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seems as consumer reporst thinks the mini will be one of the most unreliable. I don't think it has been out long enough to get that rating yet. while I know about the stumble has anybody really broken down and been stranded?

 

Nobody including MINI USA has bothered to call me to ask how my MINI is doing after 9 months and 8200 miles.
Excellent reliability no trouble. This is the most trouble free car I have ever had after several Hondas (latest 2001) and a 95 Nissan Maxima which are good but not nearly as reliable as my MINI. The car that comes closest is my old 1982 Honda Civic 4 door sedan with something like 87 HP.

 

That thing is BS, I looked at it, looks like all they did was place the *** cars in reliable and everything else in unreliable.

 

They are talking about the cost of repairs as well as
the frequency of repairs in this rating.

I mean, look at our neighbors in the "BAD" column.

A Volvo? That's a great car. But it costs $$$ to repair.

I like the looks of the bad column a heck of a lot better
than the "good" column.

 

Just remember Consumer Reports also tests electric toothbrushes, microwave ovens, refridgerators, electric water heaters, dishwashers, dryers, curling irons....

So if you want a car that runs like an appliance (and as the soul of one as well), buy a Camry. You'll be safe happy, secure and innoculated in your little, cozy, boring cocoon on wheels.

But if you want some fun....

 

My experience with reliability and consumer satisfaction is always opposite of what Consumer reports thinks. I'm not surprised.

But then I have always disliked Japanese cars.

 

I am in big trouble
Not only do I own a MINI Cooper S, but my wife drives a Mercedes SLK!

Survey, conducted in spring 2003, based on scores for most recent three years' models ... must have had LOADS of data for the MINIs ...

 

10,000+ miles with only a coolant bottle and strut bolt recall. That speaks of pretty good reliability to me. Mine's definitely not a Monday or Friday car!

GPW....you can keep your jeep....just give me what's behind it in the sig! Talk about high maintenance costs, though! From what I read, that thing runs about $2500 an hour to fly!

 

>> has anybody really broken down and been stranded?

Yes. Twice. I am not alone.

 

>>So if you want a car that runs like an appliance (and as the soul of one as well), buy a Camry. You'll be safe happy, secure and innoculated in your little, cozy, boring cocoon on wheels.
>>
>>But if you want some fun....

then buy a Miata or MR2

 

mine has been reliable except the coolant tank problem.

 

:smile: :smile: My MCS has been superb...have almost 18,000 miles on her since April 4, 2003....and drove her cross-country and back....no problemos!!

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clover@northamericanmotoring.com | "Wicked Wanda" '03 All Jet Black MCS!!!

 

My 2002 MINI hasn't been anywhere close to problem free.

[quote]An exerpt from my 1 year: 29004 mile (long term report):

07.13.2002 Schomp MINI Service Visit #1 - Mileage: 4566
- Rear seat will not release. Broken Handle Replaced
- Replacement Windshield #1 Installed - Stress Crack in the original windshield
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Private Message DiD

 

I don't understand why poor reports on the MINI's quality and reliability (e.g., JD Power, Consumer Reports, etc.) must necessarily so distress the MINI faithful. While my personal car has not been, in my opinion, "unreliable" I do recognize that there is room for improvement in reliability and quality ACROSS THE BRAND. I would make this determination without reading a reliability survey or poll...For example, I've seen many MINIs broken down and being flatbedded (several in the past week). Yes, I happen to notice MINIs more than say Hondas...but then again, there are a lot fewer MINIs around me than Hondas. Further (note that I didn't start with this example), you don't need to spend much time reading threads here on NAM to determine that there are certain patterns in terms of what breaks, what goes wrong, and what might need improvement.

Point is, BMW has some problems with this car. I wouldn't expect much different for a brand new car, started from scratch, built in a new factory. But, quality and reliability ratings per se do not make room for mitigating factors. That's not the point of a rating. So why argue with a rating? It is what it is. You like your car (I like mine!)...great! Unless you intend to sell yours soon, of what concern is a published report on quality? (not to mention of course that poor ratings haven't seemed to hurt resale values yet). Maybe the worst that can happen is that slightly fewer people will trade in their Camry's for MINIs and thereby help keep MINIs a bit rare. Most here seem to agree that this would be a good thing.

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Bring Out the Scoops!

 

I’ve been contacted twice by MINI USA and have filled out a J D Powers survey. Having a MCS that has been 100% trouble free, I’m sure someone out there had complaints or it would not have gotten this rating. I can only rave about my MINI.

