Nolan... again, where in that article or any other does it talk about performance either? Don't see it. Sounds like you're unhappy with the performance? Are you the new PR guy for BMW? So confusing.

 

The performance of the MINI's engine is fine. I've yet to see any reliable quote from BMW lamenting a 'performance' problem. The MINI is not a drag racer. I'll take the great handling and good acelleration over a 5second 0-60 brick anyday.

 

>>Chrysler engines have always been okay(atleast 99% of the time) it was always the stuff tacked onto the engine that sucked...the tranny, the electrics, the fuel injection. The engines themself have been fine. <<<<<

Got to disagree with you on this one. My wife had a Neon and the engine was a major disaster.
It needed a new head gasket and a couple of other "parts" at only 28,000 miles. And I know of a Chrysler Minivan owner whose engine died completely (needed a NEW engine) at only 30-something thousand miles!!!

I would NEVER buy a Chrysler b/c of poor quality. And manufacturing does play a huge role in quality. It's all in statistics. If the quality control is not EXTREMELY tight, when building 10's of thousands of a particular vehicle, there are going to be a good number of them (due to statistical variation) built that are complete disasters.

I would guess that one of Chyrsler's problems is qualtiy-control in production.

 

I am very happy with our MINI and still look for reasons to drive it after 3500 miles. Having said that, it has more little glitches than my 02 Escape, 99 Explorer, 98 Ranger, 94 Ranger ever had at this point. I realize that this is a totally new car and I expect a few problems along the way. Maybe I am the luckiest guy around, or maybe domestic (Ford) products aren't quite as bad as import lovers claim. My worst cars by far, by the way, have been VWs!

Joe

 

Well. in defense of Chrysler, I had one of the first 300M sedans when they came out a few years ago and it was very well built and performed very well. Porsche and Mercedes seem to have had some quality issues with some of their models recently so I think it is hard to generalize. My take on the MINI engine is that the next model, in 2005 or whenever, it reportedly a cheaper, less equipped car, so having a significantly better engine may or may not be possible. BMW may be looking for a cheaper engine when their contract with DC runs out, who knows, but I don't expect miracles from Citroen-Peugeot (although they do have some high performance small engines in their rally cars).

 

>>Got to disagree with you on this one. My wife had a Neon and the engine was a major disaster.
>> :smile:

Anyway, so far the MINI engines seem to be doing very well, I haven't heard of anybody with a major failure at this point. I guess we'll see.

 

I have to agree with wessieball, I have never purchased an American vehicle and the very mention of "Chrysler" makes me cringe. How is the Brazil-produced engine any different than the U.S.-produced one?

I really love this car but I do not want to go through what some of my friends with PT Cruisers, Neons, and Sebrings went through... Perhaps I should take a further look at the new GTI.

 

Have your read the VW boards? Lots of complaints about quality and the dealers. I haven't heard of any true engine failures with the MINI, while, for example, the Porsche Boxsters, out since 1997, still have total engine failures at random and recurring main seal failures. You seem to be afraid of something that isn't happening.

 

>>and personally, i really don't know too much about pugeots, but I just don't think 'Car Engines' when i think about the french...
>>
>>Rocketboy_X


Yeah, Rocket, when I hear Peugeot, I think bicycles!

Cheers!
Clover

 

I

 

>>I have to agree with wessieball, I have never purchased an American vehicle and the very mention of "Chrysler" makes me cringe. How is the Brazil-produced engine any different than the U.S.-produced one?
>>
>>I really love this car but I do not want to go through what some of my friends with PT Cruisers, Neons, and Sebrings went through... Perhaps I should take a further look at the new GTI.

 

If you are going to be concerned about the source of various car components then you need to start looking at the window stickers very carefully. The engine in the PT Cruiser is NOT the engine in the MINI, which I think you all knew. Some VW models come from Mexico, most Porsche Boxsters from Finland, Hondas from Ohio, Toyotas from Indiana, Mercedes from Alabama or is it BMW? You get the point, car/truck production really is global, many so-called American models come from Canada or Mexico, I just don't think you should worry unduly about the MINI engine.

