Hello NAM community. New guy here. Been lurking for a couple weeks, long enough to know what a great site and wealth of information there is here.

I have a car on order that is slated to be here around Thanksgiving. At the moment I am in dire need some reassurance about my decision so here's my first post. Your replies will indeed have a direct bearing on whether or not I take delivery of this '06 MCSa).

Yes I have ordered an auto for my own personal reasons but please don't let this turn into another debate about manual transmissions vs autos. I know that the autos are way out-numbered. Right now I'm freaked out over what I have recently read here about the seemingly problematic new Agitronic 6-speed automatic trans, and also other issues. The dealer has told me (for what it is worth) that the 2006's have all these issues resolved. Am I gullible enough to believe everything a dealer tells me? No.

The following list is what has me on the fence right now with major emphasis on the transmission issues.

* Cold start issue. Multiple off/on starts req'd to temporarily render vehicle drivable
* SES light coming on
* Vehicle going into un-drivable "limp-mode". (Huge safety issue)
* The new V.42/43 software flash not correcting drivability problems on all vehicles
* Hard MCSa downshifts even when in normal "Drive" mode.
* Suspicious windshield cracks
* Wire harness replacement recal

What I am asking in this post is if I can hear from you automatic guys who have not had issues, or have had them corrected without repeated and/or frustrating attempts.

I have been desperately wanting a Mini S for over a year now and I would hate to pull out, but may have to. My invoice is over $31,000 and I need a dead-reliable car

Thanks in advance
Reid in Houston

 

:smile: Welcome to NAM. Click edit and delete all the font size stuff so your post will be easier for people to read and respond to. :smile: That seems to happen from cut and pasting sometimes. (unless I am the only one seeing it)

 

My wife has had her '05 MCSa for over 5000 mi and has had no issues. Its a real pleasure to drive and the sport mode with paddle shifters is terrific.

 

We are one of the very unlucky owners. Ours is a nightmare. In my opion if you need absolute reliability buy Japanese. We are long time Euro car owners and they have all had issues at time. The Mini is the first one where the issues cannot be resolved by the dealer.

 

I received my '05 MCSa in August. Since then, I have driven 4,000 miles. To answer your questions:

* Cold start issue. Multiple off/on starts req'd to temporarily render vehicle drivable - Never happened yet, but I also live in Texas and it is 80 degrees in November here!

* SES light coming on - my SES light has been coming on and off as of late. But, my MA said it was no big deal, and that the computer probably just had to be reset. I will be getting this fixed when I go get my Aero bumper installed.

* Vehicle going into un-drivable "limp-mode". (Huge safety issue) - this did happen to me randomly one time, starting from a standstill at a light. The DSC turned on. Since then, it has not happened. And, when I am looking for a faster acceleration from a standstill, I just momentarily turn on DSC.

* The new V.42/43 software flash not correcting drivability problems on all vehicles - no issues here.

* Hard MCSa downshifts even when in normal "Drive" mode. - I only drive in manual shift mode so I would not know.

* Suspicious windshield cracks - my windshield has held up great.
* Wire harness replacement recal - nope, still have not gotten the recall notice.

 

I'm not sure of the exact statistics, but I get the feeling that there are quite a number of perfectly fine no-incident MCSa's out there that no one will ever hear about. What you find is that the people that do have the problems are the ones that seek out somewhere to discuss and hopefully solve their problems. Those 'normal' owners out there that never take the time to find NAM or search out additional information on their cars would most likely never post here. I would expect that the percentage of MCSa owners overall with transmission problems is somewhere in the low single digits. Of course lemons do happen and it is always unfortunate when they do. I'm expecting you'll be fine, so good luck and congrats on the MINI!

 

Hi,

We got our 2005 mcsa in mid march. There have been 2 instances where it had to be towed in due to the software issues detailed all over this site. Our dealer has always been very good about getting the car back to us asap. We have not had it overnight with them once ( It helps that we are near BMW NA headquarters, so software patches are easier to come by than if you are in other parts of the country ). That being said, I'd do it over again, it is an enjoyable car, and I figured there was going to be some first year bugs.

