i am considering buying a countryman. if reliability is more important to me than off the line power, how reliable is the base engine versus the turbo. it seems to me (reading through a lot of posts here) that the turbo has been problematic with hesitation issues during hard acceleration and these problems seem to get worse over time. any help would be much appreciated.

 

Any additional part is just something else that could fail. If you're only concerned about reliability, get the base model.

 

That pretty much sums it up. Drive the Base, if it feels good to you, and reliability is your primary concern, go for it! The S engines have had some trouble, although in all fairness, problems are disproportionately reported on internet forums. It's their nature. Still, I'd be wary, because thats MY nature

 

good advice, i have driven the S and liked it but want to give the Base a try...i do mostly city driving and occassionally head up to NH from MA. i just wished the Base had more ponies...given the heft of the vehicle.

 

The turbo doesn't feel like it has much hesitation to me - some of that feeling may be from the throttle delay, you can get something called a "Sprint Booster" that is supposed to get rid of the delay:

http://www.sprintboostersales.com/de...MAN&engine=Gas

I don't have one myself but was thinking about getting one, someone else posted that they really liked it.

As for reliability, at this point it's the same engine that has been in the MINI for a number of years now so it's probably pretty reliable... I did buy an extended mechanical failure policy through Geico that lasts up to 100k, just in case the turbo decides to go out...

 

kgelner, if you dont mind sharing...how much was that coverage from geico? and do you need to have your auto insurance coverage with them too? thanks in advance

 

I have been driving a Cooper S for over 2 years, and I've never had a problem, and in fact I love it. It seems to me that only people that have problems report it on these forums.

 

I think the real "hesitation" to which the reference is meant to describe is the "at speed entrance ramp" stumble that some folks have experienced. It appears that the cause of this is may be some "blowby" gasses and oil contaminants from the PCV valve getting into the intake manifold.

Peugeot (manufacturer of the THP150 engine used in MINI's turbo models) have recently made available a one-way PCV system retrofit that is designed to solve this problem. You can read more about this HERE.

It would be interesting to see if any new 2012 CM-S owners can confirm whether this retrofit is now coming from the factory. Check the pictures on the linked site to see the before and after.

Note that even if the CM-S engines don't have the retrofit, it is a very cheap part and can probably be internationally ordered. Of course, it would be best if MINI were to handle the retrofit, but I won't be waiting around for that if my 2012 CM-S arrives sans valve!

HTH,

 

Koopah, thanks for the link to the retrofit. If I read that correctly, it looks like it basically removes the hose and caps the openings? Any idea on whether that might create any kind of emissions compliance issues (or any other issues for that matter)?

 

While I have not done this retrofit myself, I can only infer information from the diagram and pictures.

It looks as though the check valve is designed to let gasses pass (low mass stuff) through to the intake manifold but prevent higher mass stuff (liquids like oil) from passing. Basically, the design appears to allow the check valve to remain in an open state until the mass of the liquid nudges the "stopper" closed.

A commonly available aftermarket oil catch can will do the same thing, but uses gravity instead of an "active" component like the stopper. The difference is cost and ease of retrofitting, with the catch can being more $$$ and a bit more "invasive".

Providing that the check valve allows the gasses to pass (!), it is theoretically in compliance. However, I believe the US EPA must re-certify any manufacturer's changes to pollution control devices so it may be a while before we see this retrofit certified and into the MINI parts/service system.

 

For me the mechanical breakdown insurance adds $23.80 every six months to my insurance premiums. I think you have to get it within the first 7500 miles of ownership, or something along those lines...

That's with a $250 deductible.

I think you probably have to have insurance, but I suppose you could try pricing out a policy that had only that...

 

also remember these are the new engines and have been reworked from the 07 to 10 models, so time will tell if these are more problematic than the ones past.

the new engines started in the 11 and 12 model years.

 

Now that I look closely at the photos, you are indeed correct! This is not the check valve that was described to me as a retrofit. My apologies. Guess it's a oil catch can until I can track down the check valve retrofit details...

Sorry,