I bought a 2009 Clubman S in October of 2008. We love the car and my wife is primary driver for very short commute to work. We have had an ongoing list of problems and have come to a point where I am very disgusted with this car and would never own one again. Here is a list of problems of which most where covered under warranty but regardless there is no excuse for needing this early in life of vehicle. Driver seat heater control module, timing chain @ 35K, water pump recall item, turbo charger at 41.5K, had coolant leak related to water pump issue, programming issue with controller for windows, thermostat housing leak at 41.6K. Also have been told transmission will probably go before 60K. Like I said its a great looking car but who needs all of these problems. I did not buy the extended warranty because in past I have never used it? You would think when you pay 37K for a vehicle it would at least last till paid for. If anyone is thinking about purchasing one I would reconsider. I want to sell it before it explodes in my driveway. Car has 41600 mile on it today and Mini will only give me 14K for a trade on it. So much for retaining value as it was put when I purchased it. If you do buy one be ready for a maintenance nightmare and would buy extended warranty had I known it was such a piece! I owe 4K on it and wanted to pay off and keep but cant afford with all the issues.

 

Sorry you have had so many issues. Hope your next car brings you more happiness.

 

Welcome and sorry about your crappy ownership experience. My 2 cents: sell it and buy a different brand. Best of luck.

 

Sorry man, a tough position to be in. Many of these cars are hit or miss, but I don't blame you one bit for being that frustrated. Hope you end up in a position to get rid of it and into something else that does work for u.

 

See ya'

 

Just paid 550.00 for thermostat housing! 2 weeks ago 895.00 for misc parts for turbo! Paid 37K for the car. total BS. Guess they are only supposed to last 30K miles. In my humble opinion this car is total crap box. Hope others are having better luck? Shitty warranty as well, if the car is going to fall apart that soon they should have a better factory warranty. They tell me the control module for the stereo is bad also but only effects the clock at this point, but will cost 1k dollars to replace.

 

Once upon a few times in my life, I've had some cars that were frustrating and expensive beyond belief. So much so, that I doubt I would ever buy another vehicle from the same manufacturer (even though I know I shouldn't base my view of an entire brand on my few experiences out of millions of vehicles produced).

I guess I could have gone around to the enthusiast sites for those brands posting about all my bad experiences. I chose instead to get rid of the vehicles, get something else, and get on with my life.

 

Intelligent and rational decision. Just this week I confessed to a fellow poster that I was going to buy a Mini despite all the negative reports I've seen here. Visiting here daily for two weeks to get a sense of what the owner community was talking about and mayhaps learn a thing or two about owner experiences, I am stunned at the number of horrific experiences that very dissatisified Mini owners are reporting.

My initial reaction was that everybody has gone thru a bad experience no matter the brand and that Mini was just having a bad stroke of luck with some of their models. But the sheer number of complaints, bad to horrific dealer experiences, very questionable warranty issues and the enormous expenditures by the owners once again has me asking why should I want to buy a Mini??. At some point the enthusiast community along with its testosterone driven extremists and those who are very thoughtful and helpful here have to take a self exam and ask themselves, what is going on with Mini? Why are these issues surfacing just in the two weeks that I have been lurking here? Are there others who are going through the same problems but are not reporting them here? I've seen a post that BMW is aware of what is going on but is afraid of tarnishing their image with recalls or service bulletins to dealers. If true, I believe that it is a big mistake.

Some very thoughtful people here have expressed their condolences to those who have had bad luck and some just basically thrown the finger to the person who is undergoing all this grief from their experiences. The rationale with the latter seems to be one of why are you whining on this board? I've had good luck with mine so screw you. Not very helpful. With all the experience and knowledge here, I would have thought that rather than blowing off the "whiner", that this community would be more helpful in trying to find answers to help those that come here for guidance. I know that states have arbitrators and lemon laws that can offer some relief to frustrated owners, but those aren't true solutions to the real issue and seldom do owners find much satisfaction there.

I believe that all people want is for their vehicle to perform as advertised. If it doesn't is should be repaired at no cost provided abuse was not an issue. If it isn't repaired after two tries, I believe its only fair for the manufacturer to replace the vehicle provided that there was no abuse. I also believe that if this were common practice we would have a lot of happy owners. Having unhappy owners can lead to what we have here on this board. Right now this is not a happy place, people are mad and it has divided the board into a Congressional-style free for all. Too bad.

 

Frustation sets in when you feel you wasted a bunch of money. Money is not easy to come by and I can understand that frustration.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience...MINIs are simply not made as well as they should be, and it's a crap shoot of whether or not you'll get one that doesn't have major problems like yours unfortunately did. I understand your frustration and indeed recommend selling it. I've also had many problems already (the same ones we've all seen many, many times on this and other forums), both major and minor, and don't want to pay out of my pocket for a bunch more after the warranty is gone, so I will sell it/trade it in before that. I come on the forum once every every blue moon to look for solutions to particular issues and/or to see what's new...and I just have to chime in when I see yet another post like yours.

It's such a damn shame because they're such fun cars to drive, and there's nothing else out there that's similar and performs as well/gets as great gas mileage/looks as good. Wish I had gotten one of the random "good ones", but I didn't...and unfortunately you didn't either.

