Help needed urgently!!

[N16SHP]

Well dropped Kirsten's car off to get the tensioner done! JC's have said that they are not going to change the tensioner, and instead changed the oil and charging us £30 for the oil and £60 for there time for doing so as it's not under warranty. I'm fuming, where do we stand with this?

Also does any know what the latest fix is for the tentioner, puma what?

Any help will be much appreciated!

[ELFMAN]

Found this on the Web. If I remember rightly, I took the Part Number to Douglas Park in Hamilton last year, and they told me that there was actually a 'Version 4' fix, which they carried out, with no quibbles and I've had no recurrance of the problem since. I reckon the 'Out of Warranty' business is a Red Herring, as there's clearly a recognised fault with this part, and it's NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. You shouldn't be expected to pay for this remedial work, as it's unreasonable that such a new car should have this sort of problem.

DID THEY FIX THE PROBLEM WITH THE OIL CHANGE, or are they just p***ing in the wind? DID THEY DISCUSS THE MATTER AND GET YOUR PERMISSION TO CARRY OUT THE WORK?


HERE'S THE WEB STUFF:

"Here's the latest on the morning start "death rattle" experienced by those with the turbo version of the '07-09 MINI engine. BMW has identified the timing chain tensioner (powered by an oil-pressurized piston) as defective. Two previous modifications (April '08, and Nov '08) were ineffective. The root cause is the tensioner piston not extending at all or just partially, allowing timing chain slack to drag on the chain guides on the engine front cover.

BMW has issued a repair specification to MINI dealers - SIM-11-02-07, released on 2/24/09. The part number for the new version 3.0 tensioner is 11.31.7.598.956. All affected cars will receive a redesigned timing chain tensioner which now includes a new spring to position the tensioner against the chain until oil pressure is adequate. In addition, all engines that exhibit excessive timing chain deflection will get a new timing chain, chain guides, rails, crankshaft sprocket, new camshaft bolts, and assorted bolts, seals and gaskets. The Vanos unit and camshaft sprockets are not removed unless damaged.

Here's an outside link to the parts diagram http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.d...31&hg=11&fg=25
Based on numerous reports by MINI owners on US and UK-based MINI forums who have had this part installed, it appears this fix is indeed effective in eliminating the chain rattle."

HOPE THAT'S USEFUL - GO GET 'EM!

[Craig]

I feel for you Neil. I got caught out with something similar but mine cost me £150!! At jc's in Dundee .....

C

Hope you get it sorted.....


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[Gismo]

Unless you agreed to the oil change i wouldn't pay for it and especially if it doesn't cure the problem

[rabhrab]

I agree with the previous comments, especially regarding pemission to carry out unauthorised work. Did they tell you specifically that they were going to replace the tensioner, or were they more 'wooly' about it, saying they would fix the noise? I'm just hoping mine gets sorted first time, next week, as I'm out of warranty in four weeks!

[N16SHP]

The car is 3 years old but is a cherished mini so automatically has a years warranty, as we bought it in December! Not only that, the car was serviced and MOT'd the day we bought it (ie oil, coolant, washer levels we're checked and topped up) so your not telling me that a car is going to lose 2 ltrs of oil in 3 months, without burning blue smoke or anything!

They did the same to me and didn't charge me for oil or looking at the car, so why charge my fiancée 6 months later? Just total non-sense and I'm going to tell them that, and I'm most certainly not paying for it!!!

[ELFMAN]

As I said, IMO the Warranty issue is pure B*LL*CKS. And they shouldn't carry out any work without asking your permission - especially if it's not going to sort the problem.

If there is a faulty part, it should be replaced without question, as there is NO WAY that a product, in this case a MINI, should be sold with sub-standard or faulty parts. It's not an issue of 'wear & tear' and Warranty etc, these parts were Not Fit For Purpose from the minute the car was manufactured, and MINI have accepted this, so WHY should owners who have purchased in Good Faith, believing that BMW/MINI is a quality product, be penalised financially and psychologically for what is clearly the fault of the Manufacturer?

This is another example of customers doing Product Testing for MINI, who don't 'own up' unless pushed or threatened. There should have been a Recall for this part - where is it? I remember various 'fixes' for the Mk1 MINI, a couple of which involved actual safety concerns, which were only sorted when owners brought them to the attention of the Dealer - there were 'official' fixes, but no 'official' recalls. They're STILL at it !

Dealers need to wake up and smell the roses (or whatever you put on the roses) - if people part with their hard-earned and find they are being abused in this manner, they'll simply go somewhere else. So they should weigh it up, be NICE to your customers, do the fix, and absorb or claim the expense back from MINI, don't try and shaft the folks who are keeping you in a job... it's a short-term gain for a long-term loss.

I get SO p*ssed when I see a rip-off! (but you probably guessed that ).

[N16SHP]

Thanks Euan, I'm now armed and ready to go!!

[ELFMAN]

Thanks Euan, I'm now armed and ready to go!!

INCOMING!!!!! Lock and Load Neil, Lock and Load!

[KenL]

This is ridiculous! Is this the same outfit that used to sponsor this site?

Anyway, if you check out this thread (my post ~2232!) you will see a list of all the bits changed on my car when I got the full repair.

http://www.mini2.com/forum/second-ge...-cold-149.html

Good luck & please keep us posted.