I'm planning to buy a used 03 or 04 Cooper S.

Is there a list of common problems posted somewhere?

TIA,

Blay

 

There is no real one place. Ppl will complain about an issue and a thread started. Sometimes stickied if big enuff

Here is a list of warranty work ppl complained about in https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=54011

3 Steering wheel
2 Engine
1 Shift ****
1 Cat
5 Steering column
1 Windshield molding
1 Dash down tubes
1 boot glass repair
1 Ash Tray
1 ECU emissions reflash
1 center switch assembly
1 "plastic debris causght inside the blower motor fan area"
1 "Crash collapsing mechanism in steering column"
2 A/C blower
4 Windshield
1 Climate control Module
3 Belt
1 Clutch
1 Flywheel
1 Belt tensioner
1 Slave cylinder failure.
1 HK buzz.
1 Sirius antenna failure
4 Passenger door mechanism
1 Drivers Door release cable
1 Trim piece on passenger side wiper departed vehicle
1 Keyless remote on 1 key dead
4 transmission replaced
1 passenger's seat rails replaced
1 driver's seat rails replaced
1 center instrument panel replaced
1 airbag light due to seat airbag wiring
2 sunroof rattle
3 Drivers door side mechanism
1 seatbelt tensioner
1 Airbag Light #2 had wires running to seats
1 airbag inside passenger seat
1 sunroof cassette.
2 Cooling fan
1 Windows and Sunroof opening on thier own, BCM replaced.
1 rear pads and rotors
1 Wires to parking light
2 drivers side door mechanism
1 windows would squeak or not open with the remote
1 alarm wouldnt set
1 underglow kept falling off
2 batteries
1 ems reader wouldnt read the key
1 Brake Rotors/Pads
1 transmission problems
1 new tire and rim
1 glovebox
1 brake computer
1 outside door handles
1 Bonnet vents
2 Boot latch and striker
2 O2 sensor
2 Coolant expansion tank
1 Seat fabric
2 power steering fans

There are also some well known problems (you will most likely have to search through the forum to find the threads):

1. RUST in the door sills https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=69139
2. Broken Windshields
3. Clutches going in under 30K miles or so
4. YO YO
5. Cold start problems https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=44204
6. Shocks Mushrooming https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=78629
7. Limp Mode (for a variety of reasons)
8. Engine Bay Fires https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=73527

And some more minor issues ...

1. Fans not shutting off
2. Battery dies if not used frequently
3. Wiring Harness issues
4. Coolant tank cracks
5. SC bypass valve issues
6. Sparkplugs popping out https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=75943 and other threads

 

Great list Chows..this should be a sticky.

The experience of owners really varies (just talked with a bunch of '03 owners yesterday who had either no problems or 1 or 2). I've had many (generally small) on my '03 Cooper. I'd get the service records for either year if you can, and lean toward an '04, IMHO.

 

You see ... thats the problem. I tried to get a list of what people actually take the car in for warranty work. The thing is ... people will say they have had ZERO issues, and they may have, but that's just ancedotal info. For anyone who never had an issue, there will be someone who got fed up and sold the car, no longer on the forum ... and you don't hear their horror list. I've seen some who asked or went the Lemon Law route.

So, IMO, I just ignore everyone who said they never had anything wrong and ignore those with huge lists of bad things ... throw out the extremes. I think its much better to focus on the average with the curve. What are the common things people complain about ...

 

I guess you can ignore me too. I've had my 2004 since new and the only thing it's been back to the dealer for is to have some accessories installed and service (oil change and brake fluid change).

 

You see ... you just made my point.

For you, thats GREAT! I am happy to hear that ... but its just not statistically viable information. If you go read the warranty thread, there are others with lists so long it gets tedious to read them. I've read posts here and elsewhere where ppl just get fed up and sell ... you never hear from them.

With any normal curve, you usually just got to throw out the extremes as they are meaningless. What matters is usually the data within one standard deviation ... In other words ...

If 150K MINIS were sold in the US and 50K are perfect and 50K are total junkers ... its the problems associated with the middle 50K that I would be interested in as a new buyer ...

And that middle list is, most likely, those common issues: broken windshields, rust forming under sills, limp mode, etc.

BTW, I never had limp mode but by just using a different brand of gas, I got the dread cold start problem ... couldn't even believe it was happening. Change the gas back to another brand ... it went away. Those kind of problems, IMO, are just insane today.

BTW, have you looked closely to see if you got mushrooming shocks and have you pulled up the rubber around both door sills to check for the first signs of rust? Just wondering.

