With 4,000 miles now on the odometer, I'd like to put my impressions out here as information and for comment. I'm driving a stock '06 (July build) Chili Red MCSa with no "packages", just 17' wheels, chrome, stripes, CR interior, and armrest. Here we go, in no particular order:

• Car is as much fun to drive as I hoped - quickness, handling, etc. is great
• Car looks great too - CR, white top, white bonnet stripes, chrome package and 17' S-Lites is very sharp (although I can't say I've seen any other S's with the chrome package...still like mine though)
• Has enough room to fit the wife and 2 kids when needed without complaints
• Leatherette is quite nice, most people comment on the "leather" and I don't correct them
• Friends, family and neighbors will absolutely say "mid life crisis" when they first see the car (but I know they wish they had the guts to get something they want)
• Automatic is a blast, best of both worlds - stuck in traffic on I-75 in ATL...auto mode; off the highway onto the side streets...grab the stick (although the paddles are much faster)
• Rattles like a tin can - 2 different (intermittent) dash rattles, door rattle, B-pillar rattle, backseat rattles from who-knows-where
• Too much cheap plastic in the interior
• Car is hard to crank when cold (and cold outside) - will stumble and stall if you don't turn the electrical system on then rest for a few seconds
• Car will often shudder noticiably when idling in reverse or park
• Driver side lock squeaks when unlocking
• I wish the seat belt chime would stop much sooner (not flame bait - just being honest)
• Hatch is too hard to close properly (half the time you can't tell it isn't closed right until you see the light on the dash)
• Occasionally hear a strange "clunk" sound from back of car when braking at low speeds (must be something to do with the rear brakes)
• Gas mileage is averaging 24 in 50/50 city/highway driving (I fill this up more than my V8 4Runner which gets 22 mpg - bigger tank though)
• The entire back of the car gets dirty in about 5 minutes of driving after washing
• Lots of ugly brake dust - wheels need cleaning every 4-5 days
• When acclerating hard at 2,500-3,000 RPM, the car will be pulling nicely, but sometimes the auto trans will downshift aggresively and jack the RPMs up to 5,500, but providing less power - it's a little startling and not what I want in that situation
• The threads on here about modding and warranty issues have bummed me about doing the mods I hoped to have done

While there are a lot more negatives above than positives, the positives are in the areas that really count. I would still make the purchase again knowing what I know now. However, with the last 3 vehicles I've driven regularly being a Toyota 4Runner, Infiniti Q45, and an Acura Legend, I know that many of the items that bother me above shouldn't happen and don't happen after 100,000+ miles on those cars. There is no excuse for such things on a brand new car in its 5th model year.

To anyone contemplating a purchase, go in with your eyes open, it is a fun car, but ownership ain't easy.

 

As Someone who is looking into buying one thank you for your input.

 

redhot, I suggest that you print out your post above and take it to your Dealership. Have them address all the things that are bothering you. You shouldn't have the odd revs in the tranny, the rear-end clunk, nor any of the rattles and creaks. Motor on!

 

As someone who is still waiting for his to arrive, thanks for the heads up. I hope the rattles are more associated with the automatic as mine will be a Cooper stick.

 

Nice wite-up. I agee with the rattles and some of the cheap interior materials.My friend has a MCSa and has the same complaint about the tranny... takes to long to rev up and go!
It is a fun ride... I get 24 in pure hell city traffic... with a 50/50 mix of driving.. I get 27mpg. Thats with some mods and brisk driving when conditions allow...

 

Hey redhot, nice writeup....

I have had my 2006 MCS about the same amount of time (just a few thousand more miles than you.) I can't comment on the auto tranny issues as I have a 6 speed (which I absolutely dig!)

I agree with all your positives, and I have thoughts to share on your negatives:

- The rattles and squeaks should be fixed, end of story. I don't have any, and won't tolerate any on such a new car (rattles bug the cr*p out of me). This is all covered under warranty, but the dealer will want to address them ASAP (there is typically a "grace" period for issues like this with any new car.)
- The rear hatch issue can be fixed. I have/had the same thing. I've been into the dealer 3 times with it, but they did replace the mechanism and then adjust the new one. Problem gone.
- Agree with brake dust. I had a 2003 Infiniti G35; now that was brake dust! I've thought about upgrading to lower dust pads.($$)
- I think the bell chimes are adjustable by the dealer. Maybe someone can correct me, but I think this is on the list of settings a dealer can customize for you (like autolock, daytime running lights, etc.)
- Rear dirt: I've thought about rear mud flaps. Does anyone know if that will reduce the problems?
- Mods: talk to YOUR dealer and find out their stance. Most Mini dealers realize this is part of the game with many Mini owners. If your mod(s) don't directly cause a problem, they should work with you. I've made a few mods that shouldn't "rock the boat". I'll wait until warranty is over for others.

