Mini Cooper

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 had the steering go out at about 50k miles. The dealer wants over $1200.00 to fix it. The doors won't 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 can't get out.

2009 MiniCooper JCW, silver and black. Love the car, but...

The first clutch linkage had a problem at just over 9000 miles. It was making a noise when I engaged the clutch and accelerated. I took it in. The service dept. at my Mini dealer where I bought the car said the clutch had been "abused" and that the clutch had to be replaced. The service technician sent me a picture of the clutch linkage, saying "the linkage had been "glazed" because the fluids inside the casing got so hot.

I drive the car to and from work. I don't race it. I've driven standard on Mazdas, Pontiacs and Audis. The least distance a clutch lasted with driving in my 20s (read: probably drove much harder then) was 30,000 miles. Today, the same issue started to happen to the replacement clutch. I have 20k miles on the car. Now, the service dealer will not do anything unless I guarantee to spend $2000 to check out the car. They say if they determine that the clutch wore out because of my "abusive driving" then I will owe them $3400 to replace it.

I called BMW of North America. They connected me with a Mini representative who would do nothing without my commitment to spend the $2000 for a "diagnostic." Amazing. These guys are putting clutches out there that fail in under 20K miles every time. Nice business, if you can get away with it.

My 2006 Mini Cooper S convertible has the same transmission issues as others here. Very dangerous to drive. Hesitates and then slams into gear and lurches forward without warning. I have been without a vehicle for about 6 months. I was hoping to get a rebuild on the transmission through a third party, but was turned down for most of the financing. My situation has changed since I purchased the vehicle and I am no longer in a full-time paid position because I am traveling back and forth 3000 miles two to three times a year to care for parents who recently lost their mobility.

Now, I find myself in a similar situation because of a car company that did not care about putting out a quality product and denies the problem. What they didn't tell me when I shelled out the 36,000 for their vehicle 6 years ago was that in 3 to 5 years the car will theoretically be totaled and there is nothing you will be able to do about it. I would not have bought the car. One of the reasons I bought the car was that I thought BMW was a good make. I was familiar with their motorcycles. When I first bought the car, I raved about it to everyone who asked. I can no longer recommend Mini Coopers to anyone, and I'll let people know whenever I can not to buy their vehicles. There should have been some kind of back up plan for the failed CVT transmissions. It is not like it is a $2000 fix. It is a $6,000 to $9,000 fix, and even a new or rebuilt one is the same situation. No guarantees, really.

2012-01-16, today, approximately 22,000 drivers of a Mini Cooper S, the Mini John Cooper Works, from the years 2006 to 2011 in Germany have to go back to the garage. The reason for the recall: a faulty circuit board on the water pump that is responsible for the cooling of the turbocharger, resulting to overheating or even fire. The vehicle owner will be contacted by the manufacturer and ask for free replacement of the faulty component. This message has been in the news section of Motor-Traffic.de with the slogans. Mini calls back 22 000 vehicles in Germany - released on 2012-01-16.

I will never purchase another BMW vehicle. My husband won't let me due to their failure to take care of my mini and it's obvious engineering flaws. I currently own a 2006 Mini Cooper S convertible. It's a love (my car)/ hate (its transmission! ) relationship. After attempting to get BMW to take care of what is clearly their responsibility, I was told that I needed to pay a mere $9000 to replace my transmission. My car currently performs the way others have described: refusing to change gears, then slamming into gear with the squealing of tires.

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 General's 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.

If I didn't like the car type, I never would have bought it. But it has been a nightmare to work with BMW on fixing something that is clearly their fault. BMW refuses to provide a satisfactory solution with a recall on a known flaw in the thermostat gasket on 2006 Mini Coopers. Thousands of consumers in United States, and even more across the world, have spent thousands of dollars and countless hours to find/fix radiator fluid leak through both dealers and special mechanics only to find out that the original gasket starts to leak through ever so slowly.

A drop here and there at about 20,000 miles (more or less) due to the cheap mesh material. Because it leaks ever so slightly, the fluid falls, blows, drops down onto various parts of the engine and throughout the engine compartment. Even though the company, dealers and specialized mechanics are well aware of this known issue, they take full advantage of the consumer by pretending to speculate that it is caused by a leak in a hose or the radiator itself or some other issue, all of which allow these individuals to charge outrageous amounts to fix or replace parts that down need it.

