Lola's Check Engine Lights

[Poison Ivy]

Help needed. In early Oct, Lola's check engine light came on during the drive to Orlando for Mickey and MINI. We checked the code and it as P2096. Since then the comes on and off. I finally took her in on Thursday and I got a laundry list of recommended repairs. When I asked the advisor for the priority he said the software reprogramming for $199 would fix the check engine light. This was done an my car was going to be ready Friday. We went to pick up Lola and when we turn her on, the check engine light was on so we drove right back into the service bay. After being asked to wait a few minutes which became an hour we were told they needed to keep it overnight. Saturday afternoon I emailed and was told that they wanted to keep her until Monday. Today I'm being told that they need to do a carbon cleaning service for another $550 discounted to $200 for my inconvience. Is that not a seafoam treatment? Really?!?

Edited November 18, 2011 by Poison Ivy

[CP3657197]

Is this at Passport Mini? If so, that's not good?

[Poison Ivy]

Yes and I dont know if I should pick her up or let them do the work.

[TATTRAT]

Bummer, and I imagine beyond frustrating!! WE missed ya at the Beltway run, sorry Lola isn't feeling so hot.

[Scavenger]

Isn't your MINI under warranty?

[TGGRRR (Ali)]

Isn't your MINI under warranty?

 

She has the extended warranty and they denied the claim

[Poison Ivy]

Bummer, and I imagine beyond frustrating!! WE missed ya at the Beltway run, sorry Lola isn't feeling so hot.

 

We showed up to brunch even though I didn't have Lola. But thank you.

[Poison Ivy]

That's right they denied the claim. Also when I asked if seafoam would do the trick they said, "Seafoam is not as thorough as the carbon cleaning we perform. We remove the intake manifold, and then use a walnut blaster to remove all the carbon buildup on the back of the intake valves. It will usually run noticeably better after completed."

[SbNimble]

Catalina,

 

There are several threads on NAM re: Engine Cleaning. Couple of examples below:

 

http://northamericanmotoring.com/forums/stock-problems-issues/202522-carbon-buildup-cleaning.html

 

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/stock-problems-issues/187432-picture-of-my-valves-before-seafoam.html

 

Gives you some more perspective.

 

Sherm

[GotMINI]

Try BG44K in your tank every 6 months.

That's right they denied the claim. Also when I asked if seafoam would do the trick they said, "Seafoam is not as thorough as the carbon cleaning we perform. We remove the intake manifold, and then use a walnut blaster to remove all the carbon buildup on the back of the intake valves. It will usually run noticeably better after completed."

[GotMINI]

Go to Goss' Garage.com He is very highly recomended ! He has been with Motorweek (TV Show) for 20+ years. He offers the complete line of BG services. His shop is in Seabrook MD. You'll never find a more honest and reasonable shop, period !! He can do the complete carbon service, and then you can just add a can of BG44K in your tank every 6 months. I swear by it.

Try BG44K in your tank every 6 months.

[Poison Ivy]

Sorry guys, busy day at work. We decided to go ahead and get the carbon cleaning service done. She's got 60k miles on her and this can only help her run even better. It's a lot of money, but they gave me a great discount. Hopefully she'll be ready tonight.

[Wizzer]

At least you will have her home soon. I hate being without my own car for too long.

[GotMINI]

FYI to All, Goss' Garage does the Carbon service for $198 All Cars. Usually while you wait. By appointment.

 

Geno

At least you will have her home soon. I hate being without my own car for too long.

[cmcveay]

Go to Goss' Garage.com He is very highly recomended ! He has been with Motorweek (TV Show) for 20+ years. He offers the complete line of BG services. His shop is in Seabrook MD. You'll never find a more honest and reasonable shop, period !! He can do the complete carbon service, and then you can just add a can of BG44K in your tank every 6 months. I swear by it.

 

 

Adding any additive to the gas tank isn't going to help with the carbon build up. Because of the direct injection, the fuel/air charge never passes through the intake tract or over the intake valves. The problem is worse in the 2nd Gen cars vs. the 1st Gen because the turbo seems to have more oil vapor blowing through.

 

I do agree that the service done by the dealership is more extensive than what's done just by pouring the Seafoam into the intake, they do actually pull the intake manifold off and they do a media blast with the ground up walnut shells so it's very effective.

 

The key is to do Seafoam treatments more often.

 

My "schedule" on Archie and what I'll do with Merlin is a Seafoam treatment before every oil change - and I don't follow the dealers suggested interval. I change the oil every 5-7,000. I do the Seafoam the day before or the day of the oil change just to eliminate the chances of oil contamination.

 

Catalina - you should make sure that they DO NOT charge you the $199 to reprogram the car because it obviously didn't make a difference. As far as the excessive carbon build up, I think I'd lay some of that on the strange noise you had and the fix that your dad found for it. Even synthetic oil can start to cook when it's too hot.

[Poison Ivy]

Thanks Craig for the information. Problem though, I paid for the reprogramming already because Lola was ready on Friday. Only to learn a new light was on. My advisor is saying they'd need to do the reprogramming after this treatment if it hadn't already been done. Seems to me they might have been guessing? Should I ask for a refund?

 

Update, she's staying another night! :-/

[TGGRRR (Ali)]

You should try to get them to work with you.

[cmcveay]

I would go sit down with David R. and get the reasoning for the charge once they knew the light came back on. They diagnosed the problem and applied a fix (that didn't require any hard parts) that didn't work. It's also a bit of a joke that you we are charged $xx dollars per hour for a tech to recode the car when they connect it, get it started and they walk away to do other work until the car is done.

