Bought my Mini new (2012) and all it is a money pit!!! Every time Ill take it to get fixed it is a $1,000 to fix it. Mini should let other shops work on it. Never never never ever going to buy a car that only the dealer can repair. Dealers employees are rude and arrogant. I hope this helps so no one else make this mistake.

Beware, Minis have a tendency to have the water pump and tensioners go out at fairly low miles. Love my Cooper but I expected a BMW product to be better built.

I bought my Mini in Feb 2015 (car considered new and was a loaner car). In July, we had the car in the shop because the windows wouldnt go up and today the car was back there again for the passenger window. Explanation… because you smoke in the car and the ashes get in the groove of the window. Really? Wouldnt the dirt, grime and stuff coming off the road get into the grooves as well. I guess I am not supposed to have my windows down while driving. I spent a lot of money on my car and to have this lame excuse given to me… well to say the least, I am livid. I did contact Mini and told them what was going on and how dissatisfied I am with the service dept. Lets see what happens next. I also brought up the staining on my seats every time they get wet. No matter how or what I use to clean them, the stains are still there. Of course there was no explanation as to why my seats are water stained.

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.

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!!!!!

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?

The 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible, with 64,000 km that I purchased in October 2009, had a transmission failure! They wanted $9,000 to replace it (just past all warranties). They then did something to it for $900.00. I babied it until February 2012. At 112,000 km, it failed again! This is not something you would expect for $40,000!

Advised by Mini, I need a new engine below 100,000 miles on a 2003 Coopers. Original clutch, all recommended and required service done by authorized Mini dealers. Owned since new. Experience is that MINI and BMW do not stand behind their product. Buyer beware!!!

I bought 2 Mini Coopers. I bought a red 2005 Mini Cooper automatic for the wife and a silver 2008 Mini Cooper S 5 Speed for myself. I dont know which one of the 2 was the worst, they both spent more time at the repair shop than on the road. For such a good looking car they turn out to be one of the worst cars on the road. Even my dads old Ford Pinto was a far better car than the Mini Cooper. Why do people keep buying them is beyond my expectations, we spent almost what we paid for them in repairs, when it wasnt one thing it was another overheating problems, brake problems, electrical problems, sunroof problems, but the worst was when we needed to get the oil change, we was charged $110. per car. We will never ever own another Mini Cooper again even if they were giving them away for free, my wife Mini Cooper only had 46k miles and it was always in the repair shop. Meanwhile we traded her 2001 Honda Civic with a little over 200k miles and in all the time she had it, all it ever needed was oil changes and a new timing belt. We were so scared to drive too far from our home because we didnt know if we make it back home that night. BMW Mini Cooper thats one in the books for you as one of your biggest failure.

06 cooper s - Bought this car used with 54k miles on it. Didnt even make it home without transmission issues. Seems we bought a car that needs over 1000 dollars to fix the issue that Audi and VW are taking care of for their customers... Should have bought a Toyota.

This is by no stretch, the worst car on the face of the planet. I say this in all fairness to mini and BMW. I had to have the engine changed four times. The turbo changed 3 times and the transmission changed twice. All with less than 85000 miles on the car. I have spent over $50,000 on this car because my wife loved it and wanted to keep it. I currently still have the vehicle. It still runs after repairing it last but, I paid more to repair it than it is worth (blue book). So I will drive it till it breaks then scrap it.I bought her a brand new Nissan. It has had no issues nor do I expect it to in the near future. I just spent another 2300 on the car to have other Plastic components fixed to repair the car to make it usable. However, if I had thought it through I would have taken the car to a scrap yard instead. If I could have given Mini a negative star review I would have. The kicker here is the fact that they Mini knowingly sale crap vehicles to the public. Knowing the issues exist but failing to accept responsibility for the shortcomings is truly the real issue that makes me hate them.I feel there are a few things everyone should know. Yes, the mini is a very fun car to drive when it works and while it last. However, this is few and very far between. The cars reliability rating should be sitting in the negative range. I say this because as long as I have owned the car it has sat in the service department more than it has been on the road. I have had lots of awesome rentals over the years though. Thus the reason for the purchase of the new Nissan. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this company that fails to own their mistakes. Instead, you will be left to pay for them if you make the purchase. I recommend any other manufacturer over Mini. I dont say that lightly. I havent seen one that would provide such an inferior product all while failing to uphold a warranty. Take my advice and RUN from Mini. It is truly a terrible company to deal with. Worst reliability of any car I have owned.

I bought a 2010 Clubman S in December of 2009. Since the beginning, there have been lots of problems: tons of rattles inside, the windows stopped working twice, the A/C made a huge whining sound, there are clunks from the engine area that no one can figure out where they are coming from, the check engine light came on randomly twice and the car went into limp mode (at the dealer nothing wrong was found), pieces of outside trim were installed poorly, the sunroof wont open on hot days without pushing it with your hand, the brakes sometimes feel shaky when making sudden stops (not ABS, or if it is then its the worst ABS Ive ever experienced) and the inside of one of the club doors popped off.This car is made incredibly cheaply, and the problems I have had are echoed by some other Mini owners Ive met and all over Mini message boards. I spent $32,000 on a poorly made piece of junk, awesome! Both Nick ** and South Bay Mini have not taken responsibility for some of the problems, sometimes saying things like, Well, the MINI is a quirky car. If quirky means made like junk, then yes, theyre right.To top it off: the handling is downright dangerous because of the torque and bump steer.Fun to drive but made horribly, and way over-priced for the quality you get.

I bought my car as an ex demo. I absolutely love the car, but the service isnt great and the build quality is not what I expected. The hood broke after a year - instead of making the components of the hood out of metal, they are made out of plastic. And guess what, one tiny part snapped. And as a result, the entire hood cover had to be replaced. On a positive note, it was covered under the warranty. Had it not been, I was told the cost would have been 1,800. No one in the UK had a hood in stock, so one had to be ordered from Germany. Of course, whilst waiting for the hood to arrive, it rained pretty much nonstop (when doesnt it in the UK?). As a result, the boot was filled with around 2 inches of water. By the time the hood arrived, all the carpeting in the boot had fungus growing on it and also needed to be replaced. The garage also allegedly spent 24 hours drying the boot out. The car is a UK registered 09 plate with less than 30k on the clock.I have taken my car into the Mini BMW garage today as (1) it is due a service, (2) the boot keeps opening as I am driving along, and (3) it needs new brake pads. Firstly, the service - the guy reads out a list of things that are due to be done under this service including new spark plugs. I pointed out that the garage replaced the spark plugs at the end of October and charged me 200 to diagnose the problem and replace the sparks. Why didnt they mention then that they are covered under the service? Then, he said they didnt replace the sparks - it was something to do with auto sensors. I pointed out I have the receipt and it clearly states spark plugs were replaced. I then get a story that it is something to do with the Mini service pack. Had they gone wrong this week, the cost would have been included under the service. But because it went wrong 2 months early, I have to pay. I pointed out that surely if they go wrong early, they are faulty. But no, that was not the case. It is just my bad luck they failed before the service was due.The reason why the boot keeps opening is because all the components in the boot have rusted and corroded. I immediately linked this problem with the faulty hood and all the water that got into the car whilst I waited for a replacement hood. Apparently, had the components corroded immediately, they would have been covered under the warranty. But because the corrosion has only now become apparent, it cant be covered under the original claim and basically I have to pay for any repairs as it is just normal corrosion. Now, firstly, corrosion does not show up immediately. So I couldnt have bought it back straight after the hood was replaced, as I didnt know there was a problem until now. I think anyone with an ounce of common sense would realize a car boot that sat in inches of water is likely to suffer early corrosion if not dried out correctly. But, hey, not according to Mini BMW. On that basis, I must conclude that all their cars after 3 years are likely to suffer serious corrosion of the electrical components in the boot or just general corrosion all round. Brake pads are being replaced as we speak - BMW charge around 200 for them. So before having yours done, check the price of other reputable garages. It is also worth comparing prices with other Mini dealerships. I only have a short drive to another county and the tires in my garage are 165 fitted each. But if I drive 20 miles down the road to another BMW dealer, they are 118 fitted. It has been a fun quirky car and I do love it; however, I will be reverting back to a Mazda MX5 - never had any problems with Japanese reliability.

