Considering buying a 2009 FJCW with 66K miles, clean Carfax. Never owned a Mini before but wanted one for many years. Wondering what you Mini experts would recommend in terms of what I should look for when looking the car over and test driving it. Are there any common signs that indicate impending trouble? Electronics test I should perform? Clutch health tips, etc? Thanks

 

If you are buying from a MINI dealer, tell them you want a printed copy of all the service records and then have the service department go over them with you.

If not a MINI dealer, see if you can get the VIN and then get in touch with the closest MINI dealer and request the same.

The JCW motor is a N14. Searching here will turn up all types of threads. However, you will always see more topics about problems than you will about good running cars.

The N14 motor is direct injection. As such, it will have carbon buildup on the intake valves which will affect performance. The need to be cleaned. The standard method is to use walnut shell blasting. MINI dealers charge almost double what independent shops charge (My dealer wants 800. Indie shop 350).

Turbos can and do fail. Mine didn't until 100,000 miles. Turbo failures can also cause oil to clog up the intercooler and the catalytic converter. A backpressure test will tell you if your catalytic converter is clogged up.

The N14 consumes oil. It just does. If you are going to own a MINI you need to check your oil often. I check mine every 2-3 tanks of gas. Change my oil every 5000 miles. OEM intervals of 10,000 and 15,000 miles on oil changes is way too long.

There have been problems with the high pressure fuel pump and there is a warranty extension for that.

Leaking oil feed line to the turbo.

PCV system on the valve cover. It is not serviceable. So once it clogs you replace the valve cover.

Timing chain and tensioner. This is the biggie. Can ruin the motor if the chain jumps the sprocket. It is a warranty repair, but out of warranty you are on your own. Currently there is a campaign (some call it a recall) to make a proactive repair of the tensioner bolt, chain and guide rails. Not all the N14 motors are included. For example, if the repair has already been made, then that motor is not on the list to check it again. This is also called a cold start or death rattle.

Ok,
Now I am really not trying to scare you off. You asked so these are the hot topics on these cars. I love my 09fJCW. Drive it every day. Have spent a lot of money on it, but I still love it.

MINIs are not Hondas or Toyotas. They need care and feeding. I have a Toyota, that never has a problem. Just needs gas and oil. Same with the past 5 Hondas I had. But none of them drive like a MINI.

Good luck.

 

Wow that is excellent information, thank you! Definitely copying all of that into my notes.

I bought a Toyota Tacoma new in 2010 and have gotten spoiled in terms of never having to do anything but change the oil. I have a roomy garage but not a lot of tools. I'm somewhat mechanically inclined but cars are not my specialty. Are there any signs someone like me can see or feel on the car to let me know if any of the issues you mentioned are going to need addressed immediately? Timing chain and tensioner sound concerning, not really sure how I'd check for that before buying.

I've always felt guilty about the 17 mpg my truck gets, and that number is rare because I drive it like a car. I only need a truck maybe three times a year to get an xmas tree and the occasional piece of sheetrock. My idea is to get a higher mpg vehicle, and with as good a resale value as my truck has I can pay cash for the Mini. No payments would rule but I suppose not if I'm dumping a bunch of money in repairs or maintenance.

I've always wanted a mini even had a deposit on an S in '08. Then I signed up for this NAM website and saw some badass JCW's and canceled my deposit. Then I went to the official Mini website and speced out my first light grey JCW on their configurator. It was like 35k so I never pulled the trigger. Hell I even named my dog Minnie after a Mini Cooper five years ago when we got her. So its like I damn near have to buy one at this point

I cannot think of another fun car to drive that gets decent gas mileage that I can pay cash for. My girlfriend just downgraded her Jeep Wrangler to a new Honda Fit for a similar reason, cheaper cost of ownership, but I'm way too picky on both looks and performance with cars. I'm much more interested in a JCW than a regular Mini or even an S, but the issues are concerning. I know you're not trying to scare me off just giving me the facts and I appreciate that, exactly what I was hoping for when I posted, so I could be better educated on what I could be getting myself into.

Another issue is the only Mini dealers are 3 hours away from my town. I pulled the Carfax on the JCW I'm looking at and it lists a bunch of service work from both the Mini dealers in the "area" so I suppose that's a good sign. I would consider buying an extended warranty if that could help offset unexpected expenses but I'm not sure where I'd take it for service. Could always make the 3 hour drive to the nearest Mini dealer assuming the issue wasn't severe enough that the car couldn't make the trip. It'd be great to find an indie here in Wichita that loves working on Minis that I could come to trust and rely on.

Anyways just thinking out loud on all of this. Thanks for any and all tips/thoughts/considerations!

