My 18-year-old begged me to buy a used Mini Cooper. I told him there was problems with their transmissions and he shouldnt buy one. But of course, I gave in, reminding him I didnt like it and thought it was a mistake. He and I signed for the loan (of a 2003 cooper with 70,000 miles) and he was a happy camper for 100 days. Then he backed out of the driveway and the automatic transmission went out. Needless to say, I got to say I told you so. Now I called a dealer and talked with their service, only 8000 dollars to replace the transmission. My son doesnt know what to do, hard lesson for an 18-year- old but needless to say, I dont think he will ever buy a Mini or BMW product again.

Ive had my 2009 Mini Cooper since, well, 2009. It was the car that I test drove on the lot, and I fell in love with it at first sight. All was great, until it wasnt. Started having problems at around the 2 year mark. Since it was still under warranty, some stuff was covered. But once the warranty was out, I had to pay out of pocket which was REALLY pricey. Finally after 5 years, I was able to find a good, honest, Mini-expert mechanic who told me my Mini would need a refill of oil every three gas fill ups! He said my model Mini burns oil every couple hundred miles. Ive also noticed that my coolant needs refilling every few weeks as well. And just today when I turned it on my window said it needed service, when yesterday the counter told me in 600 miles. I think its come to the end of the road for me and my Mini. But it will be in tears because I just love that damn car.

Wow, where to begin. I purchased my 2005 Mini Cooper S convertible in July 2008... It only had 38,000 miles on it. Now it has 61,000 miles. I have had recurrent convertible top problems (going into the shop again tomorrow for another top failure issue); a broken glove box door (just fell apart); wiring issues; valve cover gasket, drive belt and tensioner; wheel bearings and many recurrent grinding sounds, squeaks and clunking sounds that the service folks can never seem to duplicate? Since purchase, I have spent more than $7000 in repairs... and certainly expecting another large invoice after tomorrows visit! I guess I should be thankful the transmission hasnt failed yet. Anyone want to buy a cute little lemon?

Great car, street legal go cart. Sporty quick and a wonderful community of drivers. Small head turning car. All in all best car I have ever owned and still a manual option. Now I am out of words to add to get this glowing review.

I bought a 09 Mini Clubman s and at 53k the turbo oil line started leaking. Fought with dealer to repair and dealer just played games. Mini America didnt seem interested in helping. This oil leak is a known problem and Mini should have recalled this. Now it failed completely and I had to pay to have it fixed. Mini knows its an issue by they put a cheap heat shield over oil fitting to stop the fitting from failing! But wont acknowledged this is faulty and dangerous. When it finally failed and started spraying oil all over! My brakes were soaked and couldnt stop fast enough! Not to mention the smoke that overwhelmed the cabin and windows. Anyone who has had this issue needs to make a complaint and get together to make Mini pay. Another issue is the carbon build up inside intake that makes your Mini have horrible acceleration before 3k rpm. You have to have it walnut blasted and buy a delete plug to stop the returning of emissions being put back into intake.

In 5 years and less than 70,000 miles I had countless problems with my 2008 Mini Cooper. I had problems with the automatic drop on the windows 4 times at less than 5,000 miles. Around 20,000 miles I was at the airport and couldnt get my suitcase out of the trunk. Trunk had somehow locked itself and would not unlock. Had a really awesome time prying the back seat down and trying to get my luggage out! Car was at Mini for 3 days for that repair. At 36,000 miles I had radiator problems and the car was in the shop for 3 weeks. At 60,000 miles the water pump had to be replaced. It also chewed through brake pads and tires like nothing I have ever seen before.

My automatic 2006 Mini Cooper with full option had many different problems from the beginning (e.g. A/C hose broke at week 1). But the transmission problem is really what angers me and makes me want to start thinking about legal steps. My car is 4 years and 7 months old with 75,000 miles yet the transmission is already broken. I still havent paid off my car at this point and they are saying that the car is only worth $3,500. I guess they know Mini is **.

If I could give negative stars, I would. After owning this car barely 4 years, and JUST as the warranty expired, the engine pulley had to be replaced. Lights came on Battery Malfunction Engine Overheated- turn off car, do not drive, etc. Mini changed how they made this part in 2016 but have failed to recall it in this model. They only recalled the S Cooper. In spite of this part being a problem, they refuse to reimburse car owners for the very expensive repairs. Courtney from Mini USA called to give me her speech on this not being a known problem, even though they changed how they made it the next year. She also said it was too bad for me since I agreed to pay the service department for the repairs. I told her I was stranded at the grocery store when the lights came on and had to have it towed to the dealer. Was I supposed to walk to work? She said the warranty expired and I shouldve bought the extended warranty at purchase. I said the car shouldve lasted more than 4 years without an engine issue! Obviously, BMW USA AND MINI USA couldnt care less about standing behind their cars once they have your money. Your only recourse is to spend more money for when they break down. IF I CAN GET RID OF THIS LEMON, I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER MINI EVER!!!

Minis new 4 door hardtop is beautiful but BMW/MINI cannot repair it. I have had my NEW car in the shop since August 20th. The part needed has been unattainable. (Its backordered. We dont have a manufacturer.) & I havent been given loaner.

I bought my wife a used 2003 Mini in Feb. 2013. The vehicle had 59k miles on it and is a manual transmission. The transmission failed a month later. Thank God I purchased the CarMax extended warranty! The following month, the axle cracked on the drivers side. If not for my CarMax warranty, I would have been up a creek. I really like the car. Its fun to drive and looks great, but I would not recommend this vehicle to anyone that is not able to get an extended warranty with it.

Had my 2013 Mini Cooper base convertible serviced at Mini of Pittsburgh, and was to be charged $855 to replace 4 spark plugs and 4 coils. My Mini only has 53,000 miles on it. Mechanic was supposed to call me before they made any repairs, and I had to call them to find out what was going on. The mechanic led me to believe the repairs were already done or in progress, then quoted me the cost. He then also tried to talk me in to having a new belt put on. I Asked if all 4 coils and plugs were bad and the mechanic said no, but they had to replace them all per Mini. I told the mechanic that I was in shock at the cost and finally agreed to take the cost down to $759. $400 in parts over $300 in labor plus cost of diagnosis! You should be ashamed for screwing people like this. I will never recommend or purchase another Mini, and in fact will be getting rid of it asap. Spark plugs arent supposed to be changed until 60,000 miles, and the coils failing at 53,000? Im posting my experience and complaints with Mini and Mini of Pittsburgh with the BBB and online sites.

Purchased 2009 Mini Cooper S for **s 1st car in 2014, 42K miles for $14K. Its 5/8/15 now; Mini is sitting in shop in Cypress, TX. Repairs are now at $5K. Timing chain broken/plastic in the bottom of oil pan. We will drain our savings to repair the car then go straight to dealership where we will LOSE $9K that was supposed to be for **s college. Contacted Mini dealership in Houston: did 90% of original maintenance, confirmed there is a Class A lawsuit against Mini for this reason.

I have a 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman still in warranty with 45,000 miles on it and I have owned the car purchased new for less than 3 years. First, the airbag light came on. I took it to the dealership in Memphis, Tennessee. I was told that the sensor got wet and it was not covered under warranty. I am not sure how an important sensor such as an airbag sensor would even be in a place that water could touch it. Even better, how about making a part that is water-resistant? It is the air bag sensor for Gods sake! Even though I provided recall announcements on the sensor, the dealership would not cover it. At 42,000 miles, my car began hesitating almost to the point of losing power when increasing speed rapidly to move from an interstate ramp to the interstate. I brought the car in and I was told that the oil needed to be changed (out of general maintenance so I declined the dealerships oil change due to elevated cost), brakes were now dangerous (now not under warranty but 4 weeks ago, they were in good working order and I drive 10 miles/day). They checked the hesitation issue and stated that the car was showing electrical voltage changes and they tightened the battery cables. As I was driving from the dealership, the car immediately began to hesitate. It continued to worsen. I called the dealership and I was told to check the gas cap for a tight fit, then take it to other service stations because the gas had water in it. Blah, blah, blah. The emission light came on and then the engine light. I had it towed to Roadshow BMW in Memphis, TN where I bought the vehicle. For 2 days they tried to find a diagnosis. The shop foreman was called in, the service manager was looking at it, and even a regional technician was contacted. Finally, I was called by a service rep. She stated that the turbos needed to be replaced at a tune of $3,000.00. Yes, this problem was covered under warranty, but because they did not do the oil change when they were to fix the problem in the last visit, the turbo replacement would not be covered under warranty. The dealership, in my opinion, is anything but honest. I am hiring an attorney and beginning my correspondence with Mr. McDowell, president in NJ at Mini USA. Fun car but if the dealership is slippery as a snake, it is not worth the money and headache.

2006 Mini Cooper Convertable S... Bought brand new. New transmission at 35k and now its my steering fluid pump at 75k... Once the transmission went, its been a repair every 6 months or less. Thanks Mini!

