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

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

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

I own a 2007 Cooper that I bought used in 2012, it had 40k miles on it so I thought it was a great car to buy. Within a year the repairs started piling up and then the big one; the panoramic sunroof cassette stopped working. The repair at book price is $2400 dollars and is a quarter of the value of the car. A couple of weeks ago the water pump went out and my wife, who happened to be near the dealership, had it towed there. After a couple of days, they came back with multiple problems on top of the pump all totaling another $2400, plus they wanted to sell me tires. I asked if they wanted to buy it back and they said they would call me back with a quote that day. They made an offer of $7000 and a day later I called back and accepted. I drove 1 1/2 hours to the dealership in Fife Wa. ready to sign paperwork. They kept calling it a trade in and looking back I guess they figured I would be buying a new car from them and I let them know I wasnt buying right before I made the trip. When we sat down they told me they couldnt do it for that much but would offer me 6k for it. They would not stay true to their word so I couldnt in good conscience let them work on my car. I came back after two weeks (too busy to make the drive), and towed it to my mechanic. So now I have a fun car with a $2400 sunroof that doesnt work, a water pump that needs replaced, for about $650 at their price, and apparently another $1750 in repairs. To top it all off, my dealership lacks the integrity to honor their word. Im done with Mini for sure.

I no longer own my 2008 Mini Clubman. Happily traded it in for a new Prius on July 18. 2013. Mini Cooper never responded to my correspondence outlining the many problems I had experienced with the vehicle and my request for a response by July 19, 2013. Minis failure to respond sent a clear message to me that consumer confidence and satisfaction is not a priority. While I will always love the Mini for its cute design, I will be the first to advise anyone looking to own one to steer clear, unless you have a lot of time and money to waste.

2008 Mini cooper S - First off this was my grandpas car and it was lent to me for a Grad present last year and let me tell you that car had so many issues and repairs I couldnt afford it at all. Just to replace the battery they had to take apart the engine to do so which cost 700 dollars. The car died on me 4 times in the middle of traffic and took it in and they said it was just because of the heat (lived in AZ at the time) then it happened again. BTW I only drove that car for 2 and half months. I now bought myself a Lexus and it runs so much more smoothly and no issues with it at all so if you want a mini just make sure you have a few thousand dollars hanging around.

I have had nothing but Hondas. I was involved in an accident where it totaled the front end of my car. So I got my money and decided on getting a Mini. I got a 2007 with less than 65,000 miles on it. I got it home and two months later, the oil light came on. I didnt want to change. It had head gasket and air condition compound thats gone out totaling over $2000 worth of work. I got it back a month later and another part went out. Then another month later, the timing belt went out. After that another issue, the total is over $5,000 in less than a year - I have only seen my car. Its beautiful on the outside and inside but horrible engine and electronics. i would not ever recommend getting a mean Mini. And from what I have learned, BMW is also another one that I would never ever, ever get unless you have a lot of money and time to blow.

On 3/1/16 my 2009 Mini Cooper caught fire after I turned the engine off and walked away. It started smoking and the engine compartment was fully engulfed in flames in just minutes. My car only had approx 69,000 miles on it. The result was a total loss. I never received any recall notice about my car despite the fact that I took it in for maintenance numerous times. Ive read that other owners had engine fires back in 2012. The dealership did perform a turbo heat shield check on 10/28/13.On 5/ 13/11 I had to have the turbocharger and oil supply pipe replaced at a cost of $3212.38. I recently received a notice for a class action suit against BMW for timing belt issues and engine failures. Dont know if that is relevant to my fire issue. I have received a settlement from State Farm Insurance for the fire loss but I think Mini Cooper and BMW should be responsible for these issues. How many other Mini are on the road that may catch fire? I would just like to know where I should start with these companies. I would appreciate any advice. I have all my receipts and images of my car fire.

Timing chain broke 30 days after I bought the vehicle @ 59000 miles.

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

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.

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

I leased a brand new Mini Cooper Countryman S only 6 months ago. Everything has been great until recently. I was three hours into a 5 hour drive when suddenly a red light came on telling me to stop and shut off the car since the engine was overheating. I immediately called my salesperson who said to use the SoS in the car to get a tow. I was told to not drive for car. Unfortunately, I was on the side of I-95 where 18 wheelers were flying past. Well, I sat there for 3 hours, THREE hours, waiting for my tow that Mini organized. It was terrifying to say the least.It was towed back to Alexandria, Va where I live and leased the car. I was informed that a stone hit underneath and damaged the radiator and that I had to pay for it. What? How could that be? My drive was smooth and nice - no problems. I have since discovered that is a design flaw that exposes the radiator to this type of damage. I had to get my insurance co involved, and I have been waiting two weeks already since a needed part is coming from Germany and they have no idea when it will arrive. I have been car-less except for the first several days when Mini gave me a loaner. After all of my complaining, they have since said theyd give me another loaner which I will pick up shortly. First of all, this is a lease, and this is a corporate problem so I should not be responsible. Secondly, if my leased car sits in their garage for a month (?), why should I make a payment when I dont even have the car. Needless to say, I am dumping this car after my lease, and I am not leasing or buying another Mini Cooper.

