Hi folks,

We ordered our CMJCW a couple of weeks ago, and I am reading all kinds of horror stories on the forum about really serious quality problems folks have experienced.

I read of two owners of 2012 CM's that have gotten rid of them due to the many, many problems. i know that forums aren't typically the place where someone says "hi, I have never had any problems with my Mini", so you see more of the minority problems being brought up.

I am used to owning Toyotas and Hondas, where you drive them for 200,000 miles, change the oil and a belt every now and then, and buy another. Just rock-solid reliable cars and trucks(in my experience)

I'm getting the impression that I should expect problems to occur with the CM, it's just a matter of how serious, or am I just seeing posts from a very small minority?

it also makes me wonder if I should purchase the longest extended warranty Mini will sell me?

Your thoughts appreciated

Jeff

 

I've had my 2012 CMS manual for about a year and 12000 miles with no issues so far (knock wood). It seems like the major problems have been with All4 clutch. MINI redesigned the clutch for 2013, so hopefully that issue will be reduced. I love my MINI. I've never had a car that I liked to drive so much. I find myself looking for errands to run. Can't get that in a Honda or Toyota automotive appliance.

 

i have an 03/2012 build date cms all4 manual, took delivery 3/31/2012

now have ~12k miles with zero problems

zero oil consumption

no rattles of the interior

there was 1 "service action" against my car for the coolant temp sensor, but i had no problems with it before it was done and none since

since new, avg fuel mileage = 28.8
lowest tank = 12.2 mpg
higheat tank = 41.9 mpg

i bought the extended maintainence but not the extended warranty ...
i can buy the extended warranty any time before the 3 year / 50,000 miles warranty expires

overall, this is the best car i have ever owned

scott

 

there is a thread of "trouble free ownership" here somewhere

scott

 

It seems that by and large the largest issue is the clutch in the '11-12 MY Countryman cars which MINI acknowledges and is fixing. Outside of that, everything else seems to be your typical first/second year production issues like interior fit and finish. Most of those seem to be resolved in the 2013s as well.

Every car is bound to have a rattle or squeak here or there, and I don't think there are very many cars manufactured in the last 20 years that haven't had at least a few technical bulletins or recalls.

Further, the type of car enthusiast that will go to the trouble to sign up for an internet discussion board is also the type that is going to be much more sensitive to every little perceived malady afflicting their vehicle. Every complaint gets registered with the greater audience, no matter how insignificant. So you have to take the "vocal minority" effect into consideration as well.

The real percentage of people with problems so great that they ultimately decide to move to a different vehicle is probably no greater than any other car.

At least, I hope. My JCW should be here in late July.

 

thanks folks,

Yes, i was going to do the same regarding waiting to buy the extended warranty. See what track record I have on the car during the standard warranty period.....but I will probably get one....a turbo or intercooler dying....ouch that just sounds like a lot of money !

200+ hp from such a small and compact motor.....frankly scares me to death to be responsible for repair charges on that....

But it's good to hear there are folks on the forum with a good experience. I'm certainly not looking for perfection, but reliability of the primary components and systems would be great...

Jeff

 

[QUOTE=Camthewookie;3762080]Further, the type of car enthusiast that will go to the trouble to sign up for an internet discussion board is also the type that is going to be much more sensitive to every little perceived malady afflicting their vehicle. Every complaint gets registered with the greater audience, no matter how insignificant. So you have to take the "vocal minority" effect into consideration as well.

QUOTE]

Good point, thanks! This is our first Mini, so we really have no personal experience to guage the quality, and this will be the 2nd most expensive car we have ever bought(behind the Z06)....

 

The scariest thing about maintaining modern cars is all the electronics. You can have a mechanically sound vehicle that acts like a possessed demon bus because one of 18 different computers has become infected with the SkyNet virus and decides that you are a pathetic fleshbag requiring immediate disposal.

If the turbo goes, just put in a bigger one If the intercooler goes, you're probably doing something wrong.

 

Lots of good inputs - our '11 has had the clutch replaced, several recalls for various problems, not surprising early in the model life cycle. You show great wisdom in getting the JCW - drive it with pleasure!

 

40000miles, water pump died once. other than that, it's trouble free!

 

You are going to love the JCW. Mines name is Lucy but I call her the lttle beast. And that is with staying under 4500 rpm during breakin period.

 

I have had zero problems with my '12 ALL4 manual. Clutch does have a high engage point, but nothing I didn't adjust for quickly. Engine has been flawless except for thermostat replacement. Only problem with non-mechnaical parts was my hood latch release kept letting the wire pop out. Dealer kept putting the wire back in, but finally replaced it on the last service and it has been fine since.

 

We can't wait. We went to a local Mini gathering this morning and seeing them all and talking to the owners really got us anxious for it to get here.

