Bet you drove your Mini like you drove your race car. I just have a real tough time buying a post like this. I think your credibility is suspect. JMHO.

 

What is HPFP?

 

High Pressure Fuel Pump

 

So is the warranty coverage for all the MINI's until 100k or just the newer ones?
The reason I ask is because I think something is going on with my fuel pump. They have already done something to it but I am getting crappy gas mileage and I ran out of gas a couple of months ago when the range said 49 miles.

 

The notice that I got says it is for the 2007, 2008 and 2009 model years with the Turbo engine. The coverage is for 120,000 miles or 10 years.

Pat

 

This was the first time that I had ever heard of it as well. All I can tell you about how the water got inside the engine is that we had a weekend of very heavy rains and that did it. I can not for the life of me figure out how the water got inside the engine.

As for sources, just Google "Mini Cooper Hydrolock" and start reading.

Actually, here's one of several threads from this site:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...000-miles.html

 

just wait. these cars are full of "issues".

If you are rattling already at 7000 just wait until you get near 30,000. I would suggest that you keep the rear selt belts strapped in (if you don't use them) and get some black felt tape and start putting it all over the place.

That sunroof is going to have to be readjusted over and over. I would suggest taking out the sliding mesh covers for the front and rear - also take the plastic slides that they sit in at the same time. (I tinted both panels at 5% instead).

I'm not here to blow smoke up your @s.s and tell you everything will be fine nor do I want to sound too harsh but if you are not leasing that car you will be at the dealership pretty often.

 

neither of those has anything to do with the hpfp

 

PatM:
The car is actually my wife's car. As far as I know when I am at work she uses it to take the kids to school get groceries and drive to the tennis club. At least this is what she tells me she is doing while I am at work LOL. I will however ask her if she was driving the car like I do my race car. I am pretty sure the answer is no.

Sounds like you are not very familiar with high performance driving nor racing. You can ask your Mini fellows that track their cars and I believe they will back me up on this one... No one I know that tracks a car drives like that on an open highway. We have too much respect for our safety, and yours for that matter.

Now I have a question about your post. You said that you have a tough time buying a post like that. Do you not believe that my wife's vacuum pump seized or do you believe this can only happen to those that "abuse" their cars? My post about the vacuum pump seizing is not the first one on the forum.

Maybe Mini could do some research and disallow warranties if you own a race car because if you do that certainly means you will abuse your wife's car. I think that is the logic you were using. You state that my credibility is suspect... Because I own a race car? really? I also own a golden retriever. Does that make up for it? You stating that my credibility is suspect is a direct personal attack and I would like to know why. Here are several facts.
1) I own a race car
2) I am upset that Mini would not fix my wife's car
3) There are many posts on this forum about Minis reliability issues
4) You love your Mini

Please explain how you come to the conclusion that I lack credibility.

 

I'm not PatM but I'll bite.

I've been on various car forms since 1998 and there's always a fair amount of people complaining about their cars. Typical. More rare is the post like yours which is basically "Oh you got a new car like mine? Mine was a disaster. You are SO screwed!" That's not empathy, that not commiserating. I'm no statistician, but your miserable personal experience does not condemn everyone to your fate.

I've had bad cars but it would never cross my mind to tell someone who had already made a purchase that they were screwed. That's childish behavior and why you lack credibility.

 

Well I did google Mini Cooper and Hydrolock and did get a bunch of hits. Also when I googled Hydrolock and BMW, or Mustang, or Jeep, or Corvette or even Civic I ALSO got a bunch of hits. ANY car when it fills a cylinder with water OR Gasoline (ever forget to shut off petcock on your old English Motorcycle) can Hydrolock. Minis are no more prone to than any other car.

 

NoHoR56:
Because I was pissed off you think my story is suspect. That is your opinion and a much better excuse to believe I am lying. The facts I stated are true. I wish there was more to the story. If there was I wouldn't have been so pissed.

I am pretty sure that PatM's logic was as I stated above. Own race car = drive street car like a race car

 

By making such an asinine statement like you did. Holy cow man why do you make such a carte blanch statement like that? Read NoHoR56's statement. He said it far more eloquently than I can. The fact is that there are thousands of these cars sold every year and most owners have no problems. But guys like you try to influence others by making the lame statement you did below.

SELL IT NOW!!!!

