2002 BMW Mini Cooper from UK and Ireland - Comments

19th Jan 2004, 11:16

"A capricious beauty!"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

- Squeaking alternator belt - fixed under warranty.

- Disconnected gearshift cable. This is easy to fix yourself: just look under the battery and press the linkage back on firmly in the gear it disconnected in. Fixed under warranty.

- Squeaking from sunroof. Also easy to fix yourself. Take the metal hook from the toolkit, and use it to apply waterproof grease to all the runners (NB there are 4, not 2!)

- Lurching/hesitation related to traction control - never fixed despite attempts.

- Broken CD player - replaced under warranty.

- Leaking radiator - replaced under warranty.

- Clicking steering column - replaced under warranty.

- Steering out of alignment and constant left pulling - currently being fixed under warranty.

- Buzzing exhaust - replaced under warranty.

General comments?

Firstly, thank god for the warranty!!! But amazingly, these problems have not bothered me too much. The car is amazing to drive and handles beautifully. The engine is underpowered and a little coarse: when the warranty runs out, I'll get it chipped (+10bhp). Also, it looks stunning, and feels like a much bigger car to drive. I love the direct steering. The Mini is a modern-day Alfa Romeo - hastily thrown together, but with huge character and charm. I love it!!!


31st Oct 2004, 11:36

Glag you realise the cooper S in under powered, so why is it others who drive them insist on trying to race skoda fabia vrs its got boring now, only so many many times I can show up you so called fashionable mini lot! hardly worth the money of a remap for 10bhp! Go diesel get economy plus a chip can easily give an extra 50bhp putting it in the impreza wrx mid range capabillity!

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