List everything you don't like about your Mini Cooper S.???
the only thing, if they can take all the BMW stuff off the car it will be great.
It bothers me a lot when stuff not working properly in the car or stuff not good enough to please my 25k investment.
If there is not relationship with BMW i might feel better. but with this BIG "BMW" connection on the car. I really hated it.
Ohhhh, not even mentioned the trip to the dealership. going into "BMW" dealership for my sick MINI!!!!!!!!!

this is the only thing i dont like about my MCS

 

After a week of ownership, my only complaint is the cruise control unable to maintain the set speed.

_________________
04 IB/W JCW MCS

 

1. the dealer
2. the windshield cracks
3. the leather is inferior
4. the dash rattles
5. the sunroof rattles
6. the runflat light comes on for no reason
7. the cold start situation
8. the door closing/window up/down thing
9. the crusie control sucks
10. the auto ac is horrible & loud

10 is enough for now :smile:

 

I also wish it had a compass, the window switches are too far apart to roll up both windows at the same time (unless you have man-hands) and the windows roll up too slow.

 

Oh, I forgot... the heater/ac, it blows... wait, sucks? It just doesn't heat or cool fast enough.

 

The only disappointment (and it's pretty minor) I have with my S is the dirty butt. I'm starting to call my S 'Pigpen', after the Charlie Brown character. It's amazing how quick the back end sucks up the dirt after washing. I'm going to try out 'rejex' from http://www.corrosionx.com/rejex.html to see if that will help any.

 

I HATE that I have to turn the MINI off and leave it in the office parking lot for the entire day. I've changed my driving habits so I take the LONG way to the office. That still doesn't satisfy me. In fact, the longer I drive in the morning the more fun I have. Then it is even harder to park it.

I've complained about it at least five times before, but MINIUSA has failed to respond. And while I haven't discussed it with the dealer (they're two hours away), I don't expect that they will provide satisfaction. I'm sorry, but that just sucks. Isn't there something they can do to fix that?

 

>>My #1 complaint.
>>
>>Lights do not turn off when key is removed from the ignition.
>>
>>All the other euro/*** cars I have owned do this simple thing.
>>

Mine do this. You can have that feature re-programmed at the dealer. When I turn my car off (even with the key still in the ignition, the lights go out. :smile:

 

>>Mine do this. You can have that feature re-programmed at the dealer. When I turn my car off (even with the key still in the ignition, the lights go out. :smile:

===>Wow -- good to know!! Thanks a lot, hafid

 

>>>>Mine do this. You can have that feature re-programmed at the dealer. When I turn my car off (even with the key still in the ignition, the lights go out. :smile:
>>
>>===>Wow -- good to know!! Thanks a lot, hafid


Yep, that is called "Follow me Home" lights. I had the dealer program them before taking delivery of my '04 MCS.

As for this discussion thread.... This car is perfect for me. For the money, nothing comes close. If you want a better interior, a bigger engine and still have a BMW product you have to spend another $10K and get into a more mundane 3 series.


I do not understand all complaints related to the MCS being "underpowered" right out of the box....absolutely silly. This car has a 1600cc engine and drives and feels much like a 2.0L with forced induction. My MCS delivers excellent acceleration from the get go and I have never felt it to be underpowered. My car still has the factory pulley and air intake. If you want gobs of torque and horsepower, you have bought the wrong car for the wrong reasons. People longing for a 250HP MINI should look into getting a Mazda RX-8, a Nissan 350Z, a Mustang GT or some other RWD powered GT sports car beast. The MINI is a pocket rocket and performs brilliantly for a car with only 1.6L. It does sure has much more torque down low than any Honda Civic Si I ever driven. Again, unrealistic expectations about performance.


Some complaints are valid (Lack of Homelink, compass, better quality plastics) but others just made me think that some ofyou bought this car as an"Impulse" buy without researching it completely.

I love my H/K stereo. Edmunds.com voted the HK stereo upgrade in the MINI among the best 10 factory stereos for new vehicles under $30K (www.edmunds.com).


As for the paint quality, water based paints are used on 99% of new cars sold today regardless of make or point of origin. This is an EPA mandate...good for the environment but paint finishes that lack sufficient strenght against road debris and rock chips. Add tothat the very sculpted design of the bonnet and you have a car that will pickup tons of rock chips. So if you have a MINI and care about its appearance and rust protection, either invest the $$$ on a new Vinyl Bra (www.colgancustom.com) or purchase a Clearbra from Invica-Shield, X-Pel, etc. There is no way around it.

 

I guess you want to be able to talk yourself out of getting a MINI. Isn't it easier to just say "I don't want one" ?

