Same here.

John

 

The MINI is not a reliable car and if that is what you are going for, don't buy it. She's a tempermental, difficult, fast girl that will take you places you have never been and maybe don't want to go. If you rely upon a warranty for happiness, get another car.

 

Perhaps a bit extreme, there . . .

My MINI, while it's had numerous issues has only left me stranded once, when the engine wiring harness failed. Many (most? I don't know) issues are stupid, sniggling, maddening ones (boot latches, stumble, cold start, window motors, etc.) I have not ever had, nor do I have now, qualms about taking my car on long roadtrips. I don't worry that I'll arrive at my desitnation every time I get into my car. It's my only car, I take lots of roadtrips, and I generaly trust it in both capacities. Now, do I always trust that, once down, my window will return to the up position? Not necessarily . . .

Are there issues? Yes. Should you consider the known ones very seriously, within the context of you own life before purchase? Yes. But then I'd hope you'd do that with any new vehicle.

 

some of these cars are a glaring reminder as to how cheap they really are . get rid of the car and buy a better one . yeah they're the best looking small car on the road but that doesn't get you to work .

 

Um, you've got an '05, you think the reliability will go down with a new second year model?
There is VERY little history with the R56 thus far. I don't recall seeing anything more issue with the R56 than the R53, certainly not the original '02 models!
What's the goal in getting the new car?
Tell you what, keep the R53, send me a few thousand dollars, and we'll call it even.

 

It does if you work in your garage.
Hey, it worked for HP.

 

No problems on my 07 so far... Of course I only have 280 miles on my baby...

 

oh not sure how I left out our recent tranny issues, the car has been in for an inspection there as per me....

I've done very little reading but it seems it must be a CVT or related transmission due to the surging I can feel when getting on and off the gas. I know a little about them from riding snowmobiles in Washington state where I'm from. There seems to be excessive slippage, the car hardly pulls forward at an idle when you let off the brake at a complete stop, and when your hard on the throttle it sometimes won't "catch" until 4500rpm when an abrupt accelleration hits the wheels. Still something that is different is the fact that the cpu seems to let the tranny slip to allow the rpms to rise prior to power being applied, is this the combination of a tq converter along with something else perhaps? In any case the tranny feels VERY worn at 40,000 and my assumption is its nearing the end of its life :(....just one more major issue.

When I explained these things they plugged the car into a diagnostic utility, and said "the tranny is fine, the computer shows no fault codes" I said "great, it's a good thing that the medical field doesn't work the way the automotive industry does". They wouldn't bother checking the fluid even for me!

 

let me make it more clear that it is indeed slipping, and it's not just the rpms jumping up before power being put down as all autos do, this clearly is slipping as it happens for 10 seconds straight and it's obvious the car is actually trying to accelerate.

Funny thing is, she was debating between the 04 Honda S2000 and the 04 Mini.......if only she picked a S2000 as I did.

I'm putting down 360hp with a turbo and the engine runs perfect, and expect to be putting down 450whp within 6 months and know lots of people on a stock block putting that down for 150,000 miles, the whole car is perfect, every time I bring it in, everything fixed on the spot, even though I'm turbo, for example the wheel bearing started to go out, boom replaced and back on the road. Really I've had almost no issues with my s2000. I'm recommending she just buy one and leave it stock, at least we know it'll be good for 200,000+ miles, I doubt her cooper will do that. The cooper is a fun little car though, if it'd run.

How hard can it possibly be for BMW to build something that just runs damnit.

 

If you've got the CVT, definitely sell it. There have been serious issues with the CVT, and maybe the buyer can get MINI to work with them, as you appear to have worn out your welcome there. That's an expensive fix, too.

In general the '04s are pretty sorted out, but you may have gotten a Friday car. It's not like it's abnormal to sell a car after 40K - go find something bright and shiny.

