Hello motoring forum!

My wife and I are 2006 hatchback Cooper owners and have loved our Mini since the day it was finally delivered. We completely customized the car and we love just about everything about it.

The thing we do not love about it is the maintenance costs and repeated troubles we continue to have with it. The car is just over 5 years old (we received it in February 2006) and has just over 50k miles on it. We have meticulously cared for it, brought it in for all scheduled maintenance, and whenever the car has the slightest problem the car is brought into the dealership to be looked at. (An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure, etc.)

In the five years we've had this car I'd expect we'd have paid close to 12 or 15k in maintenance and repair costs if it were not for the three years of free maintenance and warranty coverage.

THE BAD:

• I feel like the car must have electrical problems. We are on our fourth battery in five years. I should just be replacing my first battery now.
• The computer's operating system has been completely reloaded twice due to erratic electrical behavior / systems freaking out in the car.
• We are on our third coolant reservoir. The other two sprung leaks after about a year and a half each, I expect this one to have similar problems this summer just like the other two.
• The passenger side seat has been replace twice now due to faulty weight sensors. Fortunately the first time was under warranty and the second replacement we were able to work out a deal with the dealership for.
• The brake sensors have had to be replaced three times. The first time we brought it in because the brakes weren't working well we found the brake sensor was broken and the pads were almost completely gone. The second time was fortunately caught during another routine maintenance. The third time is what made me start questioning my purchase. The brake sensor breaks again, we bring it in because the tires look bad and we find out the brake pads are gone, the calipers and rotors are trashed, and because of it our tires are wrecked.
• Because of this brake trouble we trashed the front tires early, had to replace those, and then just had to replace all four with this recent brake trouble. For those counting this is 10 tires in 5 years. Run flat tires are not cheap :-(
• This is cosmetic but it is just more irritation to fuel the fire - I can't even count how many times we've had to replace the top rear brake light assembly. The cover falls off and it stops working 2-3 times a year and I am not even joking. The first one fell off within a month of us driving off of the lot. Maybe this improved the design because this last one is breaking an all time record and has lasted about 6 months now.
• To add insult to injury with our "big" 60k mile maintenance coming up the camshaft position sensor is on it's last leg and we've been choking down/having problems starting up. The part is $500 by itself and of course the dealership is all booked up and their loaners are all loaned out so I have to foot a rental car bill while I wait 2-3 days for the part to come in. I am sure it will be close to 1k with labor costs...

THE GOOD:

• When we first purchased our Mini the BMW dealership did all of the maintenance. They were excellent - not a single complaint. As the Mini portion of the dealership grew they spun off a separate Mini maintenance service center. The first guys that ran this were terrible. They never returned calls, they rarely completed the work they claimed to, it was like pulling teeth to get anything worked on. The BMW GM never got back to us about our complaints but apparently listened to everyone screaming because they put one of the BMW service center guys in charge of the Mini Service Center and the service has been incredible ever since the change. I have never received better service anywhere in my life.
• The service is so good in fact that the Service Manager, being aware of our repeated and infuriating problems, frequently writes off the cost of parts completely or discounts the bill steeply because he knows we are running out of patience with the car. He's saved us at least 5k in maintenance charges between replacing the broken seat when it was out of warranty the second time, charging just labor for work on battery/electrical system work and replacement, etc. I really can't say enough great things about how he runs the service center.
• We like the dealership. The service center has a lot to do with this, but they just expanded to a big new location and we really like the people and doing business with them.
• We love the car. It is exactly what we wanted and we spared no expense. 2006 Astro Black Cooper hatchback with piano black interior, chrome trim, the upgraded Harman Kardon sound system, onboard navigation, the upgraded british leather bucket seats, iPod interface, nice alloy wheels, etc. The car looks incredible and when it is running normally it runs like a dream. It is a ton of fun to drive, we're always getting compliments on it, and I have never loved a car more than this Mini.

The problem is that I don't think that this is what I should expect out of a 5 year old car that is just over 50k miles that we baby. We've paid a third of the resale value of it in maintenance in the last year and that's before the first big maintenance is even supposed to happen! I lurk on this forum and some other Mini owner forums and there is a huge base of Mini owners in our city and the people I have talked to do not seem to have the glut of problems with their Minis that we seem to be having.