I understand break-in is the first 1k miles and 4500 and below and easy on the brakes? That's going to be tough to do !

 

I have a 2013 JCW CM w/ over 3k miles and it's running like a champ w/ no issues. MINI recommended break-in is 1200 miles, under 100 MPH & 4k RPM's, according to the manual.

 

boy, that's going to be hard, but I will follow it religiously to help ensure motor and tranny longevity...

 

Yea, it was hard to do, I went another step further and not use the sport button until my break-in was done. It was all worth it though. Good luck on your car.

 

there is no reason to not use the sport button and in fact there is a good reason to use the sport button:

the exhaust will not pop/burbble with the sport button on until the mini thinks it is warmed up

until warmed up, drive easy, once warmed up, use lots of full throttle acceleration, just respect the rpm/speed limits and do not stay at one rpm/speed for a long time

if you need to maintain a constant speed, frequently change gears

my cms all4 uses zero oil between oil/filter changes after breakin this way and i am getting better fuel mileage than most, although i also burn EO fuel containing NO ETHANOL and that helps increase fuel mileage too

the main item of breakin is fully seating the rings ... this requires pressure to push them out from the piston onto the cylinder wall

the pressure available is directly related to engine load, higher engine load is achieved with larger throttle opening

the lower than redline rpm limit during breakin is for the bearings to wear in to the mating surfaces

scott

 

7,000 miles on my 13 CM ALL4 S , ZERO PROBLEMS. Dont fret

 

+1 on No Ethanol. it makes a big difference in MPG. Once I moved from Washington to Mississippi it is all I ran in my Clubbie. And except for the first tank from the dealer it is all Lucy has run on.

 

Just about 1,000 miles on our CMS. No issues. The only issue, actually, is a user-error one: again i cheapened out* and didn't get JCW.

*and by cheapened out, I mean could not afford! HA

 

Ha, I tell you what, that $7k premium of the JCW is a bite, but we looked at it this way. AFter owning around 20 or so new cars in our lives, this is the first time we have ever ordered a car by selecting exactly what we want from an options sheet-a really cool process.

My wife and I have no kids, house is paid for, etc. so we decided to just option out a JCW...I think the only thing we didn't get was a compass on the rear view mirror. I even threw in the two extra dash gauges from the JCW accessories catalog(coolant temp and torque measurement)....we can't wait !

Our MA just pinged us today saying the car is in the paint shop, so the process has started...

The best part is Mini is offering .9% financing for 60 months....we are paying a total of $651 in interest on the car....just could not beat that deal...so I left my money in the bank...

 

I just couldn't make it work. Other side of the equation: two small kids, back-breaking cost of living here in SF, and too much financial uncertainty in our two careers. One could definitely argue we should have been leased a $199 4-door, or better yet, purchased a used minivan and called it a day. But really, we have enough zombies out there, we don't need another couple driving around slackjawed and bored. So I'm happy with our CM.

The one I wish I got the JCW package on, really, was the 06 MCS. We didn't have kids, I was largely the only driver (we lived in SF, and I commuted to Marin) and I was new to the NEW car customization world. I came out of air cooled VW, everything DIY, so I was accustomed to project work. I couldn't rationalize the JCW at the time. 'I can get more performance for less with my own mods!' I cried. 'I don't need JCW body work!' I declared. 'More rugged gearbox? I've never killed a clutch, who cares?' I intoned.

Well. I soon changed my tune. I got intimidated by all the vocal minority freak-outs on NAM about maintenance/warranty challenges for modded cars. I was afraid of tearing into anything I couldn't easily undo at time of service or warranty issue. It precluded most of the things I planned to do to supe the car up. I did a CAI and a lot of aesthetic mods, but never did much else to it. That factory-authorized tuning started to sound pretty tantalizing once I was driving the car.

When we got the Clubman, just like the Countryman later, we just felt like we couldn't justify the additional cost, especially when so much of the driving is 4 of us, kids asleep, groceries in back.

But one day!

 

Doh! I forgot you are in SF...how can you even afford a car?

I did forget to mention that my wife is trading in two cars on the JCW deal, so there is a lot of equity we are putting into it early on, so, not a big nut to finance.

I understand your comment about not getting the 2006 as a JCW. Everybody tells me the R53 was the Mini to have, and getting it in a JCW would have been a sweet deal indeed.

Hey, your living situation could be worse...you could be paying a sky-high cost of living and be in NYC....not that it's a horrible place, but it's not SF and the Bay Area, that's for sure...

take care!

 

@Sapps- how long have you had your '13 CMS- I got mine in March and already have 7000 miles on it. As much as I try to park this puppy it is to much fun to drive.

 

biggest joke of a car I've ever seen. can't wait to get rid of it. Would have considered a replacement, but both the dealer and corporate are a nightmare to deal with.