Hey Guys,

Just checking in.

I had a check engine light come on at around 3k miles on my 07 coupe base model manual, non S.

I checked the engine, saw the coolant was a little low and filled it up and got it some new gas, CEL went away.

I wanted to bring it to Momentum MINI in houston for service, but it was around xmas, so i couldnt get in before the light went off.

Cue 11k miles and the CEL comes on while I'm driving.
The service advisor tells me that it needs a new Catalytic converter. Good thing it's still under warranty! those things are expensive!

Why would a car this new have one of those go out so fast? Could this explain why the tailpipe seems so sooty? The service advisor says that 'you're not the only one' interesting...

My engine also whistles at all RPM's like it has a turbo(but it doesnt)
They said that it sounds normal.... Any thoughts?
I'll keep you guys posted.

 

How much sooty at the tailpipe? I have it too, seems that I clean it every time I clean the wheels.

 

It's just sooty. Not really MAJORLY sooty, but no sootier than say, my old miata (2007) I have a porsche 914 that's less sooty than this! with carbs and NO cats

 

word of wisdom, keep records of how many days your car is in for service....

 

Theres soot because you actually clean it With a normal tailpipe tucked under the bumper you never actually notice.

 

Did you notice any changes in performance? Loss of power?

While it is possible for a cat to have factory defects (eg, cracked seam), I'd want the dealer to confirm that nothing else is amiss "upstream" that caused the cat to fail (eg, misfiring cylinder, oil consumption through rings or valve stem seal).

Here's some good info I found when googling "catalytic converter failures":

A number of problems could occur to the catalytic converter as a result of an engine that is out of tune. Any time that an engine is operating outside of proper specifications, your converter suffers unnecessary wear and damage, as well as your engine. The damage is often the result of an incorrect fuel/air mixture, incorrect timing, or misfiring plugs. Any of these conditions could lead to catalytic converter failure or worse.

Excess Fuel Entering Exhaust
The fuel that powers your vehicle is meant to burn IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER ONLY. Any fuel that leaves the combustion chamber unburned will enter the exhaust system and “light off” when it reaches the converter. This can “superheat” the converter to temperatures far above normal operating conditions and cause a CONVERTER MELTDOWN.

This picture is an example of a converter meltdown. The converter was super-heated due to a raw fuel condition in the exhaust flow. The excess unburned fuel ignited when it struck the hot ceramic catalyst and drove the temperature far above the normal operating condition of the converter. The ceramic catalyst is unable to withstand the extremely high temperature and begins to melt. The ceramic collapses and the converter is destroyed. The melted ceramic may block the exhaust flow and cause additional damage to the engine. A converter glowing red-hot or evidence of heat discoloration confirms this situation. The too-rich condition that led to this converter melt down could be the result of a number of malfunctions including faulty oxygen sensor, an incorrect fuel mixture, worn spark plugs or plug wires, a faulty check valve, incorrect ignition timing, sticking float, faulty fuel injectors or other ignition malfunctions.

Oil or Antifreeze Entering Exhaust.
Oil or Antifreeze entering the exhaust system can block the air passages by creating heavy carbon soot that coats the ceramic catalyst. These heavy Carbon Deposits create two problems. First, the carbon deposits prevent the catalytic converter from reducing harmful emission in the exhaust flow. And second, the carbon deposits clog the pores in the ceramic catalyst and block exhaust flow, increasing backpressure and causing heat and exhaust to back up into the engine compartment. Your engine may actually draw burnt exhaust gasses back into the combustion chamber and dilute the efficiency of the next burn cycle. The result is a loss of power and overheated engine components. Possible causes are worn piston rings, faulty valve seals, failed gaskets or warped engine components.

Deteriorated Spark Plug & Spark Plug Wires.
Spark plugs that don't fire or misfire cause unburned fuel to enter the exhaust system. The unburned fuel ignites inside the converter and could result in a partial or complete melt down of the ceramic catalyst. Spark plugs and spark plug wires should be checked regularly and replaced if damaged or if wires are worn or cracked.

Oxygen Sensor Not Functioning Properly.
An oxygen sensor failure can lead to incorrect readings of exhaust gasses. The faulty sensor can cause a too rich or too lean condition. Too rich and the catalyst can melt down. Too lean and the converter is unable to convert the hydrocarbons into safe elements and may not pass a state inspection.

Road Damage or Broken Hangers.
The ceramic catalyst inside a catalytic converter is made from a lightweight, thin-walled, fragile material. It is protected by a dense, insulating mat. This mat holds the catalyst in place and provides moderate protection against damage. However, rock or road debris striking the converter or improper or broken exhaust system support can cause a Catalyst Fracture. Once the ceramic catalyst is fractured, the broken pieces become loose and rattle around and break up into smaller pieces. Flow is interrupted and backpressure in the exhaust system increases; this leads to heat build up and loss of power. Possible causes of a catalyst fracture are road debris striking the converter, loose or broken hangers, potholes or off-road driving.

