I saw a recent JD POWER survey result over at The Car Lounge that has MINI at the bottom of the barrel of reliability and VW coming in a close second to MINI. I currently own a VW GLI, 2004, and I want to trade it in for a new MINI, but I am concerned about it not holding up. So far, my dub has been glitch-free.

What have been people's issues with the MINIs? What is breaking down? Are the MCSs more prone to problems than the MC? Are the dealers not fixing problems or not fixing them in a timely manner? any help is appreciated.

 

I have a 2005 MCSC. I have had more minor problems with it than I have ever had with any other car but I have never had any mechanical problem that made the car undrivable. So far my airbag light came on & as a result a seatbelt latch had to be replaced, my boot latch had to be replaced, my rear bumper grill fell out, & my convertible top had to be repaired because it became stuck in the closed position. Even after all that I still love my mini & wouldn't trade it for any other car. I just wish they would open a service center in my state

 

I wouldn't worry about it. I think most of the reliability problems have been worked out by the '05s and '06s. My A-pillar cover rattles a bit and I had to get my differential oil changed, but it's a small price to pay.

 

You will find extremes on either end -people who have tons of issues and people who have none.

The mean average is that these cars have several known issues running the gamut from the simply irritating to the potentially debilitating.

There is a misconception that alot of the early teething problems have been worked out, but some people are still having issues with the DME programming, throwout bearings, bypass valves, and wiring harnesses. The main issues are rattles, electrical gremlins and cracked windshields.

I would say that overall reliability is average. I would not recommend these cars as commuters - but that's my opinion.

Mini Service Departments seem to have issues keeping up to date with technical service bulletins and also seem to be behind the curve in diagnosing issues that are widely discussed on the forums.

 

I've had a few minor gremlins, I actually am going to get an airbag light looked at later in the week. I think the biggest issue comes with, if you were to buy a honda, a chevy, even a VW; dealer are going to be close buy, you can go 10-15 min down the road and get the service done. MINI dealers are few and far between, my option right now are 70 or 93 miles for an oil change or to have a light checked and that means I need to aside time to plan a trip to the dealer for a day. After the warranty I'm looking at doing as much of the maintiance as possible on my own, this creates another issue with getting parts, the dealer can order it for you and you pay a premium or there a a handful of vendors nationwide that carry most of the OEM parts. Don't get me wrong though, this car is worth it and I plan on keeping it well past 500k miles. Take a look at the Autoweek long term test car, a 2003 when there were still known bugs to be ironed out, they had to bring it in for multiple warranty claims in the first year but it was also the first long-term test car they had that never had to spend a full day in the shop. Most issues are minor and most have been fixed, as was said there are extremes in how many some owners had every single issue found in the 02s and some had 02s w/out a single issue. Most of that has been taken care of for the 05s and 06s so I don't think you need to worry about being stranded on the side of the road, the runflats have saved my butt from potholes (road havard coverage was worth it) and if you have a mechanical issue and you're traveling cross country, MINI will flatbed your car to the nearest dealer and pay up to $700 for you to get travel to your destination. If it will make you feel more comfortable checkout the most recent consumer report where the MINI was rated as reliable as a CIVIC and was also rated a best buy. Hope this helps. I love my MINI and wouldn't ever think of trading it.

 

As with many cars, there are variances. In 1999, I purchased a 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible, that Consumers Report rated as below average in reliability. In 85,000 miles, I have only changed my oil, tires, brakes and wipers. SOunds like above average to me! I think in general if you take care of your car, do the recommended maint, any modern car should prove reliable over the long haul.

 

I have a 2004 with 20K miles, and certainly no major problems. Little glitchy type stuff - like I have a warning light for the run flats. The OBC keeps resetting itself. But like others have said before me, little gremlin type stuff. I have yet to see many stories where a MINI has just broken down.

But still, fact remains that if you are looking for a solid, reliable car and if fun meter is not a consequence, get yourself a Honda. If you don't mind the inconvenience to take the car to the dealership to have little gremlins fixed, and fun meter is the top of your list, go for the MINI. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

Your servicing dealer will play a large part in how satisfied you are with the MINI. Some are great, some not so. If you live in an area with multiple dealer choices, so much the better!

 

That's kind of related to another question I have. Are MINI dealers that you did not purchase your car from willing to do warranty work?

Anyone with experience on the servicing departments at both Northwest MINI in Tacoma Washington and Rasmussen MINI in Portland Oregon?

 

Other dealership service depts. usually welcome new business as this is additional revenue for them...whoever pays for the service (you or BMW). The catch, in my experience, is that the "other" service dept. was not willing to pay for the loaner since I "did not buy the car from them". That said, they were more than willing to service my car for future problems. My mini has had many minor problems as well...coolant reservoir (3x), window motor, clock running too fast, rattles...but as many here say, the driving experience makes it so worth it . My wife's Toyota Solara Convertible has not been in the shop once other than for an oil change in the 1 1/2 years we've owned it. My MINI has been in the shop no less than 7 times in the 6 months we've owned it. Nuff said .

 

Maybe the fact that JD Powers rates your trouble-free VW so badly indicates their data may not be as reliable as they say.

I know there's posts about reliability issues on this and other boards, but our first MINI was an '03 CVT and we had 20k trouble free miles. No mystery lights, no phantom problems, nada. Our current '06 convertible is just as good (so far).

 

I'm always puzzled as to how our car can get such low marks for reliability and yet have one of the highest resale values in the industry

Although I think all cars can have some small issues. Its as a result of mass production.

