A year after I got the Mini Cooper, and just by coincidence, I looked at the car jack. It had some surface rust on it, but nothing else was rusty around it. I asked the Service Agent to correct it, but he told me, that it would not be an issue in the future. Now, 3 months after the warranty ended, the rust has corroded the welded seams and springs. When I took it back, of course, it was not their problem now, and the clerk told me that if it was broken, maybe they would look into it! So it means that if I used the car jack and it broke on me, with physical harm or injury, then maybe Mini will do something? I guess liability is cheaper than a $75 car jack.

I purchased a 2005 automatic Mini Cooper last year which had 70,000 miles on it. From the word go there where problems starting with tyres needing fixed and reverse parking sensors not working. Then I discovered a much bigger problem whenever I turned my engine on my mini was either revving far too high or far too low. My mechanic didnt know what was wrong and tried a number of things to fix this including replacing the oil (£300!). The problem kept coming back however and so I went to another mechanic who told me my solenoid valve was broken and it turns if you cannot buy solenoid valves separately for minis you have to buy a whole new gear box, roughly £5,000! Essentially deeming the car unfixable. Has anyone ever had this problem/ did anyone find a solution?

I bought a mini cooper s clubman 2008 model in September 2013 from a private seller financed by one of the major banks in South Africa. The car had only 58000 km on it. In Jan 2014, only after travelling 3000 km the engine light showed. Took it to bmw for inspection and I was told it needs a new turbo. Called mini South Africa and even sent a mail and I was promised feedback. To this day, they have not come back to me. The turbo was replaced and to my horror when testing the vehicle, the turbo blew again. I was told that the thermostat housing is faulty and has to be replaced. I had to fork out R4500 to get that. I was also told that that the water pipe needs to be replaced as well. Another R1000k. I am currently paying an installment of R4800k on this car every month for the next 5 yrs and within the 7 months I had to replace such expensive components and the manufacturer was not helpful. This morning I phoned the technician to find out how its going with the new turbo and I am told the oil pipe now has a fault. I am of the strong opinion that Mini/BMW should be taken to task as these are their products and why should it be the consumers problem to fix faults on their products. I say a lawsuit should be taken on against mini/bmw as I am extremely frustrated with their product and I am losing money everyday with all the problems that keep cropping up not budgeted for and especially with warranties that only cover certain aspects and not others of the same component.

2005 Mini Cooper - My first problem with my Mini was the power steering pump. The original went with less than 10,000 km. Replaced with used - it broke down very soon after. I bought one from Mini for warranty - last summer. Since then, my tranny failed. The mechanic said it had a hole in the lower left section. I bought one from a salvage company from Quebec. I replaced that one in Feb. and due to bad weather, only drove it short distances 3 or 4 times. April 23rd (90-day warranty), it broke down when I had my disabled son with me - good thing we had just gotten into London, ON. 2 weeks left on warranty, the salvager wont honor. I will go to small claims court. We managed to get to the Mini dealer. They were only going to get rid of my airbag error light. They did and told me after their scans that this automobile has numerous problems. Not once did they indicate all the problems associated with these cars. They tried to tell me that it was old. It has been OFF the road more than on in the 7 years Ive had it!! Less than 98,000 km! The horn wouldnt work so we put an aftermarket one on. My son did it and works great. One side of the hood wont catch, 3 power steering motors and pumps, and now 2 trannies!! Mister transmission will tell me tomorrow whether or not they can fix it, and if so, will give me a warranty of 100,000 kms or 5 years! I will get it fixed if not too much and then sell it or trade it if the warranty goes with the car. Gas mileage was always great, BUT it is DANGEROUS and I will NEVER RISK DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY AGAIN!! Mini would NEVER admit any of these problems and KNEW it all along!

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

I have had an excellent overall experience with my 2003 Mini Cooper. It wasnt until 2013 that I had to have any work done on it besides the normal maintenance. At the time I purchased my Mini, they were fairly new on the market, and it was the unique look that love it. It has run-flat tires and a Harman Kardon stereo/CD that I like a lot. However, the cup holders in the 2003 are useless, they only give you clearance for a small cup of coffee. There is no way to fit my travel mug or my Venti cold cup. I bought something that latches around part of the console and is secured with a bolt through both of its ends. The problem is that I had to tape up the bolt because I kept scratching my leg on the bolt. Still love driving my Mini!

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

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!

My 2010 Clubman S had an exhaust problem roughly 2 years after purchase (I bought it new). Specifically, carbon buildup in the exhaust system, which has to be sandblasted out using walnut shells. MINI covered it under the warranty, but only after I threatened to sue. I was told to use Shell gas and to drive the car harder, which I did. Now, at 57,000 miles the problem has reoccurred and extended warranty I purchased, which was the best available from MINI, wont cover it. The cost: $1000. This is clearly a design defect in the car and MINI should have recalled it. Id never recommend the car or the company to anyone.

Cant give them 0 stars, so they get a lucky star...just one. Super friendly sales and service people for sure, MINI, good job, youve trained them well. The complimentary Starbucks coffee and Chex Party Mix are also a nice touch, but NONE OF THESE CAN SUBSTITUTE FOR ENGINEERING AND DELIVERING A QUALITY AUTOMOBILE TO YOUR CUSTOMERS! Id rather buy a car from a jerk that was a quality product, designed for performance, reliability, and longevity. The automatic transmission on my 2007 Mini Cooper failed at 108,000 miles. A regularly serviced automatic transmission such as the one in the 2007 Mini Cooper, by comparable industry standards, should be good for at least 150,000 miles.This was not an inexpensive car (over 30K new, with over $15,000 in labor and parts in the meantime). The transmission was serviced when the car was still under warranty, and well after the BMW corporation was aware of the design flaws that ultimately led to the transmission failure. Rather than service the defective transmission while the warranty was in effect, they sent me home with a car that they knew had a poorly designed/engineered transmission from the factory. Although the transmission was serviced 18 months prior to this failure, and I believed the work carried a 2-year warranty, MINIs position is that the work performed was not mechanical, but electronic in nature, and was not covered under the 2-year warranty. The MINI was fun while it lasted, and as a professional that works with young adults as a career, I always felt comfortable recommending the MINI as a first car. My position on the MINI (not Bill Jacobs, youve been consummately professional) has shifted, and I will ultimately share my story of dissatisfaction and disappointment with the BMW corporation. Of notable irony is the fact that I originally purchased a MINI because of their resale value. $45,000 later and I have a MINI that is worth $150. The final tow to and from Bill Jacobs MINI will cost more than that. I believe that any of the owners of Bill Jacobs MINI or its representatives would feel exactly as I do in regards to this situation. To MINI and BMW...you missed the most important thing that car buyers want, that is, a quality product. Everything else has been tasty, perfectly-brewed, and pleasant.

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

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?

I have less than 65,000 miles on my 2006 Mini Cooper Hatchback. I took it in for an oil change and my air conditioning stopped working. I was told the air conditioning was due to the compressor failing. So, $2000 later, I have air conditioning. However, on the repair order, I am also told that the strut mount ($645), Engine fan ($985) and some misc. things like a side axle seal ($347), crank sensor o-ring ($349) muffler bracket ($260) also need to be done.My question is, what is the muffler bracket made of for $260(?) and who has to replace a engine fan in less than 65,000 miles on a car? Ive driven some old vehicles and driven them for a long time but never had the engine fan go out. I cant believe after 6 years that my car should need almost $5000 worth of work! I should also mention they found the O2 sensor was out, again. This is the 3rd time that has had to be replaced. Thank God Mini gave me a lifetime warranty on that - but the dealership wanted $140 to diagnose that it was needed again.This is the 2nd incident I have had with the a/c - the last time it was leaking (thankfully while under warranty). Ive also had the thermostat replaced already. I feel uncertain that I can afford to drive this car another 2 years. The parts seem to go bad so fast I cant imagine what another 2 years will do to my wallet!

