Hey folks

So i've been talking with Amanda from South Bay Mini - and will most likely be going in saturday for a test drive and possibly to place an order. As I read more into the threads here, however, it seems the reliability on the coopers and clubmans sucks. 4/10 on some major car sites - and it seems quite a few of you have issues with club doors, melting hood scoops, and other stuff that should not be a problem for a 30k(give or take) car.

Somebody convince me i'm doing the right thing by wanting/planning to get a clubman, and tell me I won't have these types of problems.

I don't know what else I like at the moment ,sans the bmw I series - and that has even LESS rear leg room.

This is a serious post, so help me out- tell me about your experiences with the clubman (s) and reliability, etc.

Obviously Mini takes care of the stuff before 50k miles, but what about after that? I drive a 2004 scion xb, and did not have ANY issues until my tranny died at around 90k, and that was in 2008 - seems the clubmans are having issues that need repair after 18k miles in some instances.

Thanks all for reading this. Hope to see you all at meet-n-greets soon 'n stuff.

Jeff

 

I ordered a Clubman which is due to set sail to America sometime this week. I'm in the same boat as you. My wife wanted the Clubman for its style and uniqueness. We considered a Honda Fit but honestly it was about as interesting as my 2001 Ford Focus.

The Minis do seem plagued with complaints. I have owned Dodges and Fords and I'd say they appear to put Mini to shame as far as reliability. I had some GMs which had a bunch of problems. It really seems though that you either get a lemon or you don't with the Minis. Some people have no problems and some have alot. Funniest one I read about today was cosmoline (heavy grease) seeping out from under the hood on hot days. What the hell? I thought cosmoline was only used by the Chinese to pack SKS rifles in :-)

 

Jeff, tomorrow marks my first anniversary of owning a Clubman. It turned 19K miles on the commute home tonight.

It's all been good, no issues what so ever. Well, maybe a rattle or two but the dealer fixed that during the service last week. It now sounds like the day I drove it home.

As for the 50K warranty, note that you can extend it if you feel the cost is justified.

It has been a great experience, a decision I'm glad I made. If you pull the trigger I hope it works out as well for you as it has for me.

 

My take it this (and mind you I have not had my Clubman for very long.) Are there better "deals" in terms of reliability and maybe initial build quality out there... sure. Go buy a Honda.
Are you going to find a car that has the same emotional appeal and driving experience as the MINI does at this price point... I think that is a tougher find. I do think that the MINI suffers from a symilar issue to what VW fights with on the GTI... Expectations. The MINI (even the justacooper) is a tightly tuned performance minded car. That is not to say that is a pure sports car but it is closer to a sports car than it is to a transportation car (ie a Civic.) Because of that, it is safe to assume that there will be more issues than one would expect with a tranportation car.
Also, with the Clubman, this is still a pretty new car and there are still those new car bugs to be worked out (especially with some of the inovative approaches taking in the design if the Clubman.)
I personally will take the good with the bad anyday because for me I get a charge every time I even walk up to my car let along take it for a spin.

 

That's comforting to know - how much does the extended warranty cost? Also, are the horror stories true of the $300 oil changes at dealers once the warranty is up?

Thanks for posting.

jeff

Edit: Thanks TallMini too! (you both posted at the same time apparently)

 

I've had my Clubman for almost a year and a half now and I've had absolutely no problems with it yet. None of the doors stick, the car doesn't leak fluids, and there has been no rattling at all. I have read posts on this site about issues with the club doors and whatnot, but they all seem like very minor problems that have easy solutions. You're getting an excellent car for your money with Clubmans in my opinion.

 

No problems with ours, 12K miles about 9 months old. We love it. We have never had a vehicle that the people who own them love them so much.

 

If you look at Consumers Reports, you are looking at thousands of respondents to a survey on reliability. The Mini does very well in this regard on reliability, scoring 'average' since 2002, and way above average since the new generation of 2007. 2008 Clubmans have the very highest rating so far, although there have been more issues with the S.
My own sample (which became part of the CR data) has been great. 17k miles and over a year and no issues. So, don't let it stop you. These are great cars!