Purchased a new 2004 MC hatch, only minimal issues until 2007 while still in warranty, the car slowed until full stop on the busy highway intersection. We were literally put in the danger since the traffic was heavy, and car could not be even started or moved. Towed to the local dealership, they changed transmission fluid, and we were assured the engine was checked and re-checked and driven miles, all is fine. It was for a while although experienced problems with automatic window and two other engine issues, but no lights went on and the dealership claimed this sometimes happens and not to worry. Once off the warranty, the same stop on the highway, overheated engine, stopped, towed back to the dealership and this time (although explained that the scenario was exactly the same and sanctioned by them as fine before), now the Cooper has a major issue and we need to pay around $8,000 for replacing CVT transmission. We were fortunate that on either occasion nothing happened to either us or the drivers in the traffic around us. MINI/BMW would not even listen -the only fix is to replace the CVT transmission.Took the car to an independent Euro repair-shop that did confirm that CVT is not properly working, but we also learned that MINI has known about this issue for years and this is far from individual problem. In fact, there are many complaints and pending class-action lawsuit related to this issue. Our MC with little over 40,00 mileage and after always being maintained and properly checked, has been sitting in the garage and would not drive it beyond a very short distance around the block. Other issues: faulty wheel, had to replace battery prematurely, CV player stuck, front seat unable to move, and the list could go on. We are the first owners, always driven by two family drivers with good experience, yet have never owned a car with so many problems, and excessive charges for any minute repairs. Will join any nationwide class-action lawsuit if available. Owned European cars before, but this one was built with faulty CVT transmission and BMW knew about it although they keep insisting this is a problem they havent heard about before? I doubt it. It is all over their website, even non BMW dealerships are well aware if this. How is it possible that BMW would not stand behind their product, this is not understandable. We hope that MINI/BMW would be forced to pay for CVT faulty transmissions they put into these cars and while they reject any assistance with repairs, we hope that class action lawsuit would justify the owners big expenses or those who have cars standing around and could not drive them. Shame on this company.

All good until warranty expired, Then... 2016 model bought new. No problems at all. Love the car religious with maintenance. Hit 53k miles and developed unusual noise and driving characteristics. Transfer Case is shot (part of the drivetrain on the all-4 models) and repair is $4,000ish. SERIOUSLY?! Vehicle driven exclusively by middle age highly conservative driver...very disappointing!

I have a 2007 Mini and it currently has 38,000 miles on it. The timing system has to be replaced which I find ridiculous considering the low mileage and how well I have taken care of it. Do not buy one of these cars - they suck!

I bought a beautiful brand new 2012 Convertible Mini Cooper, and sold it after 1 year and 20,000 miles. I got rid of the problem car. I refused to listen to my friends who suggested to me to buy anything but a BMW product because it is overrated. I could forget about the inconvenience of having only 2 front seats, because the 2 back seats are useless, they are very uncomfortable, feeling as if you are seating on a rock, my 5- and 2-year-old kids refuse to sit on the back seats.The car is poorly designed. You have to reach far away and over the top to reach the window controls, sunroof and lights. I had to buy myself an air compressor, to pressure the tires, because the stupid tire pressure sensing valves will leak air all the time. I bought a convertible car to be able to open the top as I please, but frequently, anything on the trunk will trigger a stupid switch, that will prevent the top from opening. My little Mini used fuel as if it was one of those Lincoln Continental of the 60s. I bought a Mini without Turbo Charger, but it is a gas guzzler. They claim the car makes 37 miles a gallon on the highway. The best it can do is 25 mpg. The car has a massive 14 gallons of fuel and for a good reason, it uses a lot of gas.To be objective, I can only cite one or two good things about this car. As small as it is, it has a rough ride. It feels as a go-cart ride, but it takes the road curves really good. This car is a city car; it was not made to ride for longer than 2 hours. If you have back problems, they will worsen with this Mini problem. The other advantage is that for a convertible car, it is quiet. You can have a conversation and listen to classical music.I do not recommend this car if you like the comforts of being in the city. Please do not buy a problem. The customer service is horrible. When you are buying the car, they offer you free 36,000 miles maintenance. They ripped me off - I had for brakes after 15,000 miles, and it was not cheap, because BMW cars do not replace pads. They replace rotors, packing, pads and bearings - $500 brake job. The worst part of the nightmare was the overheating problem. The car has been poorly designed with a bad cooling system. It provides weak air conditioning. If it is freezing, the hot air reaches you after 15 to 20 minutes. In a hot day, the air conditioning is worthless, and on top of that, after 20,000 miles, the stupid car developed overheating problems. I took it to the dealer and they did not want to even answer the phone. I took the car 2 times complaining about overheating, and they could not fix the problem. Instead of doing the lemon law frustration, I just sold the car and gave the problem to another fool. I do not recommend Mini Cooper. It is the worst investment you can make.

A while ago, my MINI power wouldnt shut down when I turned the key off. Dash lights would stay lit, etc. I had it in to the dealer and they couldnt find the problem. This went on for months. I started having to disconnect a battery cable when I shut the car off. My husband prayed, God, show me the problem. He put his hand on a long plastic wiring box on top of the motor. When he did, it shut off. He opened the box and the wires were bundled together too tightly, were corroded and shorting out. There were cracks in the plastic wiring. He cut the zip ties, sprayed WD-40 on them and it worked. No problems since!

One prob after the next. Blown clutch not covered under warranty. Dealer asking 4,300 to repair. Bad thermostat 550 to replace (diff to access). Fuel pump defective, 800.00 to replace. Dealer, agent, manager at Hassle BMW, indifferent, rude, did not return calls... Do not buy a Mini. Inferior mechanics and no accountability.

Let me start by saying my vehicle is a 2007 MINI Cooper S. It currently has 114k miles on it. The original owner had purchased a 100k mile maintenance package so all service was completed by MINI at the recommended intervals. This car was taken care of and babied. My vehicle suffered a complete engine failure on 12/2012 at around 105k miles. The failure was caused by the poor design of a lifetime part. I received an undated letter sometime a few months ago where MINI admits that the part that failed on my vehicle was, fitted with a faulty chain tensioner which may lead to an insufficiently tightened timing chain. A loose timing chain is recipe for disaster as this is what keeps the pistons and everything moving in the correct timing and order. When this chain breaks or skips a link it can cause devastating damage which it did.I contacted MINI in hopes of getting some of my $6500 that I paid for a replacement engine reimbursed. After being put with a customer relations supervisor name Shawn who didnt return any of my messages for 3 weeks, he finally calls me back and states that my claim was denied. But when I asked for a reason, he wasnt able to give me one. I asked to speak to a supervisor to which he stated he was the supervisor and nobody would be able to give me another answer. Ive sent off various emails, most of which are ignored, and various calls which seem to get me nowhere. MINI has 100% admitted fault for the damage to my engine but they wont take financial responsibility for their design failure. It has put me behind financially and causes me to lose faith in a company I trusted. I have all paperwork to support my claims and wish to get them to own up to their failures.

I bought the car new in March 2004. I had it serviced by the dealer only. The power steering went out last year. Expensive fix. And just last week, the transmission went out. How can they charge $8k for repairs on a car worth $8k! I had less that 70k miles on the vehicle. I thought I was buying a BMW-backed product! I loved that little car.

If I didnt like the car type, I never would have bought it. But it has been a nightmare to work with BMW on fixing something that is clearly their fault. BMW refuses to provide a satisfactory solution with a recall on a known flaw in the thermostat gasket on 2006 Mini Coopers. Thousands of consumers in United States, and even more across the world, have spent thousands of dollars and countless hours to find/fix radiator fluid leak through both dealers and special mechanics only to find out that the original gasket starts to leak through ever so slowly. A drop here and there at about 20,000 miles (more or less) due to the cheap mesh material. Because it leaks ever so slightly, the fluid falls, blows, drops down onto various parts of the engine and throughout the engine compartment. Even though the company, dealers and specialized mechanics are well aware of this known issue, they take full advantage of the consumer by pretending to speculate that it is caused by a leak in a hose or the radiator itself or some other issue, all of which allow these individuals to charge outrageous amounts to fix or replace parts that down need it. Most places have a minimum labor cost just to look at it. Add the unnecessary parts with additional labor on top of the base cost and you drive away without fixing the issue, only to return again and again until they finally bring up the real issue and charge you yet again to fix something they knew and should have fixed all along. It is a known issue for crying out loud. If they just fixed that, the parts themselves are less than $50. Add a minimal labor cost and you are still under $200 total. But no, BMW has systematically ignored the issue in an effort to sell parts, charge labor, and collect vast amounts of unnecessary dollars because it make them more money. The truth is, after the 2006 models, BMW intentionally changed the design to a poly urethane gasket. No recall, no recourse, no satisfaction! BMW should recall these or reimburse the wasted costs created by those that represent their firm. Thieves!

I bought my Mini at East Bay Mini but soon realized that going to Mini of Marin was a lot easier than the drive to the East Bay, and so with that being said that is how I arrived at Mini of Marin. I feel that my 2009 Mini Cooper S was a lemon from the get-go. I have had nonstop problems with this car since purchasing it. The car has 67,000 mi at the time of this review. The reason I was prompted to write a review is because of negligence by Mini of Marin during yet again another servicing. This time I took the car in because I claimed the car was popping out of 2nd gear, they claimed the car was doing no such thing but kept the car for almost a week and after getting it back it never popped out (so why would you need to keep it that long if there was nothing wrong with it). So I have it back for a week plus and never opened the passenger door and today I opened the passenger door and find that the metal runner alongside the seat that says Cooper S is no longer sticking to the floor and is bent and making a terrible noise upon closing the door. I have always been very pleasant which is saying a lot after how many times this car has been in the shop, but there is a limit to how much abuse a customer can take. I really wanted to write a review to the Headquarters of Mini but I felt it would land on deaf ears. Within the last year this car has been cooked 2 times for carbon build up, had a new engine (which Mini headquarters required me to pay a portion, even though the car only has 60,000 plus miles), new clutch, popping out of 2nd gear. I feel like I spend more time at the Mini of Marin dealership than I do at my job.

2012 Mini Cooper Convertible. I love the car but a problem developed over a year ago. The problem is the fuel gauge. It is entirely inaccurate. When it reads half full for example, there are just 3 gallons left. The dealer has tried several times to fix the problem without success. Anyone out there that has had this same problem, please post your experience.

