Hi Everybody,
A few months ago I went to the NY Auto Show and sat in a Mini Cooper Countryman. I went crazy over it; I LOVED it! I recently test drove one, an S, manual shift, and I haven't had so much fun in a car in years. Wow!
We presently have two cars; a 2012 Mazda CX9 and a 2011 Nissan XTerra. Since we have 20 months left on the XTerra lease, and my wife and I want a Mini so badly, I listed the XTerra on Swapalease and are hoping for the best.
The only reservation I have about the Mini is what I've read regarding its reliabilty. Consumer Reports gave the S version's reliabilty a "much worse than average" rating, and the J.D. Powers' report isn't much better. On CNET'S review of the car the Mini wouldn't start the first time they tried to start it.
Has this forum explored the Mini's reliabilty? I'll do a search but I wonder if there is updated data.
Thanks for any information. This looks like a terrific, helpful, supportive forum.

 

Good luck! There are very many knowledgeable posters here who can help you. All I can say is I owned three MGs which were notorious for electrical system issues. Didn't bother me - I bought them and drove them hard. Worth every dime!

We are relocating to the Florida Gulf Coast next year, so I'm buying a new MINI Roadster when we move (that way I can avoid the salt of Northern Virginia's winter roads). I've heard of reliability issues, but I'm going full speed ahead!

I follow this forum simply because the NAM posters are the best when it comes to all things MINI.

 

I was in the same situation as you. Saw a Countryman at the Dallas Auto Show in March. Thought and overthought about it. Did shuffling with current car situation at the time. Ordered her Apr 12 and picked her up June 4. I know I take excellent care of my vehicles so just going to enjoy driving her and hope there are no major issues.

 

A new Countryman is going to have some of the bugs worked out of it. A used one may be plagued by the first or second year 'growing pains'. There have certainly been problems with those early CMs.

 

An English (or Austrian) car can never compare with Nissan or Mazda in terms of reliability. On the other hand, few Japanese cars can compare with a MINI in driving satisfaction. I know that probably doesn't help, so I'll rephrase: Yes, you will have some more issues than you are accustomed to. But for most of us here, it's well worth the trade off.

Keep seeking out the answer. Most of us, when asked, will be quick to defend our cars. You don't want that. You want candid, honest appraisals. The information is all here on this forum.

 

I was wondering if the reliability issues are minor...power window switches, radio problems, etc.... or major..... engine, transmissions, etc.
BTW tampadave, i owned a 1967 MGB for a number of years and, aside from fiddling with the SU carbs, it was completely reliable with a minimum of fuss. Great car!

 

If you are buying new, it's hard to say. Previous model years have certainly had thier problems.
The "S" models of the previous year models primarily had problems with the timing chain and carbon build up on the valves, but Mini has made some changes that may help on the carbon build up issue and the timing chain issues is still an unknown and time will only tell on that.
Read all you can on these two issues and oil consumption/checking oil level issues and you can make abetter informed decision before you buy.
The best thing on the new Mini Coopers is the new car warranty and you have much peace of mind with that, but once the warranty is about to expire you might want to re-look at whether you should sell or not.

 

I have two Mini Cooper S. One is 2002. The other is 2012. The issues with the older models are generally well documented. The most notorious of the issues is the failure of the electric power steering pump. Otherwise, the 2002 has been only as problematic as any other car as it accumulates miles.

The 2012 is another story. I bought that one new. Based on my experiences with the 2002 I figured it would be ok. Not so much. There is a hydraulic oil valve on the engine. It has been replaced twice. There is a gear to track the dynamic timing (for lack of a better term) that is similar to the gear that tells ABS your wheels are locking up. A gear bent on that. They don't know how. It went into limp mode. The clutch has been replaced (I do NOT ride the clutch; every other clutch I've had in cars has lasted well over 100,000 miles; the original is still in the 2002 working fine). The amplifier failed.. The brakes decided to drag. The car has been in for service 7 times in under 18 months. Let me repeat that I bought the car new. At the moment the problems are merely an inconvenience since I get loaner cars and the problems are fixed under warranty. However, I will be dumping the car before the new car warranty expires. Fixing the gear entailed 3 days of labor. Fixing the valve required one day of labor each time. Payments and problems should not be happening at the same time when your car was purchased new.

