I still love my Mini - honestly I do. But when I look around the cabin at the trim pieces that have cracked and just fallen off and try to open the door that no longer seems to cooperate I begin to fantasize about other cars. About the eight time I tug on the door handle I begin to wonder what it would be like to be with a new Lexus IS. I'm not a cad -truly I'm not.

(On a side note - is there any car out there that isn't crap? The Mercedes I had a few years ago had a transmission shifter that popped out of the boot occasionally and the dealer told me that was normal )

 

Any car has its quirks and problems.

My real problem with my 03 MC is getting parts and pieces for it. The closest dealer is 100 miles. Getting simple things like antifreeze, oil filter, battery or tires is always a hassle. I get tired of going to an auto part store and saying I need parts for a Mini only to get the deer in headlights look followed by "Who makes it?" question followed by "its not in our system" statement. It does not cause me to want to get rid of the car, but it does prevent me from wanting to buy another.

 

Yeah. Any car has it's problems. The difference with the MINI is, MINI feels you are expected to just live with it. When I had my Benz's, sure they had problems, but the dealer went way out to help. MINI dealers act like they are doing you a favor if they schedule an appointment for you a month and half away....

 

Funny thing LynnEl, Mercedes service was much worse for me than Mini Service. The only new car I've had that didn't have any problems was a Subaru. Owned a year and a half with zero issues - only sold it because the seats were very uncomfotable (that and I really, really wanted a Mini convertible). {in contrast - the Merc was in the shop 8 times in 8 months before I dumped it and should have gone in more if they had actually been willing to work on it's numerous problems}

Squeaks, rattles, broken trim doesn't bother me (too much) but the fact that I can't get out the door on a fairly new car is just eating at me :(

 

That sucks. I owned nothing but Benz's for 10 years, always bought from the same place, so I was treated well. They all had a problem here or there, but nothing major and not that often.

I had a 92 Mazda Protege that never had a problem. My daughter ran head-on into a Jeep with it. The Jeep and the Mazda were totalled. She had a bruise from the shoulder harness. Had a 99 Mazda Protege which had zero problems. My daughter totalled that due to hydroplaning on the NJ turnpike. Her and 3 passengers. Not a bump on any of them.

 

I loved our MINI. My wife loved our MINI, she dressed it up all the time. But there does come a time when enough is enough. I'm not sure your there yet. Plastic bits falling off are one thing. But when the problems because so bad you consider it no longer fun to own, you finally give up.

When that happens, your eyes will wander.

And you will fall in love ... all over again with another.

I'm still hoping MINI gets its reliability act together cause we want a new cabrio

 

Thanks rooandren for the info.
My apologies to Lynnel

 

Cars with no problems? Every Honda I've owned, and I still own one. Given my problems with my 05 MINI, I told myself I wouldn't buy another MINI unless I kept another car "to be safe".

Of course, at almost 7,000 miles on my brand new little beauty, I haven't had a single problem. But, I do feel better knowing she isn't my daily driver, but rather my little "Joy Toy".

 

Hope that carries over to the Acura and the MDX we just bought my wife.

Feeling bad (unfaithful?) but every time it takes me 3 minutes to exit my vehicle I get closer to selling it while it still has a lot of it's original value and buying a truck and an MGA (or at least something else)

 

I've no doubt your Acura will serve you well. My brother-in-law drives a TSX, and swears by it. It's his daily bread and butter in a sales profession.

As much as I am in love with my MINI, I don't have the constitution to put up with PITA issues, or unreliability in a vehicle that I rely on to pay the mortgage, etc. Hondas have served my family as reliable work horses for over 20 years. Their reliability has given me the freedom to dabble on the side, so to speak.

Clearly many NAMers have bullet-proof MINIs. That just wasn't my case with my 05 S, and I put faith that the R56 would be a more refined product. And, so far, she is proving to be a solid little machine. But, again, I decided this time around I wouldn't have the MINI as my sole transportation.

Can you keep your gorgeous little cabrio and get something else for a daily driver?

But, if you decide you don't need the hassles, don't think you are being unfaithful. Your troops need you bright and fresh, not struggling with a door handle on a modern automobile

 

I guess all Mini Dealers are not alike. I have been able to get appointments with in days for my Mini and they usually take care of the problems that I request warranty work for. I have not had really MAJOR issues so not sure how they would proceed with those but when I had noticed my left lower control arm bushing was bad they also checked the right side for me with out asking and determined it needed replacing under warranty as well.

