After cold-start issues not solved with a new intake manifold and two high-pressure fuel pumps, MINI/BMW has graciously offered to buy my 5-month old 2010 MCS back in order to keep me in the brand. It breaks my heart to part with my incredibly fun-to-drive, turbo-charged, LSD-equipped snow tank... err car, but I need a vehicle that reliably starts up in the morning in order to get to work.

The service manager mentioned that the fuel pump on the MCS is a common and unfortunately yet unsolved problem with turbo-charged Minis and 3 series BMWs. I was recommended to stay away from another turbo engine. That makes sense, since the normally aspirated ones do not require high-pressure fuel pumps. I only wish I was given this advice before ordering the first car.

Now with my trust in the MINI/BMW group somewhat shaken I have - reluctantly - ordered a normally aspirated MC. I will probably miss the LSD more than the extra power from the turbo engine, as I have to admit the latter felt a tad too powerful at times. I do however wonder if I may fall asleep while waiting for the regular engine to respond to the throttle, used as I am to the turbo. The LSD was the main feature that drove me to the MCS and I have to say that the handling it has allowed on snowy and icy mountain roads with all-season tires has been comparable if not superior to heavy 4x4s.

These forums are replete with stock issues on the MCS engine (fuel pump, intake manifold, carbon build-up, rattle...) but I haven't come across any with the normally aspirated MC. I am afraid I'm missing something here, something big. Could the MC drivers chime in and let me know what to expect from this lesser engine... ahead of my friendly service manager?

In order to make up for the drop in engine specs (and price) I have doled out and ordered a limited edition of the MC, the brown Mayfair, with cold+convenience packs, anthracite, xenons, rear fogs, white turns and H/K sound. Am I stepping into another problem pit with any of these options or am I missing out on some must-have? Do let me know.

 

I would get another MCS. I definitely could not see myself going from a MCS to a Justa Cooper. And of course your Service Manager see lots of issues with turbo charged MINIs. He is the service Manager there. Before you make your decision let others chime in and make a decision from their posts.

 

_My Justa Cooper will turn 1 on july 15th. Eleven months of trouble free Motoring.
In march we went to San Diego, CA and back from Colorado in it and it did fine. I have taken it on club rides in the Colorado Rockies and I don't fall behind too much when fallowing MCS's. Keeping the RPMs in the 5k range the engine has good power up hill.
Good gas mileage, near Hybrid gas mileage for the most part. Good in the snow with snow tires or all seasons.
I never even tested a Cooper S when I went to get a MINI. I guess I was just looking for a car in the Justa Cooper price range but all in all I am a very satisfied Justa Cooper owner.

MC Driver Chiming in

 

Well I'm a MC owner and have not had any problems whatsoever, and as far as keeping up with the S's, NO PROBLEM. Put your foot in it and go, believe me you won't be falling asleep. No reliability problems with your options. As to speed I can run up I-80 to Parleys Summit 6-7% grades at ***mph (to keep the moderators happy).

 

I had two Coopers and had no plans on getting a MINI Cooper S due to not wanting the problems with forced induction over time. My Coopers would more than keep up with the Cooper S's in the hard twisties but the Cooper S's would pull away in the straights. I'm infamous here and other MINI forums for continually pointing this out but Cooper is one of the performance levels of MINI even though it is sold as the base performance level here in the US. In the UK, the lowest level is the MINI First, the second level is the MINI One, and then there is the MINI Cooper. Also, all MINIs aren't "MINI Coopers" and there are no "non-S" Coopers but rather Cooper or Cooper S. So the point of all of this is, if you think the Cooper S sometimes has too much power, you want a more trouble free vehicle which still has performance, I don't see you having any problems with a Cooper.

 

I also have two coopers both are 2010.
My daily driver is a justa and my wifes car is a clubman s.
Both fun to drive but I love the justa just as much as the clubman s.
I would test drive the justa and then make your decision.

 

+1

The only time I notice that my MCS feels sluggish and lacks punch is when I glance down and realize I forgot to hit the SPORT button. I could never go back to a Justa after owning an MCS.

 

good luck wit yr choices...i wodl prefer mcs

 

You are ordering this car, right?

I would recommend the JCW Grille with brackets for the driving lightgs, MCS Gas Cap Conversion (if you like the look of the S) and highly recommend the Blue Tooth for the JustaCooper.

JCW Grille I have done, and the Gas Cap Conversion is at a snail's pace right now, but I hope to have it done sometime.........

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-my-grill.html

The only worrisome issue I had was a leaking thermostat. The dealer fixed it, after I visually noticed my coolant levels kept going down. Just keep an eye on the levels from time to time as preventive maintenance. It kind of stinks that this car does not have an engine temp gauge. Oh well...