Brand new 2015 Cooper S with sunroof. Protective netting of the sunroof slid open as I drove. Gas mileage is 25/26 (I was quoted 32/38)! Brought it back for repairs. 1st time, 2nd time - No fix. Glue globbed on the sides of the netting; that didnt work and looks awful. They intimated gas mileage due to the way the car was driven. Loaners got much better mileage (same driver)! They tested 3 other like models and advised that the netting did the same and they didnt know what to do. I wanted to replace this car. Mini USA Execs denied my request. This is a DEFECT, and DANGEROUS! I was told that since the other models did the same thing, there was nothing they would do!

Mini Cooper Problem 2008 - I have had catastrophic failures before 45,000 miles. I have brought it to the MINI service center for these failures including: replacing spark plugs, faulty coil pack, catalytic converter failure, on-board computer replacement, total replacement of the transmission and currently, the solenoid valve replacement which is not yet fixed.

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!

2009 MiniCooper JCW, silver and black. Love the car, but...The first clutch linkage had a problem at just over 9000 miles. It was making a noise when I engaged the clutch and accelerated. I took it in. The service dept. at my Mini dealer where I bought the car said the clutch had been abused and that the clutch had to be replaced. The service technician sent me a picture of the clutch linkage, saying the linkage had been glazed because the fluids inside the casing got so hot. I drive the car to and from work. I dont race it. Ive driven standard on Mazdas, Pontiacs and Audis. The least distance a clutch lasted with driving in my 20s (read: probably drove much harder then) was 30,000 miles. Today, the same issue started to happen to the replacement clutch. I have 20k miles on the car. Now, the service dealer will not do anything unless I guarantee to spend $2000 to check out the car. They say if they determine that the clutch wore out because of my abusive driving then I will owe them $3400 to replace it.I called BMW of North America. They connected me with a Mini representative who would do nothing without my commitment to spend the $2000 for a diagnostic. Amazing. These guys are putting clutches out there that fail in under 20K miles every time. Nice business, if you can get away with it.

I bought a used 2009 Mini Cooper in May 2013 and have been out it since August 23, 2013 and it is now October 27, 2013. My Mini Cooper had a coolant leak that caused my engine to blow and was taken to three shops before any one would even fix it. A newer engine was put in as well as a new radiator which cost about $3500 on top of needing to be taken to a BMW shop to be reprogrammed which took two weeks for them to do. The day I should have gotten it back a sensor went out and am still without my car. It has been over two months with my car. The shop it was taken to has now fixed 6 Mini Coopers with the same problem. I will never get a Mini Cooper again once mine dies on me again.

Bought my 2007 Mini convertible in 2012 and at around 75k miles, the transmission started acting funny. If seized up and failed completely. Cost me $6k for a new one. Less than 11k miles later, its slipping and about to completely fail again. There are so many problems with this car. Both rear windows have stopped working, rear view mirror wont stay in place, the top has this weird grease stain that is coming from when I put the top down. Nothing but problems and issues. Although I am part of the class action suit, its taking FAR too long. Filed in April and have got NOTHING in return!

Christmas week 2013, Global-SONIC MINI, Chamblee (Atlanta), GA presented me with a $7,000+ service quote to fix the timing chain/tensioner and turbo charger at 29,000 miles; eight (8) weeks after the 48-month warranty expiration. The chain tensioner is already a class action suit in NJ and a well-known design flaw in the auto industry & consumer blogs. Complaints over the turbo charger performance went back several service intervals, the latest on July 20, 2013 at only 21,000 miles, and never fixed (under warranty at least). No way should a turbo charger fail at 29,000 miles! The car was serviced exclusively at the Global-SONIC dealership at all scheduled maintenance intervals. My wife is the sole driver of the car, I have my BMW 550i. So to summarize, an easy driver, extremely low mileage, car serviced exclusively at the dealership and MINI expected me to pay $7,000 in repairs (50% of current market value -or- 25% of original purchase price) at only 29,000 miles, 4 years ownership? Speaks volumes about MINI product quality and the true cost of ownership. Discussions with the SONIC dealership and MINI customer service went nowhere. Global-SONIC said the matter was simple - Your warranty is expired now and we have no obligation to you. My new mission in my life is 1) to make everyone aware of the reliability, quality & safety issues associated with MINI cars and 2) to make clear to everyone what they should expect post-sale from both MINI and the SONIC AUTOMOTIVE dealerships. Neither stand behind their cars, could care less about their customers post-sale and are dishonest, possibly criminally so given the fact that the turbo complaints were ignored during warranty coverage. SONIC AUTOMOTIVE, INC. has 107 dealerships in 15 states representing 29 car brands. CONSUMERS BEWARE - BUY ELSEWHERE! Please note, BMW owns MINI and is on the hook to insure their prestige brand is not negatively impacted by MINI actions & representations. I intend to have that very discussion soon with Global, thinking I was interested in upgrading to an M5 in 2014. Not so sure now. Perhaps, Id be happier with a new E63 AMG. Feel free to call to exchange thoughts and experiences and to keep posted on next steps with my MINI Disaster Campaign. Happy New Year to everyone.

Oh boy!!! I wished I would have read some of the reviews before buying into this 2012 Mini Countryman S from a CarMax dealer in GA with 26k miles, automatic, that is currently at the dealership for a shift assembly repair. Bought the car with warranty still in place. Without warning, car would not get out of park, had to be towed in. Dealer took a few days to diagnosed that a leak was found that came from the drink cup holder that leaked down into the shift assembly, and considered it was due to what they call misuse. Now I dont know about everyone else, but I thought drink holders were made to hold drinks??? Well duh! Not on these Minis!!! An 1,800 out-of-pocket repair. I dont think anyone would purposely pour a drink into the cup holder but I think accidents can happen. It is very concerning for me because I have to pay for this car for several years and was thinking about purchasing the extended warranty for coverage while still paying for this car. Based on the reviews Ive read, I scared of whats to come next. Ive never owned a car to be totally disabled on me and cost me for repairs while under warranty for major problems. I really think that Mini/BMW or whomever needs to take a look at their warranty. After all, a car doesnt just need oil and water maintenance! I feel stuck and afraid of whats next. As far as Im concerned, they should just remove all the drink holders or caution or let customers know its just there for show and not to hold cups with liquids in them!!!!!!

I bought my 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman S used at 20,000 miles in 2011 from a local dealer. At 63,000 miles (after the warranty ran out), it was discovered that the head gaskets on the engine were blown. This was discovered by my mechanic during an oil change and fluids top-off; I had to have it towed 45 miles to the closest dealer. Ferman Mini in New Port Richey, FL, who did the work, promised me my engine would be like new - after paying $4,500 to fix it.At 67,000 miles, I noticed that the water coolant tank had black sludge in it (no warnings or nothing, just happened to check the water level). Mini of Ft. Myers has had my car for 2 weeks - they took apart the oil casing, the gasket heads and turbocharger and still couldnt find what was wrong. They still cannot find the point of failure and have said the only option is they replace the entire engine for $10,000. Or I could trade it in for $3,500 for another Mini from them. And I still owe $9,000 on my loan (thats $23,500 for the loan, previous and current [suggested] repairs). The repairs on this car cost more than the car is worth and more than I owe..... For someone just out of grad school, I now have no car, cant afford the payments to fix and cant sell it. Never, ever buy a Mini Cooper. Im heartbroken as I loved that car. Ill be paying it off for the next 20 years.

I bought the car used with 67K mi for use as an RV tow vehicle (manual transmissions will work O.K., even the BMW doesnt warranty it). I installed the tow bar but never used it much. I added a MiniFini Continental Kit, not liking the RunFlat tires. I replaced the Super Charger at 105K mi for $2500, using a German Car Mechanic who is excellent. He said the speed up pulley caused the blower to wear prematurely. The power steering/fan module was replaced at 127K mi for $1400. After reading the Horror Stories, Im worried at what might happen next as the clutch makes a cold bearing noise periodically. The car is fun and I get good mileage 33-36 mpg. I baby it. I hope the 2014 turns out better after the redesign.