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.

Had the winters tires exchanged for summer ones today and during the Mini inspection, the technician noted rusting and pitting on the brake discs. Recommended replacing at a cost $1300 (CDN). The car has only 16K kilometers on it. I had my previous Mini for 6 years and it did not require brake replacement during the time I owned it. The technician suggested the rust was the result of the car sitting for long periods of time, but my driving habits are identical to those when I had my first Mini. My concern is that this is something I have to look forward to, every year, like taxes.

I bought my 2005 Mini Cooper S (automatic) brand new and now, 7 years and 85K miles later, it needs a brand new transmission at $10K! Are you kidding me, after only 85K miles? After reading the posts, this seems like a class-action lawsuit waiting to happen. Previous to this, I had a BMW 325i with 140K miles on it and it was 11 yrs old, before it started having severe issues. So disappointed in BMW/Mini.

I cannot agree more with previous poster. I have a 2003 Cooper S with 97k miles. I have not touched clutch or transmission. I have only machined front rotors, no work on rear, change brake pads every 30k, change oil, rotate and align regularly. Over the life of the car, I have replaced the power steering pump, heater core, front and rear bushings, and a computer issue with ABS/traction control system. That was it in over 8 years total.Your Cooper is a fantastic car, if you drive it properly and maintain it regularly. It is a foreign sports car and as such, its going to cost you a premium to get maintenance done. Parts are generally more expensive than youll find in a GM or Toyota. You should know that going in. Learn to drive properly and dont beat on it, maintain it regularly and most importantly, find a mechanic who works on minis because most local guys will not understand the car as well.

Mini is not listening. I am a careful driver/owner who loved their Mini until today, a few years down the line (5) of having bought a brand new Mini. Repairs are outrageous. They renew and do not repair, so waste must be vast and parts i.e. gearboxes are giving up after about 45,000+ miles, and repair is more than the value of car. A few years ago, my nephew experienced gearbox problems and now it is my turn; cars bought at the same time. I have done a lot less miles than my nephew, so this makes me suspicious. This is a BMW con, lovely leather fittings and comfort, but dodgy engine. And they are getting away with it over and over again. BMW dealers should be able to repair engines, like the good old days, not replace at huge costs to the client and a cost of waste on the environment. My gearbox problem means I am able to drive around town but not on motorways, so driving beautifully until I hit 50+ mph. You would think this could be repaired.

My 2010 Mini Cooper Clubman S had 14100 miles on it. Within 4 days to continue driving it I would have had to put out over $2,000. First the brake pads which needed to be replaced could not be done without replacing the entire brake unit... over $800.00. Two days later the engine started idling roughly and the check engine light came on. I brought it to the independent mini dealer I was using and they told me that Peugeot was actually providing the engine for the Mini and many of the parts were made of plastic. The error reading was indicating *engine misfiring... Like badly*. It would cost around $1,000 to fix it and it would take 2 days and of course there would be labor costs also and the same thing could happen again. They cleared the check engine light and said drive it until the light came on again and then when it did repairs would have to be done. They were surprised, very surprised, that at 14,100 miles brakes and engine part melting was happening. I had 2 extended warranties but they covered nothing (brakes aside - wear and tear items). Now tossing and turning about this all one night, you gotta figure $2,000+ is like 5 car payments. When they erased the error, I RACED to the Honda dealer and got a Civic. The simple maintenance cost and repair cost of having the *hottest* car on the road wasnt worth the lack of reliability and exorbitant cost to maintain. I was always having to have sensor lights cleared at the dealer and after the check engine light situation I, sorrily simply passed the problem off to a non-Mini dealership. I dont love the Honda but I feel safe that I will not have to always be ready for some costly thing to happen before the next car payment is due. Amazing dumping a car because it is a financial and safety risk to drive!

I really loved my Mini Cooper Clubman S. I bought it brand new in 2009. It was fun to drive and looked very unique and cool. I always got compliments on it. However, I can honestly say that I have had at least one major repair every year since owning it, even though I regularly maintained it at the dealer. Of course more issues creeped up after the warranty expired. To make matters worse I finally paid the car off last March of 2013 and since then, major issues keep coming up including carbon build-up on the engine, crank shaft oil leak, thermostat housing leak, and an oil leak from the turbo charger. This cost me a few thousand dollars worth of repairs within the matter of six months. Now I am practically afraid to drive it not knowing what else is going to go wrong with it. Anyways, I thought I would be saving so much money every month after I paid off the car, but am now realizing I am paying more in repairs now than I did on the car note. I am going to sell it soon and get something known for reliability like a Toyota or Honda. However, I am going to feel kind of bad selling it to somebody knowing how prone to problems the car has. Anyways, I would get another Mini Cooper If I was really rich and could afford to have an extra car on the side as a hobby or something, but definitely not one that I had to rely on long term.

My right front tire blew out from debris on a major highway. I called MINI Roadside Assistance. After being on hold for 20 minutes the rep told me that he was unable to find a provider in my area. Then he suggested that I try to find a tow on my own. Really? How? Then he asked if I wanted him to keep trying. As opposed to what? Walking 30 miles to get home? I called the MINI dealer hoping they could help somehow. Ha! One person did say he would contact the tow company the dealership used and would call me back. After an hour Roadside Assistance called to tell me he still couldnt find a tow provider. I was less than 30 miles from Boston, MA.Finally a tow truck appeared - a passing driver had called the local police to report a broken down car and the police called a tow truck. The tow operator would only take me to the nearest service station not the MINI dealer. The service station owner was very nice. He arranged for a delivery of a new tire. Then he discovered that the debris had also punched a hole through the alloy wheel. He called the MINI dealer. The wheel was in stock but they couldnt deliver it until the next day - it wasnt even noon. I spoke to the dealership and begged for someone to bring the wheel. I was about 15 miles away. Nope. If RA had ever done their job I would have been towed to the dealer. But the dealership just pointed out (needlessly) that they werent responsible for Roadside Assistance. And I should have been towed to the dealer. Consequently I had to pay for a parts runner the service station used in addition to the delivery fee for the tire and the tow.I commute 80 miles a day. I travel almost every weekend to Northern Vermont. I need a reliable roadside assistance program. MINIs contract with Allstate does not provide that security. The dealership said that they had a lot of complaints about it. I wrote to MINI USA. They said to submit a copy of the receipt for the tow to Roadside Assistance for review and that it would take 4 to 6 weeks to process. How about paying for an AAA membership instead? Some day when I have more time Ill describe all the problems Ive had with the car within the first days of owning it. The dealership is arrogant and dismissive, MINI USA doesnt care about poor service, and the RA program is worthless. If anyone reading this is thinking about buying a MINI just dont do it.

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 had the steering go out at about 50k miles. The dealer wants over $1200.00 to fix it. The doors wont open from the inside. You have to roll the windows down to get out of the car. If the power fails, you will die because you cant get out.

I loved my car (2009 Mini Clubman, purchased new) until it hit 52K miles. I always had my car serviced by Mini Service, at the required intervals. At 52K miles, it needs multiple repairs ($6K) that are more than the blue book value. Repairs include drive belt, water pump, front crank seal, transmission fluid leak, and thermostat. I reached out to Mini USA and they covered $780 cost of replacing the thermostat, but refused to cover any of the other costs. (My understanding is the life of these parts is short because the engine runs hot, is in a small space, and the heat from the engine is drying out and cracking the small parts.) Mini doesnt seem to be concerned that the car only lasted 52K miles.If you are going to buy a Mini, be aware that it has reliability issues, has a very short life, poor resale value and that Mini USA will not stand behind their product. And sell your Mini as soon as the 3-years of included maintenance (or extended maintenance, if purchased) ends so you dont end up stuck with a car that is worthless.

