Sources are telling us that BMW is prepping a campaign to replace these in affected cars. But they still have not decided what to do with people that have already paid to have the fix out of warranty. To make matters more interesting there are also reports that a California law firm is preparing a class-action lawsuit about the issue. Oddly, this MotoringFile article did not get in the feed that is published here on M/A. The full article can be found at MotoringFile » Archive » Is MINI Preparing a Campaign for the Infamous Chain Tensioner? The above paragraph is just a teaser of the full article.
:cornut: So I wonder whether when MINI replaced my timing chain oiler tensioner in 2009 or 2010 they used the old defective oiler or the new improved oiler? HMMMMMMMMMMMMM Jason
Two months ago I heard a very loud rattling sound, it sounded like the chain was hitting the valve cover. Since then my MCS has toned down the noise a lot. You can still hear the loose chain on the cam sprockets after the engine reaches operating temperature. My MCS is parked and covered until there's a recall or if it is fixed! Should I take it in now or wait for Mini to initiate the recall for those effected?
I'd take it to a dealer and complain. Are you still under warranty? If not mention that this is a known issue. They know it is. I'd not mention that you have seen it all over the interwebz, that gives them fodder to say we are all wrong, websites know nothing and it's just you.
Yes it's under a Carmax warranty through Maxcare Extended Warranty (6-Year/100,000 mile), but there's still the $200 deductible! I have the option to take it where I want, I would take it to Irvine Mini. I'm not letting Carmax touch my car, there's always MiniWorx in Laguna Hills down the street. :biggrin5: 2007 MCS 47,000 miles on odometer.
:deadhorse::deadhorse::deadhorse::lol::lol::lol: Tell us more DaveO:lol::lol: :yesnod::yesnod::yesnod:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn: Jason
Yea, like the car Steve did 3 weeks ago that bent all 8 intake valves after the chain broke and they hit the pistons........and the car last week that bent 4 of them after the chain broke............
All the more reason to start looking for your receipts, go back to the repair place and ask for duplicates, check with your credit card company for transaction copies etc. If this comes through, I think you will need to prove your expense took place. With today's technology there are some pretty easy things to do. Upload records to google Drive (aka google docs) , Dropbox, box, etc I also use a smart device app called Evernote. Take a picture of the document with smartphone and upload it. Also support text recognition so later on you can search for "tensioner" and it will find it on the document if it exists.
My local MINI dealer took care of my friends 09 MCS when hers started rattling and running like crap with 65K on it. She is the 3rd owner and bought it from a used car lot. They did the whole thing (chain, sprockets, and all) and it did not cost her a dime! And this was several months ago. That tells me that MINI has been taking care of people on this for a while. Mine was done at 30K for the cars previous owner and has been perfect ever since.
:cornut: I must admit that my Margi(08 R56 BRG MCS/JCWm) has been fine since the above repair also although I am familiar with 1 or 2 members of Metroplex MINI club in Dallas, TX that had to have this done twice.:eek6::frown2: Jason
Irvine Mini (So Cal) just called me and told me (AJ the SA) that my upper guide rails where broken, quoted me $3500 dollars to replace chain, sprockets, and all. I'm waiting on Mini to see if they will cover everything, if not then I'm going to ask them why they charge some and fully cover it for other clients! I provided all service records to prove oil changes were performed every 5000 miles instead of their recommended 15K miles. Mini said that they treat every case individually, why can't they treat every customer equally?
I will not pay more than $200 towards the repair which is equal to my deductible through my extended warranty, MaxCare.