The Mini is fun to drive, has been reliable and almost trouble free. It is also comfortable and spacious for its size. Annoying things are a poorly designed heater, it only produces heat or demisting the glass when set to the highest and noisiest setting, the AC is very poor. The windshield wiper just has two speeds fast and very fast, great if raining hard but a pain in drizzle or lighter rain as one has to constantly turn the wipers on and off. Hate the no flat tires, the car has no spare or jack, so effectively cannot drive further than 50 miles from the dealer as the low flat tires can only be fixed by them or more likely replaced at $500 a pop. If Mini had the common sense to fix these 3 basic issues, they would have a terrific car.

I have a 2013 Mini Cooper Convertible (47k miles) which already had following problems: busted Spark plugs, Ignition coil replacement, Engine Leak, Blower motor and blower motor resistor, trunk latch sensors, etc. and Customer Service. My biggest problem is one of the most pathetic customer service of Mini USA. I will make sure that none of my family members or friends ever buy mini. #**Mini They sell you car and then dont give a ** about it. All they ever do is we will document your complaint and we will handle it internally. WTF does that mean? If you dont have warranty on this dud, be ready to spend your hard earned $$.

My 2010 Mini Clubman S is a danger to everyone. 3 times in the past 2 months, the engine light has come on and then the gauges go out of control. The speedometer and RPMs go up and down wildly; the windows wont roll down; and the blinkers wont work. This is a serious hazard on the road especially if youre driving on the Autobahn. From what I have seen on several blogs, this is a common issue that has gone unresolved. It has 50,000 miles on it and I have already taken it to the shop to have the solenoids and gasket changed. 3rd times a charm I guess because oil is still leaking and the same issues have come back. It is extremely frustrating as a customer that a company would make such a pathetic product that has so many issues in their infancy of its life. People dont have time or money to spend deal with this crap. Mini should recall these vehicles because not only is it a serious safety hazard, but customers are losing massive amounts of money off the lot for ** product. Go back to the drawing board Mini! DONT BUY MINI!!!!!

I have a 2008 Clubman. Overall, I really like the car. I bought it used with less than 6K miles, at a really good price. I would like to get a new one, but there are issues that turn me off about Mini/BMW--the dealers/sales/service people are just taught to deny, deny, deny problems. My windshield looks like the surface of the moon. Its the angle, they say. Low to the ground, they say. I have had VW bugs in the old days with practically vertical windshields that were no further from the ground. They just put cheap, soft glass in the Minis, and it wont change.Their computer people are idiots--why would anyone think that they should totally reset my radio settings every time I get out of the car? Insane! The sunroof has no shield. At certain sun angles, the light is blinding--not a thing you can do about it--very dangerous. The instrument panel can be totally unreadable if you wear sunglasses with polarized lenses--totally blanks out your ability to read without removing your glasses. It was utterly stupid, and again, dangerous.

I took my vehicle in for an oil change and while there the dealer installed a Turbo Feed Line Heat Shield that is a recall item to protect the turbo feed line due to OVERHEATING. After the shield was installed I was informed that the turbo line is failing and oil is leaking because the PLASTIC O-Ring has been overheated causing it to degrade. Now the dealer wants to charge me $1500 to repair the leaking Turbo Feed line. The failure of this line was obviously caused by excessive heat around this line - the same reason that the heat shield needed to be installed! This is ridiculous and the item should be recalled and replaced. I am so dissatisfied with this car!

I bought the car with 28000 miles. Ive had two sets of tires, strut tower replaced, valve cover replaced, timing chain replaced, two thermostats, re-programmed, battery, window re-programmed twice, auxiliary fan replaced and now the ac compressor is out. I have spent three times my payments on this piece of crap. I will never buy another BMW product again.

Our car had problems that we could detect before 38K so we took it to a local dealership. They claimed that they do not see any issues and paid for transmission fluid replacement. We have a MINI Cooper 2004 that could not be driven, has 40k on it, was garaged, maintained properly, problems were apparent, but all we could do was to take it to a local dealership that sold us the car. They suggested that we change the transmission fluid and other maintenance, which we agreed to. The dealership assured us that nothing is wrong. They drove it over 100 miles and nothing was noted. We took the car home and had the same problems as before.When we called, there was no other response but that they cannot find anything wrong. Yet the car was towed several times and the dealership denied anything needs to be fixed. Unfortunately, at the time, we had experienced great personal tragedy and could not attend to a car or anything, just the bare essentials.Finally, when we took it to another private small company, they told us about the transmission problems that not only plague MINI Coopers, but that dealerships are known for not assisting with this and deny any responsibility. The same thing happened when we tried to call the corporate office. There is a class-action suit in CA and NJ, but what about the other states? We cannot put out almost $8,000 for another transmission on our MINI. What can we do? What do others do? Why all owners who have similar experience do not get together as folks in California? Why dont we inquire about MINI/BMW taking responsibility for a clearlyfaulty car that has brought us more headaches than we could ever imagined? Most of us saved years to get this car, as did our son. Most of us bought MINI as the dream car and depended on the MINI/BMW reputation. If anyone is able to put together a Web site and gather information from all owners from the U.S.A., I think that MINI would eventually have to assist us with the replacement of a transmission that they put in the car knowing that it does not work.We would do our part, but do not know what or where to turn, it helps to write for others not to buy the car. How could we get together and have something done? The corporate offices deny any culpability and claim that they are not aware of any problems. Transmission is way too expensive to replace and it is not the only thing people complain about, yet, outside from California activism, we just complain and do nothing.Does anyone have any suggestion? Someone with legal expertise? Someone who has experience with car mechanics? Someone who knows that it is possible to put pressure on MINI/BMW to request that they do something--given the years of knowledge of faulty transmissions?It is a sad story. We thought this was a reputable company. I am over 70 and would not want to part with the car that belonged to my deceased son. Could anyone suggest what can be done? Please contact me at ** if you believe that we indeed could accomplish something together.

SO SICK OF MINI. First the timing chain and engine head need replacing. Okay fine there is $1300. Now the vacuum pump needs to be replaced $719; $500 just for the part! Money I dont have. Ive only had this car a year and its a complete money pit. MINI needs to take responsibility for their product. Theyre a huge name company and theyre just tarnishing their name.

Bought my MINI Cooper S hardtop new over 3 years ago, and so far no major problems. It has been my favorite car I have owned after the x 1/9 I had many years ago.

I bought a Mini Cooper and it has 90,000 on it and didnt do my home work on them. Bad mistake. The cost for parts is very costly and labor is outrageous. It took all I had to get it out of the shop... I had to replace the alternator, 1800 to tell me that I need a transmission and that would be another 8000 thousand dollars. And then may have more things could be wrong. I would think that the manufacturer would want to know what made it go bad with low mileage so they could work out the bugs. You pay so much for a car that everything goes out on it with low mileage. I believe that you would have so much maintenance and high cost to buy one of these cars... and now I noticed that they dont have a warranty of 10 years or 100 thousand. If you cant afford to pay to drive then you need to stay away from buying a Mini Cooper. You better have a great big wallet $$$. Hope this helps someone else... thanks for reading.

Have a Mini (2006) that will crank over but wont start. Similar problem to Lura ** below. Does anyone have fixes or suggestions? Any help is welcome.

I am very disappointed at the sales practice in Morristown Mini. I would advise DO NOT buy car there, I had to bear a loss of $17,000 because this dealer didnt disclose the tire information at purchase. As a loyal customer, we have purchased a Mini Cooper two years ago and were satisfied with the car. However, when we decided to replace another car and got a Clubman last Sept. in the same dealership, nightmare started not long after the joy of having a fully loaded clubman. First snow, which as a resident of NY and NJ for 20 years, was really nothing, my husband though couldnt even drive the car up to a small hill for my daughters music lesson, it was a dangerous zigzag. We couldnt figure out why. Until we sent car to dealer, they told us its performance tire and cannot be driven under 40 degrees. Since we bought it at 6k miles, no one bothered to disclose this information to us. And I tried to call dealership, the manager never called me back. We are caught off guard. We purchased a car not suitable for weather here. After that, the car is mostly stalled on the driveway, upon recent snow storm, when we had to go out during and after snow to get gas for generator. So, after 5 months of suffering, we terminated car with $17K loss... Bought a SUV with all season tire.

I was with my children and had to call the roadside assistance due to temp/engine light suddenly coming on. I also was told there were no carriers in the area and we were on the freeway and it was getting dark. There was no sense of urgency and she said, We will keep trying and call you back. I called a tow company after dialing 411 (took 5 mins) and called Mini roadside assistance back and told them I had found a place that would do it. They asked me for the number and name of company which I gave them. The woman said, Thanks for doing this, I would have never found it. (Isnt that their job?) After waiting another 45 mins we were finally rescued. I just wasnt impressed with the level of service and cant imagine how its even functional. She kept calling me the wrong name and said, Where did you say you were again? It was almost comical. I love my Mini but this was not good.

I own a 2010 Mini Cooper Clubman. Like others, I have loved the car - fun to drive, cute. I was fully prepared to replace her once she had finished her useful life. I did NOT expect that to happen soon after I paid her off and before 60K miles! As others have stated, repairs are costly - I purchased an extended maintenance package and have kept up on regular maintenance through the dealer and have used premium gas as recommended. About 2 years ago I had to have the spark plugs completely replaced - dealer blamed it on poor gas. This year alone I have experienced: Valvetronic Motor and Centric Shaft issues - the car engine light came on and the car could not go above 5 miles an hour. Mini wanted $3K to repair stating it was out of warranty. I pushed back and they ultimately covered it but what a hassle! Now, 2 months later, I am experiencing over-heating issues. AGAIN, the car does not even have 60K miles on her! I am now constantly on high alert, expecting another problem. I am frustrated because when I researched the Mini reliability seemed high. That has not been my experience.

