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2007 Cooper S "Timing Chain Tensioner Defect"

24K views 31 replies 23 participants last post by  feniyat 
#1 ·
Hi Everyone,

I had some problems with a recent BMW pre-purchase inspection, in case anyone is thinking of getting one they are not worth the money. BMW will cover up any known faults, at least an independant check will give you the truth.

The letter I sent them is below, will post the reply when I get it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please pass this email onto BMW complaints division at head office.
I would like to ask for BMW’s assistance in claiming some compensation for the matter outlined below.

Summary –
• Mini Cooper S Chilli 2007 model R56 – Rego XXX-XXX – Vehicle has only done 38,000 kms
• Purchased second hand privately
• Paid over $550 to BMW Canterbury (where car was bought from) for pre-purchase inspection one month ago
• BMW Canterbury noted a timing chain rattle was result of little low on oil which they topped up
• Purchased car based on report
• Timing chain rattle persisted - asked BMW Sylvania to identify if rattle was something that could be fixed under recall
• BMW Sylvania charged $221+ to confirm rattle was a known issue but not covered by a recall
• Disputed $221+ charge with BMW Sylvania service manager, was told they spent time and this will be charged full stop. BMW Sylvania quoted $980 to re-tension chain without fixing root cause – I declined to proceed with the work

As I am sure you are aware, it seems the chain tensioner is a well-known Mini Cooper S issue.
Timing chain work is a major service and every 30,000kms is obviously a design fault BMW are aware of. Even the cheapest brand cars recommend this type of work every 100,000kms.
I have read BMW in other countries have distributed a service manual on the parts to replace to ensure the root cause of this issue is resolved permanently and performing the work at no cost to the owner.

I have the following concerns -
1. Why did I not receive a competent pre-purchase inspection by BMW Canterbury, this is the same inspection you perform on your own used cars to give owners manufacturer piece of mind before purchasing from your lot.
2. When was BMW Canterbury not forthcoming with what they are well aware of is an expensive and re-occurring issue? (perhaps they are not allowed to due to poor PR for BMW?)
3. Why did Sylvania BMW insist on inspecting the car rather than give me a quotation over the phone as asked to resolve the well-known issue AND THEN charge $221 for confirming what they already knew?
4. Why am I $700+ out of pocket and no progress due to BMW’s service agents inability to be honest with me about well-known issues?
5. Why is a major fault on a $50,000+ purchase price car that will easily destroy an engine at low kms not a recall campaign?
6. Is it true that BMW only pay for parts rather than labour to resolve? - if this is the case from what I have read the part is less than 2% of the cost of the rectification repair which is unacceptable given fault lies with BMW.

The dealers informed me they would not be out of pocket, I would need to pay them and take it up with BMW directly.
I am asking if someone at BMW can please look at my case and at a minimum refund the pre-purchase inspection and charge by BMW Sylvania.

I am then still left with a minimum $980 charge to temporarily tighten the timing chain due to BMW’s faulty design.
I expect many thousands to either fix permanently or to perform the above $980 fix multiple times each 30,000kms as many others have needed to do.

Attached are extracts from a class action document outlining the exact "Timing Chain Tensioner Defect" issues I have experienced –
“The Class Vehicles are uniformly and inherently defective in materials, design, or
workmanship, and prematurely fail under ordinary driving conditions and far in advance of their
expected useful life. The Timing Chain Tensioner Defect exists regardless of the driving conditions
at which the Class Vehicles are driven and regardless of compliance with Defendants' recommended
maintenance schedule.”
“Defendants have sold thousands of Class Vehicles without disclosing to Class
Members the existence of the Timing Chain Tensioner Defect. Where the Timing Chain Tensioner
Defect manifests after 48 months or 50,000 miles, the Defendants contend that the warranty period
has expired and that Class Members bear the cost of the repair, which can be thousands of dollars”
“Defendants have purposefully concealed, and continue to conceal, their knowledge of
the Timing Chain Tensioner Defect so as to be able to take the position with their customers that the
written warranty period "expired" before the defect manifests itself. Despite the safety risk to Class
Vehicle occupants, Defendants failed to disclose material information regarding the defect in an
attempt to avoid the cost of repair and, instead, unfairly shift the cost of repair to Class Member”s
“The Timing Chain Tensioner Defect presents a substantial safety risk because the
defect can cause sudden engine failure and complete loss of vehicle power at any time and without
warning.”
Look forward to hearing from you and your advice in how to move forward to rectify this issue mechanically and financially.
 
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#2 ·
BMW response - 2007 Cooper S "Timing Chain Tensioner Defect"

BMW head office finally sent me a response, they said they comply with laws in Australia and therefore will not refund my costs or issue a recall even though they have done so in other countries.

They also will not refund the BMW used car inspection cost even though they covered up the timing chain issue.

With the new Mini Marketing Campaign about to launch I wonder what would be more economical......

