Has the Mini factory in the U.K. come up with any definite fixes yet to the shift interlock and air scoop issues. If not, Mini will continue to replace bad parts with bad parts and people will continue to have problems. Has anyone contacted the Mini factory to inquire about these issues? MiniUSA doesn't seem to know anything. My wife and I still plan on going in Monday to test drive the MCS w/ auto. However, I'm not putting out over $25,000 for a vehicle with known and ongoing problems. Thanks for any replies. You all have already answered several questions successfully for us.

 

We would like to thank everyone on this site for your helpful replies. It appears that Mini still has ongoing issues that are not being properly addressed. Therefore, we have decided not to buy a MCS at this time. Thanks to you all, we were able to make an informed decision. Good luck to all and Happy Motoring.

 

May I wish you a great experience with whatever car you buy.

AFAIK that Shift Interlock issue was limited to autos built in March and April of 2008,
which would indicate that it must have been addressed.

My March 2008 build MINI was absolutely perfect until I read about Shift Interlock in here and sure enough,
it occasionally could be shifted out of Park, without brake applied.

This would be a safety issue if left on a grade with a child inside to move that auto shift lever out of park,
I guess if you had a manual shift you might need to set parking brake as they don't ever lock in gear..

In this State (Florida), you will get arrested for leaving your pet in an unattended vehicle, no less a child.

Never having children or pets to leave in car and few 'grades' around here had me complacent on the interlok.

I plan to visit MINI for the free Maintenance Service in May 2009 and if interlok is still acting up,
they can attend to it at that time.

I have no clue about any air scoop issues.

 

mact probably left for good since no one was fast enough to reply to his thread.That is normal as message boards go as others are aware of the delay to responding to threads and have some patients.

Anyway best of luck mact with whatever you and your wife decide on which manufacturer to buy from.

Since the shift interlock was already answered I will reply to the scoop issue.
From my understanding it affected early 2007 R56 S models because the hood scoop came from the factory sealed.The scoop ended up warping because cool air couldn't enter the scoop while driving nor let the hot engine air out when parked.The heat build up then caused the scoop to begin to warp.The fix has been going on for some time now and those with the sealed hood scoops are getting the new ones with openings in them covered under the factory warranty.

 

Yes as a matter of fact I checked my hood scoop as a soon as I got it and sure enough there are holes drilled into about half of the black plastic "holes" in the scoop