We bought a 2016 Mini Cooper. Jan 2020 It had 46000 mi. 1 year and 4 Mos later we had it serviced at 48000 mi and were told engine mount failed-cost $786. Repair manager said he has seen this happen many times with the mini. I called several other repair places who said the same thing. Our friend who just bought a mini said it happened to him.Our $2000 4 year extended warranty excluded coverage for this. We dumped this warranty and called mini to get some type of reimbursement for this obvious design flaw. They offered nothing- not even a partial refund. Looking to sell our mini cooper asap. BUYER BEWARE- MINI CORPORATE DOES NOT STAND BEHIND ITS PRODUCT

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

My Car is the 2009 Mini Cooper S, 87k miles. By now I have lost count of the major repairs I have had. Some of the highlights: 1) $900 walnut shell carbon cleaning procedure, which the dealer explained occurred because I did not use a fuel cleaning additive regularly! (Note that the manual does not recommend any such thing); 2) Failed turbo valve; 3) Failed thermostat; 4) Failed timing chain; 5) Failed water pump; 6) Oil leaks; 7) Failed fuel injector; 8) Failed hood latch cable; 9) Multiple problems with bushings having become cracked; 10) Frozen tie rod. Sad thing is that the car is still a blast to drive. But the build quality is awful and MINI (BMW) refuses to take responsibility for the ridiculously poor quality of this vehicle.

BMW Corporation were rude and wanted no responsibility once you bought the car, if things went wrong. Now experiencing a steering and fan pump issue and was never informed of their extended warranty offered and Im very disappointed once again in the company. The company has put my life in danger by not informing me of this imperative and vital information!

Whatever you do in life do not I repeat do not purchase a Mini Cooper. What amazes me is that BMW continues to produce this pile of **. I guess as long as there’s consumers not willing to research like me why not! If you value your money spend it wisely on Honda -Toyota.

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 privately purchased a 2006 MINI John Cooper Works with very low miles of 11,000 and was still under warranty at the time. Within a period of owning this car, the gear box has locked up three times a year. The third time it happened, I took the car in to get the value of the retail price. I felt that I needed to sell the car because it was undependable. While they were test driving the car, it happened again. The clutch went to the floor and was stuck. They told me that the repair would be costly now that its out of warranty. I would not leave owning this car so they made me an offer way below retail. I accepted the offer because I could not sell this car with integrity to a person without them knowing the problem. The bottom line is that Im disappointed in the MINI Cooper. I take care of my cars and drive them for many years. This car was not dependable for a long time.

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.

2004 Mini Cooper Hardtop - The power steering pump failed at 90,000 miles, at road speed, causing a dangerous loss of all steering assist. A serious accident was narrowly averted only through brute force applied to steering. The Mini Cooper dealership claimed ignorance of any problems with the system and informed that any repairs would not be covered by any warranty.

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.

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.

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

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

I had a 2003 Mini Cooper back in 2009. It came to a tragic end in December of that year. I was coming home (not drunk), and I lost control of my car and hit a tree head on. I am still thankful to this day that I survived. In January, I went looking for a new Mini. So I went up to the one in Nashville and saw the one I wanted. It was brand new off the truck. Well, on November 11, my engine blew! I was furious! I take great care of my car. I was thinking, How can this happen?!” I got it towed to the dealership, and that cost me about $300, and the car was still under warranty too.They gave me a hard time because they didnt want to pay for the new engine. New engines cost about $15,000-$20,000 plus the labor, so basically get a new car! Well, I got that all sorted out. So in the meantime, they got me a rental car for a week! They told me it would take about that long. Well, it didnt. They wouldnt pay for the rest of the rental, so I had to pay for it, about another $350 because I didnt get my car back until January 15 of 2012! This time I was getting pissed! Well, in March, I moved to FL for school. About 15 minutes away from my new home, my transmission went out! It took them about 3 months to fix, and they also gave me hell.About August, my transmission blew again! They did the exact same thing to me (“We’re not gonna pay”, “Its your fault”, blah, blah, blah). Well, I had it. I wanted to get an estimate about trading in my car. They said $10,749 with 49,000 miles on it. I was super pissed. Now, my head gasket blew, and it’s not under warranty apparently. So Im done with Mini. Im calling corporate, and I will tell them the exact same thing I’m typing, and I will tell them I got a lemon, and I paid in full for this car by the way. I’m going to a Honda or a Nissan, better yet a Chevy!

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 purchased a 2009 Clubman S as a certified pre-owned vehicle. The dealer never processed the proper paperwork to actually get the car warrantied through Mini. Mini refuses to cover the car. The dealer has given me a letter stating that they will cover any repairs, which would normally be covered under a CPO warranty. However, I paid an increased price for this car, and that value is not, nor has ever been with the vehicle, since it is not a CPO vehicle. Mini USA refuses to certify the car, and other than the letter I have received from the dealer, there has been no attempt to correct my situation, which was the result of the dealer not completing and submitting the proper paperwork with Mini. I feel that they have profited from their mistake, at my expense. No attempt to properly rectify situation or refund the increased price, which was paid for a CPO vehicle, that the CPO process was not completed. Mini USA refuses to certify the car, even though the CPO inspection was completed prior to the sale of the vehicle, and the Federal Warranty notice clearly states the vehicle is being sold as a CPO vehicle, with a warranty. Complaints have been filed with the Attorney Generals office of Ohio, in which the dealer has stated they made a mistake in not completing the required paperwork. The AG office is attempting to put a value on a CPO car vs. a non-CPO car.

I bought my daughter this Mini Cooper Clubman S 2009 a year ago. AMAZING condition... Only 55,000 miles. We did not know there was a Recall on the timing belt tensioner. The tensioner backed out and the car lost all oil. Therefore damaging the engine. Mini Cooper of Kennesaw took the car in and said that due to the recall, Mini would cover 50% of the cost of the repair. After 4 weeks they tell me the engine cannot be fixed. Now we need to replace.The cost to repair further is prohibitive. They changed the offer, Mini will cover 50% to install a new engine, but I am 100% responsible to pay for the repairs up to this date. They refused to cover more as they needed a service history for the car. I researched and provided a FULL service history for the car because one of the mechanics on the list was no longer in business, they claimed his service records were fraudulent and have removed all financial assistance. I am devastated!!!!

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

I 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!

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.

