I want to reasure anyone who is thinking of buying a MINI or has just bought one. Reading this forum can lead one to believe that MINIs are just one big bag of problems. That is not true. Remember that this is the forum where all you hear about is problems. Seldom do you hear about the multitudes of owners who have no problems at all. I am one. Before I bought my MINI this forum had me worried. However, I have owned mine for almost 6 months. I have nearly 9K miles on it. I've had zero problems. No mechanical issues, no rattles or noises, no fit or finish problems. My wife has a new Clubman that is 3 months old and it too is problem free so far. Just remember that this forum magnifies the problems of a few and ignores the vast majority that are essentially trouble free.

 

I've had my Cooper since 5/07 (and an '03 Cooper before that)...it's been rock solid and a pleasure to drive. I've had very good experiences w/ MINIs and w/ my local MINI dealership.

 

good to hear!

 

my '08 stage 1 MCS has given me no problems in 12K mi and my '03 had no issues in 90k

 

I'm glad someone started a thread like this. I have an August 07 build and it has been nothing but great.

 

I have an 04 MC with 74K and have had no problems.

 

2008 MINI COOPER S with an AUTOMATIC... just ticked 5,000 mostly city miles in just a couple months... incredible! More incredible is the fact that I have zero issues...

Yes sir, or madam, whichever your preference... this means no rattles or queer noises, no shaking bacon or twiddling sprockets. My interestingly flabby ears have not been befuddled with any foul "cold start" mystery noises, either.

5,000 city miles and running like a charm. I like it more every day, and perhaps one days I shall love it truly. I bet a new pair of shoes and wheels will do the trick!

 

Hope some of you knocked on wood, lol........Just kidding, plus you have to take into account that some people are pickier than others when it comes to rattles, fit and finish, and cars in general.

 

Believe me I'm picky about those things but almost every car has little issues and often their severity depends on the owner's OCD. In my case I'm referring to the big things that people talk about and might scare prospective owners away (cold start, hood scoop, transmissions). Happily (knocking) I have had none of those.

 

For the record; I am **** about such things. I went over the car with a fine tooth comb before signing. I wash it at least 2x a week (weather permitting). I clean the wind shield every evening. I check for bird poop twice a day. I quick detail the front every evening (mainly to clean bugs off). I am an ex factory trained Volvo mechanic and have an extremely sensitive radar when it comes to mechanical issues, including body fit and finish. I dare say there are few people who expect more or are more in tune with their car. My MINI has yet to disappoint me.

I do not wish to diminish the problems and issues that some have had. I know they are real. I'm sure it is disappointing and maddening. My only reason for this thread was to remind newbees that this is not the "norm". Most MINIs have few or no significant issues.

 

I completely agree with Leicaguy. If build quality was that bad, people would not be waiting months for MINI's. My only problems are that one sideview mirror cap wasn't installed quite right. A 30 second repair. I also have to say that the HI-FI is not the best value in automotive sound.
While I really feel sorry for the people who truly have bad builds, I have read some post where people make something like a poorly fitting mirror cap into something far more serious than it really is.

 

I've had my Clubman over six months with only two minor issues, a dash rattle which was fixed by the dealer, and a sticky Club Door which I fixed myself with a can of silicone spray. I have had no mechanical issues whatsoever.

 

I'm at 3,500 miles on my Clubman S and have 0 problems.

 

Same here. So far, I have had no issues with the car's quality. This is a great car.

 

I've had my car about a year and a half. 1st year, no problems. Last couple of months, cat converter was replaced and thermostat replaced. One problem I have given up on was the weeping wipers. The dealer just doesn't seem to know how to fix it. I can live with this problem, no big deal. Another problem is a squeak in the front end steering when stopped that 2 different dealers have not found any problems.

I think one thing that is frustrating with these cars is the distance that some have to travel to the dealer. This is something everyone should take into consideration when buying one of these cars. In my case I live an hour from the dealer and my dealer doesn't give loaners. Usually each problem takes 2 visits to fix the problem. One to diagnose, one to fix. In my case I have spent 5 vacation days this year at the dealer.

All in all though, I love this car. It is just a great car to own and drive. I have also met many awesome people through the MINI community through this car. At this point I just can't imagine owning any other brand.

 

I've got over 50K on mine since delivery a year ago.Absolutely NO problems or trips to the dealer for ANY issues.

 

AWESOME THREAD

**i do get a little worried,,,,*

hopefully placing my order tomorrow!

 

Great thread. My 09 Clubman S should be arriving very soon. I planning for it to be a great car! Dan

 

While it's great MINI wants to maintain exclusivity of its cars through a limited dealer network this is also a problem. Let's hope BMWNA builds more MINI dealers that are more accessible to owners everywhere.

 

Yeah I agree the forums do show mostly the bad side. I know I am having issues with my car, but I have had techs and SMs from 2 different dealers tell me "My car is one of a kind" and "Your car doesn't like you" and "I have never seen a mini with this many problems"...so if you've read any of my issues, don't be alarmed

 

I found this forum after I bought my '03 MCS, and after reading a lot of the posts I started to get really worried. But I have had zero problems with my beauty since getting it in Mar. of this year with only 50000km's. Mind you I've only put 5000km on it since then, but that's one 4hr and one 8hr family trips (myself, wife, and two little ones).

lol, I just had a thought. Here I was thinking how lucky I was that I haven't had any problems, but I guess I'll have to settle for just being lucky enough to have the funnest car ever built :P

 

Three months and 3333 km later I have had zero issues with my 2008 Cooper. Also, no unexplained noises, rattles or squeaks (and those sorts of things bug me *immensely*).

In fact, this car constantly amazes me - clearly there has been a great deal of thought that went into the design and engineering!

 

When was your build? Mine was August 07 week 32 and I've never had the weeping issue. My build week brought in a few changes from the original R56 release for the first time. Maybe MINI made a change from the earlier builds regarding the weeping?

 

My 07 MCS (April 07 build) now has 16K miles with absolutely no issues of any type. Outstanding, well-built car, especially for a first-year model!

I believe my case is typical of the large majority of MINI owners, who are not up on NAM posting about problems, but rather are out happily motoring!

 

I am happy for all of you. I will be getting rid of mine as fast as humanly possible.