I've owned well over a dozen cars in my life including Japanese, American, German, French and British. The 2002 MINI is by far the most problem prone I have ever had with dozens of issues over the past year and a half (back in the shop again last week for 5 more problems just before the factory warranty runs out). This is the first car for which I have felt the need of an extended 3rd party service warranty. Also, the only one bad enough for me to even consider legal action.

Just read these forums regarding the various issues people have to deal with. They are not statistical anomalies.

That all being said, it is the most fun car I have ever driven, which includes some very pricey exotic sports cars.

Would I ever buy another MINI? NO.
Will I get rid of the one I got? NO.

It's very disappointing that they still can't get it right after 4 years in the US market.

 

Point taken. They are unreliable but enjoyable.........

 

BMW truly built the new MINIs in the sprit of the original BMC (Morris) tradition.

Question: Why do the Brits like warm beer?
Answer: You'd get use to warm beer too if you had to rely on Lucas refrigeration.

 

Well mine is an 06 S automatic and has had problems since day one. Its been in the shop more than what ive had it. 2 weeks and counting. Its fun and everything but when you spend over $27k it better be good and Reliable. Just venting off here.

 

That's excellent. It's always good to hear more bright spots..........

Unfortunately, BMW as a company has had an abysmal record for customer service.

I like my dealer, I like my service advisor, but BMW sucks for attitude and in the end the service sucks.

Read MSFIT's recent thread about how he was treated - his experience is far from uncommon.

Even with our small slice of the Mini spectrum, there are just too many horror stories being repeated here.

Experiences like yours have been the anomaly on this board. Mini USA and the dealership service network has been roundly blasted on this and other forums. For a premium car brand, they are a disgrace and as lhoboy noted, the fact that 06 owners are experiencing many of the same issues the early adopters had is also disgraceful.

 

If so, that is truly sad...owners around here are a pretty happy bunch when it comes to our local MINI dealer.

 

A question based on a personal theory:

Do you all think early Coopers have been overall more reliable than early MCSs? I remember when the stumble/yo-yo/stress-cracked windshield/coolant reservior split stuff was all happening. I felt bad...Coopers seemed to suffered little of this. The occasional blown tranny aside (and that lovely, harmless brown coolant), most Coopers seemed pretty darn solid, but then, they came out a bit earlier and perhaps had more testing?? Were MINIs on "steroids" more finicky??

If this is at least partially so, I can see where reliability survey results overall may have been skewed towards dismal. I'm not seeing where model types are addressed. Just a random thought...



(...as an aside, let me also say that every single MCS I've personally driven was fantastic!!)

 

My stock '03 MCS now at 32K on the odometer. Problems? A few of the typical ones:
1) Two DSC/ABS wheel sensors replaced during routine maintenance.
2) Supercharger replaced @ about 5K. Awesome customer service with this unexpected issue. Brought the car in w/out even calling the dealership, explained that I had a 300-mile business trip the next day. They gave me a loaner on the spot and my car was repaired before I returned from my trip two days later.
3) 1st gear stumble... solved with download during 1st maintenance.
4) A dash rattle near the speedo developed around 30K. I haven't taken it (yet) in for such a minor issue.

Judging by various threads, I think there's a significant difference in customer service from dealership to dealership. I am fortunate. My local dealership is AWESOME... both on the sales side and shop end. If you live in the midwest, I highly suggest Baron MINI. I've experienced many dealerships, both the sales and shop side... None have come close matching Baron.
In 1997 leased a 328is from the same dealership, again, awesome customer service and very good experience with the 3 series.

Back to MINI, though. I've also owned a diverse range of German and Japanese sports cars. Several were superior in comfort and appointments, but no car has matched the MINI in my own "happiness quotient".

Surveys? Forums? I spent much of '02 reading the forums on this site while waiting in line for my '03 production number. There were times that I considered canceling my order because of the myriad rants about '02 issues. I am so very, very happy that I took the risk and leased the '03 MCS.

What's replacing my '03 MCS when its off lease in two months? An '06 JCW MCS. In my three decades of owning/driving sports cars, (some with considerable mods) I have never replaced a car with one of the same.

My personal experience with the '03 MCS and my local dealership is why I am continuing with MINI... not because of any review or points scored/not scored on a JD Powers survey.

 

Reading threads like these make me worry about the 2003 I just bought.

 

People enjoy their mini's.. You can still enjoy your car but dislike the problems and the quality.. It all depends on how much you enjoy it and how many problems you are willing to put up with..
The lexus scored high marks on this survery.. I doubt the owners "enjoy" the performance aspect of their cars... I'm surprised they can keep awake driving them.

 

I just had a 20minute phone conversation with my uncle, lifetime mechanic and body shop owner, regarding my justification for keeping (let alone purchasing another) car which has had such absolutely pathetic quality.

