Darn Son, you can really hold a grudge!

As said in other threads, sorry you had a bad experience. There seems to be a consensus that the N series engines were not the most reliable.

My tenure with the R56 was delightful - we had a serious go in SCCA HS autocrosss.

Like this:

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Ive owned a 2010 R56 S for a little over 3 years, Ive had my share of replacing things on it - but thats expected with almost 170K miles and almost 50k of those just under 300HP. I love the car, I love it so much I bought an R60 CM All4S. The CM has had zero issues so far, my R56 had many problems when I first got it....but it wasnt cared for by the previous owner. After replacing almost every accessory in the engine bay, LPFP, HPFP (3 Times!) it runs like a dream and handles like a ferret on crack. I know others have had it really rough but there are many out there still running, thats why they are seen pretty often - even in rural VT where I live. I probably wouldnt buy one if you cant work on cars yourself or dont have a friend that does, unless its a low mileage n18 cooper.

 

The audience will assume that you have had personal experience of a ferret on crack, God love you! ;-)

 

Hey, they said it, not me.

 

He's not wrong, but carbon build up on the intake valves only happens on the GDI engines; the N12 and N16 don't have that problem. Timing chains ... it's not the chain ... it's the guides falling apart and for some tensioner issues that cause problems with the chain, any chain with improper lubrication or tension is going to fail quickly. Keep up with your oil changes and don't let it run low on oil and you can avoid a lot of problems. Oil leaks ... yep!

And he forgot a lot of other problems that are popular with the Gen 2 Coopers like coolant leaks, problems with the MAP controlled thermostat, air bag passenger seat occupancy sensors, hatch switch deterioration, shitty cowl covers that don't last, burn through on the exhaust valves, dropped valve seats etc.

The other thing he missed is that you need a shop full of special tools to work on them.

If you're not mechanically inclined, it is a good car to stay away from!

 

Did someone say burnt valves....? Been there.

The fun doesn't end there... Cause this other BMW has the same **** poor engineering as our engines. Built to fail

 

Eh.

I have a pair of Gen II cars. 2007 R56s, bought used with 85,000 on it. Was pretty darn reliable and maintenance free until 123,000 (5 years worth) when it did burn a valve. It's currently in the garage being disassembled for repair. I view it as a fun project and not bothersome at all.

I find people griping about these cars as uninformed and unrealistic. Virtually any car made in the last 15 years is going to be a PITA to work on, require special tools, and have some sort of issue. I drove VW/Audi products for the better part of 30 years, and let me tell you - the engineering and reliability was poor, then better (well, Audi anyhow), then deteriorated massively from 2005 onward. Nice product out of the showroom, but horrendous to work on and engineered with zero concern for the repair of the vehicle once it leaves the factory. My sister bought a used 2012 Honda Pilot with a V6 motor in it, with 90,000 miles on it. At 130,000, it failed emissions...and needed a lower end engine rebuild because of poor design of the piston rings. Honda had to do so many, they developed a service procedure for ring replacement without engine/cylinder head removal.

If you don't want to be stuck with maintenance/repairs, then just commit to spending $400+ monthly and lease a vehicle until you die. That's what manufacturers actually want you to do.

 

Nah. Japanese cars put BMW Mini to absolute shame in terms of reliability and longevity. Ask any mechanic if he thinks you should buy a Mini over a Toyota or Honda.

BMWs commitment to cheap plastic for mission critical parts and the inability to seal their engines is really inexcusable at the price point.

 

Another N series engine... the B Series seems to be much happier.

Honda and Toyota do nice work - I've appreciated some of it my ownself.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Are you buying a MINI because you want to get in, drive, and never have the car need maintenance.....or are you buying it because you want a fantastic driving experience?

Toyota and Honda sell to a different market, and that market requires them to idiot proof the car. So sure....if you're an idiot who doesn't understand maintenance and know how to drive, then hell yes, the MINI is a bad car for you.

But as I said, for what it is - it's not 'unreliable' at all. I drive 25,000+ miles per year with no issues. Get in, start, drive, have a blast. Oil every 5,000, rotate tires every other, inspect when servicing, flush fluids every other year.

I refuse to join the lease payment club. The maintenance is a really enjoyable part of vehicle ownership. The Recluse isn't a means to an end....it's an experience I get to enjoy daily.

 

It’s a British car that may or may not have a turbocharger strapped to it. If you expect reliability, you probably consume illicit substances on a regular basis.

EDIT: And before you tell me BMW engineering blah blah blah, I recommend you go talk to any BMW technician that was around in the mid 2000s to early 2010s. The stories are exactly the same on those cars, yet the love and reverence for the E39 5 series, E46 and E90 3 series continues today.