2009 Mini Cooper S owner - In 2014 It was love at first sight, so much so that I flew to Colorado to Ralph Schomp Mini to pick up my car and make the drive back to Texas. A real beauty - pepper white with blue racing stripes, a blue jean style convertible top, gorgeous black rims, paddle shifters, heated leather seats, and only 30k miles!! I should have done my research. This year is a lemon. There is a huge class action lawsuit where Mini admits the Timing Chain is defective. Shortly after buying my car (in 2014) I received a notice in the mail regarding the lawsuit. Of course, I panicked and went to the nearest Mini Dealership, Momentum Mini, who calmed all my insecurities stating the timing chain was replaced and handled by Ralph Schomp Mini.Funny thing is in February of 2017 my car started the famous Death Rattle (go ahead and google it). The class action lawsuit was good for 7 years of 100,000 miles for the noted years with the defective timing chain. Here I am with my Mini in the dealership, around 2.5 years after purchasing (and after the timing chain was replaced) and Im told the entire part was not in fact replaced, only looked at, and Mini decided the entire timing chain kit did not need replaced. Mini has DENIED any liability in this defective part of in the improper replacement. My bill is now running well over $2,000. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER MINI... and I was the owner of two. My mistake. Mini has soured me. Do your due diligence and read the reviews online. Many people this year are experiencing multiple timing chain replacements among many other repairs. Its not worth it... and theyre not a company that stands behind their product or their customers. Awful.

I was pressured into buying a car that I didnt need... purchased car because warranty was running out. I asked if I could extend... they lied, saying that I could not pay for an extension.

I bought my Mini from the dealer - the owners daughter had driven it for 11k km. I got an extended warranty 160k and then it took two weeks to get delivery because the electronics in the car wouldnt allow it to pass emissions. Since then I have put 90k but have been through hell with the electronics telling the car the brakes were worn out 3 times but they werent, sometimes it wouldnt start, the CD player quits all the time, the air bag light comes on all the time etc etc. Its endless to write it all. The dealer each time says They cant replicate this condition and reset the computer. We can land on the moon but cant fix a Mini. Stay as far away from a BMW Mini as you can. Great car to drive - just too many problems and nobody that can fix them.

I bought my 2007 Mini S brand new. At 40,000 miles I was hearing a loud rattling noise. Ended up being the timing chain and the tensioner. Then: Valve cover assembly, thermostat housing, cleaned intake solenoid, cleaned valves and ports, replaced turbo coolant pump, second valve cleaning, spark plugs, catalytic converter, oil pan gasket, valve cover, ignition coil, second timing chain, intake valve cleaning, wiring harness. A total in excess of $7,000.00!! None of this was preventive maintenance. This was all done because its the biggest piece of Crap Ive ever owned. Thank the Lord, I just sold mine. Finally I am stress free!

Updated on 03/26/2019: The last time I posted my Mini was in the shop (at 55k) having the head gasket replaced. 8k later the head gasket had to be replaced again. The shop wanted to re-check the car 500 miles after the repair, which they did, and all was well. Decided as soon as the first sunny, reasonably warm day came I was going to clean/wax the car and get rid of it. The other day fit the bill so I went to the auto parts store to buy wax, etc. Got out of the car and noticed the fan was running. Managed to make it back home without any lights coming on, but the fan continued to run. 10 minutes later I went to start it to move it a few feet in the driveway and the engine light came on and the car didnt want to start. The car just turned 65k and has always been maintained. We have mechanical breakdown coverage through our insurance and frankly Im hoping the entire engine is bad and we can just get whatever they give us for it and be done with it. Absolutely a blast to drive --- but from a mechanical standpoint its far and above THE worst car Ive ever owned.Original Review: Although my 2012 (hardtop) Mini is a blast to drive I will NEVER buy another one. Just turned 55k miles and Ive already had to replace tires/rotors, ignition coils, and the water pump. It is currently in the shop with head gasket/engine repairs to the tune of $2,500.00. Thank goodness for the mechanical breakdown coverage we opted to buy when we bought the new Mini! Its absurd to have this many expensive repairs on a car with only 55k miles!!

I purchased my 2007 Mini Cooper S used in October of 2010. Shortly after purchasing, I was contacted by Mini to tell me about a warranty recall in the transmission, which resulted in replacing the transmission, clutch, timing chain, all of that. This did not cost me anything as it was under warranty. Ive always followed the regular maintenance schedule for my vehicle and have only had small repair issues for the most part. However, I took my Mini in for an oil change Nov. 21, 2014 and also to ask about a knocking I was hearing in the engine. I got a phone call from the dealership near the end of the day with some pretty bad news. Apparently, my timing chain is broken and has also broken the guide rails (Im not sure what those are), causing pieces of metal and plastic to fall into my oil tank. The cost to replace the timing chain is $1566. I was pretty shocked, since there was no indication anything was wrong with my vehicle. I was told that a leak in my turbo oil supply line is what caused the timing chain to break. Basically, every time the turbo was engaged, oil was just spewing out everywhere... I never saw it on the ground because it would burn off and didnt leak while the turbo wasnt engaged. I was told by the dealership Mini doesnt have an internal oil sensor to tell you if your oil level is low. My Mini was almost bone dry when I took it to the dealership and thats what caused the timing chain to break. So, to fix the leak and the timing chain, Im looking at almost $3,000. To me, this is completely unacceptable. Ive always taken good care of my vehicle, and the fact that there is an engineering flaw (not having a low oil LEVEL sensor - they have a low oil pressure sensor... but that doesnt come on until your car has about a quart of oil left) isnt my fault. And I dont really think I should have to come out of pocket $3K for it. So now, my Mini is sitting in my garage and not being driven because I cant convince myself to fork out the cash. Im working with the company right now and Im hoping theyll pay for this repair since its a systematic breakdown of their own engineering flaws.

Mini Cooper S 2006 Convertible - New radiator and cooling system at 5k, 3 new convertible roofs due to rotting weather stripping, one rat attack, one harmonic balancer, one transmission, engine mounts, transmission mount, control arm bushings - all at 65k.

I have Mini Cooper Clubman 2009. When I start the car the engine RPM is going up to 3, then going down and up weirdly, then it go back to the normal under 1, then the exhaust pipe is spitting out a black dirt when I started the car and the gas smell is everywhere. When tried to stop the car while driving, specially when the automatic transmission is going down from 2-speed to 1-speed. The car is going crazy like I cannot stop and the RPM is going up and down again. Please help me, thanks.

I bought my Mini 2 years ago this month. A year ago, my car was stalling so I brought it to the dealer to see what was wrong. They told me it was the quality of the gas that was causing the problem. I had asked if it could be the transmission and I was told no, the Mini has a sealed transmission and thats not the case. Needless to say, a couple of weeks ago, I took it to the dealer once again with the same problem. $1,500 later, I was told it’s the ball joints and spark plugs that were ruined. I pick up my car and it’s far worse than what it was in the beginning. At this point, it was not drivable, so I returned the car to the dealer. I was then told it was my transmission and that I need to replace it and it would cost me $8,900. How ridiculous. I bought the car for $11,500, so how can a transmission cost more than half of my car? Im so disappointed at Mini. I thought when I bought the car that was doing a great investment but obviously not!

In the summer of 2016 I bought a used 2013 Mini Countryman S from a Mercedes Dealer at 75,000 KM (just under 50,000 mi) thinking it is German and therefore, quality. I also bought a 3 year extended warranty through a 3rd party carrier and thank god I did. The car is now at 105,000 km and we have had the vehicle into Mini BMW 4 times. The thermostat, solenoids, spark plugs, water pump, hoses, pipes, chains, belt and the headlights have all gone in that time. Every time I go in I have to pay the ridiculous diagnostic fee and the $300 deductible. Some of those repairs are routine maintenance, sure, but I also own a 2013 Kia Soul at 160,000 km which I’ve only had to replace a couple lights and the brakes and tires on. I’m going to sell the Mini as soon as I get a reasonable offer for it. It’s an absolute piece of garbage. I would never buy a Mini product again, and by proxy would never buy BMW. I’ve heard they’re just as bad.

Yes! I am finally sending my Mini to the junk yard tomorrow with not even 100,000 miles on it! The first transmission blew up early on. Of course, like most of the others, I found the replacement cost insane. I found a replacement at a junky which I could afford. That lasted a few years and yes, that blew up too. I also had the mysterious misfire in cylinder 4 that you read about. My cooling system /radiator went down. My drivers side door wouldnt open unless you threw yourself against it. The back hatch wouldnt close properly, so it leaked. My drivers seat broke. I had a few broken windshields like you read about. The computer never worked right. What a nightmare!

We have had our 2007 Mini-Cooper for less than three years. We bought it, used, and spent a small fortune just to get it running right first thing after we got it. Now the timing chain has caused our car to be completely unusable. It is going to cost upwards of $8000.00 to fix. We have read everything we can about this happening to our mini and like the thousands of other owners, are extremely upset that Mini has not taken any responsibility for this built-in failure. We love our Mini and are greatly disappointed that our Mini will have to be abandoned and we will no longer drive another Mini, EVER. They are way too expensive to fix… if you can find anyone in your area to fix them. Short love affair with a high maintenance gold-digging lover!

I bought a 2012 Mini Cooper non-turbo hatchback in September of 2011. In the nearly two and a half years I owned it, it was in the shop seven times, more than a week three times and for two months once. The water pump failed early on and took the head with it, that was the two-month repair. I have had problems with sensors, brakes, starter, and the before-mentioned water pump. While the car is well-conceived and a great amount of fun to drive, the reliability is miserable. I work in a tough part of a major city and cannot risk being stranded anywhere near my office. Mini Cooper road service is a joke. Of the five times the car stranded me Mini Cooper Road service only effected a rescue tow one time. I traded the car last week just before the warranty expired. Glad to be out from under that nightmare.

