Three problems related to gas recirculation valve (egr valve) have been reported for the 2010 Mini Cooper S. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Purchased car April 2014 w 46,000 miles. Warranty history showed valve gasket replaced. At 64000 miles dealer says it needs to be replaced again. Not told at purchase - at Mini dlr - that car consumes a quart of oil every 700 miles which I was just told by local servicing dealer that they consider that normal. Leak at gasket contributes to air infiltration and poor oil consumption I was told. I would not have purchased the car knowing this. It adds considerably to the operating costs. After telling servicing dlr this weekend that I knew the car had already had valve cover gasket replaced, he said he would cover 75% of over $800 cost. He obviously knew that it didn't or shouldn't need that work so soon after being done. The Mini dealers are thieves and withhold vital information. The strut mount apparently is also "domed" which speaks to structural integrity of this car. I would never recommend a Mini to anyone and feel their practices are completely unethical and the build quality is substandard to what is considered normal. Who needs to have the valve cover gaskets replaced twice in under 65,000 miles? who has to go and buy oil every month and a half? the last car I owned that needed that was a 20 year old 1975 pontiac with over 100k. Miles. Garbage.
I was driving my 2010 Mini Cooper S 50-55 mph when I heard a loud noise come from the engine compartment. From then on, the engine was making a rattling and clacking noise and the oil light eventually came on. Pulled over to the side of the road and got out to look at the car. Oil was all over the frontside and wheelwell of the car. All the oil had came out of the engine. Towed the car to a mechanic who told me the engine was seized and that the timing chain tensioner had broken lose and somehow that allowed all the oil to pour out of the engine. Had to have the engine replaced for a cost of a little over $5,000. A BMW specialist wanted $8,500 to do the same job. Now my new engine they just installed is leaking oil from somewhere and there's a light clicking noise coming from the engine. Im so afraid it's going to happen agian, and I know that Mini USA will be of no help. It's a shame that I had to find out what a terrible company they are in this way. I needed a reliable car for my new job and ended up with the exact opposite, an unreliable vehicle from a manufacturer that has no integrity whatsoever. I loved these cars, now I just hope this doesn't happen to anyone else.
Engine seized while driving on the 6-lane highway during rush hour traffic. Just a sudden complete loss of power, all vehicle operation stopped. Fortunately, I was on the outside lane, and I was at an exit that went down hill, so I coasted down the off ramp before it rolled to a complete stop. Some bystanders assisted me in pushing the vehicle off the side of the busy 4-lane road. Turns out it is the timing chain problem with many Mini coopers, 2007 - 2012. There is a faulty or missing part, that if not addressed, results in "catastrophic engine failure". My vehicle had 50k miles on it; I purchased it new, so I have all vehicle records, all recommended maintenance performed; all recalls performed, and my records are 100% complete. The real kicker is - my service records clearly show that several times I reported a "rattle" from the engine (while under warranty) as far back as 2012. And the service records indicate that the dealership "could not duplicate customer complaint of rattle". The notorious "rattle" is the first symptom of this engine flaw that can result in catastrophic engine damage, and it was known by the auto industry in 2012. Cost - $8k, complete engine replacement required. Dealership and BMW deny any wrong doing, and deny any knowledge of the "engine" issue. Following the incident, I spent a month of my time trying to figure out what happened, why, had it towed to three places, lots of phone calls, research, etc. Luckily no one died. This was a very dangerous situation to be in, and the people that stopped to help me push the car were very brave. I looked pretty pathetic I am sure - lone, petite female trying to push a car on a very busy 4-lane road during rush hour, in 90 degree heat. Lucky for BMW/Mini that no one died. I guess that is exactly what it will take to force therm to recognize this problem.