AND MY ENGINEERING BACK ROUND HAS LED ME TO THE ROOT CAUSE BEING THAT THE O-RING HAS SEEN ENOUGH THERMAL CYCLED TO DETERIORATE LEADING TO THE LEAK. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FROM A RELIABILITY STANDPOINT AND I KNOW THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY MINI OWNER THAT HAS HAD THIS HAPPEN TO THEM. MINI NEEDS TO OWN UP TO THIS DESIGN FLAW. *TR

THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER BACKED OUT OF THE ENGINE BLOCK ALLOWING ENGINE OIL TO BE PUMPED OUT OF THE ENGINE. THE TENSIONER WORKS ON ENGINE OIL PRESSURE AND IT BACKED OUT FAR ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE ENGINE OIL THAT NORMALLY PRESSURIZED THE PISTON TO BE PUMPED OUT OF THE ENGINE. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE THE STREAK OF OIL AS I BACKED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, BUT IF I HAD NOT I AM SURE THAT MORE DAMAGE AND POTENTIAL FIRE WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. THIS IS SURPRISING AS THIS SAME PART WAS REPLACED UNDER A RECALL FOR BEING FAULTY. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS STILL A DESIGN FLAW AND SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY MINI. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO COOL DOWN SO THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED AND HE WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE FOR MORE THAN A FEW MILES WITHOUT IT OVERHEATING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,400. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8,234. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

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

AS I WAS DRIVING MY CAR STARTED CHUGGING. I PULLED OVER AND KEPT CHUGGING. I STOPPED THE CAR, LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND SAW IF SOMETHING WAS WRONG. DID NOT SEE ANYTHING. STARTED IT UP AGAIN AND ONCE I ACCELERATED IT STOPPED CHUGGING. DROVE IT VERY SCARCELY AND BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD IT WAS A TIMING CHAIN. VERY LUCKY THAT IT HAS NOT SNAPPED OR SKIPPED BECAUSE YOU WOULD HAVE POSSIBLY LOSE CONTROL. THE CAR ONLY HAS 36000 MILES ON IT AND HAS HAD THE OIL LEVEL TOPPED OFF EVERY FEW FILL UPS. THEY DO NOT LOOK AT THIS AS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS HAPPENED ON QUITE A FEW CARS. MY LOCAL MECHANIC SAID HE HAS NEVER HEARD OF A TIMING CHAIN SNAPPING OR STRETCHING TO WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT 36000 MILES. IT IS DANGEROUS AND ALSO VERY COSTLY TO PAY...

BEGAN TO HEAR LOUD KNOCKING NOISE FROM ENGINE OF MY 4 YEAR OLD MINI @ 66000 MILES. HAVE HAD MY MINI SERVICED ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP FOR 4 YEARS. AFTER HEARING THE NOISE DID RESEARCH ONLINE TO NOTICE THAT MINIS HAVE A TIMING BELT /TENSIONER ISSUE. NOTICED ON THE SAME NIGHT THAT MY OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT I JUST HAD MY OIL CHANGED IN AUGUST OF 2012 AND THIS WAS NOVEMBER 2012. TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND THE SERVICER SAID THEY HAD HEARD OF SOME MINI'S TIMING CHAINS FAILING AT 14K MILES. AFTER DIAGNOSIS HE NOTES THAT IT IS THE TIMING CHAIN AND THAT THE OIL FILTER GASKET WAS LEAKING WHICH CAUSED THE TIMING CHAIN TO FAIL. THIS IS NOT CORRECT AS MY VEHICLE HAS NEVER LEAKED OIL, AND I HAD JUST GOTTEN MY OIL CHANGED 3 MONTHS EARLIER AND...

DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS WHEN I BEGAN TO SMELL BURNT OIL. AS SOON AS I WAS ABLE TO I PULLED OVER, IMMEDIATELY THERE WAS A CLOUD OF SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE FRONT HOOD. I OPENED THE HOOD AND THOUGH THERE WAS NO FIRE IT APPEARED THAT THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM OIL LEAKING ONTO THE TURBO FROM THE OIL FEED LINE. AFTER LETTING THE CAR COOL I PROCEEDED HOME. NOW WHENEVER THE CAR IS SITTING IDLE I CAN SMELL BURNT OIL AND AFTER GETTING HOME I CAN SEE OIL POOLING ON THE TOP OF THE TURBO. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE CONNECTION ON THE TURBO OIL FEED LINE DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE LINE AND HEAT FROM THE TURBO AND I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THIS AT MY OWN COST. *TR

KNOCKING NOISE WHEN STARTING AND RUNNING. I THOUGHT IT WAS FROM THE WRONG FUEL ADDED TO IT, OR LOW OIL WHEN I PURCHASED IT. I CORRECTED THOSE TWO ISSUES, BUT IT STILL MAKES THE KNOCKING NOISE. I AM VERY AFRAID IT WILL SEIZE. I BELIEVE THE TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *TR

I WAS TOLD MY WARRANTY EXPIRED END OF JUNE. I BOUGHT MINI-S 08 USED IN FEBRUARY FROM A MINI DEALERSHIP IN WESTCHESTER, ELMSFORD, NY. I NOTICED A KNOCKING NOISE THAT TO ME DIDN'T SOUND NORMAL NOT TOO LONG AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR. THE PEOPLE AT MINI TOLD ME IT WAS FROM SOMETHING ELSE, A LOOSE PIECE AND THAT THEY "FIXED THE PROBLEM." THIS NOISE ONLY BECAME WORSE, AND NOW THE CAR IS AT 45,000 MILES AND NOT EVEN 6 MONTHS FROM PURCHASE. THE NOISE BECAME EVEN LOUDER, WHICH THEN IT SOUNDED LIKE A TRACTOR TRAILER. I CHANGED THE OIL, THE NOISE WASN'T AS LOUD BUT STILL THERE. MY MECHANIC SAID THAT THE TIMING BELT IS GOING TO SNAP SOON, AND IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM THAT CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, AND ONCE IT BREAKS, THE WHOLE ENGINE WILL BE DESTROYED. *TR

MY CAR STARTED MAKING A WEIRD NOISE IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR NEAR THE ENGINE WHEN I TURNED IT ON. THEN IT CONTINUED TO MAKE THE LOUD NOISE AS I DROVE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THE TIMING CHAIN STRETCHED AND CAUSED THE GUIDE RAIL TO BREAK, WHICH FELL INTO THE OIL PAN. THE DEALER SAID I WAS LUCKY MY ENGINE DIDN'T LOOK UP WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS WAS A $2100 FIX ON A 4 YEAR OLD CAR WITH 53,000 MILES. *TR

THE TURBO CHARGER HAS TOTALLY FAILED (CAR IS UNDER HALF POWER) AND THE TOP GUIDE ON THE TIMING CHAIR (TENSIONER SYSTEM) IS BROKEN. I HAVE DONE THE PROPER MAINTENANCE WITH EXCEPTIONAL CARE. THE TURBO IS COOLED BY THE KNOWN FAILED AUXILIARY WATER PUMP WITH INTEGRATED CIRCUIT BOARD AND IS CURRENTLY UNDER RECALL. MINI/BMW IS REFUSING TO COVER THESE FAILURES CLEARLY CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE PARTS AND DESIGN (OIL LINE LEADING TO TURBO GETS GUMMED UP BECAUSE IT IS TOO SMALL). THEY ARE ATTEMPTING TO CHARGE ME OVER $5200 TO REPAIR THE CAR (20% OF THE VEHICLE COST IN 2008) FOR WHAT IS ABSOLUTELY A MANUFACTURER PROBLEM. MY CAR IS NOT OPERATIONAL AND HAS NOT BEEN OPERATIONAL FOR OVER 2 WEEKS WHILE I CONTINUE TO 'FIGHT' BMW'S DETERMINATION NOT TO COVER THESE PROBLEMS. READING COUNTLESS BLOGS WITH OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM(S) I BELIEVE BMW IS INTENTIONALLY SELLING A PRODUCT IT KNOWS...