OK, to start off, we bought this car from my Fiance's parents in April. They bought it as a toy, as it is a convertible. It also has a supercharger upgrade, but I have no idea what it is..... The little car is a kick in the pants to drive, and we both enjoy putting it through it's paces.....as did her Dad before us.

Now, a few questions:

1) Has anybody else had trouble contacting Mini to get answers?

2) The Passenger seat occupancy sensor is giving us fits, and our local DEALERSHIP is telling us that the warranty doesn't cover our VIN, anybody else had this problem?

3) There was a warranty extended on the oxygen sensors for the vehicle, which my mechanic just replaced, at a non-Mini garage. The dealership told me that Mini may reimburse me for the repairs, what do you think my odds are?

4) While the mechanic had it for the oil change, he always does an inspection of the driveline. He noticed that we are close to needing tires, that the alignment is off, and the aft contol arm bushings will need replaced. The car has 34k miles.... We are aggressive drivers, that's why we bought the car. Is this a common problem? The car is now 7 years old, and out of warranty on the part, but I think this is absurd..... Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any help.....

 

All pretty common....bushings are rubber, and dryout from age as much as miles...most folks replace them with poly ones. Sc "upgrade" is likely a reduction pulley...likely a 15% or 17%...helps the sc spin faster so you get more power, especially at low rpms.
The airbag recall was for a short cable where the seat plugged into the car..fixed on nwer "facelift" mini cars (2005+), so the dealer is right...
the common issue on 2005+ cars is the weight sensor in the seat...about an $1100 fix...might get recalled someday...so if you get it fixed, keep the recipts/records.
The o2 sensors may/maynot be recalled/extented warrenty depending on the production date...getting $$ back for a fix, might happen if yoir mechanic used an oem scourced part....

 

Some dealers are better than others at communication...and the reality is many newer dealers know very little about the 2002-2006hardtp, and 2005-2008cabrio "gen 1" mini. So for some, it is new territory....

 

Wow thanks ZippyNH, this sounds like exactly what one of my 06 issues are also... I was always wondering about the darn light coming on & off whenever it "felt like it" Thanks for the info though, never heard this yet!!!!

 

Well, sour grapes.... I got to talk to someone from Mini yesterday. The seat sensor warranty is no good on our VIN. Another $1000.... The O2 sensor will NOT be covered, because we had it fixed at an open shop and not the dealership. Finally, our waranty ran out in 2009, and nothing will be done about the control arm bushings. The only thing that really upsets me is the seat sensor. That is a safety issue that they have known about for some time now. I guess I will just file another complaint with the Feds. Now, we have a decision to make....and will probably just keep the car. Although, her Dad works for Toyota, and I am seriously thinking about getting rid of the Mini and getting a Lexus. I have always wanted a BMW, but won't buy one of those now....After this car, there will NEVER be another Mini in my garage.....

 

Hope you change you mind don't think you will find anything else that will be as much fun to drive especially a Convertabile IMO.Traded in our 06 S for a '12 S. it's a very nice car , but missing the '06 already. Good luck to you whatever decision you make.

 

Formal Federal complaint filed.....hopefully a recall will eventually be generated. Man, am I disappointed thus far.....

 

The car is 8 years old....
get with the program...unless you had a hyundai with a 10 year warrenty, you are WAY out of warrenty....part of owning AN OLDER USED CAR.

 

Did all these issues come up after you purchased it, or before? If before, did you factor them into the purchase price?

 

There were no issues when we bought it. Period. I guess I just am just used to driving my Chevy's, where the dealer has figured out ways to take care of issues due to mileage. I will admit, however my brother works for said dealer. I just have a very hard time grasping the fact that I haven't changed my driving habits, and a car with 34,000 miles on it, and basically made by BMW is having these type of problems. As far as getting with the program, I find it laughable that there is a safety issue with these cars, and nothing is being done about it. I have done lots of research about the seats. I guess by speaking up, I have offended the board members here, sorry, but it's the way I am. Here's to opening up the pocket book....CHEERS!

