I am wondering if I should have bought a Toyota??

Has anyone else new to MINI come across some of these links here?

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...&page=31&pp=25
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t=41406&page=1
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...678#post541678

And especially troubling since my MINI is on order:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=42065

I don't expect a brand new car to have trouble right out of the gate???

 

eh, if you try hard enough I'm sure you can find the same problems with a Toyota. I would not worry about it.

Stay and be ready to play when the time comes.

 

If these posts scare you, you just shouldn't be reading any car forums. All car manufacturers are going to have some that have some minor problems. While you may not know of any of these for a Toyota, it's likely that its b/c I would say a far fewer percentage of those owners would get on a car forum to discuss their problems. These issues are not widespread. Just b/c a couple of people say they are having an issue does not mean that most people are having that issue.

Just relax and if these things really do bother you and the thought of a new MINI doesn't make your skin tingle, you may want to reconsider your purchase

 

No to worry. Check any enthusiast site and you will find the problems that exist. If you don't find any problems, you haven't found enthusiasts. :smile:

I researched, understood all the possible problems, and decided I could deal with them if they arose. You have to make that decision for yourself, but know that if you look hard enough, you'll find problems with every car.

 

My car's been running fine from the beginning.

I had a few rattles I fixed.

I have the infamous stumble (running pre v34) if I
rev a tad high and engage clutch from a stop...but
ive learned to drive issue-free around it.

Yoyo I had, but changed my throttle input and it
went away.

other then that, no issues.

 

Ahhh... The monthly "Look at all these problems! I think I should cancel my order thread!"

Followed by the correct responses of "Every car has problems, you're looking at a very distilled slice of ownership...."

The circle of life is complete!

Now, sit back and relax as best as you can. Your car will make you very happy when you get it. Don't cancel your order and don't worry about those posts. Just try and keep the anticipation of the delivery of your new MINI from driving you crazy...

 

Eric, good meeting you at Laguna Seca man. Should we mention what happened to the #20 MINI??? Take care

 

your exactly right about these threads occurring every month or so.

Good thing is though that everyone who is worried about their MINI purchase is in good hands here and they'll surely find someone willing to help. GO NAM!

 

We don't want to go there, do we? Then we'd have to tell her that nearby M3s have been known to spontaneously flip onto their roofs when driving next to a MINI. That would REALLY scare him/her. It's like Vegas, right? What goes on the track stays on the track.

Good meeting you and Tony, too!

 

I agree with the others. Forums like this tend to bring out the problems. I've been driving a MINI for 2 1/2 years and have never had a problem, except for my coolant turning brown (which the dealer flushed and replaced under warranty).

All makes and models have some problems. Do a search on 'Toyota Engine Oil Sludge' and you'll find stories of Toyota engines with 40-60k miles on them blowing up.

 

All cars are subject to problems. If there was a car that was truly trouble free the manufacturer would not have to provide a warranty! Even the almighty Toyota have problems. In fact Toyota is experiencing a massive problem with oil gelling due to a poorly designed PVC system and extended oil change interval recommendations. This has resulted in numerous engine failures. Far more engine failures than MINI has experienced.
Here is the information from a Toyota Owners website (Corolland):


"Introduction

Both four-cylinder and six-cylinder Toyota engines - most commonly used in the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Camry - have been prone to oil gelling or "sludging." This can affect cars that are only a couple of years old. Before buying a used Toyota, it may pay to look under the valve covers for "sludged" oil. We recommend that you change the oil on your Corolla more often than recommended, (at least every 5,000 miles), and use synthetic oil. Blue smoke may be one symptom.

Toyota refused to pay for engine damage for a while, though the company, while blaming owners for the problem, relented. Here is Toyota's new policy. The moral: keep your oil change receipts and use synthetic oil.

Here is the current state of the art:

Toyota Motor Sales, (TMS) U.S.A., Inc., announced in April 2002 a new customer satisfaction program for owners of 1997 through 2002 Toyota and Lexus vehicles equipped with 3.0 liter V6 or 2.2 liter 4-cylinder engines.

Toyota wrote that it "is taking this action because a very small number of customers have reported engine damage from motor oil breakdown, also known as oil gelling or 'sludging,' a result of oil change intervals delayed beyond the factory-recommended schedule. While any make vehicle can suffer from this condition if the oil is not changed often enough, Toyota has initiated this program to ensure owner peace of mind." We note that this is a handy way to blame the owners for what is clearly a design flaw - since it doesn't affect earlier vehicles or other engines, and is in fact quite rare on other automakers' engines. We have also heard that this happens even if you follow Toyota's recommendations on oil changes.

