If it was me, I would at least replace the clutch disk. Is cheap compared to the pressure plate and flywheel and is the part that wears out first..

 

There is one simple upgrade all of you R56 owners could make to fix all of these problems at once....

Buy a R53!

Sorry. Had to.

 

Or just don't buy a MINI, both first and second gens have been a PITA;-)

 

I agree, this will be my last Mini Cooper. I would never buy a (time bomb) 1st gen/2 gen MCS after all the experiences I've have in this first year of ownership, I have NEVER had to replace a valve cover or timing chain in my life 25 years of driving, I have replaced more in the last year than all my cars combined!

My brother laughed at me for having to spend $75 on a dipstick and walnut blasting for which he has never heard of before, he keeps telling me to get rid of it. We'll see what else happens during 5 more years of my powertrain warranty whether I keep it or not. Don't get me wrong I love my MCS and the next 5 years will determine if I keep it.

My brothers truck still has the factory brakes, has never had to replace brake pads even after 175,000 mile.

 

My wife wants a '15 Clubman but after her experience with the '09 Clubman I'm thinking the Kia Soul is a nice looking car ;-)

 

Just curious, many on this forum believe extended warranties are a waste of money, would you ever own a Mini Cooper out of warranty?

 

I consider extended warranties as snake oil and no, I wouldn't have a MINI out of warranty. Luckily I don't have to keep cars that long.

 

I've had mine for 4 years and 100,000 out of warranty, so yes.

 

You must be joking right? If not I don't know what rock you've been living under lately, the Mini Cooper S R56 reliability has been rated below average while a non-S rated above average. I'm sure many on this forum would agree what that statement, for others brands of cars I would own out of warranty. Plastic thermostat housing cracking open at the base, plastic main water pumps with the same issue, timing chain/tensioner fiasco and carbon coked intake valves, need I continue?

These are all design flaws acknowledged do to revised aluminum water pumps, revised tensioners and valve covers. My extended warranty has already paid for itself and then some, as of right now no I wouldn't own a MCS out of warranty. We'll see how I feel in 5 years when my warranty is do to expire.

 

Sorry, but you guys make me laugh...

If your extended warranty has paid for itself, pat yourself on the back. You are just like the guy that actually leaves Vegas or Atlantic city with more money than the came with.

There is a reason these warranty companies exist, to make money.

Odds are you will NOT get back in repairs more than what you paid.

And as for throwing money at a car, you obviously haven't looked at an engine out service on a Ferrari or P/car...lol A 30K service on a F355 can cost as much as a MINI...

Anyway, I took the money I would have paid for a warranty and put it in the bank. I'm going to have a nice vacation next year as a roll past 6 years...

Which is not to say that I don't do maintenance or repairs...Or mods...

 

Thread resurrected

I'm now looking to buy my first. there is a lot of discussion on cooling system fixes. however this is nothing new to any european brand. Having 4 BMWs circa 2000-ish nothing is exempt from the dreaded radiator blow ups.

I dont have unlimited funds, but I also understand cooling system (radiator, hoses, thermostat, pump) needs to be proactively replaced every 60-80k miles. Apart from that, is there any other catastrophic failures I should know about for 2007 to 2010 minis?

Thanks for any useful input

 

S, JCW, or "Justa" Cooper? The S (and probably JCW) seems to have more problems than the Justa.

The thermostat is a big one. The timing chain and/or tensioner is another. Valve coking is a third. High-Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) is another. Vacuum pump. Bushings, shocks, and in some cases clutches seem to wear quickly.

The plastic water pump doesn't seem to be as high up on the list, but can evidently still be a problem. The radiator and hoses haven't been talked about much, so I'm thinking that they're a lot more robust than the thermostat.

I personally had the thermostat replaced, and the oil pump solenoid. (Twice.) That's in a non-S non-JCW car, though.

 

Probably "justa" cooper (thanks I didnt know that). And has to be automatic unfortunately.

Are the thermostat, HPFP and chain something that you proactively do like every 50k miles and they wont bother you for the rest of the time being? or is it something that has to be constantly watched?

The other stuff like bushings and things that will not cause the car to stop I can deal with on a periodic maintenance basis.

Just to paint a picture - this car will be used and left out of state and I wont have ready access to it like the cars I have at home. So I can deal with periodic maintenance (say quarterly or every 6months) but cant have breakdowns anywhere in between. if I overhaul the cooling system, do the timing chain and tensioner and the HPFP all at once, should I still be worried?

