2002 BMW Mini Cooper from UK and Ireland - Comments

This was over a 32 week period.

Power steering failed.

Gearbox failed.

Clutch broke twice.

Airbag light permanently on due to faulty seat connector.

Fuel pump pressure low.

Gear selection cable failed.

Stutters on pull off in first.

Both front seats replaced twice due first to them collapsing and then to hopeless attempts to re-fit new ones.

Steering column replaced.

New battery box and fuse box covers.

Drivers door trim replaced.

Scratched centre console on delivery.

Rattling dash.

Broken heater - not connected on delivery.

Windscreen replaced 3 times due to poor fitment.

Drivers seat leaning to the left.

All backed up by lies and time wasting from BMW dealerships.

A great little car made pointless by dreadful build quality and BMW service centres that couldn't care less. I really wanted to like this car, but BMW will go to great lengths to make you hate it.

I also own a cooper (2003 model) My experience is the total opposite of yours. I would recommend a mini to any one and my local dealer is 1st class..

My mini has done nearly 4000 miles so it's of similar mileage to yours. You have been very unlucky or I have been very lucky.

Good luck in the future with her!!

I have an August build 2002 Mini Cooper S and have only had 1 problem in 10,000 miles - a leaking water pump seal (replaced under warranty). For a newly designed model I think the reliability is pretty good and much better than my 2002 VW Jetta.

Don't worry the mini one is just as bad

Power steering failed twice

Clutch failed 4 times

Stutter on pull off

Cut out and would not restart (ecu fault)

Gear cables replaced

Gear linkage went

plus loads more, can't be bothered to type them all in would be here all night... very disappointing car, but it does look good, but not on the back of a tow truck.

Yes more problems, with rattles in dash and door posts, boot locks not locking, and the smelly air con.

I waited 3 months for my Mini Cooper and that made me ill just for the wait, them after six months the problems just started, now I feel robbed of my hard earned cash.

I love the car and the way it drives, but did not pay for British Leyland build quality.

Shame BMW should have left it to HONDA.

My girlfriend has a 01 cooper with no end of problems. It pulls to the left, Constant rattles, hand brake failure, warning lights on for no reason, unlocks itself, dead spot when in 1st, very noisy power steering, locked in it, foam disintegrated in bonnet vents. And the dealership, what a joke. They only good thing about owning a mini is that you'll never need to clean it cos every time it goes back they clean it. So on average we get it cleaned every 2 months. 6 months left on warranty so it's time to replace it. The only thing I can say is that as it was one of the 1st new Mini's they're bound to have teething problems. But we are going to get another one this time from a different dealer cos our current one never believes us.

I feel your collective pains.

I've just managed to sell my MINI Cooper S back to the dealer for a knocked-down price to get me away from these awfully bad vehicles.

See here, http://www.carsurvey.org/review_56231.html.

I owned my first MCS and it was eventually replaced by BMW/MINI, but they never admitted any liability. It was 2 steering failures and a huge suspension failure. Our problems aren't isolated, sorry to say, and they are being investigated as we speak.

I only received half of the monies that I paid and also another £800 that they demanded before I could get my hands on the replacement (whose steering failed at only 8-weeks old).

Awful. Awful. Awful.

I am buying a Skoda Fabia vRS next, and I can't wait.

Sorry... Had mini Cooper since new Jan 2002 - only minor problems - a few rattles, but otherwise nothing at all. Dealers also very good. No complaints and would definitely buy another - buy a Skoda you must be joking!!

I can honestly say that things have not got any better by the 2004 year. I have a Mini One Convertible and it has had lots of problems. Shame though - it would be a nice car were it not for the build quality issues.

We got the first mini in our city, cosmos black with beautiful big rims, I love the car perfect for us, we only drive it once a month or so tho because we have like 6 cars already. but it has been such a lovely car to own and drive.

My wife drives and loves the mini cooper here in South Africa. I think they are imported from the UK? sold and supported by BMW. the car went very well at first except for some minor rattles and lots of little things... basically relating to poor built quality and control, but the fun factor helps you ignore that. then one sunny day the car started overheating and the next 9 visits to the dealership and 3 roadside breakdowns has been absolute hell. eventually the car is now back with a new everything related to water; pipes, seals, head gasket, radiator cap, etc. hassle is that the car has no go... even a turbo diesel pick-up (my drive with a 0-100km/h = 14seconds) can outrun it right up to top-end. changed the airflow meter, new spark plugs, little tune here... something else there... but no go and BMW claims that it is within spec. any similar hassles / solution with poor power / performance in line with our experience? please share with us. charlv@minolco.co.za.

I am in North London and I can assure you that the dealers here are just as bad. Mine says they want their customers to have the best retail experience possible. They fall way short. However, my Feb 2005 Cooper Convertible has been great fun and my poor Lexus GS has sat in the garage all winter. The Mini is just too much fun. The dealer messed up badly installing the iPod interface and left the dash in pieces with nothing attached, oh and the hood (that's the top to the Americans) leaked. All of my problems have been related to dealer incompetence. But then as if like magic a new service manager arrived. He saw all the letters of complaint and when I brought it in to sort out the hood, they put just about everything right. Except for the rattles. It wouldn't be a mini if it didn't rattle!

Yeah, that's the problem. I wanted a Mini S more than anything after test driving one (and the dealer showing me how it can take a 30 mph exit ramp at 72 mph). But I really really can't stand rattles and couldn't live with that, no matter how fun the car.

Maybe the next generation will be better, although since Mini has such a fierce offering there is little reason for BMW to put any quality into it either. Sad.

I had a 2003 mini one which was fab, no issues at all.

Unfortunately some idiot decided he wanted an internal inspection of my car and rear ended me.

I then bought a 2005 mini one...mistake,

Rattles I can cope with.

Stuttering in 1st/2nd,clunking every time I change gears

(loud enough to be heard by other people)

I'm slowly wishing I had not insisted on getting another mini, which is a shame.

I just bought a 2002 Mini (used) and I've had it for 2 months. I bought it from a reputable dealer and it was highly inspected before it was sold. The two months were great and then slowly I started having problems getting out of 1st gear. A loud thumping noise would emit from the car. I took it back to the dealer who told me it was "normal." I knew it was not normal, but I decided to take it home anyway. On my way home, I took off from a major intersection and then I had NO gears at all! I had to push the car off the side of the road and had it towed back to dealer. Now, I am told a shaft in the transmission has to be replaced along with the clutch. THANK GOD I bought an extended warranty. The car has 44,000 miles on it and the BMW warranty had just expired. I had a very bad experience once with a 1991 318 BMW and this only adds to my hate for BMW. THEY SUCK and I would never buy another one again!

My father owns a 2002 Mini Cooper (not the S-model), and we have a reoccurring battery problem.

A year ago to date, the car would not start at all. We had the car flat-bedded to charleston, south carolina where we were told that a battery cell was bad. They replaced it at that time while it was under warranty!

A year later, (Dec 11, 2006), after the warranty was up, the same problem occurred. That car would not start. I dis-connected the batter, brought it to get it charged, and the battery was completely flat and could not be recharged SO, there is some internal issue where the car is drawing power off the battery, and completely draining it.

Our mini is constantly pampered, and stays in a garage. We only have 15,000 miles on it, and it's already seen 2 batteries. Something is very wrong. It is still sitting in the garage until we ship it AGAIN by flatbed to Charleston to see what the problem is. I will update more as to the solution when I found out.

ANYONE ELSE HAVING THE PROBLEM!!! PLEASE RESPOND! My elderly father loves the car, but is now stranded and carless!