I've always loved the mini looks and would like an automatic so I was looking at the 2007 and newer minis. I test drove a 2007 mini cooper s with 78,000 miles this weekend and completely loved it.... I'm hooked. I've pretty much decided I'm gonna get a mini and deal with whatever issues happen but I wanted to see what other people say. I will most likely be buying a 2007 or 2008 Mini Cooper S with around 80,000 miles on it. Those are the ones in my price range. I've been reading a lot about common issues and I've read about the Death Rattle, Radiator issues, carbon build-up, etc. Is this something I can expect to happen or is it hit and miss? I know a lot of people only get on the forums when they have an issue so you might not hear all the good points. We do work on our own cars so I won't be going to the dealer for replacements unless it's something we aren't able to fix ourselves (New Tranny etc.) I really don't want to get into a payment on a car and then have to fork out additional money every month for repairs. I understand traditional wear and tear, brakes, rotors, wheel bearings, belts, etc. but should I expect to have to pay for bigger stuff right away? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

There is plenty of info on the forums that list common failures. I love my car, but am very angry that I had to pay for a timing chain and tensioner with less than 20,000 miles on my 2007 MCS. I had the clutch replaced under warranty, because of a squeak (no mechanical issue). I also had a stress crack develop in my windshield that was also fixed under warranty.
Overall I enjoy the car. I do wonder about longevity, but have not been stranded in 5+ years.

 

we have an 07 MCS and got it for the exact same reasons you say. we got it almost 3 years with 40K miles and it now has 60k. I have used seafom several times but it still runs a bit rough when cold; we were just discussing doing the walnut blast thing to really clean it (then maybe seafom will keep it clean). Other than that I had to replace the thermostat housing this summer. It has been a pretty reliable car for us.

 

Ours was fixed from the carbon early on at our cost, before the recall, but no problems after that and not using cheap gas. But it's not a cheap car to keep. I have to say it's the most expensive car we've had as far as repairs and maintenance, but not unreliable. I think we have half the cost of the new car in repairs/maintenance so far. It's my wife's and she loves it, if it were mine it'd be gone years ago.

 

08 with 28k miles, pretty reliable. Early on had a knocking sound from the driver's front, they replaced the strut under warranty. Driver's side vanity mirror door broke off, replaced under warranty. I don't use the mirror anymore because I know it'll break again. Timing chain/tensioner replaced about a year ago under warranty. And just before the warranty ran out they replaced the serpentine belt for a chirping sound when cold. Right now nothing's wrong, it's a solid car, interior and exterior holding up very well.

 

Here's my story:

I have an 07 S, just turned 90k kms (Canada) so about 55k miles, and I got it when it was closer to 70k (45k)

After a lot of reading on the forums I knew what to look out for when I bought it and what it was prone to: the high pressure fuel pump, timing chain tensioner, carbon build up, clutch and flywheel, turbo water pump and thermostat housing leaking.

It had already had the fuel pump replaced under warranty, and they'd just put out the recall on the water pump, so I figured I was golden - I figured the odds of more than one thing on that list failing were pretty slim. I had also persuaded the dealership to give me a 4 year warranty into the deal.

Then the first thing I did was get a catch can to cover the carbon issue - I've actually had comments from the mechanics about how clean the inside of my engine is by comparison to the others they see, so as far as I'm concerned it's made its difference. I'd strongly recommend this to all MCS owners without one.

Since then, the timing chain tensioner shattered (covered); the battery died (turns out it was the original, so six years old); the clutch went, taking the flywheel with it (known issue, but sadly not covered and very VERY expensive); and the thermostat is currently jammed open making for very slow cold starts (annoying, with Canadian winter coming, but an easy enough DIY fix.)

This has all been since last November.

The MINI isn't a reliable car, especially the S. This isn't opinion, it's a sad fact. They consistently rank badly in consumer reports for number of repair calls / year - the 2012 model actually ranked WORST in a recent one I was shown with something like an average of 2 major repairs in a year. ConsumerGuide give the 2007-2011s a 53/100. Regularly you see them getting 2-3 stars out of 5. It's just a given part of the ownership experience.