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

I purchased a used 2002 Mini Cooper S from Mini of Knoxville with 70,000 miles. I thought I was purchasing a great car from a reputable dealer but it turns out that I was not. After just a day, the clock stopped working and a screw fell out of the lower dash trim a week later, and in the following month my windshield trim began pulling away.Within the first month, my power steering pump went out nearly killing me and my wife. I tried to work through Mini USA and I was told to take it to a dealer who preceded to tell me that I had a whopping $3400 in repairs! I told them I just bought the car a month ago from them!The car needed a P.S. pump ($1400), front control arm bushings, total shot ($900), crank pulley, balancer and belt which were warped ($500) and that the brake fluid and coolant were in terrible shape (remaining cost). Oh, and by the way, the tires were the wrong size. This is the way I was sold the car. After fighting with the dealer, they replaced the pulley and belt and thats it. They told me sorry, you bought a used car. Where is honesty? I thought we had a lemon law, it turns out not so much. I removed the p.s. pump and had it sent off and rebuilt for $225 and replaced it 30 minutes total. WHY is MINI so EVIL?

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).

Hi, I purchased a used 2010 Mini Cooper less than a year ago which I am still financing, Yesterday my wife was on her way home. The car started smoking from the vents and soon after the car locked down while I was driving and could not breathe. While driving on the left lane she was able to come to a stop and turn off the vehicle then the door open for me. With the door open she then turn back the car as other vehicles saw that the car was smoking. They let me merge to the right lane. A police officer in his car noticed that something was wrong and came to my aid. As he was asking her what is wrong, she tells police officer that the car is smoking and thats when the car lit up in flames as the horn was going off. The car and all of hers and my personal belongings got destroyed in a blazing fire that almost killed her. What should my next step be? I am out of car, my laptop, cell phone, sneakers, etc. A response is needed. Thanks.

I would like to join a class action lawsuit if someone could please advise. I bought my 2007 Mini Cooper S Turbo in 2008 with just 14,000 miles on the odometer. I was told that the original owner was not satisfied with the noise that the engine made and that he returned the car to the manufacturer. At first I thought that I found a gem of a car at a local used car dealership because this Mini had every option available with very low miles on it. Little did I know just how much of a mistake I had made in buying this piece of junk.In six years I went through 2 timing chains and sprocket repairs after hearing the death rattle. Not once did a warning light tell me when I was low on oil. I actually had to top off the oil every 1,000 - 1,500 miles. This car consistently sputtered, hesitated, blew black smoke out the tailpipe and broke down so often I finally took the car to a local mechanic after my extended maintenance and parts warranties with Mini expired - which incidentally I paid an extra $5,000 for. After replacing the timing chain twice and being told by two local mechanics that my engine was ruined - Mini customer service representatives insisted that the engine was fine. I finally let my local mechanic work on the car and he found that the valves were gunked-up with carbon and one of them had a large chunk missing from it. After that repair - lo and behold my car finally stopped burning oil and I never had to top it off again between oil changes!In six years I had replaced: 2 timing chains, starter, thermostat, head gasket, water pump, rust in the gear box, rusty bolts in the hatch that were showing through the paint, knock sensor, faulty computer messages, leaking air conditioner, antenna shorting out the rear defrost and radio, service light not coming on, split o-rings, valve cover, engine vacuum, oil line, fuel inlet, leaking coolant, sensors, etc... Not to mention the multiple pieces of trim that blew off the car while driving down the highway and the multiple towing fees at $750 each.I did get some goodwill or NCs on my invoices after fighting for them and had to remind customer service every-single-time that I did indeed have a 2nd party warranty agreement that I purchased from the Mini dealership. I actually had to produce my contract each time that I was there for repairs because they couldnt find it in my records. After paying $5,000 in extra warranties, huge towing fees, $100 deductibles with every repair, lost time at work, thousands of dollars in repairs after the warranties expired, and the unnecessary grief and exhaustion of owning this piece of junk, I would never recommend that anyone buy a Mini Cooper. The customer service representatives were friendly.

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

After reading some of these reviews, I am now holding my breath. I have owned my brand new 2015 Mini S now for 8 months and truly could not possibly love it more. Any questions I have or any needs have been met right away from all Mini dealers in Tucson and Phoenix. Sounds silly but I even enjoy writing the check monthly for her. Yep, I am most definitely twitter patted (as Bambi or Thumper once said) with my Mini (even named her Itty Boo) (yeah, I know, over the top! ).

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

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

I bought my first Mini used. It had 77,000 miles on it at purchase. Overall condition of the car inside and out was excellent. I drove the car for a test ride and all was great. Only after 4 days of driving, the engine is developing a rap. The car was purchased as is as shown from a used car dealer.

I have a 2003 Mini Cooper, with only 44,000 miles. I have everything original, and have had extensive service and care since it was new. It never had track time, or abuse, only 2 sets of tires and original brakes. The car is a lemon, and BMW Mini knows it. I have contacted them about the following problems, and their answer is this is normal operation, and the vehicle is out of warranty, sorry. The problems thus far, have cost nearly $18,000 in repair, and it’s still not working as it was designed. The following has happened: transmission failure/manual; 2 AC systems; 2 power steering systems; navigation system; radio failure; auto temp control failure; left high beam headlight stays on (I had to unplug it); internal lights and gauges are not working; and power steering leak. I am a disabled combat veteran, and would rather be back in war, than deal with this thing one more second. BMW Mini is junk. Never buy one.

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!

Love the car although its not as reliable as Toyota. But then, you dont buy a Mini if youre shopping for Toyotas. Ive had some issues with bad battery connections and the cap on my emergency break has been broken since I got it. I will day that Ive left it parked for up to 3 months and it started up just fine.

I bought a 2003 Mini Cooper new and it had been a great car up until 70,000 miles. The automatic locks stopped working, the car would overheat when idling, but the biggest issue is the transmission went and I was told it would cost approximately $8,300 to replace. This is just wrong to have a transmission go at 70,000 miles. From what I have read this is a common occurrence. I was expecting a decent trade in value but now my car is worthless. Im very disappointed. The only reason I gave 3 stars is because I did enjoy the car for the time I was able to drive it.

So I bought this Cooper second hand from Carmax and not even two months after having it, the transmission has given out in it. So tomorrow will begin the journey into having to find out how deep this rabbit hole really goes.

My 2009 Mini Cooper S Convertible with only 41,000 miles was experiencing the death rattle associated with the timing chain problem. My local Mini dealership at first told me they did not hear what I was hearing. I also had the problem with misfiring and rough idling. After I took the service technician for a drive and he acknowledged hearing the same things I did, the dealer quoted over $2,000 dollars in repairs which including timing chain replacement and carbon build-up removal.At the time, I was mystified at how we could go from no problems to that amount of money with no further diagnosis being conducted. I did take my car back to the same dealer for service and they ultimately fixed both problems at no cost. Unfortunately, I still have a high oil consumption problem and was told by the Mini Service Manager that I will need to add oil after about 750 miles. Based on past history, this is another known issue that Mini is just not yet willing to admit to.

Bought my 2009 Cooper S new in Kelowna. This is by far the most fun vehicle to drive - love it. Has had a few issues mind you. New timing chain at 76000Km. New engine at 82000Km. New Turbo at 120000Km. New fuel pump - new high pressure pump - excessive carbon build up requiring walnut blasting on more than one occasion ($1000 each time not covered under warranty). The list goes on.Its now parked since the timing chain has failed yet again and the dealership wants another $4500 to repair it. So far this vehicle including extended warranties and repairs - not including general maintenance such as oil changes etc - has cost me a staggering $55000! This does not include parts and labour covered under warranty. Interesting how many horror stories I have discovered posted by other owners with similar problems with this vehicle.