I almost feel as though I should apologize to all of you. I bought my 2003 Mini in December 2002 and feel now that I should have warned you all away. It is an adorable car and fun to drive, but Ive had more problems with it than with all of the other vehicles Ive ever owned combined. While under warranty, the power steering died along with the motors for the power windows and the sun roof. At about 45,000 miles but out of warranty, the transmission died. I was lucky, Roadshow BMW/Mini in Memphis, TN replaced it at no cost. I think that was the last time I saw them. Ive paid twice to have the power steering replaced. The shop that works on it said its a screwy design and will go out again. What car needs the power steering motor replaced three times? Ive replaced the alternator, bought multiple batteries and even spent almost $800 to replace both locks. I missed work because I couldnt get in my car. I assumed that had I waited to buy a later year, a lot of these bugs would have been worked out. But from reading the reviews here, apparently not. I thought it was just the 2003s that had the transmission troubles, but it seems every year has them. So after spending $2,000 this month on car repairs, Ive decided to stop throwing good money after bad. Im car shopping. Im embarrassed to admit that the owner of the foreign car repair shop that works on my Mini told me not to buy it in the first place. He said most of his business comes from European cars. Ill listen to him this time and get a Honda.

We bought our 2009 Mini Cooper new, and enjoyed it for the first 20,000 miles, or so. Problems so far are: 3 trips for Oxygen sensor. Fixed on the third trip when I suggested the Pennsylvania Lemon Law, gave the dealer three attempts to repair. The next: Aluminum brake rotor replacement. Who knew that a complete four-wheel brake job would run over $2,200?! Then: At 47,000 miles, water pump needed replacement ($900.). Now, at about 48,000, we have a transmission shifting hesitation and lurching. Happy Motoring is being an oxymoron. Oh yeah, the passenger window would go down on its own, like a ghost operated it. It took dealership over 3 hours hooked to a computer to upgrade the software.

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.

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.

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!

I have to start by saying that the Mini of Fairfield County in Stamford has been great about dealing with my 09 Clubman. I purchased this car as a post cancer treat to myself, trading in a 95 Mazda MX6 that had not given me a lick of trouble for the 14 years I owned it. It drives great, is a lot of fun, and hauls an awful lot of stuff! I do wish I got a turbo, but perhaps I would regret the tickets I would have invariably gotten. From the start, the sunroof stuck and would not open when parked in the sun. It went in several times. And now I just resign myself to pushing it up during the first hot spells of summer. One of the most frustrating problems was the car not starting. I push started the car the first time and dropped it off at the service department over the weekend. But it started when the mechanics showed for work on Monday. I talked to the service department. I stated that at times it would not start (no noise, nothing when the button was depressed). But since no warning indicators flashed, they were at a loss. Over the next year, the car was towed in 4 times for not starting. The first three times it was okay by the time they got to it. The final time, I picked up the car after a week of being in service. The very next day it failed to start. When I dropped the car off that day, I also left both sets of keys and told them I didnt want the car back. They actually found the faulty wire that time and it has started ever since (almost a year now). Now the problem is leaking. First, the water in the spare tire well, now under the passenger side mats and on the driver side, is causing a soggy seat belt. It has been in twice or more for leaking. I live in CT. It rains. Get over it. Occasionally, I go to the car wash, get over it. And, heres the kicker: I do park outside. This car needs to get over it!

October 3/11 I purchased a 2007 Mini Cooper with 50,000 kms from the BMW/Mini Cooper dealership in Winnipeg Manitoba. It had at the time one year left on the warranty. In 2012 the timing chain and Vano sensors went while we were in Winnipeg. It went to BMW/Mini Cooper Winnipeg, the timing chain and Vano sensors were replaced under warranty. February 13/2015 the car died again. It was found that the timing chain went again and Vano sensors. BMW/Mini Cooper Winnipeg did that work again. Told me the reason that the timing chain went again was that a bolt was loose. I asked why had not that bolt been torqued? I got no answer. They did that work under warranty however they charged me for some seals and a hook seal cap. They also told me I needed a new alternator which is odd since my alternator was replaced June 26th 2014. The car still did not work properly so I had to have it towed from BMW/Mini Cooper Winnipeg to the shop where I work. My technician found that my new Wilson alternator had been trashed and there was 6.0 liters of dirty oil in my car. My car only takes 4.0 liters. When it got towed from Morden to Winnipeg it had 3.5 liters of clean synthetic oil in it because it just had a service job and the alternator was working fine. We sent the Wilson alternator into Wilson to be repaired. They did not repair it. So I ended up ordering a BMW alternator over $900.00 and a new battery. My technician was very upset with BMW/Mini Cooper. Tried to get answers from them about the alternator and dirty oil, he never got any answers. My technician got the car going however it still did not sound well. It got towed back to BMW/Mini Cooper Winnipeg. They did a diagnostic. It was still related to the whole timing chain situation. They said it was fixed.Both my husband and I took an afternoon off from work, drove into Winnipeg to pick up the car. I didnt even get the car off their lot when the engine light came on. They pulled the car back in. Did a diagnostic, said a hook seal needed to be replaced. This hook seal comes in a unit that costs $4000.00. So that is $4,000.00 plus $150.00 per hour labor. Now the car is still at BMW/Mini Cooper Winnipeg, not running. I am still paying $357.00 per month car payment on a car that is not running. BMW/Mini Cooper said the used car department would buy the car from me for $3500.00 but I would still have to pay $2840.00. Or they repossess the car and screw my credit. My question is there such a thing as a hook seal worth $4000.00? We cannot afford the so-called hook seal and the labor. What is going on here?

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.

Before purchasing a Mini Cooper, make certain that you will never have any need to contact their customer service, because they will do nothing. I received a letter in 8/2009 stating that the O2 sensor is showing a problem. The letter stated that it would be warranted for 10 years or 100,000 miles. My 05 Cooper had 58,000 miles. The O2 sensor failed this past July 2011. I had it replaced for $232.35 + tax. Mini refuses to pay for it. According to the customer relations supervisor, I was compelled to bring it to Mini for the service. On the letter, it states, Please feel free to call the nearest authorized Mini dealer for an appointment. The supervisor stated that they cannot warranty labor done by a 3rd party dealer. I stated that I was not asking for a further guarantee, just the reimbursement for the Mini parts and labor, which was $232.35 + tax. It is not a huge amount of money. It is an amount which should have been covered.

I have a MINI 2009 Clubman S. At 48000 miles, I had to replace the turbo. At 58000, I had to replace the engine for a failed timing chain. I will have put 10000 more into a car costing 28000 with 56000 miles total. Both the turbo and the timing chain gave me no warning lights from the super duper computer system I was sold on. My dealership in Memphis Tn is horrible as well. I went to one of the dealerships in North Atlanta, Wonderful service! I had been missing the passenger foot mat for all the visits to the Memphis location for years. They never replaced it. The Atlanta dealer did at no charge. I did not even ask. I am at my wits end with my dealership and this lemon of a car. I am talking to an attorney tomorrow.

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.

Thank you Mini! Mini has contacted us directly and we are very satisfied with our resolution.

Broke down within two weeks of purchasing new car and had to be towed. Issues that were brought up on many occasions while under warranty were ignored or told were not unusual. Only to find that post-warranty, I am told the car engine is damaged and car is not worth fixing. This is German engineering? This Mini Cooper was garaged and serviced religiously. Either we got a Lemon or Mini Cooper is all marketing. Needless to say, I will never purchase another BMW car!

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!

I bought 2012 S Hardtop brand new in Aug 2011 and it has been a great car. I have a six speed manual with the full electronics, cold weather, comfort and sport packages. Over the last four years Ive had a couple of minor issues but the Mini warranty covered them and I havent spent a dime on anything other than gasoline. There are some things about the car that are inconvenient, like needing to take the car in to get a fuse changed or that the TPMS light will come on every time the weather changes. But in four years I think Ive had to take the car in three times for something other than a standard service. I bought the Mini as a replacement for a 2007 Prius and this car has had a quarter of the issues that the Prius had.

I was in love with my Mini until it hit 70,000 miles. The first time I was stranded for an engine malfunction was a disappointment as well as a safety risk. If that would have been an isolated incident, I would not have thought much about it. Unfortunately, I keep having issues and getting stranded in the middle of nowhere. The Motor-On slogan should have a disclaimer that tells you to motor-on to the nearest dealership. I contacted Mini and there is nothing they are willing to do besides sell me another one. Why would I buy another least-reliable-vehicle-I-have-ever-owned? That would just be irresponsible. Do not buy this vehicle! Unless of course you have unlimited money to burn.

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.