I still love her to pieces though. And that is by far and away the most important thing.

 

You're pretty much guaranteed to have carbon problems at that high of mileage. Since you're buying it used there is no telling how the previous owner drove the car and that's the biggest factor of how bad the carbon fouling will be. I would have someone show you what the combustion chambers look like with an endoscope and same thing with the intake ports before paying up. At that high of mileage, it might be wise to check the timing chain system to see if it's still in spec. If I were making the decision to buy a used R56 with that many miles I wouldn't do it. There is just too much risk with the N14/N18 engines in my opinion. They really need to be maintained well over the course of their life or they'll make you pay. Most casual drivers do not baby their cars and just expect the car to run forever with simple oil changes whenever the car tells them too. Big mistake! Direct injection engines do have their advantages, but I don't think that the N14/N18 engines are the most reliable compared to what other manufacturers have been able to produce.

As much as I love my MINI, I don't recommend it as a daily driver. For fair weather drives and track duty it is a beast that will put high horsepower cars in your rear view mirror. MINIs have lots of little quirks. You're paying a higher premium for parts and there are a fair amount of things that you need special BMW tools for. These are two things that you just can't get around. Yes, there are many that say MINIs are meant to be driven, but be aware of what you're stepping into before investing.

 

I'm not against cleaning the carbon build up after I buy the car and replacing the timing chain tensioner if it hasn't already been done. Those are both DIY projects. It seems from what I've been reading that a lot of the issues, hpfp, timing chain tensioner, etc happen early on... So if I check the service records hopefully most of that stuff has been taken care of already. I read that the hpfp warranty was extended. Would that still be available to me even if I buy used?

 

One more question.. Do the issues with the S plauge the Justa also? This car is going to be my daily driver so if I was going to get a car with less issues with the Justa I would probably go for it.... I haven't test drove one yet tho so I haven't made up my mind

 

double post sorry

 

This past May/June I had to have a bunch of work done on my 2008 MCS at about 108,000 miles. That was the first time it had been in for repairs since the 50,000 mile mark, so a little over two years. It has been a very reliable daily driver for me.

On the HPFP warranty, it should be available to you, but you might want to contact your closest MINI dealer to verify.

The MC will not have the carbon issues that the MCS has due to not being DI. There are a few timing chain issues with the MC, but not nearly to the extent I've seen for the MCS.

A new problem that seems to be cropping up lately is failures of the turbo oil line feed. O-rings are finally getting enough heat cycles on them that the degradation is resulting in leaks. Obviously this only affects the MCS. If you are doing your own work on your vehicles, it should be a relatively cheap DIY to correct. For me, it will likely be a cheap but frustrating DIY.

jmo, but I also think we are starting to see the higher mile R56 models suffering from failed valve cover gaskets and/or failures of some internal parts to the valve cover involved in the PCV system.

 

The car you're interested in is a mix of German, French and British...and it's going to have 80K+ miles when you get it. It would be unrealistic to expect to not have to do work on it frequently. You may get lucky, but I wouldn't count on it.

I'm not trying to slam the MINI. I enjoy driving my '08 MCS. But it is what it is. Trouble prone.

 

A lot will depend on how often you plan to drive the car. If this is your daily driver and you'll be dependent on it, I say tread carefully. Can only relay my experience and that is that the list of problems can range from the supremely minor to the supremely detrimental. Let's put it this way, I had only owned three other cars prior to getting my Mini: '85 Plymouth Horizon, '86 Olds Cutlass Cierra, '96 Dodge Avenger ES....all three were more reliable and way cheaper to maintain than the Mini. And that's with the Horizon needing a head gasket replaced and the Cutlass with a bad idling problem. Course, none were as fun to drive or to look at. Though I actually did like the Avenger, just needed more horsepower.

 

Make sure your repair shop offers a loaner.

 

Hmm.. im at 44k... here's what I would check based on my own experience.

