Didn't know if anyone else had heard or read about the J.D. Powers ranking in initial quality that just came out the other day.
It didn't come out too well for the Mini. It placed fourth from last in the number of problems per 100 cars, 166 to be exact. Thats kind of rough isn't it?

Hopefully someone a little more computer literate can put up a link to the story and data. It's at jdpa.com/presspass/

I don't know if anyone else has already brought all this up and if they have please just ignore meand point me to that thread.
Thanks.

 

What do you expect! It's being built in England by union workers. I know, I'm English and was forced to join the union in Oxford where I worked on the original Morris Minor. Thank God I was able to come the USA and get ahead by using my brain and own effort. Say Halleluja!! My Mini is fine. It was one of the early ones before the new workers got dumbed down to union ways. Stir, stir.

_________________

 

I assume you are talking about this link and the graph at the bottom. Doesn't suprise me seeing as how it's a brand new car. I expect some kinks the first few years. Luckily I've been trouble free so far on my '03 MCS. Except there is a slight kink in my air intake tube but I plan on replacing that with a K&N so no problem there really.

I expect the number of problems to go down dramatically as they work out the bugs. Give them a little time. no new car is perfect.
-Chris

 

I know there have been the first year bugs on the car, but I kind of think, since J.D. Power is talking to the consumers, that part of the results are based on a more demanding public. And as I said to my dad when he inquired about it now that I've had it three months. I have some minor complaints about things, but "minor" is the key word. You get enough of those together, you get a bad report.

 

JDP??? Auto info??? Anyone on this
site contacted by them.

 

^^ well put! when people buy a new car, the tiniest problem pisses them off, and they complain about it. So it's true that a lot of minor problems being reported will get you a bad report.

but still though, people have has the coolant leak problem, and the shift linkage thingy. no matter how "minor" a problem is, if it renders your vehicle inoperable, it's not so minor anymore

 

>>JDP??? Auto info??? Anyone on this
>>site contacted by them.

your right 2....I know that JD has a thing for putting down first year cars and always says they ask owners of their good and bad points. They didn't call me. And only 9 more posts till the # 3000.

 

>>What do you expect! It's being built in England by union workers. I know, I'm English and was forced to join the union in Oxford where I worked on the original Morris Minor.

What is it with the British building reliable cars? I would have thought it was overblown until Rover/Sterling managed to screw up a perfectly good Honda. How do you mess up a Honda?

Someone else made another point about expectations. Modern cars are exceptionally reliable. Almost insanely reliable. Cars which are fairly unreliable by modern standards would be remarkable twenty years ago. Anyone remember the topic on the tools that owners of the original Mini pack just to go on trips? I don't own as many tools as they have in their boot.

I think most of the bugs will be worked out as well. Another thing to bear in mind is that BMW's while being magnificent machines that can last a very long time, they aren't exactly service free. I also think you have a lot of people buying Minis as the "trendy car, must have" car who don't really understand what they're getting into and if they think they're getting a cool looking Honda Civic are quite possibly in for a rude awakening.

Tom

 

>>JDP??? Auto info??? Anyone on this
>>site contacted by them.

I just received and completed a JDP survey today. It was a survey that was requested by MINI to be performed by JDP, maybe in reply to what just came out. It had both generic new car survey questions as well as questions specific to MINIs.

Two comments:
While the MCS is new, the MINI one and MC have been around in Europe for 2.5 or 3 years now. At the same time, I think MINI faced more challenges than other new models: the first MINI (one) was not just arevamped model, but a brand new from scratch model, and in addition - even thought BMW lent a helping hand, MINI was at the time a brand new company, with a brand new factory, and a new and challenging design concept. Given all that, IMHO they did well.

 

I just looked at the USA Today page and it reaffirmed something that has long been speculated about but bears rementioning. More than measuring the actual performance or reliability of the car it measures the buyer's attitudes towards the car. Are Prius's that great or are the owners ideologically self-satisfied? Just throwing that out as one possibility. Of more interesting note that I can comment on is that Porsche and BMW in the one graph are ranked #2 and #3, respectively.

Now these are great cars and this is entirely anecdotal. However, it's a Porsche maxim that the best Porsche to buy is 2-3 years old because the dealers will have everything that needs fixed taken care of by then. Read Rondell and you'll hear a litany of complaints that make the MCO sound like a Toyota site. My friend with the 330ci has made constant trips, none critical and all fixed, to his dealership on a series of minor problems. Well one serious problem was upon picking it up in Germany (Euro delivery option). the car began overheating in southern Germany. They pulled over and had it flat-bedded to the nearest BMW dealership where they cannibalized a showroom model's cooling fan to replace the original which had gone kaput.

Tom

 

Re: "They didn't call me. "

NoBull,

LOL! Last year when I bought my Miata, JDPOwer called me. They also sent me 3 surveys during this past year (with a buck enclosed!)

So far no surveys or calls for the Mini however.

 

I got one for my last car two months after purchase, but that was basically it. If I get one yet for my MINI, I could name several things that I would have wanted to improve. Rear window sprayer is not as effective as I would like, I'd like the shade for the sunroof to be solid and I'm not fond of the passenger side (US) bonnet release. I could go on. Does it mean I'm dissatisfied? Heck NO!

 

I guess this means just do not believe everything you read.

I think you can make a survey state what ever you want,it is all is how the question is phrased.

Motor On

 

They contacted me.

I received and completed a JD Power survey after I'd had my car for about 4 months. I thought everyone got these.

BOY am I glad I didn't buy a Kia!