I have had this 2007 Mini diesel from new, and it broke down at 19,055 miles. I took car straight to Mini BMW garage, Bournemouth, where I was told that the clutch was gone. I replied that I have never had a clutch go on any of my other cars in all my years of driving, and didnt think that 19,055 miles was reasonable time to go on. They agreed and they quoted me a price of £1,300 if it was my fault, and they would give me a call back on if it was faulty or was my fault. They called later to let me know the clutch and flywheel were gone and was now going to cost me £2,500 and it was my driving that caused this. I replied to the above explaining that I never had a clutch go before ever, etc. They contacted the Mini head office who said that they would agree to not charge me for parts, but I would have to pay for labor, this being £1,334. This was including a further 10% discount from Mini BMW garage. I was not happy with this and sent 3 emails to Mini customer service saying I was not happy, but they said they thought they were being very fair with this price. My argument was that I have had car from new and 19,055 was not good, stating that this wasnt an isolated case as I had researched the internet on this matter, and they said internet information was not genuine and they take facts from their records (funny that as they are not available for me to see!).The outcome is that as the car had been with them for over a week and they had said if I take legal action, they would withdraw their offer. So as I needed the car, I agreed and paid for the labor. I am very angry on this and feel they just fobbed me off. I am now scared that something else goes that’s going to cost this much to something I think was not fair under the Sales of Goods 1979 Act. I had this car from new and have never let anyone else drive my car. I have been driving for over 30 years and have been complimented on my smooth driving. I am 48 and not a boy racer! But now I feel they have also insulted my driving. From their action, I will never buy a new Mini BMW ever again. I also cant afford to take legal action upon Mini BMW. So basically I am left feeling broke and angry on this matter.

60,000 and I need a new engine. Had the car 1 1/2 yrs. Mechanic told me damage was done BEFORE I bought it. Timing chain, oil, etc just like all the other complaints and Im getting the run-around. Thought BMW was a great product.... Guess not.

I have (had) been a loyal Cincinnati Mini customer for the past 10 years. I have owned 2 vehicles and feel that that should have warranted me as a loyal customer. However, after my latest vehicle had over $15,000 in repairs, causing it to be worthless to both me, Mini and anyone else, I am not a happy customer. ($3000 repairs in February. Repairs in May estimated initially to be another $3700 (transfer case issue due to All Wheel Drive poor design), ended up being the transmission failure (additional $7000 estimate plus $4500 clutch that was shot after they put the transmission back in). I was willing to accept my loss, but the dealership decided to rub my nose in the issue by charging me an additional $590 to tell me the news. (And they expected me to be grateful for not charging me restocking fees for the parts they could not use). I was told by the service department manager (Steve) that he would look into my loyalty dollars and see about getting me a deal on a new mini. (This was on Friday afternoon). By Monday, I had to call them to find out what the deal was. Basically it was a used demo that had no special features and would cost me over $30,000. I was basically treated like a piece of garbage. I ended up paying the $590 to tow it away (sold it for parts for $700). MINI offered to “keep it” in exchange for my $590 bill. How kind. There was no way I was going to give it to them to fix up and resell to an unsuspecting customer. I’m amazed that there hasn’t been a lawsuit come down about All Wheel Drive transfer case. Steve shared several times that it was a design flaw MINI was aware of. (I have been so upset by this experience it has taken me several months to calm down to report it. Do yourself a favor and really research the dealer and the car before buying).

I have been driving a stick shift for over 20 years. I have over 400,000 miles driving one. I have NEVER lost a clutch until Mini Cooper 2010 with less than 38,500 miles on it went. I called corporate, I called dealership. I was ACTUALLY told You can drive a car off the lot, brand new and it could break. That was enough to tell me to NEVER buy a Mini Cooper again. I have an 11 year old Mazda 3 with 90,000 miles that has cost me less to fix in the last 11 years than the Mini did in the last year. They do NOT stand behind their product and can clearly care less about quality and workmanship. They said a clutch is a wear and tear part and there is nothing to be done. Wear a dress tear at 38,000 miles when another car I owned hit over 100,000 miles or close without losing a clutch...its a DEFEAT and they know it!Yesterday, I get into the car and it decides it doesnt want to accelerate past 26 mph and it took 5 min to get there. I live in a MAJOR metro area. I was almost hit 7 times on my way HOME! I dont consider it poor quality anymore. I consider it endangering to me and others on the road. I have 8 months before its paid for and I have already spent almost the purchase price to fix it. Not worth it. It was fun to drive and was great on gas, the only reason I bought the car to begin with, now I want it gone! I no longer feel safe. I would rather drive my 11 year old Mazda. Its safer and more reliable.

I bought my 2014 Mini Cooper from the Escondido CA store and I have had nothing but problems with the car. When I have brought my concerns to the service advisor they were rude and unhelpful. I do not recommend purchasing a Mini from this dealership.

We purchased a 2019 Mini Countryman 3 weeks ago. A overheating issue came up and coolant was leaking. Dealer says rocks punctured the radiator so it was not covered under warranty and we are trying to go through our insurance or we have to pay for it. My concern is that the makeup of the vehicle is such that a rock or rocks while driving on regular roads can cause this damage. This has to be extremely uncommon for any vehicle and curious if anyone has had this experience.

I had my 2012 4 door Mini Cooper piece of junk for 2 years and needed to return to the dealer at least 12 times for various repairs. This car is a piece of junk. Nothing about it is normal. You cant buy a normal battery for $100 because the Mini battery has a stupid vent hose, so of course its going to cost $350! You cant change a lightbulb on your own because a sensor light goes off that there is an electrical problem. It needed an engine gasket after only 60,000 miles. The engine light was constantly going off. And, of course, the stupid dealer would not covered under warranty! Do not buy this car! It shouldnt be offered to the public! Amazingly, Mini (BMW) put all the money into perfecting sensors for every stupid idiotic problem with the car, but no money into making a decent transmission and engine!

I bought my new Mini Cooper 2012 in November of 2011. The saleswoman never told me that it did not have an alarm system. The car shakes, and now the paint is peeling off. I have been waiting for 2 months to get an answer when they are going to fix it! Cannot speak to a manager and no one gives me any time line!

I bought a 2016 Mini Cooper from Monrovia Mini Cooper in 2016. Im the original owner. I have taken the car back for tire vibration and was told that is because I bought the sport edition and the ride is rougher. I later found out that was a lie when I took my car to Just Tires to do an alignment. I was actually told my rear tires are cupping and this is due to either the shock or the rear struts are worn out. I took my car to Mini Cooper and they told me this is a low problem with the Mini Cooper as the rear end of the car is to light. So you either have to rotate your tires more often or buy new tires more often. I also noticed that my transmission started feeling like it was slipping as it would jerk my head back from time to time. I took my car to the same dealer for this issue as well and they said there is nothing they can do until they can replicate the issue.I have taken my car at least 10 time for the same issue with the transmission. I told the service Mgr. if I would have known about the tire issue prior to my purchase I would not have purchased the car. I also said that the transmission is a safety issue as I was stopped at a red light and it turned green but I have no transmission as the car would not move until I raced the engine and it grabbed into gear and I almost hit the car in front of me. NOTE: I feel this car is a LEMON but Mini will not do anything.

I have the 2.0 Mini Copper S Petrol, well built and well finished. Beautiful to drive and great fun. However the most annoying thing for me, is the use of extremely cheap and discolouring plastic trim on the outside. My car is a very late 2017 and the plastic is marked and get, I have tried all sorts of plastic treatment including the one in my mini pack but nothing really restores it. Compared to my Wifes 2016 Mazda CX5 which is still perfect and any plastic product makes it look like new. Before the Mini, I have owned BMWs since 1999, never experienced this problem before, its very poor and lets the whole car down.

I had fallen in love with Mini Coopers while stationed overseas, and finally got one for myself in 2016! I was so in love with that car and excited! For the first 5 months I had no problems! Put Blizzaks on it for winter and off I went. Then summer came and I found out that I had no AC in 95 degree weather. Then the bearings went out. I went to the dealership and from the get go, they made me feel like they had no interest in dealing with me at all. The guy who had been my salesman walked by me like he didnt know me when I said hello. Then, after driving 2 hours to their dealership, they tell me that they didnt have the part they thought they had for the AC and made me come back the NEXT Friday, AFTER I WAITED FOR 4 HOURS for them to tell me that.Getting the bearings done on it was a nightmare with them. The mechanic didnt know I was the owner of the car and came in and said to the guy at the counter, I really hate her car, its terrible. I couldnt believe it! I immediately walked over and said, why is that? They had no clue what to do at that point. The service and lack of professionalism and customer service was the worst Ive ever encountered in all the years Ive been purchasing vehicles. If I had been smarter, I wouldve read the reviews prior to buying, but I was so excited about owning a MINI, that I didnt bother. Lesson learned. I will NEVER buy another Mini Cooper again, or anything to do with BMW for that matter.

I just bought a 2009 Mini Cooper S from Carmax last week with 21,000 miles on it. I drove it less than 400 miles before the clutch became an issue. I took the car to Carmax for warranty work and was told that the dealer would have to do the service. Sure enough, the dealer stated it was not covered under warranty due to normal wear and tear. Based on all the comments Ive read on this forum, I am returning the car to Carmax for a full refund since I am not the only one with this same issue. I understand that buying a used car is a buyer beware situation, but Mini Cooper should be more responsive to a problem that exists for many owners. Mini Cooper is not building a quality product and I will never buy another Mini Cooper.