 

Tell that to the guys who bought into the Tacoma/Tundra hype and had their trucks rust out prematurely. Or the guys that bought the new TTV6 Tundra and had their motors implode with 10k miles or less. Or the problems Honda is currently having with their turbo motors. Or the Subarus with CVT trans issues.

And these were supposed to be the safe, reliable, choices for commuter vehicles. Not a boutique brand with small sales margins.

 

Just wait until you need to work on a B series engine timing chain/guides, VANOS solenoid, timing chain sprocket, etc. You have to remove the engine since the genius engineers move all these components to the rear of the engine. No thanks!

 

That's exactly the same path that Audi/VW engineers went down with their engine designs. Nightmare for service.

I'm extremely happy with my N14 and N18 engines.

 

I love my wife's N18 R56 because it lets me refer to the two old Alfas I have as "the reliable cars"

(But seriously it's a good thing she married a guy who knows how to wrench...this thing is needy. Thank goodness she didn't buy an N14...)

 

Most of the cars on that list are just shitty cars that were pumped out as the cheapest people-movers possible. Of course they're terrible.

The R56 were cheap shitboxes when new as well, but they look different, and are an excellent driving experience, and IMO that makes all the difference.
The delphi dampers were garbage off the production line, and cost cutting measures are obvious across the entire car.
The number of parts I replaced on my car is wild, but if you remove the few big ticket items, it didn't cost much - but if you were paying labour, you'd be questioning your decision quickly.
Light car, turbo, 6 speed is a winning combo.

I think a lot of the oil/timing chain related issues stem from too-long oil change intervals, and the fact that the dipstick is completely useless.

And don't get me started on the "car wizard"...

 

The factory oil change service specification is absolute rubbish, and a major factor to the myriad of problems you see with these cars. MINI (BMW) also decided to tell people you never needed to change transmission fluid....okie dokie.....

I will say that in comparison to the VW/Audi platforms, these cars are much better from a materials standpoint and the reliability has been better as well. But that's just my opinion - formed from ownership, driving, and repair on several models of each.

 

Hold it now... You're telling me that VW is even worse? Oh Lord and I've been eyeing a Golf R but scared of VWs reputation.

What's generally worse about VW products? Electronics? Even more cheap plastic parts?

 

Ive had 2 VWs in the past 5 years. A 2011 Jetta SE 5Spd and a 2011 GTI DSG. I have ALWAYS wanted a Golf R. Both cars needed their transmissions replaced within 2 years, the mechatronics unit failed directly after in the GTI. After my experience with them, I dont think Ill ever own a Golf R....
My R60 All4 S is now my "Golf R". The only issue I have had since owning it was replacing the Friction wheel/tensioner....but I bought it with those issues.
You woint find a Golf R with less than 100K for $4300, especially in the condition my CMS All4S was.

IF anyone wants a Mk6 GTI with a forged engine with 20k miles...$2000...It needs a new DSG though

 

Transmissions! Oh Lord.

The most reliable part of the mini is the Japanese automatic transmission....😆

 

The electronics in VW/Audi are junk. The quality of the materials used just wasn't even comparable. And as for the engineering....there were so many times, when working on those cars, that you just said "WHAT THE ACTUAL FLIP WERE THEY DOING THAT FOR??????" that I just couldn't wrap my head around it. People complain about the timing chain set up in the Prince engine...well, Audi decided to put a timing chain in their V6 motors, and put it on the BACK OF THE ENGINE - necessitating a complete engine removal to service it. And yes, you do have to service it at 120K. That's the 3.2 motor in the Golf, A6, and A6. On the 2.0 TSI motors, again - it's a plastic water pump, which fails; it's driven by a belt off the balance shaft which you can't easily replace...you need special tools and I recall that you had to do something with that balance shaft to replace it...the fuel injectors are a goddamn nightmare to keep seated anytime you remove the intake manifold....they did put the intake on the front of the car though, so cleaning the valves is easier I guess. They also eat up HPFPs, it's not restricted to MINIs. Oh, and the suspension? It's a complicated nightmare of components that wears out every 100K and is another nightmare to service in itself.

After all of that, be aware that EVERY SINGLE ONE of the 12 VW/Audi cars I owned were in a CONSTANT state of 'service required' due to the CEL/MIL being triggered. It was a never ending battle. The best of them was the 2.0 CJAA diesel that I was driving just before my R55s - and even with that one, I had 3 instances over the course of 100K miles - with the last one being a whopper, as it was related to the DPF being cracked and requiring replacement (>$3000).

I'll never own another VW/Audi product.

 

Omg...

 

Holy Jesus we are just slightly better than all Stellantis products.. The worst of the worst.

Here is the rest of the list.