My '05 MCC has 79,000 miles.

I've had to replace:

clutch at 45,000 (and I've driven manual trans for years with no problems on other models of car)
brakes and rotors at 45,000
brakes and rotors again
door lock problem

Just got an estimate (had it in for loss of power steering)

Power steering pump
Seat mat sensor - air bag light
Power steering hoses - res to pump
Power steering hoses - res t0 rack
Push strut bearings (badly cracked)
Valve cover gasket - leaking oil
Crank sensor o-ring - leaking oil
Both front struts - leaking fluid
Motor mount - leaked hydrolic fluid
Brake pad sensors (guess they went bad?)

I've always had it maintained according to the directions in the manual. We change the oil every 4,000 and use Mobil 1 (husband and I work/worked for Mobil / ExxonMobil and swear it is the best)

This is getting ridiculous. The first brake job was $1200; the clutch replacement was $2400. The estimate I just got for the above comes to just under $7,000.

My husband says to set the car on fire in a bad neighborhood.
I'd love to get rid of it but I can't imagine anyone accepting it as a trade in or wanting to buy it.

Anyone had any luck with the lemon laws? It seems that alot of these issues are pretty common in this model/year.

 

The problem with the lemon law in your case is that you have to have the same problem 3 times in 18 months, and it has to be within X amount of months after the purchase of the new vehicle (I can't remember off the top of my head, but I can almost guarantee you do not fall in it with a 2005). Your clutch and brakes are wear issues and are pretty average mileage for a MINI. The power steering and motor mount issues are also really common.

Brake pad sensors are not necessary, so you can skip those. Just disconnect them and zip-tie the cables up and out of the way.

In addition, don't use the dealer for out-of-warranty service. There are tons of good independent shops that will save you a bundle.

The bottom line, though, is if you aren't happy, you aren't happy. My car needs a $7000 transmission replacement. I'm trading it in before it goes entirely.

If I were you, I'd call an independent shop, get an estimate from them, and weigh your options as far as what you're willing to do. These cars are not inexpensive to maintain and you have to love them to be willing to keep up.

 

You need to stop going to the dealer for service. ASAP.

If you live near a large metropolitan area, there should be at least one well-regarded independent Mini repair shop nearby.

 

Brakes at 45k seems awefully good to me. Most are lucky to get 30k. I don't think you have agood relationship with your dealer if he couldn'y help you out with the clutch at all.

 

Lemon law after 5 years? Don't think that will fly.

At 80K miles I think that the valve cover, crank sensor o-ring and struts are not out of line to be replaced.

Brakes (and clutch) @ 45K should have been covered under warranty - not sure why you would need to do them again. The brake sensors should have been replaced (or not) when the brakes were done.
The motor mount should have been done under warranty as well.

As others have said, an independent shop should reduce the bill substantially. Good luck!

 

If I were you I would also be upset and frustrated. Like the others have said you need to go to an independent shop, not the dealer. I'm about due for new brakes and my crank position sensor is leaking as well. I just had a power steering leak issue, that was fixed. Good luck with your MINI and keep us posted.

 

I realize alot of the stuff like brakes and clutch are regular maint but some of the things I've "learned to live with" sound surprisingly like MINI issues. I've had that burning rubber smell described with regard to the hydraulic motor mount leak. The dealer ( started while still under warranty) looked and told me it must be a defective tire. Most likely it was the motor mount beginning a slow death. I always got the feeling they were annoyed that I hadn't bought my replacement run flats from them for twice what I got elsewhere. And no one ever found anything wrong with the tires. They also blamed the rubbing sound when wheel was turned to the stops on the tires (original run flats). Car was in the shop for a total of 4 weeks over 4 different visits for that. Claimed the used the "electronic ears" etc.
I've also had the door lock motors replaced when they failed.
Since it's been out of warranty I've used a local "autohaus" for most maint but they couldn't figure out the power steering failure ( since the car needs to warm up - about 25 min of driving- before the power leaves. I've also had problems with the top motor - refusing to open and later refusing to close. Both times the dealer said it was "probably just stuck" YEAH RIGHT!! Ever tried to drive in rush hour traffic with your covertible top partway up?
I know my dealer lies. Swore up and down he hadn't seen many of the ps pump failures. First brake job- light had never lit but dealer said brakes were "critical". We asked for all old parts to be returned to us - not trusting them. Of course they said the parts had inadvertently been tossed.
I am trying to figure out a way to get rid of the car despite my love of it. So far my options are either to park it in a bad part of town with the keys or try to have a nonfatal accident due to ps failure.
I've owned cars that were expensive to maintain- Benz, Lexus, Acura but none had so many problems that the dealer shrugged and lied off.
Sorry so long. I'm just frustrated. They could have told me about alot of this when they had the whole front end off for the clutch.
Grrrrr

 

We don't know where you are but you really need to work with a Mini-only independent shop if you intend to keep this POS. They know these cars thoroughly and can probably fix many things in less time than a regular independent shop would take to even diagnose them.

Once you get everything fixed, you can get back to enjoying your car with just an occasional bitter memory or two...

 

I have a '05 MC, and I've had to have much of the work done you mentioned as well, but it was spread over a 5 year period. I am on my 3rd set of brakes at 89,000 miles as well. Most people only get about 30K out of a set of brakes.

MINI's are not as cheap to maintain as Japanese brands for sure. Some people are OK with the increased maintenance costs because they love the car. On the other hand, I find many people are expecting the same maintenance costs as a $20 -$25K Honda and are shocked and disappointed.

I don't recommend MINI's to people are mostly interested in inexpensive, reliable appliance-like transportation.