You are in for a world of hurt. My 2007 just blew up with 54k miles on it. (Vacuum Pump Locked Up) While the car was under warranty there were a ton of issues. Now that the warranty is done, and Mini said they would not assist in any way, the engine is gone. The only good news is that the car has been put out of my misery.

I was going to buy a new engine for 5k and put it in myself but then I decided to spend the money on my race car to cheer me up.

Seriously get rid of it.... I warned you

Bet you drove your Mini like you drove your race car. I just have a real tough time buying a post like this. I think your credibility is suspect. JMHO.


By the way I have a 2005 400 HP GTO that used to get tracked quite frequently. The old girl has 109K on her now and still runs like a champ. I use a shift point just prior to hitting the rev limiter. You see this has the unique effect of keeping the RPM's up thus keeping speed high and lap times to a minimum. So yea I understand how to drive cars and I also understand that sour grapes like you only come on these boards to spout your lame accusations and paint a picture that really does not exist given the full scope of the Mini vehicle car park.

By the way my comment about my wife driving like a girl (this from your private post to me) simply meant that she does not drive her car as hard as I drive mine. While I drive on the more aggressive side than most I do so within the limits of the law. You will also see that I have shared issues with our cars with others on this forum. I have tried to balance both sides of the issue, the good and bad, unlike you who just chose to share your bad experience. While I am sorry that your Mini "has been put of it's misery" I have to think that there is more to the story.

"I warned you" What kind of lame comment is that??

Anyway I hope your next experience is better.

 

My research concludes this as well.

 

I'm not saying your story is suspect or that you are lying. At all. I'm saying your behavior is childish. You've had a bad experience with your car so you're lashing out - SELL IT NOW! - as if your experience has anything to do with anyone else's. Telling someone who's just purchased a new vehicle that they've basically made a huge mistake is - at the very least - mean-spirited. You have every right to expect excellence with your car. Take it up with the dealer. Take it up with MINI. Converse maturely on the board. But you're like the 3 year old who isn't having fun at the party so is determined to ruin it for everyone else.

 

NoHoR56:
I originally asked PatM why I lacked credibility. I misunderstood your post. You are saying that I acted like a 3 year old. I think I already said I was sorry for the rash comments somewhere earlier in the posts. Again, Sorry if I was pissed off but I was.

Now, I do not think my trouble with Mini is unrelated to any other Mini owner. It is simply another piece of data. Along with all the other posts about Mini reliability. I realize other cars have issues. It is just that, IMO, the Mini seems to have a higher rate of serious problems than other makes. In fact PatM's wife's gently used Mini had the top end replaced. What a coincidence. If these major problems were that rare I doubt that his wife's Mini would have needed a top end.

Also, PatM's statement was very to the point. I own a race car and therefore lack credibility. That is exactly what he said period. Your point that I am acting like a 3 year old and his point about me owning a race car are not the same point. I just wondered about the logic behind the race car ownership and credibility. That's all...

I understand the Mini owner's love for their car. There really isn't a similar car on the market and therefore some people will endure a few more trips to the repair shop. I would however urge those people to purchase the extended warranties and maybe trade the car in once it reaches 100k miles. For me I would have liked the car to be reliable so my wife could be happy. The car is not for me which is just fine. I will say that with the current state of engines, I feel Mini/BMW has some work to do to catch up to most other makes.

 

That's an infinitely more reasoned and rational response than I was expecting. Thanks for that.

My wife and I get BMW products for me and Honda products for her. That's served us well. My MINI has been flawless coming up on its first year. I had an Acura with all sorts of troubles and a Ford Expedition with no problems over 7 years. The car reliability stereotypes have eluded me, apparently. I've owned a 99 Porsche Boxster, 02 BMW 540, 04 BMW 645 and an 07 BMW 335 and I have to say that my 11 MCS has a higher percentage of the joyful driving characteristics of those cars than I could have ever expected for the money. I have a fairly stripped down S that I got for $23K and I pretty much marvel at how good it feels to drive it at half to a third the price of those other cars. BMW may have some room to grow on reliability but I think the performance of their engines is actually stellar. (Their fuel delivery systems lately...not so much.)

Maybe easy for me to feel this way since I live about a mile from my BMW/MINI dealers so it doesn't inconvenience me as much when something goes wrong. I do think that leasing a new BMW/MINI vehicle before going out of warranty or looking into an extended warranty on these cars is a sensible approach if you want to dial the reliability fear factor down a bit.

