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Should I or should I not order an R56?

7K views 50 replies 21 participants last post by  Restyle 
#1 ·
As I ve posted in another thread I am on the brink of ordering a new Mini Cooper R56 but after reading this section of the forum I am having second and third thoughts... I am actually starting to freak out with all these threads about ticking noises, rattles and general unreliability of the new Mini. The top of the cake was the story of the owner of this site who opted for a full refund and who doesn't seem all that eager to go anywhere near an R56 in the future.... So for the time being I postponed the order so that I can get as much feedback as I can before doing anything stupid.

And here's how things are : at the moment I own a VW Golf mkIV 1.4 which might drive like a tugboat and have the torque of a mule with hepatitis but it has never EVER let me down or given me any hassle with undesired mechanical problems or unexpected faulty behavior. And even after 5 years of me treating it harshly and carelessly , after a thorough cleaning it still looks brand new. Okay , theres the occasional rattle here and there but everything else seems to be as tight as a drum , like the first day I got it.
Starting from this point it would really drive me mad trading my car with another one that would prove to be squeaky and rattly from day 1 or that would just not start after a couple of months like I ve read in some other threads. I d also like to stress that I am very concerned about the durability of the interior cabin of the new Cooper , as I am used to the Golf's high quality finishing which still looks brand new. The prospect of spending 25000 Euros on a car with a plasticky interior cabin that will fall apart after a couple of years is enough to put me off the Cooper. I d rather buy a Kia or a Vauxhall than a Cooper if thats the case... So please tell me this isnt true!!!! I d appreciate any estimates about the durability of the materials by R56 owners who have lived with this car for some months! :)

Also , what really makes me confused is the fact that MINI is actually a subsidiary of BMW and I always respected BMW for their commitment in producing reliable cars. My father owned a BMW E36 from 1993 to 2005 and it never let him down and as soon as the E90 came out we bought it. Our now 2 year old 320i has never let us down either, still proving to be as mint as it was on day 1, rattle free and all, you really cant tell it is a 2 year old car. So how on Earth are the R56 Minis proving to have reliability issues due to their short lifespan?! I am really boggled...

HELP! :confused:

How many of you had problems with your R56s (even minor ones)? And most importantly , how many of you enjoy a problem free relationship with your brand new Mini?!
 
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#4 ·
...at the moment I own a VW Golf mkIV 1.4 which might drive like a tugboat and have the torque of a mule with hepatitis but it has never EVER let me down..
If reliability is high on your list, I`m afraid you`re going to have to stick with your Golf a bit longer. Its not just the R56, even the first gen MINI`s had certain "Issues" with things such as Wobbly steering Columns & sticking seat mechanisms, to keep us on our toes. Thankfully I have been relatively lucky with my 3, with nothing too serious occuring, but at the moment it seems that it is pure Luck of the Draw on whether you will have a good one or not. In the same way as I`ve learnt Not to advise people on Horses & Shares :eek: , I coudnt really tell someone that a New MINI would be Hassle free.
I remember telling someone in November to leave deciding on a new MINI for another 6 months in order that the teething problems would be sorted.
Unfortunately the same Advice still applies.
 
#6 ·
Call me crazy, but I'm going to order mine today anyways. AFAICT the worst problems with the transmission and clutch and engine seem to be a thing of the past, so I'm going to try my luck. I want a fun car for the summer. :) So I'll just hope mine won't have any major issues. I'll let everyone know how it goes once I've taken delivery.
 
#8 ·
Had similar thoughts but at the end I took the plunge and I ordered a MCS. I hope (it is only a hope though!!!) that by the time my car goes into production (sometime in April which is 6 months after launch) most of the problems will be solved and also that I will be lucky enough to get a hassle free one.
 
#9 ·
FxK said:
Call me crazy, but I'm going to order mine today anyways ... I'm going to try my luck.
My point exactly !
You buy a MINI .. You take a Gamble {But its Fun if it Works}
You buy a Golf .. You know its going to Work {But where`s the Fun in That}
;)
Bodom said:
[Hmm If thats the case, I really cant be bothered waiting for Mini to sort out their problems
Bodom, I`m feeling guilty now that I might have put you off MINI`s for life.
I should have advised that you just take a test drive & satisfy yourself that your making the right decision based on your own experience & not that of some of the Doubters around here :eek:
 
#13 ·
My point exactly !
You buy a MINI .. You take a Gamble {But its Fun if it Works}
You buy a Golf .. You know its going to Work {But where`s the Fun in That}
;)

Bodom, I`m feeling guilty now that I might have put you off MINI`s for life.
I should have advised that you just take a test drive & satisfy yourself that your making the right decision based on your own experience & not that of some of the Doubters around here :eek:
If you are aware they may have minor flaws and are happy you can deal with it and get them sorted in time if they occur, then why not? Ours does the funny twanging noise now and then, and the bonnet is a little misaligned, but tbh it's cosmetic and neither one of us can be bothered to sort it (dealer is only 3 miles away, and very helpdful). Whereas our previous MINI's have rattled like b*ggers and one was in repeatedly for this and other squeaky noises....