Finally, test drive a Justa with the Sport button "on." There is a night and day difference.

 

My 2¢...when my '08 MCS was wrecked by an out of control Infiniti I ordered an '09 justa Clubman. It was in that time period when my MCS was being repaired and dealers were having trouble keeping anything on the lot. My MA thought I would have time to drive a justa before mine came in just in case I didn't like the drop in power...unfortunately that didn't happen. My car came out of the body shop the day before my justa arrived. I took delivery but five months later took one for the team when I had to have an MCS.

It wasn't a smart financial decision but fortunately I had the resources to make it happen. I wouldn't say the justa is underpowered or that you'll fall asleep waiting for it to get up and go but it doesn't have that "suck you back in the seat" power that I appreciate on my daily interstate commute. Hopefully it will be different for you. We currently have 2 MCS. In the grand scheme of things I think the trouble you had with the MCS while big enough to note is a very small percentage of BMW/MINI's produced.

That said, I hope your decision wasn't an emotional one and as long as you've thought about the pro's and con's of your decision - you've done all you can do. Good luck. You've got a beautiful car on order. Hope you enjoy it for many years to come. Keep us posted and put some pics up when you take delivery!

 

I could be wrong... but my impression is the MCS HPFP issues are nowhere near the magnitude of the HPFP issues with the 6 cylinder N54 engine found in the BMW 135i, 335i, etc.

I'm a previous 135i owner and spent a lot of time over at the 1Addicts forum (http://www.1addicts.com/forums/). The volume of HPFP issues with the N54 engine is shocking. I really haven't seen that many people mentioning HPFP issues in the MINI forums.

My 2010 MCS has been problem free in it's first 4,200 miles, aside from an issue with the a/c compressor.

 

Just to add to my post above, post # 2. I have had my 09 JCW for 1.5 years now and I have not had any mechanical or engine, trans or clutch issues. I would buy another JCW. I guess I am in a different category than most on here. You guys talk about going from a Cooper S to a Cooper, well I could not go from a JCW to a Cooper S. There just isn't enough power there for me. And yes I have driven all late model MINIs from Coopers to Cooper S to Clubman and Clubman S.

OP, I would stick with the Cooper S.

Maybe you can take a loaner Cooper home for a few days to drive around. That would tell you right away if you could live with a Cooper. And that way you can make up your own mind and not listen to all of us super opinionated NAM forum members.

 

2010 MC owner here. No engine issues. Just the dash buzz/rattle. I will lease a turbo car, but I won't ever hold the title to one. Even without the MINI/BMW specific problems, it seems that the other mfgr's have issues with FI as well. Just more parts to break I guess. NA for the long-term, for me.

 

I actually went from a 2007 MCa to a 2010 MCSa pretty recently, so I might have some insight on this. The three years that I had my MC were possibly the best three years I've had in the driver's seat. Yes, the MC doesn't have as much power as a MCS, but that didn't in any way diminish my enjoyment of the car and unless you have an amazing butt dyno, you'll get used to it. Overall, I got better gas mileage, and much more worry free motoring in my MC then I do in my MCS. They are just as much fun in the twisties, and I'd say that off the line it's still pretty peppy. I loved my MC. So then why did I go from a MC to a MCS? Well, my lease was up for one. Yes, this is superficial, but I liked the more aggressive look of the MCS over the MC. The MC, of course, can be made to look like the MCS with a little work. I also wanted the extra power. After driving a MC for three years, I could feel a difference, and I wanted to kick things up a notch. I'm not sorry I made the switch, but I've also spent extra money on my MCS to help ensure longevity that I likely wouldn't have had to do for my MC (see my sig). Overall, it's a pretty personal choice. Before you make the decision, I'd do like most everyone has been saying and take the MC for a test drive. No matter what, you know that you're getting a Mini and you'll have fun. Beyond that, I guess it's really up to you. Good luck!

 

A plus: You still get a spare tire with the MC right? Then you can ditch the runflats when you want.

 

R3R...do what you are comfortable with. BTW the Mayfair is sharp

 

6 Speed and Sport Button

 

I've owned two MCS's and two MC's and have logged over 100k on all except my current '06 and have loved every mile. A MINI is a MINI. They all share the same body,roll off the same line and aside from a hood scoop,exhaust and forced induction they are identical and can be configured the same. The MC doesn't exactly have a Briggs & Stratton under the hood either. I've been abusing my '07 MC for three years now with over 110k and it has never given me a problem. You'll love the Mayfair.

 

I have had the HPFP replaced twice as well. My 2009 MCS has 14k and is still having problems. I miss my 2006 MC, well everything except the DPSM which sorted out almost constantly. Regret trading wish I had the other car back.

