Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-49
Hello all!
I have a 2006 Mini Cooper which I lease from the Oxford Plant (Mini/BMW) here in England. The car is great fun to drive and always has been, but it has many faults. The gearbox is noisy and the clutch seems to have a trademark by whenever you depress the clutch it makes a click and will rattle when in neutral.
Now don't get me wrong - these faults do not effect the performance of the Mini, but it does make it very, very annoying whilst driving. It has the noisy getrag gearbox which was fitted to all Mini Coopers/One in September 05. I took it to my local dealer in Oxfordshire/England and they palmed me off by saying that BMW are using thinner oil within their gearboxes to loosen everything up thus increasing performance and efficiency, but the downfall is the noise that it makes.
Which, in turn has increased performance, but short gearing in a hilly part of England is not a good way to go. It takes ages to get up hills. Therefore, I have to increase revs and put pressure on the gearbox and the clutch, otherwise I would never get anywhere or neither would anyone else.
Add me to the list of drivers who have a love/hate relationship with their minis. my '02 is the most fun car I've ever owned--until the other day when my check engine light came on. turns out the coolant temp sensor needs replacing. and that's the good news. it also needs a new clutch, and new brakes and rotors. naturally, it's off warranty. and the kicker: the car has under 40K miles. I've driven a stick since I was 16, so I know what I'm doing. I've never had to replace a clutch under 70K miles on any other vehicle I've owned. the dealer says this is rare for a mini; after reading the comments here I'm beginning to doubt that statement. so now I'll be out at least two grand. and all this before the dang thing is even paid for. I might just have to take the little bugger out back and shoot 'em.
I too have experienced "out of warranty" problems with my Mini Cooper, it is now three and half years old and clocked less than 25,000 miles.
I have this morning dropped my car at my Knights BMW dealership to be looked at, who have advised that a new gearbox and clutch are required, which will cost just under £2,500. Whilst they agreed these have "failed prematurely" it is also now out of warranty. They have therefore applied for a goodwill contribution from BMW MINI towards the repair of the car. Unfortunately whilst we wait for this decision they cannot complete any work, my car remains unsafe to drive, and they don't have enough courtesy cars to let me have a car till mine is suitably repaired.
For a car that has cost £16k, I was rather hoping it would last longer than three and half years before costing thousands to make road worthy!
This is my second Mini cooper, the first one, which admittedly was one of the first Mini's with an 02 plate, was in and out of the dealership with continued problems every 2-3 weeks, problems that including, windows that didn't drop when the door opened meaning it couldn't be closed, a major gearbox fault, which resulted in the car breaking down before Radford BMW (as they were then) admitted they hadn't done the recall work they had assured me had been completed! and several other niggly problems you would not expect from what is supposed to be a prestigous car company.
Eventually the dealership agreed to take back the first Mini and replace with the one I have now!
The second mini has been fine and has very little wrong with it in three years... I didn't imagine that the minute it reached three years it would start to cost thousands.
I await a more positive response from the dealership before getting trading standards involved.
2003 Mini Cooper... just did an 54k mile oil service; they detected a problem with the radiator fan, which we went ahead and replaced - $1300. Now the clutch is fried. Ballpark figure of $2200 to get it fixed.
Needless to say this sucks. I love the car, but its really unreliable; I've had clutches in my Honda last all the way until 90k. I've had everything in the Cooper replaced now, mostly through warranty; AC, steering, electronics, engine (Florida rainstorm- my fault).
I don't see how I can justify keeping this thing now... I'm still paying it out at ~$450 a month until next February.
And I definitely don't see myself getting another one.
Hope others have better luck. The car has such charm, its really a shame that it can't also be reliable.
'they detected a problem with the radiator fan, which we went ahead and replaced - $1300'
And you agreed with them???
Not only do you seem to agree with what they say, your also prepared to pay their ridiculous repair costs! Get a second opinion and find out what other dealerships or independent garages will charge you.
I bought a 2203 Mini for my daughter to use while away at college. She drives the car from her apartment to class each day. Prior to purchasing the Mini, my daughter learned to operate a manual transmission. She drove a Honda Civic throughout high school without any clutch or transmission problems. She currently has 29,700 miles on her Mini and was experiencing problems shifting in the lower gears. She immediately took the car to the dealer who stated that the clutch was worn out and needed to be replace at a cost of around $1,800. They also advised me that the repairs were not covered under warranty and considered to be normal wear and tear. After completing research on the internet regarding my problem, I discovered that it is common to wear out a clutch in a Mini prior to the end of the warranty period.
Although it's a great handling car, it is unacceptable that the normal life expectancy for a clutch is around 30,000 miles. At a price of $1,800 for a replacement, BMW/Mini did not engineer the clutch to accommodate the car. I expected BMW/Mini to do a better job with engineering and design. I also expected that they would stand behind their product. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. I will more than likely have to pay for the repairs, even though the car is still under warranty. Shortly after, I will be trading the Mini in for a more reliable car.
