- Engine / equipment
- Naturally aspirated 1.4 and 1.6 VTi from the Prince family (EP3/EP6C), including the MINI One and Cooper 1.4/1.6 (N12/N16)
- Period mentioned
- 2006–2017
- Symptoms
- Chain rattle on cold starts, unstable idle, stalling and an engine light with variable valve timing codes (P1030, P1062, P101A, P1025).
- Possible cause described
- The chain stretches and the tensioner fails early, often before 100,000 km. A stretched chain throws the timing out and makes the Valvetronic learning fail, which gets mistaken for a Valvetronic fault.
- Check for the garage
- Listen to a cold start and check the timing and chain condition before replacing Valvetronic parts or repeating adaptations.
- Cost cited in the source
- Tensioner and chain: approx. €750–1,700 (converted from dollars)A rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.
Mileage cited in the database: up to 100,000 km. This is not a maintenance interval and does not predict a failure.