Mini Reliability

[M.O.S]

Quote: Originally Posted by mini-millie-n-dan (original)

Don't know!! I can't even upload photos so not the best person to ask! I'm probably only a 'regular' as my car's not being good and I'm trying to suss what's up with it!

Fair enough, I'm sure someone will stumble upon our moaning and offer to set up a group! As for pictures, I haven't got any of my car yet - I'll have to get some and post them in the one seven sector. Still, good look with solving your reliability issues.

[mini-millie-n-dan]

Quote: Originally Posted by King James (original)

i have an 06 mini one, one of the last 1st gen cars. got 22k on the clock had 2 gear boxes, a clutch, fly wheel, engine mount has gone, problem with the rear axle and a cracked thermostat gauge that caused it to lose coolant.

The repairs didnt cost a penny because i am in warranty but i needed loan cars and because i am 18 the wont insure me, so i had loan car insurance bills of about 120 pounds!

even with all the problems i still love my car

Oh dear! Thought the gearboxes were only troublesome on 2001 - 2004/5 models? Not good

[supa-dupa-cooper]

Quote: Originally Posted by M.O.S (original)

Why is it going? Is it purely reliability, and if so what are you replacing it with. Buying a diesel mini seems wrong to me. Ive had the engine mount too. I wouldn't recommend the stop start - engine on and off. Think about it like this - when you turn your engine on, most wear occurs at this point, so every time you stop you are wearing your engine out excessively. Ok theres less pollution but your fuel efficiency isnt going to be that difference.

Don't suppose you would know how to set up a group for unreliable minis? Looks like I won't be recommending a dooper to anyone! Stick to petrol - better performance and smells better when you fill it up!

You'll find out whats replacing it soon

I do love the Dooper Its a cracking car Being diesel really doesnt bother me, I think ive just been unlucky with this one and cant be doing with not trusting it anymore and being paranoid about every little thing it does! The stop/start system on every other MINI ive driven has been fine. Mine had a dodgy clutch sensor which was replaced eventually after getting MINI involved.

[M.O.S]

Quote: Originally Posted by King James (original)

i have an 06 mini one, one of the last 1st gen cars. got 22k on the clock had 2 gear boxes, a clutch, fly wheel, engine mount has gone, problem with the rear axle and a cracked thermostat gauge that caused it to lose coolant.

The repairs didnt cost a penny because i am in warranty but i needed loan cars and because i am 18 the wont insure me, so i had loan car insurance bills of about 120 pounds!

even with all the problems i still love my car

Tell me about it, I have the same problems. You've got another 7 years before you can have a courtesy car - my dealer said I cannot have one until I'm 25. Its annoying really, we are old enough to buy one of their cars, but not to get one for the day when the thing goes wrong.

I have a slight problem with the coolant. It gets filled up, and then eventually (after a few days) it falls down to about halfway above minimum or below maximum (depends on how pessimistic is), and stays there.

I have a whistling noise, not high pitched, so its got to go in. Could be the clutch or something else - they need to 'investigate'. They'll have to get DI Mechanic on the job quickly - I want a car!
Do you know how to set up a group - us owners of unreliable minis deserve something amusing! My car is also one of the last of the first gen.

[M.O.S]

Quote: Originally Posted by supa-dupa-cooper (original)

You'll find out whats replacing it soon

I do love the Dooper Its a cracking car Being diesel really doesnt bother me, I think ive just been unlucky with this one and cant be doing with not trusting it anymore and being paranoid about every little thing it does! The stop/start system on every other MINI ive driven has been fine. Mine had a dodgy clutch sensor which was replaced eventually after getting MINI involved.

Ok, is it chilli red with a white roof? Just don't use the stop start! How long do we have to wait? Whats the name for this one - we've had Bow and Puzzle - roof related!

[King James]

Quote: Originally Posted by mini-millie-n-dan (original)

Oh dear! Thought the gearboxes were only troublesome on 2001 - 2004/5 models? Not good

with the earlier models the gears shattered grinding the car to a halt. the later boxes 54-06 still have some problems but dont fail catastrophically like the earlier models. mine wouldn't let me select 1st or 2nd because of a syncro problem so i had to pull off in 3rd till i got t the mini garage!

Quote: Originally Posted by M.O.S (original)

Tell me about it, I have the same problems. You've got another 7 years before you can have a courtesy car - my dealer said I cannot have one until I'm 25. Its annoying really, we are old enough to buy one of their cars, but not to get one for the day when the thing goes wrong.

I have a slight problem with the coolant. It gets filled up, and then eventually (after a few days) it falls down to about halfway above minimum or below maximum (depends on how pessimistic is), and stays there.

I have a whistling noise, not high pitched, so its got to go in. Could be the clutch or something else - they need to 'investigate'. They'll have to get DI Mechanic on the job quickly - I want a car!
Do you know how to set up a group - us owners of unreliable minis deserve something amusing! My car is also one of the last of the first gen.

i was not happy, thats exactly what i thought, its fine when i want to buy the car from you but if it goes wrong we wont offer you the same service because of your age, i got a bit angry and am in the process of getting them to pay for my insurance expenditure.

it does get tiresome having to get the problems sorted, i feel for you bre

[M.O.S]

Quote: Originally Posted by King James (original)

with the earlier models the gears shattered grinding the car to a halt. the later boxes 54-06 still have some problems but dont fail catastrophically like the earlier models. mine wouldn't let me select 1st or 2nd because of a syncro problem so i had to pull off in 3rd till i got t the mini garage!



i was not happy, thats exactly what i thought, its fine when i want to buy the car from you but if it goes wrong we wont offer you the same service because of your age, i got a bit angry and am in the process of getting them to pay for my insurance expenditure.

it does get tiresome having to get the problems sorted, i feel for you bre

Put it this way, I am on personal terms with my local dealer and pretty much with another reasonably close dealer. In the last 2 weeks, I have spent over 6 hours in mini dealers...