Most places have a minimum labor cost just to look at it. Add the unnecessary parts with additional labor on top of the base cost and you drive away without fixing the issue, only to return again and again until they finally bring up the real issue and charge you yet again to fix something they knew and should have fixed all along. It is a known issue for crying out loud. If they just fixed that, the parts themselves are less than $50. Add a minimal labor cost and you are still under $200 total. But no, BMW has systematically ignored the issue in an effort to sell parts, charge labor, and collect vast amounts of unnecessary dollars because it make them more money. The truth is, after the 2006 models, BMW intentionally changed the design to a poly urethane gasket. No recall, no recourse, no satisfaction! BMW should recall these or reimburse the wasted costs created by those that represent their firm. Thieves!

I own a 2006 Cooper S convertible. I just read the blog on 12/9/2011. I have experienced exactly the same. I have taken the car into the Mini dealer at 12,000, 24,000, 32000 and 47000 for the same issue, each time to be told that the computer shows no fault found. I have serviced the transmission and had Mini Cooper service look at it again at 94,000. The car has been kept in excellent condition. The car will surge and the tachometer dial will move then the car grabs and shifts hard, sometimes making the tires squeal. I have had an independent mechanic drive the car to agree that there is an issue with the transmission.

This is a manual transmission with the steptronic paddle shift capability. After having the transmission serviced, driving the car home and the transmission would not shift out of the gear. It was in and would not move forward other than a 5 to 7 mile idle. This happened while driving in rush hour traffic.

Since owning my 04 Mini Cooper, I have had to replace the automatic window control, the sport shifter, the whole gas line system, and a few other things on it. The gas system was the latest and greatest fix in the world of my Mini Cooper. I have had my car at the dealership in Dallas and Fort Worth, TX. They of course, after much haggling, fixed the issues with my car. The gas system was fixed in Kentucky only after my car decided that it was going into limp home mode and break down completely in Indiana. That was tons of fun. I am now thinking that my timing chain and tranny are starting to go. Granted my car has 109,000 miles on it - she is barely broke in. I love my car, but the issues and constant being in the shop for repair are starting to take its toll on me and my pocketbook.

My name is Chuck Conway. I'm investigating consumer complaints regarding the premature failure of BMW Mini Cooper CVT automatic transmissions. If you're interested in possibly joining a class action lawsuit and would like to share your experience, please email me at **. Please include contact information (phone number, email address and state of residence).

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 didn't 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 own a 2007 Mini Cooper S. It's had all regularly scheduled services done at dealers (Phyla, PA; West Chester, NY; and Darien, CT). Now the car has about 50,000 miles on it (December 2011). In June 2011, with about 38,000 miles, the engine started having rattling sounds during cold starts. I brought it to an authorized Mini dealer (West Chester) and they found nothing wrong. Two weeks later, the sounds got worse, and the dealer checked the Mini. They said the timing chain guide (plastic) had cracked in pieces and scattered though the engine and oil pan. The dealer replaced timing chain, timing chain tensioner (broke too!), and guide. It's been less than 6 months (December 2011), and the same sounds are coming back!

There is obviously a timing chain mechanism design flaw (just Google Mini Cooper timing chain problems). Mini should correct this on all affected vehicles. Mini is responsible for their design mistake regarding a substandard timing chain box.

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

I have had this car since September 2010 and have been feeling very unsafe in this vehicle over the past couple of months. It currently has 12,000 miles but it is not accelerating properly. The car hesitates between 20/mph and 30/mph. The tachometer quickly moves to the middle of the dial, and then the car jumps or bucks into the desired speed. I took it for service but the technician could not replicate the problem and said that it is handling as it should. They want to send me home in this death mobile. The car's computer system says it is ok so no one cares that I'm experiencing a real threat to my life on a daily basis and unable to drive on my city streets safely or on the freeways going to work.

Since I'm under lease, I am totally stuck having the option to pay it off or give it to someone else. I cannot imagine putting someone else at risk the way they are to me by completely disregarding my concerns and complaint.

