is it possible that mini drivers drive their cars especially "s" cars harder...to squeeze every ounce of fun out of it thus causing some of the issues? also, is it likely that people who lease their mini dont care for their mini as much as someone who is owning it...like why bother to pay for any extra maintenance if you are letting it go after the three year lease? lastly, if people are modifying their mini's performance i.e. adding non-oem equipment, is it possible that could create issues down the road? just some food for thought as to why minis may not hold up as some posters have suggested.

 

Well, Subaru owner drives their hard, plenty of modifications made to them, yet they're still reliable. Hondas are another example. The civic SI and even some acuras are heavily modded. I like my clubbie S, but I think minis are just not known for quality.

 

can someone post the consumer reports findings about the mini and s version...thanks

 

I think there's a lot to be said for this. It stands to reason that S owners will drive their MINI's harder than non S owners. If you're not going to use the extra power and the turbo, why spend the extra couple of grand? I think this, and the mods, might explain why MCS's are more trouble prone that Justas, but as CowSClubman says, it doesn't explain the overall difference in reliability between MINI's and their Japanese counterparts.

 

Some of the folks chiming in about reliability have non-turbo cars. Apples to oranges comparison. My '09 Clubman S just had the fuel pump go out and needed the intake manifold removed to clean the dirty valves at 22K. That is ridiculous. I'm not looking forward to the eventual timing chain issues or water pump failures either.

I'd ditch the car but my wife loves it.

 

BMW recently announce recalling 89,000 mini's mainly with turbo models faulty circurt boards that power the waterpump to cool off the turbo. BMW say owners affected will be notified sometime if Feburary.

Total bummer but I guess the "C" rating has some teeth to it afterall !

 

I purchased my 2008 Clubman S new, and as a 68 year old man, can say that this has been the worse car that I have ever owned as far as maintenance and realiability. The most fun to drive, but I am putting this LEMON up for sale at the end of this month. Consumer Reports has it right about Mini's reliability.

 

British car owner since 1965. Still have my 1952 MGTD and have owned at least 5 other MG's, including a Twin Cam 'A' along the way. Google MGA Twin Cam and read real maintenance horror stories. Drove a 1967 Lotus Europa for years, just keep the bolts tight and pray that you don't break a u-joint at over 50 mph.

My wife and I bought our first Mini in 1972 and just sold it 3 years ago. It was an early 1960 Morris 850, that I upgraded with an MG 1100 motor.

Picked up a 1991 Rover Mini about 5 years ago, better freeway car than the 1960. Bought our 2002 Cooper the first week they were out, was the 17th MINI sold at that dealership. In 2009, we added the 2009 Clubman S to the fleet.

The 2002 had the bad Midlands transaxle, power steering pump and shift cable issue, that were all replaced under warranty, just had to replace the DSC pump & computer on my dime (ouch), but it has 70,000 miles and is driven hard. It has made trips to Arizona pulling a trailer with my Ducati on it.

The 2009 Clubman has 45,000 miles, including two cross country trips, several long hauls to Oregon and Arizona. All at close to maximum GVWR with a 16 cu. ft. Thule pod on top. Only problem so far has been the passenger window going crazy and reprogramming solved that issue.

My father was a mechanic, so I grew up around cars and car dealerships. I have seen flawed engineering, bad replacement parts direct from the factory, bad mechanics, you name it, from all manufacturers. Bought a new GMC S-10 that ate its way through 3 transmissions.

Do MINI's have problems, yes, all cars have problems. Only issue these days is that a lot of things cannot be repaired by the owners and $20/hr labor rates, like 25cent/gallon gasoline are history.

Bottom line, Mini's & MINI's are there to be driven and enjoyed. We didn't buy any of ours because of their looks, gas mileage or status, we bought them because they handle like street legal go-karts and we drive them that way. I guess that is why we have owned a Mini of some kind for 40 years and will continue to own them.

 

Since everything that's gone wrong has been covered by the warranty thus far and has not been too bad, I'm fine with the car. However were it not under warranty I might be singing a different tune. MY BIGGEST GRIPE though are the ******* rattles and noises. I'm sorry, but I've never experienced them in the Camrys myself and my family have had and the car being this new shouldn't have them IMO.

I think Mini are well positioned to be a great brand, but they need to focus more on reliability going forward. Everything else is there.

 

I really enjoy my car in every regard; however, I was thinking about the lists of issues I go into the dealer with each time I bring it in. Most are minor annoyances, to be honest (and all covered under warranty), but I cannot help but feel like I bought a brand new car that needed to be "sorted." Eight months into ownership and I feel like I'm finally where I should have been on delivery day. I will continue to enjoy the car, probably for 6-10 more years, but will I buy another...probably not. Worse yet my MA is uninterested in my problems (6 calls and 6+ months to resolve one particular issue) and the service department is anything but apologetic.

 

Sorry guys, but the idea that the faults with the "S" has nothing to do with the owner's driving habits. I got over 40,000 miles on my original tires with my 08 "S" and have nothing but problems with this car even though I "babied" it.

The "S" setup is just a different machine than the "justa" is, and has nothing to do with the owner's driving habits ..... it's just a less reliable motor.

 

I think it pretty much boils down to this. Why did you buy a Mini?
It looks cool? Its peppy? Its a blast to drive?It makes you part of a special group of car enthusiast?
I never really considered buying a Mini until my wife wanted to drive one.
About 2 minutes into the test drive I knew we had to have it.We both love fun ,sporty cars and this is it.
We have a factory warranty and the option to purchase an extended warranty when that runs out.If you are so worried about repairs than I suggest you look into one.
Otherwise the reason you bought the car was to enjoy it, not worry about it.
Dont borrow troubles.If your one of the lucky ones that gets a high mileage trouble free car ,then congrats to you. Otherwise,just prepare for what may happen but dont worry about something that may never happen.
Just get out there,put on the sport mode,find a nice winding road and smile !

