[mr.bill]

Here is a revised list of the problem areas on the MINI. Some are serious, some trivial, some happened on only one car. Some may be blamed on a design flaw, but most are due to poor workmanship, more than likely from trying to ramp up production to meet the demand. I have listed them in categories with the worst ones first. If I have overlooked any, please post them and I will add them to the list. It will give the prospective buyers a list of things to look out for.

MINI Problems and Niggles:

Interior:
Faulty seat adjusters, redesign may be required
Low quality cloth/leather seat coverings
Seats squeak and rattle
Dashboard rattles
Rear seat assembly not bolted in

Exterior/Body:
Boot hatch hard to close
Boot hatch pops open while driving
Boot hatch rattles
Paint cracks in roof above boot hinges
Roof leaks at aerial mount
Condensation in tail lights
Wheel arches break off easily
Improperly aimed windshield washer jets
Loose windshield rubber moulding
Fuel filler flap poorly fitted
Foggy areas in paint, possibly due to the protective coating

Fuel System:
Inaccurate fuel gauge due to defective tank/sender unit
Sparks when filling with fuel (filler pipe replaced under recall)

Electrical:
Central locking failure
Window motor failure
Air bag failure
Defective ignition key
Heated mirror failure
Wiring harness failure
Wiper motor drains battery while parked if not shut off properly
Boot warning light stays on (defective or improperly mounted sensor)
Tire pressure warning light blinks or comes on for no reason

Engine/Gearbox:
Engine clatter on startup
Clank or clunk when clutch is released (possibly due to ABS)
Hesitation/flat spot in first gear
Loud whine from power steering pump (claimed to be \"normal\")
Noisy air conditioner
Low oil pressure
Engine overheating (due to defective radiator cap)
Reverse gear failure (during skidpad demonstration)

Chassis/Suspension:
Car pulls hard to left

 

[smiffy]

Just a few then! 8D

 

[Jon E]

Since I picked mine up last Thursday 24th, I have the following faults/niggles:

-Faulty seat adjusters
-Low quality cloth/leather seat coverings
-Seats squeak and rattle
-Dashboard rattles

-Boot hatch hard to close
-Boot hatch rattles
-Engine clatter on startup (I have been following run in instructions strictly)
-Clank or clunk when clutch is released
- very loud whine from power steering pump

I also have a very loud rear wiper me thinks - is everyone elses quiet? Mine sounds......slightly like a claxon..

I think I\'ll be writing to my dealer just to quanify the problems, then await a response.

I know things were said about people moaning about the problems and reporting nothing but niggles but surley that is half the point of this forum. To help establish \'common\' faults so we can all get them sorted ASAP.

Just to clarify:
I love it to bits, everything else is fine and these ARE niggly problems which I hope get put right, so people still waiting for their MINI will get a car with less niggyr problems.

Jon

 

[MN]

I`ve only got a couple of niggles, not worth moaning about though. The Steering is an electric motor and not a pump but whines a little and a couple of squeaks thats it.

 

[Johnboy]

RE: Window motor failure - I was told that they had to replace the voltage regulator in addition to the window motor - i.e. More likely to be the voltage regulator frying the motor than specifically a window motor problem.

Take yer pick!

J.

Oh, by the way - very happy with the car - expected these minor niggles.
I\'ve also had the rheostat shroud and one of the door mounted reflectors pop out. The trim fit under the rear windows is also looking a little wobbly!
It\'s also generated an intermittent loose v-belt style squeal when pulling away from the lights - taking it in to the dealer next week.

 

[R1]

I think people should run their car for at least a month before moaning on here about niggles. I will.

 

[Bad Manners]

On 31-10-2001 20:30 mr.bill wrote:

I didn\'t realise you guys across the pond were still points scoring; I thought I should respond to your comprehensive list. I\'ve intermingled my comments with your original post.

