I bought my cooper back in Feb of this year 2012. Man was I impresed with the speed, quickness and handling. Blew me away. I gave $9000 for it. That was roughly KBB private seller value. Well then I realized that it had the supercharger death rattle...I was immediately on the hook for $1,800... installation of a remanufactured SC unit and water pump. Then with the supercharger running quiet I could hear the flutter of the clutch going bad, I notice the crunchy peddle feel of the plastic throw out bearing, I was told of the leaky oil pan that would cost $400 to fix. With all that I drove it for about 9 months wondering what I should do, keep it or sell it. The engine seemed to be strong. The brakes were to die for. I loved the passing power. So I decided to take it to a Mini dealer to have the service dept give me their opinion. For $100 they told me that the clutch master cylinder was going bad, the clutch needed doing, the oil pan, the steering rack, the belt tensioner and the wind sheild wipers too! So I talked to the salesman about a trade-in for a new Cooper. He said that since it needs over $5000 in repairs that he would be glad to give me $2000 in trade for my car. These are some of the emotions I ran through. So the next Saturday I took it to a Ford dealer, and got $8000 on a trade for a 2009 Mustang. I made sure to buy the extended warranty on the Stang as well. After my experience with the Cooper I think I will do that from now on.

My Cooper S was awesome fast. It would blow my V6 Mustang away. To have a Cooper in top running condition would be fantastic. If I had only paid $4000 for it, I think it would have been well worth the money to get all the repairs made. So if you buy a first gen Cooper S, make sure you buy it cheap cause you will be sinking some money into it.

The thing I will miss most is how Cooper folks wave to each other. I had a 71 Beetle for years and those people dont wave which always surprised me. Cooper people are great! If you ever see someone in a Mustang wave to you, you'll know why.

 

I agree. The best and the worst. The best for the agility. The worst for parts costs. I bought my 2003
MCS a year ago for about the same price.

It was hot outside then and I noticed that the A/C didn't blow ice cold like full sized cars. Also,
the glove box wouldn't stay closed. The dealer said they'd fix it and they got me a Gen 2 glove box
with no key. The shop it got farmed out to told me that because of several problems, they ended up
replacing everything on the A/C except for the condenser. They said that the thermometer they had stuck
in the vent showed 19 degrees. I finally took posession of the car after it wasn't so hot out. The
air blows cold but it mostly blows out the top of the dash. During the hot weather, I want it blowing
at me. The SuperCharger is quiet. The Power Steering makes a little whining noise. The radiator fan
blows at two speeds. I keep it inside and away from rain so the resistor lasts longer hopefully.

I was really suprised at all the little things that you can get for a MINI.
I ordered new floor mats, an A/C valve for the new glove box that came with a plug. I ordered an
owners manual for both the car and the boost radio. I ordered the glove box partition thing. I have
replaced the thing behind the cigar lighter with one that holds a coin tray. It has a coin tray. I
added an auxilary jack for the radio. I've replaced all the cigar lighter parts so I can have that
orange ring again like it had before I started with the coin tray. It has the wireframe MINI brand
cup holder. It also has a MiniFini cup holder. I added a Mini ash tray that looks like the gas cap.
Also, I had to replace one of the non HK speakers.


The passenger window got stuck. I installed a passenger side window regulator (common for everyone).
I decided to take it to a MINI dealer to see what they think of the car and have them clean out the
brake fluid. They said that I needed two motor mounts. They said one of them leaked out. Two motor
mounts? Leaky motor mounts? They gave me the parts price which I though was the installed price. The
service manager chuckled and then gave me the full price. I don't remember what it was. I had to go
out of there with my hands over my ears saying "La, la, la, la". Well, I ordered THREE motor mounts
but I haven't put them in yet. I don't do alot of flooring it and letting off while remaining in
first gear which would aggrivate the motor mounts. Sometimes, I do that in second gear. Later
I found that my drivers side strut mount was ripped. I ordered two upper shock mounts and managed
to install one of them. No strut tower defenders (yet). I also installed the Ian Cull auto-up for
putting the windows up quickly in the rain (not that I drive much in the rain). Ordered a drivers side
hand rail for the back seat. When it arrived, it looked exactly like the passenger side. I then guessed
that someone had taken them off and they swapped sides. I ordered several fasteners; for the grill,
for the door panels, for the fender liners, and a grommet for one of the holes that cover the window
regulator bolts. I have some inside covers for the moon roof but the suction cups are flat and won't
stick now. I also have dvds of The Italian Job; both versions and the game. I also got the bently book.

