Here is the letter i have written to MINI Canada:


*MY EXPERIENCE WITH MINI* August 14, 2013
Dear MINI,
I purchased my 2006 MINI Cooper just about a year ago. As a young guy who is just starting out, I planned on purchasing something with low miles that I could rely on not to break down...So I found this 2006 Cooper with only 8,100 KMS on it. I live in Moncton and went all the way to Toronto to pick it up because it was about the same price as all the others I was looking at, all with 80,000+ KMS.
When I returned to New Brunswick the trouble soon began. First of all this "MINI certified" car failed a basic safety inspection, not wanting to be ripped off I took to another mechanic who specializes in European cars...it failed again. Then I took it to MINI Moncton, once again it failed. I was advised that the driver side lower ball joint would need to be replaced, and that the muffler was rusting and would need to be replaced before the next inspection. The dealership I purchased the vehicle at was kind enough to repair this at no charge through my local dealership.
So right now on a vehicle that has yet to hit 30,000 KMS here is what is wrong with it:
-Found out while working on the vehicle that it had been in a small front end collision which the dealership never disclosed. (broken trim, repainted front bumper, broken side mirror)
-Windshield cracked, not due to stone chip but do to the chassis flexing..common problem on this model of vehicle.
-Muffler needs replacement, rusted pieces of it are falling off
-Passenger side lower ball joint is gone.
-Passenger and Driver side Tie rod ends are gone.
-Power steering pump/Fan failure
Now the most frustrating piece of that and the reason for me writing all of this, is the final item on that list. There is a recall on that power steering pump for every model year except 2006. From my research it is the same pump, MINI just changed suppliers in march of 2005. Now after weeks and weeks of contacting my local dealer, the dealer I purchased the vehicle at, and MINI Canada, MINI Canada has offered to cover it. Then I go to set up the appointment with my dealership and they inform me MINI is only willing to cover 70% of the repair. Leaving me with about a $300-400 bill. I don't think this is right, they act like this is normal for a power steering pump to fail with such low mileage. However it certainly is not. I have spoken with other MINI owners that have had it repaired on a 2006 100%. I am deeply frustrated with the way MINI has acted when it comes to taking ownership of their mistakes, and backing up their product. I am frequently asked by all sorts of people if I like my MINI, and if they should buy one. My answer has changed from a yes, to a no, because of all the issues I have had.
My hope is that someone at MINI Canada will see this letter, and correct this issue, restoring some of my faith in the MINI brand. It still remains that my MINI is one of the best handling, most fun vehicles I have ever driven.

Sincerly,

Wes Hoover
Moncton, NB


Overall i am quite frustrated with this vehicle, and as much as i love driving it, yes even with no power steering, I don't know if I could ever buy another one.

Your comments are welcome, yes i know this vehicle is 7 years old, but in that time it has only done about a year and a half worth of driving....

 

Just curious if you did a preinspection before buying it? Did you get any warranty? MINI will tell you to go scratch. I know you don't want to hear that, but it is a used MINI. Be happy the dealer will cover 70%. Think how much you would pay if they did not stand up to help you.
Good luck and sorry for your bad experience.

 

Honestly if I did the repairs myself it wouldn't cost much more than what they want me to pay, the first response was there's no way we are going to pay any of it so I'm going to keep nagging them till I get what I want. And it isn't the dealer that is willing to pay I told them I don't want them to pay I want MINI to pay and the result was MINI offered the 70/30. Yes I did a pre inspection however I guess it wasn't thorough enough. But I did also get a signed document stating there was nothing wrong with the car from the Dealership. And no the only warranty left on the car is the 12 year unlimited mileage rust warranty that comes standard.

 

Well good luck. I hope it all works out for you.

 

Thanks bud

 

I feel your pain brother... and am also originally from the Moncton area too, now living in Ontario.

MINIs are a blast but can be a real pain. I purchased a used 2006 MINI JCW from an acquaintance last spring. Only had 35,000 km. So far, I've had to replace the battery, both 02 sensors due to the dreaded recurring and unclearable 2096 fault code (luckily this was on warranty), both engine mounts on the passenger side and the starter.

I just noticed over the weekend that the horns seem to have failed. The low tone horn is out and the high tone is barely audible. Haven't checked yet if it's the fuse of the relay, but web research has shown that they crap out.

Best of luck with the letter to MINI Canada and keep us posted.

 

Hey right on! Always nice to see other maritimers on here! It's such a shame this car is so unreliable, I really do love it, and if it wasn't such a pain I would be looking to upgrade to a clubman in the next few years but now idk...

 

It's not that the car is unreliable, as much as you bought a 7 year old car that has quite a few needed repairs. I suppose it is possible that some of the items that need replacing were not caught by the selling dealer. With any car of that age (regardless of mileage), something that looks good one day may fail the next. Who knows what kind of maintenance the previous owner(s) did on it. With regard to the rusty muffler, the car IS from a cold climate locale, with snow and ice in the winter, so it has likely been exposed to road salt/de-ice solution). The accident may have been hidden from the dealership by the previous owner(s), and may not have appeared on a Carfax report.

MINIs are not "set it and forget it" reliable like Hondas or Toyotas for example, but they are not Yugos either. With proper regular maintenance, they will give you many miles (or kilometers) of happiness. Keep us posted with regard to MINI of Canada's response (if any).

 

The car was garage kept before and like I said only had 8,000 kilometers on it. My previous car was a BMW with 250,000. Kms and it the muffler had yet to rust out however a gasket went on it. Yes the winter is terribly rough on cars but it isn't that rough. And the power steering pump is manufacturers defect. I don't expect it to have no needed repairs but it's getting to be a bit ridiculous. They've written a reply to my comment on the Facebook page saying they will get back to me so far

 

Well within an hour and a half I received an email from my dealer saying that MINI Canada will cover the repair to the power steering 100%. I guess that posting this letter on MINI's Facebook worked

 

Sounds like a happy ending. Good for you.

 

+1,000,000

 

Good for you my friend.. Finally a happy ending.. I do hope you can start to enjoy your MINI.. Really I have yet to find another car that makes me smile everytime I drive it!! cheers!!

 

With all those problems/repairs needed and the non-disclosed damage from some kind of "minor" fender bender you gotta wonder is the mileage wasn't faked at some point.

 

I thought of that before but thats highly unlikely, there is nothimg to lead me to believe it was anything more than parked and neglected for years... Poor little car

 

I'm not sure what you expect MINI of Canada to do for you and your 7 year old car but good luck.

 

They already covered the power steering 100% that's what I expected. Since they have a recall on the same pump for all other models other than 2006 and all they did was change suppliers....