I have to admit...my car may have some of the issues you mentioned -- it definitely has drippy goo that comes out from under the hood, like some kind of swamp monster lives in there -- but...I don't really care.

It sometimes makes a loud knockling sound when you start it cold. I figure, hey, if the engine explodes at some point from that, it's under warranty. And if it makes it past warranty without exploding, then that noise probably isnt' a problem.

In general, if the "issue" isn't making the car break down, it's not really an issue for me.

But if you want my stock A-pillar covers (non-HiFi), I'll send them to you for the cost of shipping. I replaced them with ones that had provision for tweeters.

--Dan
Mach V
FastMINI.net

 

Still Motoring is right. MiniUSA needs to do a better job of taking care of the problems. I don't care how many they churn out per year, if they take care of the problems up front (at the factory) there would be less of us with problematic Minis.

I would rather wait 6 months for delivery if I didn't have to deal with:

• washer jets weeping
• stained bonnet stripes
• cosmoline saturated fender molding
• blazing hot bonnet temps (235F)
• DMF knocking
• 3rd to 2nd gear squealing

Yes, hundreds of thousands are made each year. As far as the disgruntled minority goes. How many car owners, in general, know what is normal and what is not? It might be that the minority of owners complaining have legitimate issues and the majority are lacking the mechanical knowledge to know whether to challenge a manufacturer when they say, "oh that's a characteristic of the vehicle". No flaming or digs intended here, just an observation from someone who has a mechanical background. Being unaware of a problem doesn't make it normal.

My Mini is far from perfect. The last car I owned even near this fun was my '87 CRX Si, and this is way more fun. Will I own this car after the warranty, HECK NO! Not unless they can resolve the last three problems on my list. Would I do this all over again? I can't answer that yet, as I am trying to be patient and give MiniUSA sufficient time to address the issues my Mini has.

 

Wait, that's the underside of the panel right? Does this issue actually exist on an exterior surface?

 

Weird. If anyone should have these issues, it should be me. Mine was delivered 4 days after the release date in February (built in week 3).

I looked over your list carefully. I've got a few complaints of my own, but not a single one on your list. This, with 10,000 miles on the clock.

Maybe you should talk to the service manager at your dealership? At mine he is over both BMW and MINI. Go over each point, and mention the SA's response. And I agree--ask for NAM's experience on these problems. If nothing else, it backs up the "it's normal" or gives you the ammunition you need to demand a fix.

 

I'd like be able to report on some of these problems, but mine has been at the dealer for the past two weeks! Until they can figure out why my TPMS light keeps coming on, I'm stuck driving the loaner.

I've been pretty patient, but it's starting to wear thin.

 

Aren't British cars wonderful? So much character!

 

my opinion, worth precisely what you paid for it.

what the mini IS:
- FUN
- practical
- sexy
- retro
- economical
- zippy
- stylish
- built to a price

what it is NOT:
- perfect

there are plenty of cars more perfect than the mini. honda jumps to mind. but the honda, other than perhaps the s2000 or the Civic-S, fall well short of many of the things i love about the mini.

i've looked over your list of problems and i have to say that my car probably "suffers" from some of those things. but ya know what? i don't even notice.

i'm too busy cue-balling around the next corner, cackling like a schizophrenic chicken ...

 

Every manufacturer will have problems during a new model or major model redesign. I violated my own self-imposed 'rule' of not being a 'beta tester' of a completely new model of car when I bought my '03. Still, I figured that by the 2nd year (3rd if you consider European release) that some of the kinks would be ironed out. My car had some teething issues, and most were taken care of under warranty. Compared to some, my car has been a gem, with no major problems in nearly 50k miles.

I broke the same 'rule' this year when I bought a new '07.5 (mid-year intro) Chevy Silverado. The difference is mainly the new body style and emissions control on the diesel engine, but everything from the frame on down is carryover and pretty successful. Time will tell here as well.

MINI does suffer from it's European heritage, and in many lists compiled of quality control (Consumer Reports, JD Power, etc), on average, European makes lag both Japanese and US makes in quality control issues. It's kinda to be expected that MINIs might not be perfect compared to other makes. But the car is very unique, a tremendous amount of fun, and has a charm that nothing else can match. One has to weigh those benefits versus the failings.

Now, if I can only stop my car from rattling and squeaking like it is filled with clowns making balloon animals...

 

Sorry to bust everyone's complaining party but all cars have cosmoline and other wax protection coating that melts out with heat. Ever look at the black smudges on the door sills of a VW? That's from it leaking out the doors. I think Zymol makes a product specifically to remove cosmoline, but alcohol should work fine.

 

It's actually at the edge of the driverside just below the headlight but you can still see it when the hood, or bonnet, is closed. What really concerns me about this problem is how the clear coat lifted off the paint and how it may creep its way around to the other side. Cosmetic issues aside, it makes one wonder if the paint will be compromised in the future allowing the sheet metal underneath to rust. I'll try to take some more photo's from the outside this weekend and post them.

