I have been told by the local official Mini repair centre that they suspect the timing chain has 'stretched' (there is a continuous high frequency rattle) with cost of repair around £1500. The oil level is fine and oil colour looks clear. Service stamps are up to date in the book. The service centre recommends booking in for diagnostic testing at a cost of £120.
Is this a repair which could be done by a local repairer (repairer used by a neighbour for his BMW with good feedback) or should it be left to a Mini official repair centre?
Are there other faults (cheaper to fix) with similar sounding symptoms?
If the timing chain is at fault is the problem likely to reoccur or have Mini made modifications to repair parts stop so that the problem is less likely to occur after such low mileage?
Thank you