2nd generation MCS overall reliability?
2009 MCS feb birth date current millage = 6700
Replaced bad fuel pump at 1500 miles
second CEL for the same issue could not reproduce it at 5000
I am now waiting for the failure to re-occur which i hope it does not
So far the car has been good with the exception of it going to safe mode due to the fuel pump.
The dealer on the other hand has been anything but helpfull, trying to blame CEL on weather temprature changes.
I had a #650 or so off the line 2002 acura rsx-s so i am used to issues but i am also used to being treated like a human not a crazy person. I had a new tranny in that car at 13k due to silent recall new sun roof on it as well, seat seat cover, head lights, brake pads rotors, a number of Fuel sensors and ECU upgrade. So like i said i am used to issues and take them in stride
Mini has just been like our cars have no faults we think your crazy now prove it that our car did something wrong.
In the end so far mini and acura are of equal build quality so far
as far as customer service acura >>>>>>>>>>>> MINI
I think alot of this has to do with local dealers
I got a great acura guy in the service department
even after my car was totaled and i needed information for insurance they were there for me.
Mini cooper of nashville so far has well not shown me the love.
Replaced bad fuel pump at 1500 miles
second CEL for the same issue could not reproduce it at 5000
I am now waiting for the failure to re-occur which i hope it does not
So far the car has been good with the exception of it going to safe mode due to the fuel pump.
The dealer on the other hand has been anything but helpfull, trying to blame CEL on weather temprature changes.
I had a #650 or so off the line 2002 acura rsx-s so i am used to issues but i am also used to being treated like a human not a crazy person. I had a new tranny in that car at 13k due to silent recall new sun roof on it as well, seat seat cover, head lights, brake pads rotors, a number of Fuel sensors and ECU upgrade. So like i said i am used to issues and take them in stride
Mini has just been like our cars have no faults we think your crazy now prove it that our car did something wrong.
In the end so far mini and acura are of equal build quality so far
as far as customer service acura >>>>>>>>>>>> MINI
I think alot of this has to do with local dealers
I got a great acura guy in the service department
even after my car was totaled and i needed information for insurance they were there for me.
Mini cooper of nashville so far has well not shown me the love.
I love my MCS It runs smoothly I constantly keep checking the fluids since I used to drive a 5.0 87 Mustang and I needed to check the oil and coolent level to make sure it didnt overheat.
I do have an occasional problem with the shifter paddles though they shift back down too many gears some times and push the rev up too high but I took it to the dealer and they fixed it in a day or so gave me a rental and got it back the very next day.
To give you an Idea of what it was doing It was down shifting on me say when I was in 5th gear it would drop to 2nd or even 1st while I was driving down the highway at 60mph luckily a quick throw to Drive and got it back to my place and next day got MINI to take care of it.
Yea I know I should have gotten a manual but I live In LA and I dont like driving a manual in the stop and go traffic on the freeway to work.
I do have an occasional problem with the shifter paddles though they shift back down too many gears some times and push the rev up too high but I took it to the dealer and they fixed it in a day or so gave me a rental and got it back the very next day.
To give you an Idea of what it was doing It was down shifting on me say when I was in 5th gear it would drop to 2nd or even 1st while I was driving down the highway at 60mph luckily a quick throw to Drive and got it back to my place and next day got MINI to take care of it.
Yea I know I should have gotten a manual but I live In LA and I dont like driving a manual in the stop and go traffic on the freeway to work.
'08 MCSa, 26Kmiles, just upgraded with JCW Tuning Kit. No mechanical malfunctions. Some dash and door trims creak while driving. Bought the OEM chrome scoop which developed a defect after a few months from being so close to the turbo charger.
Other than that it's been great!
Other than that it's been great!
48000 miles on 2007 MCS. Got the dreaded rattle three times and that's it as far as problems. Oh yeah, I discovered (in my case, ymmv,) the rattle happened only after I ran the car for a matter of seconds to move it and then started it after it sat for awhile.
I've owned a 2005 MCSa, and my 2010 MCS. So far, I think the 2010 is a far better vehicle - the 2005 rattled like mad when new, the 2010 rattles far less (although the fact that it has rattles with 500 miles on the odo is a bit unnerving).
I think the newer Minis are better cars than the 1st gens (although I miss a lot the supercharger whine and a bit of the go-kart feel of them). I've had lots of very small problems with my cars (popped off items, rattles, misaligned hood, etc)., but nothing really severe. Here's hope this car will perform as it should.
I think the newer Minis are better cars than the 1st gens (although I miss a lot the supercharger whine and a bit of the go-kart feel of them). I've had lots of very small problems with my cars (popped off items, rattles, misaligned hood, etc)., but nothing really severe. Here's hope this car will perform as it should.

Thanks!
If you want to check out an unbiased review then I would recommend the parkers website from the UK
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/review...06.aspx?Page=2
As far as reliability I've had no complaints with a used purchase of an 07 MCS Manual with 18,000K on the odometer until about 3 weeks ago - I've had the car now for 4 months.
It's been in the dealership for 3 weeks now after being towed in. What initially felt like a bad tank of gas, you know put your foot down and it feels like it's going nowhere other than probably cutting out on you. So anyway being super paranoid I get it home 10 mile ride back from work max and garage it and immediately call the dealership. I'm told that they can't do anything until the OBD comes up, which of course it hasn't. So next morning I go get some octane booster thinking that the half tank of Chevron I put in it 2 days prior may be the offender. As soon as it's in the tank I turn the ignition and on comes the yellow engine warning light - service engine soon!!! Make arrangements for the car to be towed and after two weeks the dealership say that the small block needs replacing and don't know the root cause, initially I hear that oil is in the turbocharger, oil in one of the pistons on another follow up call. Long and short they're replacing the engine in full and during this process call me and say that the clutch plate is excessively worn and will only charge me the price of the part if I want it replaced.