 

I think reliability and quality are two separate issues, IMHO.

I would assume that CR uses data from surveys (they actually contact subscribers and car owners, just like JDP does), although they could also use data from dealers and towing companies (AAA), etc... on frequency and types of services.

My own 03 MCS does indeed have what I would call a significant number of quality issues, far more than my previous japanese car (a Subaru), but none of these issues have left me stranded or kept me from driving the car. I would say quality is not the best by any means and needs to improve significantly to be able to compete (in terms of quality) on the broad market - plus, quality appears to be unpredictable: some cars are reat, others have loads and loads of problems. Reliability on the other hand is satisfactory for me (so far, knock on wood toc-toc-toc), since I have not been stranded.

My quality issues so far:
new speedo cluster, new driver window motor and controller, new throwout bearing, waiting for new steering column.

M.

I should add by way of edit that I LOVE my MCS, nothing drives like it, nothing comes close in terms of fun, especially since I added the 22mm rear anti-sway bar.

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Celeste: 03 EB/W MCS, cold, premium, sports a la carte w. W16"V, Lapis, HK, Forge coolant tank, Alta 22mm SB, saddlebags, interior trim in EB, euro shelf

 

Hey, If you're gonna live your life the CR way, you wouldn't even have considered a MINI in the first place. Those folk are professional cry-babies!

OHH Give me the security I will so gladly trade my freedom for!!

 

I have issues with Consumer Reports. You really have to look at what they qualify as a problem. I wish I had one of my old car guides handy to explain in full, but basically, you can get a bad rating because you have more than an average number of problems in a particular area. I had an issue with my driver's side window motor. Let's say that 1 of 250 Minis have that problem (which I know isn't a real number, just indulge me), but the average across all cars is 1 out of 500, we are below average, but it's still not a major issue. That's how they judge. A minor problem looks major with their system because we have twice as many issues as the average car. What we DON'T see in CR are the actual numbers of how bad it is.

Once you understand that how they present their data, then you can look and make a more educated decision. They don't really lie in CR, it's just that they tend to blow some issues out of proportion. Beware the statisticians.

 

Let's be honest here, MINI had some significant issues with the initial production (those models included in the survey quoted above).

Cold Start
Cracked Shift Cables
Stumble
Cracked Windshields
Seat-back Mechanisms that broke
Cracked Coolant Tanks

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Private Message DiD

 

At 6600 miles, my Mini hasn't been back to the dealership for anything except to pick up an oil filter that I took home for a self change

 

2002 Cooper CVT (8/2002 build): 18,000+ troublefree miles. Never left us stranded, have taken over 5,000 miles in roadtrips alone. Still has the factory windshield installed, No rattles or squeaks, ZERO electrical issues.


2004 MCS (9/2003 build): 1,000 miles (Today) and no issues to report.


Great quality and reliability as far as I am concerned.

 

>>Let's be honest here, MINI had some significant issues with the initial production (those models included in the survey quoted above).
>>
>>Cold Start
>>Cracked Shift Cables
>>Stumble
>>Cracked Windshields
>>Seat-back Mechanisms that broke
>>Cracked Coolant Tanks
>>
With the exception of the windshield and the seatback, weren't all these problems MCS specific? The seat back mechanism design was changed mid-year 2002. Our first MC just turned 1 year old today, ~13,500 miles and the only quality issue was cheap paint that peeled on the interior trim. Our second MC had the transmission fail at 1500 miles

 

I would agree that the MC and MCS are two different breads. They sell them that way.

 

Cold Start (MCS)
Cracked Shift Cables (MC)
Stumble (MCS)
Cracked Windshields (MC and MCS)
Seat-back Mechanisms that broke (MC and MCS)
Cracked Coolant Tanks (MCS)

 

My $.02...

I considered a 2003, but waited until 2004. The 2002's and 2003s still had teething
problems, but they are mostly sorted out. It's my understanding the
windshield problem has been fixed, coolant tank, and stumble.
IMHO, the 2004's are a significant step forward in quality than the 2002s, improvement over the 2003's I've seen too.

The yoyo, 2002 Vette (lease), which has rattles and a few electrical gremlins (very
random)- but totally reliable. And a 2001 Olds Intrigue, reliable 100%, but has
rattles, squeaks, strange leather problems, and poor body fits...

But as has been said, Consumer Reports also tests toasters. Were you to buy the "ideal" consumer reports car. A Honda Accord, 4 cyl, auto, white with the
standard wheels Good cars, just dull, very dull.

caio,

-Matt