Interior:
Faulty seat adjusters
- Has not been a problem, with various people in the back of my MINI in daylight and at night.
Low quality cloth/leather seat coverings
- Can\'t fault mine
Seats squeak and rattle
- I heard a squeak with my Mum in the passenger seat. It was the buckle on her coat that was rubbing up against the door pocket
Dashboard rattles
- No, I\'ve been over bumpy roads and speed humps, no problems. even have stuff stashed on the undershelf. It stays put due to the rubber mat
Rear seat assembly not bolted in
- Mine\'s nt loose.

Exterior/Body:
Boot hatch hard to close
- mine was stiff but has got better with use
Boot hatch pops open while driving
- the indicator light on the dash and the bong sound tell when it\'s not shut flush before driving off
Boot hatch rattles
- not if you check it\'s shut correctly
Paint cracks in roof above boot hinges
- haven\'t found any paintwork faults
Roof leaks at aerial mount
- it\'s been wet here, but my interior remains dry.
Condensation in tail lights
- these are dry too
Wheel arches break off easily
- haven\'t tested these to destruction yet.
Improperly aimed windshield washer jets
- two high and two low - seems perfect to me
Loose windshield rubber moulding
- Mine\'s ok, but I did see the poor yellow MINI that had this problem.
Fuel filler flap poorly fitted
- It opens all the way, closes flush, locks and unlocks with the central locking as I\'d expect
Foggy areas in paint, possibly due to the protective coating
- The PDI includes adding a polish or wax coat to the paintowrk, and varies between dealers. Ask what products your dealer used and take the recommendations from fellow MINI users. Autglym super resin polish (red) and super high gloss (gold) are fantasticuff is fantastic. Don\'t start applying the gold stuff if it\'s getting dark or likely to rain, coz it does streak if you rub it off when it\'s wet from rain or condensation. Use the red stuff again to cure these kind of streaks.

Fuel System:
Inaccurate fuel gauge due to defective tank/sender unit.
- Mine was good from new. It shows full when full, and nearly empty when nearly empty. The trip computer shows sensible readings for range too. I have dared to drive it 60 miles beyond the red warning light showing, and can get 48 litres in when the trip computer range says \"0 miles left\". It takes a little bit of petrol station forecourt experimentaion to find the optimum angle for the fuel filler nozzle.
Sparks when filling with fuel (filler pipe replaced under recall).
- Sparks? Who said \"sparks\"? There were no sparks! MINI Quality Control simply found that the anti-static paint applied to the petrol tank filler neck could wear thin given time. The remedy is the application of a simple ground wire. My MINI was made post recall so had the modification in the factory.

Electrical:
Central locking failure.
- Clink clunk, works every time.
Window motor failure.
- Swish swash works every time
Air bag failure.
- Haven\'t crashed, hoping not to. I haven\'t seen the airbag fire. Warning light shows at ignition on then goes out as it should.
Defective ignition key
- Click Slam Twist Vroom, works great
Heated mirror failure.
- Both demist in less than a minute
Wiring harness failure.
- All my electricals work just fine and dandy
Wiper motor drains battery while parked if not shut off properly.
- I\'ve parked up with the wiper in the on position (by mistake), and my MINI started again just fine
Boot warning light stays on (defective or improperly mounted sensor)
- Haven\'t noticed it stay on, and the sensor is the same one that lights the doors open indicator on the dash.
Tire pressure warning light blinks or comes on for no reason
- My tyre pressures were correct from the dealer (I wanted to check double check them after colelction) and the light only shows during the ignition on diagnostics