It's a great drive, try it, it might be enough to persuade you one way or the other :)
 
#10 ·
Yes , fun and exciting in the same way as Russian roulette. Alfa Romeos are fun too, even though they are completely unreliable. *BUT* this is supposed to be BMW, people and I just cant accept that! Not some third world Italian supercar company like Ferrari. Ze Germans are NOT supposed to behave like that. This is the point of being German anyway.You make things that work Isnt it?

And dont start with the English car theory.Please dont.
 
#12 ·
I would wait another 6 months before placing an order. Usually the first year of production tends to be brutal on quality control.
 
#15 ·
I test drove the R56 this morning thinking it was going to have the problems listed on this site, but it was spot on.

It did not rattle, there was no loud engine, no gearbox issue when labouring the engine, I even tried going over the speed bumps at speed to try and get that twang noise but it was not there. I could not hear any whistling from sunroof at speed either.

The interor seems superior to my R53, which shows no signs of wear after almost 2 years, (this car I share with my dog who chews the headrest).

I was going to buy one but at the moment I can not bring myself to sell my current cooper s.

I would just buy one if I were you, the longer you wait the older you get and you might grow a bold patch on your head like me.
 
#16 ·
I drove the new MINI for hundreds of miles before encountering any real issues..... But boy was that a bad experience.

Personally it's not for me, but if you don't drive where I drive (or somewhere very similar), then it's a very good car, if you get a good example (and thousands have for sure, or they'd most likely be on here moaning).

You put this in faults and fixes too, which will attract a certain bias in the answers (although I can appreciate why it's posted in here).
 
#18 ·
Touch wood, I'm still waiting for my Dec '06 build R56 MC to develop the faults that most people go on about, hoping of course that they don't appear!!

My main moans have been with some design and quality of materials issues, otherwise the car is fantastic.

I wouldn't hesitate in recommending one, put it that way. And, as said above, I bet there are loads of other happy R56 owners!

SSL
 
#19 ·
South Shore Lad said:
My main moans have been with some design and quality of materials issues, otherwise the car is fantastic.
I wouldn't hesitate in recommending one,
Now can I ask you to be REALLY Honest
If a relative asked your advice for a new car, & their Top Priority`s are Reliability & Longevity
ie... the car must last 10 years with virtually No problems with Nothing Dropping off

Do you Advise the Golf ... or the MINI
Be Truthful Now
{Remember, they will Never speak to you again if anything goes wrong} :D

Thought So
 
#37 · (Edited)
Now can I ask you to be REALLY Honest
If a relative asked your advice for a new car, & their Top Priority`s are Reliability & Longevity
ie... the car must last 10 years with virtually No problems with Nothing Dropping off

Do you Advise the Golf ... or the MINI
Be Truthful Now
{Remember, they will Never speak to you again if anything goes wrong} :D

Thought So
I've heard that Golfs aren't all they're cracked up to be. It's hard to wind the clock forward anyway to see how either car (Golf or new MINI) will look in ten years). Go BACK ten years from now and I've seen a few N & P reg Golfs with faded paintwork, rust spots, saggy looking interiors and bag o'nails sounding engines. You've made it a toughy making me pitch my decision as Golf v MINI. I was making my recommendation more on if a friend/relative was seriously thinking of going for an R56 MINI and asked my advice, my response would be along the lines of "my experience has been fine, so go for it". Asked as to whether they should go for a MINI versus a Golf or an Octavia or a two seater quad bike or whatever then I don't feel qualified to answer!! ("do comparative test drives, search the owner forums for each car and make your own mind up!")

For the record - the design issues I have, errm, issues with are -

the bonnet - even when correctly aligned on the R56, I think the 1st gen looks better

and quality of materials issues are...

fantastic interior, let down by heater controls and thin carpet

SSL
 
#21 ·
1 month and 800 miles in I haven't heard a rattle, squeak, whistle or twang! Thought I had a problem with one of the speakers but that seems to have disappeared (the dealer couldn't find anything wrong with it either). The only thing I would say is that I've found the handling a little dubious without the Sport button applied but whack it on and Bob's your uncle.

So basically, so far (and touching every bit of wood I can find) 100% fault free :smile: . Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones but I have no issues whatsoever. Didn't have one problem, noise, rattle etc. with my 2003 Cooper either.

