My wife has a 2018 Cooper S with 65k miles. About a week ago it started cranking slow but would still start. Now occasionally get “starter/ignition fault”. Other threads mention a failing starter. Can anyone tell me how long it might be before the starter kicks the bucket and we’re left stranded? I want to get rid of this piece of s_____ ASAP before it bankrupts us. Car is fun to drive, but compared to my 1995 BMW E36 it’s poorly engineered.

 

Thanks for posting. I don't know the answer to starter fail time. Can you please share what other things have failed in the 65k miles?

 

Failing starter sounds strange to me. It's all man-made so I won't claim it's impossible, but it wouldn't be my first conclusion.

For a data point, 111k+ on my 2017 F56 S. No starter issues. Not even a hint of a beginning of an idea of a starter issue. I expect the battery to fail and wiring to corrode (I'm not kidding) and other electrical to get strange causing ignition side-effects *well* before the starter itself goes sideways. My experience is not at all conclusive and my car is obviously not your car, but you get the idea.