I just bought a 2009 MCS with JCW, 66500k miles and appears the clutch is bad after 500 miles of driving. After researching new clutch costs I find a lot of bad mojo towards MINI's and how often they need repairs.

I bought the extended 5yr/100,000 bumper to bumper warranty but of course it does not cover the clutch.

My thought is that ALL cars have their issues or needed repairs, but are MINI's really that bad to own?

I love my car but am scared now, and wonder if my extended warranty will cover most the future issues.

Should I fix the clutch and unload the car or will any used car I buy have possible issues?

Thanks,

Murf

 

The reliability and maintenance cost of a Mini is mostly on par with any other European sports car. That said, I would find a good independant and get the clutch repaired. An extended bumper to bumper warranty is about as good as it gets, I would keep and drive it..

 

Understand that that a clutch is a "WEAR" item just like the brake pads are. It is possible that the person that owned it before you was a spirited driver or an inexperienced driver and rode the clutch a lot. Keep the maintenance up on it and take care of it. Don't baby it too much but don't be irresponsible either. Motor on

 

Thanks for the input. My thoughts exactly, in buying used depends on the previous owner and how they drove it. I've owned many manual cars and never had a clutch issue and always maintain the car with routine maintenance.

I love the car and how it drives. Just don't want a money pit. I just had the transmission oil replaced with Royal Purple, gears now shift smoothly. Now just need the clutch repaired.

- Murf

 

A 2009 MCS will have the N14 engine which has it's share of problems ... timing chain tensioner, carbon build up on intake valves (a result of direct injection and design of the PCV system), high oil consumption and high pressure fuel pump.

You need to be diligent about checking the oil level and changing the oil more often then BMW prescribes. Walnut blasting to take care of the carbon build up will also have to be done periodically. I'm sure some R56 MCS owners will chime in regarding these service intervals.

 

In other words, relatively low reliability and relatively high maintenance cost.

 

What does the walnut blasting cost?

 

Mini Coopers certainly have their weak points such as the clutch's tending to wear out rather fast.
Research on the timing chain assembly, vacuum pump failure, etc. would be advised as these can and do cause catastrophic engine failure.
It's definitely a love/hate affaire. All Mini Cooper owners love the way their cars drive and many of those will equate the fun of driving one to help balance the shortcomings the Mini's have with mechanical reliability.
I am currently among one of those who love the way they drive but am aware and concerned of my Mini's potential for serious mechanical failure and am trying to develop a proactive preventative maintenance program that when out of warranty would require replacement of problem prone parts before they cost an engine. Not necessarily a cheap preventive program as replacement of the full timing chain assembly is quite costly.
Your warranty should give you some security as long as you are diligent in maintenance and record keeping of that maintenance. After the warranty ends, however, you will have to decide whether you are willing to adapt a somewhat expensive proactive preventative maintenance program replacing suspect parts/assemblies as they surface, just take your chances with just normal maintenance or sell your Mini
Clutch failure in Mini Coopers are not unusual even with experienced standard shift drivers so extra caution on how you drive your Mini would be advised. However, if you have your clutch assembly replaced by a reputable Mini dealer you will have a two year warranty which may or may not cover (depending mostly on how your dealership chooses to handle it) a failure within the warranty period.
This is an honest not candy coated appraisal of ownership of a Mini Cooper, it is what it is and that is fun to drive but not the most reliable car to own.
Read and get all the knowledge you can and then make an informed decision based on what you are willing to accept.

 

Clutches are wear items...like brake pads, wiper blades, and clutches are consumed by use, just like gasoline or oil...
Driving a stick us a bit of a lost art...
Driven well, a stick can last 180,000 miles or more....
Driven decently, it seems 100,000 miles is common on a MINI....in a mix of city and highway driving...
But you can blow one in 10,000 miles, or even less....or make a throwout bearing fail in less if done wrong...
So saying..."should I fix my clutch" is like saying "should I add gas...."
Yes, it is labor intensive (time consuming) to do ANYTHING on a MINI... Clutch is no different.

To say is it worth it...do MINI's cost more to own, the answer is YES.
It isn't a Honda... Parts cost more, takes are more specialized shop, higher labor rates, etc...
But much more fun to drive...
Are some MINI's $$$ pits?!
Yes...some used cars in ANY MAKE AND MODEL are....
And mini's were often driven hard, abused, and mis-matained....
So if you did not get the car inspected before you bought it, you might be in for lots of PAIN AND BIG $$$.
WARNING...if your cluch failed in 500 miles. You either don't know how to drive a cluch, or the prior owner sold it when it started to slip, and you did not know it...an inspection would have saved you $2000 on that ONE ITEM....curious what else was missed cause the car was not inspected?!

 

The seond gen while a bit better looking was a huge step backwards in the engineering debt. If MINI had any common sense they would have partnered with Honda to build the engine and trans.

 

Amen to this.