I have had a problem with my 2005 Mini Cooper S, off and on, for about a year. The passenger side air bag light comes on in the dash and over the rear-view mirror. This was occasionally on, but when someone sat in the seat, it would register the seat as occupied. Then occasionally, it would come on, when no one was in the seat. Now, it is coming on and staying on, even with someone in the seat or not. I called my local Mini Dealer and spoke with a man in the service department. He knew exactly what I was talking about, but stated that there is no recall with this problem. It seems to me, that if enough people have this concern, Mini would have no choice but to issue a recall on this defective sensor. Especially, someone was seriously injured before.

In 2009, I brought it brand new. The engine light has been going on several times. Each time I take it into the dealer (thankfully it’s still covered under warranty), they tell me that it’s the type of gas I put in. Okay, fine. I bought the 91 octane gas and put in fuel injector cleaner as per their recommendation. This happened 5 times. Tomorrow, it’s the sixth time. As soon as this repair is done (thankfully still under warranty), I will drive to the Mazda dealer and trade it in. There is just no excuse for this type of problem. After reading the entries on this and other sites, I guess I feel lucky that I have not spent thousands of dollars on repairs. I love my car (09 Cooper S convertible). So much fun! But I have to let it go.

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

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 bought the 2007 Mini Cooper in March 2012 and every month I have to take it to the mechanic for one thing or another. Now, it completely dies in the middle of driving (when I have the A/C on). All the lights come on for a second and then it turns off (cant even take the key out). So far I have spent over $3000 since I bought it in March! I am not working and this is taking a toll on me!

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

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 car has had 2 HP fuel pumps, aux water pump, a new bat replaced at 8k, oil pipe, gaskets valve cover and 2 timing chain tens replaced prior to 50k. The warranty has now expired. BMW wants me to sign a release as they are offering to pay 50%? Help.

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

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

Gee, I almost hate writing. Im so sorry for all who are having troubles with their Mini. I bought my 2012 in March of 2014. Only one problem so far; the 3rd door had to have the closing mechanical parts replaced. The thing was when I took it into the dealer in Los Angeles for an oil change, I had not had a problem with the door prior to entering the driveway of the dealership. Go figure. So the oil change was going to cost me under $80.00 and I left paying Over $300.00. Not happy. I love the car and the gas mileage. But now all the reviews are scaring me. Ive driven from central Calif to LA three times in this year and I drive from my home to town 21 miles one way, once a week. Hopefully Im good till its paid for. Ive always had a Chevi which we drove for forever.

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

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

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.

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 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.

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

My 06 Mini Cooper convertible transmission died in 08 @ 28,000 miles. Mini replaced it since under warranty but now it is dead again. Not sure under warranty any longer. There is a class action lawsuit in California for mini owners there with faulty transmissions.

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

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

Mini CVT transmissions - Another family member wrote on this forum about the Mini repairs that have been done on our 2004 Mini Cooper. Well, to top that off, the transmission died at 77,000 miles and they wanted $7K to fix. Great fun car, but reliability is the pits. Our other cars? A Saab 9-5 with over 154K and a Jag with 51K. All with less problems than this BMW Mini. I would not recommend anyone buy a 2004 used Mini at all. In fact, we traded our Mini in for a Honda. Yes, I know, its boring!

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

My experience is in the email I sent to Victor **, the General Manager of Mini of El Paso: “Very disappointed” is actually an understatement. I have a 2011 Mini Cooper S that I paid a pretty penny for thinking I was paying for a quality vehicle with a company that stands behind their product and warranty; however, I am beginning to wonder. Your dealership states: Our commitment to customer service is second to none. We offer one of the most comprehensive parts and service departments in the automotive industry.” Correct? Well on August 11, 2012, I was driving to work, about 35 miles south of Ft. Stockton, Texas, on Hwy 285 in the middle of nowhere when suddenly my car will not shift into gears. I turned the vehicle off and went to restart the vehicle and nothing. It’s 108 degrees outside, and I am stranded in the middle of nowhere. I am just lucky my cell phone worked. I called Roadside Assistance and they were very apologetic and nice and said they would send someone to come get me and water if I needed. The only problem was they were coming from EL Paso. I assured the nice lady I would be dead if I waited with the vehicle that long. Lucky a nice old rancher just happened to be driving by and stopped to help and gave me a lift to town. All this on Saturday, August 11, 2012. The nice people from Roadside Assistance let me know they had picked up my vehicle and they would be towing it to Mini of El Paso. I called Monday (August 13, 2012) morning and spoke with Micheal and let him know what happened, etc. and that I needed to resolve this problem quickly since I am stuck in Ft. Stockton with no vehicle. I called on Wednesday, August 15, and he assured me he would call and let me know what the problem was. Well, he never called back. On Thursday, August 16, I called back and left message; no return call. On Friday, August 17, I called again; and the service clerk let me know they thought it was the clutch and flywheel, but she didn’t think it would be covered. I would have to wait and talk with Micheal. Well after sever more phone calls, I finally spoke with Micheal; and of course, first thing out of his mouth was, due to the low mile on the vehicle, it was apparent the damages were due to inexperience driving a standard, or abuse, or negligence to the vehicle. I have driven standards all my life, the last 24 years of it anyway, and I have never had a clutch issue with any of my vehicles until 75,000 mile range. I work very hard for my money and I am a 40 year old female. I can assure you that I don’t drag race in my car or abuse it in anyway. Thanks, to the many hours patiently waiting on Micheal to return my calls. I did some research on this problem; and to my amazement, there seems to be a large number of poorly qualified standard drivers who are mini owners. When I finally did talk to Micheal again, I questioned him on this; and he claims he has never heard of their being such a problem. I asked him if he had access to the internet and if so, to google “mini clutch problem” because if he truly wasn’t aware (which is doubtful), he needed to be. This was all on Friday the 17th. He said that they would have to open up the clutch to determine what caused the damage. But if they deemed it neglect and abuse, I would be responsible for the damages. I told him to go ahead and diagnose it and let me know ASAP. I am going on a week without a vehicle out of town working (which reminds me I only have 1 stop sign on my daily commute to work, so not in town hot rodding as he suggested). He assured me he would let me know something on Saturday the 18th. Saturday came and went as well as Monday. Here is Tuesday the 21st; and not only do I not have an answer, he also tells me they just realized the starter is out as well. I explained to Micheal last Friday that I need my vehicle no later than Tuesday, today. I am stuck out here in Ft. Stockton, bumming rides to work; and my Son is scheduled to have surgery for a broken jaw and eye socket in Houston at Ben Taubs Hospital on Thursday morning. Houston is an 8-hour drive, and I have no vehicle or any real answers. I have tried to be patient, but this has been a horrible experience all the way around. I guess I should have researched before buying a $35,000.00 vehicle. But I felt like I was paying for quality and that BMW would stand behind their product and honor their warranty, not to mention a better communication policy with the service dept. to the customer. I hope there is some way we can get this resolved quickly as far as how I am going to get to Houston by Thursday at 8 am when it’s an 8-hour drive. I have no idea. I guess I will try to find some shuttle system to Odessa, 80 miles away to the closet car-rental place, and then turn around and drive to Houston. I guess I would have been better off having my car towed to Mini of Houston? I am just so very upset with the service dept. right now, I am in tears.