 

car shopping time, xmas time is slow I'd think they'd wanna sell something around now

 

I have 30,650 miles on my MINI and so far the only major issue that was truly defective parts was the sun roof cassette having been out of alignment and wearing a hole in the seal along the driver's side midway down the stationary glass. The dealer replaced the cassette without issue or complaint. Other than that it has been very few minor issues requiring a couple Saturday visits to the dealer in Atlanta; Global Imports. Global Imports to their credit has done what was necessary to make things right and going the extra mile to make me happy even as I was very irate over having my intercooler smashed by the technician who left tools under the bonnet (socket, extension left sitting on top of intercooler) and then closed the bonnet. I was very upset when I discovered it 2 days later when I opened the hood. Did I mention I live 127 miles from the dealer?

Long story made short: the dealer took care of me and I still go to Global for my maintenance. They were very attentive even though I know I was extremely upset and probably didn't make things any easier for them. Global Imports shined! Brandon, my SA has been very attentive and takes the extra time to ensure things are done. Thanks Brandon for your service!

But, given the experience, a few minor issues, I would not trade my MINI for any other vehicle. It has been the most trouble free car I have ever owned in my 31 years of driving and owning 14 different vehicles from MGs (2) to Datsuns, to Fords (4), Oldmobiles, Chryslers (2) etc, etc.

I do not think MINI as a whole is a bad car and is far from being an overall product of doo-doo. All production marques have their share of lemons, MINI isn't any different.

 

So far, I have had several issues with my Mini. But, what really concerns me is not those issues, but the Mini dealer's willingness to dismiss them and outright lie about them. That is the kind of thing that drives me away from a car. Yes, any car can have problems. What really counts is how the dealer/manufacturer responds to those problems.

 

Had a 2003 MC and sold it at around 65,000 miles. Only major issue was a tranny failure at 43,000 miles, otherwise, it was solid as a rock. Had no reliability issues during that time. I've got a 2005 MCS now with 67,000 miles on it, and only issue is leaking coolant which seems pretty common right now.

Just a couple of notes: Assael isn't known for their knowledge. Their parts are marked up as twice over retail and when I was looking for my first MINI their dealer markups were like most of the other dealers --$6000 for an MCS--except for Long Beach and South Bay (which wasn't in place at the time). Try your luck at a different dealer--you might even be surprised by the prices---I'm not at all surprised by the quote for the mushrooming.

Richard

 

the mini is the most all around fun of any car I've ever had. But it doesn't come with Honda like reliability. Like others have posted, most of the issues are minor, but annoying none the less. I have friends who drive thier ferraris a lot less than they used to because of the fun of the Mini. Don't stay away from the driving experience because it won't be rock solid. Just know what you're getting into, and think about the overall experience.

Even after researching all the major things that go south with the new Mini, I still reccomend them to those that want a really fun driving experience. There are cars that accelerate better, or corner better, or carry more (or carry less!) but overall, the car is a surprising blast to own. If you don't get one, you'll never know.

The OPs hassles with thier Mini would have been much less severe if their dealer wasn't a bunch of a-holes.

Matt

 

I have had a less than a perfect relationship with the selling dealer(FLOW of Winston Salem NC). I could not get them to acknowledge the fact that my stereo (Digital Power Sound Modul) shorted out after every heavy rain. At Mini USA's suggestion I took the car to a second Mini dealer (Hendricks Charlotte NC) who found problems both times I took the car in for service. Unfortunatly this dealer said this is an installing dealer problem not a Mini problem; ie can't cover under warranty. So back to the first dealer with a list of problems the second dealer found. They again denied there was a problem with the car, and told me I could not bring the car back for this issue unless it was activly shorting out at the time. I sent them audio files of the car shorting out. Suddenly they said that their detail guy heard the system short, while cleaning the car for delivery and got the technican and the service advisor to listen. My car has been in the shop ten weeks in the last year, everyday it is in the shop at least five people at work ask me about the car. So I understand what you are going through, and truly feel sorry for you and your wife.

 

Car is back home now, but we are expecting rain this weekend. Look for my post/rant on DPSM under audio systems.