To answer the OPs question, yes MINIs are expensive to maintain properly. They are wickedly fun to drive, but fun costs money.

 

Well, putting all MINIs in the same category for reliability is inaccurate as the generations vary quite a bit in terms of reliability.

 

My $0.02: if a sudden/unexpected $1500 - $2000 repair bill will break you financially or cause exceptional consternation/stress/heartburn, a pre-owned MINI is not for you.

 

Amen.
Goes for most any car...
And as stated before, a CLUTCH IS A WEAR ITEM...it should be planned for.
Same for any stick ever made, just costs 2x more in a MINI.

 

I agree with bay motors, minis are all different. I have a 2004 mini and it is excellent on gas, I do have some repairs to get worked on but all in all I love it!! Great little car. All cars are expensive to maintain, so different than any other car, in my opinion, no. Get it fixed and enjoy it.

 

Who did you buy it from? Private party or dealer? Did you get a professional inspection? A good mechanic would have spotted clutch issues most likely. 500 miles tells me it was a known problem or should have been caught. If you bought from a dealer, go back and complain.

 

Every time I drive my MCSa, it puts a smile on my face. Not too many cars out there that can do that. MINI's have their problems just as any car does and parts are more expensive then they should be, but the reward of owning a MINI makes it worth it.

 

Hello everyone - I have been reading some of the posts here and been doing lots of research on Mini and 'the good years'. I'm not planning on buying new .. it seems from what I can find that 2004,2005,2006,2009,2010,2011 were the good ones. For 04, 05 and 06, it seems the S types were better and for 09, 10 and 11, the base models were better. There also seems to be warning to stay away from the CVT models and anything without a 6 speed manual. They all seem to be affected by strut towers breaking? I drive a Fiat 500 now and it's a blast to drive. Very little maintenance needed on the 500 (40k now). Get in and drive. I'd like to try a Mini. The overwhelming theme seems to be yes, they do require a bit of expensive maintenance but the joy of driving them makes it worth it - is that accurate? Being that you all are experienced with these cars, what say you? When looking at used ones, aside from the strut tower and obvious things like black exhaust and leaks, what should I be looking for? How much mileage is too much? There are a TON of them online with 100k+ miles.

 

Anyone????

 

Try a new thread....after folks have answered they tend to pass over it...

 

You can find a first gen buyer's guide here

You'll find lots of good info there. I'd also suggest you get a pre-purchase inspection done at a dealer or experienced independent shop. Read through the threads in the first and second gen forums on stock and known problems.

Almost any make or model can be expensive, especially if you find one that's been driven particularly hard and/or not maintained well. I've owned Hondas, Toyotas, Buicks, and my MINI, and in my experience, the MINI has been the most expensive to maintain. But, it's also been hands-down, far and away, the most fun to drive and own.

 

Thanks for the info. Toying with the Fiat, it also puts a smile on your face whenever you get in it (and other than oil changes *knock wood*, it's been a reliable car). My boy took over the Fiat .. and I'm looking for either an Abarth or a Mini.

 

I'll be very candid... Consumer Reports states that Mini Coopers have an overall "C" rating in reliability. What that means IMO is that a few older model year Mini have tarnished it overall rating. The later models have improved in reliability especially the N18 motors but like all cars some have known problems to avoid.

Best buy is to find one that's stock with low miles and still has some of its factory warranty or have one properly inspected by a competent mechanic.

 

no issues with the base cooper, can't speak for s's or jcws. the clutch in the base cooper lasts forever (due to no power)

 

On a drive from NH up to Lubec Maine a week ago yesterday I pulled off i95N into a rest stop just south of Bangor. I stopped to wait for another vehicle as it backed out of a parking slot and to my surprise the engine stopped. On restart it ran horrible and I quicky moved it into the slot just vacated by the other vehicle. 230 miles from home it was an expensive tow back to the garage. The engine was gone.

BUT! Until its death that car was the single most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. It still felt absolutely solid and other than the drivers seat being a little worn it felt like a new car to drive. I've done little more than standard stuff to it: brakes, tires, water pump, etc. Even the clutch was original (I'm the original owner).

With 180,862 miles on the odometer the $7,000+ it was going to take to replace the engine with a used one, a new exhaust (which it needed), and replace the clutch (it was about time) I decided I'd end up with more in the car than it would be worth when I was done. Sadly I'm looking for a new vehicle.

In my (now forced) investigations I too have seen the poor reliability ratings and was surprised by them given my experience. One site provided year by year ratings, it seemed that 2005 (mine) and 2006 were the most reliable and showed a decline until 2012 (if I remember it correctly). So of course I'm concerned as well.

The salesman (whose motivations are obvious) confesses that Mini did have some issues for a few years but BMW has taken now the reins and the cars are back to their former glory.

Maybe. I don't know yet if I'm going to chance it or not. Whatever, at the moment I'm car-less and under some pressure to make a decision. Ha!