This is not a bashing post- I just want to be as informed as possible on the purchase of a 2103 CMS. Really love the look of the car but pause after reading so many various maintenance issues.

What are the known maintenance issues with the 11-12 CMS's. Whether you have personally experienced them or gathered a list- your thoughts please.

I think one issue that jumps out is the thermostat. Others???

Thanks in advance

 

I have a 2011 built back in may... Had to wait for it to cross the ocean.

Tstat sensor is a certain. Had that replaced when the the engine light stayed on.

Except for the Run Flat Tires that they all come with and I hated badly enough to ditch at 4k miles, the car has been solid. I'm a little over the 10k mile mark now and lovin it.

I did change the oil at 5k, and then at 10k, not waiting til 15k for the first oil change as the dealer said.... They may have changed that rule by now. NO filter can handle 15k miles.....

Sure you will hear some bad things about the car on this site. Most people with problems will post.... And its all good info to have .... just in case.

So yeah, some have great experiences, some have gone the lemon law route...
Knock on wood, I have been one with the good experiences....

Good luck with your purchase

 

There is no known thermostat issue with 2013's that I know of. The 2011-early 2012 (like my car) had an issue with failure of the temperature sensor in the thermostat housing. Originally they would replace the entire thermostat housing on cars with the problem. There is now a TSB to replace just parts of the temperature sensor system on these cars.

My car needs this TSB work done but since I have had no sign of the problem, I'm waiting to take it in for it's 1-year oil change in two months. I monitor the output of the temperature sensor with a scangauge while driving.

Otherwise no issues with my Jan-2012 build car.

 

9000 trouble free miles on my 03/2012 build cms all4

the temp sensor probe tsb did apply to my car and i had it done, but experienced no problems before or since and it will be done on the assembly line for 2013

some have complained of the clutch, i have had no problems with mine and the 2013s have some sort of "upgraded" clutch

early production countryman had a problem with chrome trim peeling, but that has been resolved (changed supplier) and did not happen to my car

if you get the 18" wheel option, the tires will be "summer" tires, not all seasons and they wear quickly (1/2 worn at 5,000 miles, measured when i rotated them), i am predicting 10-12 thousand miles to the wear bars (mine came with pirelli p7s) and if you live in an area that has a winter season you will need a second set of tires (and wheels?)

i will be replacing my summers with another set of summers because the traction is great, much better than all-seasons

my only complaint is it gets dirty too fast! (but my dealer offers free car washes every saturday)

scott

edit:

some have complained of rattles, i had a rattle that i traced to the jack and tool roll under the flat-load floor in the boot, i wrapped everything in the bag separately with rags and the rattle is gone, plus i now have a couple of rags on board should the need arise ... no others rattles, creaks or groans with my cms all4

scott

 

Scott- I will be going with an automatic and the stock wheels.
I am hoping that with the 2013 model Mini would have fixed any of these known issues.

 

Feb built 2011. Trouble free!

 

Yellow check engine light came on for about 5 minutes then went off on 2012 BRG Justa Mini.

Also have had three instances of steering locking up for a short time. all three when turn left out of parking.

The other day the steering had like a bump in it when turning on parking lot . Taking it in for service tomorrow. More concerned about the steering as if it fails then car might be hard to control.

No other problems in 16K miles

 

Two water pumps, an oil sending unit leak/replacement followed by an additional leak that corrupted the ECU. Run flats off at 1500 miles. The dealer has been great. Jan 11

 

2011 CMS, All4, Sudden, loss of power while under full throttle while driving on a slightly banked highway on-ramp...dry pavement. Felt like three sharp jolts. Apparently there is a software patch for this exact issue. Was also seen by Motor Trend's long term test car.

 

i wrote about this in an earlier post but this is still an issue that has become ever so annoying. in reverse, my breaks squeal loudly...not all the time but most of the time for about 4-6 slow stops in reverse while backing up after the car sits for a while. i had the breaks checked-out by the dealer but was told they could not find anything. The car just turned about a year old with 5,600 miles on it. It is a 2012 CMS automatic trans. Otherwise, I have not had any issues and brought it in for one service bulletin before anything happened. The excitement of having a Mini wears off quickly each time i back out of my driveway and the breaks squeal as loud as a freakn truck's breaks.

 

there are generally 2 causes of squeaing brakes

first is vibration of the pad against the part that holds the pad in the caliper ... this is controlled/eliminated by special high temp anti brake squeal lube that are applied to the back of the pads or sometimes an anti-squeal pad

the other cause is oxidation of the rotor (rust) or other buildup (pad material or dirt etc) on the rotor

if rust, the only "cure" would be a different rotor made of different material, if a buildup of pad material, a change of pad compound may cure it

on my cms all4, i get rust on the rotors overnight if it is damp or wet, so i think mini is going to say all is "normal"

but i only get squealling in reverse, if i am going forward for the first application of the brakes, i can hear a scaping/grinding slight noise, but no sqealling, the noise is the pad rubbing the rust off

if possible, try backing in at night so you pull out forward in the am

scott

 

Assuming the squealing goes away as the brakes warm-up, it's unlikely that there is anything wrong.

 

Two water pumps, two temp sensors.

 

the squeal does go away after the brakes warm-up, but the squealing didn't happen when the car was new. plus my wife's nissan rogue parked alongside the mini doesn't do this. i will take scott's suggestion and back it in for the night, so i will just go forward in the morning.

 

 

Mojito- so its now 2013 and how is she running. Like a well oiled machine. Love the spreadsheet.
I am debating whether to trade-in my high mileage but excellent running 03 Honda Pilot or to hold onto it for exactly what you experienced (days in the shop).

 

Not true. I just wish they had one for our cars.
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...l_Filters.aspx

 

She's back in the shop again today, misfiring again. 22xxx miles now. Auto temp control wasn't working for a while too, but seems to have fixed itself.

 

This does not sound good for a 2013.