I've been patiently waiting for the F56 to be delivered to my local MINI dealer, so patient that I stopped by the other day and chatted with the salesman about the new model. He mentioned that because the F56 is brand new I should be aware of the "First Year" issues that all manufactures experience. Part of what he said might be just him trying to sell off 2013 models but I have heard from many people in the industry to stay away from the first year of any car.

The F56 is being made by BMW and I don't believe that either BMW or MINI is skimping on quality or testing. And while most motoring sites indicate that everything is an improvement in the grand scheme of things this is the first model year and has a new engine, new transmission, new 'stuff'.

Thoughts?

 

No concerns. Millions of consumers buy first year models from GM, Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Nissan, Audi, etc. There will be occasional issues as with any car, new model or not. But I'm not the least bit concerned. Any issues I might have will be taken care of by my MINI dealer. I also weigh in the 2014 MINI Hardtop improvements, new features, quality upgrades, new engines, etc. Trust me, the F56 will be an awesome MINI.

 

You will be a bit of a guinea pig, but that's what warranties are for. The first model year always has more issues.

 

^ this. first year models are almost always going to have issues. not to mention these are brand new engines they're using, and turbocharged on top of that

 

+1
Then add new car, and a new motor....
The 2002 AND the 2007 models...both "bmw Products" both have issues to this day...and both have lower resale values...a year or so into production usually teaches the builders lots about cars...tiny parts are adjusted to get rid of squeeks, others are revised yo prevent other issues...
Imo, if you can wait, wait.

 

I am new with MINIs. So is the 2013 MINI S supercharged? Or is it turbo?

 

Turbo.

 

I was more referring to the base MINI in this regard (that it will now be turbocharged), but yea the current MCS is too.

With all that said, I don't think you need to worry. Just take good care of the car.

 

The new engines are all BMW design and will be used in both MINI's and BMW's. From what I have read, they are based on the parts and design of the Series I and 3 BMW 6 cylinder engines. These are some of the most reliable of the BMW engines even with the turbo. I think the 4 cylinder engine (with direct injection and turbo charging) that BMW is already using is one of the new designs. There is always a possibility of unforseen problems in a new design, but since BMW is using these engines, I think they feel confident in the designs.

'Morris' 2011 MC, PW/B 28,000 trouble free miles

 

The engines are parted from the old 3L straight 6. The tranny's not new. Suspension is new, as are the electronics and interior stuff. I think the R56 was more "new stuff" than this car. Personally I don't worry about that stuff much, that's what warranties are for. BMW doesn't make money when people take cars back to the dealerships a lot.

 

Yeah...but dealers do...
And when the car sits for a few days...er..a week...waiting for parts that are not yet stocked for a car that is just STARTING DELIVERIES.....you are driving a loaner...you are inconvenienced....
Guess if you are very local to a dealer...and have work hours to pick up and drop off a car....its ok...but live an hour away...ouch...

 

P.S.
The engine is an all new design for new BMW's and mini's....it will be used in multiple cars....but it is a new motor....should imo be a smoother introduction than the gen2 imo...it us going to be a higher volume motor... And I think bmw has spent more time on it....but still....

 

I spent many years in the automotive supplier industry...and my company supplied most of the major automakers with critical systems. The engineering changes that typically came through for the 1st model year were always significant and the warranty claims on first year designs were always typically slightly more than more mature product runs.


There is always a ton of testing done on parts before they are released for production, but laboratory testing can only take into account only so many scenarios. Once the parts were put into production and into the hands of consumers, there were at times issues that needed to be worked out due to the findings of customers using the car in ways that testing did not cover. Issues did not happen to every car of course, but first year cars are always a bit more susceptible to issues. You simply cannot design every flaw out of a car during the pre production processes...

 

My general rule of thumb has always been to avoid first year of any model car.

Case in point: I was considering the new Fusion (love the look) ended up buying another car. During the following month the Fusion had 5 recalls in one week!!

I've followed the first year runs of vehicles I've wanted - and every one of them had issues that had to be refreshed. It's a teething thing that needs to be resolved. It's not limited to any specific manufacturer.

If you're comfortable with visiting the dealer for warranty work and the things that go along with it then go for it! (Someone's gotta be the guinea pig)

 

frankly my general rule of thumb is to only buy the LAST model year of a car I like. that way I can always have the best of it, or at least have my choice

 

In my situation my 2011 MCS runs out of the Factory Warranty May or 50K miles which ever comes 1st.

That being said I checked 1st to see what the extended warraty was cost wise.

Maximum Time and Miles, Lowest Cost out of pocket per visit was like $5,000.00 dollars.

That did it for me one New 2014 MCS was ordered that day.

