I have 21,000 miles on this car. So far the satelite radio, clutch and fly wheel, brakes, washer jets, and a lot of other small stuff have been replaced. Oh and the tires need replaced at my expense. As long as the dealer keeps fixing without charging me its all good. I was told that my clutch showed signs of hot spots indicative of abuse and that they would replace this one time as a courtesy. Hope I dont need a new clutch every year.
I am disappointed that I am having so many problems, thought I was buying a BMW quality car. Not some cheap made low cost vehcile. A 32,000 mini copper ! How can this car be a top autocross challenger if you cant drive it aggressively ? And the truth is I havent drove this car aggressively. Its my wife's car. I have a 350Z that I drive enthusiasticaly, never had any issues, its a 2006 and has had nothing replaced and the tires are still good. I aggressively autocross with it also. Same price new. I think its time for me to change. I went with this import becaused I believed it was a better quality. My next car will definitely be an American car.

 

"My next car will definitely be an American car." Unless it is an american made Honda don't do it. If you wanted a BMW you should have bought a BMW. Just because they are designed by someone, it doesn't mean the BUILD QUALITY is on par, maybe you got a pre-contract model? U know, disgruntled assemblers pissed at the world bcause they aren't getting what they want.
BMW has gone in, kicked some a$$ and straightened things out.

 

Your definitely right Build quality and materials are cheap as can be. Even the door handles are plastic. And guess what if a door handle breaks its due to abuse, and will not be covered under warranty. A plastic door handle can not break by its self.
I dont think my problems are isolated incidents. I think they are more common than what you see people posting here.
Please alert people that these are cheap made vehciles and are in no way comparable to BMWs. Instead of wasting 32,000 on a mini, buy a dodge neon and fix it up.

 

I don't understand, if your 350Z has been bulletproof so far, why would you go domestic?

It sounds like you enjoy autocrossing. I would take a look at the 2010 Mazdaspeed3 (hot hatch and sleeper in one). If your wife can live without a backseat, Miata handles quite well also.

 

Yes, I do enjoy fine automobiles. I am not as upset as my texts probably sound. I believe the mini cooper clubman 2008 was a cheaply made vehcile and wont last. Time will prove this. But I am optimistic that it can be improved. Hopefully your 2009 will be a better quality. Other than jeeps I havent purchased a domestic vehcile in a long time. The reason was maybe a disillusionment on my part that the domestic quality was inferior to the imports. But when I see quality being sacrificed for profit by import car manufacturers I am having second thoughts on domestic vehciles. Why pay top dollar for a cheaply made car ? For the money I spent on this clubman I could have bought a cadillac. But that really isnt a fair comparison. Totally two different animals.

 

Well pleased with the excellent quality of my domestics, for what it's worth.

Zero problems in 72,000 miles on those two. Crossing my fingers I can have the same success with our Mini.

 

I got my 2008 Clubman right as they were brought to California and I've had absolutely no problems with it. It seems like yours was just a dud. It's not really fair of you to assert that the 2008 Clubmans are cheaply made when they aren't.

 

I hope you dont have the problems I have had. But if you do I hope they happen during your warranty period. Should be 4 years/50k miles. Remember me and send me a post after 1 year and tell me what you think then. You should not have to drive the mini like its a fragile piece of glass. Which is how I feel about mine now after 1 year.

 

Research the clutch, fly wheel, brakes, satelite radio. I dont think I am alone with these problems I have experienced. Problems have been fixed but for how long considering they used the same substandard parts. More people are having these issues than are posting here. Do you think the plastic door handles are quality ? They do look nice. If it doesnt happen during your warranty period I would be saving some money. Sorry for my negativity. Hope you continue to have zero problems. Good luck.

 

If my MINI turns out to be a troublesome car (POS) like you indicate yours is, I'll jump into a GTI.

 

runninbeer, I definitely think you should sell your MINI and buy a Chrysler or GM made car.............of course, very few of them are made in the USA anymore, compared to most Toyotas, most Hondas, most Mitsubishi's, all the BMW X cars and Z cars, and so on.

The idea of what a "domestic" car is has changed considerably in the last 20 years, you should catch up next chance you get.

How exactly do you "research" the clutch, satellite and other problems you refer too? By going to a fan site and reading how many people start threads about these problems? That should give you a sample rate of what, .000001% compared to the number of cars on the road and the number of people who buy and own them and never visit an MINI site? Not exactly statistically accurate is it?

"My car had this problem and three other people posted that they did too, so therefore all MINIs will have this problem and they're all pieces of crap"

 

You really dont want to know because this is your pride and joy: Search for Luk clutch. Use Google or this web site. You will find a ton of information. I see many threads on this site where dealers are citing operator abuse and not honoring warranty claims. Mini is well aware of the problems associated with Luk clutches. Cost estimate to replace approximately 2,000.00 each car. Also search for mini cooper clubman class action law suit and see what comes up. And the fact that this is a trendy car and a fan site. Many people are offended that someone might criticize their favorite car. Hey dont feel bad that you bought a cheap vehcile for top dollar. So did I. And as I have stated in a previous post all of my problems have been fixed by the dealer, no cost to me. Thanks.

 

Not at all, I have owned 3 Cooper S and I know the shortcomings. However I take issue with people coming to the site and proposing that all of "X" cars have a problem, when the sample size is 3 or even 10 or even *gasp* 20 cars, when there are well over 500,000 on the road.

I don't like that our MINIs have problems, and I don't deny that things can and do go wrong, but the few posting you see here or even from Googling do not accurately represent a trend, or even a micro-trend.