I bought a used 2007 Mini Cooper in July 2010. At 69,000 miles, I was driving it home from work which is about 40 minutes from my home when it started losing power. At that time, the engine light came on and I just didnt have the time to get to the side of the road before the power completely went out. It was unable to restart and there was an earthquake type of rocking/knocking in the engine area. Upon having it towed away, there was dark oil on the pavement. The mechanic that I took it to was unable to diagnose the problem but stated that there was an oil leak that seemed to start from the gasket area. They quoted me $8,600 to repair and I owe $8,300 on it. I have never in my life had such a lemon of a car. Even in high school, my junky $200 car lasted longer than two years! There is no recovery per my insurance or through Mini of Louisville. They basically said I am SOL due to the warranty being over at 50K miles. It was nearing its next oil change but other than that, no warnings. There must be something illegal about a company that sells such an overpriced product that doesnt meet up to the standards of what the product should do.

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

I took my 2007 Mini S to a dealer for a free recall repair last year and was told I needed new brakes. The car had only 27,000 miles and I paid over $1000 to have the work done I was told needed to be done. That was last year. This year, the warning lights for the ABS and traction control started coming on at random times although I dont see any difference in the handling when the warning lights are on or off. I went to a dealer which is 135 miles from where I live to have it checked and was told the black box that controls these functions has failed and would need replacement to the tune of $1350 plus 3 to 4 hours labor plus tax. Im still under 40,000 miles, and over $2,500 for repairs in 2 years on a car with this low mileage seems excessive. I was going to have them set up an appointment to do the work, but since there have been issues with reliability of this model for this year, Ive decided to hold off and see if I can get feedback to help me decide in what direction to move. I love driving this car. It has all the options I could want and then some. It cost $31,000 new in 07 but if repairs are going to start being a major issue, I may need to rethink keeping this car or trading it on a vehicle on which I can get service locally.

We absolutely love our late 2017 Mini Countryman Cooper S ALL4, reliable, sporty and fun to drive. However, the radiator design is flawed and prone to damage by rocks that can enter via the large grill opening in the bumper. The design is such that the cooling fins of the radiator are located between the cooling pipes whereas most cars the cooling fins also go in front of the radiator. The issues is when a rock enters, it can pierce a hole in the exposed cooling pipes (the vertical lines either side of the cooling fins) rather than the fins absorbing the impact of a stone as they do on more traditional radiators. Though it is a design flaw, it is not under warranty as is is caused by general wear and tear and not a manufacturing or assembly fault. CAD ~$300 parts and ~$400 labor plus tax made it a bill of CAD $900 to replace the radiator.

I bought this 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman S in April 2013. The car was one owner and it only had 36000 miles on it. Did a Carfax and all it showed was it had been serviced for tire problems 4 times. I bought the car and the salesman and finance person really pushed me to purchase a extended warranty stating that when you purchase a used car you should protect yourself just in case. I walked away for a few hours to think about it and decided that I would purchase it after I asked the financial manager if something was wrong with the car that they were aware of that they are not disclosing to me. He said no absolutely not. Well 31 days after purchase car starts sounding horrible. I took it to checked out and was told my thermostat was bad. I said, Is it under my warranty? After calling the warranty company, I was told the thermostat was not covered but the thermostat sensors were covered. And fyi when purchased the thermostat the sensors come on it. $700 for part and labor. But the car still was acting strange sounding loud in the cold, also tires going flat in cold weather, my engine comes on and my brake light come... I take it back in, I was told I needed front and back brakes, rotors, brake sensors $850 still not fixed and its not even 40000 miles on it. Next was told to get oil changed and filters. Another $250 still not fixed and warranty hasnt covered anything. Now it barely runs, it sounds like a diesel truck running and its missing on all cylinders. So I now have had the spark plugs and spark plug boots done. $400 more. And now I find out this whole time BMW and Mini Cooper cars from 2006 to 2012 has a messed up turbo charger when they made it. The casings was made too small and there is not enough spaces inside to allow proper air to flow thru and so the turbo and seals are getting so hot that it has been melting and warping the case and it is slinging oil and gas thru the turbo charger. Which is just the beginning, the trunk locks and doors locks are not built correctly. Just to mention a few. After paying $ 20000 to $30000 for a vehicle and the cars are poorly made. And instead of recalling all cars to fix what should have never been the consumers problem or to pay to be fixed which from thousands of people that I have read that we all have spent an average of $5000 to $10000 to fix one problem to incur another one over and over. I say it is time that the consumers that have purchased the Mini Coopers that we start a class action lawsuit against BMW/Mini Cooper/Peugeot corporations. To refund all of our money and either purchase our cars back or permanently fix everything. They cant blame drivers causing this problem when there are hundreds of thousands of people that has been stranded, involved in accidents due to these damaged engines as well as everything on these cars and others where their cars have started fire due to all these headaches. These companies are to be held responsible for our lives and others that they are putting in harms way every time we start and drive these cars. If everyone is fed up with all these companies not doing whats right, please lets start a lawsuit against all of the companies involved with making the Mini Cooper before we are broke and cant afford to be broke down or wreck with engines locking up or paying monthly payments on cars that we should be paid to drive these pieces of crap. Contact me spread the message and word. To other Mini Cooper cars, Time to take action.

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

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

I have spent over $4000 and it is still not fixed. The engine light - Engine malfunction - operating at reduced output. Possible to continue. Drive with caution. Have the system checked by the nearest Mini Center. The message should read Prepare to pay high dollars for repairs that will NOT repair the issue. This is the 4th time and it is not fixed!

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

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.

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

2008 JCW Mini Cooper S convertible with 33,175 miles. Clutch has gone out twice; the throttle twice. It brakes once. It was an unknown problem where they pulled the engine. I went to trade it in. When it was new, it was $39000. Less than three years later, they will only give me $14,000. They know what the car facts are. I got $14000 two years earlier on my 2002 Cooper S that was 6 years old.

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.

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.

On 05 December 2011, I took my vehicle, a Mini Cooper JCW 2009, in to BMW Leo Haese Centurion. For a faulty clutch, I then received a quotation for R41 886.07 after telling me that the flywheel and turbo needed to be replaced. I went to the dealer and discussed the quotation as the vehicle is just out of the service plan. The workshop mechanic took me to my vehicle and showed me the turbo and said that the axle was lose and off center. Even after inspection on the turbo that was not the case, but still he insisted that it needed to be replaced. After discussions with the dealership, they sent me a new quotation to repair my vehicle for R8261. They also informed me that they will still replace the turbo and that not all the parts are in stock. I ask them if I can get my car back the next day, so to use it. The next afternoon, they phoned me and informed me that there was a new problem with the steering column, but I can still use it and that it is safe to drive and only the hooter will not work. On arrival, I noticed that the sensor on the dashboard was also removed. On inspection of my vehicle I found that none of the safety features in the vehicle is operational as well as any of the controls on the steering wheel plus the wipers were constantly working. The next day, I took the vehicle back as it was unsafe for me to drive. I was not happy that the whole truth was not told to me about the state of the vehicle as I would have never taken it. How could they give me a vehicle that is clearly unsafe to drive?On the 08 December, I paid the bill of R8261 and asked for the spare parts that were replaced on my vehicle, but they told me to get the parts, I must pay a further R2000 for it. My question is, why I must pay for my property. Is this the case or not? The sensor on the dashboard was not replaced as the part was not in stock and up to today, I have not received that part. On the 11 January, the turbo started to whine on the vehicle. I got an appointment on 16 January 2012 to book in the vehicle. I requested them to go with me to the vehicle so I could show them that the pipe from the air filter to the turbo was loose and that was not fitted properly and that I wanted them to remove a special wheel nut on the right back wheel. They told me that that will not be necessary for me to show them, they know what to do.On picking up the vehicle, I noticed that the wrong nut was removed. After informing them, it took them one and a half hour to bring a nut and told me that that is the nut removed. At closer inspection, that was not the case and that the nut was still not removed. I already paid them R376.20 for the work done. I decided not to leave. Before the work was done at around 18:30, they told me that I must leave and that I must sign the job card which I refused. Then they asked me and not in a friendly manner to leave with I did. On arriving at home, the turbo was still singing and I noticed that everything I asked them to do they did not do. Now, why must I pay for work not done and what did they bill me for? On the 01 February 2012, I took my vehicle for the Mini call back (water pumps) to Nelspruit BMW. They also inspected the vehicle and phoned that the turbo needed to be replaced, not understanding what was going on as the turbo was replaced less than 2 months ago. The workshop manager explained to me that when they, Leo Haese Centurion replaced the turbo, they did not fit the air intake pipe correctly and or the seal was pierced and broke off and went through the turbo, thereby damaging it. I now need to replace a turbo again that was not faulty in the beginning and was not installed properly. After all this, I have to ask the following: 1. Why must I replace the turbo because of bad workmanship? 2. Why did I have to pay for work not done? 3. Why was I treated so badly when I was not happy with work done or the lack thereof? 4. Why was I lied to and told that the nut was removed? 5. Why did they not listen to me when I wanted to show them the work? 6. Why was I over quoted on 05 December? 7. Why did they give me a vehicle that was unsafe to drive? 8. Where is the dashboard sensor?9. Why would I ever want to go back or recommend someone to go there?My vehicle broke down on the 20 Feb 2012 in Nelspriut. After inspection of the vehicles turbo, we found that the piece of pipe was in the turbo fans and that the pipe that was damaged. I phone Leo Haese Centurion. After talking with them, they told me that whey will not help me in this matter.I am standing before you for help in this matter as I do not know how I will be able to resolve this problem and I am disgusted at Leo Haese for their treatment of me, a paying customer. They really put the name BMW, which in the past stood for service par excellence, in disrepute. I hope you at BMWSA can help me in this regard and right the wrong that was done to me