To anyone looking at Minis, DO NOT BUY, whether new or pre-owned. Don't get sucked into buying because of their cute little website and marketing schemes. I've read a number of other complaints pertaining to radiator, transmission, clutch and engine life that are way below normal. Each of these type of repairs cost major bucks. When these problems occur simultaneously, you'll come to know that "giant sucking sound" is money coming out of your checking account.
2004 Mini Cooper S with Cooper works.
Love/Hate. Yep, that about sums it up. About a year ago the clutch got real "squishy" and just didn't feel right when shifting. Still under warranty so took it in to the dealer who reported "nothing wrong" and hinted that I don't know how to clutch properly. Guess I just didn't learn on the other 10 cars I've had with manual trannys!
Now, a week ago and suddenly I can't shift from 2nd to 3rd. Finally get it engage with what we used to call speed shifting (bringing the engine rpms up to match the transmission rotation and engaging the shifter without the clutch). I could shift now, but it didn't feel right. By the time I got it home the clutch was barely engaging and the car would move, but only reluctantly.
So, $2900 bill to replace the clutch at $57k miles. "You must have loaned the car to someone who didn't know what they were doing," was the dealer's lame response. No, I didn't. No defects he says. Out of warranty. So sorry.
I'm going to try giving Mini a call, but don't expect much help.
I love my Mini, but it's gone as soon as I can get rid of it.
Wow, I have had some problems with my 2003 MINI, but the dealers here in Missouri have been nothing, but helpful. Perhaps the wind is changing?
While it was still under warranty, I had some problems with rattling (always repaired within one or two tries) and with the water pump and various little things. However, I brought it in whenever I heard something funny just to be sure.
Since the warranty expired (about 6 months ago) I have had more repairs - including a problem where the exhaust pipe contraption FELL OFF while I was driving and a problem where the passenger door lock would not unlock electronically. The dealership has not charged me a cent for a repair since the warranty ended - all of it has been under "Good Will" repairs from the manufacturer.
So, I thought I would just add here that reading all of your comments makes me even more impressed by the service I have received at Mini of St. Louis.
Hello fellow Mini owners.
I went to my local Mini dealership today to fix a "thumping" noise which I mistakenly attributed to a recent front end alignment & tire rotation, and to my shocked surprise, was told I needed a new transmission-I am lucky as the car is still under warranty-2006 with 24,000. Needless to say, the noise is still there...
I'm feeling like someone has let the wind out of my sails-I love this car and dread any future repairs I may be looking at that are clutch and transmission related... should I wait it out or trade it in for a Honda?
Hey, obviously you should buy the Honda - because a Honda never breaks down. It's impossible for a Japanese car to break. Just not done. Give up the fun car and buy a boring Japanese box.
I took my 2003 Mini in yesterday to be checked when it started having trouble downshifting going uphill. It's an automatic and I've not had any trouble until now, at 73,000 miles other than the usual maintenance and new brakes. Today the dealer's shop called me with a $9,000 quote for a new transmission parts and labor, plus a new battery that I didn't even know was not working! A five-year old car that won't drive!
What do we do now? Do we junk it, sell for salvage, what, and where? It cannot be driven as it is now.
As we suddenly seem to be in the market for another car, it will NOT be a Mini, fun as they are to drive and easy to park.
I have a 2002 Mini Cooper S with under 48,000 miles, driven exclusively by a senior - 57 years old - with clutch failure, no word yet on the pressure plate et al.
My dealer, Knauz in IL, is being very helpful and going to bat for me with BMW... but I need to question any modern car with a manual that can't go 50,000 on a clutch. It should be more like 75,000.
Worst possible case is $3,000 + or - if it's "clutch plus". If it's the clutch only a 'bargain' at $2,000.
I am having the same problems. I am going to the garage on Friday, and am expecting the worst bill! I can only wait and see!
OK! Looks like there are many people with gearbox problems for Mini Cooper! So am I! I live in Greece! My Mini Cooper is a 2003 model and after 60.000km it seems that I might have to replace my gearbox (2.500euro)!! Wtf?? I thought the car would be fine for at least 100.000km! What ever happened to a BMW engine? Is the Mini even wearing a BMW engine? I'm gonna check independent garages for a price comparison, but in general, I must say, I'm pretty worried! If anyone has something serious to say about it please email me at Ciupicaa@yahoo.co.uk! Thank you, all!
I read with interest many who have had issues with their clutch in their MINI Coopers. I have 72,000+ miles and have not had any issue with my clutch (other than overheating a bit one time in 1-1/2 hour stop and go traffic). The MINI, "SUV BAIT" has been road rallied, driven everyday and hustled through many a freeway on/off ramp. Am I just lucky? Where's the wood desk for me to knock on?