I just bought a 08 Mini Cooper S Automatic with 77,000 miles. The person I bought it from showed me an inspection done at Mini in Pleasanton, and showed walnut blasting done to fix check engine light. I was told that was the only issue. After buying it, the check engine light came on 2 days later. I took it back to Mini in Pleasanton, they told me actually there was a big list of problems the seller never disclosed to me. Upon questioning him, he (Sean) who works at Nohrs RV center, said he felt the other items were not important so never showed me the paperwork.The other work that he had written paperwork needing consisted of water pump leaking needs replacement, vacuum pump replacement, fuel feed line, air intake boot cracked. So, I left car at the Mini dealer for 2 days to check everything. I found out on top of those issues it also needs the timing chain replaced, which Mini customer service refused to help pay anything towards, well known Mini defect. Also valve cover gasket needs replacement, and catalytic converter. I was tricked by the salesperson at Nohrs RV center in Pleasanton in the beginning, and now found out these cars have so many issues, as the manufacturer does not stand behind their product at all.

I also own a 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman S and have had nothing but problems. This vehicle was supposed to be very reliable and the BMW brand was pushed hard during sales process as to show quality. I have paid for a major repair almost every year Ive owned it. At 50 years of age, this is the WORST QUALITY vehicle I have ever owned. The Mini and BMW brands are hype.

Mini Cooper S 2006 70k miles - transmission bumped, brought it to the dealer and they said the transmission needs to be REPLACED. I asked why cant they change the valve body instead of a $9000 transmission. Mini will not fix them but only replace them. The biggest scam ever and they are getting away with it. Now when I see a Mini, I laugh.

MINI USA apparently got my address as an incorrect address from a customer who bought a MINI. They failed to confirm my email address, instead immediately putting me on their email list, and also sent my email address to 2 other companies (which fortunately honored unsubscribe requests). I have tried to unsubscribe and complain to MINIs customer service, but I continue to receive emails from them for 3 weeks now. They need to fix their customer service and their IT infrastructure to honor unsubscribe requests immediately.

My 2017 Mini Cooper Coupe is amazing, she is so fast & compact, I can fit her in any parking space! I like the British racing green color & white accents, sunroof, futuristic look, and dealer personnel.

By now, every Mini owner should know of failures of the power steering fan, pump and guard and that Mini has pledged to repair or reimburse owners for breakdowns. I applied for reimbursement in May 2013 and have yet to receive it. Mini-USA told me it may be 2014 before I receive my check. My automobile shifter linkage failed within a month of purchase; it spent ten days in service five or more times the first year alone for this one problem that freezes the transmission in 5th gear. Repairs made to this automobile: At 90k miles, I have replaced 4 or 5 clutches, a transmission, power steering pump, throttle body, ac compressor and condenser, fan, alternator, both power window regulators, motor mounts and rear strut. Electrical harnesses connected to the warning system are prone to fail from rainwater leaks and/or require cleaning service. Dealer estimated charges for each of the above repairs average 1000.00 USD. Responsiveness of dealer and manufacturer is almost non-existent. I estimate I have paid 6000.00 for repairs in the last 30,000 miles.

1009 Mini Cooper S suddenly died after getting off of OC Freeway in the rain. Dead stop, cannot even charge battery. Clunking noise the day before. Towed to auto repair ... tensioner broke, blowing up gaskets, engine. Repair $3500. No warning light came on at all, just the clunking noise the day before. Engine light comes on for low tire but not tensioner!! The thermostat went out last month and then a week later the water pump. $5000 in one month. Very discouraging since after reading about it the tension will break again, since its such a bad design. Is there anything one can do?

2007 Mini Cooper s - Replaced oil pipe, gasket, spark plugs, timing chain, #1, 2, 4 cylinder. They couldnt fix #3. Finally need engine replacement at 68,000. Insurance wont cover. Car totaled waiting on settlement. SIMPLE; DONT BUY A MINI.

My wife and I purchased a brand new 2011 Mini Clubman S in Dec. of 2010. We have already had the water pump circuit board replaced, passenger side window motor, passenger side window regulator replaced under warranty. On 3 December 2013, my wife was driving home and at one light the car was fine. 300 feet down the road, the clutch pedal was stuck to the floor and the clutch would not disengage. Here it is 1 week later after the Mini of Nashville has had it at their shop my wife and I drive the 70 miles to the dealership to find out that the clutch and flywheel are toast. The dealer showed me the clutch and it was completely bare with no clutch material present. The flywheel was sent back to Mini to be fixed and then resold as a refurbished part even though I had to pay the $3200 to get the parts replaced. Today I could not even pick the car up because the car is still acting up. The BMW tech thinks it might be a bad throw out bearing. So after $3200 in repairs, I still have no car to drive. After I get the car back, I will be trading it in for a Ford Explorer.

2009 Mini Cooper S Convertible - I havent even had this car one year - the turbo has been replaced and now the check engine light wont go off and they are saying it is carbon build up... but the In Drive that I utilize with State Farm says Power Train failure.

I have a 2007 Mini Cooper S, 6-speed manual transmission and is just under 60,000 miles. Had to replace clutch for being worn down. Body shops quoted me at least $2500 for clutch kit + labor. After research and talking to all my friends, clutch can be worn down and may be replaced after 100,000 miles. All the mechanics I talked to say its very unusual for this to happen at 60,000 miles. Clutch may wear down earlier if you were constantly driving on a hill, driving up mountains all the time... which I have not. Ive been driving for 16 years and I know how to drive a manual. I also had to replace all four coils and the fuel pump which was another $1000. I had a 15-yr-old Civic with 250,000 miles prior to this Mini. I miss my Civic. Never gave me any problems.

I purchased a 2003 Mini Cooper from Orange Empire. After 7 months of owning the vehicle, it started acting funny when driven more than 50 mph. It pulled back, hesitated. I took it back to the dealer where I purchased it and all they could recommend at that time was to have Irvine Mini Cooper check it out. So I dropped the car off at Orange Empire. They made the arrangement with Irvine Mini to have it checked. When I picked up the vehicle, they had reset the transmission and changed the transmission oil. This mickey mouse work only lasted for about a year and the same problem came back again. Mini Coopers are very hard to diagnose or at least several of the shops I took it couldnt find the problem until I took it to a shop that was highly recommended. Their diagnosis was the transmission needed to be replaced. The cost is approx $8,000 which is outrageous. Since then, I have been following a lot of blogs reporting the same problem Im having with Mini Coopers that were released in 2002-2005. I guess, BMW realized that the transmission in these models did not function to satisfaction and made changes from 2006 and above. But what about the rest of us that have bought Mini Coopers from 2002-2005? Are we stuck with such a high bill because BMW doesnt want to take responsibility? Im highly disappointed and angry. The car oil or any repairs arent cheap. Im still paying for my car and on top of it, I have to pay for a bad transmission? Not fair. Please help the thousands of us that own these vehicles. Thank you for your time.

I own a 2006 Cooper S convertible. I just read the blog on 12/9/2011. I have experienced exactly the same. I have taken the car into the Mini dealer at 12,000, 24,000, 32000 and 47000 for the same issue, each time to be told that the computer shows no fault found. I have serviced the transmission and had Mini Cooper service look at it again at 94,000. The car has been kept in excellent condition. The car will surge and the tachometer dial will move then the car grabs and shifts hard, sometimes making the tires squeal. I have had an independent mechanic drive the car to agree that there is an issue with the transmission. This is a manual transmission with the steptronic paddle shift capability. After having the transmission serviced, driving the car home and the transmission would not shift out of the gear. It was in and would not move forward other than a 5 to 7 mile idle. This happened while driving in rush hour traffic.

I have a works Mini Cooper turbo charged and it produces excessive heat to the hood and air scoop mounted to the hood.... Over a period of time the plastic air scoop has warped and now need replacing at a cost of $350. My contention is this is a design flaw and BMW Mini should provide the service and labour free of charge because a heat deflector needs to be mounted to prevent this problem and therefore it should be a recall.I have looked on numerous Mini forums and it is common place among readers so the problem does exist and the Mini technician are aware of this as I was told this by one of their techs during a service visit.

Since March, 2018 I have been attempting to resolve an issue with the timing chain in my 2008 Mini Cooper S. The timing chain failed while the vehicle was in motion on the highway, causing the vehicle to lose power. A dealership has confirmed that the timing chain is in fact the problem with the vehicle (it may also be the case that the timing being off is causing issues with the valves). Conversations with the Mini USA customer relations and even BMW North American (their parent company) lead nowhere, and the manufacturer refuses to take any responsibility for the defective timing chains in these vehicles. There was a class action lawsuit regarding these timing chains, but Mini somehow got away with not having to issue a recall despite the obvious safety issues caused by timing chain failure when a vehicle is in motion. It is criminal that Mini refuses to issue a recall and refuses to assist customers with necessary repairs associated with their defective manufacturing. These cars are fun to drive when theyre operating properly, which isnt the case most of the time. I would rate them lower if I could, but 1 star is the minimum. Buyers beware! Mini is a shifty and dishonest company that will not stand behind its product.

