I have seen many complaints on this site about the new Mini's. I was just curious as complaints about 2002's and 2003's. Where the 2002 problems currected on the 2003's?

I'm looking to get a 2003 Mini Cooper S, but am not sure now since there have been complaints about the car and service. For those of you have a Mini would you still recommend getting one spite the problems?


Dennis

 

guster,
Welcome to the site!
To answer your question.... Yes and no.....
There are some issues with the MINI..... Most new cars have them. BMW/MINI is doing a pretty good job of addressing the issues.
Most of the changes are being made on the fly so to speak. There's really not much difference between a late build 02 and an early build 03, so it's really hard to say.... One thing that I can assure you is that the MINI is improving on a daily basis.
Hope this helps,
Happy Motoring,
SW

 

2003 model here (MCS) - 9/14/02 B-Day. I have zero complaints after 220 miles... Just smiles baby!

 

2002 model here (MCS) - 05/03/02 B-Day. I have zero complaints after 13,200 miles...

 

:smile: Mrs. Chippy-- #37 MC-British Racing Green w/ White Roof & Mirrors-7 Hole 15"Silvers-Cordoba Lthr.-5 speed-Hand Wash ONLY!

 

August 2002 build (Last of the 2002's) nearing 800 Miles and no complaints!. Had a brief morning cold engine stuttering but it went away a few days ago and has been fine since. I suspect I had filled the tank the week before with not very good quality 93 octane premium fuel (Nearby Exxon station, never again). Refilled this weekend with Mobil Super + 93 and the car is running smooth as silk! (If issue shoudl come back I'll have my dealer update the ECS firmare to CD #31).

This car gets better and better as it nears the tail end of the 1,250 mile break in threshold. Can't wait to get to use the Steptronic and Sport Modes in a permanent basis.

Excellent machine all round and mucho fun! Can't go wrong with neither MINI model.

 

Speaking of 2002 flubbs, MINI customer service called me today, with the usual what would you change question... I mentioned how my auto open boot hatch never worked, (not that it was a big deal) and she said that the dealer should have a fix for that now... I might drop them an e-mail, to see what's what... because heck, it would be cool...

Rocketboy_X

 

>>Speaking of 2002 flubbs, MINI customer service called me today, with the usual what would you change question... I mentioned how my auto open boot hatch never worked, (not that it was a big deal) and she said that the dealer should have a fix for that now... I might drop them an e-mail, to see what's what... because heck, it would be cool...
>>
>>Rocketboy_X


Was this a customer satisfaction survey from MINIUSA over the phone? I haven't gotten a call from them yet (In despite of having taken delivery 5 weeks ago).

When did you get your car?

I am also very interested to find out about this new revised Boot latch mechanism.

 

>>Was this a customer satisfaction survey from MINIUSA over the phone? I haven't gotten a call from them yet (In despite of having taken delivery 5 weeks ago).
>>
>>When did you get your car?
>>
>>I am also very interested to find out about this new revised Boot latch mechanism.

Yep.. I took delivery September 6th... so, unless it's random selection, you sould get a call soon...

And i'll get back about the boot latch mech. when I find out...

Rocketboy_X

 

I took delivery the next day, so the call should be coming very soon. Thx.

 

nullI suspect I had filled the tank the week before with not very good quality 93 octane premium fuel (Nearby Exxon station, never again). Refilled this weekend with Mobil Super + 93 and the car is running smooth as silk!


Cooper4us,
I was under the impression that Exxon bought Mobil (ergo one in the same). If that is the case would they not have the same type of gas.

I am not attacking your statement or you recognising a difference in how your MINI runs. I really want to know if there would be a difference. I am no expert on fuel.

Any input would be welcome.

Lolo

 

Yes, Mobil now owns Exxon (Hence the new ExxonMobil trademark) and therefore the gasoline should come from the same refineries and be essentially the same quality.

