So first off, I want to say I love driving my mini and it really is the funnest car . Also, I don't plan on going to a different brand because when it's time to grow up and have kids the clubman should be the answer.

Now for my disappointment.
I feel like my car is a dud. This is my list of repairs since oct last year. 3000 miles - dash rattle. 3500 miles - clicking from clutch, but held off till further development. 4000 miles - bad water pump giving high pitch whistle at idle. 9000 miles - code thrown for emissions. 10000 miles - code linked to bad cat and also had a bad AC compressor. 12000 miles - concluded that clicking clutch was bad pressure plate, which is to be replaced in the next few weeks. Now today around 13000 miles - a gear notchy sound coming from the window when I roll it down and a really annoying whine again at idle. Lucky the dealer had ordered me a tensioner to try next if it came back, so I will have to have the installed when I go for the 1 year service.

I have wasted more gas/money, time, and miles trying to get everything fixed. What sucks for me the most is that I honestly, truly wanted to keep this car wayyy past warrantee into the 100,000s of miles and work on it myself, but quite honestly, I would love to trade it in right now for an 09. I'm just so disappointed in the amount of things that can go wrong. I bought a new car because it was reliable, but it has been such a headache. Some are lucky and don't have many things go wrong in the life of the car, but I've had more things replaced before its turned 1 year.

Honestly, if this was some other type of car, it'd be gone right away, but I just love MINIs. Really I love MY MINI, but it just doesn't seem to be loving me back on the staying together aspect. This may be just a warrantee and then trade in car for me

 

That's terrible... If that happened to my MINI I would be very angry also. I would not know whether to go buy a different brand or trade it in for a new MINI.

 

wow, MINIs are quriky, but thats unusual. Is there Anyway you can dump the car and start fresh? I guess its a good thing you did not mod the car, I would look to sell the car as the warranty will still be good. I thought if there was enough warranty work on a car that could open legal options to help you dump the car. It sounds like it has had gremlins since before its conception.
If all else fails, leave it in a crime ridden section of town

 

Ccoop,

You and I are racing to see whose car spends more time in the shop! I share the same sentiments, although your problems exceed mine at this point, but I'm only 5 months and 5,000 miles into ownership. Just got mine out of the shop, but I go back and forth contemplating getting out of mine; but, if your car was mine, I think I'd be a lot closer to that reality. Good Luck! I vote for getting an '09...

Greg

 

Either you get a good one or bad one as with any car, seems you have a bad one mine has close to 3K miles and had her 3 months, she has no issues, go for the 09

 

Sorry to hear this stuff Ccoop. Good luck.

 

sorry to hear about yr problems. In 3.5 years of fitful ownership, my dealer charged back nearly $8,000 in warranty repairs to my lone-gone R53, for a total of 18 shop days. That's nearly 1/3 the cost of the car! (we joked that maybe over time all the bad factory parts would get replaced ) bad clutches, bad steering components, bad window regulators, SUPER bad dash rattles, bad motor mounts--car had it all. Finally traded it in (got TOP$$) for my 2009 that was completed yesterday and should have in early Nov.

So while Im soured on the first gen, Im not soured on the name brand enough to not own one--yet. I'll give the R56 a chance, and if it's a dud, that will be it for me and MINI, and I'll just get a CTS-V.

But one general guideline I learned when I was selling new cars: if it's a problem child, it will make itself known in the first 30K miles, and it should be dumped. If no problems (or very few) then it's a keeper. Sounds like yrs is a dud. good luck.

 

Yeah it just really sucks because I've grown so attached to it. My first car was older, but a gift, then it was time for a new one that was reliable for my commute to school, so I bought it myself. So I'm close to this car because it's my first new car that I bought, plus it's the same year I graduated high school. Unfortunately it just isn't smart (or more not worth the gamble) to keep it past warrantee for sure. When I have it in for the 1 year I will definitely talk with someone what my options are. I'd almost have to go through the dealer with it because I have spray painted so many things on it. I'd have to swap my trim pieces and wheels haha. The big thing that would suck for me right now is having to replace all the vinyls because some of those get pretty costly (a have a lot on there), but definitely not a reason to keep a car that will cost more in repairs later on.

MINI is lucky though because I am hooked an 09 would satisfy me all they have to do is swap me keys

 

checkercoop,
That is a long list of problems to occur since you took delivery.I would suggest that you keep track of the repair orders along with the amount of time your MC has been in for repairs and then contact MINI USA to push for a possible buyback and put you into a new '09 MC.Also get the GM,SA and MA at your dealership involved too regarding your disappoint with the overall quality of your car but also stress your love for MINI.

 

I hope you've documented all of these problems with MINIUSA - if not please do so as soon as possible. I would suggest calling 1-866-ASK-MINI and detail all the problems - followup with an email or a letter.

If you continue to have problems, you've now got MINI's ear and they'll be more inclined to assist in some way or fashion.