 

Greatbear I can’t agree with you more. Just to state for the record yet another time, I really like the Mini concept. Mass customization at this scale is something only Nike has been able to do with their shoes. To get a car that’s just the way you want it is a remarkable thing indeed. In the age of global warming and rising oil prices, the Mini is the only clever/fun alternative to the Hybrids (although the new Fiat 500 may be challenging Mini very soon, even on our shores).

http://www.fiat.com/cgi-bin/pbrand.d...UseBVCookie=no

However, to compromise build quality for sake of customization…I don’t know if ready for that. It’s ok if your shoes are a little wonky but a car is something completely different. Cars can become part of your life for extended periods of time, sometimes for life. I don’t believe in changing cars every three or four years. I had my last car for 12 years and I was hoping I could do the same with our Mini.

 

I too would have waited up to 6 months to get everything right Jinxy. In the end, if Mini improves their build quality it can only serve to help them. Especially from a bottom line perspective. Fixing all these Minis can't be cheap, even if they are in the "minority."

 

The issue remains though that you are the first and only person I have seen complaining of cosmoline causing your paint/clear to lift (there have been examples that it may stain the paint and trim if it runs down an exterior panel, and this is a dealer prep issue not really a MINI manufacturing one). 1 case out of 10's of thousands of car doesn't make a trend indicating bad QC/QA and poor build quality.

 

Let's both hope I'm the only first and only person.

 

The cosmoline issue has nothing to do with the craftmanship of the vehicle. As a matter of fact, the problems you could have if they did not use cosmoline could be far worse. The fault lies in how it is removed prior to delivery to the owner. Some dealerships may do a good job, others may not.

I had a small amount of cosmoline oozing from the folded edges of the bonnet. I heated the bonnet edges with a steam cleaner, then used my air compressor to blow out any remaining bits of cosmoline. That took care of it. Did I mind doing it? No. I think Mini could do a better job of training folks on how to remove it though.

That said. I have a Cooper, not an S. I have none of the issues you list. The fit and finish of Romi are quite excellent. After 4K+ miles the car is our preferred ride over our 2006 Lexus IS250. Quiet, comfortable, economical, and fun to drive is how I would describe Romi.

Now, the interior of the Lexus is better than the Mini, but I expect that of a $40K car. If I had paid that much for the Mini, I would expect the same level of quality. For a $22K car, I cannot complain. It surpasses all my expectations, and then some.

 

Mini has done a wonderful job in it's customization levels. It's really not that difficult, it works because they have taken the various options out of 'packages' and made it a la carte. Packages are still there for those used to that ordering model or who couldnt care less for uniqueness. With today's fully computerized mass production lines, such levels of customizing could be practically a given.

MINI is also shooting themselves in the foot in regards to quality issues and recurring problems. The 1st gen cars have certain problems that were never really rectified by the factory, instead it is handled as 'replace the bad stuff with the same flawed parts over and over again'. Case in point is the eternally flawed power steering fan on the 50/53. There are probably thousands of cars driving around right now with failed fans. As long as the cars remain moving most of the time, there is less of a chance of the fan failure and resulting problems escalating and manifesting themselves as overheated engines and failed power steering pumps. Still, many have ended up with problems, the problems fixed under or after warranty, and are doomed to revisit the same problem over and over again because the parts were never redesigned. In some cases, like the fan issue, there is a pseudo-fix (a redesigned wiring harness) but it will only be installed if the owner requests it. WTF? Is this done to ensure future service revenue or early obsolescence?

Not exactly confidence inspiring.

 

Actually the PS fan issue was solved in the later R50/52/53's by addition of the shield and changing the fuse.

 

But the fan itself was never redesigned, and the shield, actually a duct that helps bring cooler air from ahead of the engine rather than behind it, does not solve the problem of water accumulation in the fan assembly. Early on the fan itself was wide open. There were issues of it inhaling road debris such as sticks and plastic bags and such, jamming it. In '04, a screen/guard was added to the intake end of the fan that mostly helped the object inhalation issue. Still, the fan design and the reason for it being in place suffered two major faults. The PS fan does not really cool off the PS pump/motor assembly as much as it tries to prevent it being externally heated by the exhaust header and catalyst right above it. Also, the design of the little fan/motor assembly is flawed because it's design uses a cup-shaped fan blade which fits around the motor itself. While not in and of itself a design flaw (the radiator fan is made this way) it's the application of the design that's the problem. The fan is oriented nearly horizontally, with the open end of the cup facing upwards. The cup surrounds (contains) the motor itself, paritally protecting it from debris moving in the direction of the airflow and making for a more compact assembly. The core of the problem comes from the fact that this open cup eventually fills with sandy road debris as well as water that exists under the car, especially when driving in bad weather in traffic. Since the PS fan only comes on in specific high engine heat load conditions, the motor is never run in these weather conditions to help fling out the moisture. The motor will find itself partially immersed in dirty water for sometimes days at a time, resulting in damage (the bearing bearing often locks up or the sand binds the blade against the motor housing). The fan fails, and in early cars you lose the radiator cooling fan operation as well, and the later cars are left with no indication that the PS fan has failed, adding to the heat load the PS pump has to contend with, and the eventual failure of the latter.

