Hello, I am thinking about getting a Mini as my next car and I have a couple of questions.

Is there any downsides to getting the turbo version?
Does it cost more to maintain, or have any reliability issues?
Second will a turbo engine last as long as a normally aspirated engine?

Thanks in advance.

Mark

 

Downside? Fuel mileage, tickets...

Cost? Shouldn't. Reliability? Don't know yet, but it's under warranty for 4 years or 50K miles...

Last? Probably not. Especially if you only follow Mini's stupidly long oil change intervals. I mean you are making more power for the same basic engine, it's gotta wear more...

 

I'd be happy to lease a car with a turbo. I'd never buy a MINI, or any car, with a turbo unless I had deep pockets.

 

I'm not worried the least bit. All cars have failure points. My Audi allroad has TWO turbos, an air adjustable suspension, parking sensors, front and rear heated seats, etc. It's a swiss army knife of a car. I've had it since 2002. I've not gotten my money back on the extended warranty yet.

If you're worried about mechanical failures, then never keep a car past its manufacturer's warranty or get an extended warranty and/or don't mod.

 

Mine has 58k on it so far. At this point, on the engine I've had a bad heat exchanger and a chain tensioner replaced. Both were covered under warranty. Neither problem left me stranded. I fully expect the engine to last for a long time.

 

You can get great mileage out of the turbo motor its just very difficult and not very fun. The major thing is the turbo burning out which is going to happen, it just takes awhile.

 

New turbo installations such as the MINI have corrected alot of the causes for premature turbo failures of older turbo cars. Bearing housings are now water cooled and the S even has a little water pump that automatically continues to pump coolant through the bearing housing for about 5 minutes after engine shutdown. Couple this with the synthetic oils which are much better suited for turbo applications than the non synthetic oils of the past.

I love the strong pull and torque that the MINI S produces just off idle speed. To me the extra fun of the S is more than worth any additional mechanical risks. I will keep my MINI while it is under warranty (50 k miles) and either buy a new one or look at an extended warranty.

If you buy a certified preowned MINI (they call it NEXT) the waranty is for 6 years or 100,000 miles - better coverage than a brand new one.

Drive both the S and a just-a-cooper and then decide which best fits your driving style. There was never any question to me after pushing the go pedal on the S

 

Normally asperated engines just plan *** SUCK!!!!........LOL

 

I've got a 2004 Allroad 2.7TT Tip, and from reading the forums you can get scared to death. However, our Audi also has been mostly trouble free. I did have to replace the front airbags tho....

I bought an S, and the only suggestion I would have is to echo the former poster who said change the oil more often. I change mine about twice what MINI thinks it should go, or about every 7,500 miles. For no more than it costs, it's cheap insurance. With 4 years and 50K of miles of warranty in which to fail on their dime, I'm not worried about it. That's not to say any car can't have a problem, but I don't think having a turbo is cause for concern over not having one. Buy the car you like, service it properly and enjoy it!

 

I agree with jujucooper that the turbo engine is lease material. Of course it is a simple matter of risk... a gamble. Some notorious pitfalls of the MINI turbo engine are:

- the high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) a $1200 ordeal yet to be solved after 4 years of tinkering
- the intake manifold, which apparently still freezes up in the winter after two revisions and added ports
- carbon build-up in the injectors or cylinder heads
- chain tensioner leading to the cold-start rattle, although I have yet to read of a 2010 (or later) with this problem, so there is hope

MINI is buying back my MCS after one intake manifold and two HPFP replacements and I am (reluctantly) moving to a normally aspirated MC following the advice of someone inhouse to stay away from the turbo...

My MCS has taught me quite a lesson on turbo engines... fun second cars, but if you want power and reliability there's no replacement for displacement.

If you chose the MCS, one thing is sure, you will have fun. I just hope you have better luck than I did.

 

Buy a turbo or buy a normally aspirated engine. My Prius is faster.
If you are going to beat the crap out of the car, well everything fails. If it fails prematurely, you have to ask whether it is your driving methods or the turbo. I have never had a turbo of any car fail me. Change your oil every 5K.

 

I would never buy or drive a non-turbo Mini...my 08 Prius was faster.

I'm getting close to 40mpg with my S....the motor is fine with seafoam and 5000 miles oil changes....its the god damn squeeks and rattles....jesus...my corvettes (C5, C6) were quieter!!

 

My Mini is new, so I can't say if it's turbocharger will last, but My Volvo has a turbo engine with over 180000 miles on it, never any turbo problems. My Ford truck has 220000 miles on its original turbocharger.

People come to this site looking for solutions to their mechanical problems, so it could seem that these cars are not reliable. People just don't post messages about how their car has been trouble free for years.