 

If they were wrong with the diagnosis, they need to own up to it.

 

That's just my .02 on it.

 

Another night? Did they find more?

[CP3657197]

cmcveay - I'm a new Mini car owner and this thread makes me think that I got more than I bargain for in owning a Mini. At any rate, this seafoam treatment, is this something like DIY kind of thing or is this something a pro has to perform?

 

I also get the impression it's a sort of necessity thing to do and if so, why is that?

 

thx in advance for explaining, motor on...

 

CP

[Poison Ivy]

Craig, I just wish Geno was here to help deal with all this. David could try to explain it to me and it will go one ear an out the other. Also I'm not the negotiator type. Would you be my loaner husband? Lol!

[cmcveay]

cmcveay - I'm a new Mini car owner and this thread makes me think that I got more than I bargain for in owning a Mini. At any rate, this seafoam treatment, is this something like DIY kind of thing or is this something a pro has to perform?

 

I also get the impression it's a sort of necessity thing to do and if so, why is that?

 

thx in advance for explaining, motor on...

 

CP

 

Carter,

The Seafoam treatments are very much a DIY thing and we've actually had a couple of little get togethers that are called "Seafoam" parties. Those are usually instigated by Ali (TGGRRR) and Quitta (HZBLR) who mainline the stuff like it was an antibiotic or something.

 

In a post a few above this, I mentioned the MINI's engines being direct injection - the fuel injectors spray the fuel directly into the combustion chamber/cylinder instead of mixing it into the incoming air along the intake tract. That means the detergents and other additives in the fuel don't flow over the back side of the intake valves so they aren't "washed" by the incoming fuel/air mix, they only get the air with an oily mist flowing over them. When they are super hot from the combustion process, that hot valve collects a carbon build up and after there's enough of it, it makes the engine misfire and idle rough and it starts to lose performance. Seafoam is a solvent and when it's done the way we use it, it's allowed to soak into that carbon build up and run it out of the engine.

 

One way to slow this process is to drive the MINI the way it was meant to be driven. If you run around with the RPMs below 3-4,000, the air velocity is pretty slow and the carbon builds up. If you twist it's tail at times and run it through to 5,000 plus (redline is at about 7,000), the increased air flow and valve train action helps keep it cleaned up. We've had several members that have had the check engine light issues and after a Seafoam treament and some remedial lessons on using ALL of the RPM's, their problems have gone away.

 

I don't know that there's ever been a car of British design that didn't have some kind of quirks so I discount it as a problem and just drive the heck out of it!

 

Oh, something else that seems to help is an aftermarket oil catch can. I've got an early BSH version which didn't have a drain hole or anything so I had to take it out whenever I wanted to check it. I was always very surprised at the amount of milky oil that it had so I know for a fact that it was getting some of the oil vapor out of the system before it went through the intake. I haven't installed it in Merlin yet but I'll do that when I put the DOS intake in.

[Scavenger]

 

She has the extended warranty and they denied the claim

WTF? Why?

[Poison Ivy]

Update: apparently the repair is almost done, but they want more time to test drive and verify repairs. I miss my Lola!

[TGGRRR (Ali)]

I hope she's back to normal when you get her back.

[MINI_Voyager]

Carter,

The Seafoam treatments are very much a DIY thing and we've actually had a couple of little get togethers that are called "Seafoam" parties. Those are usually instigated by Ali (TGGRRR) and Quitta (HZBLR) who mainline the stuff like it was an antibiotic or something.

 

In a post a few above this, I mentioned the MINI's engines being direct injection - the fuel injectors spray the fuel directly into the combustion chamber/cylinder instead of mixing it into the incoming air along the intake tract. That means the detergents and other additives in the fuel don't flow over the back side of the intake valves so they aren't "washed" by the incoming fuel/air mix, they only get the air with an oily mist flowing over them. When they are super hot from the combustion process, that hot valve collects a carbon build up and after there's enough of it, it makes the engine misfire and idle rough and it starts to lose performance. Seafoam is a solvent and when it's done the way we use it, it's allowed to soak into that carbon build up and run it out of the engine.

 

One way to slow this process is to drive the MINI the way it was meant to be driven. If you run around with the RPMs below 3-4,000, the air velocity is pretty slow and the carbon builds up. If you twist it's tail at times and run it through to 5,000 plus (redline is at about 7,000), the increased air flow and valve train action helps keep it cleaned up. We've had several members that have had the check engine light issues and after a Seafoam treament and some remedial lessons on using ALL of the RPM's, their problems have gone away.

 

I don't know that there's ever been a car of British design that didn't have some kind of quirks so I discount it as a problem and just drive the heck out of it!

 

Oh, something else that seems to help is an aftermarket oil catch can. I've got an early BSH version which didn't have a drain hole or anything so I had to take it out whenever I wanted to check it. I was always very surprised at the amount of milky oil that it had so I know for a fact that it was getting some of the oil vapor out of the system before it went through the intake. I haven't installed it in Merlin yet but I'll do that when I put the DOS intake in.

 

Thanks for the detailed explanation! :top: I had heard that 2012 R56 has a redesigned intake manifold that minimize the carbon-buildup and thus an oil catch can is not as necessary as before. What do you think? I was considering getting an oil catch can for a new 2012, but now I wonder if it's still necessary?