The duct does prevent most of the water from being drawn into the fan, but that is not the core of the problem. It's the open backside of the assembly that has not changed. Plenty of '05 and '06 fans have failed (with the lucky owners hearing a grinding noise as the indication of failure). A simple redesign of the fan blade so it does not collect and hold road crud (segment the cup structure instead of making it solid, or some simple 'vents' are two solutions) will prevent future problems. Me, I look forward to eventually spending another hundred dollars to replace my out-of-warranty PS fan. To help lengthen the time before this happens, I periodically remove the fan and use compressed air to blow the crud out of the assembly and inspect the motor. I also added an inline fuse (3 amp) at the fan connector so a fan failure will not leave me without engine cooling.

The fact that the customer has to be aware of the fan issue on these cars and has to specifically request the retrofit harness be installed on earlier cars when the dealer performs the replacement is a sticking point for me. MINI/BMW is simply shirking their responsibility here. It's still the same part, and without the harness, the same failure mode is bound to happen. In those earlier cars, the engine inevitably has been run at elevated temperatures for possibly a long time, and it too might suffer failure down the road, such as a failed head gasket. Given the lack of a usable temperature gauge in any of the cars, the unsuspecting owner has little means to know something is wrong until it's too late (I speak from experience here). It's as though fixing the problem once and for all to BMW is merely admitting there was a problem in the first place. They fear the liability and the smear on their reputation.

Now, I must say that any problem I had during my warranty period was handled beautifully by the dealer. I've had fans, steering wheels, trim bits, Nav computer, coolant tank, shift ****, the roller shade, driving lamps, rattles and leaks all promptly fixed each time, and without a dime out of pocket. Now that the car is out of warranty, I bear all the repair costs myself, but I am glad I can handle anything that I should encounter. If I didnt have this ability, I would be second guessing my long term ownership of the car. People around here have spent thousands of bucks replacing transmissions, engines, steering racks and pumps, blowers and whatnot, an sometimes more than once. Many hold on to the cars simply because they are so unique, safe and fun to drive.

My two euros.

 

Expat...you make very solid points. I love "The Fridg, my PW R56 S, and I've had no issues. The worth it part...yeah, the thing is a driving monster, and that's what I love. The lady of the house has an 07 Toyota Yaris hatchback that was about $12.8 out the door! It now has 28k miles on it and it just drives drives drives. I've changed the oil/filter repeatedly and the air filter. It just keeps humming, freeway, town, dirt roads even, and gets huge gas mileage doing it. BUT, it drives/stops/goes like a little underpowered schoolbus compared to the Mini. She won't try my Mini. I've offered, but she KNOWS if she does the Mini thing once, she's doomed. You know why. Motor on, boys...life is short, the twisty roads are hopefully long. Keep moving and don't look back!!

My mini S $28.8k out the door. The barebones Yaris hatchback $12.8k. The 16k extra buys a lot, imo!!! It just depends on what you want and what you're gonna do with your wheels.

 

I went from an enthusiastic in puppy-love mini newbie to obsessed mod-addicted stalker-like mini owner. At the beginning, I did not notice the faults but now they consume me. I accepted the average quality ever since I got the car, but I am going to nit and pick every little thing with the dealer while I have my warranty. When it starts to cost me, I'll let things go. It is definitely like Christmas morning (in a secular gift receiving sense) every time I drive my mini cooper.

 

follow your bliss, child.

 

Still Motoring, it honestly sounds like you have a ****-poor dealer thats refusing to fix your problems (all of which seem easily fixable). My suggestion would be to go through MINI Corporate or head to a better dealer.

 

Thanks Vic, I'm scheduled to meet with the regional Mini Manager soon. Apparently he (or she) visits once a month to address issues that the dealership cannot act on.

I'll let everyone know how it goes.

And thanks again everyone.

 

sums it up to me. If my Mini can drive I'm happy. Coming from Mercedes I'd say the Mini is way more reliable. I think the Mini is great with all the abuse I give it.

 

If you like the way the Mini handles, you'll probably be disappointed. The 1 is really just a smaller sized 3 series. It handles about the same and weighs almost the same, according to all the reviews I've read about the car. I had hopes the 1 would be agile like the Mini too, but at almost 3500 lbs, how could it?