I'm sorry to hear that you have had the dreaded thermostat issue x3. I've been away for a few months. It's sad to see that they still haven't found a solution for this defect that is affecting so many owners.
When mine went out for the 3rd time I sought legal representation. Let's just say BMW/MINI could care less about keeping me as a customer (who has owned a few BMW's before the MINI). I ended up taking the loss and trading it in.
I hope they find a long term fix soon.

 

Is the thermostat issue limited to Countrymen? I thought they have been using the same thermostat in all Mini models since 2007. If that's the case, they've had 5 years to rectify the issue. Maybe this is just a bad batch from a supplier? But if that's the case, why would they keep replacing bad units with others that they know are bad? At least with the power steering pump issue that I mentioned above, they did redesign the pump, and that solved the problems (albeit at the customer's expense!).

 

Engine re-design in 2010 for 2011+, all turbo models, I believe.

As with all mass produced parts, a % will fail. The issue is how high a %. Obviously too high for this part.

 

Dave, sorry for going off topic, but if you had to do it all over again, would you order the sport suspension?

 

Yes, I love it! And my wife has not complained about the ride once, to my surprise. She just today remarked that she likes driving the CMSA4 better than our softer-riding VW.

 

We had this leaking solenoid issue as well. Had the car at the shop three times to replace it properly. New gaskets, different sealant, new oil pan, nice new oil covered driveway....twice.

We also have seen the yellow or was it orange? engine light come on for a full day. Reset the gas cap. Tried to let the car sit and recover then refired. Still no help. It was a Sunday so I got ready to give em a call on Monday and low and behold no more problem? Course I used my key this time. Get home and the fan runs for like twenty minutes.

I checked all the fluids. Car drives okay during the week then the service icon starts showing on Saturday night. Info says everything is okay. Again a Sunday on our way with the baby to the inlaws. Car starts sputtering in an intersection in the city. Idle is bad again and then as the day warms up from a chilly 55 degrees to 70 no more problems.

Service warning is still on?

I sent my letter to BMW of N.A. N.J. has very tight laws about Lemons and my attorney has advised me to follow the state guidelines.

Letter went out yesterday and today I got a call and arrange to have it evaluated and repaired from the customer relations department of Mini N.A.

We'll see what they do. They have one last chance to fix the engine management issues.

It's a shame but after 15 days in the shop and a few close calls in traffic I'm not prepared to give up the safety of my baby boy for the growing pains of this car or this production line.




I own a late model Challenger from Dodge. 425 Hp from the factory and another 225 from the twin screw sc I put on. It has plenty of modern technology in it and the sensors, maps, throttle by wire you name it.

Not one single issue with engine management or stumbling/ stalling in intersections.

Technology does not automatically incorporate faults. It does allow more opportunity for poor engineering or faulty products. Mini should look to their quality control department or engineers for some resolution to these problems. We're not talking about the Nav not working or the window making a bad noise. These issues are larger than pet peeves. They are a danger to all who drive these vehicles.

Good luck to us all!

 

So the CMSA4 is in the shop.

Went out to the car after work and figured I'd video the start up and see what happened. Lucky for me the car started sputtering immediately and couldn't hold a steady idle.

Now we have a 2012 rental which has similar options to ours. The ride is smooth and no hiccups. I'd forgotten what these should drive like. It's the third CMSA4 besides ours that I've been given as a loaner. The other car we got was a front drive CM and we also had a mini standard. Each of them has been smoother on the road than our CM. I'm pretty sure we just have a lemon. It has too many issues and is only a year and two months old. Just a tick over 16k miles.

I'm crossing my fingers!

 

This was posted in elsewhere, but it appears they have finally redesigned the thermostat.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...good-news.html

 

Hopefully that is it but I'm not holding my breath just yet.

I just reviewed the repair orders and the thermostat housing was replaced on First week in March.

 

Looks like they've replaced the thermostat again with the same part number.

They also replaced the fuel pump. I have to wait to find out what notes about the diagnostics were written.

Does anyone know if they renumbered the new thermostat?

 

I'm sorry to hear that you've had as much trouble (if not more) with your Countryman. I do miss the fun factor. However, I weighed out all the +/- and did not want to wait for them to iron out all the growning pains. Especially, did not want to take anymore chances transporting my toddlers. I took the hit and traded it in.

Make sure to keep all of your invoices from the dealership. I had one visit that BMW/MINI did not have on their records.

I wish you the best!! Fingers crossed a soild fix will come out.

 

Well, my POS has another failed thermostat. I've been driving across the midwest, in the process of selling a home, and moving to another state. Now, I'm stranded in Wisconsin, and I'm bringing the junker in to have them look at replacing the thermstat again. In all my years of car ownership, I have NEVER had a worse experience than this car has given me. The problem is that MINI doesn't seem to care. From trim pieces blowing in the wind for six months before they were replaced, to twice being stranded without a vehicle. I need to be 500 miles from here by Wednesday afternoon to close on a house. I wonder how long they will let me use their loaner vehicle. I don't plan to be back this way for three months or so.

Unbelievable. Last MINI I'll ever buy.

Mark

 

Planning to exercise the Lemon Law?

 

Picked up the car today. Everything seems okay so far. Had a talk with the service manager and found out the thermostat is new but still not the newest design.
They're pretty good people.

I got online and found out about the recall for the auxiliary water pump. More than 235,000 vehicles worldwide. It is somewhat odd that the recall vin stops two weeks before mine is built and then picks up again three weeks later. Doesn't give me a sense of confidence that for just over one month they feel the car was built with a superior product versus everything before and after?