Dave

 

+1,

not sure why there is so much fear of a turbo on this thread? -sure you can look for horror stories and find them, yet I'd bet that it's a very very small percentage of users that have had issues w/ their turbos.

My Porsche has a turbo that is 30 years old and it is still putting out about 1.1bar (or 18lbs) of boost, -and is very very strong and in great shape.

 

+1+1 Totally agree. People love to complain about this or that, but overall that car is reliable is reasonably cared for and maintained. Yes, I agree it is a small percentage of MINIs out there. Enjoy and don't worry.

 

I've owned 3 turbo charged Kawasaki Motorcycles, and 2 turbocharged Saabs. I've been driving turbo charged vehicles since 1978. I've replaced 1 turbo on a Saab due to dealer error on a routine mileage inspection. My current, non-leased, Mini is a turbo.
If you own a car, or motorcycle, with a turbo, change the oil often. I don't care what the owner's manuals states. Oil is cheap, turbos are not.
If you suspect that the turbo is blown. Get it checked out, reparied or replaced. Most turbos are essentially a bolt on replacement part,and as long as OEM spec'd parts are used, replacment is not a difficult job, although some ECU work may be needed to be performed by the dealer.
The larger problem of driving a car with a blown turbo is the effect on oil viscosity, roll off and breakdown. The blown turbo can overheat the oil and take out the top end of the motor, heads and valves. Now an expensive dealer fix, just became a really expensive dealer fix.

A properly maintained turbocharged vehicle is every bit as reliable as a non turbo version. Turbo's, and their technology, are not new.

 

Ever owned a Subaru Turbo? My 21 year old son and his friends are living testimony, they can't kill his 2005 Impreza STI. I also have a Turbo version of their Forester, never any problems and loads of power.

I love turbo powered cars. If my 2008 MCS does not provide the reliability of my Subaru's I probably will not ever buy from MINI or BMW again. The cost of these cars are high and we deserve a quality product.

 

Our 2010 Cooper takes 8.5 seconds to get to 60 mph. Our 2010 Prius II takes 10.2.

 

Throw some twisties in there and tell me how that Prius looks.... The MINI never has been a drag car.

 

My first two MINIs were Coopers because I didn't want the problems associated with the Cooper S's supercharger or turbo. I finally drank the Koolaid after some MINI runs in the Colorado high country where forced induction is a big plus. I had great times in my Coopers and loved what they could do but the Cooper S is a whole other story. To get serious, if I had to rely on my MINI for everyday driving and rarely did any sport driving, especially in high altitude/hill country driving, I'd get a Cooper. For sport driving, I'd only get a Cooper S and eat what ever expense it throws at you after the warranty/extended warranty ends.

 

Ask and you shall receive

 

All new Minis have direct injection, which means HPFP and carbon build up. Isn't just turbos.

 

I've driven the snot outa my R56 Cooper. I'm a big fan of high revs and must have redlined it five to ten times a day for the past 3 years. Now that's with all the mods you can come across for an R56 N12 aside from forced induction. After a complete teardown of the top end at 50 & 100k everything looks clean. No carbon buildup,no valve deposits,no compression loss,no excess tensioner play,nothing that indicates to me this engine won't last another 100k+ which Is wonderful since my much younger teenage family members will be driving it in the near future. So is the turbo engine reliable? I can't say for sure but I do know the NA engine is

 

Link isn't working for me...

We have had turbos in various cars for a while and I have yet to have a problem. We have a Forester XT (2004) right now which has had 0 turbo issues. Probably won't be the last turbo we buy either.....

 

I have a BRG 2007 MCS and love the car. Turbos have been in use for so long now, with little problems. Get used to them - they'll be the choice of manufacturers to wring both performance AND economy from our future cars.

The problem with turbocharged cars lies behind the wheel - the steering wheel. Many turbos are flogged by over-enthusiastic owners just because they can "whomp it up". Then they post their tales of woe on forums. Maintain your car properly, and drive it responsibly. Using the turbo liberally is fine, but do it responsibly, and don't play "boy-racer" wherever you go. I love the stories of MELTING hood scoops - talk about abusing the turbo!!!!

Any car which is abused will give up the ghost much quicker than one well cared for. These cars are pricey - over priced actually, so unless you like throwing money away, take care of your investment and you'll enjoy it for a long time.

And yes, if you read forums to find a completely reliable car, you'll NEVER buy ANY car. Forums, by nature, are full of horror stories. My wife has a '99 Beetle turbo, and if you follow the forums, you'd think the cars are ticking time bombs. Her car has been remarkably reliable, and VERY cheap to operate.