In general I agree build quality on my MCS wasn't on par with some of my previous cars, but the positives so greatly outweigh the negatives that I don't care!

When doing my research prior to my purchase, I was always amazed when looking at Consumer Reports repair history. The Mini was never rated very highly in this area (compared to other cars I looked at), but Customer Satisfaction was always off the charts! I believe their narrative highlighted this fact.

All I can say is, I agree!

 

I enjoyed reading your 4,000 mile review. I too drive a 2006 MCSa, so I was very interested in what you had to say. I'll watch out for those issues you have experienced. So far so good on mine; I don't really experience the rattles you talk about.

However the quick accumulation on both the brake dust, and dirt on the back end are annoying.

I'm looking for ward to write up my "5,000" mile review.

 

I suspect the rear end "clunk" is actually the little putter or pop-pop-pop sound that all Minis have (and some Porsches and BMWs). I forget what the official name for this sound is. :-) But it may be normal. I had it on my Z4 too, but on the Mini (with automatic at least, which I have) it's a lot deeper and "clunkier". But normal.

 

I also have an '06 MCSa... I'd suggest you consider several mods... I've found that a 15% pulley, cold air intake with performance filter and Iridium spark plugs, will double the fun factor without really harming your guarantee... As stated above, most dealers realize that MINI owners are enthusiasts, and mods are the name of the game, within reason. The mods noted are no more than added at the factory for the JCW package.....

 

Ok time for me to chime in. 2005 MCSa heavily modded and had for 16months and 21k miles.

The tranny issue you speak of is normal. When you press the gas pedal down more then 50% the car drops a gear. That is why you notice the revs jump. THIS IS NORMAL! The car is trying to use a lower gear to get you moving faster. Then you see no power because the car makes most of the supercharger power (in a unpullied car) in the 3,000-5500 range, so keep you foot into it and the car will shows it's power. Also keep your foot down and let it shift high in the rpm range where it wants too. It will continue to pull and go....but of course with a MINI with 4 passengers or luggage it will start to wain due to the weight.

Keep on motoring. Those rattles will happen and as others have said your dealer or if you can resolve many of them with just a little time. The car's interior is made of plastic which clips together. Many times these clips and plastic bang together making these rattles. A little foam, double sided tape or other soft cushioning will resolve most of these rattles.

Cold start issue - This is a problem that MINI has resolved in most vehicles and not all. My car does this like 1 in 10 times I crank her. But most time I turn to position 2 and sit a second and then turn her. Also winter gas doesn't help this situation, nor does the introduction of ethanol.

Gas Mileage - The only way I have pulled more then 25mpg out of my car is to cruise between 55-60mph any faster and I see the 25 your experiencing. I enjoying going faster in the 70-80mph range when traveling, especially when the speed limit is 65-70mph out here.

Brake dust is a fact of the 4 wheel disk brakes and the pads MINI uses. You can always swap to another pad and reduce the brake dust.

The boot gets dirty, its a fact of the aerodynamics of the car and has been extensively disgusted on this forum. The fix for this is frequent washing or change out the spoiler on the MCS. It has been found the stock MCS spoiler is the cause of all this accumilation of boot dirt.

 

im coming up on 10k now on my 06 MCS and i dont have nearly the same amount of negatives you do. Im about 9560 miles right now:

Rattles like a tin can - 2 different (intermittent) dash rattles, door rattle, B-pillar rattle, backseat rattles from who-knows-where
I dont have these
Too much cheap plastic in the interior
I agree but i dont mind
Car is hard to crank when cold (and cold outside) - will stumble and stall if you don't turn the electrical system on then rest for a few seconds
I dont have this problem but maybe it doesnt get as cold here.
Car will often shudder noticiably when idling in reverse or park
Nope
Driver side lock squeaks when unlocking
Nope
Hatch is too hard to close properly (half the time you can't tell it isn't closed right until you see the light on the dash)
Nope
Occasionally hear a strange "clunk" sound from back of car when braking at low speeds (must be something to do with the rear brakes)
I do hear this but its more of a click sound to me
Gas mileage is averaging 24 in 50/50 city/highway driving
I average 20-21 with an Alta intake (but otherwise stock)
The entire back of the car gets dirty in about 5 minutes of driving after washing
Lots of ugly brake dust - wheels need cleaning every 4-5 days
Tell me about it i have white wheels

 

Just checked the replies (I've been at a soccer tournament all day - nice 120 miles on the mini). I appreciate the feedback. I considered leaving out some of the nitpicking items in my original critique, but, then I realized that honest information is what people come here for - so I wrote up the good, bad, and ugly, trying to be objective.