Sorry your dealer is not very good.

 

Next issue:

Went out to go over the car (check fluids etc). Got 10lbs of air in the passenger rear. So much for the flat tire monitor

Not so much blaming the car for having a flat - possibility with anything with tires. But the fact that when I called mini roadside they could tow it 300 miles to the dealer but not put air in it bugs me. I guess I understand liabilty etc but just can't deal with going to Atlanta everytime something needs to be done. Guess I need to find a good tire shop in this little town I live in.

That little lexus I found online is looking better

 

What everybody says is gospel. You and you alone will fill up with discontent and handle pulling exercises and sell the MINI. It's not that you fall out of love, you just are sick and tired of the BS.

I actually just sold my 2003 LS430 Lexus so I didn't have 5 cars and could buy the MINI (well, order it anyway). That car was an awesome car and gave me no trouble at all. Our 2006 MB E350 on the other hand...gee, what a POS. I hate it! Good thing that's a lease and it goes back this December. Go check out the new 08 C classes at MB...they look better, but, reliability...?

Think of it this way, your forearms are going to be Popeye-like by the time you get your door handle fixed.

 

Good to hear on the Lexus as it looks like a likely replacement. As far a MB goes - never again. Bought a new '03 C320 that was in the shop more than I drove it in the 8 months I had it. Service was non-existent.

While I type, I'm on the phone with the roadside assistance people. Actually got suckered into buying the 650 buck tire insurance. Been on hold about 10 minutes now after them giving me a number to call that was closed for assistance the first time.

 

At least it is only interior pieces that are falling off! I swear every single interior piece in my Chevy is falling off. (Including 2 different pieces of the shift ****) I really would expect more from mini though! I always joke about my car being build on Friday right before clock out time! Screw this car, I'm going home for the weekend!!!

 

When my parents used to restore cars they always said never get a car that was built after a holiday - july 5th for instance (but I guess that doesn't have quite the same meaning with a mini )

The whole roadside assistance debacle is almost pushing me over the edge.

 

Tisk-tisk. To lump the entire Mini dealership into one ball of brown dew is way more than being short sited. Too bad you haven't experienced Baron Mini in KC. Their superb service would surely loosen up your bowels wrapped around that axle just a tad.

 

Well, after a very, very long day driving up to see a surgeon and not being able to do any test driving. I've decided I love my little mini convertible - question is still can I live with it. Will be posting a couple of questions on other threads to see just how feasible that is!

What I'm missing in having my mini...
Nav - guess I could buy an aftermarket handheld jobby. is it possible to retrofit the factory unit and would you want to?
Bluetooth - my little apple ear thing works acceptably
Reliability - and aye, there's the rub. see the two threads I'm about to put up...

 

Uh-uh.... No way.

I don't get this... that's a dealership thing, not a MINI problem. My local dealer wouldn't put up with ANYTHING falling off my car, and when I've called them for service most of the time they could take me THAT DAY if I could get the car there. Month and a half in advance for service appointments?? Feeling like they're doing ME a favor?? I'd be finding a different dealership, like, yesterday.

Does your dealer participate in the Customer Service survey plan, Lynn? I get a call right from MINI a few days after any service, where I rank several aspects of my service 1-5 (5 being highest). The dealer always reminds me that I'll get the call and asks me flat-out "Is there anything about your service today that would keep you from ranking us 5 out of 5?" and then they fix ANYTHING that I bring up right on the spot - I always leave satisfied. They really, really want that perfect score, and everything about my service experience reflects that. If a dealership doesn't care (and after rading threads in here for the past two years I'm convinced that some DON'T) then yeah, you'll have a bad experience, but that's not MINI's fault.

Be that as it may, there's no way in hell that I'd settle for a car that has peices falling off. If you're still under warranty, DEMAND that they fix it and fix it right. If you're not under warranty, everything in the cabin can be removed, checked for damage and repaired/refitted (I know - I've had most of the car interior apart at one time or another and it's still tight as a drum despite my best efforts to loosen every torx screw and retaining clip inside the car).

