[Garry]

Darn, my warning triangle falls out when I slam the boot too hard......... it falls to the left...

[Minnis the Minx]

I too am having untold problems with my Mini One and open doors/windows and the alarm setting off at all kinds of unsociable hours!!
My mini monster has been sat in the dealership for a week now and is going to be at least another week, possibly even longer
The best I can get from the dealership is that the replacement part required is faulty at production, and so it is now the unfortunate game of just waiting.

[Crashandburn]

Quote:

Originally posted by Minnis the Minx
........ problems with my Mini One and open doors/windows and the alarm setting off at all kinds of unsociable hours!!

Sounds like the same problems that afflicted my Cooper recently.

In my case the dealer replaced the ECU, and, 1 week on, all seems well. What part are the dealership telling you is responsible? It seems that there is little consistency between dealers on this, (why should it be any different for this particular fault?).

Also, reading through the messages on this forum, it seems there is a possibility that the problem could be caused by something as simple as moisture in a sensor. With this in mind, I think it might be worth mentioning that my car isn't garaged and the problems appeared the day after I washed it using a Jetwash. It didn't start playing up immediately, it was ~22h later so I could just be grasping at straws. If it is moisture, and the dealers are keeping the car under a roof allowing them to dry out it could explain the lack of consistency / difficulty in diagnosis.

I hope our American cousins appreciate all this Beta testing we're carrying out on their behalf , we're even picking up problems that aren't likely to affect them! (You have to admit, California has a more agreeable climate than Scotland ).

[Crashandburn]

Perhaps I should wash it again, and see if it breaks again?

Nope ...... I'm not that brave.

[mr.bill]

This Yank, for one, appreciates you Brits being beta testers. If BMW tried that here, there would be hell to pay. (They will find out quickly if the MINI problems haven't been fixed, and it appears they haven't.) Brits have long been known for being patient, "stiff upper lip" and all that rot. Americans won't tolerate a poorly made car, given the competition from the Asian companies. I was apprehensive about the electrical system on the MINI when I got into the details and my suspicions appear well founded. I have decided to put off getting one for a year at least. I live in California and yes, the weather is nicer than in England or Scotland, but I spend a lot of time treasure hunting at the beach where it is often foggy in the mornings. The last thing I want to do is come back to the car and find the windows down, doors unlocked and a thousand dollars worth of metal detectors gone.

[IndieBlueOne]

Quote:

Originally posted by mr.bill
This Yank, for one, appreciates you Brits being beta testers. If BMW tried that here, there would be hell to pay. (They will find out quickly if the MINI problems haven't been fixed, and it appears they haven't.) Brits have long been known for being patient, "stiff upper lip" and all that rot. Americans won't tolerate a poorly made car, given the competition from the Asian companies. I was apprehensive about the electrical system on the MINI when I got into the details and my suspicions appear well founded. I have decided to put off getting one for a year at least. I live in California and yes, the weather is nicer than in England or Scotland, but I spend a lot of time treasure hunting at the beach where it is often foggy in the mornings. The last thing I want to do is come back to the car and find the windows down, doors unlocked and a thousand dollars worth of metal detectors gone.

1) But Americans do tolerate some of the most barge-like and cr*ppy to drive cars ever made. Still, your loss if you give up on the MINI. I don't think we really mind.

2) I thought you'd decided months ago to put off getting one for a year at least. Well, I'm sure you'll survive the wait. Stiff upper lip, what eh?

3) Try taking the metal detectors out of the car and down to the beach with you. It might help the treasure hunting too.

Have a nice day.

[Crashandburn]

Fond as I ain't of (most) American cars, they are well suited to their market. Relaxed cruising over long distances on wide roads ruled by a 55mph limit.

And in a more temperate defence of us Brits - we did come up with Viagra! . Stiff upper lips aren't our only advantage.

[Basil]

Quote:

Originally posted by mr.bill
This Yank, for one, appreciates you Brits being beta testers. If BMW tried that here, there would be hell to pay. (They will find out quickly if the MINI problems haven't been fixed, and it appears they haven't.) Brits have long been known for being patient, "stiff upper lip" and all that rot. Americans won't tolerate a poorly made car, given the competition from the Asian companies. I was apprehensive about the electrical system on the MINI when I got into the details and my suspicions appear well founded. I have decided to put off getting one for a year at least. I live in California and yes, the weather is nicer than in England or Scotland, but I spend a lot of time treasure hunting at the beach where it is often foggy in the mornings. The last thing I want to do is come back to the car and find the windows down, doors unlocked and a thousand dollars worth of metal detectors gone.

