Hi daflake
Why do you want to know who i am? Im just a guy from long beach ca. And i once own a MINI cooper. Does my name sounds familiar? My user id is my name without the numbers.

 

My point was that you have a whopping 22 posts yet you felt the need to come on here to say goodbye. It is kind of like that neighbor that you never met coming over to say they are moving. What is the point?

 

The guy has a right to speak his mind about his ownership experience. I really don't care how many posts he has. I realize that most of the time we hear nothing but negatives, but it is a DISCUSSION forum.

 

Most of the negatives are just people coming here to vent, though. Hell, in my book, one positive post among 10 negatives is a win.

 

Yes, yes it is... However, in all of my time being on the Internet I always find it amusing that the people that don't contribute are the ones to come on here to say goodbye. So I asked who he is and why he feels the need to come say goodbye to a community that he provided nothing to and nobody really knows.

Like you said, it is a DISCUSSION.

 

Hi daflake. I came to this forum to say goodbye and to say THANK YOU to everyone that helped and shared their knowledge and experience for the people that doesnt know anything about these cars. Like me i didnt know anything about this cars but thank NAM and the members i learned a lot. If youre sharing you shouldnt expect anything in return and if you dont appreciate the fact that i said thank you to everyone for sharing their knowledge and if thats how you treat people that are learning and couldnt share anything in this forum because of lack of knowledge then i think you are being selfish and i dont think you belong to this type of forums cause theres a lot of members here that dont know anything about the car and in need of help from people that arewilling to help and doesnt expect anything in return.

 

LOL, that is fine and your opinion. I didn't say that you had to contribute. I simply said that out of the 22 posts you had, you felt the need to say goodbye. Once again, it is like that neighbor that you never knew coming by to say so long. I am more than willing to share any knowledge that I have on these cars with anyone. I just find it amusing that only the people with a low post count come by to say thank you and goodbye!

 

I think kind of a point daflake is pointing out in a tangent is that maybe your experience could have been different if you were a bit more active here. As previously mentioned, "death rattle" is normally associated with the turbo engines. Transmission issues could have been remedied with a fluid change or somehow diagnosed otherwise. And really, many times it's better to come to the community of fellow MINI owners here and ask before you take the word of a dealership as gospel (if that's what in fact you did).

A good case in point is the HPFP issue. It seems that service areas at dealerships are struggling with diagnosing this the first time, and throwing various other fixes on it which they feel is best. But sometimes only owner experience can really clarify the problem.

If you ask for help, you get help here. And maybe your ownership experience would have been a lot more different if you did ask and were more active. For example, maybe that banging 1st gear was a huge issue, maybe not with proper care and maintenance.

I'm not taking anything away from what you or others have said about the general reliability of this car. It is definitely no Toyota. However, if you go into MINI ownership with this expectation and are willing to know your car a little bit better than a Toyota (which is basically turn the key and go), the rewards of ownership far exceed any appliance car on the road. In any case, good luck with your Toyota, and if you decide to come back hopefully your second experience with MINI will be very different than the first time around.

 

Ding ding ding, we have a winner! Yes, I am being a jerk (I know I am), but the point was two fold. One, I see no reason for him to come say goodbye, thank you maybe, but not goodbye. Two, if he was more active here and posted his issues, we could have helped with that just like you pointed out.

Lastly, I am totally serious when I say that it is strange that only people that don't participate on the forum come to say goodbye. We had a guy on M2 that had a whopping 2 posts start one of those threads. Nobody even knew who he was and he never attended any events. Why do this? Do these people feel like they must say goodbye for a reason? It is just strange to me.

 

Obviously i'm new here too, but i just wanted to say that my parents own a 2006 Nissan Sentra SE with 60k miles on it and the transmission was already replaced at 50K.

What i'm saying is, just cuz it's a Nissan (or Toyota, Honda, etc) doesn't mean it won't have problems. Every car maker has its issues. Don't you remember the massive Toyota recall? My 2000 Honda Prelude had it's tranny replaced at 90k. When i hit 180K, it started going again. I had to get rid of it, but it was still a great car and i still love and miss it. I hope my ClubmanS doesn't give me any major issues, but i'll cross that bridge if i get there. That's not going to make me say Mini as a whole makes sub par automobiles.

