The n18 has some pcv changes and valve timeing changes (duel variable valve timing was added)
The short body cooper/cooper s 2014+ (gen3 cars ) have brand new motors...so carbon, etc issues are unknown....all other current mini's use the gen2 "prince" pugoet codesgined motor...the non s cars had regular fuel injection...no carbon issues...all s had direct injection and carbon issues....driven harder, they had less issues....some folks use seafoam to try to lengthen times for carbon cleaning....
I stand by my suggestion...wait a year...the gen3 motor was built by BMW in house.....not outsources...the n12/14/16/18 prince engine motors have had issues...gotten much better in the last 2 years...but not perfect...a crap shoot IMO. Some do great...some get lemons...

 

Where were your dash rattles and how did they fix them. It's really my only issue. They finally fixed the one I had up by the mirror, now I hear another.
Thanks!

 

I think he is saying the buildup of carbon is being slowed down.

A bunch of the changes that MINI made with the N18 refresh were designed to minimize the amount of oil vapor that is finding its way to the intake. Same reason people put catch cans on their MINIs.

By reducing the amount of oil vapor getting to that point, there is less to get baked on which is causing the buildup.

 

Unfortunately, I am quite familiar with carbon build up and catch cans coming from Audi and BMW. Audi had tons of carbon problem with their 3.2L V6 NA engine so did the BMW 3.0 I6 Turbo engine. For some reason, the Japanese DI engines do not have this problem or it has less carbon build up to a point where it is not a routine maintenance issue.

 

just letting the guy know. i have a jb+ on it and i drive it like i stole it so far.

 

had that since day one, sometimes i dont hear anything for some time, then it comes back again. its not a big deal since i knew what i was getting into, its not the best built interior quality but I love the car.

the rattle comes from the left drivers air vent, the drivers left side door, where the black plastic piece is by the hand rest

 

Same here for 20k miles. Enjoy! :-)

 

--

 

There is a JD power satisfaction survey, I think that's what you are referring to. Then there is the JD power 3 year long term reliability survey which gauges mechanical and electrical breakdowns:

 

--

 

There's a lot of talk of engines here. Even considering the known issues with some versions of engines, it's really the rest of the car you've got to be concerned about I have an '03 and put $10k+ into repairs between 60k and 90k miles; none of them in the engine.

This is important info for folks reading this to know, thanks.

Since the 2014s are so such a new design/build, it's going to be difficult to predict how they'll do out in the real world. As a brand though, Mini had earned its reputation as being an expensive date.

How many miles do you think you'll put in it in the 5 years you'll own it? If you do't drive much and will only put 50k on it in those 5 years, the risk if lower than taking on out-of-pocket expenses for repairs. (should you need any)

 

My wife usually drives about 7000 miles a year.

 

I am on Mini number 6. First 2005 S had numerous software issues and I dumped it after BMW could not seem to fix it many times, #2 & # 3 were 2010 S and standard - no issues, number 4 was an 2012 ALL 4 Countryman, only issue was my wife totalled it two weeks ago...she walked away with bruises, CHP said he saw similar wrecks folks never walked away from. Number 5 was a 2013 S No issues......which leaves number 6, 2014 Countryman S, and she is but a few days old...

 

Glad to hear your better half is okay

 

I have now my fourth Mini=two classics and two New Minis. The other cars are Lexus.Being not mad I bought a CM Mini automatic.There have been no problems.The Mini from 2002 is still driving t it is sold to friends).I had one recall and I don't know why.They just looked, said OK and I could leave.You can drive a Lexus without opening the bonnet, prevention with a Mini is a good advice.
For me the Mini is a nice toy, the Lexus is "only" just perfect.

 

I had dealer support to get my 2011 clutch replace with the 2013 version - the success of motorists to get a no-cost clutch replacement of these earlier models seems to depend very much on the dealer support and, perhaps, the area of MINI USA involved.

 

Can only speak to my experience. We had 2 Cooper Hardtops (non-turbo) and similar experiences with both. Mechanically, it never left us stranded. However, both cars (2008 & 2011) were riddled with creaks/groans, none of which were every able to be eliminated by multiple dealers. Sunroof components in both had to be replaced, and eventually the entire units. Multitude of electrical system issues (press down, windows go up... press up, windows go up and then all the way down) never fixed. Also plastic bits would break... door handles and trim, the lumbar support dial failed twice, stuff like that. Finally, both cars had nav and would occasionally reset on their own... you'd lose all settings and presets. Despite numerous software updates, it would still happen.

The stuff older German cars had a reputation for. Glad we leased both of them. Fun cars but way too many dealer repair visits for stupid little things.

 

I have a 10 justa manual Clubman @ 70K and can't say as I've seen anything unusual in terms of wear and tear. Compared to my 09 Civic with the same miles and usage their maintenance needs are about the same, although MINI parts are priced a bit preciously. Weirdest thing I've seen is the need to change out the brake/power steering fluid every 35K. Change the oil and filters, keep the tires up, drive it with consideration and it'll be fine. Perhaps the extra HP of the turbos (and the inherent problem of turbo's as a mechanical system) creates a lot of problems I don't see with the regularly aspirated engine.