 

I've had my MCSa since May and have had a great motoring experience. Motored 7500 miles since then and have heavily modded the car. To answer your questions:


Cold start issue. Multiple off/on starts req'd to temporarily render vehicle drivable - Went away after about 2k miles.
* SES light coming on - So far so good with the Wiring Harness recall fixed.

* Vehicle going into un-drivable "limp-mode". (Huge safety issue) - Related to SES light coming on and was fixed by a recall.
* The new V.42/43 software flash not correcting drivability problems on all vehicles - V42 is on my car and no real problems now.

* Hard MCSa downshifts even when in normal "Drive" mode. - Only when the car is cold. Once warmed its fine.
* Suspicious windshield cracks - my windshield has held up great.
* Wire harness replacement recal - Taken care of and so far its ok.

 

driven 7500 miles.

occasional SES light. driving in D can be a bit of a jerk-fest, and when it's not doing that, you often feel it hunting for the right gear. M is the cure.

other than that, so far so good . . .

 

For every problem you read of here on NAM I bet that there are hundreds of satisfied happy owners who have no problems what so ever.

Even Honda builds a lemmon or two every now and then. The question is not the car, you should question the local dealer where the car will be serviced.

MINI builds a FANTASTIC car. But some dealers have less than positive results with service.

 

Answered in this thread:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=54702

 

"We" has a good point. I'm on a BMW motorcycle forum and based on what you read there, all of them die from rear drive failures, output shaft spline alignment issues and clutch problems. But it's those 3 guys in the world that have had the problems that write so much about it, not the 98,741 guys who are having absolutely no problems at all. The numbers get skewed when you are reading something like a BBS. But if everyone that was not having problems chimed in with "I don't have that problem" then the threads would be unreadable.

So, what I'm saying is, don't worry. You live once. Enjoy your car.

I've bought many cars in my lifetime, and many BMWs. I've had a few lemons. It happens. You can't predict it though (unfortunately).

Michael

 

We just took delivery of our '06 S convertible with auto tranny and although we haven't had it long enough to comment on the reliability, I can say that we have not experienced any problems. Our last MINI was an '03 with the CVT tranny and I could show you dozens of posts of people with tranny problems but we had no issues with the car at all. Any bulletin board is going to have some examples of people with problems, but people rarely post when everything is fine. You have to realize that with the volume of cars produced, some are going to have problems. We traded in an '03 Honda Odyssey, and I often frequented a bulletin board for Odyssey owners and was worried when I read multiple posts about tranny failures and recalls. But overall there was no massive failure, only a very small percentage of problems out of the hundreds of thousands of Odysseys made. It just looks worse when five or six people post about problems on the same board.

 

Our late 05 MCSa has about 2300 on it...so far it has been great. The only issue we have with is is that it DOES occasionally downshift hard. Not all the time, certain times & not consistent enough to pin down yet.

Again, without getting into personal reasons, this MCSa is my wifes and it was the exact right choice for us. I trust it to carry her where she needs to go & back. I am keeping an eye on all the MCSa threads, but so far no issues for us.

I plan to order my 06 ASAP. I will purchase the manual, it will be fun to be able to drive them back to back.

cheers and sleep easy!!!

 

I have a February 05 Build MCSa and to comment on your worry points:

* Cold start issue. Multiple off/on starts req'd to temporarily render vehicle drivable

This hasn't occured on my MINI. Once I did have it stumble prior to putting it in gear. It corrected itself. Occasionally it'll idle higher than normal but this goes away once I put it in R or D. This only started once it got cold.

* SES light coming on

SES light has come on twice. Both software issues which were corrected at the dealership.

* Vehicle going into un-drivable "limp-mode". (Huge safety issue)

This happened the two times the SES light came on. The software for the 05 autos was new and the first auto trans on the S ever. So I expect a few growing pains with it. Each time was a different issue and neither has repeated since being corrected.

* The new V.42/43 software flash not correcting drivability problems on all vehicles

The tech guy didn't explain it to me using the terms 42 and 43. He did say that my computer has one program but they have to make it think it has this other program. Tech told me that of the MINIs brought in for this problem none has had to come back in yet. We have the #2 and #3 techs in the nation at my dealership.

* Hard MCSa downshifts even when in normal "Drive" mode.