A) refund the man's $500 inspection where we missed the major fault
Or
B) see a MINI parked out the front of the highway/mini dealer with the giant words BMW LEMON on the side week after week
 
#8 ·
BMW head office finally sent me a response, they said they comply with laws in Australia and therefore will not refund my costs or issue a recall even though they have done so in other countries.

They also will not refund the BMW used car inspection cost even though they covered up the timing chain issue.

With the new Mini Marketing Campaign about to launch I wonder what would be more economical......

A) refund the man's $500 inspection where we missed the major fault
Or
B) see a MINI parked out the front of the highway/mini dealer with the giant words BMW LEMON on the side week after week
Fairly sure they will gice you two options.

1) remove the car yourself
2) they will have your car removed for you at your cost

To BMW you're nothing, second hand purchases have minimal if any value to them, only to the dealer network.
 
#3 ·
Hi All,

I have have the same issue with my mini cooper chili S 2008, it only runs for 42k, brought it to bmw Rushcutters Bay for inspection and they confirmed it is the timing chain issue, we tried to get them to fix, however, due to out of warranty, they declined to do it at their cost, maybe we should start grouping people to start class action law suit, like the one in USA, or at least set up facebook page to make people aware of this issue.
 
#4 ·
All very frustrating and annoying and it happens time and time again, same thing.
However its very poor service if youve had an inspection and they just dont tell you its no good so they arent lumbered with fixing it in the price.
I bet if you trace the previous owner, its highly likely they were told it was going to need doing and thats part of the reason they got rid of it?
I know if my chain starts making noises I will do the whole job myself, engine out strip and repair, seems taking it to a garage is more hassle than its worth.
 
#5 ·
Timing Chain Tensioner

There might be more than one Mini parked out the front of BMW with LEMON written on it. The timing chain tensioner on my Mini JCW broke back in November 2013, causing a major breakdown and I'm STILL waiting for it to be fixed. Putting it in the hands of the lawyers now - it's way beyond reasonable.
 
#31 ·
Timing Chain Tensioner

There might be more than one Mini parked out the front of BMW with LEMON written on it. The timing chain tensioner on my Mini JCW broke back in November 2013, causing a major breakdown and I'm STILL waiting for it to be fixed. Putting it in the hands of the lawyers now - it's way beyond reasonable.
I would like to ask for BMW’s assistance in claiming some compensation for the matter outlined below.
 
#7 ·
I'm looking at buying a MCS and it will probably be a 2007 model.

I've changed timing belts on other cars and was thinking that its going to be an eventuality to change the chain and tensioner on an MCS

Is it something that effects all the N14 engines? Or only some? Is there a way to tell if the tensioner has been changed before?
 
#10 ·
it's not that bad a job but you need the engine locking tools and to take a lot of care especially with the crankshaft bolt, the chain sprocket at the crankshaft is on a floating hub piece with no key way if you don't get that chain sprocket and hub together 'true' it will slip, lose valve-timing and bend valves.
 
#11 ·
Mini 2007

I've got a mini and I've tried a few mini service departments in Sydney to try and find out why my mini sounds like a rotarty engine, and why none can make the engine light on my dash go away......after 7 years of these so called "experts" who specialize in mini services could never give me a reason why, I've had everything from not enough oil to not warming the car up before I take off, its just been a joke, the only time it ran its best was for the first few months of having it...Its seems that when these fools put the car on the machine that reads what the problems are they just wipe it and say, it just needed a service...
Why cant these people educated regarding recalls, it seems the dealership has no interest in helping out clients, and now we all have to fit the bill in some way. I've just had both things changed, timing belt and water pump, and waiting on mini to get back to me as to whether or not they will fit my $3,000 bill for these problems, not to mention, I have to pay $1500 for the labor time spend fixing this, I don't I should be paying for anything!!!!! What a joke MINI!!! your reputation is fast approaching ALPHA Romeo status, LEMON CITY!!
 
#12 ·
Hi All Mini owners
I am trying to organize a Class action against BMW -through Maurice Blackburn Solicitors. However, I have been told that this requires a minimum of 7 people to get things started.
I have only just heard of this timing tensioner / chain issue. I own a cooper S 2007 Turbo with only 50,000km on the clock and it has always been noisy but has not failed.
I called BMW’s head office and a couple of Queensland dealerships, they are trying to make out it is an overseas issue which is totally untrue.
I am trying to find out if they will be replacing the defective parts with a modified part or the same part???
If you are interested in starting or supplying information to Maurice Blackburn, email or call 1800675341
 
#13 ·
I've a Mini Cooper S 2010 model with only 36,000kms on the clock. It has the dreaded death rattle (timing chain issues) and I've also been told it has carbon build up and needs to be de-coked. BMW Service Centre at Artarmon quote it could cost anything from $2500 to $4000. I would never have purchased this car if I knew about these obvious design faults. I just want to get rid of it. I can't drive it because I'm worried it will die completely. My husband has sent a letter to BMW but they have declined to help, which is no surprise. Would like to join a class action here in Australia.
 
