Remember, its manmade and mechanical. it WILL have problems eventually. You'll never find an automobile without issues with reliability. I can't remember the last time I heard a 10 year Chevy that didn't sound like something was wrong.

 

Of course everything mechanical and manmade will eventually have problems; But that's not at all the point here. We can all pretend as much as we'd like, but the fact remains that MINIs are simply not as well made/as reliable as some other cars out there. Them's the facts, and again it does not mean you can't still like your car, or that you might get a good one.

I went in knowing about their spotty reports/quality problems, and unfortunately mine and the other five people I personally know who have had them/have them had the cars live up to those reports. Every car can have problems -- MINIs just have more than average. I'm sorry if these facts aren't to everyone's liking, and I hope that those who haven't had problems continue to not have any.

 

Jeez, I never read about all these complaints before I bought my 06 S. I only heard about how SAFE they car was when it came to accidents. I bought mine because I thought they wer really cool looking and stood out in a crowd. You definately know it's a Mini when you see one. No other car looks like it.

All in all, I love mine. What a blast to drive. Put on some 17's and Freeway ramps are a riot. Get rid of the run flats and it actually is a decent ride. Can't wait to do some performance add ons.

Good luck to all of you !!!

 

No facts in that claim.

No facts in that either.

None there either.

No facts.

 

I love our MINIs as much as the next guy, but it *is* a fact that MINI, as a brand, fares more poorly than average when it comes to initial quality and reliability.

You can try to dismiss every JD Power, Consumer Reports, or similar survey/ranking as being statistically flawed, biased, or whatever, but to the rest of us, it just looks like you're sticking your fingers in your ears and yelling "LALALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!"

I'm not ragging on MINI - "below average" doesn't necessarily mean "poor" or "bad", and quite often, the spread between "above average" and "below average" can be pretty small.

 

Thank you, Scott. You wrote what I wanted to. And that's a fact. I'm not going to bother to argue anymore with those who insist on denying it, but I hope that those who are new to MINI will definitely know what they are possibly (more than many than other cars) getting into, and then can make an educated decision for themselves.

Reality is difficult to peddle sometimes...

 

It is a fact that it is rated poorly or below average in surveys of owners (e.g. Consumer Reports, JD Powers, etc.).

Establishing that MINI is in fact less reliable that other vehicle makes/brands would require access to and detailed analysis of actual repair information from vehicle manufacturers.

Continuing to portray survey results as facts, making non sequitor conclusions, and extrapolating anecdotal personal experience to an entire brand or model just looks like attempts to spread FUD.

 

Sigh. Never mind.

Enjoy your cars, everyone.

 

Well, we're never going to get that kind of information from maunufacturers, so deal with it - the surveys and rankings are the best we'll have to work with.

And by dismissing the validity JD Power/CR products, you're basically claiming that not only are they flawed, but they're somehow flawed in such a way that the same automakers always come out at or near the top. If the manufacturers were jumbled all over the place, and their relative positions varied wildly from year to year, then I might be quicker to dismiss them, but they paint a pretty consistent picture.

Finally, since you claim that the only way to fairly judge reliability is by using information that we're never going to get access to, does that mean that we can't say anything about the relative reliability of *any* brands? As far as you're concerned, Kia is as reliable as Honda? Chevy is as reliable as Toyota?

Yeah, you've got your fingers firmly planted...

 

Then that is what needs to be said.

Strawman argument. I didn't say using the manufacturer data is the only way to fairly judge reliability. I said it would be the only way to establish a factual basis for a claim regarding the actual reliability of a vehicle and making comparisons (and frankly, even that would probably fall short because in the end, reliability is going to be a subjective value).

If people want to use JD Powers or Consumer Reports or a Google search of the Internet to assess a possible decision regarding a vehicle, I'm fine with that. They just need to understand what the information is that they are consuming.

Just like assessing the validity of JD Powers, Consumer Reports, etc., should be done with a dose of skepticism about both JD Powers, Consumer Reports, etc., AND their critics.

 

I couldn't resist...


So in my case: myself and five others (all of us who had problems you see mentioned here a lot), the head MA at one of the biggest dealers in So Cal, and many major auto reliability reports are totally inaccurate? Sorry, that just doesn't fly with me.

 

You have to take CR with a huge grain of salt. If I listened to everything that they say I would be one unhappy soul. Two months and 2300 miles and not a single problem/issue. May it stay that way.

 

Man, I'm jealous of all you Mini drivers that have had no issues. Here's my list:
Problems:
"Death Rattle" - The timing chain tensioner is pressured by oil. It's not supposed to bleed, but some do. The timing chain loosens after sitting, and at start makes a nasty mechanical rattle that goes away in about 3-5minutes. I had the tensioner replaced. One year later came back - dealer replaced stretched timing chain, tensioner under warranty. The dealer,by the way, was great about it. This problem is common enough to have a name, and mad owners trying to organize a class action. This should be a recall.

Regular old rattles - Clubman door, front of sunroof, both dash side pieces, front of dash against firewall, rear seat latches, all fixed. Rattle under middle of dash still exists, but only if it's really cold or really warm.

