Greetings! I'm the proud owner of an R57 - 2012 Cooper S Vert - with 95000 miles (on the car, many more on me) and I have just taken my car to MINI to have them kick the tires and give it a full physical.

The car is 12 days old to me and in MA the politicians have ensured we buyers of used cars are protected from buying a lemon with language that is based on miles on a car, time owned (by the new owner) and miles driven (by the new owner). Essentially, if a car is deemed unsafe or undriveable in 30 days or 1250 miles from the time of purchase, the selling dealer must: 1 - fix the car or 2 - buy the car back at the price the buyer paid.

Suffice it to say the MINI started juggling codes at me Monday and I decided MINI should investigate.

*The car was purchased from a Ford dealer who got it in trade.

Turns out there are significant issues (YMMV) and the dealer is coming to grab the car back and repair all the issues. Here are the issues...not all are car-stoppers...

Engine oil was excessively low - CarFax docs say the dealer changed oil twice since January.

Engine oil filter housing o-ring is leaking oil - (this is why the oil is consistently low and requires replacement or the car will seize up) - quoted cost $1628.43 to replace by MINI

Battery is exhausted resulting in throwing some of the engine alert codes - (this means the car will not start and should have been noticed before sale) - new battery here is $362.52 at MINI

THREE bulbs on the car are burned out - this is not a driving issue, but a safety issue - total for all three bulbs $130

High-pressure Fuel Pump is inoperative and requires replacement - (this has made the car undrivable and should have been caught) - fortunately covered as a MINI warranty recall

PREDICTED ISSUES include strut/suspension replacement and a valve gasket thingy (unsure what this is EXCEPT it is also an issue that MINI said would ruin the engine if allowed to continue. This is NOT something that MINI thought the Ford dealer would have known about as it's something MINI service is aware of but isn't super common.

SO SO SO SO SO my question(s) to the legions of R57 MINI owners with experience repairing their babies - and with the breadth of warranty experiences you've had - are...

When I get the car back should I pay $3280 for an extended warranty that WILL cover the valve gasket issue if it were to happen and IF FORD doesn't fix that problem?

What other major issues should I keep an eye and ear out for (aside from timing chain as I'm aware of that and will ensure oil is always topped off)?

Thanks so much! You guys all rock!

Jeff

 

It sounds like the car was poorly taken care of from the get go which should beg the larger question. German engineering operates under narrow tolerances unlike the 'grab it - go and forget it' Japanese appliances that people are used to ignoring.
The big issue is its running low on oil. For how long, how low and for how many miles under that condition? The potential for serious hidden damage could be huge.

 

If it was me and option 2 was available, then I'd let them buy it back and move on. The low oil operation is worrisome and I surely wouldn't spend that much to warranty a car and then have to fight about coverage.

 

To clarify, the low-oil condition didn't cause an alert code before I began driving the car. With the code that appeared on Monday, the techs at MINI just commented that it was low on oil.

This could mean that it was down a quart or two. Is there a concern that if it ran for 10k miles down two quarts, is that a bad thing? The owner had a maintenance contract, so the car was certainly taken care of all the way up to December of 2015. In fact, the maintenance warranty/agreement goes until 100k and this October. My guess is that during the past year or so the oil filter o-ring began to leak - otherwise this problem would have been seen and diagnosed by MINI. Especially because it took them 10 minutes to read the code and find the problem yesterday.

Thoughts? I don't think the dealer who sold me the car will buy it back unless they find a huge issue when they have it apart tomorrow/this weekend.

Jeff

 

Another story: There's an '07 S coupe sitting in a Detroit iron dealership lot right out by the street a couple blocks short of the supermarket. I parked at the supermarket and a stranger walks up and asked about buying that used MINI. All I did was shake my head no...emphatically.
Two reasons: It's an '07 with the N14 engine and it's in the wrong kind of dealer's lot. They don't have a clue about what to look for on one of those. I didn't tell the inquisitor that.

I hope you can get this resolved to YOUR satisfaction. It is hard to make a solid recommendation, only just what can be gleaned from your description and sharing thoughts on the ugly what ifs. 80K+ miles of topless motoring, I'm 100% behind you discovering the same experience.

 

Agree. Thanks for the fingers crossed. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the top-down feeling already and the car runs like a top except for these issues. I have had the service team at MINI directly contact the other dealer with any and all of their fears.

That MIGHT result in a cash offer to buy the car back OR a more-complete fix that includes valve gasket/seals/whathaveyou and provides me with a few years of perfect driving.

Thanks!

Jeff

 

I'd just ask how low it was on oil and if the leak is that bad to really be the source of the low oil. Many MINI owners report oil consumption so keep an eye on your oil level even after they fix the oil leak. I'd maybe consider the extended warranty if you decide to keep it. May give you an ease of mind. The dealer is fixing all of these issues at no cost to you correct? If you don't go with the warranty, are you DIY inclined? That will definitely keep costs down on future repairs.

 

1 - I'm thumbtastic, but oil changes and bulbs and basic stuff is not beyond me.

2 - Turns out that the extended warranty that covers the biggies is NOT available for me. And the others I looked at are crap. Too many exclusions.

3 - Selling dealer IS repairing everything related to the oil issue (which I'm being adamant should also cover any valve gasket, cover, oil filter o-ring and related areas).

