Isn't that the definition of "Trolling"?

 

first dont move to montana unless you like to deal with adversity all the time. call it what you want but the fact that you cant use a mini as a submarine. or hit a coyote with one and not exspect damage and having a burrito hit a complex head light like the ones on a mini and it break is not a product quality issue. I SAY I GAVE THIS THREAD THE LITTLE SLICE OF TRUTHFULLNESS IT HAD BEEN LACKING

 

I have an 07 Vette. Go to the Corvette Forums and look at the problems, yet I haven't had any of them. Every mfg. has their problems. Go look at Dodge Trucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

MMMMMM...Burrito.

 

This may be my first 'negative' post about a MINI.

I'm actually starting to get concerned about my car. I've had an '03 (no real issues) and an '06 (one fairly major issue fixed within the first month or so and then perfect) and my wife had an '06 that was perfect.

My current car, an '08 S, is in the shop again. This time for a 12 hour procedure to fix a messed up 'flapper door' in the HVAC system. Previously, it has needed:

Sunroof motor replaced
throttle body 'cleaning' (went into limp mode due to frozen throttle body issues) two times
cold start rattle 'fix'

and that is in 16 months/20,000 miles. I LOVE the car, but I won't be keeping it once it is out of warranty. I'm not sure what I'll get to replace it, either.

So I can see the OPs point of view, to a point.

 

Maybe cars are like children. You can have 2 or 3 and they might all be perfect, and then you have the 4th who is a juvenile delinquent. Is it the parents' fault? Maybe to an extent. After the bad one, do you want to have more?

You never know for sure what you're going to get, whether its a car or a kid or a dog. Even the best automaker out there makes a few lemons. Even the best parents can have a bad kid. Probably even Cesar Millan has a bad dog he can't rehabilitate. Nobody would blame anyone for moving on. But it still doesn't mean all pit bulls are bad, all babies are evil, or all MINIs suck.

But that's just how I look at it.

 

Sorry to hear about the SC man. that is one reason I am hesitant on getting a first gen S - even though many people haven't had problems. However, I have the most problem prone cooper on the market and it is doing just great for me ('02 cooper R50 5speed w/82k miles on it).

Perhaps the second gen with the turbo will be less problem prone? Who knows, BMW has been making these cars for almost 10 years now - WOW, has it been that long already? Maybe they are slowly removing kinks as they go.

 

I have had my 2010 Clubman for five days, 200 miles and was beginning to question if i made a good purchase after reading some of the posts on this site. Reading this thread and it convinced me that Mini's are great cars. This Dude beat the snot out of his car for a couple of years and how many thousand miles and it still runs. Mine will probably run for ever!

 

Well, after all that I would still like to hear about the burito.
I want to tell you how well these cars are made....
Thursday 3/18 my girlfriend was hit in her 05 MCS by an Ford Exploder, the state patrol estimated his speed at impact @ 65 mph.
She was stoping for a van turning in front of her and the impact sent her off the roadway into a ditch and he proceeded to then hit the van.
As I am in lawenforcement I have seen many bad accidents and the Mini held up well.
We are both on our 2nd Mini's after owning larger vehicles but we came back to a very reliable and safe Mini.

 

Thankfully, a Mini's structural integrity has nothing to do with its abysmal reliability.

 

Not with only 63 posts to his name, finding the burrito story isn't hard, lol.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...at-my-car.html

 

97.5K and all i've had to do is a clutch job, 1 battery, 2 sets of tires and 1 brake job. Granted i do all the maintenance myself such as oil changes every 5k. How's that for dependability? My Honda's gave me more issues than my Mini. i'll hang on to this car for at least another 10 years. And i bought it used with 40k. no idea how the last person kept up with it.

 

I use to really baby the car because I thought it was going to break, as time went by I realized the car is really solid and now I just enjoy driving it.

 

Machines have problems.....never!

 

Well, we have had power windows in cars for about 40 years. Mini seems to have a major problem requiring a computer reprogram.
Mini seems to not put on a vapor separator in the PCV system that was figured out 30 years ago for diesel's.
We have had sunroofs for 40 years without binding.
We have had HP pumps in DI cars for 100 years. ( again diesel)
We have had timing chains in cars for 90 years.
We have had hatch latches, outside trim, inside trim, radios, clutches, and so on.