 

NoHoR56:
Want to know the worst part for me... I have always wanted to buy a BMW. IMO they are a very sharp looking car with performance to match. I currently own 5 street cars and one race car. After dealing with the dealer on this Mini I am not sure whether or not I will get a Beamer. I think when the time comes I will do some research ahead of time and get a used one.
Like I said earlier, I can understand why people love the Mini there really isn't another car like it. My wife is beside herself thinking that we may get rid of the car. I don't have a good option for her as a replacement. For me the only thing that I don't like about the car, beside the trips to the dealer for service, is the front wheel drive. I simply can't get over the torque steer.

I am sure once the sting is gone I will still end up getting a Beamer. Of yeah and the Porsche is on the list as well although I really want a 85ish era Turbo 911. You see I am a car addict... LOL

Ditto on the Expedition... We are on our second one right now

 

I own an '07 mini with about 40k miles on it. In the past 30 years I have owned a lot of different cars including an '89 Mini 1000. The '07 is absolutely the biggest piece of crap I have ever owned. I honestly did not think that anyone produced a car this bad in this day and age. In recent months, high pressure fuel pump, low pressure fuel pump, sunroof twice, clutch failure, paint peeling, many of the plastic trim pieces are broken or loose because the cheap plastic is brittle. The plastic boxes under the hood are broken because the plastic is brittle, the seats are starting to tear, the shift boot has torn, a number of electrical systems failures including the radio. It does not seem to end.
It is quite a shame as the layout, power delivery, and transmission are fantastic. where else can you get 175 hp from a 1.6 liter engine and still get 36mpg. It's just that the car is a total pile of crap. The truth hurts, but that's what it is.

scott

 

Sell it. You'll be much happier.

 

Well I have a 2011 JCW that has the n114 motor still. I blew up at 5000 miles going down the highway at 75MPH with the cruise control on. It start idling funny the day before I left for the trip. I believe the HPFP went out which leaned out the motor and caused it to blow. The Tech Chris Wright at MINI PDX was on this form spouting off about Tunes blowing up motors. Another MINI like mine Blew up after the MINI Thunder II event at Thunder Hill in CA. He ran it out of gas on the track and then it started idling funny. I heard he never made it back to PDX but MINI did fix his car.
Mine died ont he highway and it had never fun out of fuel. I did run a tune at TH but it was removed for street driving as my wife hated it and it is a bit much for the street. Loved it at the track. I have been accused of abusing the car. They came 5 overrevs. The tune took the rev limiter up too 7000. MINI said to void warranties if it had been reved over 7100.
I am sure on the front straight at TH I was hittingbetween 6700 and 7000
on a few occasions. I would by 5 times. I asked for the RPM's hit which they have but refuse to disclose. We even subpeaned the information and they have not supplied it. After I was reading about my car on line and the dealer it was towed too Lithia MINI PDX was not providing me any information about my car. They were happy to discuss it on-line and heaven forbid they call the cars owner and ask me directly. I tried to move it up the food chain to get some help. @ weeks and I was told they could not send the information to MINI because of computer issues. They had no problem posting on line! I filed a complaint with MINI USA and the dealer about the their violation of their own Privacy Policies. I never heard back form either other then they recieved my complaint. Self policing is going to do nothing, I get that. I tied to ask the zone rep to get involved. Here is where it get ugly. My selling dealer told me the zone rep would contact me. Never happened. In fact I was told the zone rep refused to let my car be transfered to my selling dealer in Seattle! Antother dealer tried to help and I was given the real issue. It turns out the zone rep for MINI NW is Jeff Wright who is the father of Chris Wright the tech in MINI.
I was told to call him and send a letter and he would help. No response.
I am caught now between daddy trying to protect his son and here I am.
I got a good Lemon Law Lawyer who is as frustrated as I am. the MINI lawyer is bitching to the state they are not getting all the information they need. I had to submit everythign I ever bought for the car or wrote about the car. we submitted 1100 pages of ducuments. MINI has not stated the turn hurt the car. The said it was overreved but still refuse to
provide the details even after we requested it throught he court. They
went through my car with out my permission and used a reciept from Thunder Hill for gas as evidence it was on a track. I love this part. They invite you to a MINI event MINI Thunder II so if you attend they can void your warranty. MINI of Fife are good guys. I cna not say the same for PDX or MINI Seattle. My term is " Dirt Bags". Funny thing is I still love my MINI but dealing with BMW and MINI is exactly what I should have expected.

