I wonder if anyone from Mini reads this blog, and if they do, well it's a shame that such a fun little big car when it's running right, but between the peeling trim, turbo failing, windows not going down all the way, car not wanting to start, transmission not finding the right gear, recall for water pump.... this car is going away before the warranty expires. I would have expected more from Mini, especially with a BMW influence... then again...

I'm at 7,000 miles and nothing but continuing issues and dealer denials.

 

The way things are going with BMW reliability it is possible BMW is having a negative influence on MIN... Sounds like you got a major dud of a car if you are having that many issues so early.

I would not worry too much about the recall - at least they admitting a problem and are fixing it in this case.

 

I agree but when I go out there and test drive other cars nothing comes close to this kind of performance, fun, and character. It's a tough choice...

 

So are you selling it now of just telling us you are leaving in the next 43k miles?

 

Sounds like you got a bit of a lemon. Mine has been pretty good to be honest and is running great a 85K. I am out of warranty and have no desire to get rid of it.

 

this is by design, this is BMW's way of saying it's a british car!



lol JK

all funny aside, first year builds are hit and miss, the window thing was a magor thing on a lot if not all early cars which was fixed and now all new ones dont have that problem, and as far as drivetrain, i still wish they would have made their own engine rather than use a french manufaturer.

also you guessed it! its BMW as a whole, our new 2011 5 series has had problem after problem after electrical short....... did my Jd power score and came to a little over 900 problems per 100 vehicles lol hows that for bad.

oh well they fix it and i enjoy it reguardless, they put me in a loaner and im on my way, lifes to short to be in a hurry everywhere, so as long as they treat me good and fix the car ill be back. silly isnt it!

i drive cars based on Looks, driving excitment, overall design impact. reliability was never even a blip on the radar. thoug i know for some people its the number one.
if you came to me and said here drive this car that will give you problems every week but look like nothing else on the road, or drive this Toyota that will never breakdown i will gladly take the lemon! lol sorry just hate Toyota so i was being tad judgemental and besides even toyota makes lemons.


I hope it either does you right and not give you any more problems or your next car is everything you hope it could be!

 

My third mini, and probably not last. I will evaluate when I get close, but will probably keep it til paid off and then get another.

 

Love the comments, thanks everyone!

@Yetti96 I'm not selling it now, but I will be in the next 12 - 18 months for sure!
@4GAZM I too drive cars based on looks, driving and impact, however we're not talking small reliability issues, we're talking pretty major ones and the turbo going and tranny not choosing a gear is certainly a driving performance issue. Pealing trim is a looks issue. It's not like it's a Porsche and I would expect to have it in the shop, it's a mid $30k car that should be relatively reliable and perform correctly. I'm in the tech business and I certainly wouldn't release software without some sort of "beta test" and in this day and age, they certainly have the engineering to avoid some of these issues. I believe they released this car far too early before it was fully road tested.

That aside, it is fun to drive (when it's behaving) and I would like the issues resolved, I'm just doubtful they will be since the dealer seems to just push back and create excuses.

 

Sorry to hear this! So frustrating (and makes me scared for my All4) ! Having had a Volvo for past 4 years with absolutely zero problems may have spoiled me.

There are other cars out there that are just as fun to drive and have unique looks (my Volvo C30 is just one example), and that are far more reliable. Mini really needs to get their **** together and stop being at the bottom of reliability.

Best of luck with your future car, whatever it may be.

 

You know, there was an old football saying that "there are three things that can happen when you throw a forward pass, and two of them are bad." That was used to support those risk-averse types who lived with the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust philosophy. But football is about much more than simply grinding out a ground game and motoring is about much more than bland and soul-less travel from Point A to Point B.
I don't think that any of the cars I really WANT to drive have top reliability ratings. Forget Mercedes, Jaguar, BMW, Audi, and of course the real thoroughbreds like Ferrari. Cars that push my buttons also push the envelope. You might be able to get a perfect Mini for $50-60k, but then most of us wouldn't be driving one. Perfection is usually reached by not stretching too far. In most cases, I'd rather deal with the issues that come with living closer to the edge of the cliff than never having that magnificent view in the first place.

 

Right on, Zuman!

 

That's all well and good, but most people need a car they can depend on to get them to their job and feed their family. There's no reason Mini can't be more reliable and retain the unique Mini character. Many people here think you can't have both a fun and unique driving experience and reliability. I think that's silly fanboy-ism. I love Minis, but I can also be critical of Minis at the same time.

 

So yeah the OP never came back...

Every vehicle I have owner required some sort of maintenance and replacement of parts periodically. I have theories as to why MINIs seem to have more difficulty, some has to do with owners. Go 15k+miles w/o an oil change, expect the dealer to do all maint (that is covered for 3yr/36k) and expect it to be enough. Lots of MINI owners I know drive their cars spirited and tend to work it harder than say the owner of a Camry, etc. The people pay a decent price for a MINI also IMO tend to expect more/complain when there is a rattle or squeak...not the same when you buy a new car that costs $10-13k for a different econobox branded car.