Bought my Mini in 2004 by doing the design it yourself on the Mini website and waiting months for it to arrive to the BMW dealership. There were no lots full of Mini Coopers at the time. Ive taken it in for every service (now to a Mini dealership, previously to BMW) and the only expense that has been irritating has been replacing windshields, since Ive had three of them. Eventually, at almost 100,000 miles, I had a big rattle and I needed to replace the exhaust manifold and gaskets and that was only $2025. I have enjoyed every year with it. I dont know if anyone still builds your own Mini Cooper of if they are now only stocked on the lot. But I still remember how much fun it was to go pick up when it finally arrived (ordered on Labor Day, delivered on December 27) and it still makes me smile, years later.

I bought my 2009 Mini Cooper @ Mini of Universal City with 38,000 miles. It now has 54,000 miles on it. Within the past month the check engine light has come on a couple of times. First time, I was told it was going to cost me $4,800 to fix! I STILL owe $17,000 on the car! They told me that my exhaust side cam and rings were worn, vanos solenoid adjusting sprocket and solenoid valve were not working, I needed my exhaust side cam shafts replaced and vanos adjusting unit sprocked and vanos solenoid valve replaced. They also said my vacuum pump and oil filter housing gasket were leaking.TWO weeks earlier I had it in the repair shop for new brakes, and oil change, so my service adviser was SHOCKED that I was losing so much oil. He also said that I shouldnt be paying so much for a car I had JUST BOUGHT and JUST had in the shop for repairs! He called Mini and they agreed to pay for all of the cost minus $400 (which I had to magically come up with). My monthly car payment alone is $401.00! THREE DAYS LATER the check engine light came on AGAIN! This time, (same service adviser) told me it would be $1,000 to fix! Apparently my mass airflow sensor needed to be replaced and they had to reset my camshaft timing chain. I declined having them repair the sensor, and instead called Mini to complain. I ALSO spoke to SHAWN who informed me that he would do his best to help me, because $6,000 worth of work on a mini that only has 54,000 miles on it is ridiculous (his words). He told me he would get back to me within 3-5 business days. Its been 3 weeks. I have called him over and over and have yet to get a response from him. I seriously want them to buy back my car. This isnt fair. Plain and simple. Does anyone know about the buy back process?

First of all, I drive about 25,000 miles a year. This is my only car... I didnt buy a warranty past 50k miles. I should have done both warranties, the service and the general warranty. You need both... I didnt do everything perfectly.... I have a 2006 Mini Cooper S with the JCW engine upgrade. Obviously, this car has a 6-speed manual. It is my 2nd Mini Cooper (my first was a 2002 that I bought used). Do I love this car? Yes. It has had issues, most of which are known to those who research the car before buying: 1) Thermostat housing. Its known to warp and leak. Ive had this replaced 2x. First time was under warranty. 2) Crank position sensor O ring. Replaced 2x. Failed at 75k miles and at 150k miles. 3) Front strut mounts. Once for each side (left/right). These failed because of road conditions - i.e. potholes that I was trying to avoid but could not. 4) Passenger side engine mount - This is a known issue where the oil leaks out. A solid mount wouldnt be a problem, but solid mounts create vibration and noise that many do not like. 5) Exhaust header flex joint failure after 150k miles. This will happen to many cars, not just Minis. 6) Clutch. There is a service bulletin on the throw-out bearing. Clutches are rarely covered under any warranty by any dealer because it is really easy for the operator to screw it up. In my experience, most people dont know how to drive a standard transmission. Im on my 4th clutch (the first was replaced under warranty, the 3rd was a performance clutch that wore out so I cant blame anyone...) 7) Brakes. These are a standard wear-and-tear.....8) Control panel for A/C and radio. Half of the lights went out and the whole unit was replaced under warranty.Ive upgraded certain parts with performance parts (suspension, struts, springs, brakes). Ive never had issues with the windows. I baby my car as much as possible. I feel for the people that bought the CVT. Its not a good transmission. I feel that any brand can have issues. I also feel that if you pay for a service warranty, truly understand the terms before you sign. If you dont understand the terms, get a 3rd party to help you. If you sign it and dont understand, you are still liable as it is a contract, so try not to get indignant with the service people. Ive had multiple cars, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Volvo, Saturn. Ive had weird problems with all of them.Will I buy another Mini...? Yes. Will I be very careful with what I actually buy? Yes... Do I have a bias? Probably. However, find someone that doesnt have a bias to a particular brand of auto... Very hard to do.

Its ironic how I love my 2009 Mini Cooper but at the same time I have nothing but anger boiling inside of me. Problems are as follows: Valve gasket replaced twice, Engine rattling needing replacement of timing chain and tensioner, Need to put oil every 300 miles, Passenger window not working properly, and Engine sputters. It all started when I brought my Mini in for an oil change. I was told that I have an oil leak and that the valve cover gasket needs to be replace. Six months later, I brought it back for another oil change and I was told again that I need a valve gasket change. When I informed them that the gasket had just been replaced six months ago the reply was, Its probably a factory defect. I am the original owner of my Mini and it has less than 30,000 miles. My theory is that they dont know what theyre doing or they are sabotaging my vehicle to make money.

I have a 2005 Mini Cooper convertible. I love my car, but now she is costing me a fortune. First, the power steering pump went out and I had to replace that at $1,100 (that was going to a certified Mini mechanic, but not the dealer). Since this is a problem with Minis, why is there not a recall? Now, I am having problems with my convertible top, (also a problem with Minis). The dealer wants over $800 for the parts and $520 for labor. But they only want to warranty it for 2 years. So I have found someone who specializes in convertible tops and is doing the work for half the price.There are other things that I am having to replace all at once. But my issue is, Mini has recognized most of these things being an issue in just about all Minis and refuse to recall these items. I bought my car used, because I saw what other Mini owners were complaining about and I was not about to buy a new Mini and have to always go to the dealer for repairs. This will most likely be my first and only Mini unless something is done. I love my car, but this is getting to be ridiculous and with the price of gas going up and our economy coming down, you would think that Mini would start taking some responsibility.

At 43,000 miles the clutch went on my 2010 MINI Cooper S Clubman. Between towing costs & repairs, I anticipate a total bill around $4,500. The car is no longer under warranty and the dealer, although very understanding, expects full payment. An internet search indicates that clutch and transmission problems are a common problem with MINIs: particularly with the 2010 and 2013 models. My search results indicate that some clutch failures occur as early as 15,000 miles. I have always driven a standard; my last car had 139,000 and the original clutch. I know when/when not to/and how to use a clutch; I dont ride the clutch and I dont rip the car around, although all MINI TV commercials show the car being driven this way. MINI has had issues w/ the transmission also; in fact there is a class action suit against BMW North America that is pending settlement. I wonder if there is potential for a class action suit here since it seems to be a consistent problem, and I am sure MINI must be aware of it.

Recently my own Mini Cooper taught me more than I ever wanted to know about interference engines. Apparently when the timing chain tensioner fails it destroys the engine completely. So my Mini, which I love, which was my only way to get to work and help keep this country free is now sitting on a $12,000 repair bill. Now I am left to explain to my wife why she will not have a vehicle available to take my 2 and 3 year old to the dentists because I need to make money to pay off the car loan on a vehicle that is essential worthless. So needless to say I have done my research and have found a plethora of issues concerning the timing chain design problems that plague minis. From my perspective it just does not seem fair. I want to get this issue resolved. Better yet I would like to get this issues resolved without the necessity to take out a second mortgage.

I have a Mini Cooper 09 FOR 5 years with 51,000 miles. Just a couple weeks ago as I was driving home the engine light came on along with the temperature coolant light on. Right as this happened, I headed towards the next freeway exit when my car slowly started to slow down and came to a complete stop. My engine had died. I towed it to the dealership and told me that I needed to do a diagnostic test which I did and found out that my coolant had been leaking but later informed me that I need to do a engine tear down to see the core of the problem and figure out if this was the cause of a faulty part. Couple days later I found out that the dealer did not do the breakdown because Miniusa had told the dealer that a claim cannot be filed because through a remote, they said that since I drove 8 miles after the warning light, this is a case of negligence and nothing can be covered.Would anyone just stop there and then in the middle of the freeway when the warning signal comes on? Because the first thing on my mind was safety. Now I am stuck with a bill and a car without an engine which is going to cost me $8,000 to fix...when the car is worth only about $9,000 if it was running. Do not buy a Mini. It has too many problems which they know but would not acknowledge. Mini USA is even worse when it comes to customer service. All they say is that this is their policy and decision is finalized.

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.