 

My gripe was basically about the seats. Also, there was a recall on the O2 sensor, but Mini is unwilling to pay for the repair, even though we used the BMW (stock) part. BTW, 8 years is childsplay compared to everything else I have ever owned. I have never had issues like this with this low of mileage. It's all about perspective...... Thanks for the tongue lashing though....

 

 

Did not mean to have it come across quite like that, but as you said it is about perspective....age, weather, and sitiing can be as hard on a car as miles....sure the car has about 2.5 years of miles on it for many drivers....would the current issues have become apparent and fixed under warrenty had the car been used more when new, maybe.
But when you are 2+x the age limit on tge bumper to bumper warrenty, not getting warrenty coverage as a complaint is kinda sour grapes. In all honesty the seat repair SHOULD be covered imo under a recall, so do file a complaint.
Sometimes hearing folks complain about basic mx items on a 8 year old car, regardless of miles gets old....cars cost $$ to own, and warrenties are finite....and folks sometime loose sight of the fact the mini is a small premium car, not an ecomony car, and the added performanve and fun does come at a $$. Good luck and have fun!!

 

Those issues sound minimal, you'd be better off without a mini.

Good luck,

Nik

 

You are probably right. Unfortunately, it was a birthday gift for my Fiance. I would have never guessed that me commenting about what I feel is a safety issue would have caused all of this.... Sorry I crapped in all of your cornflakes..... I will now lurk and see if anybody figures out this engineering marvel, that obviously has been an issue for alot of people.

 

Ah, no worries. You missed my cornflakes.
I understand your frustration. Good luck, whatever you do.
These cars are fun, but most have some issues it seems. It just depends on what you decide you can tolerate. I agree the seat is a big issue.

Nik

 

Hey, I've got the same car (and an 06 S). I'm going to go ahead and tell you.. those problems are just the beginning of many. If you aren't much of a DIY person, it will be a very expensive car to maintain.

Not hijacking your thread, just wanting you to be aware:

Here's a list of a few things I've had to replace on my 05 Convertible S:

Supercharger Intake Duct
Engine Wiring Harness
Complete Convertible Assembly
Radiator Fan
Throttle Body

If I hadn't done these repairs myself, all of this would have cost probably close to $10,000. That was about $2500 or more in parts.

 

Ditto what karmacooper said, and as goes with all luxury premium cars (including the Lexus you're thinking about sparrky). The more advanced the car is, the more things that can go wrong. A chevy might seem reliable but hey with only 10 things on a car, there's little to go wrong in the first place. Premium cars are high maintenance. Unfortunately, most people that find themselves in used premium cars can really only afford the payments, but not the repairs. As goes with everything, you either pay the repairs on an older car or make the payments on a new car.

Highly doubt the seat sensor will ever be covered under recall. These cars (05-06) are now 6-7 years old and will be an afterthought from NHTSA compared to newer cars on the road. This is not a safety issue as in continued driving will cause crashes. Most recalls found on older cars seem to address issues that will cause accidents. Sticking gas pedals on toyotas, rear subframes rusting and falling off old mini vans, etc etc.

One item I wouldn't be surprised if it did go to recall would be the power steering pumps which when they fail could indeed initiate an accident. However, since the vehicle can still be turned and steered although with greater effort, even this is no different than every single other car on the road that will have its power steering pump fail at some point in its life...


Contact your dealer or your brother, sparrky. There is a thread on the forums (search) where you can disable the seat sensor which will essentially turn your pass airbag to fully active no matter what you have in your passenger seat, and other times I have come across people mentioning that they can buy just the seat bottom from the dealer for about $700. The entire seat which is what some get quoted can run as high as $5000 (insane I know). Otherwise, keep tabs on junk yards or used seats on ebay. You may be able to score a seat bottom (only model year 05-06 hard top and 05-08 cabrio).

Good luck and happy motoring!