It was only later that I learned that newer Mini's (at least around 2012) have rather poor reliability ratings. But, what can you say about a German car made in England with a French engine.

The up side? The car, even the S, gets decent gas mileage (I average about 30mpg) and it is a ball to drive. Shifting is reasonably quick, handling is good, and ride is hard enough to be sporty without being bone jarring. If it weren't for the problems I was having, I would absolutely love this car. It's a little car with 180 horsepower. It can be quite fun.

 

OK, if you want a car you just fill up with gas and never worry about again, don't get a MINI

If you want something which you'll enjoy everyday and might take just a little bit of extra TLC, please DO get a MINI.

Just keep on top of your fluids, don't flog it when cold, etc, etc. Since you're buying new, you really have little to worry about. Any issue will be under warranty.

Personally, I have a MINI because a few close friends tracked theirs on a regular basis and never had problems. Sure, many have had problems. I wouldn't let it deter you. These cars sell to well to ALL be lemons

You want bulletproof reliability? Buy a Civic and be bored to death everyday.

 

we were in the same boat as the OP. Flipped out over the CM/R60....loved it.

AFter doing a lot of research, we found that the first two years of the CM(2011/2012) did have numerous "new model issues" as others have said. I feel bad for the early adopters, but it seems Mini corrected most all of those issues, but there was a lot of inconvenience for those folks.

The experiences I have read of those with 2013's/2014's is exceptionally good. Thus far, we have 10K miles on the CM and it is completely issue free. Our hardtop/R56 is too new to tell(only 500 miles).

What I have learned from numerous sites and discussions with long time Mini folks to help ensure longevity and reliability are:
-break in the car EXACTLY as the the manual states regarding clutch/brakes/motor. They each have specific break-in mileage requirements and processes
-ensure oil is at the required level at all times
-change the oil every 5k miles regardless of what the computer says.

lot's of opinions regarding that last one, but we figure on $35K + cars, paying for every other oil change(Mini will cover the oil change per the computer countdown) is very, very cheap insurance.

good luck!

 

A friend of a friend's son works at a car dealership. New mechanics get all the warranty repairs because the factory pays less for those repairs at a lower rate. An example his friend sited was a car that needed a head gasket. The new guy gets the repair. The old mechanics told him you are paid for replacing the head gasket not the timing belt. They showed him how to tilt the head up, slide the old gasket out slide the new one in. This procedure will probably damage the timing belt but the car owner won't find out until X thousand miles later.

I used to feel comfortable with a warranty now I think you go in to fix problem A and that leads to problem B then C,D,E......

This is what brought me to this thread. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/4324420412.html

Mechanic Special -2008 MINI COOPER S--1 OWNER--ONLY 31,000 MILES - $7000 (MARIETTA GA)

I googled the vin number and found the car sold for about $17,000 a month ago. So the engine gave out. I was looking for a fun car not a test of my mechanical skills.

 

^
This. Mini's are great to drive but you have to realize they are not as reliable as say a Honda or Toyota. But the driving experience is much more satisfying and fun than other manufacturers.

 

+1 . couldn't agree more!

 

Totaly agree they are fun cars to drive, but you better have a warranty or very deep pockets to own one.

 

From my experience, the cooper s requires constant attention to avoid issues. Checking fluids is a must. There's known issues to watch for, otherwise they seem to be decent enough if your willing to give it the attention it needs.

 

I've got to question the earlier statement that an English car can't compare to a Japanese one - Nissan are built in Sunderland and Toyota in Derbyshire -
I think you have to look at the attitude and mindset of the company.
I also think modern design requirements play a part, every car we've owned in the last 15 years has had trouble with sensors and/or exhaust recirculating valves.
And Peugeot take some beating on prices - £700 for a wiper motor and £260 for a (single) tyre valve is outrageous!
So basically I guess I'm saying they are all much the same and any new car is a bit of a gamble.

