Well I can tell you that it is now certainly worth bringing your affected R55/R56 in and see about the recent timing chain tensioner campaign #0011080300. I brought in my 35.5k miles, well out of warranty, '08 R55 with a pronounced death rattle, and they measured the chain at 70mm, and replaced everything for free, chain, guides, tensioner, etc, even a new multi ribbed belt, all under the campaign, and installed the new return oil line heat shield, campaign # 0011170300.. Now while I did not buy the car at hat dealership, I have been using them for 15 years, and the car had been in 3 times for scheduled maintenance, and new tires (TireRack) mounted & aligned. During the last visit I had the SA note that I thought the timing chain rattle seemed loud to me, and their tech noted "normal for age & mileage". I didn't even ask, BTW, I just brought it in and asked them to look at the tensioner under the campaign, and got a call at the end of the day, that everything was done, free of charge. MINI of Richmond, VA, BTW, has ALWAYS given me top notch service and no BS. I recommend them to everyone. Also, the SA informed me that the job would have been a $1700 charge, if it was not covered. Wen I asked if this was a final fix, he said that MINI has told them that this tensioner and design should last like any typical timing chain, 100k+ miles.

 

2010 Clubbie S. Just spoke with International MINI in West Allis, Wisconsin. they are going to replace timing tensioner, if timing chain is bad that will be done also. They said no cost to me all taken care of by BMW. also going to install heat shield for oil line at no charge. car was not purchased there. Has 62,800 miles currently. Will update 11/21/13 after service appt.

 

I called dealer in ok city to ask if my car was on list, he said it was and they will check tensioner if it is the bad one they will replace everything. I asked how can I check to see if it's the bad one, what does it look like ? . He said he does not know. So I called dealer in KS city he told me bad tensioner bolt head will be flat no ridges. I checked my original tensioner ( was on shelf as I replaced with new last year myself ) and it was indeed the effected one so I swapped it back and took it into dealer. Dealer replaced trimming chain and all for free. They did not measure old chain they said if it's got the effected tensioner then everything gets changed under this recall.

 

I haven't yet heard of any original chain, with any kind of miles on it that wasn't stretched, so it sounds like many dealers are just replacing the whole shebang as part of the recall, regardless. I'd be curious if any of you asked if the new tensioner and chain is supposed to be final cure/fix?

 

If you consider 100, 000 mi. "Final" then yes this fix will take care of the issue. There is an after markey turbo heat shield which can give better oil line protection. Alta Thermal Blanket.

 

I received my letter in the mail today for the chain and tensioner. I paid for a new tensioner 4 months ago, so now I need to find out how to get that money back.

 

Of course, I just got the letter from mini today and I replaced my timing chain (myself) 2 weeks ago. Maybe they will reimburse me?

 

After reading this I don't know whether I should drive 70 miles to Flow Mini in Raleigh or 120 miles to Mini of Richmond.

 

I have the same situation, my 2008 MCS is at the dealer now being diagnosed for a broken chain and tensioner. Be nice to get the same treatment you got. This car should not be having this trouble with only 70k miles.

 

Whats the situation? is it official Recall, or just something dealers are finally admitting is an issue? I have 2008 Clubman S, it has had three separate timing chain issues, 30k, 60k, and 68K. I have not gotten any notice from Mini. I have been taking my clubman for its regular service to local shop rather than dealer because of price. But will have to call dealer to see about this issue.

 

As others have stated in this thread, the first thing to do is go to the NHTSA website and file a complaint. There are no notices being sent out because there is no official recall. However many reputable dealers are recognizing that there is an issue and taking care of it. How they are getting reimbursed I don't know.

 

Where did you get that campaign number for the tensioner? Can't find it on safercar.gov or NHTSA website.

 

This action is not a recall. It is a campaign or manufacturer action. This is why you do not find it on any government website. Recalls, as I understand the definition, are issues that either the government or the manufacturer at the (probable) urging of the government can take if there is a safety hazard involved with the issue, i.e. sticking throttle, brake failure, fire. Poor timing chain design doesn't fit that type of definition requirement. The campaign number that you refer to is a manufacturer number that the dealers use to identify action for reimbursement.


MINI has made a recognition of there being an issue with this campaign to minimize 2 issues. 1, is that the tensioner installed is the latest available and 2, help prevent coking of oil in the turbo feed line cause by heat.


While the efficacy of the either "fix" is debatable, this is an election year - meaning that the action is timed coincidently with the publicity of the new model year release, clearing dealer lots of 2013 models, add a pinch of good will so that you will consider or feel good about buying a new MINI or retaining a favorable opinion of the brand. The range of cars with the possibility of rolling off the assembly line with the old style tensioner, subtract the cars where computer database repairs have already been made, are receiving letters. Your SA pops in your key fob to the reader and immediately it tells the SA if you are eligible or not. Only if you have had the chain repair or late model tensioner replaced at other than a dealer will you fall outside that parameter. If a dealer did either repair job previously, you probably won't get a letter and your SA will not make the check for you since it did not pop up on his screen when he popped in your key fob. If work was done at a non-dealer shop and your car falls within the off the assembly line time range, you will probably get a letter or the chain tensioner check will be when you present your key. What happens after that seems to be varied from what I read about the experiences reported here.

 

Unfortunately, I have to report that I may have the rattle coming to my car. Today was the first really cold day (34 degrees cold enough for you Mike lol), and I heard a rattling noise for a couple minutes before it went away, presumably when the engine got to a certain temperature. And here's the kicker: I have the updated tensioner, but when it was checked, the chain tension slack never was, so it's possible the chain may be stretched, but MINI didn't do their due diligence in checking everyone's chain, regardless of tensioner design.