Electrical - mysterious short would cause windows and sunroof to open all by themselves while driving. My favorite was when the side windows and sunroof opened while driving in a snowstorm. Dealer fixed ( short in the barn door electrical latch mechanism).

Annoyances:
Tires - run-flats significantly degrade the ride in a Clubman. Swapping to non run-flats helps the ride and especially the bump steer.

Alignment - The rear geometry will wear directional tires causing nasty buzz, and rotating won't correct for it. Have an alignment done, and take the rear "out of spec" to as little camber as possible. My recollection is they can go to 1 degree. This will mess you up on the race track, but tires wear much better. I do like rip around corners, and the difference was nearly indistiguishable.

I still love to drive this car when it's all working - just wish it didn't have all the issues.

 

I'll throw in my 2 cents here. I've got a 2009 Clubman D (model not available in North America). It has 75,000km on the clock and is used overwhelmingly for highway driving between home and work (round trip 71km). I have had a boatload of problems with this car that shouldn't manifest on a car with less than 100,000km on it.

Car rattles like a tin can full of bolts.

I have had the waterpump replaced at 45,000km.

I have had the sunroof fixed for jamming and rattle.

At 65,000km the clutch and flywheel went due to badly aligned DMF and failed throw-out bearing. Entire clutch kit and twin mass flywheel replaced at my cost €2300. Pictures of "horribly abused" flywheel and clutch over in the Clubman forum of Mini2.com

At 66,000km the replacement waterpump went again.

At 76,000km after clutch and flywheel replacement I returned the car to the dealership with complaint of exhaust smell in cabin and black soot above and on turbocharger. Dealer claims turbo is fubar, but I think the mechanic screwed up the connection to the kitty after the clutch work.

At 76,000km, "hill start assist failure" light is on. Hill start assist no longer works.

Car goes in for turbo, waterpump and hill start on 21 December.

I am furious with both the dealership and Mini.

Colour me unimpressed.

 

I just bought a Clubman S which I'm supposed to take delivery of next week. I've always loved the MINIs but couldn't justify buying one given that I haul around my 10 year old and our surfboards. But last month I totaled my beloved Mazda 6 Sportwagon and decided I could stuff my boy and at least one of his friends in a Clubman. My big hesitation was the reliability factor. I hadn't heard great things. One friend has an '03 Cooper (non S) and, with the exception of a funky passenger window motor, has had no unscheduled maintenance issues. Another friend has an '06 Cooper S and, while he's had no major mechanical issues, he's had a plethora of fit and finish issues that are driving him crazy (like $400 to pull the entire dash just to replace the glovebox who's latch had broken). Hesitations aside, I decided to bite the bullet for the sheer fact that after considering a MINI, everything else seemed so ordinary. I'm hoping for a good one but realize that I'll probably spend some extra $$ once it's out of warranty. I keep my cars awhile and my boy will probably inherit this as his first car when he's 17. One thing I did notice in all my reliability research which no one has mentioned is that in almost all surveys, MINIs finish in the top five in resale value and often in the top one or two. To me, this was a convincing counterbalance to the probably mediocre reliability. These cars remain desirable and hold their value very well.

 

Awaiting delivery of a Clubman S with Sport Package after totaling my beloved (and paid for) '04 Mazda6 Sportwagon. I had always loved MINIs but could never justify one given that I pretty regularly haul my 10 year old and our surf gear. But with the Clubman's stretched dimensions, I figure I can get my boy and a friend in there for at least the next few years. My big hesitation was the reliability factor. It's pretty common knowledge (at least in LA) that MINIs are fantastic driver cars but they're just not that reliable. One friend has an '03 (non S) and, other than a glitchy passenger side window, he's had nary a problem with it and drives it every day. Another friend has an '06 Cooper S and, while he's had no major mechanical issues, he's had a multitude of fit and finish issues (like the dealer having to pull the entire dash to replace the glove box because the latch broke-$400). I'm hoping I get a good one but, since I tend to keep my cars 8-10 years, I'm figuring I'll be spending some $$ down the road once the warranty expires. One thing no one has mentioned that I think deserves noting is that I found during my reliability research that, while the Cooper S and the Clubman S generally score pretty low in reliability, they do consistently land in the top 5 and often in the top 1 or 2 in retaining their value. This was enough to convince me to pull the trigger and order one. It tells me that in spite of their mediocre reliability, they are still very desirable cars. Plus, once I drove one, everything else on the road seemed like a Honda.

 

GREAT post, thank you! You acknowledged reality while still maintaining a love for the car.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't this D signify Diesel Engine ?

Been an issue for all the 2nd Gen's.

Seen a few for SR rattles, but they have a felt tape fix for it.

Haven't seen the specs on the diesel engine yet. For 2011 they have a twin scrolled Turbo. Does yours have a Turbo Inlet feed line for oil to the bearings ? I see these lines becoming blocked with "shellack oil" residue eventually blocking the passage of the oil. Seems infrequent oil changes ( Strictly by going with MINI's 15K oil change intervals probably not the best idea ) is the culprit......