#14 ·
I have no axe to grind here as I do not own a Mini, but Australian Consumer Law includes sections relating to "Unconscionable conduct" and the manner in which representations are made regarding the fitness of goods or services for a particular purpose. In my opinion anyone who has been affected by the "timing chain tensioner" issue on N14 motors would be well advised to seek legal advice or as a minimum, make contact with your State Department of Fair Trading. As far as pre-purchase inspections go, I would advise against using any dealer or manufacturer affilliated company for this purpose. Having purchased a number of vehicles (often from interstate), I always insist on a StateRoads pre-purchase inspection. The cost varies slightly between states but is under $300 for a comprehensive, 6 page pre-purchase inspection, which includes a road test, photographs and personal contact from the inspector to discuss any issues affecting the car. For a slight extra charge, they will include a diagnostic report (i.e. access and reporting on diagnostic trouble codes stored on the vehicle).

I have had 2 of these inspections conducted during the past month - one on a 2010 (N18) Cooper S, which my daughter purchased and the second on a 2011 Cooper S, which I decided not to purchase as the result of issues identified in the report. My daughter's car was inspected in Victoria and the 2011 was inspected in NSW. Both vehicle inspectors obviously knew their stuff and offered fair and frank discussion about the result of their inspections. Being very familiar with BMW vehicles, their mechanical and diagnostic systems as the result of owning and working on them for a number of years, I am well placed to sort good information from bad and would not continue to use a service that did not cut it for pre-purchase inspections.
 
#18 ·
Hi There
I have had timing tensioner and timing chain issues on my mini cooper s clubman chilli 2009. Ive had a case at the tribunal open against Bmw and they have offered to fix timing at their cost at last mediation. I want to know if they are using new modified parts as the parts in this generation are known defective, and if so how are they going now with new modified part? Thanks and regards Sophia
 
#16 ·
Yikes. I have the same issue i think.. a very annoying sound every time i start driving while the car is cold engine.. gets better as the car warms up… mine is also 2007 mini cooper s. just hit 70,000 km`s… So obviously no recall on another one of this cars manufacture defaults!… Had better get mine seen too…. thank you
 
#19 ·
Hi Friend...I too am in the same position as you.
I purchased my Mini Cooper S Clubman 2008 year model this year 2016 Sydney Australia... second hand a private sale.
My timing chain went also and it cost me in total $2,800.00
I was gutted to read that this was a highly regular issue worldwide.

I need to see if I can get some justice for this negligence.
 
#20 ·
its highly unlikely you will get any justice for this because of the 1000s of failures. as siad on this forum and many others the timing chain guide rails vanos solenoids and oil consumption are all common issues.

oil pumps are also at borrowed time after 100k :serious:


with all do respect you should of read up about the issues before buying the car.
 
#24 ·
Hi
I recently purchased a 2009 cooper s cabrio. It only had 47000km on it. The guy I bought it from had it serviced regularly at bmw and had a road worthy done with them 2 days before I purchased it. I started hearing a noise last week and the car started sounding like a tractor when I first started it. This went away after about 5 minutes. I thought it may have been because I went through a very large puddle on Sunday when it was pelting down rain. The noise did not disappear and 3 day's later the engine light came on. I took the car to bmw thinking that there may be water in the turbo or something to this effect. They informed me today that "Top chain guide mechanically failed, disturbing engine timing large amount of slack on chain drive, thus loud rattling noise evident"
It is going to cost $4000 to fix. When I asked what would cause this they said using wrong engine oil or not serviced correctly.
I contacted the lawyers mentioned in earlier feeds in this forum to see if there had been any success with getting bmw to fix the problem. The lawyers mentioned said that they had never had a lawsuit against Bmw I then contacted fair trading and as I only just purchased the car I have had no dealings with bmw personally so can't have a case against them. Plus I purchased from Victoria and live in NSW. I then contacted bmw in Newcastle again where the car now is. I explained that if the problem was caused by using wrong oil or bad servicing it was all done at bmw. They are speaking to BMW to see if anything can be done but I'm not holding my breath.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do. Don't have the money to fix it. ?? I have only done 5000km on the car since buying it 2 months ago
 
#26 ·
Here is a timing chain i replaced recently, the Chain had completely snapped from being driven for too long with damaged guides/low oil, it even snapped teeth off the Crank sprocket which i've never seen before.

Did not bend any engine valves which i think was very lucky, i replaced the Chain/guides/tensioner/etc, removed the sump and extracted all the broken pieces there were many. replaced the oil and filter twice to flush any pieces and tested it - all ok.

customer was quoted by a workshop 11k plus labour to replace the entire engine, i repaired it within a week for much less and it runs like new.

Send me a message on here if you have this problem, I'm located in Sydney.
 

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