I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with the initial quality of my MCSC. BMW definitely has room to improve.

I picked my MCSC up on June 25. On the day I picked it up the cover over the tweeter/door handle on the passenger side fell off. I brought it back and they have to order a part. The boot door doesn't sit flush on both sides. As mentioned in another thread, the left side sticks out a little bit (this is apparently standard on MC convertibles). Lastly, I have the orange and blue cloth/leather seats. The seam is already busting on the passenger seat. Maybe it was something I missed when I picked up the car, but it is irritating.

Oh, and one more thing. I got to drive my convertible in a real rain storm today for the first time. Right about where the driver's window meets the roof water was pouring in on my leg when I first started driving. I made sure the roof and windows were all the way up and they were.





Needless to say though, I still love my car.
I just wish I didn't have to deal with some of these stupid things.

 

Picked up my new '05 MCS Hardtop on 3/20/2005. 2,600 miles later, ZERO problems, ZERO rattles and ZERO trips back to the dealer for anything!.


This car is my third MINI and second MCS I have owned. My first MCS was a 2004 and that car was also troublefree. I am very pleased with the initial build quality of my '05 MCS

The convertible is a first year model, hence the issues some of you cabrio owners are experiencing, unfortunately.

 

C4 - Only 2600 miles since March!?! You need to get offline and drive some more!

Pete
Picked up Nugget 35 days ago. 3000 troublefree miles so far!

 

I picked up Sparky on May 26th. 3,750 smiling, troublfree miles so far!

Lance

MMC#12

 

Picked up my MCSa June 24th...next day the SES light was on, they checked it--throttle problem, two days after it was fixed it came back on, gotta take it back again....but I love it so much, and nobody's perfect. I can deal with a couple of hassles for my baby

Edit: I have 1200 miles after 14 days

 

i'm just surprised about the things that i'm having problems with. they aren't things that i would consider issues on a first year car (except for the roof leak thing). but, they are also things that can be easily remedied. it isn't like anything major has malfunctioned.


don't get me wrong, the car is a blast to drive and i love it. the problems i'm having aren't make or break problems. they are just little annoyances.

 

I've had my MCS for a couple of months now. It is Swiss watch perfect so far. No problems; everything works perfectly.
I love the way the doors open and shut, and the cool switches.
The paint, although a bit on the soft side, is flawless and beautiful (DS/DS). After a clay bar treatment and a couple of coats of wax, it looks like it's sculpted from butter.

My only issue is the dealer is a 3 hour drive from home.

 

Just wait until your window regulators wear out (squealing sound) Mine did on my 05 MCS at 6,500 miles. This problem is endemic to BMW products; my dealer replaces so many WR's that they're back-ordered two weeks.

 

I hear ya man!

I am working on it

 

Well, unfortunately, the Mini's are at the WAY BOTTOM of the JD powers initial quality study. Of course, this study is for the past 3 years with 2002 cars, so hopefully a lot of the bugs are worked out. Sounds like a lot of them are still there though.

BTW< BMW and MB don't do that well in the quality study either. It is something with German cars!!!

 

Having owned 3 MINIs, I can tell you that the 2004 and 2005s are the best of the bunch. It is unfair to say that all MINIs have questionnable build quality based solely on a study conducted for the 2002 models.

Want perfection?

That doesn't exist, at least not in the realm of the automotive world

 

Take a look at Toyota and Lexus. About the closest to perfection you can find....they are REALLY close.

 

Boring, toaster appliances. Not my cup of tea.

I used to work at a Toyota dealership years ago, and the things I saw in the service dept were far from perfection..

 

I agree that the '04s and the '05s are pretty darn good, but there's always the odd exception. I pity the owner who has to sort through issues...most don't from what I can tell. As for the JD Powers thing...I don't know exactly what sets of data they were looking at, but of all the MINIs I know about, most problems, if there are any at all, are very minor and easily remedied. Therefore, I hereby pronounce the survey: "bunk."

 

I feel your pain. I love my MCS, but from the day I bought it it has been the biggest rattletrap i've ever owned. For the first 4,000 miles I haven't had any major problems but the car makes terrible noises unlike my S2000 or either of my Audi's. The first week the trim around the passenger door handle fell off. Not a good start overall. I sold the S2000 and got the Mini because i'm getting married soon and needed something slightly more practical, but this doesn't make me feel good for the long term. Rattles are a pet peeve of mine.

Anyone know how well the dealers do at fixing rattles?

 

Yeah, do remember just how obsessed MINI owners are. What other car owners may just ignore or not notice, we report and remedy it.

 

It's a very mixed bag. Sometimes, the dealer will get it right on the first try. Other times, they'll first claim that they don't hear a thing, and then when you point out exactly the problem, they'll do a half-arsed fix, and the rattle will come right back.

If you don't mind taking apart your MINI, where most of the rattles come from and how to fix them are well documented on this board and MINI2. With a bit of effort, you can permanently get rid of the rattles! For example, I cured a rattling front door speaker/door panel by removing the panel and applying a few strips of weather sealing foam ($2 from Home Depot). No more rattles!

-Paul!

 

My ex had her share of troubles with her Toyota Echo. Nothing major, but far from perfect.

I've had my fair share of issues with my 03 MC, all have been fixed, and with 50k+miles the car is as solid as when I drove it off the dealer lot. No problems in 25k miles, none, zero, nothing.

The car has always started first crank, even at -53F,ya it does get that cold here. Never left me stranded, but I did have to get it flatbeded once when I had a block heater installed. A MINI approved, and installed aftermarket one failed and dumped coolant. I was 1/4 mile from home when the temp. gauge spiked, I got home. It was -35F at the time, so it could have run almost dry and not really hurt anything.

I get the oil changed 1/2 way through the service countdown on the speedo. I've added less than a quart so far.

The hatch rattle was fixed when I brought it up. I have the odd dash rattle, but a gentle rap on it gets rid of it, not bad when you consider I motor ALOT on gravel roads.

The paint looks great, but I do have some, well alot of stone chips on the bonnet, not MINI's fault. The black spats look like new except for right in front of the back wheels. My windsheild is pitted, and I've been hit by some good sized rocks on the highway, but no cracks.

Now the tranny was a big issue. The Midlands itself has been great, but the axle seal could not handle the cold temps. The seal let go while I was on my commute. I stopped at a red light as I came off the highway, and I heard a bad noise, headed straight to the dealer.
As soon as the tech. saw me there, just before they open he came out, listened to the car, and told me I would be getting a new tranny. He then pushed back everyone else, took in my MINI and put in the new improved seal in it. I was out of there in less than an hour. A week later I had a new tranny.
That issue makes me nuts MINI knew that the seals are bad in cold climates, but instead of doing a recall that costs,maybe,$150, they wait for some to fail, at a cost of $3500+++

All that said, this little car blows me away every time I start it up and go for a motor. I've owned alot of cars, but none have impressed me like this one


2 years, 50K miles