This is another occasional event. The whole transmission acts goofy sometimes and can be jerky. This is not a daily event. I'd say maybe a dozen times since I have had the car and I drive it a lot (delivery in Mid-March and I am up to 13k miles).

* Suspicious windshield cracks

None and I have taken some hard hits.

* Wire harness replacement recal

Tech told me that the harness isn't even a real issue and he doesn't know why MINI recalled it. But he did re-route mine while it was in for the last SES issue. He said he saw no rubbing.

As others will tell you, first year cars are going to have problems. The buyers are guinea pigs and that's the way it goes. Each consecutive year after year one they get better. While your 2006 may not be 100% problem free you shouldn't have as many issues as we have had.

That said, this is the most fun I have ever had in a car. I'd take twice the amount of issues I have had and still wouldn't think about getting a different car. Pop that baby into sport drive and have fun tearing it up.

Good luck.

Matt

 

I got mine in late June, has around 9200 miles now

SES Light--Picked it up on a Friday evening...Saturday morning the SES light came on. Took it back the next Saturday, all they did was make the light go off. The next night it came back on. Took it back two weeks later and they did the software upgrade. Hasn't come back on since.

Cold Start--Mine does stumble when it's pretty cold outside, but just as it's first cranked. It doesn't die, just does the initial stumble.

Limp Mode--Mine has done this twice, both times going down a hill. Hasn't happened since the software update. However, my car did die on me once since the software upgrade, I had just started up a hill and it just went dead, no limp mode or anything. Started right back up, no problem since that.

Hard Downshifts--As I said in the other thread, this drove me crazy in the beginning, but now I think I have learned to prevent it, and I don't even realize that I'm driving differently, but it doesn't happen much now.

Windshield Cracks--Not an issue for mine

Wire harness recall--No problem there either

I think you should go ahead and take delivery, you'll probably love it. I'm not one of these "MINI is perfect" worshippers and I still think the problems aren't so bad that I wouldn't do it all over again. You take the agony to get the ecstasy. And yeah yeah yeah they're quick and handle corners and blah blah blah, but dang....just the looks of admiration (or jealousy) from "fans" makes the car worth it.

 

Japanese cars have no soul, but reliable they are.

 

--My MCSa is only 2 months old(One of the last 05s to come out of the factory before the 06s) and I've had her about 3 weeks now. I live in Hawaii where it seldom gets colder than 60 degrees and averages between 70 and 85 degrees here between night and day. I love my new MINI and haven't had any major problems except for the rough downshifting.

The rough downshifting is due to a bad call on the programming shifting betweeen 3rd and 2nd gear. This CAN be fixed by BMW/MINI and I WILL punish my mechanic until he sees the error of their ways by means of taking him around the block and showing him over and over again until he begs for mercy.

The problem comes out when you are slowing down from 30mph and do not press the gas or the brakes and are at 3rd gear or higher. From 6 to 5 to 4 to 3 it is baby smooth shifting. From 3rd to 2nd is the violent shift. Aparently 1st and 2nd gear are very tall and downshifting from 3rd to 2nd provides occasionally a loud clunk and causes a very jerky motion of the car as if you had mis-shifted in a manual from 3rd to 1st.

What the computer NEEDs to do is one of two things. Keep it in 3rd until you come to a stop then shift to 1st. OR it could keep it in 3rd until the car slows below 10mph then shift to 2nd gear. Either one of these will fix this problem. When my car hits 1250 miles I will take her in to change the oil and then I shall punish the mechanic until he agrees this is a problem.

When this problem is fixed the car will be perfect. It rides a bit rough like a sports car but she corners like she's on rails. She's peppier than all but the most juiced v6s and loves to run up to 70mph in a heartbeat. I understand that people who have changed from run flat tires to radial tires report a much smoother and comfortable ride. That's gonna be one my upcoming mods when I wear out the run flats.