"Always look on the bright side of life..." I get free biscuits, hot chocolate and sweets etc...
And they wash my car. Thought of a new poll - how good is your dealer at washing your car?

Mine isn't brilliant. They cleaned half of the wheels on one occasion and then didn't dry it leaving it in sunlight to go streaky. Had to use screenwash to see clearly and then wash it again myself. The thing is the only thing that was dirty was the wheels - my car was dirtier when I got it back. There were black dots all over the door too for some reason. They rub off, but even so totally unprofessional and put a damper on what was incredibly good service.

[King James]

Quote: Originally Posted by M.O.S (original)

Put it this way, I am on personal terms with my local dealer and pretty much with another reasonably close dealer. In the last 2 weeks, I have spent over 6 hours in mini dealers...

"Always look on the bright side of life..." I get free biscuits, hot chocolate and sweets etc...
And they wash my car. Thought of a new poll - how good is your dealer at washing your car?

Mine isn't brilliant. They cleaned half of the wheels on one occasion and then didn't dry it leaving it in sunlight to go streaky. Had to use screenwash to see clearly and then wash it again myself. The thing is the only thing that was dirty was the wheels - my car was dirtier when I got it back. There were black dots all over the door too for some reason. They rub off, but even so totally unprofessional and put a damper on what was incredibly good service.

ha! thats funny! the only bright side to all the problems i experienced was the fact they washed my car! the first time they did it it was a great job but after that they were all pretty rubbish. they left it to dry a few times so it was streaky but still cleaner than it was when i dropped it off

[M.O.S]

Quote: Originally Posted by King James (original)

ha! thats funny! the only bright side to all the problems i experienced was the fact they washed my car! the first time they did it it was a great job but after that they were all pretty rubbish. they left it to dry a few times so it was streaky but still cleaner than it was when i dropped it off

Maybe they have decided to train a new monkey, who hasn't yet got the art of cleaning wheels and drying cars. Still, they should have got the old monkey to train the others. I best remember not to take any bananas with me - they won't be there when I get it back!

I can't rate their service highly enough, the staff are all friendly (things changed when they were no longer a bolt on to BMW), the showroom is clean and the way you are treat is superb - maybe they are tackling one issue at a time. Car washing skills next. The main thing I don't like (not connected to reliability) is they drive your car quite hard and leave it in gear on the flat. Anyway, when I take mine in for service, something else has failed so it needs to go back - maybe they just enjoy my company?!

[minicabrio]

Folks, you need to really take a chill pill....

My last MINI was a July 04 (delivery) Cooper Convertible (i.e. one of the first) and if there was a problem related to the cabrio, mine had it In the end it had five roof fabrics, two roof mechanisms and countless other issues. But every issue was corrected by my dealer without fuss. The car was collected, a courtesy car was delivered, and the car was returned.

Reliability though, 100% reliable. My MINI never let me down .....and I loved her right up to the day we parted company after 3 years and 58,000 miles

[M.O.S]

Quote: Originally Posted by minicabrio (original)

Folks, you need to really take a chill pill....

My last MINI was a July 04 (delivery) Cooper Convertible (i.e. one of the first) and if there was a problem related to the cabrio, mine had it In the end it had five roof fabrics, two roof mechanisms and countless other issues. But every issue was corrected by my dealer without fuss. The car was collected, a courtesy car was delivered, and the car was returned.

Reliability though, 100% reliable. My MINI never let me down .....and I loved her right up to the day we parted company after 3 years and 58,000 miles

The problem is when you buy a car which is meant to be tested and reliable, and it isn't you start to get upset. When you are constantly in Mini dealers, the interior no matter how nice is about as desirable as a workmans porta-loo. You can be doing things that are so much better with your time. My dealer won't pick my car up - I live too far away, so I have to drive there, wait and drive back. I love my mini, but I am sick of it playing up. The dealer sort it without fuss, but I think they realise that trying to be clever will not work.

Sadly, this has clouded the experience a bit, but to drive, minis are unbeatable. People get irritated when things go wrong constantly. Ford Fiestas seem to be more reliable - I know of ones doing 50000 miles a year and the only time they see a ford dealer is for a service. Why can't my mini be the same? My mini hasn't let me down, but has refused to start once or twice - it took several attempts before it would start. Still, hopefully, the dealer will have it all fixed and I won't have any more problems. I said that the first time it went in, and the time after that...

[kaiowas]

Well despite all the faults and horror stories it still seems people think their mini's are reliable. Thanks very much for the feedback, it looks like I might be better off buying a new mini than a second hand one purely for the warranty aspect. But it hasn't swayed my love for these little cars.

[M.O.S]

Quote: Originally Posted by kaiowas (original)

Well despite all the faults and horror stories it still seems people think their mini's are reliable. Thanks very much for the feedback, it looks like I might be better off buying a new mini than a second hand one purely for the warranty aspect. But it hasn't swayed my love for these little cars.

Its luck of the draw really, if you do get a used one, you get a years warranty anyway, or if it has more than one year of manufacturers warranty, you get that so buying new may not be the best.

Remember, people only post bad stories - you can solve a problem that isn't there! Go for the best you can afford, a used cooper (e.g. ex demo) will have little mileage, loads of extras, only be a few months old and still have well over 2 years of manufacturers warranty.

Good luck with your car either way!

[mikeythemini]

My 2002 S - a couple of minor faults in 4 years
My 2006 S (1st gen) - perfect

[*Vikki*]

51 plate, 53 plate, 04 plate, 54 plate all fine **touches wood**