Wanted to get owners of the 2nd generation MCS and see how happy you've been with the overall reliability of your car. It seems like most sources say the 2nd gen has been fairly reliable, but I've also heard a handful of horror stories. Moving from a Lexus/Toyota where reliability has never been an issue, I'm curious to know how overall reliability has been for 2nd gen MCS and if there is anything I should be concerned about. Maintainance headaches as we all know are the last thing we want to deal with!

 

I'm completely happy with mine. It's almost a year since I took delivery.

With any forum, most of the posts deal with problems. So take it all with a grain of salt.

 

30,000 miles and could not be happier.

 

Just reached the end of the break-in point (1200 miles) and I'm ready to do some serious motoring now. Doing great so far!

 

16.5k over 7 months. No issues whatsoever.

 

15K miles, one year 4 mo. with the 07 MCSa, many long trips, longest 3200 miles.

Excellent reliability, no hiccups. I have mild mods, CAI, strut-bar, 19mm rear sway.

I hope my next one is as reliable, since it will be for my wife. Only one dealer visit for trouble, wind noise over the windshield when at very high speed, cruisi'n on I70 eastbound with a strong sheer wind.

 

6 months, 10,000 miles with one long driving vacation without a real hiccup, other than a heat-warped hood scoop and a fuel tank level sensor that gets slightly confused when the tank is full. Both are getting replaced under warranty next week. Overall, couldn't be happier.

 

Not enough data. The 1st-gen engines have proven to be bomb proof, but the 2nd-gen are a very different, and more complex, animal.

 

Look up consumer reports. I think there is some info there.

Other than a few hiccups in the JD Powers ICQ, I think the cars looks good. I am happy with mine.

 

The most common problem that I have read about is the hood scoop melting. There are several threads on this issue. That's what I will be looking out for.

 

Such as the Mini ranking second to last among all brands sold in the US?

Andewshogun you have asked a question in a forum inhabited by Mini fanatics and you will get almost entirely positive answers. People have a tendency to identify with these cars to the point of blind fanaticism and this extends to any accessories and modifications they may add to them.

Mine happened to be incurable and after 2,000 miles BMW has promised to give me a replacement car. I was lucky to be dealing with good people who preferred to replace the car than be drawn into the messy lemon law process.

The most interesting part of this story is that I decided to give the Mini another chance rather than buying another brand. The decision is based not on the quality of this car but on its personality and driving enjoyment. Sitting in the garage it is impossible to look at it and not feel good.

I had three Lotus (one Cortina, one S2 and one S7) back in the sixties and each one of them required far more attention and repairs than the Mini ever will. A Lotus in those days broke just sitting there. They were however an incredible joy to drive, won me races and picked up girls for me. When time came to sell I cried black tears.

The Minis evoke the same responses from the current generation of owners. And oh yes, they pick up girls too...

 

While the new MINI has not yet left me stranded, I've been very unimpressed and unhappy with my 2008 MC thus far (still happy with my 2006 MCS, though). My impression/experience thus far with the 2nd gen MINIs suggests poor engineering, poor components, and poor build quality (after only 5,200 miles).

Problems encountered thus far beginning around 800 miles:
1. Rain water leak
2. Faulty fuel gauge
3. Faulty wiring gremlin somewhere related to turn signals/headlights/dashboard lights
4. Shift **** and shaft pull out while driving (shifting first to second)
5. Odd (anything but normal) shifting noises and clutch noises (beginning at 2,000 miles)
6. vacuum leak/high pitched whine
7. faulty passenger-side airbag
8. dashboard buzzing/rattles
9. other rattling components of unknown source

2008 mini drives more like a vehicle with 85,200 miles on the odometer. Others have said this is all part of MINI-charm. No, it's all part of being a POS. I have a problem with buying any new car and needing to take it to the shop once per month.

If I was offered a buyback/moneyback, I'd be minus one 2008 MC.

Greg

 

I am on 2500 miles on this one now not a issue and no issues with mu 2003

 

14,000 miles in 7 months as a daily driver and a few longer adventures thrown in the mix. No problems whatsoever.

 

Greg, I salute you for not falling in the category of fanatics that I mentioned in my earlier post albeit you and I constitute a microscopic minority.