Aside from that my lil'Marie is perfect. She's fast, nimble and beautiful. Perfect for a single young man who wants sportiness in a car but doesn't want to pay atrocious gas prices to feed a monstrous V-8. I frequently take her out on 50 mile jaunts at night rather than watch tv. We just got back from one tonight. The gal I'm with loves riding in the MINI as well despite its bouncy ride over potholes and road imperfections. Something I've noticed about my MINI is that even after a 200 mile ride I don't feel fatigued. In fact when I park my car I don't want to get out. I want to motor further. It's addictive I think. The car is quiet but not disconnected from the environment when the windows are all up. My roof mounted racks whistle a little bit but if your stereo is up even a little bit you won't be able to hear the whistle unless your sunroof is open. The car has tons of character too. I'm not talking about the old version of "character". This car company does things THEIR way and while it is different it adds a whole lot of charm to car.

If you enjoyed your test drive (I was giggling) then you'll love the car. If you don't take heart that your car is one of the few cars that can be sold for more than MSRP when it is used. Also it outranked all the BMWs, Mercedes, Lexus's and Infinitis for highest resale value after 3 years of ownership. It's an amazing car and I think you will really enjoy owning one. Just mho tho. Cheers and happy motoring.

--pyratio

 

Indeed ... MINI is like that crazy, psycho, hot, pain in the butt girlfriend you had ... passionate relationship.

Japanese cars are like the boring, normal, predictable one you settled for

 

I only hope for your own well being that the one you 'settled for' doesn't ever read this

 

Enjoy the car without reservation! Our MINI was an 05 August build and delivered the last week of September. Since then we have put over 5200 miles on it without any problems. The auto with paddles is great fun when I feel like a little extra and works normally when I don't. The downshifts took getting used to in the normal mode since none of my GM cars ever did this. It is more noticeable when I brake aggressively. I haven't noticed any of the other problems you mentioned.


Good luck and don't look back ... Mike

 

Husband would probably disagree with me here from his earlier post, but get the MINI if that is truly what you want.

We have had issues with all but the windshield on ours (and continue to have) and are at the lemon law point unfortunately. One person said it perfectly to me that I still loved the "essence of MINI" I just got a bad one. Yes, there are bad ones out there. But, look at the replies you have gotten on good ones.

I am actually happy to see so many without problems. Yes, you do read alot about those of us with issues, it is a forum for both good and bad. It is nice to hear people replying about the good. It gives hope to others.

You know what problems people are having fairly consistently so keep an eye on those in your new car. Put your mind at ease and don't worry about the what ifs yet. You haven't got it so why worry yourself sick at this point? It may be just fine and you too will be motoring along happily.

Just my two cents- from the wife of a car enthusiast

 

[QUOTE=Casual Cooper]

* Cold start issue. Multiple off/on starts req'd to temporarily render vehicle drivable
* SES light coming on
* Vehicle going into un-drivable "limp-mode". (Huge safety issue)
* The new V.42/43 software flash not correcting drivability problems on all vehicles
* Hard MCSa downshifts even when in normal "Drive" mode.
* Suspicious windshield cracks
* Wire harness replacement recal

Regarding cold starts, where I live, it is already getting cold and I never had any issues with it (I typically let the engine run for atleast a minute before driving)

SES light - Never

Same for limp mode

Initiallly, I thought that the auto was shifting down hard, but then realized that it was me worrying too much about my new possession (sat in a friend's car and observed it's downshifting...was very similar to the Mini)

Cannot comment on the windshield cracks and wire harnesses.

Have been pushing the car hard whenever I was behind the wheel, and never had any issues with the transmission or engine...

HTH

 

I just took delivery on my 05 MCSa and I'm loving her to bits. Its seriously a fantastic car. EPIC even.. As for problems, I haven't had any to speak of although I will ask my dealer if the car had its software upgrades and what not tomorrow.. I just wrote a long probably a little winded thread on my driving experience..

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=54858

Hopefully it will give you some impression of how absolutely awesome the car can be. As for reliability, well thats up to you. If you really want reliability, I guess japanese is the way to go.. the new civics seem to have some more soul than most. But I agree with everyone else that there is no guarantee that a j car will be more reliable than a Mini. Only statistically it may be. Even if it isn't reliable you do have great service departments around. So it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

As for the hard downshifts, it happens also when you use the manual mode while the lever is in D and not in M. It tries to do a little too much to impress you and downshifts when you don't want it too.. but its easily solved. either don't use the paddles or shift into M.. Problem solved

 

It sounds like the MCSa is still in beta release. Have you tried the manual S? It's pretty sweet.