I've replaced more bits on my 03 MCS than I previously knew could fail three lovely years of ownership; including my most recent trip to the dealer to replace my wiring harness and #1 injector, on my nickel.

While I'm certainly glad that I didn't have to pay for the 3 bootlatches, sunroof reinstall, PCV hose, multiple software updates to fix the lingering stumble and cold start, A pillar cover, coolent overflow tank, amp, headunit, speakers, 3 window motors, and 2 door latch cables, plus my thankfully low glass deductable for 3 windscreens, it does make me wonder what the NEXT 3 years have in store for me, my car and my wallet.

If one is the lowest reliability rating, MINI deserves a -32.

(But I'd still buy another)

 

With the 2005.... too many to count....

With the 2006.... only the auto air has given me problems... and its only cause it wasnt filled with freon (whatever the substance is that makes it cold)

 

Yup, that's it!! You'd really miss it down here now, Tori, w/ temps reaching 100!!!

 

I must be doing something wrong. My 04 MCS has been to the dealer exactly once, for its first oil change at 15,000 miles. They did replace a rattling reflector in my door, fix the H/K buzz and put on new wiper blades at that time, so I guess my car isn't perfect.

I just hit 34,000 miles today, and the service countdown tells me I still have almost 3,000 more to go before my next service. Since it's been over a year since my last service (and I'd be out of the free service deal if I waited for the countdown to finish) I scheduled an appointment for Monday.

My only complaint with MINI is that the windshield washer fluid reservoir is too small. I run out way before it's time to go in for service.

 

I guess sometimes it is luck...my '05 has had literally ZERO (0) problems. 16000 miles. I drive hard too.

 

I traded in my 02 Cooper for my 03 MCS and she's had a few issues (dash rattle, passenger interior doorhandle and window motor...all repaired under warranty), but has always run beautifully and been reliable, as far as the engine goes. In the link that Dave posted to Motoring File, here is a comment by SFMINI Turbo that I agree with, and which may bring you some peace of mind, Ron:

If I read these reports right, in 2006 the best models had about 100 problems per 100 cars. That’s about one problem per car. The MINI had 150 problems per 100 cars, or about 1.5 problems per car. Even the worst, the Land Rover, had 2 problems per car. I’d say that was outstanding for all these cars. I’ll take my 1.5 problems and grin as I motor down the road anyday. These reports try to make it sound like our MINIs are going to dissolve into a heap of bolts on the side of the road… far from it.

 

Thanks for posting that MINIclo.

It is so easy to get caught up in the negative hype on forums like these and focus on those more so then the positive ones.


Toyotas may be rated better but they are far from not having their fair share of problems. I've had more then two problems with every single car / truck I've owned and they've all been Toyota's. My wifes Sienna had to have the drivers window motor replaced, the rear drum breaks had to be completely rebuilt, and the drivers slider door had problems with sticking shut, and we're talking Toyota. I've owned several of their 4x4s and a 2x4 all 3 had a couple of problems each. My dad just spent 3 months going back and forth with Toyota over his truck battery that would die after a month. He was on his 4th battery when they finally had to replace a whole sheet load of components, the battery (again), alternator and other parts, not sure of the extent, this was on a brand new truck.

Just about every car out there will have problems, some more then others, but I am glad I bought the 4 year / 48k bumper to bumper warranty, I hope I never have to use it but just incase a little piece of mind.

Time to not focus on what could go wrong but enjoy the ride. There is nothing like these MINIs out there and they are a blast to drive and are overflowing with character, something 90% of all other cars on the road lack.

Motor on!

 

Wow, sometimes it's hard to believe we're talking about the same brand of cars here. I am amazed with the list of troubles that OmToast has dealt with. I cannot image replacing a windshield three times! Granted, I only have 32K on my '03 MCS, but so far, it's been as reliable as my '84 VW GTI, '89 Honda SI, '97 328is and 2000 Audi S4... and I've enjoyed it much more than any of these previous new cars.

Maybe I've been lucky with my July '03 build. Nonetheless, I can't wait for my '06 JCW to arrive next month.

 

I'm no mechanic, but your theory makes sense to me. As the complexity of a machine increases, there are more components/connections that are susceptible to failure. My 02 Cooper (March build) has been pretty reliable. The only major event was an overheat caused by a faulty fan relay switch. Its had the usual rattles, squeaks, and has a bit of door sill rust like a number of others, but nothing beats this car for the fun:problem ratio. I've spent nothing out of pocket for any of these repairs, and have just about 50,000 miles on him. I'd like to buy the Traveller when it comes out in 08, but I'll need to see how MINI deals with the rust issue. Should be interesting to see how the 07's fare in the reliability department. One would hope MINI has learned from its past mistakes.