 

The first part of your responce is very much true and needs some elaberation for those who own or are potential future owners of a Mini Cooper, primarily the "S" models that are turbocharged.
These models tend to use more oil than most are accustomed to and very well may require oil to be added even if you change your oil every 5K miles.
Take in conjunction with the oil consumption the fact that the Mini Coopers dip stick design will often give a false "full" reading due to the lower bulb on the stick pulling excessive oil up into the dip stick oil check tube, timing chain tensioners can be effected and could lead to timing chain failure or more if allowed to run low on oil.
So if you are dillegent in your attentiveness of your oil and keep it clean and full you most likely will decrease the odds of a timing chain failure, but not entirely.
And that brings me to the last part of the above statement as it implies that if you give your Mini the attention it needs they are reliable cars.
The fact is that there are many documented cases ( take the time to read the other blogs on this forum on timing chain issues and reliability) where there have been owners who were attentive to the known issues and still developed failures.
So it is patently unfair to those who have suffered failures in their Mini Coopers to infer that it was somehow their fault and if they had only been more attentive those failures would have been avoided.
The timing chain failures are just one (although probably the worst) of the reliability problems that plague the Mini Cooper and there is just reason that the Mini Cooper has achieved the distinction of having the absolute worst reliability rating of all the cars listed in recent reliability reports.
Whenever you have work done on a Mini Cooper, whether it is for routine maintenance ( such as brakes, clutches, carboned up valves,etc.) or more serious mechanical failures, it can get very expensive if it is not coverd under the waranty.
Most recently Mini Cooper has put out a "letter" to dealerships that authorizes replacement of the timing chain tensioner and in some cases the intire timing chain assembly on certain models from the year 2007 through 2010. It dosen't speak to those non "S" or newer than 2010 Mini Coopers that may develope the same timing chain issues (as indeed some have).
But this is not a recall and seems to be very much dealership dependant on who will be covered and who will not be covered. At any rate it is good news (even though it was only brought about after lawsuits and poor reliability reports that are starting to come out), but Mini/BMW really needs to work a little harder towards regaining their customers confidence and respect.
It is most definately true in any respect, Mini Coopers do require constant attention to hopefuly help avoid issues, it just dosent gurantee you won't have issues.

 

On the other side of the equation, I've had my 2010 MCS for going on 5 years, and 50 k miles. No issues at all other than a recall that was done when it was in for a yearly oil change about 2 years ago.... Go figure...

 

The references above to checking oil are interesting. I rang my dealer today as the car is due it's first service and I was asked whether I checked the oil level and how important it was to do it regularly. I was also asked if I wanted a quart left in the boot for topping up.
Now that could be seen as just be good customer service and the opportunity to sell a quart of oil.......or is it really saying that it's something that could be an issue.
Either way I've never been asked that before.

 

I keep a quart in my engine storage at all times.

 

I think if they are selling you an extra quart of oil is because of the issues these motors have. Here in the US some dealers are now over filling the oil on purpose to possible hide the issues these have or could have. I noticed my oil was over filled and brought it to the attention of my dealer. There reply was simple.. "Its the new norm to over fill" So I asked why.. his reply.. "because of the wide range of oil consumption that could lead to major engine failure". my response was not to reassuring..and the warm and fussy feeling is getting a little shaky

 

3 years/32k miles and the same experience.

 

Y'all need to realize the difference between reliable and trouble free.

Reliable is when the car will actually get you to where you are going. When I was young, I owned a 3 year old MG Midget. I had to carry spare parts and tools all the time, because I was NEVER ever sure it would make it to where I was headed.

I haven't owned a car in the last 30 years that wasn't reliable. Yes some of them had issues, but they always ran. (1976 Datsun 280Z, 1986 Mazda RX7, 1990 Toyota 4 runner, 1993 Ford F150, 2001 Audi A6, 2010 MINI S, and my 1995 BMW M3 that I still own...) All of them have been, or still are completely reliable. I wouldn't have hesitated to drive them anywhere, anytime...