Im looking into buying an F56 with 43,000 miles, its an automatic. How reliable are these cars and are there major trouble spots?

 

Tough to answer. I'm very happy w/ my 2015 MCS w/ 31K miles. Much depends on the actual car. Reading long term reviews some seem to be pretty bad, while others seem to be pretty good. Personally, the service record will speak volumes about that car's repair history. If properly maintained, Mini's (BMW lites) should be relatively trouble free. If a particular car has been to the dealership for a variety if mechanical issues, I'd probably steer clear of that car.

(from .rac.co.uk)

What to Look For

There aren't many reported issues with this F56-series MINI Hatch mechanically. The only one we came across related to a batch of cars with the 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine that suffered from oil leaks. This came from the rocker-cover gasket which in the case of these rogue models, had somehow managed to bulge out from between its mating surfaces, spraying oil everywhere. If the car you're looking at had such a leak, tell-tale signs include rough running and a poor idle. A new gasket is the ultimate fix.We also came across a few 2.0-litre cars experiencing the odd clutch problem. The torque of the engine seems to be part of the problem, but some owners have reported that their clutch is slipping quite early in the car's life. Even then, it wasn't that straightforward. Apparently, the on-board sensor designed to be an early-warning system of clutch failure proved in some cases to be just too sensitive for its own good, throwing up a false warnings on the dashboard when there was actually no problem at all. Dealerships have tackled this by taking any car in question out on to the road and performing a series of full-throttle acceleration tests in both second and fourth gear. Any clutch slip meant a new clutch was needed, but if there was no slip, the software was recalibrated to prevent the false alarms. Either way, the acceleration test is one you should perform when test-driving any Cooper S with a manual gearbox.The other thing to watch is for a car that has had skipped oil changes. Check the service handbook for any missed scheduled services and ensure the oil on the dipstick is relatively clean. The problem with skipped oil changes is most likely to show up in the variable valve-timing system these engines use, and dirty oil will foul the small oilways and filters quick smart. At which point, it's a pricey, expensive fix.

 

TIL: My F56 has a clutch slip sensor. COOL!

Anecdotally, my F56 has had many trouble free miles, never leaving me stranded. As mine was a '15 built in '14, I had quite a few service bulletins called for my car, (control arm, airbag, and the bearing recall.) The bearing recall being the only one that had me sweating at all. Of course, I have had atleast 20k miles on the car since any of these repairs have been carried out. Of course, 2014 was the first year the car came out, and these kinds of things follow must cars, especially when they have changed the design so significantly from the second gen. Also, all of these recalls were caused by incorrect speccing of properties, (such as torque on the control arm and hardness on the bearings, rather than inherent design flaws in the car, such as the timing chain in the N14.

I believe the article that circulated a few months (maybe a year) ago where it had been proven that MINI dealerships had taken a hit in profit because of the reduced repairs needed on the F, which has been my experience with talking with my dealer on the situation as well.

 

Bought my 2014 F56S with about 25k in Oct 2017...currently have 52k on it and part of that was MINI Takes the States 2018 this past July. No problems whatsoever except for a torn motor mount which MINI picked up the tab for and a cracked windshield due to a rock on I90 in South Dakota on MTTS.

I had a 2009 Justa R57 Convertible and loved that but the F56S and the 2.0L engine's power is intoxicating. I added a Dinan Sport module to it and it's enough power for me thank you very much!

If you keep current with maintenance and take care of it, you should have no issues. Find a good MINI dealer or a reliable shop that works on MINIs regularly, and you will be good to go and be able to enjoy the car.