Good luck with your quest and I hope that this doesn't sour you on the car. if it does... well, at least you went MINI and can expect a great trade-in value.

 

It's not just A dealership problem. While you apparently have a good dealer, NAM is decorated with a multitude of posts about MINI dealers who don't give a damn. Worse, MINI USA also reflects that attitude many times. I don't have pieces falling off my car. I do have a dealer that knows less about the car than I do and doesn't seem too concerned about it. Oh, yes, they do want the perfect 5 on their survey --- and they do ask for it, in a pleading sort of way. If they were doing their job, they wouldn't --- and shouldn't --- ask.

 

I'll chime in on this in total agreement. Upon the closing of the delivery of the Mini our salesman brings out the dealership manager and the salesman kindly walks off. The manager asks a few questions about our satisfaction the the salesman and then mentions the survery. He went over all the survery questions to be sure they would receive 5's across the board. What the heck! That was so tacky. The dealership did earn all 5's, but I didn't like the checkup process as I'll call it. I haven't received any survey or survey phone call as of yet. But I am going to comment on this behavior as I don't agree with it at all. It was a rather cheezy way to end my Mini's delivery date.

 

See, my experience is very different. I don't feel that they're pleading for the 5 out of 5... it honestly feels like they're telling me that they want to EARN that 5-star rating, and are giving me the opportunity to bring up anything, even something minor and niggling, before I leave the dealership. I personally believe that this shows much more courage than I generally see at other businesses... At least my local MINI dealer not only pays empty lip service abourt wanting to provide "great customer service" but they actively solicit my feedback on what they can fix before I leave for home, then back that up via the outside survey.

Case in point... my "Service Engine" light went off a few weeks ago. I finally called about it yesterday (Monday) and they got me in this morning. It's probably just an oxygen sensor, but better safe than sorry. I told the service guy on the phone that I needed a loaner because my son has a school thing this morning (Tuesday). When I got there at 7:30, they wanted to drive me to work and pick me up (still quite a nice thing to do for a service customer) rather than give me a loaner - obviously there was some sort of mis-communication and they gave out all their loaners to other customers. I had to reschedule the appointment for Thursday (the next morning I had time, not because they couldn't take me till then). I plan to tell my service writer flat-out that the experience will likely cause me to rate them a "3" or "4" on some areas - it's a minor inconvenience, but I DID have to drive out there twice. I'll be curious to see how they respond.

 

I've been very happy with both of my MINI dealers, always going out of their way to make us happy.

And to the poster above worried about getting oil/antifreeze/etc, you don't HAVE to buy that stuff from the dealer, you know. And you should NEVER buy tires from the dealer, unless you like paying 2x as much as you should!

 

I was very happy with the ordering and delivery experience. They surely earned their 5's.

I do agree with your view. I'm just the type of person that speaks up without being prompted. I'm glad you posted this though. It does make sense.

 

I have to agree with Buzzsaw, Baron gets 5 X 5's from me every time so far. If I call and need a loaner, it might be a few days to a week for a service appt, but since I don't need one it's usually a day or so to get me in. They're not the cheapest dealer but they do a great job and support the local MINI club as well.

I've been reading a lot of threads on NAM since I joined in April, and I don't think these cars are any more problem prone than any other German or English made car, it's just this forum compresses all the bad that happens all over the country into one small area for all to read about. That may be damning with faint praise, but I think it's true. As with all cars, the dealer makes a huge difference. A good prep means you don't have problems right away, a good service means anything that does crop up gets handled quickly and efficiently. A bad dealer means the potential for a lousy experience.

We had a 92 Audi that was getting old and developing some problems, but by far the worst problem the car had was the lousy dealer. When the car committed suicide on the dealer's lot, I was thankful and bought my wife a Lexus ES 300, again the dealer made all the difference. The few issues that did come up were handled quickly and correctly and never came up again. Unfortunately, that car never did it for her, and when a dealer group that is well respected in our area bought the Audi franchise, we bought her a 2004 Audi allroad - which has never had a problem, but again - great dealer and service.

If you want dead on reliability and great dealer service, you can't beat Lexus. I like our ES 300 and still drive it from time to time and highly recommend them to anyone who wants a virtually bullitproof and trouble free car coupled with excellent dealer service.

But, I like driving my MINI even more!