first off, no one is going to create a thread "everything was fine today, agian!".

Second, all cars have problems. This is a place where people come to ask for help. so that ups the number of problem posts as well.

So, I have an 02 MCS with just under 75000 hard miles. Only non-warranty stuff was a broken belt, and a couple of windshields.... Oh yeah, all the tires I burn up. I also popped a plug, but I hadn't been checking torque like I should have, that one was my fault....

Matt

 

like Matt I have an 02 with 79,000 hard miles.To date :
-7 windshields
-clutch and flywheel
-complete wiring harness
-steering column
-power steering box and module
-o rings at water pump mount
-power steering fan
-3 supercharger belts
-complete brake job (pads and rotors)
-cables connecting shifter to tranny
-both low beam bulbs
-3 sets of tires(non warrentee)
all.............everything(except the tires, the last windshield, the brake jobs and the SC belts) replaced under warrentee. Sounds like a lot? you bet. first year blues? probably. Do I regret any of it? Not for a moment. Would I go through it all over again? yep.
Do I p i ss and moan in Beneath the Bonnet? I've done my share (you shoulda heard me in the windshield days )I'm sure I've probably left out a few things, but props to the service dept. at MINI of Peabody,MA. for keeping me as a customer throughout all that I've been through.
Jock

 

I've had a stupid amount of problems with my car and have, on several occasions, contemplated moving a cot into the service department of the dealership. But then my warranty ran out and the issues left me without enough money to actually buy the cot.

Threads, opinions and topics around here tend to swing in 2 directions regarding MINI reliability:

1. All it does is give me problems.
2. It's perfect. It's the most mechanically sound car in the history of the automobile industry.

While I find the second one particularly entertaining, I must also admit that the first one isn't widely accurate, either. Does it feel like my car gives me nothing but headaches? Well, when it craps out on the highway or breaks in any number of annoying (but not necessarily drastic) ways: yes. Yes I feel that way. And I whine, complain, and stomp my feet because I know others around here can relate. But I've still had a TON of fun with this car and do not (yet) regret my purchase, despite frequent threats to sell him and buy a Honda... or Toyota... or, oh hell, a 1986 Omni

Another thing to consider is that the later models seem to be far more sound than the earlier years (mine is an '03MCS, about 65K), so your chances of having an ownership experience as I've had are probably smaller.

I would buy a new one (before the engine change) in a heartbeat and without any reservation.

 

'05 MCS, today marks 20 months together, over 50K miles and the only issue was the hydraulic engine mount, replaced under warranty 2 months ago.

 

I bought a '04 MCS used with less than 5,000 miles on it back in May. This car lived in an air conditioned garage, never driven in the rain, blah, blah, blah.

I flew to Florida, checked it out, bought it, and drove it 1,400 miles home. I took it to my local dealer to have them go over it and they replaced a few items, all under warranty.

I can tell you that "problems" are relative. I sold one of my trucks to get this Mini and I'm glad I did. The truck was a 2005 Ford F-350 6.0L Powerstroke... you want to talk about problems, having my own body parts fall of would be a minor inconvenience compared to the problems I had with that truck!

My MCS turned 10,000 miles just this week. I'd buy another one tomorrow if I was looking for another vehicle for the family.

Good luck and please keep us posted on your Mini experience.
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]

 

For me: '04 MCS 36K miles to date (mine since 22K miles)
(all items replaced under warranty)
Drivers side A pillar molding flew off
Rain gutter trim on driver's side replaced (detached in one place)

passenger seat wouldn't recline (fixed by me using input from NAM)
previous owner reported a (very) intermittant rough idle - it's happened to me a few times, but goes away with the blip of the throttle.

I think that's it.

 

To echo what has been said here, ALL cars have the potential to have problems. I have found that fun cars probably have a higher chance of problems partially due to the fact that fun cars are driven harder. From what I have seen, it looks like most MINI owners have relatively few issues, and if you have any hopefully they'll be fixed by the time your warranty expires.

 

I'm new to the forum and so far I have enjoyed its prolific information and quick, kind replies to questions.

Even though it's true that all cars have the potential to have problems, it is when they actually manifest in a car that is relevant to concerns. My impression so far with the MINI is that it probably has more problems than the cars I have personally owned. Some of you owners (admittedly an extremely small sample size) have shared your "minor problems" but also implied that the fun of driving the MINI outweighs the trouble. Although I won't understand it until I take delivery of my own MINI, there appears to be a strong emotional bond with the MINI among the group here. Perhaps the forum draws enthusiasts, and by their very nature are emotional about the car. (This is not a bad thing as my wife is also emotional about me, her husband, despite my quirks, short-comings and instability ; and I have a strong sense of emotional bond toward my dog even after it pisses on the Persian rug :impatient. A strong sense of emotion is what makes us human.)

In any case, it is not the problems that arise in a car (however minor), but the time that I'll have to commit it to service. Although I don't claim to be the busiest person in the world, I do have a very limited schedule due to work and other commitment. Being that some of you have implied that the MINI can be either perfect or it can have a lot of problems, it seems like a new buyer would purchase one on blind luck, hope and faith. Obviously there's no numbers to quantify the chances that I'll get a retarded one, so I would be nervous about getting one (with my scheduling situation).

However, I have already developed somewhat of an emotional bond to the MINI (damn, those marketers are good... and you great folks here!), and therefore it seems like I will purchase mine on blind luck, hope and faith. As long as I have this forum to lean on when a window doesn't roll up, when the windshield cracks, or when the MINI starts to shudder.

Peace.

 

I have an '04 MCS with 58K miles. So far, no problems!