 

Yes. I checked out Consumer Reports before buying (then I'd been doing research for years) and since the new gens came out the reliability ratings went up. They're not the highest rated in reliability, but as TorchMini says they got above average ratings and if you look at their guide that puts them up there pretty high.

As I said, I did a ton of research on the car before actually buying. Just about everything I read I found be to true. Within reason of course.

If all you're looking for is reliability, then go for something else. If you're looking for a unique package, go for the Clubman. I wanted I care I knew I wouldn't get sick of because of a design change in 3-4 years when the new gens came out. Here were my reasons for getting a Mini:

-design
-fuel economy
-fun to drive (and boy is it)
-handling (can't wait to test Pep out in the snow)
-resale value (look at used Mini listings or even at your local dealer and you might find a deal here or there, but we're talking one or two - I get a better deal getting a new one off the lot)
-reliability (since it improved with the new gens)

For me I feel as though I got a great combination of things I was looking for. I didn't even want to look at other cars. IMO I have the coolest car you can buy today, and I'm talking all cars.

 

Hello,

My clubman is 16 months old, with 41k kms. We have had a few issues with the car:

1. Window dipper issues. Fixed by dealer.
2. Sun roof issues. Sometimes it would not open if hot, and it did get stuck open once. Dealer replaced it and gave a demo car while it was being fixed.

That is about it. Mine was the first car delivered in our area, so it certainly is an early car, and I have heard of some updates/improvements.

Am I happy... you bet. It has been a great car, fun to drive, and I want to get another one. It has been a great community and personalizing the car has been a treat too. One thing to remember is when you buy a MINI, it's not just a car, it's a lifestyle :P.

Other people in our local club have had issues as well (mostly the same as mine), but rarely have the issues resulted in a non-drivable vehicle. So I would say go for it, and enjoy the ride!

 

South Bay MINI charges $175 for an oil change. They even charged me to fill up my wiper fluid too (like $3). So they're pretty expensive. The only upshot is, you get a base 3-series rental from enterprise.

 

Can't reply on the Clubman - I've only had mine one month. But the MCS I traded in was 5 years old. In 62,000 miles it went through 3 windshields (all covered with $0. deductible by insurance), the power steering pump cooling fan (under warranty), some tires, and a set of rear brakes. The driver's side window had a couple issues but the dealer fixed them early.

I couldn't have been happier with it.

 

We've had our Clubman for 14 months..love it...love it...
Miles are 25,000..fixed the sidedoor during an oil change.
Just put a new decal on sun roof. (wait till you see it at MITM4)
Hope to buy another one soon..Paid for xtra oil change $94.00

 

Stick with your ricer! j/k

Seriously, change your own oil (we have a guide here with the proper lubricants listed, and cheap sources to MINI branded filters) after the freebies, and it will be no more expensive to do so than any other car, using the same quality materials. As to reliability, I'm almost to 30K (coming tomorrow on the commute home), and will schedule my final freebie oil change for next week (maybe Wed. the first, if I see a spot on their calender..yes, I choose my appointment time, how cool is that!?!). I'll have them lube the sunroof, which has stuck closed several times, quickly resolved by giving it some 'assist'. Otherwise, it has been a fun, flawless experience...and I can't think of another brand I would have more faith in, based on my experience. Like already said, if the potential bugs bugs you, insure yourself against it by extending your warranty, and motor in happiness.

Yes, 30K in 10 months!

 

From what I've been reading about the new Mini's is that they do alot better than the first gen BMW Mini... I can't say much about it though because I only own a 77 Mini...

Just wondering, what happened to the tranny in your xB? I've got an 06 xB too...

 

I am at 36k in 11 months. Only issues I had were timing chain rattle, sunroof and adjustment of door latches as they became hard to open from the outside for my kids. All items addressed during 1st oil change visit under warrany. I change my own oil in between freebies. takes 10 minutes tops.
Sunroof is still an issue, not sure of resolution.
Otherwise, been flawless and a BLAST to drive.
Go for it, i suspect the concerns of reliability are excessive.
Cheers,
John

 

We've had our JustaClubman about 8 months, around 8000 miles. Recently did an in-between oil change. Not one single issue has come up so far.