 

From a service manager, advisor, machinist with 35 years in the auto repair biz.
If u plan on keeping it past warranty, buy the best extended warranty but not from a dealer. Source and buy direct and haggle. Cars are rolling appliances these days; intended to last through the warranty then intended to support the parts and service departments. Actually owning a contemporary car is just a depreciating asset. For most folks, leasing is the most head and heart ache free approach. Yes it costs more but.....read above posts and think about it .

 

If I decide to get a 2013 onwards then I probably will. Can I still extended warranty for an 07 with 100k miles?


This is very true, but fortunately not for the cars I currently have. It wont appreciate, but it holds their value. 3 of them are V8s, 1 is a V12


I got this. Unless youre into classic vintage this is very true (cue the geico commercial...everybody knows that)


Not on this purchase. This has to be owned

---

So going back to my question - even with replacing the thermostat, HPFP and chain right off the bat, I still need to constantly watch this year range?

 

I regards to the timing chain you don't always get time to check them, sometimes the timing chains fly off the cams and causing the valves to collide with the pistons then you need a new engine which you can afford according to you. Every 60-80k miles? I don't know if you know this or not, but these are not Honda's and Toyota's. There's so many ways these engines can drain you financially, I think you need to do a lot more research on Mini's! Like this Here!

 

The Justa does not have a high-pressure fuel pump; that is for the direct injection on the S and JCW. It also doesn't have problems with oil feed to the turbo getting cooked, because there is no turbo. Most of the systems on the Justa are much less stressed than on the S and JCW, so they do not fail as rapidly--or at all, hopefully?

We have only heard of one or two timing chain problems on R56 Justa Coopers. Many, many more on the S models.

I personally think that the troubles in a "Straight Cooper" (for those who don't like the term Justa) are the sort that can just be watched for. Keep up on the maintenance (I feel that every 5K miles or 6 months is a better schedule than what the car thinks is right) and keep an eye on fluid levels and watch for leaks.

So far, in 40K miles, the only troubles I have had were the ones I listed above.

 

I have a clubby and wife the convertible so have no issues

 

So finally pulled the trigger and got a 2013 (MY12/2012) justa. One owner with 40k miles. Still had factory warranty but got the extended power train warranty (60K/5year). So Im covered to 110K miles

thanks again for the informative posts

 

No it doesn't work like that, I think you better check that warrant out because I've never heard of anything like the coverage your talking about, 60K/5 years isn't the same as 110K, you don't add 60K on top of 40K. No Mini dealer is going to cover you till 110K, not when it states 60K/5 years, read the fine print. When I bought my Mini it had 45K and I purchased a 100K/6 year warranty, that doesn't mean that I have a warranty until 145K! It means I'm good till I hit either 100K or 6 years which ever comes first.

You bought a 20K warranty that ends at 60K or 5 years.

 

Thanks for the headsup. After reading the fine print, I purchased the "add-on miles" and not the "max miles". Add-on miles is in addition to the current odometer. I got the contract through Easy Care

 

Really, I guess you learn something every day, well maybe not every day!

I have MaxCare which most independent Mini specialty shops are quite impressed by, I'm told their far better than a Mini dealers warranty. It tough sometimes to get Mini dealers to admit there's actually an issue at all, no codes, no issue.

You got to throw a code or sometimes they turn you away because its difficult to have a plan of attack if Mini dealers don't have that ace mechanic with those troubleshooting skills. They tell you to come back if you throw a code even very near the end of your warranty.

 

I see. This car is a bunch of new 'firsts' for me. I will have to look for a mini dealer to make friends with soon

What I didnt think through was the deductible on extended warranty. I have a $250 deductible on it. I shouldve bargained for something smaller. But At the time I was thinking about transmission issues so $250 didnt seem much compared to a rebuild

 

When looking at what a Mini Cooper can cost in repairs, a $250 deductible isn't that much.
I have the Mini Cooper "next" CPO coverage in addition to the existing factory warranty and totally understand the limitations of having to take it into a Mini dealership for warranty work as Systemlord refers to.
When approaching the expiration of this six year warranty I may very well look into getting an independent extended warranty if I can find one.
Pretty bad when an independent can beat a dealership in warranty needs.

 

For the catastrophic repairs $250 isnt much. But since the warranty covers gaskets and seals, which would range in the $300-400ish repair bill, then that means I have to foot the $250 first. Not complaining yet, but wish I thought it through. The dealer I bought it from was in a giving mood