 

The dealer had my car 6 days and he's all better now!

They replaced the manifold and Catalytic converter with new ones. They said that the '07's got a bad batch of cats from whoever makes them and apparently it's a known issue with 07 models. They also topped up all my fluids (after 11k miles i was about a quart down on oil)

It never lost power, never had bad milage, never any of the symptoms described above, so I'm willing to accept that it was a bad cat.

It drives just like it used to and I REALLY missed it after almost a week in a loaner mazda 6 4 cyl. what a floaty car. mine rides like it has a racecar suspension ( lowered on H&R's) now i've got to watch out for chuckholes again!

Anyway, the gist of this all is that it seems the 07's got a bad batch of cats.

-Purple

 

What build week was urs?

 

My check engine light was on and I brought the car to MINI yaletown, they determined it was a bad cat, the parts were on order so as soon as it arrives my car will be good again.

 

I had my engine light come on twice, both at a steady 50 mph (following a line of cars so no varying speeds...which I usually vary my speed often). The dealer read it as a fault for the catayic converter and it is actually being investigated right now...they think it is just software issues...nothing changed when it did happen, car runs the same...i did notice there is a bubble in the heat shield that covers the converter when you open the hood we'll see what that is once they have found out what the code was

 

My catalytic converter is back order right now, I was looking at the bill from Mini Yaletown, it cost over $1700 Canadian to replace the cat. That was expensive, I am having second thoughts about keeping my MINI after the manafacturer warranty. They told me 2007 had bad patch of cats.

 

Bad cats are just part of building cars... it happens. I've worked at two automakers and seen it happen at both of them. It does suck when it happens, but it's pretty easy to identify. If they tell you it was just the cat you're pretty safe believing them. Of course ask if there were any other codes set, but if it was just the cat it was probably just the cat. You'd be pretty likel to notice if something else was damaging the cat - if it's running rich you'll go through more fuel, if it's misfire you'll feel that.

 

Week 32 build with 28K and no cat problems.

 

On a trip down to Seattle i had the Engine light go on for about 2 hours on the drive home, then went off. I called the service centre when I got home and i brought it in and hey! a bad cat. They also asked if I had used low octane gas or ethanol based gas like mohawk's. I said no but I had filled up down in the states. They said gas quality is often lower there, so that could be part of the problem. Probably just a bad cat though.

 

My check engine light occasionally comes on when I first start the car. Sometimes I'm still able to drive it, but usually it has no power at all. Last night it took me 20 minutes after work before I could use the car to drive home. I just spoke with my service department (South Bay Mini) and they can't get me in any time soon.

 

So I definitely had to have been on of the october bad batch of cats. They replaced mine tue and I have not had the code come back on since so everything is good now

 

I also have a bad cat :\ Waiting to hear that the part is in before I can get anything done about it.

 

I dropped mine off for the check engine light issue a week ago yesterday. My car was ready for pickup this afternoon but I won't be able to get it until tomorrow. The only part was in NJ and it took a week to get it out here. At least they had me in a loaner for the duration, but I'm looking forward to getting my Mini back.

 

Fortunately, catalytic converters should be covered for 8 years or 80K
according to the Federal Emissions Warranty.

http://www.epa.gov/oms/consumer/warr95fs.txt

 

I got the CEL about a month and a half ago. They replaced my cat. I read somewhere on this board that there was a bad batch of cat. converters in 2007 put on the cooper. I think it was around the time frame of march 07 to july 07 (don't know exact dates). My car was built May 07 so I figured it was just a matter of time.

 

I'll add mine to the list. '07 MINI, not 'S' model. CEL came on, soot on the pipe, dealer replaced the cat. No performance problems. It's the soot that worries me - but if the engine is killing the cats, then this next one should go before the warranty is up.

 

Fed regulations make all dealers keep emissions related things on their own warrantee to like 8 years or something (don't know exact details) so if it dies in 5 years don't let the dealer try and make you pay

 

I have 2007 S Coupe bought in April, 2007. I've got about 24k miles and had absolutely no problems. This morning, the yellow CHECK ENGINE light comes on. Fueled up at my regular BP station last night - the gas cap is on correctly. Car runs fine as far as I can tell. Don't know if I can get anyone to look at it Sat morning - would it be foolish to take it out of town this weekend?

 

Hard to say because it could be anything. If there was no powerloss or any reaction from the car when the light came off then I'd say you're safer. If a dealer is too far, I'd run to autozone and use one of their free scanners and then find out what the code is. An emissions code doesn't really affect the car so you could go out of town, but if the code was misfiring or something more serious then I would not want to put many miles on it.

 

Thanks!