 

Your Best option will be to buy one that's s under warranty. Save yourself in the long run. Purchase one with warranty and have all the updates done, replace concerning parts etc.

 

Yeah that's an idea too. How do I tell if a used one I'm looking at is under warranty?

 

Obtain the VIN number of the vehicle and call a Mini dealership, they would be able to tell you on presentation of the VIN.

 

I was in the same boat as you but I opted for one with warranty. The best decision I made.

 

Why was it the best decision you made, have you had a lot of warranty repairs done? Did you buy a factory JCW with similar mileage?

 

Buy a regular S and mod it out, you can end up with better performance and still probably save money on what you pay extra for that "JCW" designation.

 

Finally got a hold of a dealer that would help me. He ran the VIN and told me it had a 72 month/100,000 miles warranty which will expire 7/30/14. Sounds like I'd have a few months left to get some work done. I'd have to take it to one pretty quick and see how much I could get them to do?

 

Thought about that, but then I'd have to research all the options and then find someone to install them or risk installing myself and messing it up. I'm not super up to speed on engines or turbos but I can do brakes and suspension stuff. Seems simpler to go down the street where they have an 09 factory JCW for sale and ready to go.

 

You can do what you want with the S but the fact of the matter is that it's not a Factory JCW car.

I got mine on 35k miles.

Yes I had some work done which would have costed a lot out of pocket.

So it still has some miles on the warranty. I'm sure u could extend it further for minimal costs.

 

A factory JCW is not a different car and a Mustang is not a Mustang Cobra either, if your willing to pay a lot of extra money for the performance parts and the JCW name that is definitely your choice. My point is a JCW is just a modded Mini S that you pay a lot for, and it can be done better and cheaper if you don't care about the JCW designation. A friend of mine with a modded out "05 R53 S" recently shamed a "factory 08 R56 JCW" ...driver error ? maybe but it was not even a close race. Sure you may be older and not care much about performance and have the money to pay for the JCW name, then that is great.

 

Hey great info - We just bought an '08 JCW Sidewalk. Its supercharged; is that still an N14 motor? What's the intel on that engine?
__________________
I'm a Cybernetic Organism; living tissue over a metal endoskeleton.

'08 JCW Sidewalk PW/B "Katie"

 

I don't believe the supercharged Mini has those issues or that motor I think its the turbocharged models only. I could be mistaken.

 

Definitely get the N18 engine!

 

Why?

 

Ask any Mini Service Manager or other Mini enthusiasts. The N18 has been much more reliable in many ways.

 

I bought my Mini in April. I got it used because it was a road car for work and for being a second car i didn't want to pay $40K for it. The only issues I've had were the turbo lines needed to be replaced and then later the vacuum lines needed to be replaced. The only other thing I HATE is you have to take the car to a Mini Dealer for service not BMW which sucks, but....just be aware of that. Luckily I've worked in cities that have had Mini dealers and it hasn't been too much of an issue.

As far as the S vs. JCW, you're paying for JCW performance. Everything is factory form Mini and you are literally buying into a model that is rare. You won't see too many JCW Mini's on the road at all. Since I've owned mine, I've seen maybe 3. People that own an S will stare as you pass them or even stop beside them. I've even had a couple try to keep up with me on the road and they couldn't. JCW is a whole experience that you buy into almost like buying an M-series car from BMW. The noises the JCW makes is amazing and you'll want to get on it more to make it pop and crackle....and the fun thing is Mini tunes the car to do that. The only other car i know that will make those noises from the factory is the MB CLA45.

Also as a previous person said, the car loves oil. I wasn't told this until my last service at Mini and the service tech told me I needed to check on that regularly.

Other than that I love my JCW. Make sure when you're looking that you get all the options you want. I have everything but satellite radio and the alarm. I specifically shopped to get what i wanted comparing it to 2 other JCW's that were in Florida at the time

 

Love the bench racers in here. You can make an R53 faster than stock JCW r56. But it will cost you just as much money or if not more to do it. Also I will bet top dollar the drivers were not apples to apples in your so called race. I have passed many a Porsche 911 ont he track but I know my MINI is not faster.


I have driven Phil Wicks R53 Race car that had actually won the MINI racing series in the US. I had a 2 day track session with him and his car which I rented. I had my 2011 R56 JCW on order at the time. Phil said my stock R56 would be a faster car than his race car. He was correct. More power and better brakes makes it a faster car with out a doubt on the track.


N-14 Vs N-18- Frankly the jury is still out on the N-18 as not enough miles driven yet and MINI is already moving away from it. Why? It is pretty much the same motor with some update and a sealed ECU. I bought the last of the N-14's for a reason. You can still tune the motor. Accessport is
fast an easy and it just makes the car a totally different beast. Frankly I would have sold my MINI 2 years ago if I had to drive a stock JCW. Even my wife is now asking me to load the tune!