However, a few weeks ago I refueled in my nearby Exxon station and that particular gas station has had some problems with slightly contaminated gas. I suspect the owners of that station do not clean and maintain the underground storage tanks properly and it is likely that water is filtrating and mixing with the gasoline there. Here in Florida this is a big problem because we are basically over water. You make a hole in the ground and you get water right away. Every few years, gas stations here need to close down and have the underground tanks removed and replaced to avoid gas contamination.

During the weekend I switched to a different station, Mobil, and the car is running great again. In both cases I only used 93 Octane Premium fuel as recommended by the owner's manual.

Today my dealer called me that they just received the latest version of the ECU software update for my car CD #31 revision "B" and although the car is running well, especially when the engine is cold in the mornings when I had the stuttering problem, I have already booked an appt to get the update done. It will only make it perform even better.

Hope this helps.


PS: Read page #8 of your Owner's Manual for information about quality of fuel. The MINI seems to be pretty sensitive to poor quality gasoline based on their own field experiences in the US and Canada (Quality varies greatly from brand to brand and gas station to gas station.)

 

Thanks for enlightening me. I will be sure to take care of my baby when she gets here

Lolo

 

Good you are getting the 2003, my 2002 has been a disaster and getting worse with each additional 1K miles I add....now about 8K miles...love the looks and fun drive quotient, but getting hard to live with the quality issues....BMW has been great and they keep giving me a 3 series to drive during the fixes, but the last loaner I had was a 330 and damn, that is one hell of a car and now leaning hard to trade...realize it is a different car and better engineered with a much higher price, but the comfort of the seats alone are almost worth it...mini definitely needs to address the seat issue which are not very well engineered, at least the 2002, maybe they have already improved them for 2003 because the tech at mini told me they were considering improving them...he even told me he hated his seats in his mini because they gave him back pains, not to refreshing coming from one of the techs...but any new car gets better after the initial release because of the bugs...I shouldn't say any because of the Ford Focus which seems to be a fiasco even into the following years...good luck with the 2003...

 

Lolo and others:

When comparing two different brand gas stations, they may actually buy their gas from the same refinery and that refinery might not have either of their names on it. I am sure there are pressures (maybe even contracts) for retailers to buy from their namesake refineries, but keep in mind that a lot of gas stations are independently owned franchises.

On the other side, refineries will sell gas to anyone who will buy it at their price. All they have to do is put the correct additives in the gas to meet or exceed a particular retailer's specs. The refineries can actually segregate the gas into separate tanks to accommodate various buyers. I live in Texas, but I know there is a Penzoil refinery in the Shreveport/Bossier City Louisiana area that sells gas to all the major retailers in the area.

 

I HOPE YOU CAN ALL READ THIS!!!

I understand everybody's issue with the ECU problems and minor starting issues, but my car has been a disaster!!! EVEN WORSE was the service i received from my dealership. Two weeks ago, the black high gloss trim on the passenger side between the windsheild and the passenger window fell off!! Just fell off while driving about 65MPH on the freeway. Since it was at night, i couldn't see that it fell off, but a very loud whistling sound was heard everytime i passed 60MPH. I had them tow it the next morning(approx. 200 miles) to my dealership and they said they would order the part and fix it. I did not get my car back until 12 days later. ALMOST TWO WEEKS. Worst of all, they refused to give me a rental or loaner car. They said MINI had no ability to do that, so i had to rent a car for the time period and pay for it myself. About a week after it was in the shop, i got a call from them saying it was done. So the next morining i got ready to get my car and i got another call saying they read the paper work wrong and it would take at least another week, because the part was still on back order. Worst of all, my car is even harder to start now. It took me 7 tries to start my car yesterday on a 85degree day in sunny California. To me, this has been the worst service. I am now selling my 2002 MINI Cooper S and going with another type of car that has a semi-decent service department.