Engine/Gearbox:
Engine clatter on startup
- MINI\'s engine is slightly noisier than usual for about 1 to 1.5 seconds on cold start. I believe this is while the oil pressure builds up and fills the hydraulic tappets. I have heard a MINI sounding more like a diesel with a cold engine, and I would say that particular MINI needs attention.
Clank or clunk when clutch is released (possibly due to ABS).
- No clunks during clutch operation - just a smooth pick up and take off. WIth the stereo off, MINI does make some interesting noises It\'s no more than the electronic systems running diags
Hesitation/flat spot in first gear.
- I haven\'t tested this extensively, but I can coast down to less than 1000 rpm (fuel injectors are turned off on the overrun) then apply power and MINI picks up smoothly. Enthusiastic use of the throttle when pulling away causes the ASC-T light to illuminate
Loud whine from power steering pump (claimed to be \"normal\").
- It is loud, but not much louder than the regular hydraulic pump on my old Renault. It\'s quiet when you\'re not turning the wheel hard when parking, and it switches off when you\'re on the move.
Noisy air conditioner.
- If I\'ve not used the aircon for a while, I can sometimes hear the compressor for about 20-30 seconds when I take the climate control system out of economy mode - this is while the pressures in the system are run to operating conditions. Thereafter, it\'s quiet. The interior fans can be noisy on high settings, but there\'s eight fan speeds with climate control, Auto uses the low speeds unless it has hard work to do.
Low oil pressure.
- My oil pressure warning light only shows as part of the ignition on diagnostics.
Engine overheating (due to defective radiator cap).
- My engine comes quickly up to temperature, wherefter the neelde stays rock solid on the mid-line of the water temp gauge.
Reverse gear failure (during skidpad demonstration).
- Reverse gear on MINI has no synchromesh. The owners manual states that the vehicle must be brought to a halt before engaging reverse gear. Crunching the box into reverse isn\'t awfully good for gearboxes. Mistreating a gearbox can mean \"spare\" gear teeth or dog teeth or metal flakes floating around in the oil bath at the bottom of a gearbox. These are bad news for the rest of the mechanicals in there. Be nice to your gearbox, people, it will be nice to you.

Chassis/Suspension:
Car pulls hard to left.
- Mine drifts gently left on the regular road cambers, and gently to the right on reverse cambers. It\'s neutral in flat car parks.

Would you be happy if your MINI had none of the faults listed? I am 8D
My sympathy to any less than happy MINI owners.

 

[mr.bill]

You are proof that they CAN get it RIGHT. I wish every MINI was perfect. But there are poor sods like Apial who must have a little dark cloud following them. His car was yellow, as I recall, befitting a lemon. My luck tends to run like Apial\'s so by putting the list up on the forum, it reminds those MINI buyers who have yet to take delivery where the niggles may be. As I said, some are minor while some are serious. Hopefully everything will be corrected in due course.

 

[dinger]

Hi all

I echoe Bad manners point of view apart from my fuel guage thats been fixed now every thing is quite dandy however I do feel for you guys/gals that have niggerly problems.

But apart from the niggles are\'nt you all happy with the car,

Lets not get all negative again like before.

Anyway since Annes had the MINI it seems I can get away with murder and cant do anything wrong lately,WHOOPEE

8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D 8D

 

[Varse]

How did they fix your fuel gauge Dinger? Mine is doing my nut.
I have to say though, that apart from this my baby has nothing else wrong, bar the trim along the passenger door looking a bit wonly when you look in the mirror!

Done 1500miles in 2 weeks with no problems and now starting to enjoy the red line!

Very glad I chose yellow despite my apprehension and that I didn\'t get leather listening to the problems with this.

 

[dinger]

Hi

I think they changed the fuel solenoid thingy since then its been fine.

 

[Ady]

Mr Bill as you are determined to point out every niggle and fault on what is a great car, it would be helpful to all us prospective purchasers if you would put them in context ie how many cars have suffered each fault. This would help in deciding just how serious the problems really are.
Ady B)

 

[mr.bill]

The best I could do was to list them in the order of \"worst first\" as I stated. I cannot know for sure which niggles are the most common because not every MINI owner posts on MINI2. Apial had the engine blow up (overheating) and Saffy had the low oil pressure, perhaps a stuck window too. But there have been numerous complaints about the seat latches and seat quality, squeaks and rattles, fuel gauge, electrical system and of course the pulling to the left. My intention was to list as many of the niggles as I could keep track of. Some cars are nearly perfect, but others are not. Bad Manners has had only a couple minor niggles, but others have had many of them and are on a first name basis with the service department. If the same ones crop up over and over, rather than a batch of new ones, it may help the factory to solve them. Forewarned is forearmed. If you take delivery of a MINI and it has some problems, at least you\'ll know you aren\'t alone.