I bought this car from a Mini dealer in June 2011, supposedly to have a normal years warranty and full service when required. Within a couple of months the cam chain snapped on the M25, breaking the casing, which drained it of all oil. The Mini was repaired under warranty, and I was told that there would be no further detriment with the car. Within a few months, a leak appeared within the car and damaged all the upholstery, which again was cleaned under warranty, but has subsequently reappeared after the warranty expired. The car was recalled for a part replacement whilst still under warranty. The car had been burning oil at a phenomenal rate which it still is. I was told that this is normal and generally have to put two liters a month in the car, despite not doing many miles.Within a month of the warranty expiring, all four tires needed replacing, despite having only done 4000 miles since the purchase. A fault light appeared regarding the wiper reservoir, which will not reset. Then after only 39,000 miles, the clutch started slipping and needed replacing which cost over £1000 to replace, which seems to be standard as I know two other owners which have had to replace the clutch at such low mileage. Since having that done within a month the front two new tires have had to replaced at a cost of £150 each as a result of the suspension bushes wearing, and which this is going to further cost more money to rectify. All I get from the dealership is literature on new Minis and as yet they havent even offered me the service as promised. Buy a new one, no thanks.

The tailpipe on my 2010 Mini Cooper has now caused 2nd degree burns on two friends legs. In both instances, we needed to remove baggage from the hatchback rear of the car, and while leaning in to retrieve it, they got circle and half crescent burns, respectively, on their shins. I feel horrible and have no idea how to remedy the situation. Furthermore, Im terrified now that it will happen again and again. What can I do?

I bought a brand-new BMW Mini Cooper D in February 22, 2012. After two days, in the morning (February 24, 2012), I got big problems. First, the driver door was not opened. Second, when I turned my car off, the engine continued to run and the bonnet was hot with smoke and has burning smell for more than 5 minutes. It happened 3 times within 3 hours on that day. This condition has happened again in March 8, 2012 and March 21, 2012. Third, the window was opened by itself (I mean, I didnt do anything to open the window.) four times from February 24, 2012 to March 5, 2012.I have visited four times the AS center since February 24, 2012 (2.24-3.19) to fix the problems. But the AS center fixed only the first problem (The driver door was not opened.), and they changed the air conditioner compressor. Unfortunately, they failed to find out the reasons for other problems. Those things are a shock for me. How come those things could happen to the brand-new BMW within two days of purchasing it? But more shocking for me is the response of Deutsch Motors in Korea. One of the customer center staff called me on March 19, 2012 and said in an unfriendly manner that the company is going to provide only an accessory made by Mini to compensate the inconvenience I had.Yes, of course, I deserve to have some compensation for the cost of my time, mental stress, inconvenience, and mileages (about 120 km from my place to the AS center). But what I really need is confidence that I am concerned by the Deutsch Motors. I am a customer who is suffering with car troubles since I have bought it. But what the company just wanted is to close this case with Mini accessories that I even dont need. This is a very wrong attitude in handling customers. What do you think?

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.

This is definitely worst car in history. I honestly believe the Germans are trying to pay us back for kicking their ** during World War II. I bought this car for my daughter two years ago. It only had 57000 miles. I bought it from a salesperson in offer up. Vehicle drove nice during the testing drive. I just wished I would’ve done some homework before saying yes to my lovely daughter. Instead of going with my heart I should’ve gone with my gut feeling of never buying European cars. Oh well. Vehicle ran good for about 5000 miles. First thing I noticed was an oil leak. Oil housing gasket needed to be replaced. Turbo oil line needed to also be changed.Luckily, I did these changes myself which saved me about 2000 dollars. Ran good for about a month then the light engine turned on. Misfire on Cylinder 1. I replaced all spark plugs and coils. After a few weeks, light went on again. This time it was the valve cover. Replaced it myself. Light goes on again. This time I replaced several sensors. Again, oil leak. Oil housing gaskets changed again. Rattling noise began coming from engine. Open valve cover and noticed chain retention rail broken. This is common on all Turbo minis. Replaced top rail retainer and cleaned out the oil pan gasket. During cleaning parts of the rail were obstructing oil pump mesh. Mini recommended to chain whole chain costing me 2100 plus 600 for cleaning oil pan. No Ty. I will do it myself. Mini ran good for about a week when light light up again. This time it was the vacuum pump. Replaced it myself. Vehicle ran good for a week until one day I get lots of white smoke coming off the exhaust pipe. No engine light though and no sign of over heating. What gives?? I’m afraid this time the head gaskets could be the issue. I’m done with this car. Two years of unbelievable headaches. Like I said worst car ever. Btw, Im selling it to CarMax. I just don’t have the heart to give someone else this piece of junk... never again am I buying a Mini... I have noticed I don’t see them on the road as much as before.

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

I purchased a 2009 mini cooper hard top used with 50k miles from the dealer. I was so excited to finally have my dream car, and for a year or so it was heaven. The car was not only adorable, but fun to drive and got great mileage! Sure, I had to pay for premium gas and oil changes were around $100, but the car was a dream. That was until the problems started to roll in at around 60k miles. The car began making a thumping noises after driving (with the engine off) and the engine would idle very loudly and even rattle. I took the car into the dealer and they assured me it was fine. One night the engine died. The cars oil had leaked into the engine and the engine was done. Third parties wanted 7k for a used engine replacement and mini wanted 10k for a new one. I was devastated. That was over half the price I bought the car for. I found someone who was willing to rebuild the engine for 4k. That lead to more nightmares. Several nights making long drives the car just died on me. Stranded and alone I had to have a friend pick me up and the car towed (at least 3 separate times) and then wait for weeks while the car was in the shop. The car was on its last leg, huffing and puffing around, ready to die any second. More repairs were needed. Mini said the car needed a part, I cant remember what it was, and that it would be $900. And only mini had the part. Recently I was rear ended on the freeway and the car was totaled. It was a rare case where the person whose car is totaled is actually happy about the situation. I still have a few more payments left on the car, and the payout will cover just a bit more than the payments and the engine rebuild, but at least this is done. Everyday driving my mini was uncertain. I never felt safe in the car. That said, I loved the car. It was still fun to drive and so cute, but the anxiety and maintenance repairs make this car criminal. I would not recommend this car to anyone unless they are leasing it or rich and dont care about all of the repairs.

