[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

HI all,
Well, the constant niggles I can deal with - interior/exterior trim falling off or breaking or peeling, rubbers streaking the windows, gauges that develop weird illumination, brakes that start grinding at 8k miles, whistling noises at motorway speeds, JCW sound kit exhaust that starts rattling internally after a year etc etc........I could go on..

Ok, so it's under warranty and my dealership are very helpful - every problem no matter how small is resolved (I'm sure they make good money out of warranty repairs though..) - I just have to deal with the 3hr round trip each time it goes back - which is often.

1st brake fluid change is due and as I'm going out of the country I give them the car for 2 weeks along with a list of current "niggles" and agree to pay for an oil service as I like the oil changed every 12 months regardless of mileage.
This car is pampered and not used to commute.

Collect the Cooper today (having returned from a snow holiday via Heathrow) and they've forgotten to do the brake fluid change, also some of the other items that have been replaced are worse than they were before - i.e. the new tacho which has severe orange illumination spill into 3 of the black indicator circles (the ones for DSC etc).

Then to top it all off when leaving the M3 the car suddenly has a complete freak out – EML, traction control and runflat indicator lights come on and it starts randomly revving by itself and smelling very bad.
Electrical items such as the central locking stop functioning.

Fortunately it can be driven onto the recovery truck (with difficulty) but when we arrive at my home while parking it after driving off the recovery truck the brakes suddenly fail and I have to steer it into the curb to avoid hitting another vehicle - scraping the front passenger wheel in the process.

Wow.........great, I can only start to imagine what is wrong, guess I'll know tomorrow after it's recovered to the dealership..

As much as I love this little car I've just about had enough..
I've never had so many annoying problems with a car in my life or a breakdown such as this and the Mini is a nightmare compared to the issue free VW's and Audi's that friends bought at around the same time as my Cooper.

For crying out loud.......it's meant to be BMW engineering and these cars are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination.....

Right now all I can feel is

Niggles are one thing but complete mechanical or electronic failure now puts me in a state of mind that says the Cooper isn't to be relied upon and if I can't trust it then it needs to go..

Anyone else been in this position and kept the Mini faith?

Cheers, sorry for the rant, Geoff.

[Tracie]

I really feel for you and know exactely how you feel about the problems you have had, because I have had countless problems these past 18 months and evan now mine is back in for more warranty work, the 2nd lot so far this yr.
Mine is now up for Sale as I've really had enough of the hassle, its spent more time being repaired than driven and the 11,200 miles in 3 yrs says it all really.

I've been looking at the Golf and A3 Audi ( the latter having its own niggles depending on the yr and DSG gearbox if spec'd), but those Forums I visit don't seem to have pages and pages of F&Fixes and most ppls are happy with their cars, in fact the main problem with the A3 is the folding door mirrors and creaky drivers window....I wish they were only my problems!

I just waiting for my boyfriend to get a job sorted as he's just been made redundant ( this was the main hold up in me changing cars) and then I'll be trading in if I don't have any luck selling...shame because I love the car but hate the problems, and a R56 is not an option for me

[Paul]

I'm a bit fed up with faulty MINIs just now myself. My dealer is very good, and I love the car(s), but it's getting tiring.

[DaiB]

Geoff, I see you bought a one month old MINI. Was it a demo model that was perhaps given quite a hard time in that one month? This could explain some of your many problems. I do feel for you, though. You obviously want a MINI but as you say, how much can you put up with.

Same goes for you Paul - I admire your patience with all the problems you've had.

[burns863]

I wish i could comment ont he faults, but on my 02 MINI (now owned for around 9 or 10 months) I have had no major problems, and as far as I am aware it has been a good car from new.

I have had are the reverse light switch, which took me half an hour to change and now works fine. I have an extremely annoying high pitched ratle thats driving me crazy and get wind noise (due to be sorted by autoglass after they replaced the winscreen). But apart from that everything else has been fine and I am absolutely delighted by my MINI.

I really feel for your problems Geoff, and it is true... many MINIs are fault ridden and seeing as that applies to yours then maybe a different car would be the better way.