But I'll add to your list! I can't go anywhere with out some nice person walking up to me and asking me all about my car! I do my hair just to go buy gas! I wear make up and cute clothes just to wash him in my front yard! and yet, when strangers walk up to me, do they look at me? NO - it's HIM !! I'm driving down the street, people honk and wave at me... then I remember, it's not ME it's HIM !!! He has everyone loving him and talking about him! He makes people smile for no reason. Men walk up to me and I smile as they approach but are they interested in me ? NO ! They want to know about HIM! I want to yell, hey what am I chopped liver? -- but then they'd say "yes"!

Seriously - the only thing I've found irritating so far is I'm late where I go because I can't get out of my car without some body talking to me! It has happened to me 3 times and I've had to adjust my schedule to give myself time. There is no such thing as "running to the store and be right back" in a MINI.

-- and I do agree with CLO! I was concerned about the windshields before I bought Mr Bridger. so I changed my insurance to be a $100 deductible for windshield replacement. So now I don't care if I have to replace one, it will cost me $100!


_________________
MR BRIDGER

 

Hmm... I had more people asking me about my 2003 Accord than have asked my about my MINI. And to top it off, I had some rednecks in an old Chevy C10 truck purposely try to run my MCS off the road last night. However, in 1800 miles of driving (three weeks' worth), I've found the following niggles:

- The cruise control is accurate to within "kinda close"
- The Pirelli Eufori@ tires don't like sitting. They develop noticable hard spots when they cool down, that take several bouncy miles to smooth out. They also offer the cold-weather grip of oiled Teflon.
- The dirty bootlid syndrome, which is endemic to hatchbacks in general
- Considering all the sound and fury generated by the HVAC blower fan, it takes a surprisingly long time to warm up the small MINI cabin. In contrast, the HVAC system on Dad's Saturn VUE blasts out an incredible volume of air. Of course, I would rather freeze my *** off in the MINI than drive the toasty VUE, so this is a moot point.

 

2004 MCS with 4K miles.
1. YoYo
2. Windshield
3. No Auto-Up window feature
4. Doors won't stay open when trying to exit, even on slightest up grade.
5. Digital display (speed/temp in tach & odometer reading in speedo) not bright enough for daylight viewing.
6. ???? see... not all that bad!

 

Another annoyance about the MINI is its sun visor, which is practically useless in blocking out the sun from the side window because the visor is too "mini."

 

2003 MC, 6600 miles. Nothing major, but...

** Interior squeak-and-rattle-fest getting ridiculous. The noises move around the cabin. Right now a stress/flex noise in the driver's door seal or driver's shoulder-belt anchor is driving me crazy. In a few days it'll stop and the glove box lid will start. It's like I'm crazy.
** Runflat + DSC lights go on together, stay on for a day or so, then go off... nothing wrong with tire pressure... WTF?
** Crap low-end (off-the-mark) torque. You have to stand on it.
** Brake dust requires daily wheel cleanings.
** Another vote for a digital compass.
** Trip computer should have real-time MPG as well as cumulative (is this standnard for '04?).
** Door-opening detent stops are too wide. Can't get out of the car in a narrow-spaced parking lot.
** Soft exterior paint scratches easily.
** Slow parts availability... just had bodywork done after being hit by road debris... some common parts (hood hinge) took nearly four weeks to obtain from MINI.

It is still the most fun car I've ever had.

 

>>2003 MC, 6600 miles. Nothing major, but...
>>
>>** Interior squeak-and-rattle-fest getting ridiculous. The noises move around the cabin. Right now a stress/flex noise in the driver's door seal or driver's shoulder-belt anchor is driving me crazy. In a few days it'll stop and the glove box lid will start. It's like I'm crazy.

At nearly 3,900 miles, not a single squeak and rattle on my '04 MCS. Car feels solid as the day I got it nearly 4 months ago.

>>** Runflat + DSC lights go on together, stay on for a day or so, then go off... nothing wrong with tire pressure... WTF?

This seems to be a problem on DSC equipped cars with runflats. My MCS does not have DSC (Only the standard ASC+T) hence I haven't had this issue.

>>** Crap low-end (off-the-mark) torque. You have to stand on it.

Is your car upgraded to software version #36?. Mine came from the VPC with #36 and the car takes off with gusto from a dead stop. I don't feel a torque deficit at all like so many other MCS claim to experience. This car is deceptively fast!


>>** Brake dust requires daily wheel cleanings.

I agree and reason #1 I went with the 16" Silver V-spokes. This is a common issue with all BMW brake pads. have you seen the wheels on a 3 or 5 series BMW lately?


>>** Another vote for a digital compass.And add to that another vote for factory Homelink, which is offered in most BMW products but not the MINI.