 

Wow that is quite a list. With my luck I will have 80% of all of those.

Guess I will find out when my car arrives next month.

 

So.....You're saying this is a great car?


Anyway, the MINI is no more or less prone to issues than any other car. Go to any car forum and someone will be happy to give you a laundry list of problems. Not that any of the a-fore-mention issues aren't authentic. To the contrary, they're all things that MINI/BMW should/have fixed in the more recent models.

Good luck!

 

Statistically, you can't throw any of those out. You need a true blend and then filter the information as required. For example, if you want to know the number of failures per VIN you would need to know how many total cars were purchased and still on the road. If you wanted to know total number of failures per 10k miles, you would need to know total cars and total miles. If you're looking for a specific segment, say failures between 30k and 60k, that's a whole new set of data. You won't get accurate data by only analyzing the median data. Bottom line is there is no accurate way to gather all the data, so you're stuck with forums such as this, which is primarily made up of retained owners. That being said, if you did a mileage versus failure percentage, it isn't that high. If it were, the Mini would go the way of the Yugo!

 

I think that even though this might seem like a big list, its not that bad. Think about it this way. When you drive on the highway, do you ever see broken down MINIs? Most likely no. BMW/MINI does a good job building cars, they put alot of thought into them. Unlike our American counterparts.

My MINI hasn't had any problems, but it has to do with how you drive, how you treat the car, etc.

Medic

 

That is an impressive list, but you have to weigh that against other cars out there... and their owners.

Let's admit it, MINI owners are a little more (dare I say) obsessive about their cars than say Focus owners. It seems through these threads that MINI owners aren't shy about pulling the car apart to learn more about how it was put together, not a bad thing, just not something commonly done. And when something is found to be off, well, they demand it be fixed under warranty. Many things may never be found by other car owners.

Example - most car owners do not remove the weather stripping around the door jam to dry it after weekly washing .. hell most cars don't get washed weekly. But MINI owners did remove that strip and the rust thread started... Is this a problem in other cars, perhapse, but the owners are blissfully unaware. Again - it's probably a plus that MINI owners want to know so much about their cars, but on these boards it does make the un-initiated weary of the vehicle.

That said - I've had 4 warranty issues:

Flywheel - not a mechanical problem longterm, but an annoyance (tick-tick sound) that was taken care of.

"Wastegate" as they dubbed it - stuck open

Intercooler seal was pinched from the factory, and slightly gapped that caused a CES light at high RPM.

4th one i forgot - I did have the upper strut mount replaced for bending, which caused a slight mushroom. But this was before my JCW strut bar..This one annoyed me as we couldn't explain why it bent - no other wheel/suspension damage, but it's taken care of now.

These are not big issues in my opinion that would dissuade me from recommending the car to anyone.

 

Regarding the debate of including everyone in the repair data or removing the outliers, I'll put in my 2 cents with a "it depends". Chows is coming from the standpoint of supplying information about the experience with repairs "on average", which is a useful way to approach the problem for prospective buyers. TC4653 seems to be approaching the issue from a more "pure" statistical sense, so that you could essentially calculate the probability of any given MINI needing repair.

I'd argue for both sets of data, and think we should have a sticky someplace where people could post the repairs they've had.

 

Not a bad idea. The problem will still be that most MINI owners don't come to NAM to say how great/crappy their car is. Only MOA has any information that may be even remotely accurate.
The MINI is prone to many of the issues that have been seen on BMW. Still, I don't see many people saying that BMW is an unreliable, glitch-ridden car.

 

I started the warranty question thread for the exact same reason the originator did here ... to find out what other problems exist. The median is important because ... on average ... those are the problems you will encounter while ownership.

Medicman said: Think about it this way. When you drive on the highway, do you ever see broken down MINIs?

YES, ME. Just read all the threads about "limp home mode" as an example and how dangerous that is. Or yeah, broken down in the driveway with cold start problems. Stupid car won't start cold but hot runs fine. Or throwing DSC and flat tire codes together ... randomly. Or yeah, there there were the gauges going crazy because the wiring loom frayed itself and grounded itself causing everything to go crazy. Great quality:impatient

MA78 said Anyway, the MINI is no more or less prone to issues than any other car.

You can't be serious ... go read JD Powers and where MINI ranks. Then look at buyer satisfaction. Many MINI buyers are willing to put up with the "quirks" (and thats fine) but their reliability is pitiful.

Take a look at the 2006 IQS studies (no excuse about it being an early year). MINI RANKS 8th from the BOTTOM. Only makers like Jeep, Hummer, Suzuki and the like are worse.

