R50/53 Things I Hate About My MINI
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1st Gear
Joined: Apr 2005
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Things I Hate About My MINI
You know I really love my '05 Cooper, but there are some things that drive me NUTS, that they should have done a better job at.\:
1) I live in the NE where it snows or rains a lot in the winter, and the back window is always dirty; I use a gallon of washer fluid every two weeks. If you don't run the wiper several times every trip you can't see through the back window. (I can't tell you how much of a pain it is, when backing out of a parking space, etc.) At least my Chevy Blazer with the same type of back end has a spoiler that flows air over the back window to keep it clean.
2) The seat upholstery stains with nothing more than pure water.
3) Traction control is worst than useless with more than 2" of snow. If there is snow on my road, and I am in 2nd gear (or any gear) going up hill, it slows down to almost 0 mph. Not the way to get up the hill. (Try it sometime.. drive to an icy parking lot, put it in gear let out the clutch and floor it.... you go nowhere fast. Can't drive like that in the NE in snow... you'd get nowhere fast. At LEAST they let you turn off the DSC!!!!
4) The heater is marginal at any temperature below 20 degrees F. After driving 20 miles, it's still cold.
5) The automatic window drop that happens every time you open the door so the window goes below the moulding doesn't happen here in the NE. Just about every morning, the window is frozen to the moulding, and if you aren't careful you will pulll the window and rip it out of the top moulding. So when you close the door the window it is bent out to grab that freezing cold wind! So you say why not just use the ice scraper to scrape the ice off? Well the ice scraper is IN the car!! Where else would you put it?
6) Low tire pressure monitor goes off all the time in the winter due to slippage of tires in snow. I'll bet I reset it once a week. Never know if the tires are low or if it's b/c of the DSC trying to regulate wheel spin.
7) Service department phone is always busy. I've spent a bunch of time on their phone tree trying to schedule a service, and finally I gave up and changed the oil myself. So much for them taking care of all the service.
Don't get me wrong I like my MINI, but some of these nigling problems should not happen.
1) I live in the NE where it snows or rains a lot in the winter, and the back window is always dirty; I use a gallon of washer fluid every two weeks. If you don't run the wiper several times every trip you can't see through the back window. (I can't tell you how much of a pain it is, when backing out of a parking space, etc.) At least my Chevy Blazer with the same type of back end has a spoiler that flows air over the back window to keep it clean.
2) The seat upholstery stains with nothing more than pure water.
3) Traction control is worst than useless with more than 2" of snow. If there is snow on my road, and I am in 2nd gear (or any gear) going up hill, it slows down to almost 0 mph. Not the way to get up the hill. (Try it sometime.. drive to an icy parking lot, put it in gear let out the clutch and floor it.... you go nowhere fast. Can't drive like that in the NE in snow... you'd get nowhere fast. At LEAST they let you turn off the DSC!!!!
4) The heater is marginal at any temperature below 20 degrees F. After driving 20 miles, it's still cold.
5) The automatic window drop that happens every time you open the door so the window goes below the moulding doesn't happen here in the NE. Just about every morning, the window is frozen to the moulding, and if you aren't careful you will pulll the window and rip it out of the top moulding. So when you close the door the window it is bent out to grab that freezing cold wind! So you say why not just use the ice scraper to scrape the ice off? Well the ice scraper is IN the car!! Where else would you put it?
6) Low tire pressure monitor goes off all the time in the winter due to slippage of tires in snow. I'll bet I reset it once a week. Never know if the tires are low or if it's b/c of the DSC trying to regulate wheel spin.
7) Service department phone is always busy. I've spent a bunch of time on their phone tree trying to schedule a service, and finally I gave up and changed the oil myself. So much for them taking care of all the service.
Don't get me wrong I like my MINI, but some of these nigling problems should not happen.
6th Gear
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,478
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Originally Posted by purdysd
1) I live in the NE where it snows or rains a lot in the winter, and the back window is always dirty
2) The seat upholstery stains with nothing more than pure water.
3) Traction control is worst than useless with more than 2" of snow.
4) The heater is marginal at any temperature below 20 degrees F. After driving 20 miles, it's still cold.
7) Service department phone is always busy.
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2) The seat upholstery stains with nothing more than pure water.