 

You're beating me on the miles! If only I hadn't vacationed so much this Spring!

Let me know how they(MINI) handles your final freebie...I just realised I may be beyond 30K when I finally get around to it, and hope they don't gimme any grief! I may look into extending warranty myself...but typically the payout isn't justified on these more reliable models...now if this were a bimmer....

 

Oh Jeff..one more thing: We have quite a few great reports about Amanda here, so please include your experience...and another thing (I lied): test drive BOTH a Justa (especially in Sport Mode around town, freeway onramps,etc.) and then the S...you may discover the extra cost and mileage hit may not be worth it, and avoid a hoodscoop altogether. Oh lastly (I'm just a liar all around): If you do get a MINI, I hope you change your ID.

 

I'm at 4 months / 4K miles, already had to use Roadside once to get the car towed back to the dealer (belt tensioner pulley blew up, chewed up the belt and damaged other pulleys).

I owned 2 Scions myself (tC and xD) and ex-girlfriend has an '06 xA. Both tC and xA got new manual transmissions (xA was screwed up from day one and is not that great now, tC was supercharged, so it's almost normal for the transmission to start acting up).

So all in all MINI is not doing that well in reliability department, but I hope that pulley issue will be the last glitch until I sell it 3 years from now - I will not keep a MINI past warranty.

 

I just had a 128i loaner while my new Clubman was getting some after-delivery adjustments... i was SO GLAD to be rid of that 128 it wasn't funny. Once I saw them pull Oxley up so i could go home, I was giddy all over again!

you won't regret it.

 

I bought mine mid April 2008 and now have about 14K miles. Here's my list of issues or concerns:

1. Oil changes - I paid the dealer to do mine at about 5K ($130), then got the second one free after a year went by (11K). And they didn't reset the service interval so I will get another free change at 18K. Otherwise, I will continue to pay for extra ones myself and try to keep it changed every 5-6K miles.
2. Window dipper issues - first re-initialization lasted a week, second time lasted a month. Third time must have been the charm, it's been OK since and was not enough trouble to return to the dealer except for oil or other issues.
3. After the first few week I noticed a front window pillar plastic molding cover did not fit right, and the front inner wheel liners were trimmed too short and did not fit right - both fixed at first dealer visit
4. Missing driver door lower rubber molding that a lot of early Cubmans had - paid $17 and just put it on myself.
5. Door sills started coming unglued after 6 months, dealer replaced for free with ones that have upgraded glue

That's about it - everything else working perfectly. SO, basically I'm out about $150 so far, but been back to the dealer 4 times, so if you are far away from yours you might consider that.

Then there are a few annoyances:

1.The car (at least a stick) needs to be driven with the SPORT button on all the time to work well - but you have to push it down every time you re-start,
2. The seatbelt buckles catch between the seat and door - just a pain
3. Mini's come with some sort of anti-corrosive stuff that's between the metal pannels under the hood and in the door jams - which oozes out over time and requires frequent cleaning
4. The black plastic/rubberish components around the outside of the car (wheel well covers, moulding, etc) get wax on them and tough to clean
5. Mini's have serious brake dust - every car wash requires a lot of time on the wheels to look good
6. If you get run-flats and pick up a nail, the dealers won't fix them due to liability issues - need to find a tire shop with a run-flat mounting machine, most will patch if the nail is not on the side walls

and...it is too easy and too much fun to drive fast and I find myself way over the limit all the time (ouch!)

But the cars are a hoot - just get one and enjoy, and with the resale value and gas savings, if you decide you don't like it, you won't be out that much anyway.

 

2 The seatbelt issue is easily remedied. Just push up the plastic piece on the belt itself. I had that issue until I watched the owner's video.

 

25K on our 08 Just passing the 1-year mark. Worst problem was the old window dipper problem, which wasn't that bad; we lived with it for about 2 months (since it was winter) until first service. Other than that it's perfect. Our 03 Civic that came before it had far more problems. +1 on changing your own oil.

 

What is the window dipper problem?