I'm still waiting for the work to be completed and after all that still love the car. It's apparent that the previous owner may have thrashed the hell out of it, hence the issue...........NOTHING BUT PRAISE FOR THE SERVICE RECEIVED FROM DESERT BMW.
Make your own mind up.
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/review...06.aspx?Page=2
As far as reliability I've had no complaints with a used purchase of an 07 MCS Manual with 18,000K on the odometer until about 3 weeks ago - I've had the car now for 4 months.
It's been in the dealership for 3 weeks now after being towed in. What initially felt like a bad tank of gas, you know put your foot down and it feels like it's going nowhere other than probably cutting out on you. So anyway being super paranoid I get it home 10 mile ride back from work max and garage it and immediately call the dealership. I'm told that they can't do anything until the OBD comes up, which of course it hasn't. So next morning I go get some octane booster thinking that the half tank of Chevron I put in it 2 days prior may be the offender. As soon as it's in the tank I turn the ignition and on comes the yellow engine warning light - service engine soon!!! Make arrangements for the car to be towed and after two weeks the dealership say that the small block needs replacing and don't know the root cause, initially I hear that oil is in the turbocharger, oil in one of the pistons on another follow up call. Long and short they're replacing the engine in full and during this process call me and say that the clutch plate is excessively worn and will only charge me the price of the part if I want it replaced.
I'm still waiting for the work to be completed and after all that still love the car. It's apparent that the previous owner may have thrashed the hell out of it, hence the issue...........NOTHING BUT PRAISE FOR THE SERVICE RECEIVED FROM DESERT BMW.
Make your own mind up.
Since my car is 2 months old and it has spent two weeks at the dealership, right now I'm not completely sure it's better than my old car, either.
On my first post on this thread I had 1,200 miles, now I have 8,000 miles/1 year old, still doing great. Just went in for its annual oil change due to low miles. Hope it stays this trouble-free!
Well, going back to the original post, I had a 2007 MCS auto. I recently traded it in on a Nissan 370Z. Nothing wrong with the MCS, I had ZERO issues but ended up with a good deal on the Z so I went for it. Of course the Z is much faster but the MINI was pretty close with handling.
As far as reliability, like I said, I had no issues at all, the MINI was very good. I did have a few warning lights but none of them amounted to anything, they would all reset or never impact the car and it was on two occasions with the yellow sprocket light.
Funny thing is, I used to have a Lexus IS300, well cared for and gently driven. Yet, the transmission went out at 50K miles which the dealer replaced and at 68K miles the motor blew! I could not believe it! So, with any car there could be issues. I had to spend nearly $6000 to replace the motor which I ended up trading the IS in a week after I got it back and will never go back to Lexus. I went the Nissan route because of the reviews, reliability record, and low maintenance. To my surprise the 370Z has a very low maintenance requirement interval so I am hoping it will be similar to my Toyota Supra (97TT) which just got faster with miles.
And, my wife also currently has an 08 MCS and so far no issues with hers either. Her is a 6-speed where mine was an auto.
As far as reliability, like I said, I had no issues at all, the MINI was very good. I did have a few warning lights but none of them amounted to anything, they would all reset or never impact the car and it was on two occasions with the yellow sprocket light.
Funny thing is, I used to have a Lexus IS300, well cared for and gently driven. Yet, the transmission went out at 50K miles which the dealer replaced and at 68K miles the motor blew! I could not believe it! So, with any car there could be issues. I had to spend nearly $6000 to replace the motor which I ended up trading the IS in a week after I got it back and will never go back to Lexus. I went the Nissan route because of the reviews, reliability record, and low maintenance. To my surprise the 370Z has a very low maintenance requirement interval so I am hoping it will be similar to my Toyota Supra (97TT) which just got faster with miles.
And, my wife also currently has an 08 MCS and so far no issues with hers either. Her is a 6-speed where mine was an auto.
Just barely over a year, 14,000 miles this morning.
Had the frozen throttle body, cold start rattle, and a sticking sunroof, all have been fixed (well, actually the frozen throttle body we won't know for a while....)
yeah, a few issues, but still my favorite car I've ever had (and I've had a BUNCH, including three other new MINIs (all first gen) and several new BMWs.)
Had the frozen throttle body, cold start rattle, and a sticking sunroof, all have been fixed (well, actually the frozen throttle body we won't know for a while....)
yeah, a few issues, but still my favorite car I've ever had (and I've had a BUNCH, including three other new MINIs (all first gen) and several new BMWs.)
well this thread makes me feel a bit better - i hate my car.
2009 MCSC, it leaks - has been back 3+ times and they cant fix it.
now it whines/squeaks while idling, amongst other things (rubber door seals, melted hood scoop, etc)
im tired of it, either want a new one, or something that will make my last 6 payments worth it. I dont even have 9000k miles on it.
2009 MCSC, it leaks - has been back 3+ times and they cant fix it.
now it whines/squeaks while idling, amongst other things (rubber door seals, melted hood scoop, etc)
im tired of it, either want a new one, or something that will make my last 6 payments worth it. I dont even have 9000k miles on it.
I assume you know the whine / squeak at idle is the water pump.
Or so I was told by my dealer. They fixed it and returned it to me today. I drove it from the dealer to my office. The whine was there when I arrived.
Aw, well.
Or so I was told by my dealer. They fixed it and returned it to me today. I drove it from the dealer to my office. The whine was there when I arrived.
Aw, well.
Almost 9,400 miles and still lovin' her - 1 year 1 month since I picked her up the day she arrived - haven't had any reason to go back since. I did have the oil changed at Hans at 6K.
No problems at all - fingers continue to be crossed.
No problems at all - fingers continue to be crossed.


