Hi just thought I would try and get some feedback , basicly I've had my car 5 years but ive only done just over 26.000 miles and this week I've found out I now need a new engine!! Shocking 8 thousand pounds!! The pistons are all at different heights and bent!! Why after hardly any miles does it need a new engine I've spokent to some mechanic s I know and this shouldn't of happend because I haven't drove through any water or used high revs for long periods ?? BMW uk said they will pay 5.000 as a goodwill gesture and I have to pay the rest I just would like some ideas and help and options on what I should do ? please help any ideas welcome as I'm not a happy bunny

Hi Sorry to here about your problems not good

I take it your MCS is a r56 gen2 mini
Have you owned it from new ?
why has it gone in for repair in the first place ?
what garage has it gone in to ?
Was it running when it went in ?

I find 8k is a bit far fetched last engine change i hurd of was 4k and owner paid £580 and mini paid the rest.

pistons don't normaly bend they tend to shatter or brake, con rods tend to bend and brake and cranks brake.

If you have had it from new and you have not ragged the hell out of it and it's been regularly serviced. I would refuse there offer and ask for a better one due to that. I would also ask for a reference number from the garage and call mini uk your self Incase there trying to pull a fast one.
I would also ask for a written report.
Have a search though mini2 I think there are a few posts about replacement engine clams

Hope this help a little

sounds like the conrods are bent, thus the pistons are not sitting where they should be ?

must be a reason for this happening, eg lack of oil, etc

you don't say how old the car is ? and the overall mileage ?

£8000 is a bit much.............................

Iain

My mini cooper s is a 56 plate so 5 years old I bought it from brand new and have a full BMW service history and tlc pack , I have done just over 26,000 miles , BMW uk have said they will pay 5 grand I have to pay 2,700 with the diagnosis being 1500 pounds included in the 2,700 , they said it would cost that much to see what was wrong as the cam cover was cracked and had to look under which would take about a 10 hour job the car is at coopers BMW garage in Norwich where all my previous services have been done obviously if I persued this more maybe this would be a bit of an embaressment for BMW I was going to get it done then see what or if I could get anything back after as they should be embaressed by this , the bloke who I have been dealing with said that if I did complain they could retract there goodwill gesture , I'm going to get all the reports and info

I smell I big Dirty Rat!
get a second or even third quote ....BMW will stand by their good will gesture no matter who you fix it with...bending the conrods takes a massive amount of force matey....I can think of 2 definate ways to do it that ive seen with my own eyes in my 25 years of engineering and a dropped valve ive only heard of
1: HYDRALOCK....drive your car through a DAM then try Pull Start it with a bus....
2: FLOOD the ENGINE with Fuel...COMPLETELY and try Pull start it with the same bus...
3:Drop a VALVE into the combustion Chamber is also a good candidate for bent Conrods but that normally just stuffs the piston and the valve up..Ive yet to see a bent conrod from a dropped Valve..but it can happen if all your valves fell in at the same time!...{if you dropped the valve and pulled the car with the same bus again}.....(jesting!)

bending conrods from over revving....na mate...they tend to snap at that kind of force..and it takes a long time to do that probably drop a valve first...Ive taken a 1000ZX kawasaki and reved it to the limiter pushed a stick in the throttle walked away for 45min and it still didnt blow up people where lighting their fags on the red glowing pipes ..and its the same type of engine ..overhead cams and timming chains...

so Mate I Rekon you getting bent over a barstool and getting shafted without Vasaline buddy!...Pull ya pants up and walk away from these guys and get some other quotes ...

I've found out I now need a new engine!!The pistons are all at different heights and bent!!

why?

how did they come to that conclusion!

did they strip the engine down?

are you have problems with your engine misfiring,no power running rough..

as already said it takes a lot to bend a rod normally from liquid ingress because it doesn't compress well

Yes the cam cover was cracked so they had to take it off and look under to see what the problem was that's when they found out! That cost 1500 for just the diagnosis !! Basicly I'm paying for all the labour as its a BMW garage it's expensive , BMW uk have agreed to pay 5,000 for the new engine and parts but I want and think they should pay more I don't mind paying some but 2,700 is alot of money so once I get all the paperwork and reports then I will be sending a letter and complain and see if I can get more compensation it s the second mini I have had and bought off them from brand new and full BMW service history, what are my chances of BMW paying more?

what performance/running problems were you having.

i've been a working on cars for 15yrs+ & have never come across this type of damage to an engine unless it's sucked in water or some type of fluid has entered the combustion chamber..

hey guys I'm new to this i drive a 2003 mini cooper s R53 i was just wondering what upgrades i can do with out doing internal motor work i was looking at a 13% pulley upgrade and didn't know if it was safe to do with a stock motor any help would be awesome thanks

It was running not too bad someone said he could hear a noise I couldn't and I drive it all the time , it passed its mot days before then suddenly the orange engine light came on when I was driving saying not enough power going to the engine and then the exhaust was rumbling a bit, it happend the Friday before Xmas so all the garages were shut so I thought I'd take it to the garage on the Wednesday but then the car wouldn't start, do you think BMW should cover all the cost?? Even though my warranty has run out ???

Hi

There is something wrong with this story. I think something stinks like a pair of old tramps under paints.
I think if I was in your position I would want someone else to come look at it.
I would also be on the phone to mini asking for a tech rep to come and look at it.
As you are not happy. And make shore your there
If it has been serviced and maintained correctly you should not have this happen to this exstent.
Why was the cam cover cracked and where?

I would love to see pictures or a proper written report and you should demand one.
It is very easy to diagnose a banjaxed engine 1500 quid it way way to much.
Let me put it this way if they charged £100 an hour easy ball park figure that's 15 hour to find is knakered. That's two days
It should be no more that 5 hours to diagnose it and that max
they should have called and said to you after a few hours look this is going to take longer than we thought.
There is something really wrong here.
I would also speak to citizens advice and trading standards
The engine should not fail in this way with this mileage with a full bmw service history Ask them why it has happend what has caused it see what they say.
Let us know