 

You can get warranty work performed at any Mini dealership. As to the loaner issued I can only speak for GA. I bought my Mini at one dealer (who doesn't offer loaners) so I get servicing at another dealer & they have no problem giving me loaners even though I didn't purchse from them. Of course their generosity will make me purchase from them next time

 

Rasmussen in Portland is my "local" dealer. Their service department is considered to be one of the best around. Very accomodating, as well as one of more mod-friendly dealers. I take both our MCS's there and have never gotten any runarounds like I read about here on NAM. Never been to Northwest MINI in Tacoma, but have read a few negative comments on the boards.

 

I’m sure you are going to hear all the major and minor problems people have had with a wide open question like this, but then there are people like me who you’ll never see in threads like this because we have no problems.

My 02 MCS will be 4 years old soon and I have never had a problem period. My MCS has only been to the dealer only twice in its life, inspection/service 1 and 2.

It's my daily driver, auto-x, track and long haul trip car, in fact it's my only car and a 100 % problem free MINI.

 

Agreed. My '03 TDI has been trouble-free for almost 3 years and over 81K miles. I've replaced one glow plug (a wear item) as well as scheduled maintenance (also by me - read too many horror stories about taking TDI's to dealers...). Otherwise, the car has been rock-reliable.

The g/f's '03 MCS has been mostly problem free. Recently, the cruise control has been giving us fits (going back to the dealer for the 4th time today), but I get the impression they really are trying to fix it. Unfortunately, her previous BMW's were also plagued with annoying electrical gremlins and now she's worried the MINI is continuing that saga...

 

I had an early '02 MCS and it was mechanically 100% reliable. It never failed to start or failed to bring me home. But it did have a few creaks, rattles and some introduced burps, farts and stumbles that were added during a mandated ECU upgrade.

I currently own an early '06 MCS that is so much better on the small items. No rattles, creaks, or squeaks. The engine lost all of the little gremlins that it had and is more powerful in the bargin. Lower gear ratios and more power, this thing feels like a rocket and the sound of the supercharger whine is devine.

My personal opinion is that JD Power & Assocs do not differentiate between a serious mechanical fault and a minor squeak or rattle. If there is any fault then it gets marked down. So I say.

If you test drove one and like it, buy it. You can't go wrong.

But that is JOHO

 

I purchased my 05 MCSC used (a rare find indeed) and I've taken to the local Denver dealer a couple of times and the service has been excellent. They gave me a loaner Honda the one occasion when I had to leave the car for a couple of days.

 

Interesting post, it has given me a better grasp on the MINI. I am sitting on the fence as to whether I order a 06 or just try to wait for the 07 to come out. I talked to a semi local dealer and my wait if I ordered today would be around September or longer. I enjoy reading about the MINI, warts and all.

 

2005 MCS, 1 year old, 10,500 miles, ZERO problems, no unscheduled dealer visits, rock solid car.

2002 MC CVT, over 3 and a half years old, 36K miles, zero issues, rock solid.

Both cars are daily drivers.

 

Rasmussen is my local dealer. However, I can't comment on their service department as I haven't been back there since I picked up my MCS and drove it off the lot 7 months ago! It probably won't go back again for another 4 months, at which point it will get the 10K service.

If you are really worried about the reliablity, you should brush up on Washington's lemon law. You are protected should the car be a lemon. Fortunately the odds are that the car will be really fun and problem free!

 

My 2002 MC was total crap, I dont even want to list the problems it had, though they are all fixed now. My 2003 MCS has yet to have any problems after 4 months, thats good.

 

I have heard that Rasmussen is alright and can vouch that NWMINI in Tacoma is shady. They charged me $1400 for a new clutch at 30,000 miles as normal wear and tear though it never showed signs of wear until it suddenly stopped engaging. They had 4 other MINIs there under 40,000 miles getting clutches at the time, didnt seem odd to them. At the same time they damaged a brand new wheel. And didnt have a loaner for me. And didnt respond to either of the 2 emails or 2 letters about this. I've heard a few others have pretty bad problems there as well. My advice is stay away from NWMINI.

 

All the issues with my 05 MCS have been interior-fit and -parts related, nothing mechanical, after 1.5 years and 12K miles ZERO problems that would leave me calling Roadside. AAMOF the MINI has gone up a couple notches in the reliability dept. in Consumer Reports, because 04s and 05s are now being evaluated and they are simply better cars across the board.

As far as getting an 06 or 07, it'd be 06 hands-down or wait for an 08 or 09, for 07 might have the typical first year makeover gremlins--and possible new powerplant issues.

A friend of mine had considered an MCS a couple years ago, but was all prioritized on reliability. I told him that if it was that important to go buy a Lexus or Acura. And what did he do? Paid $40K for a 1997 Acura NSX ($89K new) with barely 20K miles on the clock. Talk about a car that's a freaking blast to drive--and reliable as hell, zero problems (other than rear tire wear) and cheaper oil changes than what many MINI dealers charge Jimbo

 

I had a few minor problems the first 6 months of getting my 05 MCS. Fan didn't work, supercharger making grinding noises. But my MINI dealer was quick to fix everything ... no questions asked. Even when I whined that the sunroof rattled a bit (no more than, say, our Toyota's), the dealer took it apart totally rebuilt the thing.

I am extremely happy as MINI works hard to keep my happy (shameless plug for Yaletown MINI in Vancouver inserted here). My MINI has been totally reliable since. Whenever I call my dealership service (like inquire about snowtires), I feel like I'm a part of a family.

Whereas (slag GM time), my highly rated for reliability Buick has been back multiple times to fix minor warranty items that take multiple trips to the dealer. I feel I'm always angry after I have them fix my Buick. So MINI's treatment has been refreshing.

I would read very little into JD Power ratings other than for general background information. We don't know what their measurement criteria are.