Bought my Brand new 4 door mini sport a few months ago and have just over 3000 miles on the car. I have waited several years to get this car and finally I am surprised by my husband that it is time!!! Well a few time transmission seemed jerky and I thought No! There couldnt be anything wrong! WRONG! Had it towed and its under warranty but come on! A NEW TRANSMISSION!!?! Then I was given a loner car which gave me something to compare and to my findings my hatch is not working properly and the lighted mirror is not working properly. Just SOOO disappointed!

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.

Ferman Mini in Clearwater Florida has had to redo most repairs they have done. So unreliable and they asked ME not to come back... HA! ALSO my 2005 lift back was elevated one day and randomly came down and cracked me in the head. Terrible that the engineers never thought to put a safety catch on the elevated door but instead they all say I should expect it from an end left vehicle. Now tell me that is a dependable manufacturer/dealer when your customer got cracked in the skull by your inappropriate design. Shame on them for trying to humiliate me telling me to never come back. What losers.

An engine light came on in my 2012 MINI. I live 100 mi away from my dealer so MINI Roadside contracted a tow company come pick her up and take her to the dealer. As per policy of MINI USA and MINI Roadside, she was put on a flat-bed tow truck. On the return trip, 14 May 2014, however, things did not happen per policy. She was towed behind a tow truck with back wheels on the road and the front wheels 3 ft up in the air traveling down Interstate 75 from Atlanta to Warner Robins. The entire front of the car has suffered from gravel impact damage. Everything on the front end needs to be either replaced or re-painted (hood, hood trim, head lights, fog lights, bumper, roof, side mirror caps, front air dam, and wind-shield). MINI USA and MINI Roadside will not cover the damage and the tow company (who was under contract by MINI USA and MINI Roadside), of course indicates they did not damage the car. Both parties did agree, through a posted letter and an email, that the tow policy was not followed but there was no possible way my vehicle could have been damaged. When a vehicle goes to any MINI dealer for service, it is inspected for body damage (so the dealer is not held liable for damage they did not do, MINI USA policy). The service report from the dealer indicates no damage at all. $5k worth of damage and no one is to blame and no one knows how it happened in the course of 100 mi from the dealer to my house. MINI USA and MINI Roadside will not repair your vehicle if damage, but they will offer to pay YOUR insurance deductible (I kid you not).

My Mini Cooper Spontaneous caught on fire. Before all this happened, I took the car in for service. I stated to the service advisor that the car was not driving right. I said Im sure that some services need to be looked at. My buddy ol pal popped the key into the card reader and said, Nope, nothing showed up. Youre good to go. I exited with a smile on my face, never thinking twice. It could be that my mind was playing car games.On Saturday, 8/27/11 (10:30 pm), the car was sitting in drive. I came home, parked the car and didnt hear or notice anything. On Sunday, 8/28/11 (4:00 pm), a police came knocking on the door. My car was on fire. The plantation fire department was in the process of putting out the fire. The cause was unknown. The fire department guy said, From the looks of this incident, whats seems to cause this was the electrical fuse. The flames were shooting 8 ft in the air. The car is totaled. Theres no engine. Theres nothing left besides some of the interior cabin.

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.

Bought my 2008 Mini. Second day engine light came on. Brought it to pep boys - there for a few days. Got the car back. Fix a few minor issues. They did tell me I needed to replace the catalytic converter. Couple days later engine light came on again. Brought it to the dealership. They resettle the engine light - told me if it happens again to bring it back. Next day driving to work car starts shaking losing power - had to call triple A. They towed it to an auto repair shop which cost $165 to fix some other issues. This car is already too much - only had it for 17 days. Out of those days 2 weeks it was in the shop. Lost for words how these dealerships can sell the consumer crazy cars and get away with it. There has to be some kind of protection for us. Pissed as hell.

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.

My 2007 clutch had to be replaced on February 2012. I had to replace the valve cover, gasket, and hose at 37,500 miles. It cost $718.00. Then in March at 40,000 miles, I have to replace the timing chain at $2200.00 and a thermostat at $675.00. I have to pay out of my pocket for all the repairs since February 2012. I think that Mini does not built a car to last longer past 35,000 miles before you have serious problems. I am getting off the car and buying an American-made car. I have contacted Mini, and they said theyre sorry and that they will not do anything to pay for the repairs.

I have had this car since September 2010 and have been feeling very unsafe in this vehicle over the past couple of months. It currently has 12,000 miles but it is not accelerating properly. The car hesitates between 20/mph and 30/mph. The tachometer quickly moves to the middle of the dial, and then the car jumps or bucks into the desired speed. I took it for service but the technician could not replicate the problem and said that it is handling as it should. They want to send me home in this death mobile. The cars computer system says it is ok so no one cares that Im experiencing a real threat to my life on a daily basis and unable to drive on my city streets safely or on the freeways going to work. Since Im under lease, I am totally stuck having the option to pay it off or give it to someone else. I cannot imagine putting someone else at risk the way they are to me by completely disregarding my concerns and complaint.

2006 Mini Cooper - I am the second owner of this car, bought a year old from CarSense in PA. I have about 111,000 miles on it, bought it at after ~35,000. I faithfully change my synthetic oil well before the recommended mileage, yet my transmission began destroying itself anyway. My previous car, a 1997 Toyota Rav4, lasted over 250,000 miles before my family traded it in without issues. The clutch alone lasted past 200,000 miles. I am very disappointed that BMW would put such a shoddy product on the market. My car is currently being dismantled by my mechanic to determine the extent of the damage. My first indication was a clicking sound which seemed to be coming from the front left wheel area. I was able to drive it for several weeks like that and took it to the repair shop for that noise, only to learn it was the same transmission issue that is plaguing many Mini owners. I do not recommend that anyone purchase a Mini Cooper due to this issue, which is not acknowledged as a known issue by Mini service at the dealership. I would love to join a lawsuit to resolve this and hold BMW/Mini accountable for their shoddy products.

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!

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.

Mini Cooper convertible S car is a very sturdy, fun ride. Mini has since updated their options which now includes a much more comfortable ride with a lot more options. Love the ease of the convertible top. The ride was a bit stiff for long distance motoring but has since been fixed to accommodate more comfort, electric seats, backup cameras, just to name a few. Such a sporty fun ride that I feel very safe in.

My wife and I bought a used Mini that was still under warranty back in April of this year (2013). Its a great car and truly fun to drive. A couple of weeks ago the air conditioning went out and we took it to the local Mini dealer. After about an hour and a half, the technician came out and said the entire line needed to be replaced. The warranty on her car had expired in May and of course the repair bill was $649.00. When I asked why it was going to be so expensive, they explained that the air conditioning line is all one solid piece. Fortunately, a good friend of ours who owns an automotive repair shop, suggested we bring the car into him and he could help reduce the cost. He did save us money, but when they were done, he brought the line out to show us something rather disturbing. The line had been placed improperly against a pulley. The line itself was not damaged, but the extension that all technicians use to check the line was damaged. Although it was clear to see that this easily replaceable line was the culprit, BMW/Mini does not and will not sell just that check line by itself. I have called Mini about this issue and to date they have refused to even discuss the issue with me. This car has 23,700 miles on it and every repair or servicing has been done at the dealership. Now with something as clear as a poorly placed line from the factory and no ability to just replace that piece, the manufacturer refuses to assist in any way. This is a poor example of support, especially knowing that low mileage and barely 6 months out of warranty they wouldnt assist us in the unnecessary repair. I have attached pictures of the damaged line and the repair shop has agreed to submit a letter stating the facts behind this issue.

Took the car in for a recall on tensioner chain, found out also had active recall for heat shield. Service called and stated when heat shield was being put on, found there was an oil leak. They said 928.00 to fix. I told them I thought that was why the heat shield was being applied, because it caused oil lines to leak, the o ring hardens and begins leaking. They said the recall is only to add the heat shield??? I contacted BMW and they said they would research and get back to me in 3-5 days. I dont understand how the two are NOT related.

2010 Mini S extended warranty - OK I purchased my Mini about a year and a half, bought all the bells and whistles to protect it from major work inside and out. 2 months after check engine light came on. Took it in, Oh it is just the sensor BUT you need new spark plugs. OK well should be covered NOT paid over $200 and they reset the sensor. My Mini run hot, towed it to the shop and it needs a lot of work. Now seems since I have been changing the oil myself they do not wanna honor my extended warranty to fix what is a $2,300.00 buncha crap stuff. So my question is is my 2010 Mini S extended warranty voided since I like saving money and not driving so far to the dealership for oil changes?