I could go on, all while still not even implying that MINIs are flawless. I bought one, loved it, now we have two of them (wife got one too). I love them for what they are and also understand a brake job doesn't cost my <$100 with discount auto parts pads and rotors or an oil change is almost $50 just for raw materials. Real expectations are required when buying a MINI, yes some have had less than stellar results, but every brand and model does.

 

Yep I agree totally Yetti.

 

Then we'll have to agree to disagree. I'm on my first Mini, I don't own any logo gear, and I don't have any delusions that my car is perfect. I'm no fanboy. I am, however, smart enough to know that you can't get the reliability of a Toyota, the practicality of a Subaru, the performance of a Porsche, and the character of a Land Rover in one car that retails for under $35k. If you could, Toyota would have built it.
I'll repeat that I think my R60 All4 has the cost/benefit ratio aligned the way I want it. People who want a different mix may need to buy a different car.

 

My point is you can sit back and accept the Mini for what it is (which you appear happy to do since the c/b ratio is just fine for you), OR you could challenge Mini to improve their reliability via customer feedback and complaints.

I love Minis for the reasons you described, but I have no qualms about telling them their reliability is godawful. The OP certainly had a bad streak of luck, and I don't blame him for moving on to something else, as that's the most direct way of telling a company to improve their product.

But yes I we can certainly agree to disagree.

 

I could tell a LOT of stories about Volvo, too. Everything from reliability issues to unsatisfactory warranty support. Every manufacturer has some issues and/or lemons. We just hear about them FAR more frequently due in part to forums like NAM, where people are more than willing to share (most often negative) experiences. To me it's more about how the dealer, through the MFG, deals with these issues. My personal experience with Mini has been excellent, both from a reliability standpoint and warranty support when needed. I never had any of the "common" Mini issues that are discussed at length on this forum. I have to believe I am but one of a majority of very satisfied and happy Mini owners.

That said, I wouldn't keep mine without extending warranty, either. These suckers are EXPENSIVE to fix when you actually have to pay for it, and there is no sense in pushing my luck!

Woody

 

Yeah I agree that forums tend to have a bias toward reporting negative experiences of cars, but if you look at the reliability ratings from various sources, Mini tends to be pretty far down. Saying "all manufacturers have their fair share of problems", and saying that "you're more likely to have problems with brand A compared to brand B", are not equivalent. So I'd caution against using just anecdotes regarding different car experiences and look at ratings provided by non-biased sources as well.

 

And making exaggerated generalizations like that is the opposite of fanboy-ism.

 

Ha, touche you have a point. I retract my exaggerated statement. To put it more accurately: their reliability is typically below average based on ratings like J&D and Consumer Reports.

And I don't expect to win this uphill battle being critical of Mini on a Mini forum of all places ! Was just trying to sympathize and defend the OPs choice to move on.

 

I'm an engineer type for a major US aerospace company so I know a little about manufacturing and supporting the product after delivery to the customer. Mini does not do enough engineering to design their parts and are SLOW (as in years) to fix their problems. Yes other car manufactures have problems but their response time is months not years like Mini. Other companies respond quickly to their problems and replace the parts on the line quickly to fix the issues, get the new parts to the dealer, and issue detailed TSB (technical service bulletins) to explain and fix the problem (like Nissan, Honda and Toyota). The amount of TSB Mini has compared to their problems is really pathetic compared to rest of the industry. This leaves the dealers out in the cold and puts them in a hard place between the customer and the factory. I decided to lease my CM when it comes in due to the liability issues. Love for a car is one thing but blind love is just stupid becasue the motor company has NONE for you!

I like Mini's, they are not cookie cutter cars. I think that what makes them appealing to a lot of people. I wish they would get their act together and drop the french POS engines.

 

@Cotnballs2000 - I 2nd that response!!! Fantastic and thanks for the Engineering perspective. I'm not one, but I concur - far too slow to fix and lack sufficient engineering.

@All - I didn't really expect so much response, but it is fun to read. I was simply venting some frustration hoping someone from Mini would care enough to jump on and reply before these issues go "viral" and someone decides to make a YouTube Video like United Airlines Breaks Guitar and whoever creates this video tells Mini to take a flying leap when they ask to take it down.

Back up to the mountains today in my All4 and the turbo quit again this morning. After loading the ski's back up and starting the car, the yellow engine light re-appeared and then went off after about 10 minutes of easy driving and full power was restored. Of course, I snapped another photo of the dashboard when the light went on so the dealer can't tell me there's not a problem. I'm betting on the oxygen sensor (because someone in this group responded to me the first time it happened with that brilliant idea), though I'm not sure it can be adjusted to accommodate the high altitude.

Love the car when it's performing correctly, hope they fix the issues once and for all (though I'm not holding my breath or keeping this thing post-warranty).