 

1. Sorry to hear that you've had troubles.
2. You can buy an extended warranty until the original warranty runs out.
3. If you owe $4k and trade in is at $14k it is possible to sell and have at least $10k to put down on a new car. I would advertise it on the forum and Cars.com for private sale. That may be the best option.

 

And then I hear from owners who have not had any significant problems other than normal maintenance and some of them are 2008 and 2009 with >70k. No matter what you buy, you are taking a risk, every car has problems including Honda and Toyota. The only difference is that their owners aren't as passionate as MINI about their cars as we are. Streamlineelectric complaining about resale, look dealer offered you 14K is a fair number when he has to make a profit on reselling it especially when they know what they will have to put into it. Did you think about contacting MINI? I know that I would have especially since the car is just out of factory warranty.

 

Just wanted to say that I have an 08 with 160k miles. Not a typo.... I bought the extended warranty when new that took me to 100k miles. Have had tensioners replaced and chain/tensioner and rails at 99k. I replaced thermostat too. That was about it.

Sunroof wont open in hot weather. But otherwise, knock on wood, accessories work.

I was in process of de-carboning the valves when i effed up. Bent valves. Am in process of installing replacement head now. But, love the car and am happy that I was one of the lucky ones. Wish I saw more positive posts because this is a rocking fun car to drive.
Cheers,
John

 

they are and it is a great and fun car. Glad you have had a better experience! good luck with it!

 

Stream,
I'd be pissed too. We bougth a new 2012 last February. I read the forum's and was weary of buying one but the wife just would not give up on it. I'm OCD with my vehicles and I'm hoping the later model year is better than the earlier ones but who really knows? So far we have 9,500 care free miles without one trip to the dealer but I expect that in a new car. Time will tell for us. If I were you, I'd sell it and be done with it.

 

50Joe, That's what I am doing. Good luck with yours. My trouble started about 25K miles. In hind site I should of got the extended warranty but at 37K for the car I thought It would be OK. That's what I get for thinking I guess. Ive been told you can get a pretty good after market warranty for about 15K the dealer wants 25 for there's.

 

Very sorry to hear about your problems, but every make and model has lemons. I owned an '07 hardtop S, drove it to around 37K miles, then traded for a new Clubman in summer '09 - have 48K miles on it now. I bought extended maintenance plan (to 100K) on both. No major problems with either car - one minor engine issue with the Clubman which was repaired immediately. I love the cars and love the way my dealership, Baron in Kansas City, treats me. I'm a committed MINI lifer!

 

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I would say get rid of that car and get another car of your choice.

The only part i have had to replace is the Thermostat Housing. $112.00 plus an hours of my time, and now have 106,548 miles on her. Great little car.

 

dealer hosed me for 550.00 for thermostat housing pat alone was 175.00

 

Today I paid $620 for a new headlight unit for a Toyota Prius. It was necessary to get a state inspection form required for transfer of ownership. It doesn't matter what type of car you have; these things happen.

 

I have a 2009 cluman s. So far I've replaced thermostat housing. Had the car completely rewired ( it apparently was wired backwards ). Timing tensioner. Valve cover gasket. Ignition coils. And just this week my valve cover cracked and my timing chain is going out ( death rattle ). I've had the car less than a year
I'm not giving up....... but I'm getting close.

 

Im sick and tired of my clubman as well. Do yourself a favor and sell it privately and you will get much more than the dealer will offer you. My mini dealer offered me 8k less than blue book for my clubman and its riddled with problems. I dont trust the dealer anymore it seems like I take it there and it comes back and something goes wrong in seemingly no time.

 

We bought an 09 Clubman S in Nov of 08; my wife drives it primarily back and forth to work (60mi round trip); car now has 85000 on it and a lot seems to be going wrong; had it in the dealer to have a fender bender repaired and was told both strut towers are deformed and that that was not covered by our extended warranty; tried to argue that this is a weak design but no luck; now the clutch pedal is hitting something when depressed to find the bushings are worn out to the tune of $350+; have had to have the vehicle de-carbonized 3 times eventhou we run premium; we planned on keeping the car for a very long time hence the extended warranty but man where does it end; whoever is thinking of buying a MINI DON'T DO IT, YOU'LL BE DISSAPOINTED; no wonder Comsumer Reports rates MINI as one of the worst cars to purchase

 

I haven't had any problems with mine, it's been to the dealer twice, for it's free oil changes.

Dave

 

Holy anxiety attack.
I Bought a 09 Justaclubbie last Oct with 56k on the clock.
62K now.
Everything breaks down. ALL cars. Can you predict which ones?
Look at the Avalon problem Toyota had. I rather replace a thermo housings than go rocketing down the expressway at full throttle, out of control.
Speaking from over 30 years in the motorcycle, ATV, PWC, and Auto industry, people expect their stuff to run forever without maintenance.
Run it hard, put it away wet, then lie to the service advisor about the events leading up to the failure.
My Clubman is light years ahead in cool, handling, and most of all pride of ownership.
He hasnt broke down, leaked, hiccuped, or had any indication of problems. Yet.
I would say MINIs are about on par with the rest of Frances' best.