I hate that my car came with high performance summer tires and I live in a climate where there is considerable winter weather. This forces me to purchase a second set of tires/wheels if I want to keep performance tires on the car for 9 months out of the year.

 

LOL...you would think that a car that is built in a place where it rains most of the time, that something like this would not be an issue!

 

I hate it that I can't find that second opera door on my Clubman...

 

I wish i had a volume indicator!

 

Definately the windows.

As most MINI owners will typically find after the 4th year of ownership the windows will start erratically not working. Mostly due to the POS window motors. It is $450 for each window, book rate only at the dealer to fix.

Neither of mine are working today after trying to fonzie the hell out the door panel to the point of bruising my hand.

I will not buy another MINI, but will continue to drive this one for many years unless I go broke fixing it.

 

not being able to see traffic lights without bending down to see them.

 

I don't see this as a problem. Summer tires are WAY better than All-Season tires in the summer and proper Winter tires are WAY better than All-Season tires in the snow. All-Season tires give you the worst of both. Get some proper winter tires, you'll love 'em. Really.

 

I don't like to be negative, but I hate that it's $1800 to replace the A/C compressor. Besides cost to repair, I love everything about my MINI.

 

It's really up to the individual, their climate, and their personal driving style on which type of tire they prefer.

Since MINI is so good at allowing personalization of a car, with many different options to choose from, my belief is that they should allow you to order any car with all-season or summer only tires.

 

^^...What he said!

 

Yes, it is up to the individual, etc, and I know I'm a noob here, with this being my third post, but driving "style" has nothing to do with the benefits of summer tires and winter tires over all-season tires.

By your original comment, your climate is that which warrants winter tires. By your signature, one would assume you take spirited driving seriously. Why reduce your traction in snow with all-season tires, and sacrifice the incredible handling capabilities of a MINI in summer with all-season tires? Another aspect to consider: you can make a set of tires last longer by not using them all year.

Back on topic - I hate the double-pull to open the doors, too. Is eliminating it something a guy with wrenches can do, or is it something a dealer needs to do with a laptop and a cord?

The cup holders are a joke.

Tell me more about adding auto-up to the window toggles, please.

 

If I lived in Minnesota I would consider a dedicated winter tire for superior traction. We get maybe 3 snowfalls a year with about 12-16 inches of total accumulation. All season tires seem to do good in the winters here.

 

http://www.lightinsight.com/

 

I don't like the tiny battery.
I was messing with my MINI yesterday, taking care of some paint chips, clay bar,and waxing it, all the time I was listening to the car's radio. The radio ran the battery down! When I got in it to go to town, there wasn't enough juice to start it! Sheesh! On my other cars I do this all the time and they don't even flinch. The car has 1500 miles on it, the battery is almost new!

I wonder if there is a higher capacity battery avilable that will fit the MINI's battery box?

Dave

 

Optima Redtop R34. It may be twice the price, but it will last 4 times as long.

 

Nothing at all yet, just the pushy sales people who tried to sell me every other one I looked at. Maybe the cup holder that's attached to the center console that gets banged over and scratches up the ring around the shifter every time the passenger seat is moved forward. But I'll remove that and replace the ring and all will be great.

 

I'm probably the thousanth person to ***** about the cupholder.. but yeah, it's awful, and the center cup holders are totally useless. I don't tend to drive around with beverages so it doesn't really matter, but I don't have a torx driver to remove the rickety tacked-on one. I guess it's a good reason to pick up a set! Right now it's functioning as my ipod holder.

 

If you really don't like it, I would recommend buying a Torx 20 screwdriver and removing it now. I hated it from day 1 but didn't do anything about it for 3.5 years. When I finally did remove it, there was a long scratch on the downtube - probably due to vibrations for such a long period of time (theory of another NAMer which makes sense to me). I've done a so-so paint patchup job. I don't notice it at all on a daily basis, but the color match isn't perfect - I've got the anthracite finish which is metallic-y and for which I never found a paint code. Just a suggestion...

 

ZING!
currently, my driver's side window won't go down. i'll be taking mine to the dealership for the second time . my passenger's side window had the same problem about 6 months ago but had it serviced for that.

 

I feel like the thing I hate (it's really just an annoyance-I can't hate my MINI!) the most is such a paltry offering after reading so many legitimate problems. But I just wish my ambient lighting was a bit brighter and with more color combinations! Plus, it would be more exciting if the lighting continued within my cup holders (like I've seen in my friend's Ford Flex). I also really like the orange dash lighting, but I wish that I was able to change it just like the ambient lighting (ie I could turn a **** and have a blue, green, pink, yellow, red or purple dash read based on my mood/whim). I have seen dash kits available however, I worry about what that might do to the warranty; Plus there are probably transportation laws on why certain things/hues are not installed through the factory! Sue me, I like lights (maybe it's my inner moth)!

 

The thing I LOVE best about my MINI is that it's designed and built by BMW, a company well-respected for their no-nonsense approach to vehicle function, tactile sportiness, and straightforward driver interface. As such, I'm actually thankful they did not do anything like the above... I guess, to each his own.

 

I hate having to drive 250+ miles to the Mini dealership to get my car serviced.


Why cant any BMW dealership service the car?

I have a BMW dealer not 10 miles from my house

 

Since that is a safety feature, which BMW has also, I don't think a dealer will attempt to disable that (assuming that it is possible). Of course, you can use the Central Lock Switch...

 

I can respect that, but if I wanted practicality or something 'straightforward' I would have gone for something within the BMW 3 Series. But, really, blech! My parents can have those! I wanted something fun, novel, a bit impractical yet sturdy and sporty...with lots of eccentric bells and whistles, so I went for the MINI (and, don't faint, a cabrio!). The bonus? Great gas mileage. The layout of the controls and the interior colors and appointments aren't, in themselves, the picture of a no-nonsense approach. This is what wonderfully sets them apart in a sea of boring, sensible sedans and gasoline greedy SUVs. In fact, they're delightfully whimsical and, in a way, unintuitive (compared to other cars in my experience). And I love that! Things are a bit cattywompus, there's always seems to be a surprise or spectacle as my eyes gaze around the cockpit! I just think there's something said for wanting fun and technicolor in one's life (and that's what mods are for). Variety, like the Sandworm, is the spice of life (no wait, the worm is the spice/the spice is the worm?..right); So I guess, to just reciprocate, to each his/her own. Besides, it was just a humble opinion thread about MINIs. It was just my dream, and I have a right to be quirky and quixotic.

 

I really dislike the cup holders. I've spent the better part of my life trying to find vente size coffee cups and now I can't use them! Those mini-fini (not sure if that's the correct name) strike me as being a little clumsy. It looks like it will stick out pretty far (I have a 2010) and either be a knee knocker over thing or dog accessible. I really don't want to keep shoving the dogs head out of the coffee cup when I'm trying to shift!

But the thing I REALLY hate is the socket right smack dab in the middle of a cubby where you might want to put stuff in a car that has NO other areas to put stuff! They seriously need a woman to design the interior of this car!