Hey All

Not sure if this this is the forum. I have an 09 JCW with 2k KM on it, and its been in the shop a week so far. I watched as they towed it from my office after it went into limp mode with a chk engine warning light.

So far the issues are:

1. Coil pack replaced before delivery, running on 3 cylinders
2. High pressure fuel pump replaced, chk engine light and limp mode
3. LF Brake squealing, normal they say
4. Radio changing stations by itself, a feature!
5. Rattles and creaks from rear hatch and sunroof
6. Death rattle on cold startup, dealer won't repair
7. Windshield scratched on delivery, wipers!

Maybe these are the "quirks" the Mini president was talking about when he said Mini rated last in J. D Power survey. I think its just poor quality. Its completley unacceptable for a 35k plus car to be delivered with this kind of s* happening. This is my 3rd Mini, 2nd JCW, and my LAST BMW product.

I'm an enthusiast having owned a 64, 02, and 04 Mini.. so I know how much fun they are, and how patience you need. This time.. these are *not* minor problems. These are fundamental engineering and quality problems with the design and suppliers. BMW has cut every corner, and produced the biggest pile of junk I ever owned. And of course BMW doesn't give a damm, I'm just one of thousands who are pissed off and who they won't listen to.

Sorry <rant/>

As this is a CDN car, any ideas on lemon law?

Thanks for reading

 

Wow..i'm sorry you've had such horrible issues. As a future 2010 JCW owner these types of posts always frighten me.

I wholeheartedly agree that for the price and origin of this car, you should NOT have these issues. It's a given that any car will have issues, but the types of problems, and especially the frequency, will be a killer for repeat customers, and possibly the longetivity of the product as a whole. Conversley, there are those out there like myself who have had some problems (i owned an 05 MCS), but nothing major, and will continue to buy the good until something this tragic happens to us. Until then, it's just hoping for the best and enjoying it while you have it.

As for the purpose of your post, I couldn't fathom the types of lemon laws that are in place in Canada. Hope it all works out for you!

 

Death rattle is probably your timing chain tensioner.....should be a TSB on it by now.........

Other quirks listed all get charged back to the factory and dealer is paid.

This makes me wonder some times about actual diagnosises while cars are under factory warranty. I had a late model Jaguar with bad front sway bar bushing. Clunked on turns and some easy bumps, it was immediately checked by the Jag dealer who not only replaced the bushings but the whole bar ! and of course they charged it back to Jaguar.....since it is not actually a wearable part it had me guessing ???

I had MINI replace my windshield with OEM glass. Guy came right to the dealer and was a certified Tech in the field. It was a cheap fix, and since most window installers inevitably break off a few MINI window trim clips replacing them is easy as the MINI Parts Dept right there.

As far as the rear hatch noises, just put a little grease on the rubber bump stops and that should square that away. And my sunroof rattles some too. That is definately one of the "quirks" mentioned before.

 

It's very stressful when your car is crap and your dealer doesn't help you resolve your problems, hope it works out for you... BTW, I'm one of the thousands who are very happy with their Minis and have zero problems after 1 1/2 years and 10,000 miles (fingers crossed).

 

I happen to have a "little" bit of a lemon myself. This was supposed to be my dream car. I picked it up from the dealer with a golf ball sized dent in the roof that had to have multiple repairs to it to fix (still can tell where it was). I am on my 3rd water pump. My turbo has a "stutter" to it when I get on it, Dealer says it is bad gas. I have had the driver window reset because it stopped doing the auto set when closed. The sensor in the passenger seat doesn't sense me when I sit in it (You have to sit in it "just right" per the Dealer). I have the notorious sunroof and trunk rattles. And I am on my 2nd hood scoop, but needing a 3rd because it has melted from the engine/turbo heat. These little things with my car would easily be ignored if I hadn't paid 35K+ for the thing! You, by far, are much worse off. I have looked up the Lemon law in the US, & also talked to a few friends who work at other car dealerships. They say the SAME problem has to occur like 6+ times for them to even consider it a lemon in the US. I feel your pain. Best of luck.

