a list of faults with my cooper

[snuffy]

I will be taking my MINI into the dealer to have a few things looked at - I would like some reassurance from you guys that what I am saying is actually a fault, and not a feature!:

Drivers window - catches the top seal when I close the window. I'm sure I can hear the road, but I may be paranoid!

A buzz coming from somewhere on the dash. I turn the key once and turn off the CD Player, Climate etc. Nothing is on - not even any lights, but I still hear a buzz and the sound varies in pitch.

Gearbox - been sticky getting into reverse - problem only experienced after about 1000 miles. (I have read other posts about this, but this is the only car I've ever driven to do this - not happy :/)

Rust around passenger side boot arm compressed air thingy.

Rattle coming from drivers side seatbelt adjuster area.

I think that's about it :-)

Hopefully give them some work to do

[zied]

If you wait long enough you are sure likely to find a whole lot more..... but you gotta love 'em. Even though they are a German design, they still are assembled in Great Britain and still have all those idiosyncracies associated with all British assembled cars.

[Tronboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by zied

If you wait long enough you are sure likely to find a whole lot more..... but you gotta love 'em. Even though they are a German design, they still are assembled in Great Britain and still have all those idiosyncracies associated with all British assembled cars.

So Frank Stephenson is German is he Zied? I'm sure there are millions of Americans who'd disagree with you there.

I'll agree with the first bit of your posting. There'll probably be a whole lot more problems, but please note that the build quality of U.S. machinery isn't yet quite up to British Standards. You'll note that the only American Automotive Products we'll tolerate in Blighty ARE in fact German- the output of DaimlerChrysler. The only reason that your Motor Industry thrives is that there are enough of you in the States to buy the things without the need to export them.

Problems with MINI are down to the build quality of the Oxford Plant, and the continual Cost-cutting restraints imposed on it from Bavaria. Not British build quality per se.

[KenL]

Quote: Originally Posted by zied

If you wait long enough you are sure likely to find a whole lot more..... but you gotta love 'em. Even though they are a German design, they still are assembled in Great Britain and still have all those idiosyncracies associated with all British assembled cars.

Pardon

I don't think Rolls Royce, Bentley & the host of cars built by Japanese manufacturers in the UK have idiosyncracies like you suggest.

It's the ones built by US parent companies that are rubbish

[Tronboy]

Idiosyncrasies can be endearing... Witness the 2CV, Beetle(Air-cooled one!) Citroen DS, Renault4, Original Mini.....

The MINI simply has FAULTS!

As for the cars built here by US parent companies, Ford, GM etc. They're just dull. Nothing wrong with them.

*Hello again, KenL!!*

[paddy]

Quote:

Drivers window - catches the top seal when I close the window. I'm sure I can hear the road, but I may be paranoid!

I have had the same problem and was told that the window was not all the was up. The real problem is that the window was down ever so slightly, so that when you closed the door, it noticed that it was not at the top so the window motor pushed the window up the set amount. In doing so, the window goes out of the seal. I was told to do the up/down thing with the toggle switch.

While this is a very minor problem it is still very annoying.

At least I think that is what you are talking about.

[Jen]

Quote: Originally Posted by snuffy

Gearbox - been sticky getting into reverse - problem only experienced after about 1000 miles. (I have read other posts about this, but this is the only car I've ever driven to do this - not happy :/)

I had the same problem. Get it checked out and make them really look at it close. The problem eventually went away but at 14,000 miles I ended up with a new gearbox. I really think the reverse problem should have been my wake up call that I was going to have/was having a gearbox problem.

[zied]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tronboy

please note that the build quality of U.S. machinery isn't yet quite up to British Standards.

what hehehehe... just like the British textile industry . state of the art hehehe (only about 200 years behind the rest of the world). the only British cars imported in the US besides the BMW MINI in any quantity is the Jaguar... a Ford product and mostly just the ones manufactured here.... a glorified Ford Tauraus (oh, but you don't like the US owned and manufactured cars there like the jag). Not enough mechanics in the country to keep up with the electrical problems with the British made cars here.

I do agree though, US cars do lack some design and are rather "dull" (but are extremely dependable). As for most of Daimler-Chrysler products here, with the exception of the Jeep, they have one of the worse reputations for their lack of quality of all cars manufactured or assembled in the US, although some of the designs are awsome and inovative.... maybe thats why they are exporting to the UK.... can't sell any here.

Once again I love our MINIS... (yes we have two).... especially when they are not in the shop for all the rattles and bangs and pops etc (partialy due to our horribly maintained roads).... they are a blast to drive when they are running without their inharent problems. I just paid $720.00 in the last three week to have an independant bmw mechanic dismantle the dash and all the guages (4 times) and reassemble it to eliminate all the racket (the mini dealerships could not "dupilcate the problems"). Turns out alot of the noise was from the windshield hitting the dash board every time I went over a crack in the road. After the mechanic was done working on the car he definitely concluded that the car was assembled in the British tradition not German like it's parent company.

For everyday driving, give me a jeep Liberty (yes german design also), GMC pickup, Lincoln towncar (or just about any other GM or Ford car) hands down.

[Tronboy]

Point taken about the Jaguar!!, but:

Quote: Originally Posted by zied

I just paid $720.00 in the last three week to have an independant bmw mechanic dismantle the dash and all the guages (4 times) and reassemble it to eliminate all the racket (the mini dealerships could not "dupilcate the problems").