Hmmmm......some are less patient than others mr.bill.

I am stunned at your statement about yanks not tolerating a poorly made car. Most US made cars will not hold a candle to european cars. Especially Chrysler products. Go and sit in a VW product for 15 minutes, and then go and sit in a chrylser or a dodge they are crap!!!.

I drive a Subaru Forester GT, made in japan and generaly considered a "quality" vehicle, agreed ?.

Have you sat in a MINI lately ?. It's fit and finish and general quality exceeds my Subaru by a large margin.

Maybe i've taken what you mean by "quality" out of context.

I agree, the windows in a chrysler probably don't go down of their own accord, but at least the window controls will stay in their recesses. I consider the former a design problem, and the latter a quality problem. I would prefer the former any day of the week.

And yes, we a have a few chrysler products here, Jeeps, Neons, and the PT Cruiser. I nearly bought a PT coz it was so ugly i liked it. I sat in it for 30 secs. The quality of plastics etc, and fit and finish were appalling.

Anyway enough said.

cheers

[BruceK]

Quote:

Originally posted by Crashandburn


Fond as I ain't of (most) American cars, they are well suited to their market. Relaxed cruising over long distances on wide roads ruled by a 55mph limit.
...

I agree with you about American cars being suited to the needs and wants of the US market, but I've got to tell you that the 55 mph national speed limit is long dead!

No, we don't have autobahnen now but most of the manly states have speed limits of 70 or 75 mph. However, just as on the motorways in the UK, people actually drive much faster than that than the posted limit. Here in Texas, on rural multi-lane highways (think of the UK's M1) people generally travel at 80 mph or so.

http://www.hwysafety.org/safety_fact...limit_laws.htm

[Major Clanger]

And I thought this thread was about faulty windows, locks and batteries!

Just to summarise;

A number of MINIs are winding their windows down for no good reason.
A number of MINIs are unlocking themslves for no good reason.
A number of MINI's are flattening their batteries for no good reason.

BWM believe it to be caused by faulty door lock mechanisms.
New ones have had to be designed.
Lost of people are waiting for them.
Several people have rejected their cars and given them back.
Several people have tried to reject their cars and their dealers wont have it.
Some BMW dealers are still changing ECUs to fix the problem cos they don't know about the door lock mechanisms yet.
Some americans drive at 80mph in cars that cannot go round corners safely at 80mph.

[batemano]

My ECU (or module as BMW call it)was changed today. Has anyone had problems with their MINI since they had their ECU changed?

[Basil]

Quote:

Originally posted by Major Clanger
And I thought this thread was about faulty windows, locks and batteries!

Just to summarise;

A number of MINIs are winding their windows down for no good reason.
A number of MINIs are unlocking themslves for no good reason.
A number of MINI's are flattening their batteries for no good reason.

BWM believe it to be caused by faulty door lock mechanisms.
New ones have had to be designed.
Lost of people are waiting for them.
Several people have rejected their cars and given them back.
Several people have tried to reject their cars and their dealers wont have it.
Some BMW dealers are still changing ECUs to fix the problem cos they don't know about the door lock mechanisms yet.
Some americans drive at 80mph in cars that cannot go round corners safely at 80mph.

Sometimes the threads get a little off subject. Annoying however it might be, it would be impolite not to reply to someone's question or point of view; as I am replying to yours. It's a good point you've made, but it's not a perfect world is it. If it was, this thread wouldn't have existed in the first place.

cheers

[mr.bill]

When I said Americans won't tolerate poor quality, look at the problem Hyundai and Kia are having. They offer a 100,000 mile ten year warranty. Their cars are much improved now, but people remember the first ones. Look how Daewoo is in the tank. The top selling cars are Hondas and Toyotas. I own two Datsuns. Chrysler was known for good engines but not much else. Even Daimler was complaining that they couldn't get the quality up after the Chrysler takeover. Ford sells a lot of cars, mostly because they are cheap, but the parts come from all over. And don't forget that Honda, Nissan, Toyota, BMW have assembly plants here.

We don't have too many "twisties" here so handling is less important to the leadfoot crowd than raw horsepower. Ever been in a 400HP Corvette or a 450HP Dodge Viper? How about a Banks Turbo GT? It is a Camaro or Firebird (your choice) with a 725HP twin-turbo Chevy V8. (0-60 in about 4 seconds with a top speed of 216,) About the only place you could get it anywhere near top end might be in Nevada, Montana or Texas, and I sure wouldn't want to be in it. I don't go over the speed limit because I couldn't afford the tickets.