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

I’m not sure exactly how to write this experience up, but here goes. We recently visited a dealership with an intent to purchase a Demo as part of #Performance Auto Group’s sales flyer posted on Auto Trader. We went to the dealership we had visited about a year ago and had the opportunity to test drive a Mini. We weren’t ready to purchase at that that time based on our budget, but the service was great and staff supper friendly and helpful, so we returned to this location. First visit we tried a car but for some reason found it really rough, we felt like an egg that had been scrambled after driving it. When we got back we advised the two young men at the dealership and were told that was the Mini experience. At this time they snickered. We advised them of our previous experience and they said it’s the tires. They’re new. After a few more exchanges, I said, I guess that means we aren’t Mini people, and the young man said yup. I want to point out that we weren’t offered to try another car to see if we thought the same thing.We left and ended up at a used car place where we tried a 2017 and we actually enjoyed the ride. The first visit was on a Monday, and on Thursday my partner and I returned to that original dealership because they had four Demo’s at great prices and low kilometres. I asked about the last Demo that appeared on Auto Trader that same day (the same young man from the other day), he advised it was out. I had to ask clarifying questions, Is it on test drive? No, Can you find out? He comes back and advises it’s on loan to a client. What does that mean? It’s on loan, When will it be back? I don’t know. So we took our phone out and looked up for another car to try, and apparently that was off site as well. He hadn’t seen it in a couple of days. Is it sold? No, Can you find out? He disappears. I’m about to blow, you have to understand he’s just standing there and the body language is saying go away. It’s very clear he doesn’t want us there. He’s not checking the computer and when we ask him to check, he ask us what the vin# is. We didn’t know it and he said, You should know what car you want, it’s like this the whole time. I asked him about the last car and he said, I don’t know anything about it, but he did offer a new car. Interesting to note the first car we test drove was at the back of the shop in amongst other cars. I’m pretty sure there was something wrong with it.So after we left on the first visit on our way to Burlington we were divided. I thought they were laughing at us because we were old and old people shouldn’t drive Mini’s (we are in our 50s), but my partner thought it was because we were a gay couple. My partner didn’t want to go back but we had such great service once before, I really felt it was worth a second chance.I have to say we fumed all weekend, because we’ve been shopping for about a year looking at various places, from Toronto to St. Catherine’s at this point and we had tried Volvo’s, a Jaguar, a Cadillac, even a couple of pick-up trucks (he wants one thing and I want the other and it’s for me), not all places are the same but it has been some time since we’ve walked away with this feeling. Most places are Here’s the key. Let’s go, or See you in a bit. Most places are welcoming and the agent usually ask questions and if you don’t like the first vehicle it’s, Let me show you another, and the end we exchange information.I was so frustrated that night, I didn’t even realize how much. When we left that place we tried a BMW X4 that I spotted in a John Bear lot. The drive was excellent and the sales rep was in the back seat and at one point I started to laugh as I realized some of tension was beginning to dissipate, the difference between sales agents. That weekend we visited the Kitchener location and had an okay experience. We even stopped in Paris ON, and tried a AlfaRomeo Stelvio, again super great staff.I had emailed the dealership and #Mini Canada about our experience, the Corporate office advised that they are independent of dealerships. The manager had investigated and found out that the first car was loaned out as the clients car was in the shop and the second car was getting cleaned, but this doesn’t address that we were shunned from buying a Mini at that location. I emailed again, more in detail like this explaining our experience of homophobia over the last fifteen years so they would know we were genuine about our experience not being right. Head Office #Kelsey ** again advised it wasn’t Mini Canada’s issue and to deal with the dealership. Finally I received an email from a manager for BMW/Mini in that area and finally he replies with an email that says they will review training with the reps in question as well as they are looking into sensitivity training as I had suggested.So all good right?, No! I now need to know that Mini Canada head office are concerned that the people representing their brand and their products aren’t discriminating against older people and gay people and any other discriminatory combinations out there. I find it hard to believe that BMW/Mini wouldn’t ensure these retailers are representing fairly, but according to the replies I got IT’s NOT THEIR CONCERN. To me, it’s one in the same, different people may own the brand versus the product but they both represent the same thing. I’m hoping no one else has a similar story.

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.

Im an original owner of a 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman out of warranty. I took the car into a repair place because the engine light was on. It was diagnosed with a bad turbo, even though I changed the oil every 5-7K with the designated synthetic oil. This was a hard pill to swallow at $3400.00 but it was the best option considering I owe 17K on the car and its only worth 17K with a good turbo. So I said okay on the repair. The shop called me on the day it was supposed to be done and said they had bad news. When they went to get the car started, the timing belt busted when it turned over and the engine is toast and needs to be replaced. So, any ideas out there? Ive read about peeps with issues in the turbo and the timing belt.

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

I have a mini cooper 2007 with less than 67,000 miles that has given me many mechanical problems. Just a few months ago $6000 was spend on mechanical issues. Once more at the shop, but this time Mini Cooper wants to charge me $3000! I cant believe Mini Cooper doesnt give a warranty on parts being of such good standards!

I just had to take my mini in for service as it sounded like a diesel it a metal rattle noise was quite obvious. I have a 2010 mini Cooper S that fell victim to a large issue two years ago just prior to the mini Cooper recall. I am not sure if that recall is in fact tied to anything with this problem but that day the car had to be towed to the mini dealer and it only had 30 some thousand miles on it. Now Ive taken it in and been told the timing belt tensioner is in fact completely broken and the car drained 2 1/2 quarts of oil- etc etc. The car only has 52,000 miles on it and if it even looks different I take it to the mini dealer for service constantly. This is not a car that has been even given the opportunity to be neglected. This particular repair is over $2400 which is extremely odd especially with this particular car and how Few miles its driven. I have now read about the unusual timing belt problems with Mini and I would strongly suggest as per a previous article I read that the 2010 Mini be included in this consumer complaint - and seriously looked at as a potential recall problem. This can be extremely dangerous and needs to be addressed immediately. As I write my car is in for service of this exact issue crossing my fingers.

I have a 2006 Mini Cooper with a manual transmission. The engine and clutch were just bought in 2009. But now, it already needs transmission repair or needs to be rebuilt.

I bought a brand new 2006 Mini Cooper S convertible in April of 2006. I have brought the car several times to the dealer for maintenance and minor service while the car was under 36,000/3 years. I have complained three times before the 36,000 mile mark that the engine was loud from a knock/rattling I heard and each time, it was dismissed by the dealer as XYZ. Assuming they were the experts, I figured it was nothing. Well the knocking didnt get any better over time. The next time I brought the car to the dealer, it was two years later and the car had about 43000 miles on it. Keep in mind, I own two other cars, so driving this wasnt a priority. It was supposed to be my fun car. I hadnt returned to the dealer in two years because I thought the car was out of warranty and I can get oil changes cheaper locally. This time, when I went to the dealer, I brought this up again and told them specifically when the knocking occurs which they never asked when the knocking or loud engine sounds occurred. I gave them specifics and suddenly they were able to figure out what it was. Now that the car is out of warranty, its the dual fly-wheel that knocks and its $3,500 to repair. I was unhappy to hear about it because I brought it up when I bought the car but since I am not an auto mechanic, I didnt have the technical name of what it did. It also knocked the loudest when the car was cold. What pissed me off is that they acted like I was crazy. The worst part is they accidentally gave me a copy of a service bulletin from Mini corporate that addressed the dual fly-wheel problem from 2006 then revised in 2007 then again in 2009. The long and short of it, they knew about the problem and according to the service bulletin, it allowed for repairs at customer request. I called Mini corporate and told them my story. They said that they would help but didnt because the car hadnt been brought to the dealer in two years. In the end, nothing was done because the car was over four years old (although under the 50,000 miles limit). I did not know there was a drive train warranty of 4 years/50,000 miles. I assumed it was 3 years/36000 miles. This is the number one reason I didnt go back to the dealer. To add insult to injury, the dealer told me that if I had come before the car was four years old, they would have helped me, but I did, several times. Had I known how inferior Mini cars were, I would have opted for the extended warranty or another manufacturer. I have owned over ten cars and never had a problem like this. I do not have $3,500 sitting there waiting to fix a transmission on a new car, especially after paying over $30,000 for it. I asked the dealer to get me in touch with the regional person and Im still waiting three months later. I asked the dealer for something in writing stating that they are not covering it and still waiting on that. The sad thing is that, I have had better experiences with less expensive vehicles by other manufacturers like Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Chevrolet, GMC, and Mercury.I just wanted them to honor the service bulletin they knew existed. I just wanted my car fixed for a known defect.

