I'm currently without my S due to.....

[Paul]

I've not been around much the past few weeks, so apolgies for that.

I'm actually still in the process of producing a few reports on my S and also the Cooper I loaned a few weeks back, but as I'm on here for the Cooper D and new One details I thought I'd post a brief update.

My car is currently at Wollaston MINI in Northampton, list of little problems (and not so little) I have are:

• Wheel arch trim broken off. Somewhere on the journey to/from my little boy's Nursery School, noticed it when I got home, passenger side only, exactly the same as the MINI press Cooper S I had. This concerns me a great deal just now, it seems the MINI may not be suitable to drive on the very same country lanes that got me hooked on Minis/MINIs in the first place.
• Interference/crackling/distortion from the front passenger side speaker(s), car has the MINI HiFi Speaker upgrade.
• MINI Badge is coming loose, or was never attached properly on the tailgate
• MINI Cooper S sill strip on passenger side is bulging
• The car lets in water, a lot of it, in the gap between the roof and the tailgate. Driving away at the wrong angle when it's wet leads to a downpour onto the parcel shelf and rear seats
• Steering wheel creaks/makes a sort of "coiled spring" noise when turning at any speed.
• Like everyone else it seems, no ashtray/coin holder as part of the smokers pack.

[KPKalle]

Oh that doesn't sound good I hope you get it all fixed up soon - and properly!!!

[:: Jon ::]

just a few little bugs then oh well it wouldnt be a mini without them hope it gets sorted asap...

[Olly.]

Thats not good, hope Woolastons sort them out quickly.

[BERT R56]

One of my sill strips is also bulging / coming unstuck

I'm concerened my gearbox/transmission is a little noisier than it should be. At low revs pulling away it's very "growly" sounds old and worn - anyone else found this?

[popey]

My hi-fi upgrade is the same!!!!!!

[Martin F]

Paul

That's really unfortunate. You must be the one guy that Mini should have got everything right for.

Having said that, mine arrived with some defective paintwork but the dealer spotted it before I took delivery. Its been sorted and Mini have made a contibution to my ipod connector by way of apology. So I am happy and after 1500 miles have no other problems.

Sounds like they have been having a few teething problems with early production.

[Snatch]

Mine is also back at the dealer today because:

- the drivers inside door panel was not attached - I could see behind it
- the viper stripes are scatched a lot on the leading edge on the bonnet
- the car wasn't clean enough in my opinion e.g. the door seals were covered in mud and dust inside the doors and there were polish marks all over the place
- I paid for a FULL tank of petrol not half a tank

- Also missing the ash tray although I won't cry about that too much

Hmpf.

[profyaffle]

Hmmm.. My door sill strip isn't stuck down properly either, I have a couple of paint problems, and the elusive ashtray... but I don't think anything has fallen off yet...

[Scrogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by Martin F (original)

That's really unfortunate. You must be the one guy that Mini should have got everything right for.

Why?

Are there different levels of importance when it comes to car buyers?

[supa-dupa-cooper]

Oh no! Doesnt sound a healthy MINI! Hope it gets sorted quickly and properly

[Martin F]

Well, I think it is unfortunate both for Paul, and for Mini.

I am inclined to believe that manufacturers take extra care with the cars they provide to journalists and other who will publish their impressions. Paul's role is akin to that of a journalist in that he writes reports for this site.

I do not believe that this implies that everyone else has to put up with quality failings but simply that if I was managing Mini I would be particularly careful to make sure that important influencers have a good experience of my product. I therefore think these failings are also unfortunate for Mini.

[AMT]

These problems are worrying, and I hope MINI addresses them soon.

A bit off topic, I was in a friends Volvo C30 earlier, one of the first models off the line. The whole thing felt incredibly solid and well put together, and there wasn't a hint of a rattle or imperfection throughout. It was a FAR cry from the R56 I test drove recently

[JG.26]

sorry to hear of your problems Paul, I'm sure they will all get fixed up for you Sounds like early production niggles but what cheeses me off with BMW is they never seem to fix all the problems throughout the cars life and which I hope will improve with the latest model. I'm finding it hard to believe that owners of the new model are experiencing interior rattes This is very poor. I never did change my 03 S as it took 4 visits to the dealer to cure all interior rattles and has been perfect for over 3 years now, I didn't have the stomach to change to a newer model and go back to square one. I remember when I first bought my MINI I was embarrased to give friends a lift as when I went in their Focus or Corsa, totally quiet and rattle free....grrrrrrrr

[dillythedog]

Quote: Originally Posted by AMT (original)

These problems are worrying, and I hope MINI addresses them soon.

A bit off topic, I was in a friends Volvo C30 earlier, one of the first models off the line. The whole thing felt incredibly solid and well put together, and there wasn't a hint of a rattle or imperfection throughout. It was a FAR cry from the R56 I test drove recently

The comment on the C30 is nice to hear, as I'm waiting for one to be delivered in February. Where did your friend gets his from ?

With regards to the R56 problems, I better take a large notepad with me to check out all these niggly problems

Delivery is tomorrow, which is great .. but also a bit worrying, with all the problems others have had