 

Todays cars are just rolling appliances. Massive depreciating asset. No point in buying/owning a new one, just lease as new product or buy used and hang on.
If I did not work in the automotive repair industry, I would be rather upset at all the short comings that my R56 has had; t-chain, turbo failure, HPFP. It's fun to drive but BMW has really hurt the brand quality.

 

Yes.

We bought our MINI, 2008 S Clubman with 32,000 miles on it. Aside from a tremendous amount of trim falling off we have:

replaced both water pumps $500 (yup, there's two with one under recall),

Thermostat housing $165 for the part (2 month wait list for part) and I installed that to save $400.

Bonnet (hood) release latch $25

Engine $7,000 (at 68,000 miles). MINI paid 75% of that.

I have a MINI for sale with a brand new crate engine and 2 year unlimited mileage warranty for sale!

 

I had an 08 MCS manual for six years. The first 80,000 miles were pure pleasure trouble free motoring. At 80,001 miles the timing chain went bad-very common- off warranty=$850.00. Then basically every 10,000 miles cost me another$ 1,000.00 to keep it running. Carbon build-up, Thermostat, water pump, valvecover. The transmission always was a bit "crunchy" when shifting 1-2 and 2-3 gears.When they told me the turbo charger was going bad at 120,000 miles I traded it in for a Ford Focus. Never regretted it.
If you are going to buy used forget about the turbo charged model. The Justa Coopers are almost bullet proof. They perform the same as a Honda Civic. The newest iteration maybe better, only time will tell. BMW engineering is seriously overrated IMHO.

 

I've got 102,000 miles on my '07 MCS. It was purchased new, so I know exactly what's been done to it, and how it's been driven. I've never had anything exciting--pretty much routine maintenance. I did have the timing chain maintenance done at 88,000 miles, which was later reimbursed when MINI issued a service bulletin. I replaced the battery last fall after nearly 7 years, not because it went out, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't stranded. I've had some sunroof issues, including a new motor and rattles. The most recent repair was a couple of months ago, when I had a leaking thermostat replaced. There have been a few sets of tires, a lot of Mobil 1, and a tanker full of Shell V-Power.

Most of the maintenance and many of the repairs, including the thermostat, have been done by Hubby, who works pretty cheap. He's 71. We've both had a lifetime of sports cars and sports sedans, including BMWs, Porsches, Audis, Fiats, Mazdas, a SAAB Sonett, and a Peugeot station wagon, plus a few forgettable GM products.

In all of that time since I took delivery of the MINI in February, 2007, I've gone on several long, 2000+ mile trips, as well as fun drives with the local clubs. Plenty of grocery-getting, too. Never (knocking on wood here) been stranded, or had any concerns that I would be. Frankly, I think most of the hype about unreliability has been due to specific issues, such as letting oil levels run too low (timing chain), too few oil changes, and burning cheap gas (carbon buildup). The last survey I saw, which put MINI dead last, was entirely based on the old CVT transmission, according to the footnotes--something that hasn't been sold in years. Ridiculous!

I have a turbo, 6 speed, and it's driven in a spirited but not abusive manner, unless you count some autocrosses. YMMV.

 

Anything with a turbo is overrated lol. That's my experience. They all have issues someway or somehow.

 

Possibly my favorite car ever, as far as driving pleasure. '04 R53 stick. Reliability? I bought it with 46k, now has 108k. In that time period, here's what has been replaced due to component failure (some of it was replaced with better parts/beefed up/lightly modded, but this is what broke):
rear control arm suspension bushings
sway bar bushings
front strut bushing
all ball joints
front hub assembly
front axle/cv assembly
shock absorber (went with koni fsd's all around; two originals died)
headliner fell out; currently pinned up
headlight adjuster mechanism
belt tensioner assembly (only time I got stranded)
harmonic balancer (sounded like a rod bearing, fell apart at 60k)
power steering hose
air cleaner box fell apart/upgraded to CAI
driver's door handle/latch
crank position sensor seal=major leak=major pain to get to
I'm sure there's more, but I try to look at the bright side and see how blasted fun the thing is to drive...Oh, and the 100k service, including the supercharger service, that I had to take the whole #%^&& car apart to be able to do?? wow. Yes, I still own it and love it. Some days I hate it. Most days I hate that I love it! As I do all of my own maintenance and repair, I estimate I've saved enough in labor to pay for the entire car since I bought it used and out of warranty.

 

Thank you everyone for the enlightening inputs, we ordered a 2015 Mini CM a couple of weeks ago and we are eagerly awaiting its arrival. From all the posts, it seems to me that the Mini CM is just most German cars, average reliability while in warranty period and can be expensive to maintain as it age. We plan to keep the Mini for about 4 years and less than 30000 miles, hopefully, it remains reliable within that period. In my opinion, Germans cars are fun to drive but they are a trade off for reliability. We are willing to take on that compromise and we know full well what we are getting into. Thank You once again for all the inputs.