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

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

I am the owner of a 2006 mini Cooper and my car has 65,000 miles in it and needs a new transmission as well as a water pump, struts, oil gasket and other things. The quote I received totalled nearly $14,000 for all repairs, which is approximately what the resale value of the car is at this time if it were in good condition. I was only asking for help with the transmission, since they are asking close to $10,000 to replace it altogether as it cannot be fixed. I have read up on many occurrences on the same nature of these cars manufactured between 2002-2006 and I was surprised when all they offered to me was either 20% off of a new transmission or $4,000 on a trade. I will be making my last payment in September and I was excited about the possibility of trading up for a newer model. Instead, I will own a car that is technically negative in value. I have two sisters and a best friend who each own mini Coopers because of my enthusiasm for the car. They know my story and are just as disappointed to hear that the dealership would not even meet their customers expectation but would rather lose a customer and possibly four. I guess it is out of their hands after they sell the car. In fact, I never even heard from the sales department again after the purchase not even a follow-up call. In summary, over the five years that I have owned this car, if I were to pay for the repairs it needs now, I would be the proud owner of a Mini Cooper S that has cost me a grand total of $55,000 (this includes the cost of the car and all repairs completed and still needed). Please help. Thank you.

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

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

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

I purchased my 2012 Mini Hardtop S on Aug. 2012. Salesman said its limited edition - Bayswater, only 13 of them in California. However, just few months ago I saw another exact same one on the road next to me, I wonder how low is the possibility will that be. Anyway, my previous car was Scion XA 2006 - I had driven that car for 5 years with 100k mileage. In the last 2 months, I had flat tire twice (due to some nail needle on the road). Therefore, when I purchased my Mini, I have tire insurance since the tire I have is more expensive than the normal one. At around 6~8k miles, my front tire at driver side had an area raised abnormally. I went back to Mini Service for oil change and also asked them to check my tire. At first, they said the tire was used. I said I purchased the brand new one thats impossible. Then the technician changed his word, said it was due to some hold on the tire caused by needle. Beside tire issue, the technician also pointed that something wrong with my engine, he has to check it and might take more than one day. Anyway, since the tire problem was under warranty, I did not say anything more, so I left my car in the dealer overnight.Just today, I took my Mini to another dealer for service due to the engine light was on 2 days ago. At first I thought it was oil change only, just the service guy said something wrong with my engine, but it is only 16k miles. I dont race my car, I drive average under 30 miles a day, rarely drive 50 miles a day. Later on, I asked him what is the thickened oil thing laying by the front cover of my engine, he said the original dealer did not do deep cleaning and the oil was leaking from the inside of the cover. I asked him to clean it for me. He said it costs $160.00. He suggested me to go back to where I purchased and they should be able to do it for free. The guy said since there are multiple issues with this car, they might need overnight to fix it.Mini is always my dream car, but now I miss my Scion XA, that car never caused any problem and always been in good condition. I regret purchasing Mini....the dealer attitude was bad and the car always has some problems in very low mileage, by thinking of the cost after Im past warranty period...I think I have to sell it ASAP.

When driving is becoming a boring task, you probably want to give Mini Copper S a try. It is designed to be different. It is not as comfortable as my Prius. But it makes driving to work a little bit more interesting. As long as you are not comparing it to Prius, Mini Cooper is quite reliable. But if you do need to get something fixed, dont count on the CPO warranty. It is just a marketing gimmick. Even if Mini has a list of items not covered by the CPO warranty, it does not mean items not on the list are covered. In fact, it would be quite amazing if you could find anything that is covered by their CPO warranty. So, if you want to get a pre-owned Mini Cooper, make sure it still has some standard warranty left.

My cars power steering will intermittently fail while Im driving. When I turn the car back on, its fine again. I already had one pump since owning the car, number 2 will be next. When will Mini recall for this problem?