One day it was very hot outside and I had just come in from driving all day. When I got home I noticed
that my power steering started cutting out. I drove it around the block and parked it on the driveway
apron close to the street and left it there with the hood up. It hasn't done it again, so I just
assume that the electric P/S got hot and the fan came on, then it was still hot so both the fan and
the P/S cut off. It has always had the P/S whine though. I bench tested the P/S fan it it works (with
a big inductive kick!)

This weekend's project is to replace the lower control arm bushing. I went to the MINI dealer and got
both the bushing and the bushing and housing for the right side. The old bushing is shot and the
wheel moves forward and backward. You can feel it through the steering wheel when you hit the brakes.

The forward 18mm bolt (M14 1.5 x 80) when I finally got it out has some flat threads. I went
to tru-value an got a short bolt with more threads and used it as a chaser. I decided to go in through
the bottom of the bolt hole because it was easier to get to. It went in easy but it came out hard and
with flat threads. So now, the car sits in the garage with subframe being held by two bolts and jack
stands while I go find a M14 tap & die, a couple of new bolts, and two BMW tools "31 5 140" which is
to remove the control arm from the bushing and "31 5 150" which is to replace the bushing in the
bushing housing. One of those tools I saw listed for $167. I don't remember which one, I killed the
browser before it could set in. Future parts may include factory struts and to get the loud muffler
fixed. It kinda sounds cool when the windows are up.

 

I agree...the maintenance on these things is a lot. Mine hasn't been TOO bad....I'm a college student and only drive the car 3 months out of the year when I am home but when I was driving it every day for about 2 years I spent around $1,400 total in repairs that I didn't think were normal for a car with <50k on it. I don't see that as too bad, but I am sure when the miles get up there things will start going.

I have an 05S bought it with 36k on it...has I think 54 on it now. Coming back home to that thing is the best feeling ever...like the first day I bought it. I think if I had it as a daily driver it would be going down the tubes much quicker. Guess you win some and you lose some with these things....

 

I agree with you guys... Mini are fun as hell, but you pay out of the nose for the upkeep.

Few months ago, I got a 05 MCS JCW R52, and it's been a blast. Worlds above and beyond my old 05 Nissan Sentra.

But a couple things have been creeping at me...

--engine mount replaced.
--radiator reservoir replaced (cracked after the engine punctured a hole in it... that's how I found out about the engine mount in the first place)
--right control arm replaced
--all brake discs resurfaced
--fixed mushrooming struts

The car also happens to have a bad synchro for 2nd gear, so it grinds. Projected transmission rebuild cost: $900+ for parts and labor (not including the labor cost in having the transmission removed from the car).

Convertible top is also going out, the suspects are faulty/misaligned hall sensors. I haven't found anyone selling just the hall sensors yet (not that I looked... because I didn't).

In no way all these problems detract from the amount of fun you get with the Cooper, but my patience is running dry. At some point, you have to say "enough is enough" and cut the funds. It hurts me to say it, but if I ever find another problem with the car (knowing my luck...) that needs four figures of repair cost, I might as well replace it.

For now... I'm keeping it.

 

Oh yea...my heater core was no good and the driver side door lock wouldn't work with the key remote. I was intending to drive it to work every day and had been, but with a 60 mile round trip, I was sure that it would never hold up.

 

Lots of feed back on this. Some private messages that were interesting. FYI, the Ford dealer who gave me 8K on trade is selling my Cooper for 10K. Good luck with that. Still have mixed feelings about my Cooper. It was a damn fun car to drive but if I would have done all the work needed I would have had much more in the car than it was worth. Just a poor investment. Again...if you can buy one cheap and renew everything you will be in high cotton!

 

I have this conversation with people all the time. There are a lot of people who get into my R53 that is lightly modified engine and moderately modified suspension wise and love it to death.

They constantly ask me what do I think about this one and that one and if they should get one and my constant response is, only if you feel comfortable doing your own work and getting your hands dirty. If you are not mechanically savvy and you don't want to take the time to do the maintenance, yes they can clean out your pockets. The jobs/maintenance really isn't that expensive if you can do the work yourself and this website as well as a few others offers some of the most easy to follow DIY articles that almost anyone should be able to do it with some jackstands, a jack and some tools.

I bought my 2006 MCS at 52k miles and did research on a lot of things before buying one. Learning about a lot of the "common" problems. Even involving all that, I bought one from an everyday guy bone stock, that way I would know it wasn't tracked or ragged on (middle age man) and that everything it needed was probably the "normal" things and I was right.

So far I have done all of the work myself, never been to a dealer or independant place yet, and all of the jobs have been relatively affordable just took some time.

I've done:

- Crank pulley (replaced with ATI super damper, probably most expensive replacement PART I've bought, but should outlast the motor)
- Tensioner
- Idler Pulley
- Belt
- Spark Plugs
- Plug Wires
- Engine Mount
- Heater Core
- Power Steering Hoses
- Thermostat
- Control Arm bushings
- Sway Bar bushings
- Valve cover gasket
- Super Charger Oil Change
- Water Pump O Rings
- Crank Position Sensor O Rings
- Brakes (Rotors, pads, and fluid flush)
- Transmission Fluid Flush
- Coolant Flush

I think that's it. And my total parts cost is probably right around $1500 but a lot of the parts can all be done while doing other things, like all the pulley's at once, all the o-rings and sensor o-rings while doing super charger oil, brakes, etc.

Some of these parts didn't even need to be replaced yet, but knowing that they MAY have issues and since I was going to have them apart anyways, I went ahead and did it. My car runs fantastic, I have no worries about reliability now or for a long time to come, and it's the first daily driver that I've had that I love to death.

Since I'm used to driving used cars for dailys and buying them for reasonable amounts, this is something I do to every car I purchase (replace any kind of wear items or potential failures) as soon as I get them and before I mod anything. Because of this, I have never had a car leave me stranded.

I can honestly say 100% that if I did not have the ability to do my own work or the care to do so, I would have traded/sold the mini a long time ago, because just for kicks I have called and gotten quotes on things, and yes they are absolutely ridiculous to have someone else do the work, especially after doing the jobs myself.

Other then that I love my mini, but man the new Focus ST has caught my attention thinking about selling the MR2, turning the Mini into the weekend toy and getting that for a DD... decisions...

 

I purchased my car a few weeks ago as a DD. No odd noises at the time but things happen. I somewhat just jumped into the car and decided I was buying it as a DD. I only planned on some light mods and maintenance before winter but one thing leads to another...... I did not get the car inspected but got it at a reasonable price (my justification after my purchases the last three weeks)

I have done the following in the last few weeks.

- Purchased 10/10/2012 87.5k miles now at 88k miles
- Took a nice vacation 10/12/2012 for ten days so no car use.
- M1 Syn Oil Change
- 17% WMW pulley w/belt
- WMW Ignition Package (plugs, coil, wires)
- Cleaned ALTA Intake/Filter
- Replaced all 4 Brakes w/ ATE Premium One rotors and new Pads (old pads
almost shot and did not want to do any brake work in winter.
- Serviced BPV spring and VGS Mod
- Found that a H&R rear sway bar was installed
- Found exhaust leak under heat shield (new exhaust on order)
- Lower Control Arm bushings are now shot as of last Friday. Did a hard stop
and they are just sloppy after that.
- Ordered Powerflex bushings w/brackets so a nice upgrade
- Found outer ball joints starting to show their age and ordered
OEM replacements.
- 4 new tires (waiting to install until bushings replaced)
- Alignment when finished.
- Basically Inspection II and needing quite a few things.
- Hoping this is it until after winter.

If I could not do my own work this would be overwhelming for the many in just a few weeks. Costing over 1k in parts is also a bummer considering I have had a such a short time with it. Hopefully after this everything is solid and reliable.

 

Have you already replaced the Control arm bushings? If not, I highly recommend checking your power steering hoses for any cracks or leaks and ordering some new front sway bar bushings. OEM are probably best as they will have less chance of squeaking compared to powerflex ones and they are not easy to get to re grease... but you will essentially be taking them off to replace the control arm bushings anyways. I did my power steering hoses at the same time since one had a leak.

Since you noticed the outer ball joints were showing some wear, probably a good idea to do inners as well since again it can all be done at the same time with little extra effort when doing the control arm bushings. Mine are still doing ok, but I still wish I had done them when I did the control arm bushings

 

I have not done the job yet. I have the bushings/ball joints on order from Way and its supposed to ship today so this will be my weekend project. I got under and inspected the power steering components already. There are no cracks or leaks. I tried to be as thorough as I could so that I have everything I need at one time. The front sway bar is an aftermarket with new bushings (or newer...it doesn't look old at all). The rear is an H&R with nice new looking hardware. The front I will confirm when dropping the subframe.

I really can not complain coming from an Audi S4. Car was a dream to drive but many little nuisance issues. The Mini is not much different but easier to work on than my B7...also wallet/time friendly from a DIY and maintenance standpoint. Upside is I get to upgrade and mod the car. I have a feeling this will become a track rat. My future z06 fund is where this money should be going.

 

Think about this. Buy a new car in the sweet spot, which is $30k, drive it out the door and it depreciates $7,000 or more the moment you leave the dealership. From there, it costs approx. $1 per mile to drive the car. It costs way more to own a new car for 5 years than you think - WAY more.

Yeah, the Mini is on the high maintenance side for sure. But not as bad as an Audi or VW, and certainly less expensive to maintain than my MB CLK.

Also, it is a good rule of thumb to expect to spend 10% of the purchase price of a used car in repairs within the first few months of ownership. Don't buy a used car and cross your fingers all will be OK. Add this 10% cost into the purchase so you're not surprised.From there, expect to spend $500 to $1,000 a year to maintain any used vehicle. That's just the way things are these days.

 

So I'm new to this forum and very confused. First, is there a place on this site where you can go to see how to do each of the things people talk about doing themselves? I'm pretty handy and would prefer to do stuff myself, and people talk about a lot of things being commonly required. I have an appointment at an independent MINI service place. They will give it a once over, do the inspection II, CVT transmission service, and a few other things. I'm doing this because we've had this '06 base model with 62k miles since new and done very little maintenance and I just want to get a baseline for what condition it's in. But I'm concerned the guy will call with a laundry list of things and want to do them first--and charge me a lot more. It would be nice if there was a one stop shopping area here for how to do the things I could do myself. Like there should be pinned area for this. It would also help if there was a pinned area for the lingo. I know how easy it is when you can shorten phrases, but there should at least be a legend somewhere. Or maybe I've missed it.

Currently, the plan my wife and I have is to sell this and buy another new MINI as soon as she gets called back to her job (laid off teacher). We'll see if MINI becomes another make I'll never buy again. The first is VW. Worst ownership experience ever because of the maintenance costs.

Mike Todd

 

you can google most of it to get different links, but here is the section on this board:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ms/how-to-340/

Soopercooper's website also has a lot of good articles. Google that as well.

 

The only thing I disagree on is the use of OEM bushings for the control arms..mine are power flex. I bought the car in California and immediately (we are talking an hour after I signed the paperwork) took it to get the bushings and brakes replaced. The shop mini werks recommended that I use power flex as OEM tends to fail after roughly 40k miles. Given that the install required dropping the sub frame (some say you can just bend it down while hanging your ps hoses etc ) and is highly labor intensive I decided I only wanted to pay for this once in the life of the car. I have not heard a single squeak out of the suspension and was not told I needed to do any post install service.

 

When I was talking about oem bushings, I was refering to the front sway bar bushings, not control arm bushings. I myself also have powerflex control arm bushings, no sense in putting oem ones back in!!

 

Got it -- sorry.. carry on then :-)

 

Ive done all my own repair work, its not that hard.
So you traded the car in to a dealer did not disclose what was wrong with it and got a V6 mustang.
LULZ

 

So was my crime worse than the Mini of Raleigh only wanting to give me 2,000 in trade on a car I drove everyday without any immediate issues other than it needed a new belt tentioner pretty quick? And you assume that the Ford dealer was giving me bottom dollar on the car they were selling me. Doubtful. Or how about the guy that sold me the car for 9,000 who didnt mention the super charger being on its last legs. The Ford salesman never asked me about my car and what condition it was in. The shop guy took it for a ride I assume while they were figuring out what they would give me in trade. I am fairly sure that a Ford dealer and its employees are pretty good at making sure they make money. I never met a car salesman that was willing to do me, as a buyer, any big favors. They just wanted to do me...so to speak.

 

I'm a little confused by Coin's remark. Is he suggesting you did something unethical? In the same sentence, he "says" you sold you car and bought another one. He doesn't use a question mark, which would be more suggestive. He also "says" you bought a mustung, which doesn't seem to have any weight to it. Could Kooperscooper be the firist to have traded a car in without disclosing known problems? Could K be the first one to hear some very bad news at a repair place and then decide to trade it in?

 

It is not his job to disclose to the dealer the things going on with your car. It is the dealers job to correctly evaluate the value of the car. It's not like they are stupid.

 

I spent two month selling cars at a local Honda dealer--summer job between college semesters. One thing that was common knowledge is that "everybody" (well, maybe not every single person, but you get the point) says two things about his or her trade in: there's nothing wrong with it and it's never been in an accident. (And I'm not sure how much help Carfax is supposed to be since I've had several in accidents and it's never showed up, but several salesmen have muttered, referring to my trade in, "Well, we'll see what's on Carfax" like it's a ploy to make me fess up.)

A service advisor once told me (after telling me everything wrong with a used car I was about to buy), "When you buy a used car, you buy someone else's problems."

 

This is a separate response because I'm curious about doing maintenance myself. About ten years ago I bought an '83 Datsun (I think it was '83, and yeah, Datsun, but it had the Nissan nameplate, too) Pulsar. It was cheap and I needed a second car that I could put a bike rack on for bike riding. And I did all kinds of stuff myself, and it was fun. Valve job, F/R brakes, and replaced the transmission. So I'm fairly handy.

The questions about the MINI is how easy is it. Every time I look under the hood, it looks so squished. It sits very low, and with other cars I've driven them half on the curb so I could work underneath more safely than with just a jack. And there's lots of electronics and engine controls (as compared with the Datsun). What's your response to this?

BTW, the other day I did install a trailer hitch, which required removing the rear bumper and bumper cover, so I've gotten my hands a little dirty with this.

Thanks,
Mike Todd

 

Some stuff is very easy but as you pointed out its very tight in there. Search for the term "service mode" which basically equates to removing the front bumper and pulling the radiator forward to give a few inches of clearance. A few things can be done without this but lots of things cannot be done. Even an oil change requires you to get a very shallow 36mm wrench into a tight spot.

So..yes it's serviceable but you have to take off lots of parts to get at it easily.

 

i have a MCS 05 with a few mods and absolutely love it, but it has become a pain in the ***. i don't mind spending some money on maintenance but i hate when it happens too often. i thought about selling it and buy a 09-11 staying with MINI of course. i spent some money putting it the way i like it and if i sell it i would have to start over and dump a lot of money on the new one. when do you know it's time to change it despite how much you have invested on it?

 

Ironically, in spite of all the known issues, no car I've ever owned could top the addiction to it. Love the drive, I've learned to love the fixing. If you're mechanically inclined, you can fix practically most of the troubles. The post-fix sense of accomplishment, fulfillment are priceless..hmmm...even orgasmic!