I recently brought in my 2005 Mini Cooper S Convertible for some jerky shifting issues about three weeks ago. Mini told me that they connected it to a computer to modify the timing of the shifting and sent me home after telling me that they fixed the issue. After a few days, the jerky shifting returned and I drove the car back to Grand Rapids Mini to have it checked again. I was told 45 minutes later that I need a new transmission. My car has 68,000 miles on it and has been services consistently at Mini for ALL maintenance issues, during and after warranty. The cost, $10,580.00 with parts and labor. After doing a bit of research, I found that there was a class action lawsuit settlement regarding the CVT transmission in the older model Mini Coopers, of which my particular mini falls under the category.After posting a complaint on Minis Facebook page, I did receive a phone call in reference to my issue. Tina, a Mini Cooper motoring relations team member, called to tell me that she was instructed not to discuss my case with me until I have received information from Grand Rapids... A very unproductive discussion. Grand Rapids called to offer a whole 25% off the cost of parts and labor with the new $10,580.00 transmission. I declined and told them that the offer is unacceptable and frankly, disrespectful. I called Tina back to discuss this case with her further only to be told that the offer from Grand Rapids was the only offer that could be made. After requesting to talk with a supervisor or manager THREE times, I was forwarded to Simon ** at Mini Corporate.Simon talked over me several times, told me that there is no record of my car being serviced at Mini of Grand Rapids, which it has been serviced there and ONLY THERE since 2008, for which I have documentation, and told me that my car is too old to fall under the category of the class action lawsuit, even with only 68,000 miles on it. He stuck to the 25% discount on parts and labor and that was it.I cant believe that BMW/Mini Cooper can really pass by without a recall of this transmission considering all of the well-documented material online regarding the lawsuit. How can we get a recall? Does it take death? Are faulty transmissions not considered to be a safety issue? This is ridiculous. I will NEVER purchase another Mini again and I will advise my friends and family against it. Customer Service is horrible and not taking responsibility for your own manufactured issues is disgusting. Mini sucks.

I like the Mini Cooper a lot. It stood up to a wreck but its pretty worn down now and its very expensive to fix. The drain for the oil pan somehow has become stripped and its a custom ordered part. So its not an easy fix. No money is tight and I havent been able to fix it. So Im worried for it.

Ive owned 3 Mini Coopers. A 2013, an 2002 Mini Cooper S, and an 2014 Mini Cooper Coupe S. Ive had nothing but great Motoring with all 3. Doing normal maintenance, oil changes, tire rotations, will eliminate a lot of your problems. But Ive had excellent luck with all 3. The cars are manufactured by BMW. Ive owned BMWs in the past and they were excellent automobiles.

As mentioned by thousands of other unsatisfied owners of Mini Cooper, I am also a victim of the dreaded CVT transmission. Had I known about the unreliability and short term of CVT transmission in ’06 (apparently BMW did), I would not have wasted my money on a Mini. Dont buy a Mini. My transmission just gave out without any warning. And now, I am left with nothing due to the expensive cost of the repair and not being able to afford it. I hope you burn in hell BMW. BMW has a class action lawsuit against them regarding the CVT issues but will not acknowledge or help. I am going to park the car in a parking lot until the suit is settled. Hope it will be soon.

I had a Cooper S 2008 which had few issues only. Oil leaks. AC compressor failed. Gear box will not go after 3. Talking fair. NEVER buy this crappy product. I will not pay a penny for 2015 brand new with 10 years warrant. THANKING you and hope readers will know its good if you have 2 cars and you work for the agent.

I bought my 2010 Clubman about six months ago from the Mini dealer in Jacksonville, FL. I asked about the timing/mileage for tuneups, oil changes, etc. The salesman told me that this was all computer controlled - all I had to do was watch the dashboard lights and readout. I read the manual especially the section about maintenance. It is important to note that neither the salesman nor the cars manual states anything about checking the oil level or water level on a periodic basis. Neither the salesman nor the manual states that the oil level is monitored by one of the cars computers and lights/readout.So, one day the engine light comes on. The manual says it is okay to drive slowly with the light on. Which is exactly what I did -- I headed the car to the shop. Unfortunately, in less than one mile the car died. The car was towed to the shop. The engine threw a rod due to a lack of oil: there was less than one liter of oil in the pan. Now I am facing a $7000 bill to replace the engine. Why wasnt I informed to check the oil periodically? Had I done so, my engine would not have died. Mini was on notice of the lack of oil level monitoring and on notice as to oil usage/burning; however, Mini was completely silent. Question - is there a lawyer out there who is interested in a gross negligence lawsuit against Mini? If so, please contact me.

I recently purchased my wife a 2014 Mini Countryman all wheel drive for her safety. Driving it home over 1000 miles away, it broke down. Getting Mini Road service to communicate was miserable at best. Then we find only a Mini dealer can do the repairs. Do you really want a car so limited? My wife is stuck in the middle of nowhere, half of the way home. Mini will tow it to one of their dealers for repair and that is their limits. Please check out how few Mini dealers there are in the United States and realize you may buy a beautiful car that everyone seems to like but you are putting yourself in harms way. And plan on spending lots of time in desolate spots in the world awaiting the Mini dealer to fix your car while they will not allow or tell you of other Automobile dealers or repairmen that can or will fix your tin can.

I am writing because I am shocked at the terrible reviews I just read. I have owned my 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible since November 2005 and have never had a single problem. Of course some of that may be due to the amount of miles I have on it (about 38,000). We drive it from N.C. to Fl and return once yearly. Although there are only a few miles, the main thought I have is, why havent I had any problems in the 12 years I have owned it? Anyway just want to share my good news after reading the previous ones.

I love my Mini. Aside from some superficial quality issues (bits of the grill have just simple fallen off on three different occasions), my 2011 Cooper has held up well. I utterly detest working with Mini dealerships. The list of reasons is long: Celebrity name dropping at Santa Ana on the day I purchased the vehicle in 2013. It just so happened to be a celebrity who knows quite a few gaming acquaintances and friends of mine, no less - and yes I directly told that person what happened. The utter lies told to us about our warranty and how it works, even when we showed noted from date of purchase which showed different information. The racial slurs tossed at me in Torrance by a car wash attendant. A regional BMW manager had to reach out personally to resolve that situation. The bizarre fees for even looking at a car (which change with every call and each dealership), ranging from $50-$250, even when the car was under full extended warranty. The misogynistic garbage I was fed by not only by the maintenance associate but the liaison to the general manager who told me that the first guy is close to his mother so couldnt possibly have treated me with disrespect.

Purchased a 2006 Mini S last year with 67,000 miles. Have put another 1000 miles on it... until it stopped working. Last week I drove it around town to do several errands. Got in it to go home and turned the key, it cranked but wont turn over. Had it towed to a mechanic who three days later said come and get your car. We cant help you. Towed it to the nearest MINI dealer. Theyve had it for two weeks and cant their diagnostic equipment to work on it. Said they created a case file and asked for advice from a corporate engineer. Called yesterday and asked about progress. Still working on it. They asked if I had any ideas. Ah ha ha ha.... Really? Like the look of the car... am not trusting the BMW engine. How can they be proud of their product?

I own a 2015 Mini Cooper Base Convertible. It came out of warranty 4 months ago but it only has 17,500 miles. The Check Engine Light came on and the car was stalling. Global Imports Mini, Chamblee, GA diagnosed the problem as Spark Plug Coils, and as a result over-heating and a new thermostat. $1250 later its running great. Dont keep a Mini past the warranty. Dont buy a used one out of warranty (unless you have a few thousand dollars to spare for repairs). The quality and robustness simply are not there. The car has been cheapened to the point the quality is almost, but not quite as good as a Czechoslovakian Yugo. When Minis first came out they were great value...but BMW was losing money on them. Year by year the build cost and the quality have both come down and the car is a shadow of its former self (in terms of quality and reliability). By the way...Mini USA doesnt care if you are 1 day and 1 mile out of warranty....you are on your own (if you didnt buy an extended warranty)! I asked them if the car is only supposed to last 17,500 miles before major repairs. They were really, really sorry and sympathized with me. But basically said, Tough luck, you are on your own.