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

I bought a 2010 Clubman S in December of 2009. Since the beginning, there have been lots of problems: tons of rattles inside, the windows stopped working twice, the A/C made a huge whining sound, there are clunks from the engine area that no one can figure out where they are coming from, the check engine light came on randomly twice and the car went into limp mode (at the dealer nothing wrong was found), pieces of outside trim were installed poorly, the sunroof won't open on hot days without pushing it with your hand, the brakes sometimes feel shaky when making sudden stops (not ABS, or if it is then it's the worst ABS I've ever experienced) and the inside of one of the club doors popped off.

This car is made incredibly cheaply, and the problems I have had are echoed by some other Mini owners I've met and all over Mini message boards. I spent $32,000 on a poorly made piece of junk, awesome! Both Nick ** and South Bay Mini have not taken responsibility for some of the problems, sometimes saying things like, "Well, the MINI is a quirky car." If quirky means made like junk, then yes, they're right.

To top it off: the handling is downright dangerous because of the torque and bump steer.

Fun to drive but made horribly, and way over-priced for the quality you get.

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with the recent failure of the original clutch/flywheel in the above referenced vehicle. The vehicle was purchased new from Mini of San Francisco on February 17, 2007 and all scheduled maintenance has been conducted in a timely manner including a recent scheduled maintenance on September 15, 2011 (Mini inspection), a mere seven weeks before complete clutch failure. No comments or suggestions were noted by the mechanic during this scheduled maintenance that clutch wear was occurring or should be monitored.

The Mini Cooper was driven under extremely light driving conditions with an experienced manual transmission driver. The vehicle was typically only used for "motoring" trips on weekends. The previous manual transmissions driven were a 1986 Honda Civic DX (original owner 97,000 miles with one clutch replacement at 65,000) and a 1996 Honda Civic DX Hatchback (original owner with no clutch replacement as of 60,000 miles when car was donated). Furthermore, the driver was experienced in using the parking brake while resting on a hill to spare any unnecessary clutch wear. All maintenance has been performed by Mini of San Francisco and online service history is current per owners' lounge website.

The driver had never experienced a complete clutch failure with no prior warning signs. Furthermore, the driver had never seen a clutch fail under such light driving conditions so anticipated that it must be some sort of mechanical failure and immediately drove the vehicle to Mini of San Francisco. While the service department of Mini San Francisco provided excellent customer service, the driver conducted his own research into the situation while the mechanical review was being conducted and has noted that many other drivers of this vehicle have cited the same problem.

The driver seeks a response from Mini USA on this very disappointing early clutch failure, the occurrence of this situation within the specific model, and the manufacturer's guidance on extending the life of a clutch.

My 18-year-old begged me to buy a used Mini Cooper. I told him there was problems with their transmissions and he shouldn't buy one. But of course, I gave in, reminding him I didn't like it and thought it was a mistake. He and I signed for the loan (of a 2003 cooper with 70,000 miles) and he was a happy camper for 100 days. Then he backed out of the driveway and the automatic transmission went out. Needless to say, I got to say I told you so.

Now I called a dealer and talked with their service, only 8000 dollars to replace the transmission. My son doesn't know what to do, hard lesson for an 18-year- old but needless to say, I don't think he will ever buy a Mini or BMW product again.

I own a 2006 Mini Cooper convertible (mileage: 56,561). Since within the first year of ownership, I've had problems, but the car was under warranty, so I didn't pay as close attention as I should have to all the things that began going wrong or breaking down. However, that first year the entire computer/electrical system failed and my windshield developed a stress fracture. Every year there was something: the struts, the ball joints, the brakes, etc. I never knew what else would be the problem and it always cost a LOT of money to repair or replace (once the warranty wore out).

But now, this is the end. After already spending $1,852.13 on November 9, 2011, on a week-long repair process, I was forced to return the Mini because it was still performing poorly. One of the major problems that I described when I dropped the car off on Nov. 1 was still occurring: The car was hesitating between 20/mph and 30/mph, the tachometer needle would quickly move to the middle of the dial, and then the car would jump or buck into the desired speed. After an hour or two of examining m car (again), the mechanic called and said the problem is now the transmission. But the real shocker was the price$10,000 to replace it. I nearly fell on the floor. I was expecting to hear $1,200 maybe even $2,000, but $10,000. I asked him if he was smoking crack!

