2nd Gen R56 Cooper S Most liked posts in thread: Camshaft timing Off one degree, advice needed!

I'm going to rub their nose in it until they wish they never screwed with me, I'm going to make life miserable. If the BAR complaint doesn't yield any resolution I'll file small claims against they, I could also speak to the owner and see if we can't come to an agreement, or I'll tell him I ready to file small claims.

I did call Mini USA to complain, they said they stand behind the Mini dealers tech, dead-end. I already filed a complaint against them through BAR. When I asked my SA why they won't cover it under warranty he stated, "it happens over time as the timing chain stretches. I asked him if my chain was stretched of course he said yes, then I asked him how he knew that and asked him what the chain slack would be on a brand new timing chain, the tech told the SA that they never ever bothered to check the slack on a new chain.

I asked the SA again how he could claim my chain was stretch if he didn't know what a new chain would measure, he turned and walked away from me ignoring me completely. It's pretty clear he didn't know what he was talking about he knew I know which is why he walked away, I'd be embarrassed if I was him. I don't believe they ever adjusted the static camshaft timing correctly when they installed the first time. Irvine Mini doesn't stand behind their work even with a warranty.


It's only been 2 years, how does that seem like over time? I'd by it if I drove 50,000 miles, but the cam timing shouldn't be off at all only after 10,000 miles. They didn't adjust the cam timing correctly the first time.

 

I remember the SA and the tech said that this 1 degree misalignment would cause a engine to run rough, the opposite is true. Engine runs smoothly and has loads of power, but this is just the way dealers make money off people.

 

2007 Mini Cooper S R56 60,000 miles

Your right though if they had just done what I asked of them (measure slack, install updated tensioner) I wouldn't be here complaining and I would be happy with my Mini Dealers work, but they got greedy and wanted to milk me for more money. My engine runs so damn smooth and has a lot of power that I have gotten remarks about how smooth it runs from my body shop, they claim that my Mini is smoother than any Mini they have driven.

The SA knew before hand either way I was going to get a new updated tensioner because the original tensioner was starting to show signs of not fully tensioning the timing chain with a slight baby rattle that really wasn't that loud. I asked the SA just for piece of mind to check the timing chain slack and give me the measurement for which they did, 66.42mm. When it was time to install the new updated tensioner the SA hit the brakes and stated he didn't feel comfortable doing so because the cam timing being off by one degree.

That's when the BS started flying and when I hear something that's that far out there I know at this point everything that follows is BS. He even took me back to where my car was being worked on and showed me that the cam lock tools wouldn't lay flat on one another. You could see the square shaped slots at the end of the cams nearer to the HPFP and vacuum pump, the intake was slightly different than the exhaust by 1 degree. Nobody has touched my Mini since they installed the timing chain components so if it's off at all it's because they got it wrong from the time they reinstalled the new timing chain. Those cam gears don't turn on there own when properly torqued.

I'll talk with the owner first and if he decides not to help then I lay down and give up the hunt.

 

You make some really good points, interestingly not even the tech knows if being off one degree on the cam timing is within spec or ok. All the tech knows is its off and is trained to adjust the cam timing neutral or zero. I have been driving my Mini every since the installation of new timing chain components and it runs like a champ!


I took my Mini to the dealer not because it ran poorly (quite the opposite) but because I had a small amount of timing chain noise barely audiable. It's not known to me if the ECU via the Vanos corrects the timing by one degree, from what I know I doubt being off one degree on the cam timing makes that big a deal. I have driven it this way since I have owned the car.

 

The SA and technician should have done the right thing and just adjust it while it was open, the SA said to me that it's his job to generate sales/income in order to stay in business. They should have been thinking about keeping me a loyal repeat customer, now they have lost a repeat custumer. If they had offered a discount say half the bill i would have accepted it. Sure they don't care because there's plenty of fools out there to generate income for them.

 

The tech had the tensioner tool installed tight for the slack measurement, then showed me that the cam lock tool wouldn't lay flat on top of each other, the tech also stated that after time the cams go out of sync. So I asked him if I needed to come in every 2 years to have it adjust again. Pure BS!

 

I went ahead and filed a complaint (BAR) against the Mini dealer, reason is if my extended warranty company finds out about me declining cam timing alignment it could affect their decision at a later date for repairs, you never know if I'll even have a burnt, broken valve/piston in the future. The interesting thing about all this is nowhere on my paperwork does it list anything about my warranty for the timing chain components, I mean all I have heard about my warranty is verbally from the Service Writer.

It's all hearsay, I'm not able to read the specifics of the warranty. I mean what if it does say 2-Years parts and labor/workmanship, I have no way to confirm. This is the first dealer that doesn't have the specifics written down on the back of the paper like everyone else. I have to go by what the Service Writer says which can be interpreted to favor the dealer. It's almost as if they don't want you to have any info about warranties.