You will be missed as a MINI owner. But whats got to be done has got to be done

Good luck

[Jon Chalk]

So far in 16 months I've had:

Tracking (warranty) - twice
New Alloys (warranty)
New steering column (warranty)
Pads, front (paid for)
& it goes in tomorrow for clutch, gearbox + others (warranty)

and I have to admit if the next few months aren't trouble-free, thenI'm going to have to give some serious thought to the future

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

HI,
My Cooper was the showroom model (hence pretty much every single optional extra) and was never used as a demonstrator but driven personally by one of the directors of the dealership prior to being sold.

The fact that it hasn’t used a drop of oil in the last year is pretty much testament to the fact that it was run-in correctly.

By no means a complete list here's some of the issues the car has been back for:

Updated clutch assembly.
Original heated windscreen had bubbles in the glass and was replaced - replacement lasted 10 days before cracking due to a "rock chip" that was invisible to the naked eye.
Rear bumper re-sprayed due to runs in factory finish.
Paint rubbing under bonnet.
Paint wearing away from petrol flap.
(The utterly useless "approved body shop" took 5 weeks to do a quoted max 10days of work and were complete *ricks about it as well - Autotechnics in Windsor if anyone cares, avoid at all cost, also had to have several interior items including the drivers airbag module replaced as they damaged it while in their possession).
Passenger inner door handle, chrome flaking.
Passenger door trim replacement clips.
Tacho replaced due to illumination fault - new unit worse than the first.
Door window rubbers replaced twice.
Front disks and pads at 8k due to them making a grinding noise for no reason.
4 x tyres at 10k - Pirelli replaced as they were all cracking between the tread blocks.
JCW Sound Kit rear silencer rattling internally at 12months old.
Whistling noise at motorway speeds from recycle air flap, took 4 attempts to fix and still not 100%.
Drivers-side sill replaced as door had began gouging a whole in it due to being out of adjustment.
Broken glovebox catch.
2 replacement door mirror covers.
Various trim replaced due to it coming off or clips braking etc.
Mini badges replaced, as they were de-laminating.
Wheel centres replaced as they were bubbling.
Steering column bush re-lubricated twice.
Drivers-side tie-rod replaced.
Firewall plastic trims replaced due to cracking.

Like I said until this point in time it had been very reliable and for the most part the issues I’ve had are mostly just annoying due to the time wasted having to constantly visit the dealership.

The fact that last night's failure left me without throttle control or brakes has really hit home this morning.
I was very fortunate that I'd just come off the motorway and was travelling in a 40Mph zone, had it been 10 minutes earlier or worse case scenario during a busy period traffic-wise then I could have been in a lot of trouble.

As mentioned previously I don't commute (I don't have a typical 9 to 5 existence) in this car, it was bought as something to have fun with.
The main purpose it has served has been to drive between London and Bonn (Germany) depending on whether I'm spending time at mine or my partner’s apartment and various other road-trips.

The car has also been pampered, 2 additional oil changes so far, always kept spotlessly clean and running perfect in terms of day-to-day maintenance - always run on Optimax or V-Power.

Bottom line as far as I'm concerned is that's it's simply become too much trouble.
I spent a lot of money for a premium quality vehicle that should be giving me years of trouble free motoring.

I dread the thought of owning this car 14 months from now when the warranty runs out.

Cheers, Geoff.

[m1m0]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul Mullett (original)

I'm a bit fed up with faulty MINIs just now myself. My dealer is very good, and I love the car(s), but it's getting tiring.

Also fed up with faulty MINIs. As posted elsewhere, have encountered the following with our R56 MCS in a very short amount of ownership time:

• Damaged headlight
• Damaged wheel arch trim
• Bonnet gap/misalignment issue
• Un-blanked 12v socket hole in the boot
• Incorrect interior trim (fluid silver instead of brushed alloy - actually a bizarre combination of each)
• Misaligned boot
• The usual rattles
• Minor paint damage to roof (suspect a bird got at it at some point - probably while it was sitting around for weeks during the infamous delays)

[Paul]

With rejection I always think you have to act quickly and cleanly, it's a shame as most will suffer a little in the faith it will all work out, and that CAN lead to a long term rocky relationship that ends in tears.