 

Yeah, I had a cot in the service department too. I would write business letter and they would fix every item I asked them too, but they never identified any of the problems. They only verified them. I probably had about 20 or thirty repairs on my 03 MCS, and while I love my car, no one in my office would ever own one after seeing what I went through.

Even though the service was free, the cost of rentals across 3 years is in the neighborhood of $300. I wouldn't recommend this car to my sister or mother unless she was willing and interested in diagnosing the car's next issue. My guess is that a lot of people are going to be socked with repair costs for things that were neglected while it was under warranty because the dealer didn't want to bring it their attention. (you gotta remember that it's a business and they don't want to lose money on servicing our cars).

 

Your car is '03. Looking in the Consumer Report magazine I noted that the MINI gradually improved over the years so that the '06 is the first to achieve average reliability, thus earning a "recommendation" from Consumer Report.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience you went through, but I hope that the '06 won't breed the same problems.

Thanks.

 

i have an '02 MCS with 85,000 hard driven miles on it. the only major problem that i had was a leaky coolant tank.

 

Any "minor" problems?

LOL, my neighbor said that a heart transplant is a major surgery. The surgery that he had was, according to him, a "minor" surgery. It was a triple by-pass.

Thanks.

 

The only problem I had was with the LYNX City Bus that plowed into me last week...

 

Actually, I'm pretty sure there is at least one thread on the subject of MINIs with no problems.

Mine is 10 months old, 13,800+ miles, no problems other than the clock runs fast. Inevitably some people will have bad luck and experience more than "minor" problems, which can happen with ANY vehicle, not just MINIs.

I bought a MINI, and a free lifestyle adjustment came with it!

 

Originally posted by Powerband Hey Powerband, You are not alone. I nearly passed on taking delivery of my '03 MCS because I spent most of 2002 reading these forums. I read about all of the '02 problems like multiple windshield replacements, etc., but decided to go on blind luck, too.

My '03 had a supercharger replaced at 5K, but that's it for problems other than a few minor things that were tended to during scheduled maint. ECU firmware upgrade, DST/ABS wheel sensor replaced.

When my '03 lease ended I replaced it by purchasing an '06 JCW MCS. I decided to buy the '06 because of the great experience with the '03 (the emotional bond, the great performance, let's not forget the FUNFACTOR), AND, because in '06 they resolved a few quirks that I didn't like in the '03.

I've only driven the '06 2600 miles, but it is exactly what I had hoped for.

Best of luck with yours!

 

I just got back from my fourth trip to Yosemite from LA in my '03 MCS, which I got in October of '02. I checked the oil before I left, otherwise never opened the hood. Drove mine from New York when I bought it. With the exception of having to have a clutch replaced at 18000 miles, which I consider an aberration considering how few I've heard of here on the board, the few things that have gone wrong are: the overflow tank (Very Old News from early models), a steering column that creaked (they replaced it, and the rack, still creaks ), and the hatch rattle (new catch hoop, also early-model old news).
I never feel like I'm going to be stranded, never have been, and I'm going to buy another one in a year or so. And no, nobody can have this one, 'cause I'm keeping it...
Absolutely love and trust this car.....Bruce in Santa Monica

 

While everyone so far is very enthusiastic, I think you need to put this ALL into perspective.

Problems in one forum are just that, ppls problems.

Now go to a search on "warranty" and find all the threads and how often people visit for warranty work.

Now lets put this ALL into perspective. There are about 140K MINIs sold in the US. Although the community of enthusiasts is large, is a fraction of the total population. The fact is that you have NO idea how many problems really exist simply because the vast majority of owners could care less about posting in a forum. Its just another car.

Now take all the ancedotal horror stories and throw those out and you have to throw out all the "Oh I never had a problem" stories too because they are nothing but the extremes on the normal curve.

Far, far more interesting would be the average or mean number of problems for ALL MINIs, something we probably will never find.

Now go look at the reliability studies like JD Powers. Some ppl are quick to bash them but the fact is MINI is WAY down on the list. On the other hand, to be fair, MINI is WAY UP on the list of ppl loving their cars and they put up with the quirks.

So to think your not going to have "any" problems is a pipe dream unless you fall far down on the bottom of the curve. More likely, you will be like the majority of ppl who seem to have some issues, do make visits for warranty work, etc.

I am trying to be completely fair and honest here because you can't analze and entire car population by a few ancedotal stories. If you really worried, talk to you local MINI service department. How busy are they? Are the backlogged in work? What other factors are in play? Are they the only dealer for 100 miles (makes a difference) but whats the MINI population in your area? They are all factors.

I think believing anyone will have zero problems is a bit optimistic. But many of us think its worth the problems. I know I hate driving to the dealer but put up with it. Otherwise the car would be long gone.

Now if you want to get real scared ... take a look at how many people sell their cars OUTSIDE of the warranty period. Once you start paying on your nichel vice MINIs, all of a sudden those trips for warranty work cost $$$. Yes, some ppl trade up to a new model but many also buy different cars. You will see threads where ppl are fed up with the problems (but they are also on the extreme edge of the curve).

I'm just trying to make you see ALL the factors in play, good and bad. Personally, it dont bother me in the least right now because its MINIs $$$. In a couple of years, who knows.

 

I got my 2006 last November. I had to replace a leaky motor mount at the dealer, which was a quick and painless process. Otherwise it has been a great experience so far. I will have my first 10K checkup next month so I will let you know if they find anything.

 

Chows4us, thank you for a thorough perspective. Its honesty is much needed among the, dare I say, fanatic enthusiasm exhibited among the group! LOL.

 

Judging from your list of aftermarket ingredients, do you think your motor mount got a hernia because of hard driving?

Thanks.