For example. if you can prove that 20% of all Cooper S from a specific year have had their clutch replaced due to burning or excessive wear that can't be attributed to any specific part - then you may have something - and maybe not.

But to come to any site, whether a fan site or not, and suggest that because your car has had these problems all the owners of a similar car should "watch out!" and start class action suits and post their troubles here and so on is well............irresponsible.

Post the facts, post your opinions for sure, but keep the unsubstantiated rhetoric out please.......

The fact that your first post included the observation "how can this car be a top autocross challenger" tells me that you don't use your car the way a "normal" person would. If you're going to race your car, you have to accept the consequences of your actions.

BTW, don't you consider your 350Z an "import"? Your post makes it sound like within your stable of cars, you consider the MINI a cheaply made import. If you recall, the first gen 350Z had well reported problems with their front ends and tire wear, doesn't that make them a cheaply made import too?

 

You rock Mini Dave !

I still want to know why they are failing - whats "breaking" as others have put it? If the clutch is smoking, it's because it's slipping, and if it's slipping that means it's not being released all the way, either because the driver is holding it down a bit, or something else is (linkage? bad motor mount? boiling cutch fluid? IDK)

I wonder about the design, only because every manual MINI I've driven (loaners from the dealer and such) have all released at the very top of the pedal travel, not somewhere in the middle as you'd expect.


I can see MINI kicking back a clutch repair if the driver burned it out, but how do you prove or disprove that fact? Seems to me that the driver should have the benefit of the doubt and they should look more closely at a car with a bad clutch to see what really caused it before simply assigning guilt to the owner/driver.......

 

After some serious thinking. I have decided to end the mini cooper clubman. Rest in Peace.. What I have seen posted thoughout this form are posts that deny any thing other than an outstanding vehcile. I question the motives of people who attack someone for trying to find a solution to a problem. The service manger lost by business by telling me they would replace the clutch, this one time as a courtesy. When in fact I know something other than driver error was at fault. The magnitude of the problems with the 2008 S clubman MT are huge. I have spent many hours reading the complaints. I understand discrimination, some will get their problem fixed under warranty, others dont. Its the root of all evil.

 

Runninbeer, I agree Minis can be a hand full of problems, my 07 was one of those Minis but then my 08 is just about perfect going on 9,000 miles. Minis are sold as premium vehicles and the SAs are quick to point out BMW owns Mini but we all know they're somewhat cheap and subject to more problems than normal. Look at this years Initial Quality Survey, it put Mini at the very bottom of the the list. Mini executives then laughed it off and said Mini owners like having those problems, that's what makes a Mini a Mini . To be honest, that's what makes a Mini and Mini, all those "quirks". Every morning when I start my Mini I don't know what to expect, will it start, will some warning flag pop up, will the death chatter come up, will the windows roll down by themselves, will the bonnet latch not work, who knows but I know this, as long as the car runs it's the funnest car I have ever driven! Once you're unhappy with the car then it's time to get rid of it, any little thing will bug you and keep you awake at night. Don't come here telling us the car is crap because we already know it is and we love it that way because it's a Mini...

 

Look at Consumer Reports, Mini quality is above average in almost all areas and excellent in many areas for 2008 and 2009 models. Initial quality ratings are pretty meaningless these days because all brands have so few problems in actual numbers compared to cars even 5 years ago. I'll take Consumer Reports which has a very large base of data as a much more reliable source of what the quality is. Not saying you can't have a lemon because all brands have them.

 

Actually data is for 2007 and 2008 and Hatchback and Clubman are both rated either excellent or above average while the convertible is average.

 

I don't see anyone attacking you, I do see some strong refutions of your assertion that all these cars are crap, just because you had a problem with yours - that the dealer fixed under warranty. Now you're assuming predjudice of some sort? The MINI is the root of all evil? Going a little off topic there, aren't you?

I said it before, perhaps you will be happier with something else and I wish you luck with that.

I also still wonder what the real reason is that some of these clutches fail......

I don't understand why you got upset with your service guy for telling you he wouldn't do a questionable repair again for free. He DID give you the benefit of the doubt. If he found no problem with the clutch the first time, what should he conclude if you drive up in a short time with another one smoked? I know what my first guess would be....

At any rate, I think it's good to come and ask questions at a forum, it's not so good to make sweeping generalizations based on only your experience. But you came in guns blazing, and some people quietly tried to point out how you might be mistaken.........that's all.

 

yeah my POS that I've beat on for 28,000 has been in the shop so much for...

oh wait it hasn't been in for anything except the free service....

thems the breaks

 

Sorry mini dave. For not spelling it out for you. Your rhetoric makes me think you have something to lose. Maybe your resale valve will decrease by X amount of these postings of dissatisfaction with the clubman ? Or maybe your a dealer in these cars or a paid disputer of facts by mini ? I have read all your posts and I am surprized by you. Most people post positively on these forms, and try to offer solutions, but you have a long documented history of attacks.....The want of money is the root of all evil, not the mini. But you already knew that.

 

I would count myself very lucky if the dealer gave me a free clutch after I abused it. Spare us your buyers remorse, and move along.

 

I passed a broken down newer mini on the highway yesterday. No driver just sitting on the side of the highway. It was symbolic to me. Call it like you see it. I didnt have buyers remorse until I realized I had made a bad decision. First 6 months I thought the car was awesome. It sucks to come to the conclusion that you made a mistake. The question is how do I cut my loses and move on?

 

How do you cut your losses? You already lost, it comes with buying any new car, the minute you drove off the lot you lost money. Sell it or trade it in on a cookie cutter car, perhaps you'll be a happy man then.

 

Just Leave !
"There must 50 ways to leave your lover"