My R56 will be for sale in Feb. after MINI Thunder V in Cali. It will have around 30K miles on it by then and 11 months of warranty remaining. I will sell her with everything. AP, Set of Racing tires and rims, 4 point harness plus the cars front end and hood are all covered in 3m film. Car will sell in low 20's. Car is loaded with every option but Auto and Nav. I ordered it built and it stickered for 35K and I added 5K with all the accessories, black out etc. Have over 40K into it. Been a great car. Why selling?


This car is going to kill somebody at the track. Frankly I have gotten too fast in this car. Nothing at all wrong with the car. Love being the under powered underdog at the track. The problem is everyone else. I tend to run advanced sessions when the cars straight away speeds are fairly close. I will run Intermediate if there are lots of full blown race cars in advanced.
I don't like it when I am doing 120 on the front straight and a GT3 is doing 180. Too much speed differential with unproven drivers.


So what is the problem? No one want to let the MINI by. On the track the MINI passing no one on the straights. They have to lift and let me by or pass in the corners if it is open track passing. They are never going to lift.
Well they will after a few flags from the corner workers. They will totally out drive there ability endangering themselves and others and it is just getting unsafe. Last session half the cars were sent home for spinning 2 times in a day! My final deciding factor was the M3 incident. I passed this guy early it the day and I knew he was not a happy camper. I saw him a 1/2 mile a head at the end of the front straight and started to reel him in.
After about 3 laps he was in my sites and I could see him pushing harder as he saw me coming hard. Into the fast sweeper after the straight and on it hard. I chased him up the hill and expected to be in striking distance after the crest. I came over the rise and the BMW was nowhere to be seen. Off to my right I saw a huge cloud of dust. Not good because there is nothing but woods over there!. He came over the hill and the car got light. He kept his foot in it and started to power slide and hooked it across the track almost taking out the corner workers tower! Then at 70 MPH slid sideways between to huge fir trees 4ft in diameter with 12" to spare front and rear. He finally came to stop before sliding through a row of porta potties. Lucky to be alive. If I was driving anything else beside the mini they would have just let me by.


Later that day I was talking to my friend who is an instructor. He was working with and older women who had just bought 100K 911. She was new to fast cars and tracking. At one point see said "Dam". My friend asked what's wrong? " I have to let the MINI by". He said "Your worried about the MINI passing you. That mini has passed 80% of 911's on the track today. There are fast cars and there are fast drivers. He is a fast driver in fast car. He would pass your 911 in a UPS truck. Work on your skills and you will get faster with time". After hearing that I knew it was time to move on. I will miss the MINI. Most likely will end up with Lotus or Cayman S.

 

Yeah the more I read the more I'm sold on the idea of a JCW. I'm starting to narrow in on my list of options and colors and with such a wide variety out there I'm concerned about finding one that at least mostly fits. I'm going to email my two closest dealers and see if they can keep their eye out for one like I'm looking for.

 

This is interesting, can you give more details on this. What is the accessport and is it only available on the N-14's? Is it a connection to the ECU that allows us to tune the motor? Do you need a laptop or a special ECU to configure it?

I hadn't considered the track much in all this but man does that sound fun. The whole reason I'm set on a MINI is because I love zipping around and driving hard. My brother in law and some of his friends do the SCCA thing up north of town and they have a lot of fun. I'd have to do a bunch of research and maybe take some classes but I bet I'd have a blast doing it.

Raises all kinds of questions in my head about parts and reliability. Can't afford two MINIs yet so mine will be my daily driver getting back and forth to the office. My girlfriend has her car though so I'm sure I could get a ride once in awhile if mine was down a couple days waiting for parts.

 

I bought my jcw clubman with 62k about a year ago and since then I had to replace all sort of gaskets and do a carbon build up cleaning. Find one with clutch already replaced; don't buy an 09 with original clutch. Definitely find one with a warranty and if possible, mini maintenance plan. Having dealership close by helps. Even with all its problems, I still think it is one of the coolest cars I have ever owned. I autocross mine in my region. It's a very capable and fun car.

 

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, very helpful. This fJCW with 66K gave me some concerns, primarily the original clutch and no warranty. It would have been great to sell my truck and pay cash for it and have no to nearly-no payment, but in the end I decided low miles and warranty were more important to me than a payment. Went down to a dealer to drive a new JCW and see how it felt, then found myself test driving a GP and man it blew everything else I had driven up that point away. Fell in love instantly and took deliver on 0406 yesterday. Motor on

 

Great decision! Congrats!!