 

>>Good you are getting the 2003, my 2002 has been a disaster and getting worse with each additional 1K miles I add....now about 8K miles...love the looks and fun drive quotient, but getting hard to live with the quality issues....BMW has been great and they keep giving me a 3 series to drive during the fixes, but the last loaner I had was a 330 and damn, that is one hell of a car and now leaning hard to trade...realize it is a different car and better engineered with a much higher price, but the comfort of the seats alone are almost worth it...mini definitely needs to address the seat issue which are not very well engineered, at least the 2002, maybe they have already improved them for 2003 because the tech at mini told me they were considering improving them...he even told me he hated his seats in his mini because they gave him back pains, not to refreshing coming from one of the techs...but any new car gets better after the initial release because of the bugs...I shouldn't say any because of the Ford Focus which seems to be a fiasco even into the following years...good luck with the 2003...

The tech probably has hemorrhoids as well.... back pain more likely related to the run flat tires and the stiff suspension but from the seats? Unlikely. Good luck in the 3 series. And I'll wave bye-bye through any turn you can find as well and I'll do it in a stock Cooper with 15" All Season tires. Better engineered? BMW has owned the name since '94 and not much thought went into it I guess .

 

I work in the petroleum industry and some of the statments made are true. Exxon usually has their own bulk fuel locations and do not rely on other refineries. If they do pull fuel from these locations the specific additives for the fuel is added at the loading rack. This is true for all major oil companies. The local Mapco refinery supplies fuel for Citgo, Mapco, BP (except the 93 octane), Texaco, ect. Most gas stations watch their fuel tanks very carefully for water and sludge. The rules vary by state, but in the midsouth area (TN & MS specifically) the state requires water removal once it reaches a certain level. In MS is is 1" and TN is 2", however the submerge pump that pushes the fuel to the dispenser is set 5-7" off the bottom of the tank. Additionally, most major oils require water absorbant filters be installed on the dispensers to prevent water from reaching the customers car. A word of advice, never, ever, buy fuel from a station that is taking a delivery of fuel! This stirs up the sludge and water, that is present in almost all tanks to some degree, and you are more likely to get "bad" fuel.

 

My 2002 only has 1700 miles on her and no problems yet. No rattles in the sunroof, no cold start problems (and we have had lows in the 30s already) I LOVE MY MINI!!!

 

The tech probably has hemorrhoids as well.... back pain more likely related to the run flat tires and the stiff suspension but from the seats? Unlikely. Good luck in the 3 series. And I'll wave bye-bye through any turn you can find as well and I'll do it in a stock Cooper with 15" All Season tires. Better engineered? BMW has owned the name since '94 and not much thought went into it I guess .

Actually the pain is from the seats...I watched the tech take off the plastic back of the drivers seat with his hands to look inside...the inside looked like it had been made at Kmart....then watched him just snap the plastic back back on with his hands like it was the seat to a hot wheels racer...can you say the word cheap...and yes you could wave bye-bye through any turn...that is if you could only catch up before entering the turn, can you say reg cooper and pokey, laugh....but I do agree with you regarding one thing...not much thought went into it or at the least not enough thought went into it....

 

ALMOST TWO WEEKS. Worst of all, they refused to give me a rental or loaner car. They said MINI had no ability to do that, so i had to rent a car for the time period and pay for it myself.

What's up with that...I'd definitely call BMW...my mini has been in the shop minimum 5 times, ranging from a one day fix to 2 weeks on two different occassions..the one day fixes I got free rental cars, only paying $5 a day gas charge...the longer fixes I got free Bimmer loaner cars and only paying gas as needed....sounds like your dealer is pathetic...my dealer has been outstanding, the mini has been pathetic...don't get me wrong, great styling, great fun, just poor build quality in some areas.....but no excuse for you not to get loaner cars...

 

>>The tech probably has hemorrhoids as well.... back pain more likely related to the run flat tires and the stiff suspension but from the seats? Unlikely. Good luck in the 3 series. And I'll wave bye-bye through any turn you can find as well and I'll do it in a stock Cooper with 15" All Season tires. Better engineered? BMW has owned the name since '94 and not much thought went into it I guess .
>>
>>Actually the pain is from the seats...I watched the tech take off the plastic back of the drivers seat with his hands to look inside...the inside looked like it had been made at Kmart....then watched him just snap the plastic back back on with his hands like it was the seat to a hot wheels racer...can you say the word cheap...and yes you could wave bye-bye through any turn...that is if you could only catch up before entering the turn, can you say reg cooper and pokey, laugh....but I do agree with you regarding one thing...not much thought went into it or at the least not enough thought went into it....