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.

I purchased a 2006 Mini Cooper from an individual with only 60000 miles on it. They had spent quite a bit on a new clutch and flywheel ($2800), $800 for new brakes and calipers, and $800 for new tires. I bought this car in 2013 for $8000. This car has sat in my garage more than I have gotten to drive it. First, oil was spewing out everywhere, so had to have the whole front end removed to replace oil pan gasket, got that fixed. Not 2 weeks later, steering fluid was leaking everywhere, had to replace hoses ($80 each) and clamps. Then the transmission fluid started leaking, so I put gook on it just to stop it from leaking and to get rid of it. I absolutely loved this car, so much fun to drive, but who can afford one? Had considered buying a brand new one, until I read all of the reviews. Anyway, couldnt get myself to sell to an individual, so I sold to Carmax. Bought for $8000, sold for $4000 just to get rid of it - of course they are going to take it to an auction. Couldnt let myself sell it to an individual because I knew it was junk! So buyers, be aware of what you are buying. They are so much fun to drive, but you better be rich!

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!!

Purchase a Mini Cooper 2011 Countryman with 47,000 miles. I had dealer in north Scottsdale look the car over and was advised that mechanically the car is perfect. As the warranty ran out at 50K why would they want to find anything. At 56,000 miles the fuel pump in the fuel tank failed. I was told this is not unreasonable. The solenoid valve also failed and leaked out into the electrical harness and almost onto the electronic board (I was advised). The cost of this repair was about $4,600. I also had to replace all four break pads (not unreasonable but it was just another cost - $800).At 60,000 miles the clutch went bad most likely due to the fuel pump causing the car to buck like a horse for a while. I was told that this is to be expected from a mini. Cost $3,200. Total cost of the two repairs is $7,800. Considering I have had the car for 12,000 miles and the dealer told me that the car was in perfect working order when I purchased it I am to say the least very annoyed and angry. We bought this car to be a low cost effective vehicle. It has been nothing but a money sink. And to quote the dealer these issues are reasonable. So at minimum I can expect these costs to be incurred every 60,000 miles. Possibly more if other things go wrong.Dont buy a Mini if you have the choice. They are defective, unreliable and expensive to own. Buy a V8 truck. It will be more cost effective as you wont be paying for repairs to a poorly designed car.

Very angry is the only words I can to describe this situation. I have a 2008 MINI Cooper S. Bought it used from a very reputable dealership with only 26k miles. It was still under partial warranty from MINI when I purchased so I took the car to have them check to see why check engine light was on. They changed the water pump under recall and erased light but didnt say why it was on. I then went until the light came on again and they stated it needed oil changed. Took to get oil changed and was not covered under warranty as Im assuming my warranty had ran out. They changed the oil and sent me on my way. Mind you ever since I bought this car I mentioned the rattle under the hood and stated this at first visit and was told thats what a MINI sounds like. Then this next time they said, All sounds normal to me. Well the next oil change I took car to MINI dealership to get oil changed and they replaced oil and advised me all was ok. Well got paperwork signed and left and noticed engine light was on in the car. I immediately contacted the dealership and they stated that we could bring it back in and they could check it out but it would cost $150 to hook up to the machine. I stated that the car did not have a light on when I brought it in but as soon as I left the light came on. After lots of arguing back and forth they said they could not erase code so I asked what was wrong with car and they stated well it may be attributed to needing a new timing chain and tensioner and that will cost $2500. I said, Excuse me? I mentioned that when I first brought car in and was told it was one even though they never looked into it or took cover off to measure chain or check tensioner. I know this because I placed a tiny mark with magic marker and the line never moved. So after all this time I have contacted MINI numerous times with no help and rarely drive car due to being too scared it will break. I just filed a complaint with BBB and will seek legal help. Also to mention my brother has same car build date and mfd plant and he is getting timing chain/tensioner replaced, turbo heat shield, and thermostat housing all replaced for free under service action recall even though mine somehow isnt covered even though all parts are same and I have picture and written proof as the same.

I purchased a 2012 Mini with 9,000 miles from Mini Cooper of SF. The purchase experience was good. The service experience is terrible. The engine light comes on and to maintain the warranty, it has to go to Mini. There is a horrible monopoly in one spot. They, every day, give no details; make you wait; dont answer the phone; and put you on hold. I am used to Nissan that had one day turnaround and eleven years of routine maintenance only. A lovely experience. I am so incredibly disappointed and frustrated.

I purchased my Mini from a Mini dealership four years ago. It was a used certified car. In the time that I have had it, I have replaced every major part, including clutch, alternator, water pump, thermostat housing, all coils, timing chain, cooling fan motor, blower motor, both rear electronic locks, headlights, brakes, and even the passenger seat (the airbag detection sensor went out). Even though I did most of the work myself, Ive spent over 6500.00 on it. If I had a shop do it, it would have been well over 10,000.00. I DO NOT recommend anyone buy a Mini. I am paying it off and selling it. Im done.

I was in 2 accidents a month apart (Its not my fault.) in my 2007 Mini Cooper. So, I sent it to my local Mini dealer, thinking they knew what they were doing. When I had a warranty, I got excellent service, but not after my warranty was up! They broke things on the car, lost pieces, put things in backwards - it was a nightmare. I was told that all those things were wear and tear. It happened in the accidents; it was fine before. They would not fix the things they broke, and they were just so rude, saying I was making it up! Im not! So, they told my insurance company that its like that before the accidents. So now, they closed the claim and would not fix the problems. Problem is, they broke the parts or did not fix it right. They would not say they did it and made it right. They were very sobbing, and they think they are some great fancy place, not just another car repair shop. And in my accident, I broke my nose on the steering wheel. The air bag did not go off and the seat belt did not hold me back! I was slammed hard from behind. The problem is the dealership.

09 Mini Cooper Clubman S - At 50k took car for service and was told the sealed transmission needs to be replaced and some tensioner needs to be replaced at a cost of $2800.00. Checked online, saw these were ongoing problems and contacted Mini corporate. Got the services covered but it was a hassle. Now 5k miles later they inform me the turbo oil line needs replacing at $1300.00 same deal but Mini wouldnt budge on the service although its a known manufacturer defect.My question is why is Mini allowed to get away with charging for obvious defects that should be RECALLS? The car is fun to drive, however I will never buy another Mini or BMW based on service costs for their defects! Dont get me started on the hood scoop that was replaced 4, yes 4 times due to warpage from the turbo heat! Grrrrrrr.....