[Jon Chalk]

Quote: Originally Posted by drainaudio (original)

HI,
By no means a complete list here's some of the issues the car has been back for:

Updated clutch assembly.
Original heated windscreen had bubbles in the glass and was replaced - replacement ........


......Steering column bush re-lubricated twice.
Drivers-side tie-rod replaced.
Firewall plastic trims replaced due to cracking.

I'll get my coat!

Blimey Geoff, I'm not surprised you've "nearly" had enough. I would have given up a long time back. Makes my list seem pathetic .

Credit to you for sticking with it as long as you have, but when the safety items start playing up, I guess it really hits home.

[Camp-Freddy]

Just ordered, my MCS and I'm dreading the thought of all these "Niggles" occurring. My current car is an Audi TT, the second I've had as company car without any problems. After reading loads of threads it sounds to me there is a serious problem with quality control in Oxford.

On the positive side, the MCS is such a blast to drive, compared to the new Audi TT, it has much more of a grin-factor. Even though the TT is better built with a higher quality interior. Sorry, but the MCS centre console switches must come from the same factory that make those plastic key-rings you find in Christmas crackers! The MCS I took for a test drive even rattled – it was the sunroof (I've specced mine without one). It won't be arriving 'til the end of March, so I'm hoping a lot of these problems will be ironed out by then, or at least someone from Mini Oxford starts reading these threads!

[Olly.]

Wow Geoff that car really has caused you some major problems Best of luck in getting them sorted.

I take it your thoughts of getting a supercharged S are now out of the window?

[LMB]

A wise person once told me there is no such thing as pefection, however when you've just spent £20 - £25K on a new car, even a minor flaw can be upsetting. I used to feel bad about complaining about every minor thing but at the end of the day you've paid a lot of money. Mini's aren't cheap cars.

However, I have let a couple of things slide as sometimes when they fiddle it can make things worse.

[Dawn]

And i thought my car going back 4 times was bad, and 3 of those have been since Christmas! All the same problem, Idles really bad when hot, just had a new Control Unit ...touch wood , its running perfectly, it got me down, and i wanted to sell her, but here i am, happier than ever, chin up, itl be fine , im sure

[Tracie]

I've done this list somewhere before on here, but here it is again, bearing in mind its 3 yrs old with 11,300 miles.

Windscreen trim replaced 3 times as coming away from top
Windscreen leaked, resealed hence the trim came away afterwards.
New Driveshaft
New Gearbox at 8k miles
New Drivebelt, Tensioner and water pump pully.
New Headlights as not levelling
New Rev counter and dash sorted due to rattles
Rear Brake caliper renew as sticking
New drivers seatbelt
Air in Coolant
New steering rack after 12 months, creaking.


Its now back in for knocking sound on start up from cold, which its doing nicley on Que at the moment and steering is making a rubbery sound on left turns.
However, its just passed its first MOT which I got in early on Monday as it will need one for the 1st March..when these bits are done its a full scale assult to sell it

This was my first ever brand new car and the first 16 months were FAB!!!......its been downhill since then, but the loan is now paid off so I'm saving hard towards the next car, whatever that will be

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

HI all,
The biggest frustration with the Mini is that it looks so great and is an absolute blast to drive.
Though small it also has plenty of space in the back, I have managed to fit bicycles and snowboards in there with little effort while still maintaining full rearward visibility.

However, for a piece of (apparently) BMW engineering it is fraught with problems.
I used to keep my head up and think "oh the odd niggle here and there I'll deal with it for the Mini grin factor".
Now it's got to the point where I'm questioning the reliability and safety of the car and that is just plain ridiculous in an expensive 2-year-old vehicle.

The dealership didn't call me back today so I'm assuming the worst and I'll chase them up in the morning.

Both the recovery drivers who I dealt with via Mini Assist (one to get home, one to get to the dealership) told me that the Mini is now one of the most frequent vehicles they are called out for - Honda the least frequent.