 

Misery loves company

Sorry to hear your a boat like we are..... That sounds like a nightmare your in. good god what have we purchased!!!!

 

I call BS. I'll bet you don't have more than one friend who drives his Ferrari less because of his MINI. And I'll bet he lives next door.


The MINI does seem to be a 'when it rains, it pours' (sorry, wildcrazy) kind of car. The good ones are really good , the bad ones are really bad.
In any case, when you know you've found a turd, another round of Meguiar's won't help.

 

Similar comments about VW's on the VW Vortex forums, horrible dealer service, warranty issues, early timing belt & water pump failures, rattles, electrical problems, clutch etc...

even a website www.myvwlemon.com

Knock-on-wood both of by late model VW's have been problem free except for routine maintenance, a $3 temperature sensor at 50,000 miles plus parts are locally available.


I've decided to hold off on purchasing a Mini until the 07 and later model gets their quirks worked out and if a dealership opens up in the Raleigh area.

I really don't have time to travel 90 to 120 minutes for dealer service and warranty issues.

Good luck in getting your radio wiring sorted out.

 

Same here. My '03 TDI wagon (ordered new) is approaching 147K and I've done little to it other than maintenance. However, it being a TDI, I don't let the dealer get anywhere near the car and do all work on it myself. Even warranty work. At the same time, one of the main reasons I bought the car was VAG-COM and thus the luxury of not needing the dealer for anything. Also, with TDIClub.com, TDI owners have possibly the best DIY resource available for any car.

 

Same here, easy oil change with the Pela.

My brother's 99 1/2 TDI has 180,000 and still gets 50 MPG and he also picked up the Vag-Com cable and software and still has original clutch.

He came very close to picking up the Mini, loved the car but the Flow dealership would not guarantee a loaner car if needed to travel out there for service.

A buddy of mine used to have his 04 Mini serviced at European Performance in Raleigh - mods, software upgrades etc.

 

Eh... not a big fan of Pela-changes... gets me into all kinds of arguements over on Fred's... but I have a lift, so changing conventionally is less of a hassle for me.

 

There's a guy who lives behind Alices that has both, and Terry was doing some digging for an article that was never written on Ferrari owners that have Minis. There are more than you think! I was at Alice's when a bunch of Terrys buddies were getting together to do a Ferrari run, and this one lady said (with a heavy French accent), "Well of course if you have a Ferrari you must have a Mini!" that got me thinking..... So in the parking lot there out of 5 Ferrari owners, three had Minis.

Turns out this isn't new, and even happened with the early Minis in the 60s....

Matt

 

Reading this just makes me sick to my stomach. I bought a 330i brand new in may of '05. The car I bought was one of the first 2006 models available. I expected a few small problems here and there because it was a new model, but nothing had prepared me for the terrible customer service I would receive from the service department.

I won't go into to much detail but after having the car for less than a couple weeks it had to go in for $1500 in warranty repair. The dealer tried to charge me for it and when I explained that it was a mistake they insisted I must pay or come back on monday (it was saturday)

I was assertive but not harsh, when explaining that I was going to drive home in my car that day without paying for it, at which time I was called a jerk by the service advisor.

That is just one of the many instances of poor treatment I've received as a customer of BMW. at just under 20k miles, the water pump died leaving me stranded on Easter weekend. The dealership refused to provide a rental car for me for the weekend.

It goes on and on. So many problems, and I was never treated like a CUSTOMER. Only like a liability. BMW of North America was contacted, and they phoned me once. They asked me a few questions and said they'd get back to me which they never did.

My opinion of BMW as a company is not good. I would never and will never purchase another BMW product as long as I live, and I will never recommend for anyone else to do so either.

I love the cars, but the service is horrendous. I am in the process of trading my BMW in for a Honda.

Sorry to hear of you troubles, but the truth is it is not uncommon and BMW doesn't care. Ditch the POS and get something from Honda or Toyota.