PSA Looking to Strengthen Ties with BMW/MINI

More French goodness? France was the source of our Statue of Liberty, pre-stressed concrete and tons of other stuff that makes our life better. just dissing the French because they’re French is lazy.

And the wonderfull cold start clatter is of German origin, as Gabe keeps (indirectly) pointing out.

Matt

Sorry, I meant more French automotive goodness! But I kid. I love crepes!

But how about le block français? Casting only or assembled bottom end?

torobud – did the return correspond with any weather or driving sequence that triggered it before? Or did not have a predictable situation in which you heard the noise? How long was it before the sound returned? Just curious if you have any pattern.

I’m asking because mine was more frequent with cooler weather, and only occurred when idle for a number of hours following a very short trip. The weather I’m in now along with that driving pattern would have created it before – but its not happening now. Dealer claimed timing chain was stretched but more than that was replaced so I’m not sure if that was the cause. A chain could obviously stretch again, but that should not happen so fast unless something else is causing it.

The knee-jerk scoffing comments many Americans make at the mention of France has always perplexed me. Putting that aside, the design flaws in the Prince inclusive of the throttle body design (icing) and camshaft lubrication (cold start clatter) are the legacy of BMW’s R56 German engineering team, as doc states above. Taking nearly 3 production years to sort the problem, with many dealers denying the problem outright, and with dubious results as indicated by owners chiming in as above, is almost as bad as the poor engineering that led to the faulty design. (I am no fan of the Prince primarily for its powerband characteristics and sonic dullness, but that’s another matter entirely.)

That’s what happens when you try to re-invent the wheel and add more complexity than needs to be. The Tritec, as unrefined and low-tech as maybe to some, is a bulletproof engine that features simple engineering, materials and design/construction. I absolutely love the supercharger noise and power delivery of my force induced TRITEC. The new turbo is not the same, period. Nice smooth engine, nice fuel economy, but devoid of “engine music” and the stock powerband is a little lacking in the upper ranges of the tach. The TRITEC still pulls away like a freight train at the same spot where the Turbo Prince starts to lose steam (Around 5,500 or so RPM).

The design defects of the Prince were never present in the Tritec. What an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Not bad for an engine that was designed in the Detroit of the mid-1990s.