If you all think MINI reliability is great ... so be it. No amount of statistics is going to change your mind.

As to Wookie and your four warranty complaints. ... Its all a matter of perspective. If your happy with that ... thats great. I come from another perspective ... one where quality counts. ONE warranty visit, IMO, is one aggravation too many. Dunno about you but taken time from work to drive the dealer, get a rental or whatever, is a MAJOR aggravation in my life.

MINI is anything but quality ... I can honestly say that I owned two toyotas for 12 years. During that time, only one thing broke (a power window cable ... which they fixed free OUT OF WARRANTY). That means 12 years of NEVER seeing the inside of a dealership for anything except once. Then I get a MINI and its like, at times, living at the dealership

So, if you can live with all the warranty work ... I wish you the best. I really wish you the best when its on your nichol.

Sorry for turning this into a rant but defending MINI's "quality" is like bailing a sinking ship out with pail with holes in it

 

So does this mean you are on the border of keeping a MINI vs. Selling? Or are you willing to put up with the trouble for the fun factor over the increadibly reliable Toyotas?

I actually almost bought a Corolla until I test drove the MINI.

 

I guess your asking the wrong person that question. I was just trying to highlight all the potential problem areas. Its alway better to have all the knowedge you can.

Sorry, I sold my car last month (see sig). I decided it was simply to unreliable for my wife to driver everyday. The chances of getting limp mode, being stranded were too much. It already ran into cold start problems that were driving her crazy.

No, am I not saying a Toyota is more fun. Just more reliable.

 

According to your sig line you have a MINI on order. I assume since you sold your wifes that that one is for you?

 

these are not predictors of the problems you will have with your car. I have a 91 jeep with 181,000 on it and can give you a list of all the problems right here:

rear wiper motor died $50 when i decide to replace it
crack in vacuum line disabled cruise control. $0.50 t-connector and 30 seconds and the problem was fixed.
aux cooling fan died $150 and 4 bolts

thats it in 15 years.

i know 2 peopel with hondas who have had to have engine rebuilds under warrenty.

go figure

 

3 kinds of lies,,,,....Lies, damn lies, and statistics... In other words, you can make the statistics say anything you would like. I pretty much agree, toss out all the problem history from both the manics and depressives. Neither one are a clear preception of reality. What's left is a group of owners who don't think about their Mini every waking moment of the day, who are far more able to provide unbiased experience of problems with their cars.

 

Jaded, are we? I've been reading your posts for the last few weeks, and all I see is a lot of sour-faced negativity. The problem is, you can only back up your arguments with like-minded arguments. Trust me, for every negetive MINI review, there are three positive reviews.
So I stand by my statement. The MINI is at least as reliable as any other car on the road.

To prove my point:
here
here
here
here
here
here
here

Oh yeah, one of the biggest consumer complaints covered by JD Powers is that the cup-holder is too small.

Speaking of JP Powers...TADA!

I think I've said enough.

 

If you throw out the highs and lows of your data, you only changed your statistically data set you didn't eliminate the risk that someone will generate 'any statistic they like'. You can't generate data for the average driver if you don't have enough data to know what that is and the likelihood is nil that you could gather that data. It's all about gathering enough data to find the best overlay that fits the driver and/or car you're trying to statistically match. Anything else is manipulation.

 

Dude ... the originator asked about problems.

I have unbiasedly shown him lists of those where people have complained on this board. That is not "negativity"... those are the facts ... those are what people complained about.

Don't like them? Don't believe them? Then go ask the people who posted all their warranty issues ... and go ask all the people who complain about yo yo, cold start, limp mode .... and all the people who find the car a bit scary when it suddenly loses power on the highway.

Sounds to me you want to HIDE the facts but they are all over this board ... and other boards as well.

As to reliability ... don't like the source, so you bash JD Powers ... typical. Don't like the answer, attack the source's credibility JUST as you did in the Cnet thread.

If you think MINIs walk on water ... I wish you well.

 

I've spent a lot of time looking for people (inside and outside of NAM) who have had these problems. There aren't that many of them.
I'm sorry that you've had a bad experiance, but you are in the minority. There is, however, no need to try and desuade people from buying a perfectly fine automobile. Most people will not experiance the problem that you seem to have had.
Do I think that the MINI walks on water? No, I absolutely do not. Is it an unreliable car? Yes, it is. Does every car on the road have a chance of breaking down? Duh.

 

You missed a few, including the only problem I seem to have. Tough time getting it fully into reverse sometimes.

Do other owners have a lot more problems? If they do, no one seems to care, at least in as far as resale prices seem to be surprisingly strong and stable.