What's really annoying is that I'm sure the people at Westchester BMW/Mini knew from the beginning that the major problem was the transmission. However, they kept my car a week and replaced the thermostat/Hydraulic Suspension, replace leaking engine mount, replaced Drive Belts and Belt Tensor, fixed the broken convertible top, and much more. My gut says they scammed me out of $1,852.13. If I'd know from the beginning that the transmission was the real problem, at $10,000 a pop, why would I spend nearly $2,000 to fix other stuff? Something they were very much aware of they took my money, and now no one will answer my letters.

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!

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 wouldn't open unless you threw yourself against it. The back hatch wouldn't 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 took my cooper in for a tire noise. I paid diagnostic fee of $120 to figure out that it was an almost flat tire. They refused to apply the diagnostic fee towards the installation of the new tire. Also, I was charged $70 to put in two light bulbs. Has anyone had this experience? I feel very ripped off.

I have a 2005 Mini Cooper and from the day I purchased it used, I've had issues. I took this Mini in regularly for any service it required, however, I've had to replace numerous things under warranty and now, items out of warranty. I only have 60k miles on it and I was told that I need to replace the transmission because it makes noise but in order to take it apart and look, you can't rebuild a mini transmission so a new one would need to be purchased. This is after $5,000 in other repairs out of pocket after the numerous repairs under warranty.

Now I have to fix the alternator as well, which just went out several days ago. Other parts that have needed replacing include an engine temperature sensor (3 times), the bottom plate underneath the car, the battery (twice), power steering, brake pads and bearings. I'm so sick of fixing things on this car! Never have had a car with so many issues.

The headliner has started falling. This started at around 53,000 miles in January of 2011. The age of the car at this time was roughly 5 years and 10 months. This car has been garaged for most of its life. I have had cars for much longer than this and these type of problems do not seem normal for the mileage or age of the car.

I took my car to Rasmussen Mini, where I purchased it, and they forgot to put the plug back in after changing the coolant. I took it back in because it was losing coolant. The same thing but I took it to another mechanic and he found a crack in the radiator. I was told by Rasmussen Mini that they have a problem doing the radiator and the overheating after the coolant ran out wasn't their fault because the plug wasn't replaced.

I emailed Rasmussen Mini people, ten or more times, but not one single answer. They don't seem to care after the warranty is off. If Mini's have trouble with the radiator, they should just come out and say so.

I bought a low mileage car, 76000 miles. I smelled something burning while on my way to work. Guess what, no power steering! People need to file complaints with the NHTSA to get a recall ordered before people get killed. It's dangerous for women to drive if the power steering quits in a turn.

I have a 2008 Clubman. Overall, I really like the car. I bought it used with less than 6K miles, at a really good price. I would like to get a new one, but there are issues that turn me off about Mini/BMW--the dealers/sales/service people are just taught to deny, deny, deny problems. My windshield looks like the surface of the moon. "It's the angle," they say. "Low to the ground," they say. I have had VW bugs in the old days with practically vertical windshields that were no further from the ground. They just put cheap, soft glass in the Minis, and it won't change.

Their computer people are idiots--why would anyone think that they should totally reset my radio settings every time I get out of the car? Insane! The sunroof has no shield. At certain sun angles, the light is blinding--not a thing you can do about it--very dangerous. The instrument panel can be totally unreadable if you wear sunglasses with polarized lenses--totally blanks out your ability to read without removing your glasses. It was utterly stupid, and again, dangerous.

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 didn't 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, here's the kicker: I do park outside. This car needs to get over it!

I cannot agree more with previous poster. I have a 2003 Cooper S with 97k miles. I have not touched clutch or transmission. I have only machined front rotors, no work on rear, change brake pads every 30k, change oil, rotate and align regularly. Over the life of the car, I have replaced the power steering pump, heater core, front and rear bushings, and a computer issue with ABS/traction control system. That was it in over 8 years total.

Your Cooper is a fantastic car, if you drive it properly and maintain it regularly. It is a foreign sports car and as such, it's going to cost you a premium to get maintenance done. Parts are generally more expensive than you'll find in a GM or Toyota. You should know that going in. Learn to drive properly and don't beat on it, maintain it regularly and most importantly, find a mechanic who works on minis because most local guys will not understand the car as well.