 

Well here's a data point. I just bought mine and with 1600 miles so far, no problems at all. Nothing to make me take it to the dealer. I've had a silly number of cars, including 8 or 9 bought new and so far it's tied with the best in my experience. What have I noticed?

1 - Cold stumble immediately after starting. It starts, idles, stumbles *slightly* one time, then recovers and idles perfectly. Happens every single time, to me not a problem.

2 - A little noise from the LSD when turning sharply at low speed. Hell my wife's Baja complains from the diffs when she turns too, not a problem.

3 - Extreme pressure noted at corners of mouth when driving, likely due to the overlarge fun factor installed at the factory.

4 - Higher probability of points on license, see #3.

LOVE IT!!!!

Mark

 

I would have to question your two premises here.

First, while it is true the MINI culture has an "enthusiasts" element, there are 150K+ MINIs sold. What percentage are "enthusiasts" and regulary read those boards. At best, I would guess no more than 5% and that is optimistic. Just look at the MINIs you see daily ... except for those who maybe are club members, they are very plain, no graphics, no mods, they are just cars for basic commuting. Of course, I do not know the exact numbers, but I do not believe your fundamental assertion here to be true at all.

Second, You buy a $15000 auto... you expect a rattle. Not true at all. I've bought several low-mid teen Toyotas and DO NOT expect any rattles. It better not rattle. On the other hand I DO expect MINIs to rattle. Why? I guess their quality control just isn't as good as the Japanese.

Third, "... when you drop a little more money on a higher end car, such as a MINI"

Since when did MINI become high-end? At the end of 2003, the average new car was over $30K (http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/pr...5/article.html) Two years later I have to presume its low $30s. MINIs are low twenties at best (sure you can build a $40K MINI with options but its still a low twenties car).

You have lumped MINIs in with BMWs and Mercedes There are not even close. I would tend to lump it in with lowend VWs, Honda Civics, Scions, etc. and that is stiff competition with the Hondas and Scion (Toyota) for quality competition.

Sorry to disagree with you but I think your fundamental assertions are skewed. I would take a deep look into the masses who own MINIs and not the handful of ppl writing on a couple of forums.

 

In my Mini's first 15K miles, I blew engine, had to get dash rattle fixed, trunk will either not close or open, depending on the mood of the car.

My Audi A3 has had zero problems during the same time period.

 

I'll go backwards... cause going backwards is more fun.
Don't be sorry. That's the point of debate/argue. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and I appreciate people who disagree with me because it gives me more insight and understanding then I had before.

Yes I did. As far as design and expected quality I believe that is a fair belief. Maybe not so much on the Z4's, 7 series, and other really high enders of those two... but I think a MINI is very comparable to a 3 series Bimmer or a C Class Mercedes. And why not? Look at all of the little things the MINI has that puts it into a mid to mid-high class. Windows that drop down when opening your door, ASC/DSC, well tuned stock engine, suspension that outperforms most, etc... Look around and notice all the little things that the MINI has which makes it MORE then just a car to get you from point A to point B.

Since look at the amount of car you get for the price! I think there are many reasons the MINI doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Things like MINIs being built in a state of the art, almost completely automated factory. Fewer workers to pay with a faster turn around time then most other auto factories. Small frame and body meaning less cost in materials both inside and out. All these things lead to MINI being able to cut costs to the consumer.

Ok. Perhaps "expect" was a little to definitive of a word. How about you would be less prone to be shocked should a rattle occur. Although, I can't argue much on the Japanese QC. I mean... look at Nintendo or PS2 compared to the Xbox. There is something to be learned from the Japanese when it comes to QC.

Perhaps that came off poorly. I was merely using joining NAM or MINI2 as an example of what an enthusiast might do. I guess I don't mean "enthusiast" in the sense that they go all out and mod or "you-ify" their MINI. But I bet you talk to most MINI owners, whether they bought it for practicality or other reasons, and I think you would notice a "love" for the MINI in most (not all) owners. A passion for the car that you normally wouldn't find in owners that bought your typical point a to point b car.

 

Yeah, but it's fun to drive - right?

I mean, when the engine isn't being replaced, or the rattles aren't driving you nuts and you can open the boot, that is.

See, you're the type of person who may mark the car down for quality, but may really like the car (when it's driveable).

See, these questionaires are sooooooo innacurate!

 

The Mini is in a class of it's own. There are NO compact cars that provide its level of performance, style, and efficiency. Nothing from Honda, Toyota, Scion, anyone – their “compact” cars have become bloated and squishy. Scion is style over substance – where the Mini is superior in style AND substance. The Mini is an absolutely brilliant car that I love owning, despite its issues.

I just worry that the Mini blends English design and German engineering a little too well. The reliability “issues” of an English car combined with the complexity and technology of a German car. Not exactly the ideal combination, IMHO.