 

Wow, I'm sorry to hear you guys having these problems. Every manufacturer produces a few cars that seem like lemons. Though that may be a given, it doesn't make it any easier to swallow after you've paid that much money.

At this point, you can either try to trade it in which will cost you money.... or fix it.

I know you guys are frustrated but try to fix what you need done so it's out of your hair. You may have to go a little above and beyond what the usual repairs are.

For example.... melting hood scoop. Take a dremel tool, open up the intake grille and buy an M7 gel protective turbo cover. (trust me, I'm speaking from experience)

The rear hatch rattles can be adjusted.... the biggest help is lube. ((being in the bodyshop business, I thought I could adjust it) turns out it needed adjusted but LUBED and that cured it)

Timing chain noise doesn't hurt anything. If it bothers you, there is a recall to fix it.

Anyway, you get the point, try to make the best of what you've got only because the car is a great car as you both know.

HTH's,

Mark

 

A week and half later, I get my car back , and it still has the dreaded death rattle and squealing brakes. The only upside is my friend at Mini pulled a Nav joystick off a car on the lot as there was no delivery date for a new part. It would still be in service if he hadn't helped me out.

Thanks for the support and positive comments, it looks like everyone has a horror story. Totally unacceptable in this snack bracket, and I wonder how this is going to impact BMW's future sales when you kind enthusiasts go shopping for your next car. I hear BMW wants to make a front wheel drive based on the Mini platform (Car Magazine, Nov). If they're using that s* Pug power plant and building it in Oxford, all I can say is good luck with all that.

Rather than deal with the ongoing problems and serious quality issues, I traded my JCW today. This has to be a record for me, owned for a grand total of 4 weeks. Complete waste of money and time. I hope BMW wakes up to its customer complaints and quality issues, as the Mini is a great car. Just not great for me.

 

No troubles whatsoever after a year and three months on my '09 factory JCW - 17,000 miles.

No trouble with previous highly modified and tracked 2006 S after 29,000 miles.

No trouble with wife's 2005 S auto after 31,000 miles.

No trouble with previous highly modified 2003 S after 85,000 miles.

All told, that's 162,000 trouble-free miles on 4 separate MINIs I've owned. And three of them have been pushed hard.

I've recommended MINIs to several friends and family members. After many thousands of miles, none of them had problems.

Just thought another viewpoint - complete with lots of experience - should be expressed.

Doesn't discount the heart-ache and wallet-ache of the OP, but it is certainly a different set of experiences.

 

At the risk of starting a flamewar..

Great viewpoint, but you should link over to the cold start db and take a look at the sheer number of issues reported there. Not including the carboning problems and many, many other annoyances.

Lets take a poll and find out if you are in the majority.

I have lots of patience having owned 3 of these cars, two earlies and one late. The 02-06 were brilliant and unburstable. the usual niggles I can live with.

But this is hands down the WORST car I have ever owned. As for experience, I've had 8 BMW's over the years and this is certainly my last. If you don't think Mini doesn't have a SERIOUS quality problem, then my 3 major component failures in under 2k km, and the list of cold start misery listed elsewhere on this site should serve as a reminder that being cool, hip and fun does not in anyway mitigate the quality issues here.

JD Power was right. this car deserves to be dead last. Ask anyone whos had an early CVT equipped Mini how they liked their experince. Or for that matter any of the people here who have plunked down their hard earned money only to go through the frustrating experience of having to fight for tensioner repairs.

43k CDN MSRP, and its towed away in a week? After its already repaired once on the showroom floor.. Back and forth to get the tensioner replaced? Unforgiveable. I'd happily swap circumstances with you, at least got your moneys worth.

 

No war from me.

If I were you, I'd be upset.

However, I know dozens of folks who are exceptionally satisfied with their MINIs.

Just wanting a fair and balanced viewpoint.

 

what did you trade it for?