Well I guess it had to happen .It's been a daily quest for me since the first "cold start death rattle incident .Europeans have much better choice's .

 

In cars, sevrvice or different brands altogether?

 

We got into talking about replacing our R56S's on the cold start thread and thought it should have it's own thread .

 

O.K. got it. Off to read cold start thread.

 

Time to get test driving

I'm sure you've considered the obvious contenders already, guess it all starts with what your needs and wants are (size, seats, drive wheels, hp, mpg, etc...)

 

why... you should get the 135 of course =). I love that car.

Just bread and water it for a year or so.

 

When I signed to order my MINI I didn't test drive any other cars. There were no competitors in my mind and there still isn't another woman.. I mean car that will satisfy me the way my Corona does.
However, when I think about how the engine has issues that could be fatal in the near future, I can't stop thinking about my other options.
If MINI can't figure it out, my best choice of action would be selling it before the resale value nosedives.
If MINI will figure it out, I should hang on and wait for my fix to come. But no one knows the answer for now. And it's been almost a year since the customers started complaining about the cold start/rattling. I will change my oil to 0W40 today or tomorrow as a precautionary measure. And until the next move is made, I will keep driving my MINI hard and fast.

 

I would love a 135i but does it come with an engine oil dipstick? It is out of my reach anyway.

 

I understand that the cold start issue is a problem that needs to be fixed but does anyone have any substantiated data regarding how wide-spread this problem really is?

I, for one, haven't had the problem in my 6 month old R56.

 

It is really unfortunate that MINIUSA still hasn't said a word about this issue...

 

Ok this could be an option !http://www.leftlanenews.com/fiat-500...o-america.html
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/24/f...n-u-s-by-2010/

 

It apears around 5k to 8K miles usually. My car had been driven for 8 months or 8800 miles before it did the cold start rattle thingy..

 

They got the answer.... OIL STARVATION. But they are clueless on how to go about it. Attaching something external to the engine sounds very unrealistic. Internal drilling, increasing oil capacity, and changing out the software might do it.

 

heres an interesting thought...

those with confirmed cold start rattles should have their r56s replaced with actual diesel coopers.

replaced by MINI, of course.

 

I'm still curious how common this is.

As Gabe said over on MF:

 

Maybe only the few perceptive(****) drivers notice it when it happens. I can't believe I am one of those who have noticed it! I have a good chance of hitting the lottery jackpot. This is a confidence booster!!!!

 

Yeah, I'm not sure about that. I'm just trying to figure out if this is truly something that will effect the car's value on a global scale or not.

I'm sure I'll notice it when/if it happens to my R56.

 

So, go trade it in already. Mine did the cold start thing twice, but it's got a 4 year 50,000 mile warranty, so it doesn't bother me. If it's truly "fatal" MINI & BMW will fix it even after the warranty period. They'll throw together a secret campaign and when you bring it in for an oil service, they'll swap out engines. I saw this years ago with the new 7-Series. They had bad transmissions, so they swapped them out. Go ahead and flame me, but this site is so full of whining and complaining that it's pathetic.

 

Though I do not (yet) own a Mini, I tend to agree with the rattle/warranty issue as described above. I have owned several BMW's and they always took excellent care of them under warranty without a question. So if their is a "fatal engine problem" let BMW replace the engine. I really do not see the big issue as this problem is reported to occur while the car is still relatively new and under warranty. And once BMW acknowledges the problem and YOU have it documented in your car history with them, relax. It should be covered.

 

This will be the last first model year car I buy. I swear!

 

My plan was to wait, but then I realized that I'd end up ordering the first week the '08s were available, so it'd be the exact same car anyway.

Look at the R50/R53 (and most other new models/revisions): it took them about two years to work out the major kinks.

I definitely couldn't have waited that long.

 

G
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W
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E
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I know many people aren't fans of the Evo X, but I have a sick obsession with it.

 

I'm going to push for a free extended warranty; if they're confident in their product and there's no solution yet, let them demonstrate their good will by giving me 6 years/100K miles on their nut.
I'm at 7 months and have 20K miles already. At this rate I'll be out of warranty before it turns two...

I was thinking of a Mustang GT; Ford is desparate and dropping their drawers right now. I also like to 4-wheel and the FJ Cruiser looks like a Mini on steroids.