I've seen a new post requesting that people be more positive about Mini's and by all means I wish I could - unfortunately I don't see how one can be positive about spending a substantial amount of money on something that is a constant source of grief rather than pleasure.

Cheers, Geoff.

[JG.26]

Quote: Originally Posted by drainaudio (original)

HI all,
The biggest frustration with the Mini is that it looks so great and is an absolute blast to drive.
Though small it also has plenty of space in the back, I have managed to fit bicycles and snowboards in there with little effort while still maintaining full rearward visibility.

However, for a piece of (apparently) BMW engineering it is fraught with problems.
I used to keep my head up and think "oh the odd niggle here and there I'll deal with it for the Mini grin factor".
Now it's got to the point where I'm questioning the reliability and safety of the car and that is just plain ridiculous in an expensive 2-year-old vehicle.

The dealership didn't call me back today so I'm assuming the worst and I'll chase them up in the morning.

Both the recovery drivers who I dealt with via Mini Assist (one to get home, one to get to the dealership) told me that the Mini is now one of the most frequent vehicles they are called out for - Honda the least frequent.

I've seen a new post requesting that people be more positive about Mini's and by all means I wish I could - unfortunately I don't see how one can be positive about spending a substantial amount of money on something that is a constant source of grief rather than pleasure.

Cheers, Geoff.

I completely agree with you Geoff, thats what is so frustrating, like you say the MINI is great fun when it works properly but a pain when it doesn't. Not had many issues with my 03 S apart from, dash rattle, 3 attempts to fix, Steering column knock, fixed in one go and electrical gremlins which took 3 days to sort out. Luckily my dealer has been very efficient and great but many owners on MINI2 seem to have lots of problems, some minor and some major. I know some peeps have disagreed with my views and especially towards the R56 as the same old niggles seem to appearing with this model, I don't understand why, it can only be down to either poor design, poor materials used or poor workmanship. I know fellow owners will mock other makes of car, they might not be as fun to drive but reliability counts a lot in my motoring life. I have to admit I'm using my Suzuki Swift every day now and haven't used the MINI since November as sometimes I think It would prove less reliable motoring. Apart from grinding brakes the Swift hasn't missed a beat in over a year and it cost nearly 8k less than the MINI.

I had this vision of keeping the MINI for ever but I'm still unsure and I'm still errring towards a Toyota or another Audi A3 in 18 months. I think all makes of car have problems although the MINI does seem to have more than it's fair share, which is shame

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

HI all,
So the dreaded phone call from the dealership came through and all is not quite as bad as it could have been.

Apparently a rubber gasket that is part of the JCW Sound Kit air intake came off and was sucked into the throttle body sending the car into meltdown, as it couldn't work out for itself what the problem was.
What is scary is that as part of the cars "self-protect" mode this pretty much shut down all the electricals including the braking system.
I guess this is what we get if we want to drive these chock full of technology modern vehicles.

On the positive side as always the service department at Stratstone Windsor are super efficient - despite many annoying niggles with the Mini they always deal with even the smallest things without me having to stamp my feet or do the disgruntled customer act.

I always have the same tech (Mick, who is a genius) work on my Cooper so he knows it inside out and has assured me that no damage has been done.

So, considering this is the first (and hopefully the last) time the Cooper has left me stranded it gets to stay.
I do have to say that if it wasn't for the superb after-sales care I get that I doubt I'd be so forgiving.

Cheers, Geoff.

Ps. I should also add that Mini Assist were very helpful and had a recovery driver with me within 30 mins after I had called them.
The following morning a driver arrived at the specified time and recovery company were fine when I requested that a flat-bed be used instead of the truck that had arrived where the car is pulled along by the front wheels.
The replacement truck had arrived within 1 hour.

[Hatrick]

The first mini I had was a nightmare.
14 visits in 7 months. Was by far the worst car I ever owned, and to be honest a very stressfull car to own. Never knowing what problem I was gonna have the next time I drove it.

But bought another one, and was so glad I gave MINI another chance. This car I 'LOVE'

No matter what make and model you buy, you can end up with just one of those cars.

Think it's hard to forgive an individuel car once you've had that many issues, but I'd give MINI another go.