So far I have owned 07 Mini Cooper S for about a year. I have had the Mini in the shop in Loveland CO three times for engine light (little to no boost) and poor gas mileage!...24 mpg with engine light and 29 mpg without
First visit: I was told, "Try using 88 octane gas"
Second visit: Replaced fuel pump.
Third visit: Replaced MAF and water pump.
Money spent so far $1500.00. Everytime I have the mini worked on it runs great for a month or two then without rhyme or reason engine light comes on and preformance gone. A "GEO" could destroy that car in performance. To add insult I live in Casper WY and I have to drive the mini to Loveland CO just to get it worked on. I have three words to say "MINI's JUNK" "HELP"

 

I have an 07 that has had SEVERAL issues. My advice is call AAA and (if you can do it) buy a warranty from them. They even break it down for payments. The platinum looks like it covers everything that you have had done. It will cost a bit more than what you have spent so far (to cover it for 4 years) but not by much. My quote (by yeas and mileage) was about 2200.00. We are buying ours on Friday. It's good peace of mind. I'M NOT an AAA rep I am just a guy tired of paying out of pocket for car repairs.

Were you taking it to the Dealer to have them look at it or was it an independent shop?

 

Dealer.

 

maybe there is a good independent shop in or near Casper were you can take it. The warrenty sound like a good idea in your case. Good luck.

 

i have a 2007 and have had issues myself, timing chain tensioner, broken sun roof, carbon build up. i feel like the whole car is built kinda cheap. its very noisy inside. i love the car bur i could do with out all the issues. my car has less then 40,000 miles too!

 

I hear that loud and clear! I only have 50000 miles. This is my first import and I agree poorly built...I got suckered in believing imports were well built.
I have a 04 SRT4...no issues since 04
05 Ram...tie rod...owned since 05 92000 miles on it...no issues
06 SRT8...starter...owned since 06 ...no issues
(combined 220000 miles and only two minor issues)
07 mini... owned for one year... junk still!!!

 

Our 07 list (so far):
Timing chain issue
New valve cover
New turbo and lines
Carbon buildup
HPFP needs replaced

All of this has been in the last year and about 4K miles.

 

So glad I didn't opt for the S for a long term car. :( for all you fast S owners though.

 

For all you that say these cars are "Junk" Listen here i have a 2008 MINI Clubman S with 91+K miles on it and have had one item replaced under warranty (high pressure fuel pump) and one item replaced not under warranty (thermostat housing - did it my self for $112 and one hour of my time). The only other items replaced on the car in the 91+k is tires and brakes.

NOT ALL OF THESE CARS ARE JUNK. In fact the reality is that all the good ones DONT GET REPORTED HERE because they dont have a problem.

Really think about the people that come to forums and realize that they come here because they have a problem and those that dont have a problem will usually NOT post their good fortune. The reality of the mater is that less than 1 percent of the cars out there have the problems you are reporting here. It is unfortunate for you but please dont lump all MINI's as being "Junk" because they are not.

Edit: also those that think going to a Dealer is necessary for proper repair, well it is totally not true there are many local shops out there that will work on these cars and do a fantastic job.

 

I'd have to agree with that. My previous ride was an 01 Sebring Convertible, all the forums for that car were filled with horror stories of the engine slugging up and being repair nightmares.... I made got mine up to 175k miles before I traded it in on the '07 Mini... There are "bad seeds" all cars... But that doesn't mean they're all terrible...

 

2007 was a bad year for the MCS. Looks like they went with the turbo engine without ironing out all the kinks :(

 

For what it's worth, the car is 5 years old. I've owned mine for a tad over a year now and I've had similar issues. hpfp warranty, regular water pump, aux water pump warranty, turbo feed lines leaking (THAT was expensive to get fixed), along with wear and tear items like pads and rotors. I'm out about $2k in repairs for a year and about $2k in mods too. Definitely a money hole....but to be honest, I can't think of any other car I would rather have.