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

I have had two Mini Coopers, one the older model 2005, that everyone so loves to complain about, and the second a 2009 Mini Cooper S. I know several people that have Mini Coopers and love them. If you look on the internet, you will see countless websites for Mini Cooper fans; there is nothing wrong with Mini Cooper or BMW. These are singular issues.

I think it is unfair for consumers to complain about a company because they made a poor and/or ill-informed decision when buying a car.

Before purchasing a Mini Cooper, make certain that you will never have any need to contact their customer service, because they will do nothing. I received a letter in 8/2009 stating that the O2 sensor is showing a problem. The letter stated that it would be warranted for 10 years or 100,000 miles. My '05 Cooper had 58,000 miles. The O2 sensor failed this past July 2011. I had it replaced for $232.35 + tax. Mini refuses to pay for it. According to the customer relations supervisor, I was compelled to bring it to Mini for the service. On the letter, it states, "Please feel free to call the nearest authorized Mini dealer for an appointment." The supervisor stated that they cannot warranty labor done by a 3rd party dealer. I stated that I was not asking for a further guarantee, just the reimbursement for the Mini parts and labor, which was $232.35 + tax. It is not a huge amount of money. It is an amount which should have been covered.

My Mini Cooper Spontaneous caught on fire. Before all this happened, I took the car in for service. I stated to the service advisor that the car was not driving right. I said I'm sure that some services need to be looked at. My buddy ol' pal popped the key into the card reader and said, "Nope, nothing showed up. You're good to go." I exited with a smile on my face, never thinking twice. It could be that my mind was playing car games.

On Saturday, 8/27/11 (10:30 pm), the car was sitting in drive. I came home, parked the car and didn't hear or notice anything. On Sunday, 8/28/11 (4:00 pm), a police came knocking on the door. My car was on fire. The plantation fire department was in the process of putting out the fire. The cause was unknown. The fire department guy said, "From the looks of this incident, whats seems to cause this was the electrical fuse." The flames were shooting 8 ft in the air. The car is totaled. There's no engine. There's nothing left besides some of the interior cabin.

Power steering will intermittently fail while driving. When I turn the car back on, it's fine again.

Not today, though. I turned off the car and the power steering is still running. I can't get it to shut off. I called Bavarian BMW in Michigan and they said, "Just wait until it burns itself out. There isn't a recall but I can get you in here Monday to fix it for $1200."

Other people have had this issue and their car has caught fire. I'm worried.

Within the the fourth month of purchase, the radiator needed to be replaced and the warranty covered it. Upon 15K, the whole convertible top needed to be replaced due to inferior use of rubber or plastic for weather stripping (warranty covered it). The inferior run flat tires needed replacement at 15K and service admits that it was an inferior product. Since my warranty has run out (*Note: I'm at 40K on odometer), everything is falling apart. The transmission suspension has folded and service admits that it was due to inferior plastic issue. Also, the oil pan is leaking and automatic steering fluid is seeping out due to breakdown of rubber or plastic.

I bought my 2005 MINI convertible in March of 2006 with only 4,000 miles on it. At that time, it was still under warranty. Every summer, I would take the car to the dealership because the top would not go down. Last year, Rasmussen MINI paid to fix it even though it was out of warranty because I have had continual problems with the top. This year, it's broke yet again and MINI doesn't want to fix it because it's two years out of warranty. But the top has never worked right. I only have 28,000 miles on the car. I even called the corporate office, but to no avail. In fact, the girl named "Amy" was extremely rude.

I purchased a used 2005 MINI Cooper in October 2010 with less than 27,000 miles on it. I thought I was getting a good deal, especially with the low miles. Less than 100 days after driving it, the transmission went out. It now needs a new transmission costing anywhere from $5,500.00 for used to $9,000.00 for new. Seriously? As others have noted, MINI Cooper knows there is a problem with the transmission on the older models. Although they have changed the transmission in the newer models, they refuse to help with the older models.

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 it's 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 I'm 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.

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 customer's 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.

On 07 July 2011, I went out to my car and the right quarter panel window of my 2006 MINI Cooper Convertible was damaged. I called my insurance company and they took the car for an estimate. I was told that it was going to be in a shop for three weeks. Unfortunately, I couldn't leave it because I could not pay for a rental. I had lost my job and couldn't afford a rental so I settled. I was then told that I could get my window fixed at home. It would not be a problem, I thought.