MINI spent 4 weeks with my car and never looked in the motor. They sent me an E-mail after 4 weeks with a note that the repair would be $8600 with zero details of what that included. What took 4 weeks exactly! They had my car and they were going to wait me out. Yes Jeff Wright was holding all the cards. If they would have called be and said it will be 6 hours of labor to see why the motor blew I would be cool with that. If it was the tune used for 2 days 6 week earlier (Very hard to believe) It would be on my nickel. If it was weak pistons and HPFP they should be fixing their motor which they dumped before the tooling to make it was even paid for. I wonder why? Welcome to dealig with MINI.

The good news is WA state has some prety good Lemon Law protect. Plus number 2 is we are going into an election year and the AG is running for State Gov. His office has been in contact with me and suggest I run this case through the system. he want feedback on the process and results.
So far I will say it is veyr slow- 6 months! If you took them to court it would be 3 to 4 years! Information flow seems very flawed to say the least. And this is not cheap. I have not decided if I am going to handle the arbiutration hearing myself or use the lawyer. This is suppose to be a process regular consumers to use but the paper work involved required legal help. If they lose they must pay my legal fees and replace the car or buy it back. I would be out all the items I added to the car.

Good luck people. Just make sure you have a good selling dealer and don't break down away from home or you roll the dice. I am the test case for if you add something to your MINI. The law clearly states I can add aftermartket equipment to my car and it is they who must prove what failed. They can not just say because you have it. The sad part is overseas manufactures do it all the time because they know it is expensive to fight them. They will may more in legal fees that the motor will cost. I have already cost the dealer that much is lost sales. Drive to Fife and buy from a quality dealer. I do miss my MINI but dealing with PDX and MINI USA.

 

Wow!

At least you could have proof read it before hitting send. It's kinda hard to read this rambling dissertation.

Good Luck with this one. Hope you didn't set yourself up for a libel suit as well.

 

+1 on "At least you could have proof read it before hitting send."

Yeah, this kind of post (#72) might make you feel better but seems really misguided to go public with this level of detail while the matter is legally pending. I don't see how posting his here helps you.

 

GreenMINImonster,

I'm sorry to see this thread stray so far from your original musings. Hopefully we can get back on topic if you still need more input... and here is my take on it:

MINIs are more than just an appliance of a car, and because of that, emotions and feelings seem to get more involved in the decision making process, rather than logic. Resentment is a very appropriate feeling for a situation like this and I would definitely feel the same thing if I were in your shoes, especially if it were my first MINI.

So in my opinion, you have to make a choice. Continue with your beautiful car and hold on tight to your warranty (and extend it when the time comes) just in case, or (since it seems like you don't want to give up on the MINI brand) fix anything that is wrong with your car using your warranty, sell it and then get a different MINI. The ladder is obviously the more costly option, but I personally would feel better about getting a different MINI. Yours could just be a fluke or lemon, like you mentioned. It is a hard and jagged pill to swallow.

So, why stick with MINI? Considering that they just produced their 2 millionth Cooper (under the BMW ownership) and that (according to my local MINI dealer) MINIs have the 2nd highest resale value in North America (modelwise, right behind the Jeep Wrangler), obviously they are doing something right and most of their cars don't have problems. How many other cars can put a smile on your face as a driver and a smile onto onlookers faces alike?

Furthermore, anecdotes: a friend of mine has the first model year Cooper S and still drives it daily without problems, my mother has an '04 Justa with CVT (!) and has driven it all over the country and has not had a single problem beside normal wear and tear and finally, MINI seems to be doing nothing but improving: I just bought an '07 MCS for my BF and compared to my '10 Camden it is very solid and strong even after having nearly 50,000 miles on it. That the '10 feels much nicer and faster even though it is the same generation just shows that they keep improving.

Hope this helps.

-Chris

 

Sorry to hear about your issues, I have the smae beautiful 2011 MINI S coupe in British Racing Green II 6 spd manual, with a good amount of options on it.

10,000 miles, no problems at all! And it's been over 115 degrees in Phoenix every day in on my commute home!


I love it!