>>** Trip computer should have real-time MPG as well as cumulative (is this standnard for '04?).

Yep, this is now offered as standard in the '04 MCS. I have Speedo, MPG, Miles to empty, Average speed, Instant fuel economy. exterior temperature in my trip computer prompts.


>>** Door-opening detent stops are too wide. Can't get out of the car in a narrow-spaced parking lot.

The MINI's doors are designed to open a full 90 degrees to allow easy entry/exit specially for rear seat passengers. The MINI indeed has pretty long doors, but this is a given on any two door car. I have learned to park properly to allow enough space between me and the next car when parking. hard, but you get used to it.


>>** Soft exterior paint scratches easily.

Give a big thanks to the EPA and the Tree Huggers for blessing us with the worst quality automotive paints in history. 99% of all new vehicles made today (Regardless of make or point of origin) have water based paints which offer very poor chipping resistance. This was not much of an issue years ago as paints were solvent or oil based and rock chips were much less common. If you care about preserving your MINI free of rock paint chips, then you only 2 options is to buy a vinyl bra or a 3M clearbra. There is no way around it.

>>** Slow parts availability... just had bodywork done after being hit by road debris... some common parts (hood hinge) took nearly four weeks to obtain from MINI.

I think this depends on your geographical area. here in Florida parts availability is reasonably fast as the main BMW parts distribution center is in Jacksonville.
>>
>>It is still the most fun car I've ever had.

I agree with you 500%

 

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback.

** I'll check on software version 36, I haven't been upgraded since delivery in May '03 so I expect perception of absent low-end torque is addressable.

** Agree on BMW brake pads being overly dusty all 'round, but that doesn't make them less of a pain... I will change to green pads when these have had their chips.

** Thanks for the word on the '04 trip computer.

** Disagree on the door detents -- I think real-world research would show a lot of door-edge chipping because it's not possible to hold the door open at a narrow angle. Would like to see MINI address this, and it'd be simple too.

** Paint/EPA standards... you are so right... the other car in the household is a Volvo wagon and the tree-hugger paint is so soft and watery you can literally take it off the car with your fingernail. Also, leave bird poo on the car longer than 24 hours and the acid in it literally blisters the car's finish. Ridiculous.

** Parts: you're in Florida, I'm in Washington state, as far away as I could be from the parts depot and still be in this country... no wonder stuff takes a long time to find its way up here.

Happy motoring

Cheers /Tom

 

Brake dust

 

Not so much the car that I do with the local dealer(s)..unfortuantly we have to pay the going service rate for a BMW vehicle..be it a 7 series or a mini. I find that very disproportionate :evil:

 

Brake dust.
Lack of center arm rest (I know, aftermarket).
Stubby visor useless for side window.
Doesn't fly.
Not submersible.
Can't make toast.
Lack of oils slick/smoke screen/ejector seat/machine gun.

 

biggest complaint is the creaky plastic. also I think one of my speakers is going out it crackles all the time while listening to the radio. But that is a good excuse to upgrade.

#1 complaint now I have to dodge large ford 4x4 trucks. I think they have it out for me now. they tailgate and if you pass one thay get mad and try to run you off the road. never had that problem in my truck, my old mustangs, or my 4runner. It bothers me a little but I just slow down to **** em off even more. I swear it is only the ford trucks too.

 

>>biggest complaint is the creaky plastic. also I think one of my speakers is going out it crackles all the time while listening to the radio. But that is a good excuse to upgrade.
>>
>>#1 complaint now I have to dodge large ford 4x4 trucks. I think they have it out for me now. they tailgate and if you pass one thay get mad and try to run you off the road. never had that problem in my truck, my old mustangs, or my 4runner. It bothers me a little but I just slow down to **** em off even more. I swear it is only the ford trucks too.

Well, that's "road rage" and although there are tons of SUVs and pickup trucks in my necks of the wood, I have only bene tailgated once by what appeared to be a pretty mentally disturbed Ford Explorer Sport-Trac driver.

Keep your distance from these vehicles whenever possible and do your part to minimize the chances from road rage.

 

Well, I'd rather not be making payments, but I doubt anyone would give me a MINI and, like most people, I didn't have 25 grand sitting around looking for something to do.
Other than that, there's not much I don't like. There are the rattles. Oh, and after adding all the mods I really wish it had a limited slip diff because this thing roasts tires too easy. (215 Goodyear F1s too... $$$)

 

no complaints here but...
who sat in this car ... pulled the sun visor over... and said.. "OH blocks the sun perfectly!?"

LOL
i mean it barely is longer than the pillar.
at least it gets a good chuckle from everyone
but that being my only ***** is pretty damned good. gotta love this car.

 

Major gripes.

-I am unable to drive the speed limit