Turbo oil line, make sure it isn't doing a slow leak. Look underneath for a dark stain. Get the "heat shield" aka Heat Sink (imo) if it'll make you feel better. (Mine will spit out one or two drops under certain conditions. I haven't cleared time to replace the line yet.)

Check the turbo inlet hose, underside, for cracking (warranty replaced)

valve cover isn't leaking, gasket or warped (warranty replaced)

Thermostat housing isn't cracked (warranty replaced)

Carbon buildup, it already has it LOL

Front apron seals haven't melted.

Your Auto doesn't clunk into 2nd when slowing down to a stop. I don't trust my tranny as much now.

water pump is functioning properly (warranty replaced)

If you have leatherette, check the dimpled vinyl *(leg bolster) area for verticle cracking. You won't see it when you're sitting (leg blocking view) or when you aren't sitting.

battery should be replaced soon if not already.

pull your spark plug #1 and check it


The rest, you can do yourself or later down the line...

 

I have a 07 MCS with JCW Kit @ 60000 KM or 33000 miles.

Here is what I replaced

Timing Chain due to the cold rattle problem (Replaced under warranty)
Sun roof (Fixed under warranty)
Thermostat and Water pump (Out of my pocket)
Turbo water pump (Replace under recall)

Installed OCC at 26000 miles, I'm pretty sure I will have some carbon build up issue.

Clutch and flywheel still working fine (Fingers cross)

Other stuff wear and tear stuff like break pads, rotors, tires have all been replaced once.

MINI is not exactly reliable. I love it and hate it at the same time. **** is complicated.

 

I ended up purchasing a 2008 mini cooper, 41,000 miles, pepper white w/ black bonnet stripes and tan leather interior. I love it. It has enough power for me and less of the issues. Thanks everyone for your feedback

 

Congrats!!! Now get to postin' yer pictures!!!

 

lol.. I recognize that name.

Makes our 993 look bulletproof!

 

2007 MCS, 57k. Did the HPFP under warranty, haven't done the warranty water pump thing yet (lazy). It's been sweet for me. Question about the timing chain rattle: does that tend to occur as a wear and tear problem over time, or is it a bad part like the HPFP? You guys are starting to scrare me here on this thread, maybe time to get the Coupe and trade it in!

 

The PO of my car had the update done @ 30k+ miles. Inspection was done recently at 45k miles and found to be within spec.

 

Timing chain is a wear thing that gets worse with time. Mine gradually got worse and worse, louder and louder, finally changed at about 26k when it was measured and found to be out of limits.

 

Kind of funny that I would call this car "pretty reliable" with these problems. Have a Honda or Toyota with these problems and it would be a lemon instantly but not a Mini, it's normal...

 

I can not believe what I am reading hahaha.

Ive been seriously shopping for modded mini s- until 2-3 days ago when I googled mini reliability. Wow- I'd say 85% of reviews were "my favorite car ever- but it is always at garage"

This is wholly unacceptable, I can't believe it. And someone earlier says "at that high mileage you are going to have issues" -88k?!?! That is super super low mileage!!! I've Owed all American cars my life, all older except 08 dodge charger Daytona- 60k miles nothig but oil changes the. I sold, had an 07 wrangler 60k not one trip to shop(and I heavily offroaded), and current vehicles a 1998 jeep wrangler 2.5l with 170k miles. Owned for 3.5 years have only had to change the friggin battery!!!! That's it! My other is 11 Toyota Tacoma work truck- 70k put on it in a year- only had oil changes!!!

I guess I have been spoiled, but my expectation is for a car to run up to 100k easily with just regular maintenance like fluid changes.


My heart goes out to those that are paying 400 a month and having to shell out thousands for repairs. I know I would be down a car with something expensive like that, and I would have to sell it as is. I was hoping to pick up something for around 12k but will have to pass.

Now shopping for Mazda speed3s! They seem pretty hard to find though.

I really want a mini! But I just can't make that financial gamble because I can not afford to!

 

If you think about it... most of the forum posts will be from people with problems or people modding them. Think of the volume of Mini's purchased compared to the forum posts with issues... Not that many. All cars have issues... It all depends on how the owner drives it and takes care of it!