I had three appointments for a window replacement and in all three times, no one showed. Nevertheless, I ended up calling Lauderdale MINI Service. I was informed that they had a window stock. I said, "Fine. I'll call you back." When I called back, they told me that they had the wrong part number so the window was not available. I asked if they could order me one. They said, "Sure. It will take a few days."

So, I continued to drive the car. After a week, my clutch went out and I had to get it towed to a shop. When the mechanic looked at it, they informed me that the hydraulic line base split into two. And when they called MINI, they were told that the part was on back order from Germany. I said, "Wow. You're kidding." So I called MINI service about the rental and I was told that it was up to the dealer. I had called and spoke to Jessica about the issue. I informed her that I felt like I shouldn't have to pay for a car rental because it's not my fault that the part is on back order. She told me to call MINI customer relations and there was nothing she could do. After I told her that I had already spoken with customer relations, I was passed the buck at least five times.

Now, I'm told by the mechanic that my battery is dead when I had just bought it two months ago. I have had a rental for three weeks and my car is going to cost well over $1,000.00. Still, I have no window because it is also coming from Germany. It seems like I am back to square one and I have no windows, no car.

When I called the service department, I spoke to a woman named Ann, who gave me all the information on my window. After a few days, she claimed that she never spoke to me so I'm still getting nowhere. I will never buy a MINI again. They are crooks.

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

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

I have sent many many e-mails to mini of Towson and mini of america and they indicate that the peeling of the coating on my rims is just "curb scratches". Well dealing with this type of answer indicates they DON'T care about there customers and maybe future customers.

Based on this I will not buy another $28,000 car from MIni who does not care

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 didn't 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 didn't 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.

He's 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 didn't design a high quality car here.

I purchased a used 2002 Mini Cooper S from Mini of Knoxville with 70,000 miles. I thought I was purchasing a great car from a reputable dealer but it turns out that I was not. After just a day, the clock stopped working and a screw fell out of the lower dash trim a week later, and in the following month my windshield trim began pulling away.

Within the first month, my power steering pump went out nearly killing me and my wife. I tried to work through Mini USA and I was told to take it to a dealer who preceded to tell me that I had a whopping $3400 in repairs! I told them I just bought the car a month ago from them!

The car needed a P.S. pump ($1400), front control arm bushings, total shot ($900), crank pulley, balancer and belt which were warped ($500) and that the brake fluid and coolant were in terrible shape (remaining cost). Oh, and by the way, the tires were the wrong size. This is the way I was sold the car.

After fighting with the dealer, they replaced the pulley and belt and that's it. They told me "sorry, you bought a used car." Where is honesty? I thought we had a lemon law, it turns out not so much. I removed the p.s. pump and had it sent off and rebuilt for $225 and replaced it 30 minutes total. WHY is MINI so EVIL?

I had gone to the grocery store and was heading home when my car stopped. It was towed to bmw/mini in White Plains. They told me that the transmission is cracked and is not covered by warranty and will cost roughly $7,000.00 to fix.

My car is a 2009 with 27,000 miles on it and I did not hit anything to cause the crack. I will have to pick up my plates and let them keep the car. I am 26 years old, still living at home, and I do not have the money to fix this.

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 didn't 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 wasn't a priority. It was supposed to be my fun car. I hadn't 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, it's 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 didn't 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 didn't because the car hadn't 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 didn't 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 I'm 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.

My automatic 2006 Mini Cooper with full option had many different problems from the beginning (e.g. A/C hose broke at week 1). But the transmission problem is really what angers me and makes me want to start thinking about legal steps. My car is 4 years and 7 months old with 75,000 miles yet the transmission is already broken. I still haven't paid off my car at this point and they are saying that the car is only worth $3,500. I guess they know Mini is **.

I am an owner of a Mini Cooper S 2006. I bought it used with less than 2,000 miles on it. It has been Mini maintained and now at less than 44k, the AC compressor has gone out. I, of course, am out of warranty and Mini wants 2,900 to repair and/or replace it. I think this is wrong as it appears that many of the 2006 Minis have the same problem. Why they won't issue a recall is crazy.