I'm thinking the bean counters and lawyers thought this one out. Service manager said he felt similarly but his hands ware tied.
Oh yeah the recall is for the possibility of an electrical overload which will cause a fire!

Nothing to be worried about right.

 

Knownman, I'm also from NJ. Which dealer is yours?

 

PM sent.

I will reserve that info until a resoution is in place.

They are a good service facility despite our problems with the manufacturer and quality of this particular car.

 

The service dept. didn't make or build the car, they just repair them.
If you get a good service dept., yea to ya.
I'm lucky to have a very good service dept. and the SA is excellent as well.

 

I got the same answer when they replaced thermostat #2. Newer design, but not necessarily the full redesign. The service people were great, and it is apparent that they are tired of owners getting pissed off about a shoddy design. I agree, they don't build them, or design them. They get to fix the messes the design engineers and the manufacturing people put out the door.
I don't have anything bad to say about the dealer I am working with. I would be upset if I were in their shoes. The unfortunate truth is that MINI doesn't respond to anyone about anything. I have asked for information over a dozen times from MINI, both through the website, and in writing, and I have yet to get a response. What I DO get are sales fliers trying to sell me a new car. What a bunch of BS.

If only the MINI dealers could have btter support from the company. Then, I think they might be worth continuing to do business with. As it is, I still think this is my last MINI.

Mark

 

I'm finding this thread particularly interesting. My poor little 08 MCS has been in to the dealership with "engine issues" for quite awhile. Engine missing and skipping, needing two or three attempts before cold starting, etc. They've done all kinds of repairs and replacing of various things, but never the thermostat. I even got a "good will" repair when the check engine light came on (intermittently) one month after the warranty expired. (When I went to pick up my poor little car the check engine light came on again while the SA was driving the car from the service parking to the front of the dealership! Argh!)

So now two months after that giant to-do, I'm driving along and the yellow engine overheating light comes on, quickly followed by the red engine overheating light. The fan had been acting a little funny before then, but I didn't think too much about it, and I haven't driven it since. The fan is not even functioning any more.

I'm beginning to wonder if my thermostat has been malfunctioning all along. When I opened the bonnet, I discovered the coolant reservoir was practically empty. Yes, yes, in an ideal world one would check these things weekly. In an ideal world I would scrub my toilets weekly as well but that's not happening either. So there. These days we expect our cars to work.

My poor little Johnny Max goes back into the dealership next week.

 

Apparently the thermostat issue is rather widespread. I'm not solely basing that off of the forum but also from what my dealer has told me they have been forced to deal with. The look of "what else can we do when our hands are tied" is what would best describe their faces at the dealer when I come and pay what is turning out to be a weekly visit.

They don't even ask what I'm there for any more, everybody knows about our Mini.

 

I don't know all your details, but it sounds like you may have a strong Lemon Law case. I live in NJ also, and I returned 2 Jeeps (not exaggerating) under the Lemon Law in the mid 90's. Chrysler would not offer to settle until minutes before the hearing, but apparently that's their standard response. All you need is good records so the judge can easily follow all the steps you went through. The hearing process is very informal...the second time I knew the drill and did not even bother with an attorney.

 

Just found out yesterday that the service manager from my dealer has moved on to greener pastures! Figures. I know he was frustrated with the amount of covering up he was having to do regarding the problem with the latest MINIs.

Still waiting on mother Mini to swap out our lemon. We'll see what happens. All the paperwork is in place to legally pursue this course but hopefully they will in fact follow thru. They've been trying to get me to eat some of the costs though.

I know that's not goin to happen!

And for those of you who are wondering if the latest repair to the car has worked? No.
The weather is in the 70 -80s and just yesterday after I returned from my trip I took the car out. It had rained earlier and when I fired it up it started to stumble again. Not as bad but still wouldn't idle above 600 rpm.

 

Knowman, I can tell you with certainty (I've been through the NJ state process twice) that at least in NJ if you go all the way through a Lemon Law Adminstrative Court hearing, the court will make an adjustment for the miles you have been able to use your car while you've had the use of it. The judge will even tell you that when he/she is trying to convince the parties to settle before the formal trial. It doesn't really seem fair if you have had a very unreliable car, but the manufacturer will almost certainly successfully argue that you were able to use the car...proof is the mileage you put on it. Let's say you bought a $30,000 car, and the court determines that the mileage you put on it constitiues 5% of the lifetime usage of the car. You will get a $28,500 credit to be used toward the purchase of a replacement, or if you don't want a replacement you would have to pay $1500 for the use of the car. I'm surprised that Mini seems to have agreed to replace your car without you taking them all the way to court. Perhaps their motivation is that they don't have to title your car as a lemon if they settle with you?

 

I saw the adjustment noted in the law. It accounts for the mileage used up to the point where the first repair attempt was made. Is that what you saw?

If so the deduction taken will be less than what the trade in is right now.

I'm kind of hating the whole thing cause there are so many problems with the car I don't know that I want another one. The gas mileage is a big issue for me. If I can get better highway mileage in my 600Hp Challenger than in this pig something is wrong.
The build quality isn't anywhere near BMW standards and the rattling from a 15K mile car is just bad engineering.

We'll see what they do. I hope the car comes thru. If the other one sucks gas like this one I'll just trade it in.

:-)

 

I thought I was reading a post on my car when I saw this. Exact same issues minus the coolant thing. 2nd time in the shop for the temp sensor and 3rd time overall in a little more than a year. I actually hope it goes out one more time and I will Lemon Law it if I can. 1st and last Mini for me. Can't have such a unreliable car.