From some of the recent postings here this winter it seems as though the MINI may be more at home in a warmer climate. There seem to be a lot of postings about problems due to cold, ice, water intrusion (that subsequently freezes), etc. While it's true that ice and cold affect all vehicles to some extent, they are just machines after all, is the MINI particularly susceptible or not?

My wife has a Honda CRV and her driver's door freezes shut a lot in the severe ice and cold. I had a Jeep with a steering wheel/column that squeaked while turning in the cold weather. The interior lights in my car didn't come on the other morning when it was below zero. I think all cars are a bit stiff in the cold. The MINI is extremely stiff and tight by design. I can see the cold make it more so to the point where it may be an issue for some but not really a problem. I don't worry too much about thumps and creaks from a car in the severe cold.

So, is the MINI a warm weather car or are most of these problems the same ones all cars have in the cold?

 

I attribute it to two factors. First, the cold has been extreme; all cars rebel in this cold. Second, so many of us are clean cars nuts. We hate salt and dirt on our MINIs. And water and frigid temps simply don't mix.

 

This is the second winter here in MN for my 02/02 build MINI Cooper 5-speed
and I have had no problems.

I put on winter tires (in the winter of course), and park in an unheated garage,
and don't wash it if the outside temp is less than 15 degrees F.

That's it, buy it and drive it.

 

Oh, and don't forget the part about telling it esoteric math jokes.

 

No problems here, it seems the S actually likes the cold, denser air and all. Very spirited drives. Just make sure it warms up for a few minutes b4 pushing it.

 

Hmmm...
My MCS (05/2002 build...I've be adding this alot lately...dunno why :smile:
I 've never really kept my MCS garaged and I have no problems ..starting it during the cold weather. It's been fridgid here in NY as of late...and my car started ...easily. (may I add.... my car worked better than my oil burner as of late :smile: )
I have not yet had any freezing door issues... and we have had more than our fair share of cold days to cause such problems.
I recently had a "squeak" issue.... due to the aftermarket rear sway bar that needed to be re-greased.
It gets it's random rattles and buzzes...during the cold weather...that disappear as quickly as they come... as things warm up.

Hope that helps

Peace,
D

 

I simply put my MCS away for the winter. This solved any 'winter issues' and am driving my 12yr old Saab w/snow tires. Although I think the MCS would be a blast w/snows.

 

I must say that the MINI, now in it's second winter with me, is truely amazing as far as cold starts and cold weather running. It starts without a complaint even in below zero temps, and runs without a stutter, sputter or hesitation, and the engine does not race in any way to compensate for the cold. The idle my be 5 or 6 rpm above the normal idle speed, but within 5 minutes it returns to normal. I can safetly say that in 40 years of driving I have never experienced a better running engine in cold temperatures !

Stiffness in the suspension and cold weather rattles are another thing, and the only solution to those is warmer weather ! :smile:

_________________
Pepper White Cooper,
Black Top & Mirrors,
Sport Seats, Fog Lights,
8 Spoke wheels, Multi-Function Steering Wheel, Proud Member of North American Motoring.com

 

How cold is 'cold?' my mcs ran fine in 10F weather. The first few minutes
its kinda tough to shift into 1st sometimes, but that's about it. I was impressed
by the way the car started up and ran without much influence.

my car is parked outside during the day in the company lot and garaged at night...
perhaps it needs to be garaged? :???:

 

hello mini58,
i have an 11/03 build mcs. i think its a great cold weather car,both engine and interior warm-up very fast,defrosters/heater work great. however i do have the frozen shifter problem[parts on order,may be installed this week],a few minutes of warm-up and everything is fine.the colder it gets the longer warm-up is needed. i have been an auto tech for 35 yrs and have never seen a manual trans freeze like this,the new shift cables should cure this but,every car has there own cold weather quirk's . be happy they work this good in the extreme cold!!


regard, jeff

 

My 03 mcs with 17" slite and factory all season goodyear run flat tires hasn't given me any problems driving on long island this winter. I've driven it thru the worst conditions around here, it starts and runs fine. I'm loving having heated seats and temperature adjust ****, awesome! No frozen doors but some of the radio station digits take some warming up before they iluminate. My girlfriend's subaru has had a few problems in the severe cold, starting (not starting) and electrical gremlins (flikering lights and engine keeps running after turning ignition off). Hmm, the subaru is supposed to be a batter winter car than the mini, so far the mini is working better that the scooby. I'm sure the subaru would drive thru deeper snow while the mini would probably end up sidelined. Overall, I'm satisfied with my mini in the snow and brutal cold.

 

All the MINI's I've driven love the cold weather. No problems upon startup or running (well, except the '02's with the cold-start issue - get V36!) MMM, MINI's love cold, dense air....power!

Just keep an eye on it if you wash in below-freezing conditions, be sure to DRY the car fully, concentrating on the door handles, seals, and windows.

Cheers,
Ryan

 

My car runs well in the cold (software updates early on fixed the cold start problem)...and with snows it drives well. And yes, the boost is greater in the cold :smile: In fact, re. that latter point, it's been absolutely hilarious (to me) reading the various posts about CO2 systems...while the temperature here is hovering around zero. You California/Florida folks don't need to spend a grand on a CO2 system...you just need to drive someplace where there's real winter.

 

No problems here, just the usual with any car. My MINI's have been quite reliable.

:smile: :smile:

 

Ah, so the MINI is better in the cold than I was led to believe. Thanks everyone! In this respect the MINI seems the same as most other cars in very cold weather. They all have their cold weather quirks but none have the fun factor of the MINI regardless of the temperature. Motor On! :smile:

 

Despite the frozen door and snapped cable, the car has been fine. The supercharger seems to love the frigid air.

 

:smile: We never really had any problems with the cold weather - lucky I guess. Only issue we had was when the snow was deeper than the bottom of the car - that didn't make for fun driving..

 

It was a blustery 58 degrees in Orlando this morning. When I drove it to the store, it did seem to have a little more pep. Y'all can have your winters, yes I said y'all. I'll have the house opened up by kickoff. We put salt on our food down here.
Motor On
MB

 

To me the notion of "putting away" cars for the winter is o foreign as walking on the face of the moon...


Anyway, here in Miami the weather has been absolutely spectacular throught the week...clear, cool days and no more than 75F during the day. Today we are getting some rain and the humidity has gone up aswell as the temp...around 80F.

 

as i write this i have my mini sitting in the drive way running...it is about 25 degrees out and still snowing here on Long island...4 inches of snow and slush have yet to be plowed from my street and i sit here looking out the window, car still running, comtmeplating a ride....mini and cold?? i'll let you know...