I brought a brand new 2003 Mini Cooper in 2002. I noticed when I got to 43,000 miles, my gear was hard to shift between 2 and 3. I took my mini back to the dealer in Eastpoint, Mi at the time they have relocated to Shebly Township, MI because it was under warranty. It was replaced.

The second time the same thing happened again at 80,000 miles. I was told it's because of the way I drive, which is a bunch of crap. I drove to Florida before this happened and had to have it repaired in Florida, which was a headache and cost me $3,600 dollars to fix. Now my mini is at 160,000 miles. Let's see if this crap happens again. If so, I'm selling it!

I have had my Mini Cooper since May 29, 2010. I have always driven and taken good care of it. One day in May 2011, my car stopped driving. I had it towed to my house, which led to having it re-towed to the dealer.

While I waited for them to give me the OK, it took a week or so for them to tell me that I drove it in the rain of some sort or the water entered the engine through an intake valve . I could not believe that they called this an act of God and that they do not want to honor the warranty. I never drove the car through any large puddles nor did I do any thing to endanger my car in any way. I argued for weeks on this and now all that BMW (who owns the car) claims is that it's out of their hands.

So I am now stuck holding the bag. The company is BMW on Tarrytown Rd in White Plains, N.Y. I was shocked. Now the only thing to do with this problem is to continue my quest for justice. I am paying off this car and no one cares.

My Mini Cooper S suffered a transmission failure. The car is a 2005 year model with 91K miles. I purchased it brand new. The transmission cannot be repaired; it can only be replaced. There is no re-build kit from the manufacturer that would reduce the cost of the transmission repair. I have been researching the transmission failures on the internet, and this appears to be a common problem. BMW has known about the problem, but has not had a recall on the transmission. The newer models have a new style transmission. The failure is not due to lack of maintenance. The unit is sealed, and there is no maintenance schedule from the manufacturer (BMW).

i bought a new 2005 mini cooper s straight from Hassel BMW in Freeport Long Island. This car has been a nightmare to deal with! So many trips to the service center and now to an independent repair shop as it is out of warranty. From faulty fuel pumps at 15,000 thousand miles, 2 sunroofs replaced, rattles inside the cockpit coming from the dashboard that the dealer could not find out where they were coming from, window motors replaced (they need to be replaced again as windows make constant noise and sometimes get stuck) passenger side seat stays in a locked position may need a new rack, power steering pump failure at 45,000 miles, almost drove into a wall keeping the car on the road.

Complained to Mini USA they were of no help had to pay out of my pocket for repairs. Had to replace the power steering fan as well, the alternator went on the car just last year, mechanic suggested pulleys be replaced as well as a new belt and the battery needed to be changed as the old one was weak. Now recently the car is making a rattling noise which my mechanic thinks it maybe a timing chain issue which means all of the components associated with it need to be replaced and if this does not solve the issue, the cause of the rattle maybe to a faulty supercharger all of which is not under warranty. All these services and repairs on a car that has 62,000 miles is just horrible.

i expected a lot more from BMW, i am seriously thinking of selling this piece of crap and get whatever i can get for it and i will never buy another car from this company.

right at 100,000 miles, everything stopped working. The service dept at the mini dealer treated me like a third rate citizen. just 150 miles after extended warranty expired, my transmission took a dump. This car is a money pit and will, most likely, be junk before its paid off. Mini needs to be sued and held accountable for all the trouble that people have suffered by purchasing these lemons. Horrible!!!

I bought a 2005 Mini Cooper with a CVT that I was totally unaware of its disastrous flaws. I used it for hwy miles only. I am 52 years old and drive like an old lady. On Saturday, April 20th 2011, the transmission would not shift into the upper gears. The adaptations were reset but this did not work. (200 dollars). The BMW Mini Cooper technicians believed that it was the computer brain. So we replaced the brain and the battery for the correct voltage and this did not work (769 dollars). After replacing the computer brain, the system started giving fault codes saying that the transmission pulley was not functioning correctly. BMW Mini Cooper does not sell parts to fix the CVT nor are they available in the USA, and do they work on their own transmissions in the cars that they sell.