I know I am going to get bashed for posting this but understand the only reason is to let Mini customers know that repairs they are paying for at Mini Georgian or after talking to Mini Canada may have been a warranty repair. Georgian Mini Cooper in Barrie tried charging customers for work that should be covered under warranty. This happened twice to me. Once for rust repairs and just recently for a power steering pump at a cost of $1600 plus tax. I had the power steering pump replaced under warranty at Mini Vaughan with no issues. What is strange is I have a email from Mini Georgian in Barrie saying my car has no warranty/recall for power steering pump and a second email from Vaughan Mini stating that yes, the power steering pump is covered under warranty.SO BE VERY CAREFUL DEALING WITH MINI GEORGIAN IN BARRIE or information from Kelly at the head office for Mini Cooper Canada AS THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS AND ONLY CARE HOW MUCH THEY CAN CHARGE YOU. IF you had a power steering pump replaced at Mini Georgian or anywhere else, you should call Mini Vaughan to verify that it is not on the warranty recall. My car is 8 years old and was covered.See below correspondence with BMW CEO Mr. Reithofer email (**):#1 - I regretfully having to contact you again regarding the service I have encountered by my closest Mini Cooper dealer (Georgian Mini) in Barrie Ontario, Canada. As stated in prior emails, I am a true and true Mini Cooper owner and am a lifetime owner hopefully. Mini Georgian is trying I feel very hard for me not to continue owning future Mini Coopers as I just had to AGAIN travel 360 Kilometers (90 Km each way 180 x 2 days) to have my Mini Cooper serviced at your Vaughan Mini location in Woodbridge, Ontario instead of my local Mini Georgian dealer that is about 4 km. away.Mr. Reithofer, this all started when I was having issues with my power steering on my Mini Cooper and did a little research (Google) on Mini Cooper power steering problems. I noticed that my car might be covered under 150,000 or 10-year warranty. I phoned and asked Georgian Mini if my car was under warranty for the power steering pump and was told as you can see in the attached email from the dealership that no warranty left on your vehicle and it does not have any recalls regarding this issue.Mr. Reithofer, just because of past dealing with Mini Georgian regarding warranties or recalls as they just seem not to care about their customers only how much can they make off of them, I contacted Vaughan Mini Cooper to inquire with them. After talking with Ashley at Mini Vaughan, she advised me without me saying anything about warranty/recalls that if the problem is the power steering pump then it will be covered by warranty and if it is only a leak then it would be my cost. Please see attached email from Mini Vaughan.So, Mr. Reithofer, why do I have to travel 360 Km. over two days (Mini Vaughan did not have power steering pump in stock) to have my car serviced under warranty when I contacted Mini Georgian who has the same info on my vehicle as Mini Vaughan does but advise me that the power steering pump is not covered. If I did not follow up with Mini Vaughan, it would have cost me approx. $1600 plus tax to replace a part that is under warranty. How many other customers have been taken advantage of by Mini Georgian in this manner? As of now, I am afraid to take my Mini Cooper to Georgian Mini for so much as a oil change as all they seem to care about is how much they can make off me bringing my car in and no regards to how to treat a customer.#2 - I just received a call from your Canadian office by a rep named Kelly. She informed me that there is no recall to the power steering pump. She started out stating that we have talked before and that she had talked to me about previous complaints (previous rusting issue covered by Minis 10-year rust protection) indicating that I am a constant complainer. Kelly was under the understanding that the power steering pump would not be covered as it does not have a warranty under my vin!!!!!!I asked if she even read my concern and she said yes. When I mentioned that the pump was already replaced, she quickly backtracked on what she said to me. I ask her then why in my letter did I mention I had to travel over 360 km to have my power steering pump repaired, She advised me, I thought you drove down for two days to have a consultation regarding it being covered by warranty!!!!!!!!! You have to be kidding me that someone would do that and it indicates to me that she just figures I am a difficult customer and I would do something ridiculous like this. So your senior employee dealing with customers with the already perception that they are wrong and she seems to take pride in being right and letting me know that. She was 100% percent wrong telling me that it will not be covered under warranty and as stated was shocked to know it was already done. So how much did she look into my concern before she called me?Again, my original questions were not answered as Kelly was too quick to just verbally attack me telling me that she dealt with me on previous complaints and that this concern regarding the power steering pump I was wrong also and as in her words it will not be covered by warranty. I dont like the word complaint as it is more of a concern. I guess Mini Canada Reps calling them complaints are all on the defensive and not dealing with customers concerns in a bias manner.I am so frustrated by this treatment I could just sell my Mini as I do not want to have dealings like this every time. But on the other hand that is silly talk as I love my Mini and I guess the relationship now is a abusive one. Every time I deal with Mini, I get treated poorly and I keep coming back for more. So it is my fault for coming back every time but I love my Mini too much not to. All this just makes me sick to my stomach in how I am treated every time. Awaiting your response and please do not hesitate to contact me should you need further clarification on any manner.Again you can bash me but all I want to do is give Mini owners a heads up when dealing with Mini Georgian in Barrie as they may pay for work that should be covered by warranty. Hopefully, if you have had work done, you can get your money back.

I bought the car for my daughter and I to share after the death of my wife. The 09 Mini S in laser blue was the car of her dreams which turned into my nightmare! I purchased the car used with less than 40k miles and purchased an extended warranty for almost 2k. The car has since had a blown turbo and failed vacuum pump with almost 6k in repairs after the warranty ran out! I have done all the routine maintenance myself and brakes, rotors and tires. I replaced coils, plugs, CVV, and vacuum myself. I didnt have the tools to replace the turbo. Now looking at fan assembly replacement and have the timing chain death rattle. You wouldnt believe the run around you get! I am saving every penny from my second job to pay down the balance to trade it in for a Toyota! I only pray it runs for a few more months until I get rid of it. I tell everyone that asks or looks at the car at the grocery store... Never buy a BMW or Mini Cooper. They are engineered to fail! Run from this car! If it still starts... trade it in. Mini refuses to stand by their product and only until their sales drop to zero will they learn that they cannot abandon their customers. Tell everyone you know about your bad experience! I go out of my way just to tell people never to buy BMW products. I thought all these people were just bad owners that never checked their oil or coolant and that I would have better luck through superior diligence... Dont be fooled! If it looks like a **...and smells like a **... Then its a **!!!

I bought a 2008 Mini Cooper couple years ago. Since the first day we have owned it, we have had nothing but problems with it. First week of owning it, a sensor went out on it, lucky still under warranty, cost 200 bucks to replace. We have had the body control module act upon it and have to unplug the battery to reboot the car regularly. The sunroof switch quit working right. The driver door window switch automatic quit working. The radio screen doesnt show up all the way sometimes. When its cold it sounds really loud and the exhaust is Really loud when its cold. Tires go flat in cold weather a lot. Just had to replace the coil wires due to misfiring on all cylinders. Seems like we havent went over a month without the check engine like coming on. For what you pay for a Mini you should get a quality car and Quality they are not... Nothing but junk. Will never own another nor a BMW see tons of post about same problems with them. Mini doesnt back their product. I am going back to American made once I get where I own less than the car is worth. DO NOT BUY A MINI COOPER unless you like to be broke fixing it. Now I know why they kept pushing the extended warranty and maintenance package. You have to use the the whole time you have the car because its constantly in the shop.

I bought a brand new 04 Cooper against my familys advice thinking its backed by BMW & such a cute car. For a long time, Ive had no major problems until recently. At 55,000 miles, my window motors gave out. That was a costly fix! Now, at just past 60,000 miles, my CVT transmission is dead. No warning! My mechanic who used to work at Mini had warned me about this possibility. He has said when he was working at Mini, all they did was switch out the CVT transmissions. It was a piece of crap & BMW knows it!I travel a lot & loved my Mini, so I took a gamble... & lost! I had just put in a $3000 fix just before its breakdown. There is no way Im going to spend $4000+ more on something that has no guarantee on not dying again! At only 60,000 miles? What happened to the famous German engineering? Compared to the Hondas Ive owned before, which were 200,000+ miles and only needed basic maintenance, Mini is an awful car! Terrible! And why is the part so expensive? Why doesnt Mini do something about this?

My name is Chuck Conway. I’m investigating consumer complaints regarding the premature failure of BMW Mini Cooper CVT automatic transmissions. If you’re interested in possibly joining a class action lawsuit and would like to share your experience, please email me at **. Please include contact information (phone number, email address and state of residence).

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with the recent failure of the original clutch/flywheel in the above referenced vehicle. The vehicle was purchased new from Mini of San Francisco on February 17, 2007 and all scheduled maintenance has been conducted in a timely manner including a recent scheduled maintenance on September 15, 2011 (Mini inspection), a mere seven weeks before complete clutch failure. No comments or suggestions were noted by the mechanic during this scheduled maintenance that clutch wear was occurring or should be monitored.The Mini Cooper was driven under extremely light driving conditions with an experienced manual transmission driver. The vehicle was typically only used for “motoring” trips on weekends. The previous manual transmissions driven were a 1986 Honda Civic DX (original owner 97,000 miles with one clutch replacement at 65,000) and a 1996 Honda Civic DX Hatchback (original owner with no clutch replacement as of 60,000 miles when car was donated). Furthermore, the driver was experienced in using the parking brake while resting on a hill to spare any unnecessary clutch wear. All maintenance has been performed by Mini of San Francisco and online service history is current per owners’ lounge website.The driver had never experienced a complete clutch failure with no prior warning signs. Furthermore, the driver had never seen a clutch fail under such light driving conditions so anticipated that it must be some sort of mechanical failure and immediately drove the vehicle to Mini of San Francisco. While the service department of Mini San Francisco provided excellent customer service, the driver conducted his own research into the situation while the mechanical review was being conducted and has noted that many other drivers of this vehicle have cited the same problem.The driver seeks a response from Mini USA on this very disappointing early clutch failure, the occurrence of this situation within the specific model, and the manufacturer’s guidance on extending the life of a clutch.

Minis are great as long as they are under warranty. I was having mechanical problems within the first 3 month. The car was repeatedly at the dealership for various problems. That was all ok for the first 4 years. Just don’t keep it past the 4th year cause Mini won’t recall any of the many known problems and it’ll gets costly. The repairs don’t end.

Three years out of college and gainfully employed I bought the cutest used 2009 S with 67K miles for a reasonable price + 1 year warranty. First off - I only use MINI service centers. The run flats are the least of my worries. I started to get my moneys worth on the extended warranty right off the bat, repairing oil leaks/pressure issues at least 4 separate times in 6 months. 2,000 miles past the extended warranty we started hearing the death rattle on the front passenger side. The plastic guide had cracked and I was moments away from a busted timing chain. After fixing it ($1500) the service advisor at the dealership instructed me on the importance of oil changes every 5 thousand miles, (EVEN THOUGH Mini suggests you can go 10K/once a year!) and of checking the oil level every 400-800 miles or so.Three months later I was back at the dealer for the rattle, my chain had already stretched again, but not enough to cause concern ($500 just to look & measure + a few spark plugs). 10 days later I was in for rough running due to carbon build up ($700 walnut shell blast) typical around 100K. And then, three weeks after that I was in for continued roughness and rattling much louder than before. I am now on my second timing chain in 4 months. There is no way that is normal, but at least they covered the full cost of this one due to parts warranty.Thankfully I am OCD and insisted on service because at no point in this first year did a warning or engine light ever appear. The service advisors at MINI have been extremely helpful and taken pity on me, they are painfully aware this car is flawed. Every moment I am on the road and I hear a new whine/rattle/thump I am overwhelmed by sheer panic and see only $$$$. At first I thought I was going to be a MINI lifer, but I clearly cant sustain this kind of maintenance.

2005 Automatic Mini Cooper. I had always kept up on the service and oil changes but suddenly when I was driving there was a strange noise. I brought it to a mechanic; he said I need a new transmission. It will cost up to $9000 when the blue book value of the car is from $4000 to $7000.

Very enjoyable to drive - it is an adult go-cart. We particularly enjoy the convertible here in Florida. It is nice to have the wind blowing through your hair.