Mini Cooper Engine Problems

Hi Jeanie, assuming you mean the turbo-charger, it is located at the front of the engine, behind the heat shield. It isn't too difficult for an experienced BMW/Mini mechanic to do the job, but the turbo itself may be expensive to replace if it is seized, and you may also be faced with high hourly labour rates going to a BMW/Mini specialist, so do shop around. Please do ensure that you speak to a specialist who has worked on Minis before.

Here's a top tip: assuming also that your Mini is from 2007 to 2014 (R55 through to R60 series), call up Peugeot specialists too, as the 'Prince' engine in Mini turbos is exactly the same as the ones used in some Peugeot 207, 308, 508 and RCZ models from about 2007 to 2015. Later Minis (from 2014 to date with an 'F' designation like F56) use an entirely different engine, so if that's yours, disregard the Peugeot specialist.

Take it to a good independent mechanic and have them do it, as you don't save enough money doing the job yourself to make it worthwhile spending the time sourcing your own oil and filter, jacking the car up, risking scaling yourself with hot oil while draining the old oil, making a mess when filling the new oil, then disposing of the old oil (you can't put it in your bin!).

Yes, it would the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine. Generally it’s a sound car, and 70,000 km isn’t a lot of kilometres for a seven-year-old car, but be careful to check for signs of abuse from an enthusiast owner. Look for smoke from the tailpipe. Also listen for a rattle from the engine, as there was a batch of engine with timing chain issues.

You might not be able to see it, but there is a leak and you need to take it to a mechanic or a dealer to have it located and repaired. It could be the radiator tank, a fitting on the engine, or the worst case is that it could be a head gasket.

The chain drives the camshafts and provides the timing for the opening and closing of the valves. Chains are used on many engines as an alternative to belts, which need to be replaced regularly. Chains don’t need to be replaced on a regular basis, but they do wear and they can become slack and affect the valve timing, which in turn affects the engine running, and when they wear they can also rattle.

I have been in touch with BMW Group and am told all repairs are being done under warranty.

You would need to have someone experienced in superchargers and turbochargers to listen to your engine to really determine whether or not it was the bearings in the blower. Rather than replace the supercharger see if it can be rebuilt, there are specialists who can do that work.

Mini says the Mini Cooper is suitable to run on E10, which is cheaper than regular unleaded and has a higher octane rating. That's the way I would go.

THE system is the same as used on BMWs and works fine. With today's engine technology and modern oils, there's no problem with the longer service intervals. I would stick to the recommended intervals and I wouldn't have a non-dealer mechanic service it while it's under warranty.