There is absolutely no excuse to have the number of design defects in technologies that are this old. These cars are not cheap. When you pay a premium ( about 3 or 4 grand for this class car) you expect it to be better than average. The only thing I can reason is that BMW builds junk and does not care about its customers. Some of this we can blame on Peugeot as they build the engine, but BMW is still responsible. ( Notice, how many Peugeot's are for sale here, yea quality)

I have had 5 Honda's. One manufacturing defect amongst them. One recall for a wiper motor wire clip. I have also owned VWs, Fords, Saabs, Volvo's, Toyotas, MG, Triumph, Morgan and even my TVR did not have the major design defects. This is a SECOND generation car. it's design and manufacturing defects are just plain inexcusable.

To the OP, why we buy them? They are fun to drive. Some of us don't want a moving sofa. If we did, we too would buy a Camry. Will I buy another? No.
By the way, I used to be a manufacturing quality engineer. I have an idea what it takes to build something, and how to correct problems. Am I picky? Maybe, buy I feel I am well justified in my expectations.

Look on the bright side. We soon will have cars here made in China. I have complete faith in China to build cars worse than we have seen here in 50 years.

 

My mini is flawless after 8k but you guys are making me

 

13,500 miles and motoring like there is no tomorrow!

Not a single problem other than not enough time in the day to motor.

Always remember, 1/2 the people on forums are here to *****, the other 1/2 are enthusiasts.

 

Actually Slim, most of us are enthusiasts. That's why we bought a Mini in the first place. How it works. Now, why are we so rough on Mini and BMW? Because the car is full of problems you don't get with a $16000 Kia! When you pay for up market, you expect better. Quality aside, they are full of bad engineering problems on things that are not new, high tech, or stressed. Simple things. No excuse at this price point. Now we get to the dealers. Seems many are top notch and do their best with what BMW allows, but it also seems there is a higher than normal of arrogant dealers. After owning an Acura, I can tell you, there is a difference! Lastly, BMW's attitude to the owners. We are trash. Not that we bought Mini's, they treat their 7 series owners the same. Sad. Really sad.
Drove a Mazda 2. Fun little car. Just needs a turbo.

 

[quote=markusw;2949571]Go to any car forum and I bet you will see people complaining about their cars. Most people will post about their most negative or positive experiences. (ie you won't see me posting about my uneventful drive to work .... or maybe I will )

+1

Its heart breaking to have a unique car like a MINI and you experience excessive repairs. I agree with other people who have posted regarding purchasing a used MINI from a dealer vs. private sales or even non-MINI dealers. I have an 05 R50 that I bought from a non-MINI dealer and have replaced the normal wear items and I recently turned 138k. Even with the repairs I love this car, it's such a fun car to drive.

I understand your frustration and wish you well in your future vehicle purchases.

 

I decided to buy new (was shopping used) this year in 2010.. The 06- have a Chrysler engine which scared me away..

 

I've owned acura, warped head in less than 10,000 miles, fords, try getting them to work with you. Chrystler, give me a break! Let a Mercedes run out of warranty and see what your cost is going to be.

Again, I'll say it again, there are a plenty of people who have bought the MINI brand because of gas mileage and find it not to be like their old Hondas. Their NOT enthusiasts and they bash the brand at every chance.

I, among many others have had the best of luck with their MINIS and continue to love the brand.

Don't compare this car to a KIA, it's not technoloically in the same class. It doesn't have the same advanced engineering. KIA is great automobile for the price.

I wouldn't compare MINI to an Aston Martin, nor would I compare it to a KIA

 

Thats not the point. Your statement is avoiding the issue. Of course a MINI can be compared to a Kia when it comes to reliability issues. All of the issues MINIs have are issues that have been solved, or built successfully and reliably by other makers, long ago. And if a MINI is up-market of a Kia, then it is further inexcusable that these issues exist in MINIs and not (as much, if at all) in Kias. What good is advanced engineering if your car breaks down more often than a less 'advancedly' engineered car?

My main problem with MINIs, or at least mine right now, is its over-dependence on computer modules. That concept makes me nuts. There are computers in this car that govern things that sure as heck dont need computers. And when they go south, theyre big $$ to replace. Ive been hoping someone with some astute car knowledge can, or already has, figured a way to just by-pass the sunroof module, for instance, when it doesnt want to allow the switch and the roof to communicate. And why the heck does a sunroof need a computer module to do its job in the first place?