[PigLick]

Too true Mr. Bill, the thing I find kind of funny is the number of people that spend all sorts of time and money "souping up" their cars to make them fast as all hell, even though they have no intention of ever getting them anywhere up to near peak performance. I work with a girl who is constantly spending money getting new components to improve performance. She's put thousands of dollars into her car yet she doesn't race, has no intention of racing, and is in fact a very timid driver (another of our coworkers who lives near her and drives a mini van often complains about how slowly she drives, lol). I don't get it, but hey, it makes her happy, gives her a hobby she enjoys, so more power to her , I guess.

PigLick
(sorry, guess I'm guilty of being off topic with this post, hehe)

[Crashandburn]

Quote:

Originally posted by batemano
My ECU (or module as BMW call it)was changed today. Has anyone had problems with their MINI since they had their ECU changed?

Not yet - 10 days and counting.

[Clutch Cargo]

I think the important factor is expectation. America is a big country (!) with all kinds of people. There are a lot, a majority probably, who think a car is supposed to be a big, sloppy, lumbering mass of gelatinous metal. Reliability is not a key issue because you are supposed to replace it every three years. Handling is not an issue because all the roads and traffic laws are built on the generally correct assumption that drivers will not have control of their vehicles. General Motors, Ford, Chrysler etc have grown fat on this market segment.

But there is a large minority that demands that a car behave as expected for eight, twelve, or more years. This market segment has made Toyota and Honda into icons. Hyundai would have gone out of business if the Korean government weren't propping it up, because they were selling to this segment but not delivering the expected reliability.

It's the expectation thing that could kill the MINI in America. The classic Mini never had a big presence here because it was so mechanically unstable that it couldn't even satisfy the laws passed to protect people from cars like the Ford Pinto. A second strike against it is that "hot hatches" are so unpopular as to be virtually unavailable here. (Do you Brits have three-strikes-and-yer-out in cricket?)

The association with BMW will make people consider the MINI, give it a second chance if you will. But German engineering is not on a par with the Japanese icons. If it comes out of the gate lame in its first race, that will be the end of it. People will remember what Volkswagen did to the reliable old Beetle, they will look at the trouble Daimler is having with Chrysler, they will note the problems that BMW is having with that Rube-Goldberg 7-series. The conclusion will be that the MINI was a bad execution of a weak idea. ("Self-opening windows, self-leveling headlights, give me a break. Six weeks of vacation a year, why do those Europeans still think they can build cars...")

On one hand, I sort of appreciate the sacrifice you Brits are making as beta-testers, but on the other hand it's starting to look like no amount of beta-testing will resolve the MINI's problems. Seriously, the car has been in development for what is it, SIX years? At some point you have to conclude that BMW is just not up to the task. Makes me sad, 'cos I really want my MINI...

[mr.bill]

Uh-oh! It looks like I've spawned yet another Yank who shares my concerns. I've been saying essentially the same as "Clutch" for months now. I've probably made some "enemies" for it, but I don't see any reason to pretend the faults don't exist. If you accept poor quality, you will get poor quality. Three letters to BMW have gone unanswered. We all really hope the MINI will be a success here, but it is not going to make it on advertising hype or BMW's reputation for build quality alone. If it arrives here with the same problems you Brits are having, it won't be around long. Rumors of a new suspension system being out in March is a concern, because the cars are due here in March. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the early cars will have the same flawed suspension and most likely pull to the left. Toss in the "Christine" electrical problems and you can guess what is going to happen to the sales. Let's hope they get their act together before it is too late.

[batemano]

Well, after old herbie unlocking itself and winding down the windows last Friday, guess what? It's happened this friday as well at roughly the same time, 12 midnight. It's had a replacement ECU this week as well. So it looks like it is the dodgy locks. It's being towed away to my dealer, and I've got to stay up till 2am for the emergency guys to come and fetch it. What shall I do with this car, it's getting annoying now!

[Basil]

batemano, It must be very frustrating. All you can hope for is a fix to this problem, that appears to have manifested itself due to the winter weather. (which has been mentioned before of course) i'm sure in this light the problem should be more readily identified, and quickly.

mr.bill, I think perhaps you missed my point, then again perhaps I missed yours.

Here's a picture to cheer you up, and take your mind off bashing up BMW's MINI. Thats one of your cars in the background yes ?


(Apologies to anyone who considers this an "affront to the thread" !)

[batemano]

What's that orange car, it looks pretty good?