Not many other cars on the road offer a cool design, luxury options (nav, heated leather, double sunroof, etc.), well thought out interior space (seats down space is incredible), better than average performance, and great gas mileage considering that performance. A vw gti and select porsches are the only cars that I can think of that offer as much. GTI's don't get the gas mileage, and Porsche's aren't so attainable

 

Don't know where you get that from but it was the same engine, turbo, trans etc that went into the 2008-2010 models. Yes it was a new design for the MINI but again the "Reality" is that it is now worse than most of the cars out there.

Just look at the Honda and Toyota forums and they are chock full of people making the same types of complaints as you find in this forum.

 

Well said, but I have a 04 srt4 with 68000 miles on it with no issues ever. Gets 30 plus on the highway and runs high 12's in the quarter mile (I still can add a 100 horse to it). Hands down my SRT4 is a much better car (except for handling).

 

I think this is an accurate and important point. For every joker that shows up and makes their first post a personal rant, I'd suggest that there are 100 other motorers cruising with no problems who don't see the need to join the forum to report "No issues here today!"

Note that in his time of ownership, the OP had no desire or will to come to this board until AFTER he needed a place to vent. Then Mr. Authority shows up out of the blue telling everyone that "MINI is Junk". Yeah, don't bother to contribute otherwise, but feel free to pontificate at will whenever it's convenient for you. I'm sure we'll be waiting. Next, please...

 

 

Sorry to hurt your feelings (do you need a hug?) just frustrated. I truly love the car when it is running properly (I can't wait to autocross it). I would give anything to have my new toy run "good" for six months!
I was just hoping for some advice...looks like I will just have to go aftermarket to get it to run properly.

 

It would probably help if you actually asked for advice instead of posting a rant.

At this point, based on the information you've provided, your problems have been fixed. So not sure what advice you are looking for.

 

I certainly appreciate the performance bargain of the SRT-4, and I'm not a Euro or import fanboy (I own 3 domestic cars), but I wouldn't say that an SRT-4 meets the criteria that teamrubixcube mentioned above. For instance, design and luxury... I mean, it's a Dodge Neon. Like my Mustangs, they offer good performance value, but classic design, fit, finish, etc., typically isn't in the class with MINI / GTI / Porsche. You have to save money somewhere

BTW, I'm just commenting on the above discussion, not general MINI reliability. Unfortunately, if someone I know is looking for a fun little daily driver, I can't really recommend an out-of-warranty R56 MCS, unless they've weighed the common issues and are willing to take the risk. The MC offers most of the fun, but with seemingly fewer headaches, so I primarily recommend that.

 

Funny how no matter how many repairs a MINI gets - it's owner's LOVE it.

We went from a 2004 PT Cruiser - it had it's issues too even with only 36,000 miles on it in 6 years - using that Neon engine with the HO turbo. What the OP never replaced a cam shaft sensor in his SRT-4?

Peeps on PT Cruiser web sites have the cam shaft sensor trouble code memorized. Went thru 2 before learning (on a PT Cruiser forum that I only went to when repairs were needed) that the aftermarket cam shaft sensor was the lesser quality. Aftermarket is not always the answer.

 

Would the warranty from the third party cover problems that your dealer found on your MINI?? Could that 3rd party look at the paperwork from the dealer and tell you that it was preexisting condition??

 

[QUOTE=MCS Fever;3480235]Funny how no matter how many repairs a MINI gets - it's owner's LOVE it.


At this rate for "MY PERSONNAL JUNK MINI" (showing my sensitive side to all of the good running mini owners) I'm going to be broke. If I spend another $1500.00 on this turd I'm going to have the car crushed.

I guess using the the "L" word was too strong. Performance (when good) I have a small crush (B minus) ...Handling I love (A minus).

 

No just internals...does not cover external sensors and what not.

 

Have you ever gone to some place like autozone and gotten the codes read when they come up? It might help with diagnosing the problem effectively rather than just throwing money at the stealership.

 

I will hit you up tomorrow and thanks.