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

First, I am not a fan of BMW products. We owned a 2006 X3 which was purchased CPO from a BMW dealer here in NH in 2008. Had the car 6 years and it was at the dealer 11 times during the first 3 years of ownership for warranty repairs. Torn engine mount, failed sunroof controller, failed ECM, failed radio, failed drivers seat memory module, failed rear door latch, failed brake light, failed airbag wiring harness, broken rear coil spring, phantom check gas cap lights, multiple instances of gross engine misfiring when started which the dealer was never able to diagnose. And then after it went out of warranty, the troubles continued: broken other rear coil spring, failed CV joint, leaking oil filter mount. In 2014, I convinced my wife to get rid of it at 105K miles because it was evident it was going to be a money pit. She then saw and fell in love with a used 2012 Mini Clubman S. Low miles, well taken care of, fun to drive. Seemed to be a good car and I stupidly thought that, perhaps, BMW had addressed their quality problems so we decided to buy it. The Mini had 23,000 miles and was still under warranty so I thought, OK. The car is a daily driver that is not abused in any way and only driven on paved roads.Car went in for a service at ~28,000 miles; nothing wrong. Went in again just after the warranty expired for a bad ABS sensor in the right front wheel and the dealer was nice enough to fix it at no charge. Run flat tires were replaced with non-run flats at around 40,000 miles. Always hated the run flats because of the very harsh ride. You could feel every imperfection in the road. New tires were great and gave a much improved ride quality.Right around 50K started hearing a droning sound from the front end and the tires started wearing oddly. I am an excellent mechanic and have been doing all my own car repairs for 40+ years. Oil changes, brakes, shocks, engine repairs, transmissions, torque converters; you name it, Ive done it. So I quickly found that both front wheel bearing assemblies were bad. I mean wobbly, sloppy loose bad. Car was out of warranty and I knew Mini would charge an arm and a leg for the repairs so I did them myself and saved $$. Not happy about wheel bearings going bad at 50K but, oh well, it wasnt an expensive fix because I did the work myself. Probably caused by the crappy run flats transferring shock and vibration to the suspension.No further problems... until now. Car has 60K on it. The other day all three of our cars were in the driveway and my sons and I were standing there when we heard a loud ping sound. Couldnt localize where it came from but I know the sound of metal snapping. So we quickly checked over all three cars but didnt find anything. A few minutes later I asked my son to move the Mini so we could play basketball. He starts the car, puts it in reverse and the moment he started moving backwards, the left front dropped 4 inches with a bang. Got the car up on the jack, pulled the tire off and saw that the coil spring had snapped about 1 full coil up from the bottom. I was dumbfounded!! I couldnt believe that a car with 60K would have a spring break let alone break while sitting still in the driveway. Other than the BMW, Ive never had a car or know anyone whos seen a coil spring break like that. Thank God it happened in the driveway and not on the highway as Im sure that the sudden change in the steering geometry would have caused a potentially fatal accident. Called the Mini dealer 35 miles away in Bedford, NH and explained the situation and that I wasnt happy about the coil spring breaking at 60,000 miles and potentially putting my wifes life in danger. I asked them to send a wrecker and get the car and replace the spring for free because a close inspection of the break clearly shows it had cracked at some point, rust had invaded the crack and weakened it. This is clearly a defective spring. And, while they were at it, they should also replace the right spring too because now it couldnt be trusted either. They refused to do anything. Said it was normal for springs to break. Told me it was my problem to get the car to them if I wanted them to repair it but they would be happy to sell me a new strut assembly (which they didnt have in stock anyways) if I wanted to do it myself. We went round and round about the defective spring being Minis problem, not mine, but they wouldnt budge. Suggested I contact Mini USA which I did. After waiting 3 days I was told that I had to get the entire car to Mini of Bedford, at my expense, for them to diagnose the problem but that there was no guarantee Mini USA would pay for the repairs. I told the nice woman that the diagnosis was very simple: The defective spring broke! I explained that it made no sense for me to pay $250+ to have the car towed to the dealer, have them diagnose the broken spring at $120/hr, then tell me I would have to pay for repairs (another $300+ for the part(s)/labor) when I can get new strut assy for $125? So I would potentially be out $500+ for their defective spring. And, if I chose to repair it myself, then Im on the hook for another $250 tow back to my house? She said Mini USA would not consider doing anything until the car was brought to the dealer. I offered to take pictures of everything and send them to the dealer and anyone else inside Mini/BMW. I offered to remove the strut assembly and bring it to the dealer for them to look at. I offered to do all the repair work myself if they would pay for the parts, since, after all, the spring is defective. She refused it all. I asked if we could escalate this issue higher inside Mini USA. She said no, she was the highest person who would deal with this.Mini/BMW does not stand behind their products at all and does not give a crap if their defective parts could cause fatal accidents. I am through with BMW forever. Ive learned the hard way that they build cheap cars with cheap parts and that they could care less about driver safety. A coil spring is a vital part in any suspension and for one to break with so little miles is totally unacceptable to me. Theres no way you can convince me that its normal for a coil spring to break under normal use.When the X3 had the broken rear spring I did a little research and found that BMW used to use a German company for their springs but had switched to a Romanian company in the early 2000s. Since then, hundreds of reports cases of broken suspension springs across all their models. I dont know why there hasnt been a NTSB investigation/recall yet.

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

People only tend to write reviews with they are very angry and over the brink. I have my 2012 Mini Cooper S for more than a year now and it has 20,000 miles. The car drives like a dream and has had one service issue and I have had 2 oil changes done by the dealer. Each time they gave me a nice loaner car. I feel you cant ask for more than that. None of the visits cost me any money. Great dealer at Prestige Mini in Ramsey, NJ with nice people.

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

I 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.

My 2005 cooper had been making a ticking noise for a while. I changed my front tires because one of my tires was wearing incorrectly and this didnt solve the issue. I decided to take the car the the Mini Dealer in our area and have them diagnose the problem. They found that the noise was coming from the transmission. Well, I was dumbfounded because my car is at 89K miles and a manual Transmission. So I thought how could my tranny be going out? I called 1-800-ask-mini and asked for assistance and help in regards to the transmission going out and I also needed a new passenger seat mat because my airbag warning light was on and this means the seat mat is messed up.Brent from Mini said he would call me back in a few days to investigate. The mini repair called me back to let me know that they would be able to offer me 15% off the price for the seat mat and they never referenced the transmission.A few days later, my car actually broke down. I have spent over 3K to replace my transmission. The mechanic showed me the core which has a nice little hole bored through the metal. The upper part of the transmission was blown out by what ever it was that was digging through the metal. Nonetheless... the transmission problem I had was truly a defect and I would like to know how I can get Mini to take some sort of ownership for the problem.

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

Dont ever buy a Mini Cooper new or used. Awful awful awful. I purchased a new Mini Cooper S in February 2007 and just recently traded it in for another car after driving only 85k miles. A partial list of what was replaced or fixed - two timing chains, two high pressure fuel pumps, two engine computers, two thermostats, two sets of spark plugs, one water pump, two walnut cleanings of the intake manifold, turbocharger oil line + other nightmares that I would just as soon forget. Not to mention bmw brakes having to be replaced every 20k ($800.00 per axle) and clutch (it was a manual) at 50k when most for me last >100k ($2500.00). It is critical if you own one of these to check the oil periodically as it will use some. Many of the engine failure problems that happen are because all the oil goes and the vehicle dies. The vehicle will give you no warning of low oil. It is the owners liability.I traded the vehicle to a dealership because I could not in good faith inflict it on someone directly. Fortunately, between factory and extended warranty did not have to pay that much to repair BUT no car should have this many problems. Engine warning lights would keep coming on than going away and after a few years never could trust the car to not breakdown so stopped driving it long distances. The mechanics has a hard time diagnosing these random failures so had to wait till could hold the code for them to fix. This is not a car that a regular repair shop could easily diagnose. If it was complex or an engine code, had to go to the dealer. Have owned regular BMWs before and really liked them. Do not understand how BMW could attach itself to a product this bad.

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 **.

Do not buy a Mini Cooper! I have a 2006 Mini Cooper with 47,000 miles and the automatic transmission has gone out! I was told that you cannot buy parts; you have to replace the transmission at the cost of $7500! Shame on Mini Cooper for being aware of transmission problems and not standing behind their product!

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

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

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

I bought my 2005 base Mini convertible with around 35K miles on it. I bought at a BMW/Mini Dealership where it was first purchased. I was told I would be the second owner and that all services were performed there since new, including the first power steering failure. OK now, the certified vehicle they sold me had a throw-out bearing noise the day I bought it. I heard it at night with top up and windows up. Same thing with the power steering; it was failing when I bought it. I am sorry, but how can a BMW/Mini tech certify such vehicle? They had had to know it had these issues. Not to mention, the seat memory function was also broken from the day of purchase. All the issues were done under factory warranty. I also bought mercury platinum extended warranty. Now moving on, around 50K, the throw-out bearing noise is back big time. Power steering is noisy again. Once again, theres warranty on the throw-out bearing. No luck with power steering; I had to keep bringing it back and was declined every time until it actually started going out while driving! No power steering! It was replaced at that time under warranty, and the new pump was so silent at first. I was thinking hmm Im still upset they sold me a certified car with major money issues but this time the power steering is fixed good.The vehicle now has approximately 75K. All services are up to date, including resealing the oil pan and the third valve cover reseal. But what the salesperson never told me was that the interval for resealing the oil pan is every 40K as normal maintenance! And the clutch is shuddering; throw-out bearing is about to fail, getting really, really loud knocks with clutch out squeals if I push it all the way down. I have to push it down and let up around 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch to stop the squealing, but its still making noises always. So the clutch components are no longer under warranty. Great. And the power steering that was so quiet a short time ago has a crazy loud noise again and the fan is staying on after the vehicle is shut off. I can make it stop by turning the key on and off a few times. I should be covered for this power steering unit with a deductible through Mercury, but they seem to ask for mega diagnostic tear down money. Its like pulling teeth to get them to even act human. I will do that for the power steering, because its bad and I know it will be covered. (crosses fingers)I was told that the noise of the clutch components may be internal in transmission, so I should authorize a lot of money, so they can tear down the transmission and see. Really?! its the throw-out bearing again. Im not authorizing that obvious leap of faith/ripoff. Did I mention I have records from the first month I owned the car about it not going into reverse unless I for up to 3 full minutes mess with the shift left through all gears and let clutch out in each gear and a little trick I learned while being honked at because I wasnt backing up fast enough? The trick is hold the lever towards reverse and ever so lightly release the clutch pedal a tiny bit. It will go into reverse that way, and it may do so with super sweet sounding ultimate grind, which it does all the time even when not forced to use an awful trick to get it moving backwards.The last time I brought it in, the service writer, whos always so full of tech wisdom, actually duplicated the problem. The service writer could not get the vehicle into reverse, and after fiddling a while, it went in with an ultimate grinding experience. But now, this tech savvy writer has forgotten everything, and it seems all that schooling (self-proclaimed) and BMW-awarded service training has slipped the highly trained uber techy service writer into saying that he wrote on the repair order duplicated in service drive. But I still have to pay $1000 plus for tear down to prove to Mercury what I have been telling them has been happening since it was under factory warranty! I could duplicate it everyday, every time they said cannot duplicate.Well, they could have if they drove around more till they did duplicate it for not long rather than sitting in their service bay shifting the lever around! Both window regulators are starting to fail. I loved this car. Its fun. it looks great, but I would not recommend one to my worst enemy. Oh, thats BMW/Mini. Hmmm. Well, you know what I mean. I will never recommend BMW or Mini without saying They drive great, but youre gonna pay.I tell people if they must have a BMW or Mini and dont mind being in the shop a lot, lease it. Never buy anything from BMW! They are literally spot on to provide you with the ultimate repair bills as soon as warranty is out. BMW is criminal in this kind of treatment of their customers! I mean, really, its pretty well-established. The clutch components suffer from poor/weak/cheap design and parts. Its 2012, and BMW still doesnt even offer a superseded part number for clutch components; no upgrades for you! This is the absolute end of my time with BMW. They can keep their cars, until they fix whats wrong and stop covering up long-standing design flaws. Oh my God, some give them Japans phone number or even GM for that matter for a little updating on their still being filled with really bad electronics from silly connectors long obsolete to flat out... Really, you havent stopped those light from flashing yet! Which ones you say? I say pick anything. BMW electronics and Mini are in need of some updating.Lets say bye BMW/Mini. Never again. I cant wait to get rid of this nightmare that could have been so nice a car if they finished it. Too late trading it in on anything nice, even nicer not made by your dishonest bloated overrated company that smiles at you while lying and... I cant wait for my Lexus or Acura or Infinity. I just cant wait. Own up to the problems. And at least, if youre going to charge for a repair that is due to your cheap poorly placed parts in a nice car, offer a fix. Its called a fix! You know, like when you dont sell a Mini owner the same ** part. Why just fix it!