I know it's tough not to get discouraged, but don't (and it sounds like you've got the right attitude).

The resale is still very good on these cars (especially with Clubmans) you may want to order a new one and then talk to your dealer about ways they can assist you.

 

or wait 'til gas bounces back to $4 average, call a few MINI dealers, find the one with the least (or no) used car inventory, and talk trade. That's how I got such a smoking-good deal on my trade. And dont let the "dont ever trade a car" naysayers swerve U with their shrill and uninformed rhetoric: all situations are unique, plus MINIs are different than yr average car, but then we all know that eh?

 

Case in point.. traded my 07 MINI Cooper S JCW (stage 1) - paint work on hood, front, drivers door (blended) and drivers rear quarter. Paid 28,200 if you consider w/o JCW that I had installed post buy.

On trade for an 09 JCW - $24,500.

YMMV

Kurt

 

ccoop
did they charge you to replace the pressure plate? or did they do it under warranty....
my clutch has been clickin for a good 4k miles and im about to break 10k, dealer said its normal/fine....

 

Like mine: 2005 MCS bone-stock, msrp of $24,500, 3.5 years old, 26K miles: $18,000 trade towards new 2009 MCS. Of course, this deal was consumated 2.5 months ago when my dealer had NO used cars and gas was $4.

 

Well my local dealer confirmed it was not normal, but could not do anything under warrantee just yet since it functioned fine. That was around 3,500 miles. Brought it up at all those other times I was in and got the same answer. Finally, I took it over to another dealer (even further and wasting more gas money, time, and miles on issues that should not be there) and they said it a pressure plate and ordered me one under warrantee. All I have to do now is find the time to go all the way there and wait the whole time since I'm only 20 and must be 21 for a loaner and still deal with all my homework from school. Such a headache.

 

wow dude, thats a really nice car for a guy your age, nice job.
i graduated college at 21 and took me a whole year of work to save up for mine...really sweet mini.

anyway back to teh dealer thing, so you drive out there, are they gonna do the install under warranty too?

 

Thanks. Just wish I didn't have so many problems because they cut into my enjoyment of the drive.

Yeah they are covering it because it's been an issue since the beginning. It's more than just a click I have though. You can feel each click in the release and a thud can be heard under the bonnet while the engine is running.

 

I hope you get this thing fixed soon. Maybe it'll be just these couple things, then a lifetime of trouble free motoring

I disagree with the mini being quirky. I'm at 21k miles and it is
as solid as any civic. There are many threads here and posts
"no trouble so far".

My sister drops.....(wont tell me exactly) my guess is
$26k+ on an accord. It broke down the 3rd day.

Any single car can be quirky in the new world order.
On average and I have followed this a lot, mini is as reliable
as any japanese brand and much more so than VW.

 

I second that. I know the laws are different state-to-state but if you have any ideas about applying for lemon-law protection, documentation is crucial. Your car could have a slew of different problems but as long as they correct them and it is not a single, uncorrectable problem, you have slim hopes of lemon law status. I have no personal experience with this but I have a friend that bought a new Honda Civic (yes....I said Civic) with an air conditioner problem and she currently drives around hot, humid Florida with no air. All because she did not handle it correctly (very long story).

I truly wish you the best and hope your problems are corrected and come to an abrupt end.

 

If it were my car, I'd sell it and buy something else. I just can't tolerate an unreliable car.

 

so sorry abt yr car...i LOVE mini BUT if mine have as much problem as yrs..iw oudl trade it in..

 

Thanks all.

Yeah I don't think that MINI in particular is an unreliable car, just mine specifically. Luckily I do have everything documented because I have all the service slips. They also show the issues it was in for that could not be fixed since they seemed fine/functioning properly (clutch).

I did send an email over to MINIUSA today and actually received a call back. Didn't talk to anyone though because they called while I was at work and no message. Hopefully tomorrow or sometime next week I'll get another call.

 

Wish I could agree with you but after my own experiences and reading posts like yours I am convinced that the majority are lemons.

I have spent a life in the automobile industry in three continents and have never seen a car with so many problems and a manufacturer who sticks their head in the sand whenever confronted.

The only positive is the cute exterior design and apparently it is enough to keep some customers coming back.

I am now waiting for a replacement car that BMW is supposed to deliver in late October.

The first car was delivered on June 6, 2008 and by August 11 it had spent 31 out of 66 days in the shop. The dealer took it in at that point and BMW promised a replacement car asap.

The dealer has my money and I have been without a car since August 11.

Some posters in some other threads say that it is a small price to pay for the privilege of driving a Mini !

I say that as long as people are so gullible BMW will continue with the practice of building junk and insulting the customers.

 

Wow, Ian, hope you have better luck with the replacement MINI. You are correct, some folks on the board sound like they are employed by MINI advertising.

 

I knew the wife of an exhaust systems manufacturer who would spend several hours every day praising her company's products in various forums under assumed names.