Good luck on your next visit. Did you change dealers yet ?

 

Hi, thanks for the reply. Yes the "D" signifies the Diesel variant which is a 1.6L HDi engine. It's also used in Citroen and Peugeot cars. As far as I know, it's not available in North America. It's 110 horsepower and puts out about 180ft-lbs of torque and up to 192ft-lbs on overboost. I think the torque specs are identical to the "S" model. This engine is in a 2009 car and is a PSA engine. The diesel in the 2011 models is a BMW engine and has different specs.

The turbocharger is a twin scroll Garrett unit. I'm pretty sure it's the same model used in the Cooper S engine, so yes, it has the oil feed pipe. I change the oil approximately every 10,000km. I've heard anecdotal reports of the oil coking up in the diesel engines if not changed frequently enough. Anyways, I'm not convinced my turbo problems are due to oil starvation. I think when the dealership changed out the clutch kit and flywheel they messed up the connection between the turbo and the cat. Hence what I'm seeing is diesel soot due to exhaust gas leakage. I don't know if that's causing additional problems with the turbo or not.

I am still in the process of trying to get some of these issues resolved and covered, so I haven't changed dealers yet, but that is certainly something I have under consideration, yes.

 

My findings with Consumer Reports is that you have to take what they say with a grain of salt. Mini's are not made for the masses ie Toyota, Honda etc. They are made for a certain segment of the population. Remember that MINI's are British inspired vehicles and can be quirky. As a MINI owner, I have come to terms with the fact that it's not going to have the reliability of a ho hum car. You need to make sure that maintenance is performed when needed and maybe sooner. for example if you know that there is a problem with the timing mechanism at let's say 60k miles then have it looked at before that and maybe have the maintenance done before it becomes a problem. Yesterday while in line at Walmart, I picked up CR and saw that they test drove a CM All4. They recommended it but complained about the controls. (that darn quirky British design) the seats didn't have lumbar support (well not everyone needs it) the fact that it requires Premium fuel (actually premium is recommended but not required) stiff ride (did they order the sport package?) and they claimed rattles. Did they read the Owners Manual or the sales information which explains everything? I think not!!!!! That is why you can't rely on Consumer Disreports. As far as reliability, their sample size for complaints is a very small percentage of actual MINI owners. People who just might not be enthusiasts like us and may just ignore servicing and expect things out of a MINI that they just can't do.

 

I have had my 08 for 3 years,all trouble free.Q

 

While I no longer have a Mini I do have an opinion on this issue.

I put 80,000 miles on my 2008 Clubman that I bought new. It only required preventive maintenance, and wear items. I loved the car and had no major issues with the car. On the other hand my wife hated the Clubman with a passion. She would nit pick ever clunk, thunk, and part that was a little loose etc. When she pointed out something. I was happy driving the Mini the way it was. If a problem did not affect drivability or performance I could care less.

Having said that I feel that a lot of people think that a $24,000 car that is related to BMW should be a super reliable car with out any rattles etc. I think people complain a lot more about perceived problems with luxury cars.

To get some perspective on how well the Mini is actually made look on a Land Rover or Range Rover forum. They have way more problems then Mini's (they are in a different class of vehicles though).

Anyway... CR ratings are pretty worthless. You buy a Mini because it is fun.

 

Lol. We have the same two cars amd the same story.

 

Cost has nothing to do with it. I've owned much cheaper cars in the past that never had issues. And some incredibly expensive cars have terrible reliability.BMWs also do not have high reliability ratings, but they seem to be made better than MINIs, in my experience (as far as rattles, QC, etc.).

Excuses/rationalizations/"it's quirky" comments can be made as much as everyone wants, and I know there's nothing I can do to change that here. CR is an imperfect but overall fairly reliable source in my years of experience referring to it, but that's really not the issue here. There are other major reports out there that say the same thing.

One person made a very good point about some people not noticing problems -- this is a very accurate observation. My car rattles like a tin can sometimes and when my mom finally took a ride in it she didn't even notice until I pointed it out to her. But I pay that much attention to every car I've ever owned and this is the first one with many issues I've experienced/noticed that are consistent with what I see on forums, hear from other owners I've met, etc.

Yes, Land Rovers are very unreliable. No car made in England, as far as I know (and please do correct me if I'm wrong!) has been high ranking in reliability or being as well-made as they could be. A British gent I know loves his MINIs despite all the problems he's experienced on both of them (an R53 Justa and an R56 Clubman S), and I once asked him why it is that British cars can't get their act together. He laughed and said, in his thick accent, "I just don't think they care!".

I love driving my MINI but I fully accept that it's the least well-made car I've personally owned, and for this reason it'll be sold the second the warranty runs out. And yes, I DO notice all the small details, like I do with every car I've ever owned.

 

None of this is a personal attack on MINI owners at all -- it's a reference to the company itself and how they make their cars. Even if mine was a "good one" I would still acknowledge these things.