MINI Engine

[tnkgurl]

Hi all! I'm replacing the engine on my Mini (long, painful story) and thought I'd let anyone here know in case they wanted to strip parts from the old engine. Be forwarned, the piston in cylinder 1 is shorn completely in half and there's oil and metal bits everywhere, so I'm not sure what, if anything is salvageable.

 

If interested, please email me directly:

tnkgurl@yahoo.com

[Maxicooper]

You might want to put more detail about your MINI. Is it JCW, MCS or just a cooper, years, mod or not, and etc?

 

[tnkgurl]

LOL. Good call. It's a 2005 with less than 48K miles. It's a Cooper S with no mods other than a K&N intake.

[Maxicooper]

LOL. Good call. It's a 2005 with less than 48K miles. It's a Cooper S with no mods other than a K&N intake.

 

Pm's sent.

[Mr. Ed]

Hi all! I'm replacing the engine on my Mini (long, painful story)

 

If it's not too painful, would you consider sharing your story with the group so we might learn from your experiences? :itsme:

 

We have a lot of new members, and probably some of them are new to MINIs. Many of us try to help each other avoid problems and enjoy our MINIs, and we can often learn from the good as well as the not so good experiences of others. Thanks in advance, and best of luck with the engine transplant! Please keep us posted on your progress, and let us know if we can help or offer moral support.

 

P.S. Welcome to the club!

[tnkgurl]

Thanks for the welcome! I'm not new, just new to the new forum. Been around since 2006.

 

I bought the Mini to autocross and have been doing that since I got the car back in 2006. I was autocrossing at a Pro Solo event when the car died on course (coincidentally, I got my best time on that run...should tell me something). Long story made short, the engine didn't have sufficient oil in it to be doing an event like that. In trying to get it fixed under warranty (it had less than 48K miles and there was no oil leak), we learned that the Mini was due for an oil change in December of 2008. Despite the fact that MoS has seen the car twice since December, we were never advised of that. We tried to take it to Mini of USA to get some sort of break on a $10K engine, but because 1) I admitted the car died while autocrossing (thinking hey, Mini is a sponsor of the Pro AND honesty is the best policy) and 2) we didn't get the oil changed for 18 months, we were found negligent with no support from either the dealership or Mini of USA. Mini of USA flat out told me that if it had happened during the course of normal driving, they would have supported me, so that was a little hard to swallow.

 

Fast forward to today. I found an engine for half the price that MoS wanted and will be having Lucky Dog Garage install it for me, along with a new clutch. These things combined will cost me LESS than what MoS wanted to charge for a new engine alone.

 

Hope that helps. Moral of the story, check your oil before your race and don't trust that a dealership will be your safety net. Ultimately, you are the one who is responsible for knowing what maintenance you need.

[Mr. Ed]

Thanks for the info! Great advice about keeping on top of oil changes and levels. So sorry to hear that you were abandoned by MINI in your quest for reimbursement, but great news that you found an engine for a better price! :top:

[Blockhead]

Thanks for sharing your story, tnkgurl. I would've said and done the exact same things you did but I guess your plight taught me to rethink my trust that MINI and the dealers would look out for us.

 

Sorry to hear they both left you out in the cold.

 

.g.

Edited July 10, 2009 by Blockhead

[Edge]

Since autocrossing is done in a parking lot, and not on a racetrack (not to mention that with such (relatively) low speeds and short runs, it really doesn't stress the cars out any more than aggressive driving on the road does), in future I think it would be fair to tell your dealership:

 

"No, I have not taken my MINI on any racetrack."

 

...because you haven't. That statement alone should be the solution, IMO. Don't say any more or any less.

[tnkgurl]

I did try to argue the mechanics of autocrossing with Mini of USA, but it fell on deaf ears. They stuck with the "rapid acceleration" reason. I am definitely not trying to absolve myself of all responsibility, but some support on the part of Mini, and the dealership, would have gone a long way. We were thinking of getting a new Mini in October, and expressed that, but will most likely get a Mustang instead. Just so sad and disappointing. No part of the car is under a Mini warranty at this point, so it doesn't really matter at this point.

[tnkgurl]

FYI, the engine is still up for grabs.