 

You know what? I've pretty much arrived at the same conclusion. Yes there are issues, yes it can be frustrating, and yes when you pay 26-45K for a car you really shouldn't have these types of issues, but the reality is what it is and there really isn't another car out there right now that is in the same category that provides the same experience. This is just a awesome little car that is a blast in the mountains, gets great gas mileage, serves as short distance family transport and is easy to mod. Name another car that fits the same bill.


Life is too short. Just drive!

-J

 

Well said! I consider my Clubman S to be somewhat of a piece of junk compared to past cars I've owned, as far as overall quality and reliability, but there's nothing else like it as far as power vs. mileage vs. cool factor. So, there ya have it. I'm keeping mine till the warranty runs out then I'll sell it and see if anything else compares at that point in time (about 2 years from now).

 

Thank you -- this is the absolute truth. Well, reliability and the rattles.

 

Exact same scenario with my wife and me.

I didn't like hearing about the recall of basically a brand new car and the other minor issues that's been posted but I do plan on extending the factory warranty when its time.

 

I really think these are the perfect cars to lease as long as you don't drive over 15,000 miles a year. Buying it and getting rid of it when the warranty runs out is kinda crazy and expensive. Planning to own it for 10+ years guarantees expensive repairs or a huge extended warranty bill. This is the first car I have ever leased and I've owned a lot of new cars, but I'm very comfortable with that decision. I can drive it the way I want to drive it and not have to worry about how some spirited driving might affect it when it has 70,000 miles on it. I can stick to MINI's recommended service intervals without having to worry that 15,000 mile oil changes may shorten the life of the engine or the turbo. At least for me, leasing is the way to go, but I understand it may not work for everybody.

 

Hmmm - not meaning to pile-on. We bought our 2008 Clubman S used... Car checked-out well with the servicing dealer etc. In the 16 months we've had it; it has been in the shop more days than both of our other cars together (one, a 13yr old Boxster w/93kmiles).

New turbo - once, new timing chain twice, Bluetooth/Nav etc. fail twice. Brakes, miscelleanous, now, it needs a battery. We bought an extended warranty after doing due diligence on the car. DPO (dreaded previous owner) had already purchased extended maintenance.

Do we still like the Mini? Of course. It's a blast to drive. Dealer is fairly close and with extended motoring - service is not a huge problem.

Wish it didn't have so many issues that's all. If we'd known how much we would like the car, we would have bought a new one. I'm not a fan of pre-owned cars' owners. I'm really careful about maintenance and many people aren't.

We will probably keep it another year then LEASE a new one for 3 years. BMW did really well in recreating the Mini - including its rather British love of mechanics. :-)

Again - it is a GREAT little car for the most part.

 

We usually buy cars off lease and haven't had any problems with those used cars.
If not for the Cash for Clunkers program I would not have bought a new MINI.
I would be nervous about buying a used MINI though.
It's not only neglectful previous owners that I worry about but also previous owners like me. I thought I was taking good care of my car by following the OBC oil change intervals, even though I questioned it.
MINI lulled their customers who aren't mechanically inclined into a false sense of security by insisting that the OBC could be trusted and that this car and synthetic oil made it different. The fact that they have shortened the OCI on the new cars tells me they made a mistake with the extended OCI and they know it.
My car runs great at 35K, but I am concerned about its future reliability.
I paid cash for it and cannot afford to take on payments or lease another car, even a used one.
So I am going to bite the bullet and buy the extended warranty, hoping that I won't need to use it.
I love this car and I've never had so much fun just driving around.

 

We bought the car for cash also - we were under the impression that it had extended warranty but it was extended MAINTENANCE.
To extend the warranty out two years (it expired this past spring) was about $3400.

Seems like a lot of money but, what's a sound night's sleep worth? Knowing the car's history (individual and group), it just makes sense. We'll find a way to make it worthwhile.

We got the program that Mini offers - our dealer tried to steer us away from it to a cheaper and better 3rd party program that they offer. Given the zeal with which the Finance guy presented it, I suspect the only part that's BETTER is his commission.

AND Amen on your final statement.

 

[QUOTE=Jamesta2;3440882] Name another car that fits the same bill.


Life is too short. Just drive!

My Mazda MX-5 Miata with power retractable hard top. I average 30 mpg, is fast and fun to throw around and is super reliable. Very easy to work on too.

I do enjoy my wife's MINI though too. They are both cool and fun in slightly different ways.

 

I must be lucky. I owned an 05 hardtop and drove it for almost 3 years without any trouble. I bought a '10 clubman that I currently drive and it's been trouble free through its 1st 30k.

 

Hello everyone. This is actually my first post here. I drive a mildly rare Subi FXT 5mt (forester XT). My fiancé wants a mini, and I'm all for it. We want a Clubman, and I recently found a very well optioned 08 S 6mt with 36k. The car is the right color, with the right options, etc. are there specific issues, or known problems I should look for? Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Pics of the Fozzy:

 

Hey Marcmtb,

The last recall for a clubman s is an aux water pump. A dealer's service department can use the VIN to see if it is still outstanding.

Specific issues include excessive bragging and addictive driving experience.

 

It looks like mini has two challenges. There is a perception of poor quality and an actual quality problem. I'd like to see miniusa or mini hq address both.

Build quality and component reliability can be improved. All it takes is smart people and a desire to make the situation better. It is in mini's best interest to improve the brand instead of it being perceived as a lemon, buyer beware.

Not exactly sure where I go after I get off this particular soap box but I expect better from bmw.