4 - And I'm used to a MINI that used to burn a quart of oil every tank and a half, so I'll keep a few quarts in the back and keep an eye on it.

As you all know, the upside to being in a car like this is the smile it puts IN you. And I'm already in love with the car 13 days in. Even today I blasted down to the beach and cruised for 45 minutes with the top down. So, as long as nothing ridiculous goes wrong, I'll add some upgrades like suspension and tires and just enjoy the crap out of it.

Worst case is that the seller decides it's gonna be a money pit and decided to buy it back and auction it off. **Reason for this is I'll have to go back to being carless and shopping for a convertible as the weather gets warmer and demand shoots sky high.

Second worse is they fix everything and a few months from now I get hit with a multiple thousand repair.

***There is one other option. I could keep my eyes open and see if I can trade this car TO my local MINI dealer sometime before September for a newer convertible Cooper S. If I can get them to pay me $6000 for it, I'd do that in an instant. Especially if nothing crops up during the summer.

Otherwise, I'm looking forward to driving my baby around for two years and trading it in for a 2014/2015 Cooper S Vert with 20-40k.

Jeff

 

Update - no real update to report yet. Selling dealer took the car away Thursday and at 5:04PM FRIDAY emailed me to ask for the MINI diagnostic paperwork. Which is annoying because it makes me suspect the car sat there untouched all day Friday.

Will update as I get updates and info.

Jeff

 

Another update: Someone bought that '07 S or at least it's off the lot. I saw on very similar with a temporary tag sitting in a driveway a couple days ago. Would love to be a spider on that wall.

 

Here's a side note. And some background.

Just talked to the selling dealership. They can't find anything wrong. Can't even find the leaking oil filter o-ring.

What's the likelihood that my MINI dealer is yanking me? Or to more charitable...what is the likelihood they are being very persnickety and precise in their evaluation of my MINI?

Trying to keep an open mind, but if my local MINI dept is this overly careful that they find even a hint of stuff (other than the reality that it was very low on oil), should I take everything they say with a grain of salt?

The dealer that did the evaluation just told me they couldn't even replicate the depleted battery situation that MINI found.

Thoughts?

 

I just looked up where Hingham is. I just about guarantee there is a good independent BMW/MINI shop in the area and they would be the ones to look into it. If, and I'm sure there is, a MINI club around there they'd be able to advise on that. We've an indie in our area, if he says the sky is green, you don't have to go look. That's the kind of place to find.

 

I might be confusing things. I bought the MINI from a FORD Dealer. I brought it to my local - independent?? - MINI Dealer for the evaluation and they found all the items listed above.

The SELLING DEALER (FORD) is the one that has now been unable to verify the independent??? MINI Dealer's findings. And they are now sending the car to the independent??? MINI Dealer in Peabody, MA.

Are MINI-branded shops independent?

I'm a bit handcuffed by the Lemon Law because I have to allow the Ford dealer/seller to try and fix items and to fully evaluate what's going on with the car.

Ultimately, if they keep me without this car for 11 business days, then I get to choose whether I want them to write me a check or if I want the car back.

We're only at day four right now.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

A little clarification. There's MINI dealerships and there's MINI indies. There are also two different styles of MINI service. For the most part, dealership shops subscribe to the 'throw new parts at it until it stops doing whatever its doing'. An indie is a car guy who will spend the time to diagnose and find a wrenchable solution. Example: Couple years ago just driving down a residential street the dang thing goes in to limp mode. Made the appointment and drove two hours (a normal 40 minute drive) to my indie shop. They spent the better part of the morning hunting down the problem, finally found a broken wire in a cable run, soldered it back together. No telling what a dealership shop would have done. Hope that helps. When you find a good one and make him your buddy, you're through worrying.

 

AHA! That's a great clarification. Thanks. I think I have been in the 'trust the MINI dealer' camp. But mostly because my prior MINI was covered nose to butt with warranties and service via MINI NEXT.

For this car, I think you're spot on. After this entire Lemon Law debacle gets cleared up - hopefully with this third opinion from another MINI Dealer - I'll poke around to find a local guy/gal who knows the brand and the car.

Then I'll go to the dealer for rallies and some service items/specials and then to the indie for oil changes and other stuff. In fact, that's exactly the type of shop I'm looking for regarding a place to ship tires from Tire Rack and struts and suspension from Pelican and other great outlets.

So, side note, who can you suggest in my neighborhood south of Boston who knows these cars and will treat them with the care I deserve/demand?

Thanks!

Jeff

 

You can try this site here to help you find a MINI indy shop near you: http://www.minirepairshops.com/

 

Not quite in your neighborhood, but my 2003 R50 broke down on 495 last year and the tow truck guy recommended Bolt's Garage in Hudson for BMWs and Minis. So we hauled it there, and they were great. It was a bad alternator which required them to take the front end off to get to it.

They got the work done pretty quickly, and the cost was very reasonable.

 

OK. Car is back. I'm happy. Nothing else to report EXCEPT I did a random oil check after breakfast yesterday and level was perfect after driving the car around since last Thursday pretty much non-stop. 65 degrees here today. Already been top-down to breakfast and Starbucks. Going out for gas, lunch, errands and more top-down fun.

Smiling all the while. Thanks to all for your comments and help.

Jeff