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.

I bought a Countryman in 2012 with the technology package that included iPod integration and the Navigation system. The car consistently resets the iPod, forgetting where it is in the playlist, rebooting the iPod, forgetting settings (i.e., Random) and generally being garbage. The nav system frequently confuses north and south, indicating that Im going in the opposite direction as I am, off roads, into rivers, and generally being useless. The folding side windows frequently do not deploy all the way. Ive had to turn off the ignition at a stop light and turn on the car again in order to get the mirrors out. Dont buy this car.

I was hesitant to buy in first place. I bought new. It was a cheesy car. Everything was fragile. Window switches, seat belt labels, transmission shift mechanism, plastic trim, oh well. But its had four (4) different turbos at $3,500 each. Its had a number of service bulletins/campaigns/recalls depending on what persons or entity you talk to. One turbo was under warranty, the rest were not. But then BMW Mini rebates the $3,500. A different recall changed some turbo related part. The day after I picked the Countryman up, it wouldnt start; Dead battery. I just put my charger on it. Started fine. The service advisor suggested probably drained while in shop. The battery was relatively new. It needed to be jumped or charged 5-6 times in next few months. Then I found out that the recall, service campaign or whatever resulted in electrical consumption after shutting off engine hence the battery drain. Now I need a new battery; $300. INSANE. New FRONT brakes $700.00. REPAIR LEAK AT OIL FILTER MOUNTING FLANGE $1,300. I have owned a number of vehicles including Yugo, Smart, Mercedes, Porsche, THIS IS MY BIGGEST MISTAKE! My local dealer is immune to any logical argument about what is wrong or more importantly how it came to be so. Shame on them. The service costs are pathetically high- its not a Porsche, performance is mediocre. I believe in drive like a sport, pay like a sport. But this isnt that sporty. Next car; Toyota!

Purchased a Mini Cooper s new. After 32,000 miles engine started having major problems. Long list of repairs totalling $7,000 were needed. Sold car for a loss. I was sold on Minis styling, fuel economy, and small size. I wish I had paid attention to its lack of quality and longevity. I been driving for over 30 years and have never had a car with so many issues with such low miles. The service people and dealers seemed to imply my mini was some kind of unique problem. Guess theyve been drinking the Kool-Aid too long.

My 2005 Mini Cooper convertible that’s purchased new has had and still has a myriad of serious problems. The dealer, Mini of North Scottsdale (Penske), never addressed these problems. These problems include: windows that do not completely close; windows that failed; CD player that does not eject the CD; and others. The warranty, as interpreted by this dealer, means nothing. Repairs are not made, even after multiple appointments. One telltale indication on the quality level of the Mini Cooper is that Consumer Reports lists this as a “too be avoided vehicle.”

I owned a 2007 Mini Cooper S with many expensive options and the engine failed at 73,000. The dealer (New Country MINI - Hartford, CT) would not do anything even though I needed to buy a new car so I had to junk it. I believe the MINI warranty is 4 years or 48,000 miles. Meanwhile many less expensive cars have 7 year/100,000 mile warranties.

I got my 2009 Mini Cooper convertible back in 2013. It was below 18,000miles so I thought I was getting a good vehicle. By far the worst decision I ever made, and am at this point willing to lose money on what remains to be paid for the vehicle just to see it behind me. In the past 4.5 years, I have easily spent around $6000 in repairs, and I have another $2400 to repair on the engine and brakes just to pass this years inspection. Not little things, mind you - HUGE issues. Things that kept it in the shop for days.And it seems like every day there is something else that needs to be done. Will be trading it in, and I tell everyone I know that unless they have a bottomless pocketbook, and dont plan on really using the car very often - i.e. if its your fun/weekend vehicle, not your primary - then dont go there. It isnt worth the stress or the expense. Like a mechanic recently told me when I hit another expensive brick wall with this car: its a toy, not a car for people who actually need to drive somewhere.

I love my Mini, I just dont care for the people who I believed would help me when the Mini had problems. The Mini Company needs new leadership. Someone who cares about customer support and takes problems with the Mini serious. The only way WE can fix these problems are to join together and take these guys to court. Separate we are weak and unimportant, but TOGETHER we can form a wave that can change things. That is the only way to right the wrongs that have been waged against us.I have owned a Mini countryman since November 2011. The car is a 2012 model that I had made at the factory. The car now has 63000 miles and the repairs include: 1. replaced fuel pump 2. replaced spark plugs 3 replaced all four tires 4. replaced battery 5. replaced light bulbs6. replaced the thing that holds your accessories on the railWith all the replacements, I still have a few problems with the Countryman. 1. The engine cannot handle driving for long periods of time with the air conditioner on. The engine malfunction light will come on and I have to let the car cool in order for the error to go away. That problem alone is something that Mini knows and just does nothing about. 2. The battery I replaced was faulty from the start. I thought that my car just had problems but once I replaced the battery with a battery outside of the Mini dealership, the car started doing things that it had never done before. Like for example, you are not suppose to be able to lock your keys inside your car but I did. I didnt realize that that was a problem until I did the same thing with the new battery and the car just opened back up after two beeps. It was amazing to see the car do something it was suppose to do. The car misfires all the time.Now that I explained my problems, I have some advice. Dont go to Mini to get your car fixed. They are hurting your car more than helping it. If you have to go to them dont leave your car alone with them. Watch the repairs like a hawk. This might help them not break something for future repairs. NEVER BUY A USED MINI!!! ITS STUPID... Its best to buy the parts and have another shop repair whatever it needs. I recommend Pep Boys. They are good and reasonable about the repair rates.

On 07 July 2011, I went out to my car and the right quarter panel window of my 2006 MINI Cooper Convertible was damaged. I called my insurance company and they took the car for an estimate. I was told that it was going to be in a shop for three weeks. Unfortunately, I couldnt leave it because I could not pay for a rental. I had lost my job and couldnt afford a rental so I settled. I was then told that I could get my window fixed at home. It would not be a problem, I thought.I had three appointments for a window replacement and in all three times, no one showed. Nevertheless, I ended up calling Lauderdale MINI Service. I was informed that they had a window stock. I said, “Fine. I’ll call you back.” When I called back, they told me that they had the wrong part number so the window was not available. I asked if they could order me one. They said, “Sure. It will take a few days.” So, I continued to drive the car. After a week, my clutch went out and I had to get it towed to a shop. When the mechanic looked at it, they informed me that the hydraulic line base split into two. And when they called MINI, they were told that the part was on back order from Germany. I said, “Wow. You’re kidding.” So I called MINI service about the rental and I was told that it was up to the dealer. I had called and spoke to Jessica about the issue. I informed her that I felt like I shouldnt have to pay for a car rental because it’s not my fault that the part is on back order. She told me to call MINI customer relations and there was nothing she could do. After I told her that I had already spoken with customer relations, I was passed the buck at least five times.Now, Im told by the mechanic that my battery is dead when I had just bought it two months ago. I have had a rental for three weeks and my car is going to cost well over $1,000.00. Still, I have no window because it is also coming from Germany. It seems like I am back to square one and I have no windows, no car.When I called the service department, I spoke to a woman named Ann, who gave me all the information on my window. After a few days, she claimed that she never spoke to me so I’m still getting nowhere. I will never buy a MINI again. They are crooks.

Ive never owned a car so fun to drive. My 2010 Mini Cooper S Clubman 6-Speed had plenty of spunk and was on rails. Thats where the joy ended. The downhill started with an engine light at 100K miles. After $2,700 in suspicious repairs, I was told I wasnt driving it right. 6 months later, without any warning from the amazing computers, the timing chain broke. Now I have a great looking car that needs $10K in repairs. The dealership in Portland has been accommodating with loaners, etc., but they arent admitting these vehicles are not designed for higher mileage and they are all too willing to keep bleeding me dry with the repair bills. I have thought about having a third party replace the engine for $7K, but with the poor reliability, I may just junk the car instead of sinking more good money after bad. Will not be buying another Mini.

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.