 

I got a J.D. Power survey early into my ownership last year. I thought that the MINI ranked well for satisfaction in that first survey. There's an article on the latest ranking in today's WALL STREET JOURNAL, in the "Personal Journal" section. By the way, my MINI hasn't had any problems to date, and it's a year old this month.

:smile:





------------------
2002 red/black top MINI, sunroof, leather, cold weather package

 

BTW, this topic came up on MCO in March of this year. Look here to see how the discussion went that time around. It's hard to say if the data we were discussing back in March was from the same survey being discussed in this current thread; but the responses of MCO members seem to be about the same.

 

I don't have any real complaints about my Mini, heck even after about five thousand miles in road trips. There are little things that could be looked at, and maybe an alteration here and there in my opinion (FWIW) but I still love the car.

But did anyone notice where the Hummer placed on that list? Right where it belongs, dead last.

 

While we are on the subject....I have bought a few new cars over the years, and the one thing I always noticed is that I got surveys from the manufacture within the first few weeks of ownership but then after say the first 9 months to a year, I felt like I just fell off of the radar screen. They all wanted to know how I liked the car right now when its new, but I have never received a follow up survery a year or two later. The best follow up was from Lexus on a 2000 RX 300. By the way, the car was the most trouble free car I have ever owned.

 

My Mini is fine. It was one of the early ones before the new workers got dumbed down to union ways. Stir, stir.

well my mcs was one of the first also, delivery May 02 and it has had 9 problems, so 166 for 100 cars, guess my 9 helped to drive up the number...lol...unfortunately not BMW build quality, but then again not BMW price either

 

That graph showed problems per hundred, not owner satisfaction. The problems may also not be critical. The number looks about right, between 2 MINIs we have 3 problems, only one made the car undrivable. Every hatch rattle, seat rattle and trim rattle that the dealer has to fix is counted as a problem. The reports that the auto companies buy from JDP probably breaks down the problems into categories that reflect the seriousness, but the US public cannot deal with that much detail.

 

I am in a somewhat unique position in terms of experience and drive time. I live in NY and use my MCS for mostly medium distance weekend trips, and pretty infrequently. Consquently, almost every time I have been in my car since Dec has resulted in a trip to the dealer. Most of the 'known' flaws: boot latch, strut recall, coolant tank, clutch cables. Plus one abnormal one: three trips to diagnose and replace the oil pump (oil top off, then sensor replacement, then oil pump). The windshield nick is still waiting its $753 (Manhattan MINI quote) replacement. That it is safely parked and resting comfortably has taken the sting out of the impression that every time I drive my car it requires a trip to the dealer but it makes me a little wary of A: the end of the warranty, and B: what it might be like being a daily driver. Conversely, maybe all these problems would have been fixed in month one if I was a daily driver, and I wouldn't have a little nagging worry before I settle in for the next trip.

I still love it every minute I drive, but I don't know how inaccurate the rankings are, and that they aren't possibly a sign for BMW that they need to do something to change this impression. My trips to the dealer have all been great in terms of service, but I can't but imagine that BMW isn't getting some fairly nasty feedback from the service departments chock full of less profitable warrant repairs.

 

Any first year car (MC 2002) will have its fair share of bugs, some serious, but mostly minor and repairable. The J.P. Power survey for some reason gives a 2 ( out of 5) rating for the mechanical part, and I don't understand why. I will agree that the interior finish could use some "less cheap" material and I had my share of rattles and squeaks, but the trunk latch problem and seat levers were fixed.

I have not had any other problem withthe car and I've driven over 9000 miles in it. The fun factor is unbeatable and for all its 115 bhp, it's a zippy car for day to day use, both in the city and highways. I'm very satisfied. BMW-MINI should pay attention to our feedback and incorporate some recommended changes in their newer models to reflect the great price/performance value that the car represents.

 

Quite honestly I find difficult to believe the number of "problems" per 100 cars they site. A definition of "problem" should be included with the analysis, because I simply cannot believe that out of 100 Lexi they get 76 problems. If you assume one problem per car that would mean 76% of Lexi have a problem. And these are the best cars?

If they ask what you like and dislike about your car, that doesnt necessarily means it is a problem of the car. (I might answer I don´t like my windows because they roll too fast, but that isn´t a problem)

I also can´t believe that, for example a Mercury Sable has fewer problems than a Taurus. Both cars are pretty much the same and are built at the same place, they just change little things, so how come a Taurus be worse?

How about perceptions? There are general perceptions about some cars being excellent and others bad cars, which can be unjustified and lead people to judge their cars differently.

 

I got JD's survey a week after I got my MCS. I meant to fill it out but kinda forgot. Now I feel I contributed to the poor score.

 

When you consider that the rating is 166 per 100. You can equate that to 1.6 problems per car. When you consider the known issues -- cooling tank, cold start, and the aforementioned rattles, the odds are pretty good that a person is going to have at least one and fairly good they'll have two of those issues.

The hope for future owners is that MINI has fixed these problems and they won't be recurring problems or there never will be a sense of improvement.

I can say this about my personal experience with new cars. My first two new cars were both Honda Civics (a hatchback and a 94 EX coupe - a new model that year). I drove those two cars for a combined 190K miles when my lease ran out and I decided that it was criminal to drive a nice car in Washington DC so to prove my point I went out and bought a KIA. (That is the last time I do anything to prove a point). Within a month I had to make a unscheduled service stop. I had never been to a dealership for anything unscheduled. I never had a problem. Period. I was internally furious. A year later I was back in a Civic Si.

I know and expect to be making trips out to Sterling to have this car fixed. I understand the deal I am getting. On the plus side, I don't have to fill the boot with tools like the old timers have to.

Tom