 

I've completely replaced the brakes on my 2000 Golf because the rotors rotted off the car. Back breaks went first at 45.000km! then the fronts at 85,000km. The car has been in the shop everyother week all summer tracing down a electical fault that is causing the computer think their is a over boost happening causing it to shut off all boost.(a turbo diesel without a turbo is a tractor) 7 trips to the dealer and its still not fixed. Tommorow I get a new ECU put in free. I've had 4 mass air flow sensors go on the car, all but one under warrenty. The Electrics on this car are German too, not Brazilian like some of the Mexican Golfs. I've babied this car from day one. done all the recomended maintance, never late for an oil change, and never beat on the car. So go figure.
Point is all makes have problem cars. My freind bought a 2000 Golf TDI two weeks after I bought mine and the only problems he's had is the rear breaks seized like mine at 50,000km.
I think people are passing judgement on the MINI's engine before it is due. Just because Chrysler signed their name to something doesn't meen boo-didley to how the engine will be. Give it a chance.
Okay... I'll get down off the soapbox

 

And just to throw in my VW experience, my '01 Passat has performed absolutely perfectly for 24,500 miles without a single fault.

Maybe I'm doing something different than everyone else :smile:

 

If you are going to be concerned about the source of various car components then you need to start looking at the window stickers very carefully. The engine in the PT Cruiser is NOT the engine in the MINI, which I think you all knew. Some VW models come from Mexico, most Porsche Boxsters from Finland, Hondas from Ohio, Toyotas from Indiana, Mercedes from Alabama or is it BMW? You get the point, car/truck production really is global, many so-called American models come from Canada or Mexico, I just don't think you should worry unduly about the MINI engine.

 

We also have a 1999 VW Cabrio that has been a blast and with no problems, and it was even a demo model! My family has owned nothing but VWs and Toyotas.

I own a turbo Isuzu Impulse that I love dearly. (For those of you who don't know what that is, think of it as the Geo Storm's big brute of a brother.) It's my rally/show car and is not practical for daily driving. I need something else. I'm aware that the MINI engine is not identical to the Neon or PT Cruiser, but I just get a sinking feeling about anything with Chrysler involved. If anything does go wrong, I have to get the car 1.5 hours back to the dealership. But I love this car!

<sigh>

 

>>>>Chrysler engines have always been okay(atleast 99% of the time) it was always the stuff tacked onto the engine that sucked...the tranny, the electrics, the fuel injection. The engines themself have been fine. <<<<<
>>
>>Got to disagree with you on this one. My wife had a Neon and the engine was a major disaster.
>> It needed a new head gasket and a couple of other "parts" at only 28,000 miles. And I know of a Chrysler Minivan owner whose engine died completely (needed a NEW engine) at only 30-something thousand miles!!!
>>
>>I would NEVER buy a Chrysler b/c of poor quality. And manufacturing does play a huge role in quality. It's all in statistics. If the quality control is not EXTREMELY tight, when building 10's of thousands of a particular vehicle, there are going to be a good number of them (due to statistical variation) built that are complete disasters.
>>
>>I would guess that one of Chyrsler's problems is qualtiy-control in production.


The issue with the neon 4 cylinder has been around for years. The head and block are not machined to the correct tollerances and so some of the engines blow. Many of the engines start leaking massive amounts of oil at around the 30,000 mark. Dodge knows about the problem but won't do a recall on it because it would cost a fortune. This is where some people get the idea that the newer eclipses, some of which get that neon motor, suck so bad.

There are tons of problems with the domestic automakers and poorly desgined motors that they won't fix/recall because it would cost too much money. Go find any Ford Taurus that was built between about 1995 and 2000 and got the 3.0 liter pushrod motor. Now open the hood and look at the the coolant overflow tank. Every single one of those motors turns the coolant into a nasty black sludge within 15 or so thousand miles.

There is something wrong with the way the coolant circulates in the head/coolant jackets and that burns up the coolant. Ford has known about it since 96 or so but has not fixed it or done recall. It is cheaper for ford to replace the motors of the few people who notice the problem and bring their car in before the warranty expires then for ford to do a recall or redesign the motor.

