I would like to thank sir stirling because if he in fact had not shown what the average wrx owner was like I would have never bought my countryman I understand getting a bad luck of the draw but there is no need to continually post and attack people that like their cars but Subaru should thank you for turning off potential customers at any case wrxs break all the time as well so we shale see who wins out because while he wrote about cars I was working on them all the way up till I got a real job but if he is also in happy with his wrx I have a fully loaded jeep grand Cherokee overland edition for sale if he would like it cheers my rant is over after reading this thread

 

Anyone who is been following this forum since the countryman was first introduced knows that there were major issues with the 2012 model year and before, especially the first year it was offered for sale. Sure, there were some owners who were lucky and had no problems or relatively minor problems, but when you look at the vast number of owners that were reporting the same issues on this forum, plus the horrible results of the owner surveys that Consumer Reports and JD Power did, there's just no denying that there were serious problems. It's all documented on this forum, just go back and look at what was being discussed here two and three years ago.

There were numerous owners who were extremely upset about the problems they were experiencing, and in many cases, BMWs apparent inability or motivation to fix them.

The good news is that with each succeeding model year the number of owners reporting serious issues seems to be decreasing substantially. That seems pretty clear based on this forum, and the raw data from Consumer Reports seems to bear that out. Is the countryman all of a sudden going to be one of the best cars out there in terms of frequency of repairs? I doubt anyone is thinking that, but BMW seems to have come a long way with addressing the issues.

We owned a 2012 that had to be repeatedly towed back to the dealer because of electrical problems, and we got satisfaction from BMW only after we commenced a lemon law legal action. They replaced it with a 2013 that we've had a much better experience with. I can't say that the 2013 been totally trouble-free, but I think there was a noticeable improvement in the build quality.

Also, if you check out the third-generation section of this forum, it looks like that new model seems to be off to a reasonably good start with respect to problems.

 

thanks for the post, shark, good first hand info. Just an FYI, the new F56 is on it's 3 recall....nothing serious, but it's going to have some growing pains, IMO. Has there ever been a British-built marque that topped reliability ratings? I'm thinking no

We are now at 26k miles on our R60 JCW with nary a problems....We followed the break=in schedule in the manual religiously, and get the oil changed every 4500 miles....cross fingers...

 

You know, when you spend $30k plus on anything, you expect it to work. MINI f'ed up the clutch on the CM at launch. Period. The fact that there is a forum to b!tch about it is actually a good thing cuz I think it contributed to the 2014 clutch update (along with the 12 month long termers clutch failures from various auto pubs.)

Glad new owners are finding the revised clutch works or that original people are not having issues / have service depts willing to step up, but the reality is it was not the case for all of us. Every time I see someone driving a CM, all I can think is: "Poor sucker."

Still loving the R53 (did the 97.5k oil change yesterday) as well as the three BMW's currently in the garages, but the fact remains that for some the CM was a bad experience. Having purchased 12 BMW products in 17 years and having dealt with partially baked engineering as a result, the CM ownership experience is and will likely remain the biggest automotive disappointment for a long time to come.

The darn thing was not even drivable in San Francisco for crying out loud!

 

I think there are a lot of reasons why the CM is a worthwhile drive - not just the excellent ALL4 system, four real seats each with its own door, available manual or step-tronic transmission, excellent safety design (tested 4 times so far by me), reasonable handling, and entry to an enthusiastic motoring community. I very much like my CM4 and, with the continuing good support of MoSC expect to run it into the ground. I would recommend it to those for whom it is a good match.

It is reasonable to gripe about the manual in SF - CMs arriving at MINI of SF for the MTTS 2014 pre-party valet parking were easily sorted by smell into manual and automatic groups - not a CM manual friendly venue.

 

Our experience isn't quite the same, as we purchased a used Mini, but the treatment from any and all local dealers her in the Salt Lake City area (actually only 3 dealers within the range we are willing to travel) has been exactly the same. I'm not sure they would treat Jeff Bezos worth a darn. We fell in love with our 2015 Countryman ALL4 S after just one drive. Had low miles, good carfax history, and a reasonable price. I have above average automotive repair skills, but by no means consider myself a great mechanic. Purchased the car in 2018 and it's been great until Summer/Fall 2021. Problems started with simple cylinder misfires; coil and plug replacements completed, codes reset, no worries. Shortly after, check engine light, ABS light, the dash turned into a Christmas tree. I started looking for the normal DIY resources, only to learn about the BMW "scrubbing of info available to the car owner. This immediately rubbed me wrong. I own the car, I should have access to info about the car. Luckily I found this forum. I also took the car to BMW of Murray for a diagnostic; WOW! You being treated like a bum found sleeping on their doorstep was KIND compared to how they made me feel. I am a retired, permanently disabled, purple-heart awarded, police officer. I am tatted, battle-worn, scarred, and a bit ugly, I admit it. I probably look more like a biker club (respect) member than anything, or maybe a hobo, but I never made it far enough to even find out what a diagnostic would cost before I walked out.
Anyway, I've learned a lot here, done a lot of repairs myself, and my love for my Sweet Pea (name of our Mini) is still there, but as soon as I get these last few things fixed, I'm afraid we just don't have the time to stay dedicated Mini owners. These cars need, and for the most part deserve, a lot of love and maintenance. Neither my wallet, nor my mental state can afford taking it to the dealership. And by my wallet I mean not only the cost of the car repair, but also all of the bail money... XOXOXO

 

Just tossing in my two cents.

Bought a used 2011 Countryman All4 S in 2015. Absolutely love this car but...

Long story short, had to replace the clutch at around120,000 miles. That seems to be a lot based on this thread but I've driven manual transmission all my life and never had to replace a clutch. Mind you, I drive my cars until the wheels fall off so we're not taking about a 50,000, 60,000 miles. Anyhow, and maybe this is life expectancy on these but since then I have had issue after issue. Fortunately, the dealership I took it to for service when I bought it was great. But since they were so far from where I live (not nearly as far as some of you have had to travel for service but far enough with a misbehaving vehicle) I was lucky enough to find a Mechanic that specializes in Mini's just 5 minutes from home.

Anyhow, all in all my Countryman ownership has been a good one but these are definitely not built with parts that are meant to last. And they are not cheap to maintain and repair. My biggest issue was the constant need for oil and a poorly designed dipstick.

Sadly I am about to retire the old gal and will probably not get another one. Countryman that is. Still want a mini in my stable (another thread elsewhere on that).

PS The other Mini dealership in the area does good work but definitely has the snob factor going on. Bugs me a bit but you can have a lot of fun with them! Best part was when they grudgingly had to give me a new JCW as a loaner for a recall repair because they didn't get the part on time! Now that car was a blast!

 

Just ordered my third CM. A 2023 JCW to replace my 2013. My other CM is a 2018 PHEV. Fun to drive and is me :-). I ordered the new one while they ere telling me the 2018 needed $1,800 in repairs . Mini ended up covering the repair but to me it is just the cost of motoring.

Motor On!