Hello.
I have a 2015 four-door hardtop model. It has done 60,000 miles in the last 9 years, which is not much by Texas standards.
However, I had to do a lot more repairs in this car than I had to in the other ones (mainly Japanese) I’ve had so far. These are the things I had to do so far.

brake fluid flush
wastegate valve actuator repair
coolant flush
replace the rubber striping around rear doors
replace engine mounts
AC Schrader valve replacement
replace windshield washer fluid pump
replace crankshaft pulley and belt
replace AC compressor
replace upstream oxygen sensor
replace fuel tank vent valve

the AC unit has developed another problem now and the service department is asking blower control module to be replaced
Is this considered normal for these cars? I do not understand what I am doing wrong. The car is kept in a garage, driven less than average, oil change done every 6000 miles or so. Not sure what I should be doing differently to prevent any future repairs.

 

These cars aren't bullet proof by any means, not like my 2019 Nissan Frontier or my 2022 Mazda CX-5 Turbo, but generally they can be plenty reliable. Sounds like you've definitely had some abnormal things fail that aren't common. Fuel tank vent valve is a no brainer for failure so that one doesn't really count.
Otherwise, make sure you read this thread because if you haven't addressed the plastic bits, you'll be in for a treat someday.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...uto-trans.html

 

Brake fluid flush every 2 years is called for (how necessary I don't know, but the car is wired to throw you a nastygram every 2 years either way).
Coolant flush is good maintenance, but see @4merMarine 's and other folks discussions about the oil filter housing (it will spring a coolant leak, eventually -- consider it a wear item).
Washer fluid pump -- that's an F series "thing" as well. Been hearing about it less of late, but there was definitely a rash of them.
Engine mounts -- the upper engine mount is also a "thing" and there is discussion of it being driven by weakness of the lower engine mount. Guidance to deal with all three is probably on point.
Crank pulley - though not as commonly discussed in the strict context of the F series, definitely a thing, and also a MINI thing in general including the R series. Belt, not so sure. At 120K miles-ish I replaced the original on my 2017 F56 S and it honestly looked beyond good. And I know it was original because it had a date stamp on it.

Wastegate valve actuator repair and AC stuff -- that strikes me as a little odd. Or at least not common. First I've heard of generic AC issues, second I've heard of something involving a wastegate. Not sure I've heard of anything involving the turbo as low as 60K miles. Oxygen sensor at 60K miles also seems odd, not just for the MINI, but in general, as those things are supposed to run to at least 120K and nobody replaces them at 120K and they don't all start throwing check engine lights on that cue.

What's your oil change interval, and what oil are you using?

Anything plastic or rubber on the MINI (or a BMW-branded BMW for that matter) is waiting to degrade and fail. Housings, seals, trim, all of it. BMW makes crap materials choices, the end full stop. Anytime you open up something with a gasket or o-ring, plan to replace that gasket or o-ring with a new one because you don't want to trust the old ones to hold up; you can see the difference between old and new easily, every time. The rubber trim doesn't surprise me. I have one dust boot that has basically been shredding itself at all its primary flex points. You get the idea.

Like you, my other hands-on mechanical is mostly with Japanese vehicles (Subaru in my case). I have been tracking expenses for a long time. For the Subaru, fuel and repair+service costs are about dead even in dollars. For the MINI, repair+service is 2x what I've spent on fuel. That's an inexact comparison as the Subaru takes 87 octane and the MINI takes 91 (93 where I live; they don't sell 91), and the Subaru gets far worse fuel economy (9-10MPG less) than the MINI. But throw in that in terms of raw effort and diversity of issues, the MINI is clearly the attention-needing car, and my take is the same as yours. Heck, I did more to the MINI to deal with "stuff" in the first two years of ownership than I did in the entire time I have had my Subaru (over 20 years), and I am the second owner on both cars.

I do love my MINI. But I am also crystal-clear that it is a high-maintenance baby that needs materials upgrades (and therefore, part upgrades) for longevity.

Final thought: crank pulley wobble --> belt alignment problems, belt alignment problems --> belt damage and possible damage to things spun by the belt, including throwing the alignment on those components' pulleys. So you can end up with a damaged alternator, compressor, idler, water pump all tracing back to the crank pulley. And if one of those pulleys gets out of alignment, it can probably still cause problems for the other things spun by the belt even if you replace the crank. I mean, a lot would have to get out of hand, but if the crank pulley thing got WAY out of hand before replacement, in theory one could end up with multiple damaged pulleys/components, each continuing to feed issues going forward even if the crank got replaced after that. I generally tell folks to check the pulley routinely and the moment they find wobble, go get an ATI Super Damper to quash the issue completely -- old pulley gone, and replacement has better design to avoid any recurrence.

Just my $0.02.

 

I assume y'all are aware of the F56 High Mileage thread.

If not, there it is.

Cheers,

Charlie