I bought this 2010 Clubman non-turbo 6 speed new in November of 2009. The following mileages are approximates, but close enough for this discussion.

The very first thing I noticed after delivery was on cold start it sounds like a diesel (dealer said was normal) the passenger seat back wouldn't tuck and slide (dealer replaced cable ) and the LH front speaker popped at low volume levels (dealer replaced). I also told them on that visit that the rear wheels blacked with dust way before the front which seemed odd to me (dealer said normal, but more on that later).

At 7k I took it in and told them the rear brake problem seemed worse and that the heater had quit due to low coolant level (dealer replaced water pump and said brakes normal again.

At 11k brake service light came on (dealer replaced rear pads and again said normal wear)

At 28k I pulled up to work and had a trail of oil and the rh side of the car and RF wheel was covered (dealer said T-chain tensioner was loose and allowing oil to escape)

At 33k I took it in to have a service done and I was told the car needed nothing.

At 39k I took it in to the dealer for another puddle (dealer said it was old oil run off from the leak and gave me a 2 page list of service items to be performed, coincidentally my maintenance contract had expired. None of these things needed done 5500 miles ago. Brakes, air filter, cabin filter, wiper inserts and on and on)

Today she has 43k and a clear blue coolant puddle under it, I am headed to the dealer now and they will patch it together and hoPe I run it out of warranty soon.

If anyone asks me, I would never buy another one. I love driving it, but it is going to be a money pit after its out of warranty. I have a 98 BMW 318I that has 268k on it and hasn't had near the work done to it this car has. I am disappointed to say the least. Avoid Mini's they are a lot of fun, but unless you just like giving away your money there are better quality cars out there.

My 2 cents, Stacy Hughes

 

Wow Im scared about my 2011 MCS now. Sorry bout your issues.

 

I am sorry you have had problems. My own experience with three MINIs has been very good.

 

Have had three MINIs and have no problems. So about yours, but they are great cars. Sounds like your dealer is not so good either...

 

Hmm, mine has been pretty reliable and definitely low cost since getting out of warranty.

 

I am not a person that trades around cars a lot, so I am in this good or bad. Maybe the bugs will work out, but I intend to drive it for 10 years and I just hope it doesn't bankrupt me in the meantime. Stacy

 

Also you are correct my dealer is sub-par at best, but we only have one in this state. I used to work for TMC and they had dealer issues, but nothing like I experience here. Stacy

 

Sounds like yo got a bad one. Sorry to hear about your problems.

 

I forgot that it had to have the fuel pressure reg replaced , because of a long crank to start issue and the dealer didn't plug the fuel sending unit in correct and I had no gas gauge when I picked it up. Stacy

 

I'm curious your subject in the post is "2010 mc", do you have an S or a Base Cooper?

 

Std non-turbo. I didn't buy a turbo because I thought it would be more trouble. Dealer called this evening and said my new water leak is the oil filter housing. Stacy

 

Well, they have average to below average reliability ratings for a reason...but, sorry to hear about your troubles. MINIs are not known to be very reliable cars, overall (I know, I know: some people have no problems), so many of us can expect to pay some dough once the warranty runs out -- that's why I'm selling mine the day my warranty is done.

I'm in the same boat as you. I haven't had any mechanical problems yet, but the rattles and clunks and check engine light for no reason and various other little things definitely undermine my love for the car.

 

I've owned a 2008 Cooper S for almost 3 years now and I haven't had any issues, and I love the car.

 

Yep. Unfortunately, consistency is not a MINI strong suit. Fact.

 

My terrible reliability as well as terrible dealership has soured me on Mini for sure.

The good news is I now can rebuild pretty much anything on my own car now...since I knew I couldn't screw things up worse than my dealership did I wasn't paranoid about cracking anything open to see how things worked.

If anyone asks me would I buy one again...my answer is always NO. I'll drive mine into the ground only because I wouldn't want to saddle someone else with it. It's a fun car...but if I wanted a temperamental fun car to drive that sometimes works the way it should I would have bought a used beat up abused Ferrari for 35k. As it is I now have a 99 Dodge Dakota with 200k on it I bought for 300 bucks I trust more than my Mini.

 

These stories always make me glad I decided to lease mine. First car I ever leased in my (long) life, but I just couldn't see myself "holding the bag" when the warranty ran out. To the poster who said he was selling his the day the warranty expired, why not lease then?

 

I own a 2008 Mini Cooper S that has been at the Mini service dept. so often they might as well garage it there. My service issues: [under warranty] replaced turbocharger, replaced motors for power windows [twice], replaced a/c compressor, replaced interior running board trim, repaired for idling problem. [out of warranty] replaced timing chain and tensioner [$2300 out of pocket--at 50,030 miles!!!] replaced oil pressure sending unit [$1300 out of pocket--53,000 miles], check engine light just came back on at 53,350 miles. Love the way my mini looks, drives and handles. For reliability, absolutely THE WORST car I have owned in my 33+ years of driving, and I have owned cars from 7 different manufacturers with relatively few problems. Lemon.

 

My Mini has 22,000 miles and has been very reliable with just a broken vanity mirror door and a clanking sound from the front suspension that turned out to be loose engine mounts, both fixed early around 5,000 miles. I recently replaced the battery because it was starting to be slow to crank.

Don't ask me about the service dept though, even with these small issues, one visit always turned to 2 or 3 because they always ended damaging my car and had to go back so they could fix it. I'd rather have a tooth pulled than take my car in for service!

 

It's amazing to me thzt BMW doesn't do much more than it has to address these quality problems. Even though BMW's are much more reliable than MINI's, the mud is still splashing on the BMW brand. I would think they would get serious about quality if for no other reason than to protect their flagship brand's reputation. From a financial point of view, it's amazing with all the warranty work they do that they make any money at all.

 

Think about it, we're paying top dollar for something probably worth $10k less. At the end of the day they're making lots of money!

 

My car just hit 50k miles and I took it to the dealer 12 times for repairs and issues. Repeatedly for the sunroof issues, a few times for the windows forgetting their programming (FRM issue), coolant leak (o-ring fixed), squeaks & rattles, bad FOB, dead battery, crackling tweeters (HIFI amp program update fixed) and a few other things I can't remember off hand. It was at the dealer for multiple days during most of those visits.

 

I haven't had issues with by base 08 Cooper, but while it was still under warranty at around 45000 miles, my oil cooler also developed a coolant leak and was replaced.

 

I've had 3 MINI's and I love owning them. They are like owning an obstinate dog. Most of the time, they behave and you love them, but they will do something unreasonable often enough that you can never fully trust them. But, yeah, I have an unrully dog (a dachshund, of all things) and I'll have MINI's as long as I can.

BTW, if you are looking for a great place to get your MINI serviced in or near Colorado Springs, check out Import Specialty Auto. They even used MINI Synthetic oil, without me requesting it. And they clearly understand the quircks of MINIs. And they worked to great effect with my warranty company.

 

Mini has way too many problems for me. It is fun to drive and love it but unreliable. I am one very disappointed owner.

 

This has to be the best analogy I've seen to describe MINI ownership.