 

Thanks for the informative reply.

 

Dang it's cold! Worse tomorrow. Stay south through Tuesday! Hope you get the car straightened up, or the dealer straighten out. I've increased my idle time some before pulling out.

 

My 2011 R56 Cooper S with the N18B16A engine has the turbo heat shield fitted. I would expect that your 2012 has this also.
I think the timing chain issues have been resolved.

 

UPDATE: I got my car back today. Dealer replaced timing chain, chain tensioner, and heat shield at no cost as required by the campaigns. Unfortunately, I was tasked with paying for the following repairs:
1. Replaced vacuum pump and vacuum lines
***light line
***vacuum pump
***vacuum pipe
***vent hose
Total $627.43
2. Replace Valve cover....part $358.84.....$0.00 labor (wow, a break..lol)
3. Unrelated item...water pump replaced...$565.03

I definitely believe the vacuum pump (and lines) were damaged by the catastrophic failure of the timing chain and chain tensioner. I will be pursuing reimbursement via the class action lawsuit as my appeals directly to MINI corp. bore no fruit.
The car runs great and sounds very quiet, there was no other engine damage.
I hated the expense but I am thrilled to have my MINI running well. Best to you guys.

 

I would be going after reimbursement of some sort because the vacuum pump is tied to the camshaft, namely through using the rotation of the camshaft to create the vacuum within the pump.

When the pump fails, the oil from the head gets into the pump and then into the vacuum lines, which if not replaced will cause them to become weak and give drivability issues (ask me how I know lol). In turn, the lines can possibly carry oil back into the pressure converter and the pressure reservoir, both of which can cause problems later on due to the oil accumulating in them.

So yea absolutely I would be going after the repairs to have been covered along with the timing chain repair because they are tied together.

 

Not sure yet how but my 2010 R55 had this happen over the weekend. Preliminary reasons include Timing Chain Tensioner or Guides broke off an shot through my Valve Cover like a rocket. Any one ever had this type of damage related to Timing Chain?

 

I have owned my 2008 MCS Clubman since June, and have enjoyed every moment in the wee beast! It has not been a time without surprises - during a road trip through New England we climbed into the car after being parked outside in the rain overnight, to find the drivers side footwell awash! It seems the front drivers side sunroof drain was undone and the rain exited from the sunroof gutters into the footwell! Thank goodness we found that parking it with the nose of the car pointing uphill during rain prevented the problem! Ultimately fixing the drain solved it totally!

Following the same trip (in late September) I thought the engine sounded a little "tappety", that is like a good old British car with pushrods and solid lifters. Reading this site, and the joys of "death rattle" and timing chain issues, I thought I should have my (non-MINI dealer) mechanic take a look in mid-October.

My mechanic figured it was nothing out of the ordinary and no problem. Reading further on this and other sites, I thought a new timing chain tensioner was called for, as well as a look at the chain itself, and related guides (chain was within spec and the guides were fine with no cracks or extreme wear). This was all done (at a pretty hefty cost!) and no change to the sounds of the engine!

The sound is there all the time, does not disappear upon warming of the engine, and appears to be engine speed related.

Digging further into this, I am finding that the vacuum pump can make a noise, and the direct injectors also make a noise, combined these items can appear to make a noise similar to what I am hearing!

Various tech service bulletins indicate that noisy injectors and/or vacuum pumps are "normal" and no action required to correct!

Being an old British car owner, i got out my old SU carb tuning tool (a 24" length of rubber hose!) and had a listen to the engine. It appears that the racket I hear is not isolated to the timing chain area, but also appears at the opposite end of the head (vacuum pump area) and along the injector area! So I think these may be the cause of the classic old "tappety" sound I have been panicking over!

Aside from this decidedly nostalgic noise from the engine, there are no other issues - no power loss, great acceleration, great fuel mileage (based on my driving style!).

I still plan to swing by the local MINI dealer and have them check the car out and also check the fob to see what outstanding items may be on the car (I got no service records when I bought the car) and we will see if they indicate a need to do the timing chain based on build date or noise (I do have the original tensioner and detailed receipt for changing it out just in case...!).

The wee beast has 111,000 kms on it!

Wish me luck!

 

Ahhh...check multiple postings in this thread. It's called catastrophic failure!! Do to timing related issues.

 

No the tensioner is still a problem. I just had to have mine replaced two weeks ago, along with oil volume control solenoid, and some random gaskets. Check the back of your engine for a leak. Best if you can get under the car and look for any oil that is on the rocker panel near the lower engine mount. Also, while you're down there, check the tightness of the bolt in the engine mount. It can get loose and cause terribly rough idling, and the whole car will shake on start and shutoff.

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The valve cover should be covered under the timing chain tensioner repair. They have to take that off and replace a gasket when they do that job, and I was told they replace that cover as part of the service.

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I wouldn't go to Flow in Raleigh. They've messed up more things on my car than is believable. Either go to Winston or Richmond, or wherever you can get an appt besides raleigh. They are the most careless mechanics ever. They have had my car 27 times in 6 months, and half of the times are for things they messed up while fixing the original problem. They also don't do thorough inspections of your car. I had a leak that had been there for a while and told them I thought it was leaking. Well they said they couldn't find it, I also told them about the car shaking badly on starts and shutoff, and said I thought it was lower engine mount. They "did a thorough inspection" of the entire car and found nothing. Well the timing chain tensioner was leaking, oil volume solenoid was leaking, and my lower engine mount bolt has almost completely unscrewed itself. They didn't find any of this until after I put it on a lift at a pepboys and got under the car myself. Avoid at ALL COSTS

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