3) Traction control is worst than useless with more than 2" of snow.
4) The heater is marginal at any temperature below 20 degrees F. After driving 20 miles, it's still cold.
7) Service department phone is always busy.
.
2. Really?
3. My MA said to just turn it off in the snow. So turn it off
4. Really, ours is too hot
7. You didn't check out your MINI dealer service dept before you bought the car? Didnt your MA take you for a tour ... talk to the service manager?
6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,315
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From: Austin, TX
Things I hate about my MINI:
1. Mods suck all the $$$ out of my bank account.
2. Mods suck all the $$$ out of my bank account.
3. I can't use it as a moving truck.
4. I owe the bank money.
5. Too small to @#$%#$ in (edited do to sexual content)
ummm...anything I missed?
1. Mods suck all the $$$ out of my bank account.
2. Mods suck all the $$$ out of my bank account.
3. I can't use it as a moving truck.
4. I owe the bank money.
5. Too small to @#$%#$ in (edited do to sexual content)
ummm...anything I missed?
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,365
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From: Yinzer in Exile
Thoughts:
2) I have the cloth and it doesn't stain that easily. Weird.
3) Turn off the ASC, if you like. Just click the little toggle switch and you'll know it's off because the idiot light (exclamation point in triangle) will come on.
4) Ollie is downright STEAMY.
5) I've had my MINI in Pittsburgh and now in Connecticut and my window drop function has always worked in all weather. I'd take that puppy to the dealer (assuming you can get through to make an appointment)
6) Also never been a problem for me. "Hello, dealer service department..."
7) Ok, yeah... that IS a problem. Keep trying and voice your displeasure once you finally get through. Or if it's close enough just show up... and voice your displeasure in person.
2) I have the cloth and it doesn't stain that easily. Weird.
3) Turn off the ASC, if you like. Just click the little toggle switch and you'll know it's off because the idiot light (exclamation point in triangle) will come on.
4) Ollie is downright STEAMY.
5) I've had my MINI in Pittsburgh and now in Connecticut and my window drop function has always worked in all weather. I'd take that puppy to the dealer (assuming you can get through to make an appointment)
6) Also never been a problem for me. "Hello, dealer service department..."
7) Ok, yeah... that IS a problem. Keep trying and voice your displeasure once you finally get through. Or if it's close enough just show up... and voice your displeasure in person.
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4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 469
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From: Los Angeles, CA
Originally Posted by RCristiano
There's a really good solution for all of your problems with the MINI - move to LA 
I don't have any problem with traction in the snow because it hasn't snowed here since the ice age.
I don't have any problem with traction in the snow because it hasn't snowed here since the ice age.
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1st Gear
Joined: Apr 2005
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Listen, overall I agree with HomerJ, there is no perfect car, and as I said earlier I really Love my MINI, it does a lot of things right. I didn't mean it to look like everything is negative, just pointing out the things that could be better. I probably should park it for the winter, but I liked driving it so much in the warm months, I thought I'd drive it all winter. It just isn't a really good winter car. (I guess that is obvious!) Look I hit and killed a deer (tons of them around here) 6 weeks after I got it and the total for the parts was less than $500.
5th Gear
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 683
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From: Arroyo Del Valle
What a coincidence. I was going to start a thread like this. The main thing I hate about my Mini is that it throws my stuff around. For example if I put my cell phone on the seat next to me the next thing I know it is on the floor next to the passenger door. The other day I was on a back roads ride with a group of Minis and everytime I would reach for my two way radio to report road conditions I had to groupe all over the floor for it. I finally put teathers on my phone and radio and looped them over the shift **** so that I can reel them back in when I need to use them. The Mini even flings my stuff out of the little cup holders next to the shifter. I guess I should get dash board mounted locked down holders or something. I never had this problem with my SUV. What is the matter with this darn Mini?
P.S. As far as getting traction on a snowy road, just punch the gas to the floor and push the brakes about 1/4 way down and work the steering wheel and you will get going on those snowy roads. If that is too hard to master then moving to L.A. may be the answer.
P.S. As far as getting traction on a snowy road, just punch the gas to the floor and push the brakes about 1/4 way down and work the steering wheel and you will get going on those snowy roads. If that is too hard to master then moving to L.A. may be the answer.
