Engine Belts And Pulleys problems of the 2008 Mini Cooper S

The 2008 Mini Cooper S started making the infamous "death rattle" noise. I took it to a mechanic who specializes in imports. He changed the oil, which wasn't due for another 2,000 miles, and he changed the oil filter. The noise continued so he added oil stabilizer to ensure that oil was being filtered. The noise still persists at start-up, and goes away after the car warms up for a couple minutes. The mechanic told me I'd have to get the time changing belt replaced to fix the "death rattle," which is a common thing in Mini cars.

When you start the car in the morning while its cold and start driving, you hear a rattling noise in the engine which coming out of the timing-belt area. It started 5 days ago.

I had been servicing my 2008 Mini Cooper S at the dreyer & reinbold BMW Mini dealership for the life of the car, which I bought new. I just had it in the shop around 50k miles and was not told that I should consider changing my timing belt. One day I went to start my car and it wouldn't start. I towed it to the dealer and they told me my timing belt had broken and damaged my engine. I am no faced with replacing my engine and a bill of $6600+. This defect that was not brought to my attention has ruined my engine and after thorough research of fellow Mini drivers, I am hesitant about what other defects may come about in the future for this car. This should be brought to the attention of the manufacturer and there should be a lawsuit or recall in place to compensate Mini owners for this faulty part.

My car had been making a rattling sound off and on for a short time (mostly in the cold mornings) I drove from houston to dallas. When parked on the side road, my car would not start up. I had no service light or any other lights come on. Took it to the dealership and I was told my timing belt was broken. I have no means to pay for the repair. While searching the internet it appears this is a very common problem and Mini cooper/BMW are aware of this and have done nothing about it.

Timing belt and tentioner needs to be replaced, has broken guides and causes very loud "diesel" sounds. Only 50,000 miles on the car. Oil leak in oil line going to turbo.

I was told my warranty expired end of June. I bought Mini-s 08 used in February from a Mini dealership in westchester, elmsford, NY. I noticed a knocking noise that to me didn't sound normal not too long after I bought the car. The people at Mini told me it was from something else, a loose piece and that they "fixed the problem. " this noise only became worse, and now the car is at 45,000 miles and not even 6 months from purchase. The noise became even louder, which then it sounded like a tractor trailer. I changed the oil, the noise wasn't as loud but still there. My mechanic said that the timing belt is going to snap soon, and is a dangerous problem that can cause an accident, and once it breaks, the whole engine will be destroyed.

My 2008 Mini Cooper S (with 28,300 miles) has experienced diesel sounding engine problems coming from the engine. I looked this up on the internet to find this was a tensioner or timing belt issue with the car. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 mph the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who advised him that the timing belt tensioners needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. A few days later he heard a noise coming in the engine after the vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who advised him that they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper S. The contact heard an extremely loud knocking sound whenever he started the vehicle. The knocking noise was not present while the vehicle was driven. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the timing belt and other components were replaced at the his expense. The contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The VIN was unavailable when the complaint was filed. The current mileage was approximately 40,000. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

I had a loud noise under the hood of my 2008 Mini Cooper S, followed by the timing belt breaking. I had it fixed to the tune of $2000+. It was not covered under warranty. I was told it broke due to being down 1 qt of oil. I have heard this is a common complaint.