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

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.

My 17 year daughter went to a local car lot, and fell in love with a 2004 Mini Cooper. She went to the bank on her own, and bought this car. Two weeks after having it, the oil pump went out. I say went out, I believe it had an issue when she bought it. Our bad is, we own an auto repair shop, but she didnt let her dad check it before she bought it. She left the parking lot and I noticed a puddle under her car. When she came back there was no oil on the stick. She called on the warranty (that the dealer had her purchase), but because she didnt tow the car 1/2 a mile back to the auto repair shop the warranty will not cover if the engine is knocking or locked up.After getting it in the shop her dad noticed the oil light had been disabled from the dash and an oil sending gauge had been installed. The car had oil in it when she left or there would not have been a puddle. We were able to fix the oil pump and all the gaskets and sealed that were leaking. It seems to have been running okay; with the exception of mysteriously losing 2 quarts of oil after a week. She drove it for 3 weeks, and had it towed off the side of the road. We have not diagnosed it yet, but it just died on her going down the road. It was not running hot; had gas in it, and plenty of oil. She was able to start it again and it just died. When my husband started it at the shop it shook the whole car, and is making an awful noise. Hes guessing a rod. So now she has $9000 in car payments, and may need a motor. Biggest piece of junk we have ever experienced. For the parts to be on the high end (expensive), they sure didnt design a high quality car here.

2 years ago I found my beautiful Mini Cooper Convertible, a beefy convertible Ive wanted since I was a kid! Fun to drive, but not nearly enough power. I feel like it was at the Dealer getting services a LOT but it has 19800 when I bought it and MINI covered the maintenance/service up to 36k which was a dream. Tires had to be replaced due to them not being rotated before I bought it. I did start driving 25mi each way to work in LA traffic, but this has gotten ridiculous.In May of 2016, I noticed my oil light coming on. I didnt think much of it until my bf took it to the dealer and they stated it was just really low on oil and since I was close to getting an oil change, went ahead with the service. 5 months later, I noticed my car sounding weird/grinding. Checked the oil level and you can barely read the stupid dipstick in this car. Looked fine. Checked an hour later and it was EMPTY! There was NO OIL. I filled it with 5 quarts! I called MINI and other shops and this is normal?! How is burning 5 quarts of oil and having little to no notification normal?FFW to Feb 2017, My car has always lacked a lot of Gusto, but I noticed it sputtering then accelerating, esp on the freeway around 2000 rpm. I thought it may be a fuel line issue and needed a flush. Called a mechanic who specializes in MINIs, and he said it sounded like it may be a trans issue. Took it to AAMCO and sure enough my transmission has to be rebuilt/replaced. MINIs powertrain warranty ends at 4 years 50k, My car is 4 years, 3mo and has 51k. BS! Luckily I purchased an extended warranty from the dealer I bought it from (not MINI) and after fighting with them for a MONTH I got a used transmission put in. Im getting it today but Im seriously considering getting rid of it even though I am upside-down on my loan. This is ridic! Not to mention the stupid brakes/rotors have to be done at the same time. I knew MINIs needed some love, but this is too damn much.

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

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

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

So first I want to say I own 3 currently and sold my forth a few years back. I loved the brand for a number of reasons like handling and performance and the overall style. At this time my stable consists of a 2012 MINI JCW GP, a 2012 Countryman and an older 2006 JCW. The Countryman has been in the shop almost every month since we owned it. It has had taillights replaced as well as the heating/AC replaced numerous times during ownership. Right now it’s got another check engine light and on its way back to the dealer since it hates to start. The heater will not warm up the car unless it’s floored and since it’s 18 degrees out that is unacceptable. Especially since it’s been fixed numerous times.Now onto the GP. This is the company’s flagship performance car. Its very limited and one would think well documented. Yet when brought in to have an alignment done, the techs were unable to figure out the adjustments and I had to assist by providing the details they needed and showing them how it should be done. The GP had a tail light out. This resulted in them frying the radio trying to replace it. Not sure why it’s connected but it is. So they had to replace the stereo and the ECU. The problem was the dealer installed the wrong ECU software version so the car ran like crap. I did not notice right away. It wasnt till after I installed a cold air intake that I noticed the car was running off. After convincing them on the 3rd trip there to install the latest ECU version did they see it was wrong. This was after blaming the CAI on the issues it was having. So I should be happy now right? They finally installed the correct ECU software and it should be back to normal. Nope. Now the car bucks on the highway. I tore the intake apart thinking it was the problem. I tried everything down to boost leak testing the car and duct taping the MAF tube in case it was leaking. I was TIRED of talking with the dealer. When nothing worked I brought it back in. They said it was the MAF. They replaced it. I got it back a day later and the same problem persisted. Here I was going back for the 4th time only to have them tell me my modifications were the issue. They said they fixed the seal on the CAI (which was fine) and the car was tested and perfect.On the way home I noticed it bucking again and no longer had the sport mode pops and burbles you get from the exhaust which is a key character of the car. I refused to bring it back. I looked around the engine bay and studied the MAF connector more closely. It had a brand new MAF so I knew it wasnt that. Turns out all the problems I was having was due to a loose wire in the harness connector. This did not fix the sport mode button but at this point I dont care. Im tired of missing work and dealing with the hassle of going to the dealer and being stuck with a loaner. Now mind you both my older 2005 and 2006 MINIs had issues but were basically bullet proof and well over 100k miles. The newer ones are nothing but problems so far. Neither new car is over 30k miles and have spent most of their ownership in the dealer for one stupid reason or another.