 

[Johnboy]

Agreed,
Mr. Bill is merely trying to point out a list of things that may be worth checking when your car is delivered.
It\'s just a list, not a slagging list : If you asked a million BMW drivers if they\'d crashed their cars, I suspect you\'d find at least 1000 cars had crashed - but you\'d be foolish to conclude that BMWs are dangerous and keep crashing ;-)

At the weekend we found a missing rubber button on one of the cars - that can now be replaced, thereby maintaining resale value -
I think the point is that most things are observations or niggles. We\'re all enthusiasts, and want our cars (and resales values) to be right!

I think the list is useful in ensuring your car is operating to it\'s optimum.
J.

 

[Redhotmini]

hi people

so do u think that all these niggles and squeaks will get fixed soon? cause its quite a mission isn\'t it??? its really strange cause i know that every new car has problems but you wouldn\'t expect that many would you? not from a bm anyway!

cheers

 

[Bad Manners]

On 02-11-2001 13:40 Johnboy wrote:
At the weekend we found a missing rubber button on one of the cars - that can now be replaced, thereby maintaining resale value -

That was MY trip-counter reset button

 

[kshapiro]

On 02-11-2001 13:40 Johnboy wrote:
Agreed,
Mr. Bill is merely trying to point out a list of things that may be worth checking when your car is delivered.
It\'s just a list, not a slagging list : If you asked a million BMW drivers if they\'d crashed their cars, I suspect you\'d find at least 1000 cars had crashed - but you\'d be foolish to conclude that BMWs are dangerous and keep crashing ;-)

At the weekend we found a missing rubber button on one of the cars - that can now be replaced, thereby maintaining resale value -
I think the point is that most things are observations or niggles. We\'re all enthusiasts, and want our cars (and resales values) to be right!

I think the list is useful in ensuring your car is operating to it\'s optimum.
J.


Nah...the most useful reason for the list, and for the gripes that some have slammed Mr. Bill and I for, is that BMW will take notice, and kick ass at the factory before too long. They have to be freaked out over all of the problems with what is a BMW MINI. The press will only accept these \"teething\" problems for a short time before declaring this car to be problem ridden.

It seems to be working because the newer cars seem to be more \"together\", than the earlier ones

 

[Apial]

I pray you are right! My replacement MINI, also Yellow, is due within 7 days. Hopefully not Lemon nor Banana but Liquid!

I wonder if anyone will take a bet that it won\'t pull to the left?

Thanks for the pre-delivery checklist mr.bill.

 

[mr.bill]

So far only one niggle has been added, a noisy rear wiper that sounds like a \"claxon horn.\" There are also a few complaints about the interior trim pieces not fitting quite right. It appears the most common, and serious, problems are still the pulling to the left, poorly designed seat adjusters, errant fuel gauge and the battery going flat if the wipers are not shut off correctly before the ignition is switched off. (That may be correctable with a change in the ECU programming.)

Hopefully your dealer will go through the replacement car with a fine toothed comb to be sure it is perfect. I doubt they want to see you having any more problems. Good luck, Apial, and \"happy motoring.\" You can take some comfort in the fact that my luck is as bad as yours.

 

[Kwackers]

Hi, I picked up my MINI on the 11th Oct (it\'s a yellow / black cooper) and it\'s done 1200 miles.
Out of the above checklist, the only fault I can find is with the rear hatch - it needs a firm hand to close and make the light go out. A potential rattle turned out to be the passenger seat belt buckle. Steering pump is louder than my 306 but not by much, steering is neutral. The only niggle I\'ve got is a tendency for it to \'hang on\' to the rev\'s when you boot it - I guess this is an hangover from the drive by wire system. Haven\'t checked the AC though - it\'ll be 6 months or so before I give it a go. Any problems and I\'ll post them here (posting this seems to be tempting fate...)

Steve.