I think Ford started fixing the problem sometime during the 2000 model year because not all of the motors in those cars have problems. I haven't seen any of the 2001 or 2002 Taurases have this problem so I guess it is fixed.



That is just the worst case of poor motor design that I can think of there are some others. The thing is that most of the other motors these companies make are good but this few crappy ones taint everyones minds.

 

>>Still confused on where the facts are on this RUMOR?
Read The New Mini Book by Graham Robson. Liscensed by BMW and Rover group. LISCENSED BY. Talks all about it. I'm NOT saying the engines are *****, I'm just saying that it is now an uncomfortable situation for BMW. BMW rejected several iterations of the engine by Chrystler designers before they felt it was "right."

I haven't gotten my car yet, and I'm not cancelling my order.

<shrug>

 

>>Exactly though... I've read that... but somehow people are reading that and getting a quality issue out of it. That really confuses me.

Dude. No one said anything about a quality issue. BMW Standards are fine by me. Just saying BMW regretted the BUSINESS situation, not the motors themselves. Relax. Enjoy the MINI.

 

Lets just be very very clear on VW's. I have had the following, 84 Rabbit GTI, 88 Jetta GL, 91 Scirocco 16V, 93 Corrado G60 and a 97 Jetta. Yes I have a love for VW's, but I had problems with every single one of these cars, ranging from (mostly) electrical malfunctions to dripping oil and even needed new trannies on both the Corrado and the Scirocco. I don't think the MINI would be any worse. I am waiting for my MINI S with open arms, if it has a problem, fine, its under warrenty, and will be fixed. My point is that most cars carry a chance of a major problem, even a Honda or a Toyota, though unlikely. I am willing to take my chances on a MINI, the car is wicked fun, and handles better then any of my VW's. If your that worried go buy a 4 door Honda Civic!!

 

>>>>Still confused on where the facts are on this RUMOR?
>>Read The New Mini Book by Graham Robson. Liscensed by BMW and Rover group. LISCENSED BY. Talks all about it. I'm NOT saying the engines are *****, I'm just saying that it is now an uncomfortable situation for BMW. BMW rejected several iterations of the engine by Chrystler designers before they felt it was "right."
>>


Does that not mean that it's an engine that is up to the BMW engine, not just any ol' piece of s that chrysler slapped together?

Rocketboy_X

 

The engine meets all BMW requirements and passed all thier tests. If you think BMW would risk ruining the MINI and the BMW image with an inferior engine, you should think again. This engine currently is used only in the MINI. There is talk of using it in a future version of the neon and that would certainly be a great improvement.

 

I am a mechanic and have been one for the past 20 years and have seen the advances in automotive technology over the years. The engine in the Mini was a joint venture as with nearly all major automotive manufacturers. Chrystler/Mitsubishi, chevrolet/toyota, Ford/Mazda and countless others. The fact is over the years engine machining and manufacturing processes have improved so greatly that we can now enjoy 1000,000 mile tune ups and vehicles that the engine out lasts the body. This is more evident in high corrosion areas. I live in Germany ( heading back to the USA in December) and there are more German drivers that would prefer an american car over the BMW, Mercedes it is all a matter of preference as American cars are Imports over here. I can go to the junk yard and find more BMW's there than any other make but that doesn't make them a bad vehicle just a plentiful vehicle, and as for engineering I can tell you that early BMW and Mercedes are well known for burning oil just as early american cars were. So as I see it it really doesn't matter what you are driving, sometimes you get a lemon and sometimes you get a peach. I am a Ford lover by nature and I drive a Mustang and an Austin healy but I also own a Jeep and my MINI is on its way from england as I type, and if I drive it correctly and service it regularly it will last long enough that i can call it a classic when it is parked along side of my 1959 Austin healy and the Mustang. :smile:

 

This High Performance Derivative of Tritec's 1.6L engine was recently named by Ward´s Auto World Magazine as one of the 10 best engines in the world for model year 2003. The 16-valve, supercharged, 4-cylinder, in line engine powers the award winning BMW Mini Cooper S, delivering a modest 163 bhp at 6,000 rpm.

Copied from the Tritec website. Tritec Motors

 

yay.
i love my car, but however i do make a funny face when i hear chrysler.