Toyota continues: "To make sure that customers have absolute confidence in their vehicles, this program will cover repair costs and incidental expenses for which a customer has paid or could incur as a result of damage due to oil gelling for a period of eight years from the date of first sale or lease without a mileage limitation. In addition to the costs of repairs, reasonable incidental expenses, such as car rental, and other out-of-pocket expenses will be covered.

"This program replaces a previous special policy adjustment regarding oil gel damage, and extends protection against this condition well beyond the new vehicle powertrain warranty period."

Customers whose engines have needed repair in the past should contact Toyota at 888-802-9436 or Lexus at 888-654-6421 for details on obtaining reimbursement. If it happens to you in the future, see your dealer for repairs."

The bottom line is, if you want a car with personality, performance, reliability, re-sale value, and is fun to drive - get the MINI. If you want a very reliable transportation appliance with the fun-factor of a washing machine - get the Toyota. Either way expect to have to maintain the vehicle and maybe even do a couple of repairs.
That said, I have driven my '04 MINI for 32,000 trouble free miles, and I have enjoyed every one of them.

 

OK. That's weird. We posted basically the same thing at the same time.

 

Don't worry about it. You are blowing things WAY out of proportion. All new cars have problems... many of the ones here are old problems that are no longer applicable. The Mini is in a different league than a Toyota.

If you're really freakin out... go buy a Toyota - problem solved. Actually not!

 

There are thousands and thousands of Minis running the roads trouble free. The small percentage that do have problems tend to post here or a couple of other forums. The others, aside from us enthusiasts, are never heard from. I have 2 Minis...no troubles except finding enough time and opportunities to drive them. Chill and enjoy your car. Each unit of worry you invest negates a unit of enjoyment.

 

I have a list of issues that have come up with my MINI.Warrenty has fixed them all,my dealer has been great.
I can not think of anyone I know with any new vehicle who has not had some kind of issue.I have even had to point problems out to some of them,and pushed them to get them fixed.
Probable not all,but alot of MINI owners tend to listen and know their cars more than the average car owner.Most folks buy a car so they can get from point A to point B,period.
Most folks I know are not even aware that web sites exist for almost every car made,and if they did,they would probably end up taking the bus if they knew the problems that most cars can have.

It's good to know what MAY go wrong,but don't think it WILL go wrong.

I can't think of anything but another MINI,should mine go bad.

 

Thanks everyone for the encouragement.
Valid points regarding problems being vented on an Auto Enthusiasts' Forum.
Hopefully my MINI will be trouble free.

Thanks.

 

You need to appreciate that complaints are simply more likely to be aired on an enthusiast site as folks will be seeking resolutions. While some of the threads can be admittedly scary (I also had some thoughts while my MINI was on order), the truth is that they give the impression that the troubles are far more widespread than they are when actually a very small percentage of vehicles are involved much like every other manufacturer.

My 03 MC has been troublefree for 31K miles and the only "major" issue was replacement of the electric window motors which was covered under warranty - no big deal. Besides, owning a British car without any electrical niggles for this long was getting a bit disconcerting.

Don't worry about and enjoy your new ride when comes in - nothing else on the road drives like it.

 

After a thread like this every month I think we need a sticky of why we love these little cars so much.

Similar to the thread "Why I hate my JCW"

 

Look at Consumer Reports frequency of repair records. The best cars are Toyotas and Hondas. BUT, as was stated, if you want a car with performance and personality the MINI is hard to beat. The most appropriate question to ask, about reliability, is what repairs will be necessary once the warranty runs out. Up til then it's no biggy. The cars haven't been around long enough to know. I had an AUDI and every time I took it in for service or warranty work I'd pick it up with a two page list of items they had noticed and repaired. I was happy that they'd done so but nervous as to what that would mean once I was out of warranty so I sold the car before that happened. Normally I like to keep a car for at least ten years.

I had the same apprehension that you did after ordering my '05 MCS. especially because I'm a two hour drive from a dealer, but talked with friends who had MINIs who'd had NO problems.

I LOVE my MINI, it's the most fun car I've driven. Driving to work now is FUN.

 

Also look at the latest Consumer Reports to see that the MINI has improved in the reliability area, and still gets top solid red marks in customer satisfaction and resale value (new this year, but not surprising.)

Most of my issues with my 05 MCS @5500 miles have been interior plastic fit related. On some rough roads my dash buzzes and rattles like a symphony.

But ya know, I'm having so much FUN I dont care. The car is otherwise running mechanically perfect and getting stronger, and it's a blessing that I have not been pulled over once (KOW.)

Besides, interior fit problems wont leave U stranded Jimbo