On February 3, 2014 I took my car in to have the key checked out because it was not releasing when the car was cut off. This has been happening for over a year and reported to my service guy at the dealership on my last visit for appointed oil change, etc. I was told nothing was wrong. On this appointment, with 16,000 miles on a 2011 Mini Cooper, and one month before the warranty expire because of the length of the warranty, three years or 39 thousand miles, I was told that the cup holder had leaked coffee or something brown into the computer and that had caused the problem. I was told that the warranty would not be covered for that problem and it will cost me $1200 or $1300 to repair. I just read another complaint and the customer was told that you should only used cans in the cup holder!!! Why are the customers not told this and why do they put the holders on top of the computer if this problem occur??? My car cost over $30,000 and something so harmful should be taken care of by MINI COOPER, NOT THE CUSTOMER!!!!!

I bought my Mini used with 39,000 miles on it, the dealership I bought the car from offered a 90 day 3000 mile warranty on everything and thank god because 75 day and 2500 miles in the timing chain and tensioner had to be replaced at cost of $2300 .Since then I have had a recall on the cooler for the turbocharge, just recently I had my thermostat housing and sensor replaced. Now Ive been dealing with major power lost as if the turbocharger isnt working at all....I bought the car to save money and it has been nickel and diming me more than my 15 year old Ford F150... And the car uses more oil than any car that I have ever owed and Im pushing 50...BMW/MINI needs to fess up and fix these design flops because its a reflection on both companies....

We purchased a brand new Mini Cooper, a countryman. It has less than 7,000 miles on it and there was a nail in the tire. The repair shop replaced the one tire with a different brand without our authorization. We explained on a brand new car we would like the tires to match. We purchased this car for over $30,000 new less than 6 months ago and are concerned that there is no replacement tires on a brand new car?

I bought my wife a Mini Cooper 2006 R50 in 2010. It already had 52k miles on it. It now has 120k on it. I do most of the work myself because its simple, but very time consuming. If I dont do this Id look at spending about 40k dollars (overall) at the dealership to fix everything that wouldve gone wrong with it. And I should point out that Houston where I live is extremely hot so the more heat the more prone to failure. I usually go to the dealer for an inspection every 10k miles. They tell me what the problems are (charge a fair bit) but its worth it to get their knowledge. I think I was around 400 dollars, but had them replace the oil & filter as well etc. Then I go fix it myself.To avoid costly repairs the engine oil needs to be checked and topped off if necessary every month (about 6 or 7 hundred miles! Not changed).. Topped off to the max. If the engine oil goes low thats when plastic chain tensioners start to get hot and fail/break off causing catastrophic failure. I dont go for the oil change every 3k garble. I have the dealership do it every 10k (when they inspect it).Lately Ive had a misfire on cylinder 4. It cost me 20 dollars for a compression tester and will tell you that it has low compression (could be something else). Note 400 dollars if you want Mini to do it. Youll also be able to figure out if its the top end or bottom with a drop of oil (Google it). In my case it was a burnt valve on the head. As stated before its very simple to do these repairs. Its just very time consuming. The head was put to a machine shop though. Machine shops are pretty cheap.Over the 70k miles Ive had suspension issues, radiator fan issues, thermostat issues. Oxygen sensor issues. Engine mount issues. And numerous others I cant think of. 400 dollars to change a crank shaft sensor O-ring is a little excessive especially if youre changing the pan gasket at the same time. But in all its not complicated. It just takes time and some elbow grease.I have to say though I was tempted to buy a 40 thousand dollar BMW, but after the last time I took the Mini in and the guy said Its pretty good shape for a vintage that was the clincher for me. Its clearly obvious BMW do not want to work on cars over 5 years old, that is why they are charging so much. They want you to buy a nice new car every 5 years. So look forward to either spending 40k in repairs or 40k on a new car. I remember when Mini was Mini. Cheap and cheerful and would save on gas! Now its just spend spend spend. And can we please stop making plastic manifolds and plastic thermostat housings!!!!!!!!! Geesh Ill pay the extra 1k dollars and wont complain either!!

I have a 2007 Mini Cooper with the extended warranty that has cost me thousands of dollars. I still owe 10,000 on the car and it has 50,000 miles. It breaks down with something different every few months. A class action suit should be filed against BMW and all involved. I am a school teacher and I have to take the bus 45 miles each way (stand in ice and snow, and 15 degree weather) because I do not have a car that runs. BMW of Anchorage and the Mini Cooper Dealership are crooks.

Never, never, ever buy a used Mini unless it has bumper to bumper warranty. They are junk with no resale value! My 09 Clubman with 67k miles had the water pump replaced that cools the turbo. The octopus thermostat water pump which was leaking had to be replaced. Clutch which is normal to go, rear wheel bearing which was howling, and 2 weeks ago a VVTI actuator motor at a cost of $1,117 and a towing bill of $400 from Savannah to Jacksonville. Can you believe there is no Mini dealer in between Jax. and Charlotte?! I dont want to add up my repair bills over the last year because I might throw up! Thank GOD I found a sucker this week to buy it after I detailed it to the MAX! I love the Mini but Im not about to pay mid 30s for a new one, and lose 5k leaving the driveway, and another 5k plus a year later! Thats my take on my Mini.

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).

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.

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.

Since owning my 04 Mini Cooper, I have had to replace the automatic window control, the sport shifter, the whole gas line system, and a few other things on it. The gas system was the latest and greatest fix in the world of my Mini Cooper. I have had my car at the dealership in Dallas and Fort Worth, TX. They of course, after much haggling, fixed the issues with my car. The gas system was fixed in Kentucky only after my car decided that it was going into limp home mode and break down completely in Indiana. That was tons of fun. I am now thinking that my timing chain and tranny are starting to go. Granted my car has 109,000 miles on it - she is barely broke in. I love my car, but the issues and constant being in the shop for repair are starting to take its toll on me and my pocketbook.

I bought a Mini Cooper S John Cooper Works 12000 miles, paid £16500. Last year I was driving and the screen kept telling me boot open. Sometimes I could open other times it was impossible to open. Took into my local garage and he shook the boot door only to find it full of water!!! If I did not have it fixed the water would eventually mess electronics up. I looked on internet and it is quite common. I called Spire Mini and they wanted £120 just to tell me what was wrong with the boot (like they did not know). Took it to be fixed at a BMW garage. Now again I cannot open my boot, went to garage. Everything is soaked and the boot door again is full of water. I am so angry. It is obviously a fault. It is disgusting to pay that amount of money for a Mini and all they are interested in is more money on a faulty car. I want to go to a solicitor and demand they replace the boot door and pay for all my damaged goods. Does anyone know the details of the managing director of Mini who I can contact?

Reading these reviews renewed my anger at this crap company. Bought a 2008 Clubman 3 years ago. Fine the first year minus needing brakes. End of year two: dies in the middle of an intersection. A tow bill later Im told a belt in the engine snapped and bent valves. Engine is basically rebuilt (I later Google and find out that at 60,000 this very belt goes out in almost every Mini Cooper). LESS THAN A YEAR later, car dies in an intersection. Another tow bill. Faulty cylinder heads in rebuilt engine. Then, this winter. Driving to Ohio on the dark roads of Indiana country with my fiance and our dog. Car stops accelerating. We smell burning and pull over. Car is dead and barely makes it to the side of the road as huge semi trucks fly by and shake our stupid car. We feel like we are going to die on the Indiana interstate in a dinky small town. Merry Christmas to us. One day, two tow bills, one hotel night, one rental car fee we are at our destination. It took Mini a full month to tell me (after I borrowed a friends Triple A to tow it over a hundred miles to Chicago) what was wrong. That changed about 5 times. First, the cylinder (AGAIN). Then, a hose. Then the radiator. Then I was told the warranty wouldnt cover it because I had maxed the extra warranty I bought which had thankfully failed for the first two engine failures (at this point my warranty had paid 9,000 MORE than the stupid car is worth). After a full week of arguing with the ** head of maintenance (whom was ONLY nice when I was giving them money, but was a huge ** once I called Mini out on their crap cars) now my insurance is paying because Mini convinced them the damage was caused by a flying pebble we somehow didnt feel hitting the engine. I will be selling it for nothing near what I paid and NEVER EVER EVER getting this car again. I have told every single person I know not to buy one, either.

My daughter was hit from behind causing major damage to her Mini Cooper Hardtop. She was in the driver’s seat and the vehicle was at a stop when she was hit from behind. The air bags failed to deploy. She hit her head such that she blanked out and did not recover until she was in the hospital. I would like to understand why the air bags did not deploy.

I have put less than 7000 miles since my lemon was purchased used. Over 2,000 dollars in repairs so far. Mini Coopers should be made obsolete because of unreliability and bad engineering. The salesman I dealt with do the two step and lie by omission. Buy anything else!