Do you know the meaning of the Phrase, "TEST DRIVE"?

A good test drive should reveal "perceived deficiences" on any car that you are interesting in buying.

To each his/her own. One man's poison is another man's medicine. The BMW 3 series is your type of car, the MINI is not, so end of story.

 

Do you know the meaning of the Phrase, "TEST DRIVE"?

A good test drive should reveal "perceived deficiences" on any car that you are interesting in buying.

To each his/her own. One man's poison is another man's medicine. The BMW 3 series is your type of car, the MINI is not, so end of story.

Well, unfortunately my test drive only lasted about 45 minutes....during that 45 minute test drive the seat frames on the drivers seat didn't break, the rear hatch didn't start rattling, the sun roof didn't start rattling and the air compressor didn't go out...so yeah I guess I didn't get an accurate test drive of what was to come...maybe if I could have extended the test drive to another 45 minutes...lol..and actually my type of car is one that stays out of the garage getting fixed when it is brand new...end of my story....too much, laugh

 

>>I HOPE YOU CAN ALL READ THIS!!!
>>
>>I understand everybody's issue with the ECU problems and minor starting issues, but my car has been a disaster!!! EVEN WORSE was the service i received from my dealership. Two weeks ago, the black high gloss trim on the passenger side between the windsheild and the passenger window fell off!! Just fell off while driving about 65MPH on the freeway. Since it was at night, i couldn't see that it fell off, but a very loud whistling sound was heard everytime i passed 60MPH. I had them tow it the next morning(approx. 200 miles) to my dealership and they said they would order the part and fix it. I did not get my car back until 12 days later. ALMOST TWO WEEKS. Worst of all, they refused to give me a rental or loaner car. They said MINI had no ability to do that, so i had to rent a car for the time period and pay for it myself. About a week after it was in the shop, i got a call from them saying it was done. So the next morining i got ready to get my car and i got another call saying they read the paper work wrong and it would take at least another week, because the part was still on back order. Worst of all, my car is even harder to start now. It took me 7 tries to start my car yesterday on a 85degree day in sunny California. To me, this has been the worst service. I am now selling my 2002 MINI Cooper S and going with another type of car that has a semi-decent service department.
>>

Sorry to hear about your experience, but the car I am afraid is not at fault. You have 2 fixable warranty items that any competent MINI dealer can handle: The Windshield seal and the Cold Start program which is fixed via the latest DME software release update known as CD # 31. Did your dealer performed the upgrade properly if not at all?

It seems that you have a very incompetent dealer and I can understand that a bad service relationship can sour you on the car, even if the problems are indeed fixable.


However, keep in mind that any other car that you decide to go with will have its very own set of issues and varying repair/service experiences.

Perhaps you will be a happy camper behind a perfectly reliable and ultra boring Toyota Echo

 

>>Do you know the meaning of the Phrase, "TEST DRIVE"?
>>
>>A good test drive should reveal "perceived deficiences" on any car that you are interesting in buying.
>>
>>To each his/her own. One man's poison is another man's medicine. The BMW 3 series is your type of car, the MINI is not, so end of story.
>>
>>Well, unfortunately my test drive only lasted about 45 minutes....during that 45 minute test drive the seat frames on the drivers seat didn't break, the rear hatch didn't start rattling, the sun roof didn't start rattling and the air compressor didn't go out...so yeah I guess I didn't get an accurate test drive of what was to come...maybe if I could have extended the test drive to another 45 minutes...lol..and actually my type of car is one that stays out of the garage getting fixed when it is brand new...end of my story....too much, laugh

Miniblues,
I am sure you may have heard this before, but what about Lemons Laws in your state. Can anything that is wrong with your car fall under that umbrella.
I agree with you that the Test Drive would not reveal the defects you have mentioned.

I can only hope that when I get my MINI that I do not end up as diasppointed as you are.

Lolo :evil: