In the last couple of weeks, I've noticed two very disappointing signs of low quality materials on my car. I've had my Cooper for 2 1/2 years, 26,000 miles. So, it's not exactly brand new, but I still think these problems are inexcusable:

1) My e-brake boot is ripped. part of the stitching up the front came undone, and the boot has proceeded to rip sideways as well. I could probably shove a golf ball into the hole if I wanted to.

2) On my driver's side door handle, the part of the crossbar that I always grab to close my door has worn all the way down to the WHITE plastic underneath. It's not very visible because it's mostly on the inside of the bar where I grab it, but still... am I just supposed to accept this? Obviously it's just going to keep getting worse.

I think that the shift boot in particular should be replaced under warranty; has anyone had any luck with this? I know they'll just give me another crap one, but at least I could theoretically put off buying a real one for a couple more years.

The problem with the door finish is also incredibly lame, but I don't expect to get anwhere with my complaint.

What is this car going to look like in another five years?!

 

Coated plastics are very hard to keep durable when in contact with fingers. I was hoping I wouldn't hear about the problem on MINIS, but oh well. Out of the 20 or so switches on my Pontiac, I think you can still read 2 of them - because those are the two I never used.

 

Chris, do you have the silver interior or the anthracite? I had the silver on my first MINI and its passenger-side door grab got scratched the first time my friend (wearing jewelry) grabbed onto it. Wanda has the anthracite, which has been fantastic, wear-wise.:smile:

Take yours into the dealership for warranty replacement of the ebrake boot AND the worn area on the doorhandle. That is NOT acceptable with your mileage or the MINI's age.


Clover

 

Silver interior. It's definitely got plenty of scratches, as do the down tubes on either side of the stereo and A/C controls. I guess I just assumed that everyone had that problem... Just like the backs of the front seats, which were made of crap plastic in the '02s and '03s.

I do appreciate that MINI had to cut some costs to sell me this car for under $20k, but I really think they went too far. A friend of mine just bought a new Civic, and it's amazing how much nicer the materials are on the dash and doors. Feels like a Lexus compared to my car.

 

Typical first year (2002) problems. These issues have been addressed in the new cars. Much better materials now that what was used at first 3 years ago.

 

Next time get antharcite trim. My 2004 MCS had it and it was still perfect after 16 months of use when I sold the car back in early February. My '05 MCS has antharcite and no problemos.

I think you need to get inside the cockpit of a new 2005 MINI and you'll immediately see the difference. First year owners unfortunately got screwed with the questionnable materials and finish. That's why I will never buy a first year car.

 

My car is an (early-production) 2003 MY, so it seems to me to be a 3rd-year model. So, MINI screwed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year model buyers with these crappy materials.

 

Chris, your car is not a 3rd year model. 3rd year models are the 2005's

US production for 2002's ran from February-August 2002. 2003 production ran from September 2002 - August 2003. 2004 production ran from September 2004-June 2004. 2005 production began July 1st, 2004.

So technically, your early '03 production MC is still a first year production car. 2004's are second year models and 2005's are 3rd year. 2006's will be 4th year vehicles.

Hope this helps you clarify the production cycles a bit.

 

The peeling silver trim door pulls are a warranty covered item. They should be either replaced or repainted at no cost to you.

 

I have a 2003 (May build) MINI Cooper CVT.

The worst part is the steering wheel "center cap" (plastic with the small mini logo in the middle). Around the edge of this is a silver ring that has extremely soft paint. On mine, this ring has gotten many dings/scratches.

And yes, the hard plastic seatbacks are easily scratched...the plastic actually turns to like a whitish color when things such as luggage or kids feet, rub up against the grey plastic seatbacks.

Also experienced horrible dash rattles, but the dealer fixed this under warranty. They remove the dash and insert lots of foam pieces and what not, between the plastic parts that come in contact, to prevent the rubbing/rattling/creaking. One thing I wasn't too happy about is that they glued 4 small black rubber "squares" equidistant on the lower part of the windshield (in the "black" part) which butt-up against the hard plastic part of the dashboard which comes in contact with the lower part of the windshield. This is too eliminate touching between the two. But I think the 4 rubber squares look odd. Wish I had known they were gonna do this, but it *did* solve the rattling problem...and I did ask them to solve it, so...just wish I knew *how* they were gonna do it before they did it. Heh.

Also, on some (all?) 2002 MINIs, be sure to ALWAYS wash your hands after you have gone to the beach. Why? Because certain tanning oils/lotions will actually "melt away" the silver coating on the door handles. Also, I've heard bug spray (such as Deep Woods Off) will do the same if it comes in contact with the silver paint on plastic and metal parts of the car. It's a chemical reaction. I'm pretty sure MINI has addressed and fixed all these quality issues with the 2004 model year and onward.

-boognish

 

Was there or was there not a 2001 model year overseas? I thought there was, but I could be mistaken.

This is all beside the point anyway. BMW has been building cars for decades; they know which materials hold up and which don't. They don't get a pass on materials for early production vehicles!

 

My e-brake boot tore as well (2003) and a dealer (not the dealer I purchased from) replaced it under warranty. When I stuck my finger in the tear I felt a very long bolt that seemed to contact with the boot when I over-aggressively engaged the e-brake. No more e-brake application aggression.

 

Yes, the Cooper and ONE models were first introduced in Europe in July 2001. However the Cooper S was not introduced until March/April 2002 to Europe and a couple of months later to the USA.

Chris I agree with your comments, to a point. I also experienced the cheesy quality peeling silver interior trim and problems with the CVT boot shifter. Both of these issues were successfully repaired under warranty and haven't had any other problems since.

BMW has made substantial quality improvements to the MINI since the 2004 model year. When you drive a new 2005 MINI and a 2002 MINI you feel like you are driving 2 different cars from 2 different manufacturers.

I think you will be pleased upgrading to a new '05 MC with the 5-speed Getrag gearbox. The car is absolutely and completely different from the early production MC's with the unreliable Midland Gears transmission.

Take advantage of the high residuals and trade up. The 2005/06's MINIs are the best of the bunch and worth upgrading for IMO.

 

I think you make a good point. I couldn't understand why the fabic seat coverings were not stain treated- certainly BMW would KNOW how they would easily stain... the fabic itself though, and the quality of the stiching on the seats, I felt was very high quality. For my new '05 though, I am gonna treat with 303 as soon as I can...

Incidentally, I never had any problems with the trim etc. as you describe with my early '03, but I was never really hard on the car. Although the seat backs did show rough treatment. I had felt that, overall, the quality of interior materials on my car was quite high, certainly equal to any Honda or other car I had seen, (including bigger, more expensive cars). At the same time, I feel the '05, while I am not fond of many of the changes made, is a good value.

 

You have to understand that in some respects, the MINI was not truly ready for production when it was first launched back in 2001/2002. The car was half baked in some respects. The ECU software fiasco problems in early production cars are prime example on how BMW nearly botched the launch of the MINI worldwide. Some of the questionnable interior materials is another clear example on how some details were overlooked and rushed up at the last minute. None of these pet peeves were justifiable by any stretch of the imagination. But at least BMW has tackled all if not most of the initial quality problems early MINIs had. People that have upgraded from '02-'03 MINIs to new 2005's immediately recognize and feel the difference in how the car was put together in comparison to their early build samples.

My advice to anyone that is financially capable and willing to do so, is to upgrade from their '02-'03 MINI to a new 2005 or 2006. There is a tremedous build quality difference between the new and earlier model years that make upgrading a worthwhile endeavor.

 

I still don't think any of the materials chosen were "questionable," really, I felt everything was of very high quality. I did have terrible problems with the central computer system- and BMW just was never able to resolve it. But it is also true that I could have had problems with any new car I ordered. And at 20K, not everything could be first class in terms of materials. I suppose in the end, I would prefer that they offer "upgrades" to certain interior items, but I suppose that would just end up a dual tier system that would be unworkable... But with the '05 I just purchased, really, so many of the issues I might have wanted improved have been done so. I don't particularly like the "corporate" feeling of so many changes, but it is hard to argue with the new cascade lighting and led's inside of the doorhandles, lights under the doors etc. Really, for $20K, I can't justify much argument with the choices BMW has made...

 

I have an August '02 build and agree that for the $$$$$ the quality is
excellent even for a first year model. I also developed a tear in the shifter boot leather but it was replaced under warranty.....fine now. The driver door silver plastic is wearing slightly and I hadn't thought of asking to have it replaced, but will do so now. Don't like the scuffs on the backs and sides of the front seats, but it's a very minor issue......was not happy with the leather quality, but changing to Meguiar's conditioner has eliminated that concern.....boot latch replaced and no problems since...... new door handles on order to deal with winter freezing.......still get occassional buzzing in a few places, but will deal with that before the warranty is up in four months. The 'stumble' is gone and I received a nice $$$$ settlement for the thirteen months I had to live with it. Excellent care + Zaino have kept the exterior looking like new if I overlook the stone chips....love my silver M7 lower grill, quite an improvement over stock......quality of the front windshield sucks and apparently still does on new ones.

The only real current issue is the momentary "orrrrrrrt" sound in first gear that is most prominent in colder weather. Fortunately, haven't had many of the '02 problems others have had.

Most importantly, performance mods have turned it into an absolute joy to drive leaving me with no desire for a newer 'improved' model. It was such fabulous fun to have a Mini in 2002 and I love the fact that it's one of the earliest. It seems that I've grown accustomed to it's face.

 

My March 2003-build MCS is fantastic! I just LOVE the anthracite! I do wish I had more carefully packed Wanda for all the roadtrips, as I have scuffing on the front seatbacks. Oh well, I would never trade my roadtrip adventures for a pristine interior...NO WAY!

In preparation for my current roadtrip, I purchased the rubber boot mat extension, and when I folded my backseats forward, I laid a soft blanket over the backseats first, to protect them. I love the rubber accessories. They are tough and look very sporty!

Chris, I do think your wear issues will be covered under warranty. Get your MINI in and let us know how it goes. :smile:


Clover

 

I love the antharcite trim because of its looks and durability. I have heard that the white silver trim has been "fixed" and no longer exhibits the premature wear patterns of the early production cars.

Too bad in 2002 Anthracite was still not available (It was introduced in early '03 for both MC and MCS).

Don't get me wrong, our '02 Cooper CVT has been a stellar car in every respect. Further, the car doesn't exhibit the rattles so many other '02-'03 owners complain about. But I have to agree with Chris that the materials used in early cars (door grab handles, dashboard downtubes, boot shifters, etc) were absolute crap for this calibre of car.

The hard plastic seatbacks were replaced in mid 2003 at the production line in exchange for higher quality plastic and more scratch resistant panels.

 

My April built 03 MC looks the same now as it did when I got it.I have some rock chips on the bonnet,I keep touch-up painting them,the windsheild is pittedthe back bumper has some scratches from the dog jumping in and out.
Oh,the lower front grill has a slight ripply from hitting a basketball chunk of ice last winter at 70MPH.
The inside of the car looks like new,passengers comment on how good it looks.
I do have some scuffs on the plastic front seat backs,mostly from hauling kindling home fron work,in small boxes that rub them.My back seats are down,99.9% of the time.The dog is in the car 90% of the time,thats her space.
The cockpit looks and feels new to me,coming up on 50K miles

 

My front seat backs are also pretty scratched up..oh well.
I replaced my shift boot and e-brake boot with the outmotoring.com
boots and they are fantastic. :smile:

same quality as below pict for the e-brake. perfect factory match.

 

Thanks for the info on the warranty repairs for this stuff! My dealer is one of the worst around, so I will truly be SHOCKED if they do anything about my door panels, but I'm hopeful about the ebrake boot, especially after I located that badly placed bolt (or whatever it is) that rzdzm mentioned!

I haven't yet steeled myself for the phone call asking about warranty repairs, but I'll report back once I make the call.

And just for the hell of it, I am going to go check out the '05s. If resale values are still as absurd as they were a year ago, I might make the jump. For the record, though, my main reason would be the new Getrag 5-speed, not this cosmetic stuff.

Thanks!
Chris

P.S. C4 = Cooper4Us, or am I on crack or something? I can't keep up with everyone changing their usernames!

 

The Getrag is a big step up, from my '03, which I thought was fine. Shorter throw, and it sort of "clicks" into gear, much more definitively. Just as good, no problems shifting into reverse, like my '03, which sometimes, simply would NOT go into Rev. I found the means to resolve that problem right here on this site... Aside from the "corporate" feel of the changes for the '05, I am very happy.

 

i have the silver wear issue on my 2003 cooper S as well, although i got the alloy patina dash.. it still had some scratches in places...

mini quality is shoddy at best...

 

Kechan, how do you like your console mounted aux gauges?