I opted for the replacement car but at the first sign it will be taking a one way trip to the local CarMax who is anxiously waiting for it.

 

What type of answer do you want? If you want random subjective opinions, that's what you're getting here. If you want an accurate rating based on statistical sampling and analysis, check out Consumer Reports. Their reliability ratings are based on comparisons to other cars of the same year and class. If they don't have a large enough sample size to be statistically significant, there is no rating.

The October, 2008, issue of CR rated the MINI S predicted reliability as "excellent", the best of five possible ratings. You pays your money and takes your choice...

 

J D Powers Reports has a very search-able website and the company is generally accepted as the standard of automotive research.

Start here with the synopsis of the Mini and continue to the other parts of the website:

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/MINI/Co...chback/ratings

 

Full disclosure:

- there seem to be paid ads (including from MINI) all over the website link you provided;

- there is no dependability rating (which requires three years data), and the other ratings are first 90 days;

- have you, by any chance, had two really bad experiences which may be influencing your replies?

 

From the JDPower page that was linked earlier:

" Dependability: Taken from the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), which looks at owner-reported problems in the first 3 years of new-vehicle ownership, this score is based on problems that have caused a complete breakdown or malfunction of any component, feature, or item (i.e., components that stop working or trim pieces that break or come loose)."

It is computed after the "first 3 years of new-vehicle ownership" which means that you'll have to go to the 2005 MY to find those ratings:

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/MINI/Co...chback/ratings


As for my own experiences I was the first to mention the link to my tribulations in the OP's earlier post:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=154634

see post #3.

Here is wishing that your first and my second Mini may become the best of friends during their Atlantic crossing.

 

Every vehicle has it's share of crap cars. My mother owned a 1992? Honda Civic back in the day and it was absolutely terrible... everything went wrong with it in the first few thousand miles. Does that make Honda a terrible brand?

My friend purchased a brand new Toyota Camry just a few months ago and it has been to the dealer every couple of weeks for some minor (rattles) to major (seal problem possibly) issues. Does that make Toyota a crap brand?

My stepfather owns a 2001 Ford Focus three-door and it has had no problems. Does that make Ford an excellent brand? (Just kidding... )

I've 3,600 miles on my one month old Cooper S. I floor this baby everywhere I go, and these are mostly city miles. The transmission shifts like butter, the engine purrs just fine, and there are no funny sounds, and just the smallest rattle ever which you can't hear when you go faster than twenty miles per hour.

I am very pleased thus far, and I have no reason to believe anything should go wrong soon. Just because you have poor luck with your automobile does not mean you should attempt to persuade every future owner with your "horrible" stories. Heck, if I believed all of that crap, I'd keep away from any Honda or Toyota ever made!

 

Who's persuading whom here? The original poster asked for personal experiences and reliability impressions.

Greg



[/quote]I am very pleased thus far, and I have no reason to believe anything should go wrong soon. Just because you have poor luck with your automobile does not mean you should attempt to persuade every future owner with your "horrible" stories. Heck, if I believed all of that crap, I'd keep away from any Honda or Toyota ever made![/quote]

 

Some owners can be objective enough to separate the good from the bad experiences and may form nuanced opinions which they are free to share in an open forum.

White and black aren't the only colors no more than all Minis are flawed or perfect.

The readers are capable of sifting through the responses and make up their own minds. Nobody is afraid of letting some truth rays in, are we now? I sure hope that membership in this forum does not mandate the imbibing of Kool-Aid.

 

I've had my '07 MCS since April '07, about 19K miles, no trips to the Dealer except for 1 free oil change. This is my every day driver and it is perfectly reliable. This car is a kick in the butt to drive and makes me smile every time I get into it. If you like cars, a change to a MINI should be a huge step up in personality and fun from a Toyota or Lexus.

 

THis is my second MINI, the first was an 03 and I got rid of it when warranty was up, didn't feel confident I could pay for the maintenance it would need. My new new is an 07, I have had it 13 months and 18,500 miles, it is a completely different car. I have a lot more confidence in it and more reliable. It still isn't my old Honda, but then again, I can't drive my old Honda like I can drive this one.

 

GregO, why haven't you filed your car as a lemon under your states lemon law? Just wondering.