My review will be short and sweet. Ive learned over the last couple days that BMW is a professional corporate thief. My wife owns a 2012 Mini Cooper Countryman. I will admit she loves the look of the car and I will say that it looks pretty sleek. I wont go into details but her battery died and would not hold a charge. No worries all I will do is buy a new good battery and replace it. After needing to take the passengers side wiper blade off to remove the stupid battery I learned I wasnt even close to being done. I learned I had to take her car into the dealership so they could program and certify my new battery to the cars computer. I called three dealers and the quotes were $75, $60 and $100 just certify the battery with a laptop and BMW software. I bought an expensive battery costing me $195 and then I had to pay the dealer $75 to program the battery. IMO that is horse **.Why would BMW engineers design the car so that you had to take it to the dealer for such a simple maintenance project? Obviously I know the answer to my question and that is $$$$. What scares me is if I had to pay almost $300 to change my battery what happens when something real goes wrong. In the end I guess this is really my fault because I should have researched what I was buying. This is the first and last product that I buy from this corporation. Its not really the money that ticks me off but rather just the fact that BMW is one greedy bunch of people. I will make a concerted effort to tell my friends, family, peers, team-mates, acquaintances, neighbors, people I see at the store, people who are stopped at the same red light as me, my clergy, my Facebook friends, my Twitter friends and last but not least God to never, never, never buy a Mini Cooper or Mini Popper!

We purchased a used Mini Cooper S for 6500 while trading in a car. This was going to be a car for a teen. The check engine light came on and we were back and forth to the dealer in Texas- Mini of Arlington multiple times and they kept resetting it doing no work. We gave up. We then found about the tailpipes recall and contacted Mini of Arlington again who said the recall had been done even though the pipes are clearly sticking out past the bumper. Then we have had intermittent issues with the turbo and there was a lawsuit regarding transmissions and now ours is slipping in 3 gear. We again took it back after owning it a year to mini of Arlington who again rejected any claims of recall work. We stopped driving the car for the last 8 months due to issues with it. We moved to another state. We have now owned it over 2 years. My son was getting stuff out of the trunk as we drove it to the store and he suffered a burn to his leg due to the exhaust pipes sticking out past the bumpers. I contacted Mini corporate who asked for vin and other information. I took pictures of the exhaust and vin plates and sent it to them. They have since ignored me. I think a previous dealer did claim to have done recall work and never actually did it. If that isnt the case perhaps they entered the incorrect vin number. I need it fixed and they are denying repair. It now has transmission and turbo issues and my son has a burn and probable scaring.

1. Right and left engine mounts cracked at 55k. 2. New transmission at 55,123 miles. 3. Weather stripping rotting and replaced often. 4. Convertible roof replaced due to rotting weather stripping (twice). 5. Power steering hoses leaking and replaced. 6. Thermostat replaced. 7. Thermostat gasket replaced. 8. Oil pan leak and gasket leak. 9. Trans harmonic converter replaced.10. Bushings.... The most exciting part of this car is that indicator lights dont come on for some of these issues... I can tell you from experience that its very unsettling to have some of these issues arise when on the freeway or on busy city streets .P.S. I maintained this car accordingly my Mini advisor told me so... along with that he stated he just didnt understand why I was having so many problems.

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

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

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

In September when my engine temp light went on, I took my 2007 Mini Cooper S with less than 50K miles on it to my local repair shop since I live in Columbia, SC with no Mini dealership. A cracked and leaking thermostat housing was the diagnosis, but there were no parts available... None anywhere. I called Mini, they told me to call dealerships, which I did. I called Charleston, Greenville, and Charlotte. I told everyone this was my only car and needed to drive it. They put me on a waiting list for the part... A month later, Hendricks Mini in Charlotte called to tell me they had a part! YAY! I had been barely driving my car and filled it with coolant every time I took it out. But when I got up there, I was told there is engine damage due to an overheated engine. A week later, Mini refuses to pay for engine repairs caused by the broken and unavailable part because they had told me to take my car to a dealer when I called them! WHAT?!?! If the part I needed was available when I needed it, my beloved car would be in my garage with me now, not 100 miles away broken! This will be at least $3K to fix and I really do NOT believe its my fault or responsibility to fix!!! Make this right MINI!! I am already not going to buy Mini again, something I never thought I would ever ever say... Make this right!

Mini Cooper knows there is something wrong with the air bag seat tensioners in their cars in the first generation and now in the 2nd generation because of all the online complaints and act as if nothing is wrong. I have a 2007 mini coopers with 54,000 miles in excellent condition. Back seats sat in twice and front seat around 6-8 times and that dreaded air bag seat beat tensioner light is on. Oh yeah, whenever I was my car. It wont crank either. What the hell is that. This car is too expensive to have these problems. BMW/Mini.Cooper need to take Care of their customers or stop making these cars. I contacted BMW/Mini and they were like sorry, l cant help you. I wanna file a class action lawsuit against them.

I purchased a brand new Mini Countryman in May. It has now been in the shop four times for problems that have escalated in degree. Now it has brake issues. They have now had my car for six days this time.

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

We had a 2016 Mini Cooper S, very zippy and responsive, stereo was wonderful...BUT it is horrible in snow, the seats hurt your back and neck. It rides like a potato cart. We traded it in for a Ram truck. We spent 40 days, with over 5 hours on hold WAITING to get confirmation of payoff. They lost the first check even though it had proof of delivery. After 3 weeks of no check, Ram stopped the first check, REISSUED another, more proof of delivery, they lost that one too. The local consumer advocate, and threat of lawsuit inspired them to locate the 2nd check. They were rude and short with me, the customer, because I was weary of no action, and NO answers, and NO RESULTS. MY ADVICE dont spend the money on a Mini Cooper. If you do, good luck. Lynae **.

Has anyone else had trouble getting the wheel-controlled Bluetooth phone controls? Mine comes and goes, without any apparent cause. Dealer said he could fix it for a thousand dollars US. No way. Others have told me this is a known fault. Any and all suggestions appreciated. By the way, I love my Mini Cooper S 2008, 54,000 miles, hardtop.

I have only had my Mini Cooper for 2 years and I have had thermostat problems 4 times, and it was replaced; the windshield replaced; the windshield wipers broken; tune ups and oil changes that are astronomical; and currently, electric problems. I have had more problems with this Mini Cooper than I have had for any other car in my life. Im beginning to believe this product is a lemon, a true sour lemon. After it is fixed, I am trading the damn car in. I have put more money into this car than I have had with a Toyota. My old 1996 Toyota Celica 25th edition runs better than this damn car and it is 17 years old. The car may be cute, but looks are deceiving. Do not buy a Mini Cooper. I repeat, do not buy one. Go buy a Toyota.

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.

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?

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

Bought my Mini new in 2010 and absolutely loved it. Always had the dealer service done to schedule. Had very few small issues for the first several years. I had approximately 36,000 miles after 4 years then took a couple of cross country trips and added a quick 20,000 miles. I love good road trips and my Mini is plenty fast and fun. With the over 50k on the odo my engine had an oil leak. Got it fixed pronto for $300, shop never did tell me which cover blew out. Just that it was a cover on the side of the engine??! No problem they fixed it. At about 64,000 miles I noticed my coolant pressure tank needed coolant. Not much but enough to know I had a coolant leak somewhere. I did a search online and found my water pump was still covered under a 7 year 80,000 mile special warranty so I took it to the dealer for the work. Well the water pump is bad but so is the thermostat and hose. Pump covered, thermostat not!!! The dealer wants $800 and change. I cant afford the 800 so Ill have to keep a close eye on coolant levels. I think Mini Coopers have an ongoing issue with water pumps and thermostats, wouldnt you think the thermostat would also be covered. Crazy! So if you buy a used Mini with 50k or more miles make plans to cough up big bucks for repairs that should be considered defective and covered under warranty.

Have a 2010 mini clubman and once it hit 80000 miles, of course the extended contract (yes, I too thought it was a warranty) expired, I have had nothing but problems. Refuse to go back to dealer 1 hr from home. First the engine fluid leak, $1000 repair, then engine light is on. Codes indicate its the thermostat so they replace the entire thing, another $600. Five days later, engine light back on, car sounds terrible, fan runs after turn off car, and brake light is out. Mechanic now cant figure out what the codes mean when running diagnostic tests. Cant catch a break - but will be selling as soon as possible provided someone will buy!!! Will never buy another MINI.