I know that the dealer can (should) fix the rattles. Funny thing is, I only live 10-15 minutes from Global Imports here in Atlanta where I bought it, but I haven't been back there since the day I took delivery. I guess the fact that I can go by there whenever I want has kept me from prioritizing it. I will get in there soon, though. I sorta wanted to have my laundry list complete before I went in, so I wanted to get some miles on it first and hopefully they can fix everything in one trip.

As I mentioned in my original post, I think the car is a blast and I enjoy driving it everyday. I just wish they could have gotten these little things ironed out before now so that the car would be a complete home run. But, unlike the perfect fit, finish, smooth everything japanese cars, the Mini does have personality that they don't. I suppose it comes with the territory.

 

Took delivery in June and still loving it.

We've got a couple of rattles, one in the dash and one somewhere in the back, but I don't care much...turn up the radio. We do a lot of our driving here in the NYC metro area's crumbling infrastructure, so ANY car is going to rattle. Brake dust really sucks...I'm definitely interested in some aftermarket pads. As for the starting issue you've described, I've had nothing of the sort. Its recommended to wait a few seconds after turning the key to the "run" position before cranking the engine. That's normal for fuel injected vehicles...if you listen carefully, you can hear the fuel pump running to prime the system.

great car

 

I think you may be referring to "burble."

 

Unfortunately, REAR mudflaps are not available for the MCS. I have them on my Cooper, though, and, while they do help a bit, they merely slow down the accumulation of crap on the rear end of the car. However, the FRONT mudguards on BOTH cars work extremely well.

My '06 MCSa has just over 6,000 miles on it now and I have modded it quite a bit. Gone are the OEM pads, replaced with Ferrodo 2500 DTs, which squeal like hell now but don't dust as much. Nasty tradeoff.

I added a rear 3-hole swaybar, and it is on the middle hole. It has added LOTS better stability in twisties.

I had my UniChip from the Cooper remapped for the S and have found it to give me a milleage mix of 30 mpg, with added power, too.

I added the ALTA CAI and a 15% pulley, too, along with a Milltek cat.

I'm pretty happy with the car now that it has been modded some. I still need to address that brake pad thing, as the Ferrodos don't seem to be what I want. I also need to switch out the suspension and get better tires, as I have become hooked on BMWCCA HPDEs.

The plastic doesn't affect me much. I like the leatherette seats and love the Park Lane dash and the anthracite.

I hate the window and sunroof rattles, and need to go back to the dealer again. As stated before, my hatch closes hard, too, and I dont like that much either. Another thing is that my passenger door is extremely hard to open from the outside. It's the little inconvenient problems that dull the shine on an otherwise gem of a car.

 

Have owned a 06 MCSC for several months now and am still digging it. It rattles a little, but I think most convertibles have a little rattle and shake.

 

Have any of you other MCSa owners dealt with the shudder/vibration that runs through the car when idling in Reverse or Park?

Also, regarding the "clunk" sound from the back when braking at very low speed - it is intermittent and it is definitely not the "burble". The burble concerned me at first, but, after checking the issue out on this forum in the first couple of weeks of driving, I took comfort that it was just normal decompression for this car.

I forgot to mention one other nit I'd like to pick - the sliding top on the center arm rest pops out of the track 75% of time when trying close. I have to keep snapping it back into place, and I'm sure it is going to break soon (I know, I know, the dealer will fix it). A reputable company should not use their customers for basic quality control!

 

I do this as well but it only pops out of the lock for the top. I then leave it be.

 

The only vibration issues I have noticed ended up being from an engine mount leaking. Do you have the AC on - could that be the source of the shudder mentioned? Perhaps you just need to have the ECU updated, they may have released new software since you took delivery.

I don't have the rattling and locking issues you have - one thing that might help though is knowing that if the hatch is closed properly the taillamps blink. So, no blink means it is not locked, you don't need to get into the car to see the dash light to find out.

 

I love my ceramic brake pads, Jeff! The amount of brake dust is negligible and they function perfectly! Mine are the ceramic Street Hawks (I think that's what they're called).