I absolutely love this car, but I feel like if I don't get rid of it now I will be furious with myself in a year or two. The car obviously has problems and as much as I don't want to get another car loan since this car is completely paid off we only have one car so it needs to be reliable. I feel that it is unacceptable for the Mini to have been in the shop as much as it has for the low mileage and the excellent care we give it. The car looks like we just drove it off of the lot still but our service record paints a different picture!

What do you guys think? I know this is what we think...

 

WOW definitely sounds like a bad deal. I have had my 06 since early 08 and have recently passed 100k miles. I have done regular maintenance, including oil changes and brakes. Besides that I have replaced my thermostat and housing, fixed my driver window motor, replaced the heater core and took it to the dealer for a clicking int he front end which was a loose bolt.

Oh and i have done some modification to it and drive it fairly hard at times as well, so you think it would be more succeptable to breaking. I would say it has been nothing but rock solid.

 

God we love this car. Since we customized it down to the last detail it just feels so home-like. But I don't want to put more money into repairs if it's going to continue like this.

Not to mention, in summer heat and winter cold, it doesn't run so well. We asked the dealership and they said oh it's just the cold, oh it's just the heat. They're all like that. It's ridiculous that this car would only run well between 45 and 80 degrees F.

In my head I hear the British navigation lady "Please make a U-Turn!"

 

That sounds like an awful ownership experience. I have had my '06 for just a year now but have not seen any of those problems other than a leaky t-stat housing replaced under warranty.

If I were in your position I'd get rid of it rather than risk throwing good money after bad.

 

Sounds as if you have a lemon. My 06 still has the original battery and I just replaced brake pads/rotors for the first time. The only warranty items I've had are the thermostat housing, motor mount and a passenger seat air bag sensor. 46,000 miles with no issues until last week when I had to have my supercharger seals replaced....so that's the first big issue I've had in 4 and a half years of ownership. My daughter's 05 MCS has 105,000 miles with similar maintenance issues. Might be time to consider trading your car in for another one if your issues persist.

 

My Mini had to have the transmission replaced in 2011.
Took a long time to find the problem was the transmission unfortunately. The car kept stalling out everywhere...had to have it towed to the dealer over and over again for a year.
Once the transmission was finally replaced I have had no more issues. ...it is a 2006 with low miles. only 42,000 today in 2014.
My hatchback fell off in the parking lot of the grocery store...had to bungee cord it because one of the top latches corroded and split off.
Not sure if this is a warranty repair.
Calling my dealer....I will update!

 

Disregarding all the 'mine did this or that' input (mine pulls some humorous tricks on me once in a while too), it sounds like, from one of your comments, that the dealer you are dealing with isn't all that much help, i.e. the cold/hot issue. Investigate a good reliable independent BMW/MINI garage in your area and find some love. Those problems you describe should not keep haunting you. The '06 models have proven to be just about the most reliable motors on the road.

 

I agree with Fly'n Brick. While you may love your dealer, I don't think your dealer has been straight up with you. Bad brake sensors don't cause the pads and rotors to wear out prematurely, much less the tires. You need to start doing some of your own work or find a good indy. At 50k miles, your car should be barely broken in and, unless you've been flogging the car, you should still be on your first set of pads and the rotors should last way beyond that. Although I see you joined in 2008, you should've been posting for advice on many of these issues. In all probability, you could've saved a lot of money and aggrevation.

 

ouch!

I would spend some time checking all your electrical connections, make sure everything is connected and seated properly. Could be as simple as a courtesy light in the boot that is not going off or causing a short. But that is only an example of a guess..

Best of luck.

Motor on.

 

My wife has a Honda CR-V and yes I love our Mini but in all honesty if we were a one car only family I wouldn't have a Mini. When it comes to dependability the majority of cars on the road rank above the Mini.

 

Interesting you say that. My wife's motor is an '02 Buick LeSabre with well over 100K and she is now looking for a replacement....a MINI Countryman. We'll be doing the build process soon. Except for any warranty work that might arise, our friendly neighborhood independent wrench will be it's sole service provider.