After having a nightmare experience with a my first 2011 mini S clubman, I’m back in the market and looking at a certified 2016 Cooper S, manual transmission with 48k miles.

In an attempt to avoid a repeat of previous experience, are there any items that I need to make sure have been addressed? Any common issues with this generation? Any common failures that I need to plan for or take care of before things get worse? Any tips and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

The 3rd gen MCS has the B46/B48 engines in them. Same engine used in many of the BMW's major line up. I'm an active member in many of those forums, too. So far so good, no real major issues with these motors. The only common enough issue which has surfaced plenty of occasions is the engine motor mount, particularly the passenger side mount. This is an issue experienced in the newer BMW X1/X2 and other transverse-mounted platforms.

Other than the above, length of use on these B-series motors hasn't been that long for us to see what common issues are out there. And 3rd generation coopers are one of the very first to pilot the B-series motors for BMW. The B-series motor has a long list of improvements over its predecessor N-series motors, it basically addressed most of the problems seen in those N-series motors. However, the only downside is BMW calls this motor a consumable part. The irony is that the N-series motors are part of the ultimate driving machine flagship and were riddled with a plethora of issues; where as, the B-series motors seems to be much more stout, but receives a titleship of a consumable part. In my opinion, it should have been the other way around.

 

Thanks Yupetc, aside from improvements as it relates to engine. Any other common issues? Essentially, I’m trying to figure out what to anticipate within the next 5 years 50k miles. Car currently has 48k and is a 2016 S with stick shift.

 

I haven't come across too many high mileage F56. It's important to practice good maintenance intervals and keep an eye out for any changes or deviations from normal during driving. The only real issue that I know could be of concern beyond 60k miles will be carbon build-up on the intake valves. BMW did some improvements on the crankcase ventilation, but there are still oil vaporization no matter how they minimize it. It'll cling onto the intake valves and eventually have enough build-up of gunk and cause driveability/idle issues. Other than this, for the next 50k miles, you got a stout motor there. For a stick shift, I truly believe the clutch will go out before anything else gives up. I say that only because I drive a stick shift pretty spiritedly and yield high wear. It will vary for you based on personal driving style.