Either way, good luck with your new xB. I wanted the 1st gen xB, but these 2nd Gens look ugly to me. Sorry

 

Well, it's understandable that a large portion of posts will be people with problems. Not everyone likes to just talk cars and will only post when they've got a question or an issue with their car. Or, some get their fill just talking about their car in the beginning and return when they have issues or questions. And still some are just lurkers who prefer to mostly read rather than post.

What I find kind of funny is that when somebody posts that they have issue with their Mini, that those who have a problem free car take it like it's some personal attack or insult to them or their car. It'd be nice if all the cars that BMW rolled out of the plants were trouble free, but they aren't. Understand that some of us are frustrated because we either spent a good chunk of cash on these cars or that they were just recently purchased and already have problems. After fighting with dealers and mechanics and spending more money, like somebody already mentioned, we're venting. It's nothing personal against this forum, the people who post on it, and certainly nothing to do with your cars. For me, I'm pissed at BMW/Mini who refuse to have recalls for serious problems (like the timing chain) and then won't make good on the repairs when serious damage happens. And I'm pissed that I had to unload a car that I had every intention of keeping in the family for a long time.

I only found this forum after I had ordered and purchased my car and I wish I had found it sooner. Because it was here that I found out about all the issues and frankly, it would have made me think twice about ordering. Yes, people here are extremely helpful with posting things like service bulletins, prices, what dealers they like and where to go for possible out of warranty work. And trust me, there are a lot of lurkers who like to mostly just read rather than post, so post count isn't an indication of how often they are or aren't here or their dedication to the brand. Also, some people simply don't have enough time.

 

I am sure I will regret getting inot this conversation, but I will give you my perspective. I am a new MINI owner, in fact we bought 2, a 2012 MCS M/T 7/14 and a 2012 Countryman S A/T 8/12. I mostly lurk cause I haven't had a problem and really haven't found that I have any information that would benefit the questions I have read. I did think I had a problem, but was told by one poster it was "hill assist" (who would have thought - I didn't) and "to read my manual" - I felt the way his remark was worded was a bit condescending and made me sorry I asked, in fact I was just straight up embarrassed, but blew it off, responded politely and went on, another poster responded and basically said the same thing but without the condescending attitude. In fact made me laugh. Maybe the first poster wasn't rude and I read too much into it, but it definately did not encourage me to post again. You just don't know what you are going to get. Don't hate - okay I am also a bashful person and though there is a certain degree of anomymity on the net I am still not comfortable in a crowd. My point is - if you read through many of the posts which I am sure most of you have - it is not always (though MOST of the time it is) a place that encourages participation. Really who cares if it is dumb to say goodbye or not, if you think it is odd or whatever and it isn't hurting or misleading anyone why put all the negativity out there. This is a great place for information just like the OP said and by and large this is a great forum. You really don't have to be a frequent poster to be an active participant.

I haven't meant to insult or demean anyone or to imply anyone is wrong, it's just that we aren't all posters and we aren't all comfrotable putting ourselves out there. I do login and read at least 5 times a week, just don't always have something to say.

 

Not demeaning or insulting at all. I just want to know who the guy is that has just said goodbye to me. Nothing more...

As for the rest, I am sorry that you felt embarrassed for your post. That being said, you will find many folks that are readily willing to depart knowledge.

 

It's just like riding an elevator, you get in with some strangers that you've never met before and when you get to your floor you just feel like you have to excuse yourself, say something, say good bye. Why do people in a Mini wave at another Mini with strangers inside? You just feel like you're part of a family. This poster just felt like he was part of something even though he might have mostly lurked and just read information about his Mini without saying much. He was a Mini owner, that's who he was.

 

OK, um, I've never felt the urge to say goodbye to the strangers on an elevator.

 

A sense of belonging can be stronger than we know, on forums. And while some people post a lot, others who just read can also feel some attachment. It was a very nice post that the OP made, and I hope that he enjoys the car that he now has. Everyone is entitled to peace of mind and not dreading the next thing that may go wrong with their car. Some of us are happier living on the edge than others!