Why am I on my third rear engine mount? My third windshield because the first two became stress-cracked? Why has my 2nd thermostat housing become leaky again? On a 5 year-old car? Thats ridiculous. BMW, with all its 'advanced engineering,' shouldve been able to make these non-issues from the get-go. (The only car Ive ever had to change engine mounts on was a 25 year old Oldsmobile.) Anecdotal, yes, but the point is the known failure rate of the R50/53 rear engine mount/thermostat housing/windshields/etc shouldve been either designed better from the outset, or redesigned and retro-fitted to cars that had the failure. But its been proven here time ana again that MINI, or more specifically BMW, isnt interested in doing such things.

You can compare any car to any other car if the issue is relevant. Reliability is one of those issues, especially when a cheaper car is more reliable, even if only slightly. Tell me again why the more expensive car breaks down more often? Theres no good reason for it. So again, what good is 'advanced engineering' if your car breaks down more often than a less 'advancedly' engineered car?

 

I did not like my wife so I divorced her. If I did not like my car I would get rid of it. I had a Corvette before my JCW and it was great until it hit 50,000 miles and then it was a &$%^# money pit. $1,600+ to repair the drivers side window, $225.00 for replacing the Oil pressure sending unit, $125.00 to replace a burnt out bulb in the dash. Dash rattled ever since the repair but the dealer said it did not have anything to do with the idiot that took the dash apart and left 1/2 of the screws out when he put it back together. The A/C actuators went out. The A/C still only blowed cold air so I lived with it. The A/C condenser started leaking. Dealer wanted $3,500 or more to repair it and the two actuators.

So far I have had no problems with my JCW. I only have 15,700 miles on it but a good 1,500 have been hot laps at Daytona speedway. I have no rattles, no oil burning, no cold start noise, I average 32/34 mpg around town & it is more comfortable and more fun to drive then any car I have owned.

I have probably talked to at least 40 or 50 Mini owners over the past 2 1/2 years and I have yet found any that said they did not love their Mini's.

The Kia is probably a very good car but let a Nit-Picker buy one and all they will do is complain that it is a piece of junk. Not any different then a Nit-Picker that buy a Cadillac, Porsche , Audi or a Mini Cooper.

If I believed even 1/2 of the nay-sayer crap I read on this forum of how bad a Mini is I would probably be afraid to drive mine around the block let alone run it flat out.

The Mini Cooper is one of the best cars you can buy and if you do not modify it for the track and then try running it on a daily bases it will serve you well for a very long time.

----------Ain't nothing wrong with owning a Mini Cooper that I can find--

 

Jeez, so much defensiveness here over a freaking car FCOL. BTW, my "solid" 09 has had a multitude of total BS mechanical and BQ issues, simple shitte that shouldnt even be happening to a supposedly well-designed and well-engineered $30K car, since I posted here in Jan. A stone-cold repeat of my 05--one ****ing thing after another--except this time, unlike the rock-solid Tritec, the persnickety turbo'd Prince engine, which I consider a ticking time bomb, is playing along

I am completely in the corner of those on this thread that feel the same way. These cars are junk. I gave the brand another chance to redeem itself, and it's one flatbed ride away from flunking the test. In the meantime, I drive the SNOT out of the one I have now and enjoy the ride, because I can see the end of the road for this car Once warranty is up, it'll be someone else's little red and black nightmare....just like the 05.

The other day, someone asked me if I would reccommend this car, and for the first time since 2004, my response was "no." And it felt good...

 

I just remember that in light of the millions of MINIs sold, the total number of posters here on NAM aren't even a wart on the *** of anything approaching statistical significance.

If the car as a whole were as poorly engineered and executed as some posters here claim, the brand would have gone down in flames of epic proportions, and MINI would forever be uttered in the same breath as "Pinto" and "Edsel".

I'm sorry that you've had troubles with yours, but go to the BMW sites and read up on the sludged engines, or to the Mercedes sites and read about the biodegradable wiring harnesses.

All I know is that I've got two MINIs in the driveway (and "oh-so-troublesome" convertibles, at that) with about 125k miles between them and nothing in their service histories worse than leaking thermostats. So while I sympathize with you, having owned POS cars in the past, I'm not ready to join the "pitchforks and torches" parade just yet, and the only thing that might get me out of mine is if MINI does a good job with the Speedster.