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,365
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From: Yinzer in Exile
I have found the MINI to be fantastic as a winter driver...
And I don't think you sound particularly nitpicky, as it were, but I do think that a few of your problems are pretty easily solved.
And I don't think you sound particularly nitpicky, as it were, but I do think that a few of your problems are pretty easily solved.
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1st Gear
Joined: Apr 2005
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The brake thing doesn't work very well... I'd be on the pedal for 3 miles. easier to turn the system off. And hey, it does a pretty good job of climbing throught the snow once it is turned off. I guess I just don't like computer control of everything.
Air Born
Originally Posted by MCLeonard
I was going to start a thread like this. The main thing I hate about my Mini is that it throws my stuff around.
Every car has it's nuances of hate and love 'features'.
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,365
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From: Yinzer in Exile
Originally Posted by MCLeonard
What a coincidence. I was going to start a thread like this. The main thing I hate about my Mini is that it throws my stuff around.
Also weird: I was just thinking about this as I drove home from work, fearing sloshing from my can of Coke and watching my iPod in a hawklike fashion in case it flew from the change (cup) holder...
1) gotta go with chows on this one
2)no food or drink in the MINI
3)driven both my cars in the snow(not by choice) one has ASC the other has DSC, never had this problem
4)you may have a problem there, possibly a air pocket in the cooling system, my heat works great, car warms up fast
5)never had this problem, buy one of these...
6)never had the tire light come on while the DSC was working, you may have another problem there
7)where do you take it? gotta go with toast on this one
2)no food or drink in the MINI
3)driven both my cars in the snow(not by choice) one has ASC the other has DSC, never had this problem
4)you may have a problem there, possibly a air pocket in the cooling system, my heat works great, car warms up fast
5)never had this problem, buy one of these...
6)never had the tire light come on while the DSC was working, you may have another problem there
7)where do you take it? gotta go with toast on this one
Thread Starter
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1st Gear
Joined: Apr 2005
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There is definatlely a differrence in winter driving, I live in the Catskill Mountains, where it snows every night, and every road has hills. Half the time they don't plow the roads unless the school bus needs to pick up kids.
5th Gear
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 701
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From: Ellicott City, MD
One thing I hate is the fact that I have to wait for me car to get here still....but other than that, i hate whiney owners that complain about meaningless things 
…I think not everyone is cut out to be Mini owners. 
…I think not everyone is cut out to be Mini owners.
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,365
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From: Yinzer in Exile
hopefully minor tangent ---> I found the absolute BEST test of my MINIs winter potential was during my last winter in school in Virginia. I lived on top of a hill and they never plowed (because who would plow for the plow trucks??? 
) and I never had a problem. In fact, I once motored up a hill... past a honkin ford 4x4 which was sliding backwards down it...
Also lived on top of GIANT (San Fransisco has nothing on Pitt.) hills in Pittsburgh, still not a problem.
What kind of tires are you running?
) and I never had a problem. In fact, I once motored up a hill... past a honkin ford 4x4 which was sliding backwards down it... Also lived on top of GIANT (San Fransisco has nothing on Pitt.) hills in Pittsburgh, still not a problem.
What kind of tires are you running?
6th Gear
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,395
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From: Virginia Beach, Virginia
I would agree that the DSC/ASC is a pain, but wow, you should read the Jan 06 AUTOMOBILE mag instuctions on how to turn it off in the Lexus GS430 [sidebar page 97].. yikes! 
:impatient
13 steps involving the brake, parking brake, and ignition. I don't think the Japanese have even invented toggles yet...
(oh, but let me say I have the absolute BEST service dept in the whole country, Checkered Flag! It sounds like yours has just given up trying
..)
:impatient13 steps involving the brake, parking brake, and ignition. I don't think the Japanese have even invented toggles yet...
(oh, but let me say I have the absolute BEST service dept in the whole country, Checkered Flag! It sounds like yours has just given up trying
..)
Neutral
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9
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From: Avon, CT
Reading these various replies, I am most curious about you who are saying that things are flying around in your Mini's - I mean, isnt that really a good thing? Doesn't it mean that you're taking those corners like a go-kart???