I bought my 2007 Mini Cooper S used in January of 2013 from a reputable and well known dealership in the Hampton Roads area. Since owning it, the timing chain failed at 50,000 miles and was repaired by the only Mini Cooper dealership in the area. At 62,000 miles, the oil filter housing began to leak and was also replaced by the same Mini Cooper dealership. Now at 75,000 miles, the timing chain, oil pump, and turbo has failed. The dealership is also advising me that my Mini Cooper might need a new engine. Really, a new engine at 75,000 miles? My Mini Cooper has been at the Mini Cooper dealership for almost two weeks as they try to fix this poorly built machine. This vehicle has always been maintained and has never been abused. Mini is aware of the issue with the timing chain and oil filter housing and yet they fail to take the responsibility to correct the issues for their owners. The dealership cant even provide you with a loaner vehicle because they have more owners with broke down Minis than they have loaners. So far, the warranty company has paid for all the repairs, but as of today the warranty is questioning if any more repairs should be done since the cost of repair is approaching if not exceeding the value of the vehicle. If you are considering buying a Mini, spend your money elsewhere and stay as far away from this poorly made, issue prone, and unreliable machinery.

Mini Roadside Assistance does not provide assistance, instead it provides terrible unprofessional customer service. On two occasions now, I have called in for assistance when broken down on the side of the road. The agent was not friendly or helpful. On both calls, I was on the line for 16-24 minutes and at the end of both calls I ended up calling AAA for help. AAA was able to provide me with roadside assistance after a 3-minute call and I was towed within 30 minutes. The customer service at AAA is kind, efficient and professional. The complete opposite of the service you receive from Mini Roadside Assistance. I strongly suggest they look into who they hire for these call desk positions.When you lease or purchase a Mini, one of the perks is Roadside Assistance, but when that assistance is provided by rude and incompetent people where is the perk? Instead Mini Roadside Assistance has been a huge waste of time that has left me stranded and angry in an already frustrating situation. Mini you should be disappointed and embarrassed by the service you provide!

I purchased my 2015 Mini Cooper Hardtop in October 2014. First issue with the car was at 6,000 miles (April 2015). Vehicle was having a hard time going on a slight uphill, car then misfired - white smoke came out of the tail pipe. Within 5 minutes, the car misfired 4 separate times altogether. My car began to chug along and go very slow, an alert came on the dashboard saying Drivetrain Malfunction - drive moderately.. Oil below minimum. Add 1 Quart of oil as soon as possible. Car was then towed to dealership. They had my car for a little over a week. They called & said there was a lot of carbon buildup on the injectors. They then asked what gas I use which I said 89 or 91 and always getting it from Sunoco gas stations.. which is what they recommended when I purchased the car. They replaced the spark plugs and the injectors.For about two weeks after repairs, car was driving okay, seemed as though it accelerated a little slower than when I first had the car. I, then had an alert show up on my dashboard saying Oil below minimum. Add 1 quart of oil as soon as possible. I had to turn around on the thruway & take my car to the dealership. Again, they had my car for over a week. They replaced an oil sensor that apparently was bad. The service department manager gave me a service log for Mini Cooper that said, ALL Mini Coopers that have a turbocharged engine should top off their oil with 1 quart every 750-1000 miles. Seems very, very strange. But the car was repaired & they sent me on my way.The following Friday (6 days later), I decided to measure my oil while my engine was warm.. the oil meter seemed to have lost a quarter of oil in the past 6 days which DOES NOT SEEM NORMAL. The next day, Saturday, I had an alert come on my dashboard yet again that said Drivetrain Malfunction - drive moderately. Luckily this time, my car seemed to have been driving normal - it didnt misfire at all. Turned around & drove the car back to the service department. They had my car for about a week. They said there was a crack in the valve over the gasket, so there was some oil leakage - which the service department manager said that would explain the excessive oil loss in a matter of 6 days. A warranty extension was presented to me, 6 years instead of 4 years.However, the service department manager failed to mention that the last 2 years of warranty would not cover exactly what the first 4 years covers. I am EXTREMELY displeased with their customer service. I am eligible for a brand new Mini Cooper but I had told the service department manager I do not want a new car, or my current car - my 2015 Mini Cooper Hardtop falls under the Lemon Law & I want a FULL REFUND. No brand new car with only 6,500 miles on it should have this many issues. How can a brand new car be unreliable? This car has immediately lost its longevity as well as its resale value. Mini Cooper is an unreliable product.

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.

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 my 2011 Mini Cooper used in April 2014 with 17K miles on it; mint condition, had it checked by my mechanic and perfect condition. At 28K the engine malfunction light came on but car was running great. Mechanic said small micro fuel leak, no worries. 30K tune up car was great. 10 days after the tune up the car lost all engine power on I95 and the engine malfunction light came on. Had it towed to the dealer. Apparently the ignition coil had failed, almost never heard of for any car at 30K miles. Dealer replaced ignition coil and plugs. I love my Mini, so fun to drive but the factory warranty is out in 4 days. Ive done a lot of research; the ignition coil is not a regular Mini issue such as the transmission or tensioner. I do not know if I should get rid of the car, I love it but do not have the time or money to have it spend a percentage of its lifetime in for repairs. I do not have nay problems with the car, it runs great. I am fanatic about oil changes, tire rotates, and general maintenance. But not sure if that makes a difference with the Mini.

Mini Cooper S 2010 problems -- I got this car from my niece with only 17000 miles on it. Since then, my car has spent a lot of time on local dealership. I had to replace following things: Faulty High Pressure fuel pump, Torx Bolt, Pressure hose assembly, Turbo heat shield, stabilizer link, steering box, brake pads and sensors, vibration absorber, Timing chain tensioner leaking, aux water pump. They also serviced my car for carbon build up in the intake valve. Well this was done in last one year. Last week my car stopped at the freeway and I had to get it towed to Mini Dealer in Gaithersburg, MD. They told me that it has missed the timing which could be due to slipping timing belt or loose timing belt tensioner. I am waiting for this phone call and heavy bill they are going to tell me about. Since the car is just out of extended warranty with 27000 miles and little over 4 years, MINI will not cover the repairs.

Ive read a majority of the posts and see that most of the issues come from buying a used MINI. In my past experience of car buying, Ive never had much good luck with buying used European cars. I love them, but they are usually used for a reason. Because of this, I bought a brand new Cooper S in 2011. I picked out everything on the MINI USA website because I knew I intended to drive a lot of highway miles between GA, where I own my house, and NC, where Im currently stationed. True to my word, I have 125K after driving it off the lot brand new (with accompanying extended warranty) on Memorial Day of 2011. In that time Ive had three repairs--one major. Honestly, I have never loved driving a car so much. Just like drivers in big pickup trucks feel powerful because theyre the biggest thing out there, I feel powerful because Im the smallest, quickest and most maneuverable. I love to drive and this car is meant to drive. I love motoring! Despite that, I am currently awaiting tomorrows appointment for the diagnostics on what I believe will be another costly repair. I believe the turbo has gone kaput. I wish I could trade the car in but with the number of miles, I already know Ill be upside down. I am afraid I wont be a Motorer much longer and its really sad. MINI could have a lot more loyal customers if theyd focus on making their cars more reliable. I dont know too many people who have so much money they are willing to waste it on brand loyalty.

I bought a used 2007 mini October of last year. The week before my year anniversary the check engine light came on and a message about the catalytic converter came on and I couldnt drive over 25 mph. I pulled over and hoped that letting it cool would work. Waited a while and drove home about 10 miles VERY SLOWLY. I had to ship it back to the mini dealer that did the original engine repair (200 miles). The car in total had less than 48,000 miles and I got the great news I need to install ANOTHER engine because this isnt the first, but SECOND engine this car needed. Mini has had my car for 6.5 weeks now and they offer to give me $500 to help...... Thanks.Im devastated that I spent 16,000 on the car and now a year later I need to dump another 8,000 into it. I thought buying a German car would be great, but they dont stand behind their product at all. Im so disappointed that they feel $500 is a reasonable compensation for a car that will have its 3rd engine in under 50,000 miles. Im completely gobsmacked. All I can say is NEVER BUY A MINI!!!!!! IT WILL COST YOU WAY MORE DOWN THE LINE!!! Its so sad because I really did enjoy the car and I would have definitely had another one down the line, if this never happened. Buyers beware!