Couldn't you have pressed the official BMW dealer do this under warranty? I'm sure if you'd left the car with them, they'd have duplicated the problems before long!!

For all my ranting about MINI build issues and failures, the BMW dealer I bought my car from was faultless in his attempts to fix the cars for free under warranty. I just objected to spending 15-20% of my driving time in either a Scumliner-Trim Cooper (with no aircon or CD) or a BMW wagon (with all the social stigma of being treated like a BMW-Driver!) whilst my nicely specced car was being repaired. Not to mention the wasted time spent in BMW's sumptuous showrooms with endless copies of Country effin' Life, Vogue and Tatler and a machine dispensing poor quality instant 'cappucino' when I could have been on the road earning a living.......

Send the bill from your Indy Mechanic to Quandt Central !

"Be Seeing You!"

Tron x

[zied]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tronboy

Point taken about the Jaguar!!, but:






Couldn't you have pressed the official BMW dealer do this under warranty? I'm sure if you'd left the car with them, they'd have duplicated the problems before long!!
....
Send the bill from your Indy Mechanic to Quandt Central !

"Be Seeing You!"

Tron x

hehehe thanks.... the drive to the nearest Mini dealership is a minimum of 1.5 hours away, and with commute traffic on bad days can take 3 hours each direction (only about 65 miles away.... we don't have "the tube". Everything, even just an oil; change takes them a minimum of 3-4 hours. So it ends up taking an entire day off work.

The bad thing is that they never fix anything on the first visit, usually it takes 2-3 visits before it is fixed. Even though the repairs are eventually free, I end up wasting about 3 full days of work dealing with the dealership. It is much cheaper for me to hire a mechanic locally who will work on the car until its fixed.

In all of California there are only a small handfull of BMW dealerships that will market the MINI.... too many call backs and too much of an investment in real estate for a car that has such limited production and sales.

But when they are running right, all the problems seem minimal

[ncdave]

The other side of the coin. I have had no problems to speak of with my Cooper (22K and counting) although I finally developed the dash rattle which was resolved by the dealer this morning while I was in for my second scheduled service. Apparently, there is a bulletin on this involving the center dash support. All-in-all, completely reliable and no other rattles or strange noises so your car may not be the norm.

I may be one of the rare individuals in the U.S. that actually seeks out British automobiles as I've owned them as long as I can remember. Most of the problems on used examples I've owned were usually traced to poor maintenance or bodged modifications performed by a previous owner. The moral: never, ever, deviate from the Lucas Colour Codes!

[Tronboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by ncdave

I may be one of the rare individuals in the U.S. that actually seeks out British automobiles as I've owned them as long as I can remember. Most of the problems on used examples I've owned were usually traced to poor maintenance or bodged modifications performed by a previous owner. The moral: never, ever, deviate from the Lucas Colour Codes!

Reminds me of a RHD conversion I had on an Alfa Spider by Bell & Colvill in the UK...... All electrical wiring was "colour coded" in the same shade of black..... All on a car not renowned for electrical reliability in the first place!

Does the US MINI dealer network offer the TLC package for free servicing?

Tron

[zied]

Quote: Originally Posted by ncdave

The other side of the coin. I have had no problems to speak of with my Cooper (22K and counting) although I finally developed the dash rattle which was resolved by the dealer this morning while I was in for my second scheduled service. Apparently, there is a bulletin on this involving the center dash support. All-in-all, completely reliable and no other rattles or strange noises so your car may not be the norm.

I may be one of the rare individuals in the U.S. that actually seeks out British automobiles as I've owned them as long as I can remember. Most of the problems on used examples I've owned were usually traced to poor maintenance or bodged modifications performed by a previous owner. The moral: never, ever, deviate from the Lucas Colour Codes!

To be honest, we have had little to no problems with our Cooper ('03 Indi blue w/ about 8200 miles). My MCS was not so lucky... with 9100 miles as of today, it has definitely been the most unreliable car I have ever personaly owned (correction, it runs beautifully, I just can't stand the poor assembly and rattles. maybe its was built on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon).... reminds me of the Austin Healey 3000 my dad had when I was a kid... spent 2 hours working on it every Saturday morning just prior to its weekly drive or my brothers MGC or Triumph Spitfire... cars although fun are arguably a whole lot more trouble then they were ever worth having.

Each time I have my car worked on, I hope that its the last time, and finally the bugs will be worked out. As of Friday I am at that point again, with my fingers crossed tightly.

I think part of the rattle problems with the MCS in CA anyway, is that with such a tight suspension on run flat tires (tyres, sorry), the potentially fun and exciting ride becomes exhausting because of the extremely poor shape of the roads here. In a state that use to boast the best public school system and roadways in the world when I was growing up.... has gone a long way towards third world status since the 70's. Glad I was born when I was to have known California in it's glory days.

[ncdave]

Tron - U.S. Minis are covered by the TLC package automatically and you can buy an extension (separate from an extended warranty) if you wish.

I can sympathize with yoru Alfa story as I was greeted many times by the uni-colour wiring scheme when stripping down a car for restoration - makes you want to scream!

[Tronboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by ncdave

Tron - U.S. Minis are covered by the TLC package automatically and you can buy an extension (separate from an extended warranty) if you wish.

Hey!

We have to pay £100 in the UK !!..... Stupid not to, but I am guessing that the few people who buy their car from an internet dealer or car supermarket may save a few (literally few) quid but don't get this opportunity. Anyone out there bought a new MINI WITHOUT the TLC?

Will anyone admit it if they did!!