Only three thousand miles, so far so good. And Im extremely abusive with my manual mini cooper.

I have a Mini Hardtop. I loved this car. I have it all decked out. Now I just hate it and rather have a honda. I have taken care of all common maintenance. My car only has 34000 miles, and here go my problems. Car doesnt want to idle, driving rough, does not feel like it wants to shift (I have manual). I took it to repair and all the fuses needed replaced and the car surprisingly was eating oil. 1 month after repair, I am back at it again, getting it towed to find out what the issue is now. I already had the computer reset 2x at dealer. Now it wont start although the lights and radio will not work. I am so disappointed.

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

From the day, I bought this brand new Mini Cooper S Countryman in 2014, I started spending extra money like water. In a week of my purchases, I found out I had tire pressure issue then I took it back to dealer, they said I need to reset tire pressure but freaking every week the pressure lights comes on and I have to put air and reset it again. Im sure, it is leaking air somewhere and because of that one of my tire got tore within 2 months which I had to change and cost me $300 and my tire pressure still pop up until, now. Im so sick of tired that I dont even talk this issue with my dealer anymore. Now, it been a year and Im having different issue which is created by animal sabotage. In mini, there are lots of wires running through the hood inside the insulin cover which looks like made a soft foam can be damaged by anything. Mine was cut into pieces by chipmunks just couple weeks ago, my bad luck. It is already more than a 10 days and they could not figure out the problem. First, they said I need to change wires $400 then sensor and now diagnostic. It looks like they are trying to ripping me off. Even the lady told me that it is better if I talk to my insurance. Anyway, my point is mini is not reliable car for daily use. It is good only for the people who have lots of extra money. Im not suggesting this car to any of my friends and relatives.

After reading the bad reviews I felt I had to say I bought my 2006 Cooper new from Mini Irvine. It has 115000 miles on the clock and has been trouble free. I recently had to replace the AC pump, but apart from that it had been only tires and brakes. An excellent car. WE have however serviced it regularly and Im sure that helps.

Well before I owned a 1995 Honda accord and the catalytic converter went out and it was a 200$ repair, bought it used AND THAT WAS IT! It was a 19 year old car with 200k miles on it. It was a God compared to my 2012 brand new off the lot German made piece of junk mini cooper S, four days after I bought it the crank shaft pulley fell off. Fell off? yes, fell off. Along with my passenger window breaking; shortly after my clutch went down, my radiator gasket broke, battery went out, the brakes, and now the high fuel pressure pump is going out. I have 37k on my car and every last mile I have had to pay for in some way, thanks the legalities and fine print that you agree to buying the car. Keep in mind Im still making payments on the thing. All the while the big wigs at mini could care less. Im 100% for a class action lawsuit against Mini. Worst car/experience of my life.

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.

We should have known that it would be a mistake to purchase this car, when we were treated very rudely at the BMW dealership... but we really wanted a convertible. Biggest mistake we ever made. Less than a year old, and drivers side window motor had to be replaced. Less than a year old, and engine mount had to be replaced. 2 years old and the fuel pump had to be replaced. Multiple repairs spanning multiple years on the obviously flawed cooling system (out of warranty). At 5 years old, had to pay $7,000 for a REBUILT engine. 6 weeks after the rebuilt engine, and now the entire electrical system is gone. The dealer says its $400 just to diagnose it (and he cant get to it for a week, causing me to have to rent a car) and that he has no idea what is wrong, and has never seen anything like it.

OK, my last review gave the 2014 Cooper S manual trans a 4 star rating. Ill retract that now. My 3 yr lease was coming to an end and I did 6 months of research on sub compacts w/6spd man trans, turbo, power seat on drivers side, at a minimum, & good repair ratings, dealership close by. I could not wait to get rid of the MINI, the drivers seat was killing me. I didnt realize how irritating the dash functionality was until I leased a 2017 Chevy Sonic Premier, thats right a CHEVY! First domestic model car since 1976. 15 K less than a high end MINI. Fully loaded, great radio, intuitive controls all the way around, comfortable seat, easy shifting, 32 mpg on mostly suburban, inner city driving, not as noisy as the MINI. No complaints. The standard features on this model would have been pricey extras on a comparable MINI.My last hours as MINI owner had me wondering if it was going to make it through the 20 mile trip to the dealers. It had been sitting for 3 days and would not go into 1st or 2nd for a few minutes. Okay, my Sonic is not cute as a Volcanic Orange button, its turbo is not a rocket like the MINIs was. And, it looks like a Chevy. I had my own personal paradigm shift on what was important to me in a car. After owning 3 Euro cars for the past 25 years, Volvo, Volvo, MINI, I decided I was done, done, done. If you have the need for a cute car, the MINI certainly is that, but youll find the irritation factors outweigh the cutes in about 17 months or less. BTW, Im not seeing 2014 Volcanic Orange MINIs on the roads/highways lately. I assume they all went to the bone yard (auction) like mine did.

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

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