I'll deal with the 1st year production under, (WARRANTY).



T.

 

Of course there are concerns. The first year of a car is like beta testing in the field. There are always issues that are unknown until thousands of customers have driven the car millions of miles. Let history be your guide. There were issues with the early R53, R56, and Countryman. Even the Roadster, which should have launched as a solid mature car, MINI failed to anticipate issues with seatbelts and Recaro seats.

 

Dual mass flywheel/standard tranny. Need I say more......
As long as the things that break cannot be blamed on the driver......BMW have trouble taking responsibility for their design problems.
I have driven standards all my life....my clutch went at 35,000km. They claimed I was not using it correctly and refused to pay for it!

 

This will be my 3rd first year vehicle..

1st was the 2011 Buick Regal (Though that was out in Europe a few years prior as an Opel/Vauxhall)
2nd was my current vehicle, the 2013 Cadillac ATS which hasn't been a completely pleasant experience. The first ATS I had, had its oil pump fail and the car had the engine replaced (after 1 month) as a result but I got them give me a new vehicle. I kind of lucked out because I got one with an MSRP of $10,000 higher for only $20 more a month. However, that can't fix this painstakingly slow navigation and infotainment system. Sometimes, it takes the system up to 4 or 5 seconds to change a song after you press the button on your steering wheel because it takes time for it to process the command and the voice command system is totally helpless. Its a shame because it ruins an otherwise AWESOME car (not getting rid of it because of that, have too many miles on my lease and need to finance something instead).

I'm hoping the Mini Connect is leaps and bounds better than Cadillac CUE, due to the fact its been out for a while longer.

Anyway, my dealer is pretty close by and gives free loaners so I'm not too worried.

 

We bought the 1998 Subaru Forester, the first year it came out. Other than reoccurring cracked front boots, which they replaced for free during the initial warranty, we had no problems. They knew when there was a problem, and fixed it. Will Mini be the same? Don't know, but having the new generation is always a lot of fun. You become the ambassador for the car, and the dealer AND manufacturer knows that. I've got over 200,000 miles on my Subaru, and it's been a great car. I truly hope Mini doesn't let us down, like it has with past 'new models.' This is SO new and revamped, it has great potential, especially since they're using it in the BMW's, you KNOW they don't want to upset that crowd.

 

My only issue with the F56 is that I look too awesome hand washing it and my neighbors are jealous!

 

Having read several BMW forums it sounds just like MINI warranty service to me.

 

Bmw products do not have the best first year reliability records, and MINIs reliability in the past has been near or at the bottom of the ratings for years. I hope that the F56 has less problems than the R56, but only time will tell, and like someone else said, the first years car is always a beta product. Case in point, a shifter comes off during testing? My bet is that the part will be changed to prevent that from happening.

I myself am waiting for the refresh of this car because not only will it have some issues addressed, it hopefully will have a change to the front end of the S model to make it better looking. I am also expecting a 8 speed auto in future models. I am enjoying my car in the meantime and hope that MINI did a better job on the current model and it will move up the rankings of Consumer Reports and the like.

 

I'm sorry - we need photos to back up this claim

 

I ordered my R56 in December, 2006, long before there were any on these shores. It was delivered 4 days after the U.S. release, in February 2007. We hesitated in ordering a first year model, but my previous car was having some problems, so we didn't have much choice.

My week-3 build car has turned out to be quite reliable. Yes, there were some glitches, but they were quite minor for the most part. The biggest single issue was the timing chain, but we had the service done before anything broke, and all was reimbursed by MINI USA. The only other thing I can recall of a largish nature was a leaking water pump that caused some overheating on a trip to New Mexico in August. It was replaced under warranty, and our motel and food costs for an overnight stay were reimbursed, too.

I do think we've had some loss of resale value because of the first-year issues, but my personal experience is that it isn't fair to the car. I've often wondered, though, if my experience was better because it was such an early car that the engineers were very carefully monitoring the assembly lines and early complaints. It seemed to me, back in 2007, that the cars that had trouble were those delivered after about April--maybe the shirts went back into their cubicles by then?

I will say that I now have just over 100,000 miles on mine, and while it has an unhappy number of rattles (most or all from the sunroof), I haven't exactly babied it. I've autocrossed, driven on long trips many, many times, laid out rallies in it, and done just about everything except commuting, since I work out of our home.

Probably the most fun we had was the trip to Colorado and New Mexico--camping. It's a real kick to show up at a campsite, loaded to the gills with gear, and watch the RVers watch YOU set up a tent and start the dinner preparation out of a car that's tinier than what they're towing!

My $.02...and yes, I'm waiting for a 2015.