P.S. No, I don't drive like a girl so I have been putting them to the test ;)
 
#22 ·
To everyone

What I prolly didnt clarify in my original post is that I ve already test driven a Mini Cooper S with 17'' alloys and sports suspension. I found the ride extremely addicting and somewhat refined (at least it didn't bother me), not a single rattle was ever heard during my slightly illegal *ahem* escapades through Athens' afternoon traffic and over various potholes and meteorite craters of our lovely Greek roads. To be 100% honest that test drive was as adrenaline inducing as taking a ton of crystal meth. Not that I have ever taken any but I am pretty damn sure that even illegal substances pale in comparison to driving an S. All you Cooper S people out there know what I mean by that.

To sum it all up then , I really loved the car and that was the main reason I decided I should order one, without a single cloud in the horizon. And then my logic kicked in and I started to search the net for more "earthly" matters regarding the Cooper's reliability and quality controls... And then I stumbled in this particular section of this forum which -mildly put- suspended my actions to order the Cooper, at least until I put some things into perspective.

I don't really mind a little rattle here and there , but I am damn sure I d feel an idiot if I invested 25000 on a car (let's face it people the Cooper might be fun and all and thats why I am considering it but its still a damn car - its supposed to get you to places) that leaked petrol at random times or refused to start or even squeaked like a 20 year old Yugo. And like I said before I am concerned that all that silver plastic fest in the new Mini might look like a used yellowed out playmobil toy in a couple of months time.

It doesnt really seem odd that some people are facing problems , I am just concerned because I ve read many tragic comments about the R56s quality and I can see a pattern forming here. As much as I d like the Cooper to be my next ride, and as much as I like taking corners at twice the speed of a normal car , I really hate bad quality interiors in cars and I really really really hate it when I have to run to the dealer to fix random unscheduled faults. So I am not your average 60 year old Honda buyer but I d rather toss a car in a cliff than ride something rattly. I am weird , I know. And constipated too. But feel my agony. :p

PS : No offense to anyone here , but I don't have a bald patch , although I feel I am right on the age barrier (27) for buying a Cooper without receiving comments about how my mid life crisis affected my taste in cars. I am almost pushing thirty and I feel that if I have to wait a year or so for those damned BMW people to iron everything out I ll prolly end up with a French minivan or (even worse!) a Volvo station wagon. Damnit , I am not asking for much I am just asking for what I am paying for!
 
#29 · (Edited by Moderator)
Fanis : My 320i is as proper as it gets! :p

The rest of the world : I shudder to think that with the 36000 Euros I payed for my base E96 320i here in Greece, I d buy a 325i with leather seats/sunroof/DVD + some change in the US. And I d still wouldn't have to worry for my bimmer's consumption since petrol is dirt cheap in the US.
 
#35 ·
Fanis : My 320i is as proper as it gets! :p
It is a fine car...it is just that once you drive the 6-cylinder ones, you never want to go back!! :D I used to have a 325ti....sold now. :rolleyes:

The rest of the world : I shudder to think that with the 36000 Euros I payed for my base E96 320i here in Greece.....
One small correction...it is either E46 or E90.
 
#30 ·
My 2 pence worth :)
I have spent the last 6 months test driving and trawling through loads of car websites, Audisport.net for one..common problem on an A3..rattle from drivers window and slow moving mirrors..Golf sites the one mention by KenL uk-mkivs.net, again common complaints (MK5) on there are slow moving mirrors and the odd rattle..some GTi owners have complained about the deisel sounding engines and have had them sorted under warranty..The A3 and Golf are on my very short list for my next car..compared with the R56 F&F forum the previous 2 websites have nothing to complain about, if slow moving mirrors were the only problem I experianced on my old Cooper I would have kept it.
Go with your own judgement though and do some test driving and research or wait a while until the R56 niggles have been sorted :)
 
#32 ·
Looks like the Skoda Octavia is the car to have for overall ownership satisfaction, reliability, quality, drive etc. The Skoda comes second to the Lexus.

The latest reliability index has seen the previous generation MINI drop 16 places from the previous year hmmmmmmm.

Have been nosing on the Skoda website today and the Octavia VRS looks tempting and reading What Cars reader reviews on the Octavia it seems many peeps out there would rather have the Skoda over previous Audi's and BMW's and have gone over to Skoda. Very tempted to take a test drive as curiosity is overtaking me.
 
#33 ·
VW's here have a reputation for poor reliability and shoddy dealer network service. Those are enough reasons for me to avoid them.

Audis here have the worst resale values of any premium European luxury import brand.
 
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