 

23K miles with no problems at all with my 2008. I walk out of the house and know it will start every single time without a worry. If I want to run it hard I do. If an S comes up next to me at the light, we wave and life goes on. Enjoy the ride whether a Cooper or Cooper S. They are awesome. Your not less cool if you don't have the turbo and hitting the turbo hard is thrilling, yes, but it will also hit your wallet. My city average MPG is always 35-36. But, if you want to be pushed back into your seat the Cooper S will put a smile on your face the Cooper will give you a grin. Either way, we all love the Mini.

 

I wish I could test-drive a JustaCooper, but the closest dealer is over 150 miles away... which incidentally, given 4-figure cost for towing under Roadside assistance, may also play a role in the decision to buy the MCS back.

Thanks a bunch for your taking the time to chime with your feedback. I gather that I shouldn't worry to much about falling asleep waiting for the engine to respond on the MC. Interesting that the handling on winding roads is the same as the MCS. I wasn't expecting that. Are suspensions the same on the MC and MCS? I've read that the MC is less front-heavy and that it has weaker brakes.

I've lost trust in the turbo set-up and the way BMW deals with its problems... I need something more reliable for my everyday drive and I'm afraid that getting another MCS would be an unreasonable gamble. Plus getting another MCS would be frustrating 'cause the LSD is no longer available and I miss it already. I wonder if they're paving the way for the 4x4 by discontinuing LSD. Haven't they done the same with the lsd on the bimmers ahead for the x-drive? I may be wrong and I'm digressing.

The turbo engine holding the majority of sales in the US, I was suspecting MC problems not to show up because of the lower numbers. Maybe they are more reliable after all. It's true that turbos are problematic across all brands. Speaking of which, isn't the HPFP the same on turbo MINIs, BMW 1 and 3 series. The ones with the shocking reliability?

My second fuel pump was changed last week and it's already starting to show subtle signs of failure on cold-starts. I just hope it lasts until the Mayfair arrives at the dealer. It should go in production this week or next, so I have a mere few days/hours to change my mind about options, etc.

Getting an MC instead of another MCS is not that emotional after all. The fact that I consider to stay with the MINI brand is and moreover, my considering to purchase my buyback MCS lemon back from the dealer, now that's emotional, in a big way! For the right price and given a reliable everyday car, I wouldn't mind keeping the LSD MCS as a toy car. Which brings me to my final question: how much % depreciation should I expect on a branded title buyback 5-month old vehicle with 5k miles on?

 

If it was me, I'd be bummed going from an MCS to an MC.

Either one is a whole lot of fun, but to me the MCS has that extra kick that makes it even better. If I would have had the money 2 years ago when I bought my MC, I wouldn't have thought twice about getting the S.

As for the problems part, I've had as many trips to the dealer for random problems in my MC, probably more than the average MCS owner has.

I still hate that term, "justa cooper."

In the end, you'll be happy with either choice.

 

[quote=drewstermalloy;3076299]As for the problems part, I've had as many trips to the dealer for random problems in my MC, probably more than the average MCS owner has.
[quote]

My Mayfair MC is now in production. So no more change to a MCS. I was wondering Drewstermalloy what problems you have experienced with your MC.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments on the Mayfair. They now make me feel better about getting an MC.

 

I've got an MC, as well.

Regarding reliability, I've had no mechanical problems in our ~30k miles of ownership.

Regarding handling, the Cooper is effectively the same as the S. The suspension is marginally softer, but with less weight, the effective difference is negligible, from what I understand.

Regarding braking, the Cooper S does have slightly bigger brakes. Having driven my MC at Sebring and Road Atlanta without any braking problems, however, I'd say they're up to the task.

Regarding overall performance, sure, the Cooper S is technically more capable... it's got nearly 50% more power. That said, all the other MINI driving dynamics (handling, braking, etc.) along with adequate power make the Cooper 98% as much fun as the Cooper S, of course in my opinion. The truth is, the Cooper S is still going to get walked by the 500hp Porsche 911 Turbo down the front straight at Sebring, just like my Cooper did. That said, the MCS wouldn't be significantly (or any) faster through the corners where my Cooper held it's own with much "fancier" cars. In fact, there was a heavily modded Clubman S out there that couldn't shake me over the 2-3 clean laps we had near each other. Also, an MCS had to let me pass at Road Atlanta on Monday because I had so much more exit speed coming out of corners. I'm not saying that *should* happen, but I am simply saying that the MC can still be a capable and fun vehicle even in the highest-performance situations.

I'm also not saying that the MC is the car for everyone, just explaining why people considering MC's shouldn't necessarily feel like they are making some kind of mistake.

Good luck with the Mayfair. They definitely look great.

 

+1 This one speaks the truth. That was my experience with my MC. Just for kicks, I built your Mayfair on MINI's website and it looks gorgeous. Good luck and have fun with your MC.