 

Good luck to you. I've been lucky so far but there is no denying that MINIs can be more interesting at times than they should be. I have my Tundra for bullet proof dependability and my MINI as the most fun car I have ever owned. I certainly understand your position.

 

This is a heavy thread. I'm happy football season starts tomorrow.
I need some more distractions. LOL

 

All cars have issues, in time your new one will as well. I have a 1977 dodge that is virtually brand new mechanically and every time I use it I break something, the Mini never leaves me stranded, maybe you got the Mini they built on a Friday who knows but all cars have there problems, anything made by man is prone to failure in the assembly , design or metallurgy, good luck with the new ride ...but youll be back, that new one wont put a smile on your face like a Mini will.

 

Hence the reason that I asked... Actually, waving at another MINI is a bit different than hopping on a forum and going out of your way to post a message that states you sold your MINI. Same with an elevator, you are in close proximity to another and saying goodbye is just good manners. Maybe he felt the need to say goodbye, I don't know, but I still find it weird that only people with low post counts fire up their computers, navigate to the site and create a thread (basically go out of their way) just to say they sold their MINI and wanted to say goodbye.

Lastly, this is all that I am going to say on this. I was only curious as to the need and had no intention of it spinning in this direction. OP, enjoy your new car.

 

"Death Rattle" occurs in both turbo and non-turbo cars. Justas don't typically lose much oil, so the process just happens slower. I have never "added" a drop of oil to my car in 29K miles, though I do always change the oil and filter every 5K. BMW considers it" normal" to need to add a quart of oil to an N14 every 1000 miles.( It is the same guide/chain system on both the N12 and N14.)

So, turbo cars are often running around a couple quarts low, or worse. This means that every time you start up, the tensioner takes longer to "pump up". It is my belief that the chain drag that occurs on each startup causes the "system" to wear out in less than half the miles it might otherwise. The longer the chain "drags" everytime you start up, the fasterthe chain wears. (The premature vacuum motor failures are basically caused by the same thing. They are physically at the very top of the motor. When the oil level is very low they run longer "dry" and seize, breaking the cam and calving the whole motor.)

Typical cars with timing chains do not need replacement for at least 200K miles. My measurements of my N12 suggest I will have 68+ mm of slack (the practical limit) at about 70K miles, WAY too early. See the end of the "Recall" thread for more details:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...000-minis.html

I believe the solution (other than a complete redesign) is either an Accusump or preoiler so that the tensioner is fully "tensioned" everytime PRIOR to startup.

DOC

 

Thank you, DOC, that information is more detailed than people like myself without mechanical knowledge might have been able to catch. Appreciate it very much, and I will look into the Accusump or pre-oiler. It seems like a rather poor design, if longevity is the goal (which, for car manufacturers, it rarely is... since they can't sell new cars if their old cars never break down) It is amazing but true that so many people who buy turbos don't bother to check their oil regularly! It might also be a factor that most 'Justa' drivers don't drive as hard as S owners, the reward for having a turbo is feeling the acceleration in your seat and the whine in your ears. Absent these feedbacks, drivers aren't pushing as much. :-)

 

[QUOTE=Benibiker;3584174]It's just like riding an elevator, you get in with some strangers that you've never met before and when you get to your floor you just feel like you have to excuse yourself, say something, say good bye. Why do people in a Mini wave at another Mini with strangers inside? You just feel like you're part of a family. This poster just felt like he was part of something even though he might have mostly lurked and just read information about his Mini without saying much. He was a Mini owner, that's who he was. [/QUOTE



I'm a lurker.

 

yeah they say that so you believe your getting a good deal on the trade-in. I've been thinking about trading mine in another year or so, either for a new mini, maybe the coupe s, or something else.

 

Joanie,

I got literally "tarred and feathered" a year ago on this forum when I mentioned in passing something I thought was obvious, that people who buy Justas typically do not drive as hard as "S" owners........

However, I do not believe that harder driving in and of itself contributes to the timing chain problem on the N12 and N14. Though, driving hard with only a quart or two of oil in the sump does mean more time without most of the motor having adequate oil flow/pressure. That's going to drastically shorten the life of ANY ICE.

DOC