I come to find out that there are thousand of people who have experienced the Mini Cooper CVT problem with financial consequences that are devastating. I requested Mini to change the transmission to the new model so I could escape the CVT money trap. They have changed their transmissions and mounts so that the owner of these car that have the CVT are stuck with throwing them away or purchasing the $7500.00 rebuilt transmission.

BMW Mini offers no replacement parts for transmission shop in the USA and because they offer no rebuild parts, the CEO, CFO, and Board Of Directors of BMW Mini Cooper know you are trapped, and have deliberately designed this system because they know of this problem and will not offer the public a way out. By deliberate design, BMW Mini Cooper is committing the largest in your face fraud and is doing it publicly.

Most people don't know that BMW received a two million dollar import tax break when they started importing the Mini Cooper to the USA because it brought the mpg rating up to a specific level. Our US government has given this auto (BMW Mini cooper) maker two million dollar tax break to devastate its citizens. The legislative branch of our government are asleep at the wheel again or have been turning a blind eye to this assault.

I am upside down for $8600 in this car. As much as it make me want to vomit, I am trying to get Mini Cooper to give me the trade in value of the total cost of repairs of $9,100.00 towards a new Mini without the CVT. I can go and put down this kind of money on a new car, but I can't afford two payment and eventually, I would end up defaulting on one of the loans.

I almost lost my home because I live so far from work that without a car, I would lose my job which pay my mortgage. If you need me to testify or sign any affidavits to help you in suing these crooks or you know of any lawyers that have taken action against this corruption, I can help in any way. If any of you want to approach this from a legal matter, or have been notifying your senators or congress person, or need me to testify as to the corrupt business practice that BMW Mini Cooper is clearly demonstrating, please let me stand with you.

They knew then and know now that this transmission is defective and their conduct is reprehensible. If there is a God out there, may He take from the executive of this company in the same porting that they have taken from the average American family.

I bought a 2005 Mini Cooper S on April 17, 2010 with 95k miles on it. It is now, May 19, 2011, and it has roughly 115,000 miles. About 3 months ago, I drove it to class (about an hour drive), and I noticed that when I shut the car off, the fans would stay on. So after this kept happening, I took it to a mechanic who told me that the coolant system was 2 gallons low. He filled it up, and I had no problems for about 3 weeks. Then it happened again!

At least now, I know how to fix it. But it is annoying having to keep a gallon of water in my car and checking the level every day to make sure it isn't low. Overheating can cause all kinds of problems with an engine. I don't, if it's leaking or if the engine runs so hot that it evaporates. But a warning light saying low coolant level never comes on. The car's temperature gauge just overheats when stopped and cools back off while driving over 40 mph--very annoying!

Also, the service engine soon keeps coming on, and mechanics keep telling me it's probably the gas cap but could be other things. Wow. But other than that, it's a nice car. It gets 30 mpg which is great for a supercharged engine, and everything else works fine.

I was thrilled to purchase a 2003 MINI S in January. Then last week the power steering suddenly failed in a tight turn and at speed. I was strong enough to muscle it through but then without warning it sparked back on and I nearly hurled the car into a head-on crash! Wow, was I shaking when I go the beast pulled over to the curb. Local dealer says no recall. Web search pulls up hundreds of cases. Some with engine bay fires that totaled the car. I filed a complaint with NHTSA, called MINIUSA and got lip service. Now I have to fork out $1100+ and put this car I was starting to fall in love with and put it up for sale.

At 90k miles, my tensioner and timing chaining were ceasing up the engine, resulting in over $4,000 in repairs. Mini Cooper refused to cover this, even though it is a known issue. I was told that it was a known issue with the S model, not mine, therefore, they would not assist with the expense of repairs. It is obviously an issue! The dealership was kind enough to deduct 20%, so the end result was $3,460 bill for repairs.

Our mini cooper automatic transmission failed at 62,000 miles. According to the car mechanic it had a hole in it and therefore lost transmission fluid. He was able to rebuild it for $3000, but did not warranty it. Now at 86,000 and 1 year later it failed again, it is not worth repairing for $7500. Also the fuel tank failed and that was $900. We believe these transmissions should be recalled! The consequence is that the value is down to $1000 for parts only. We feel this should be a class action suit!

Power steering failed, transmission went out. BMW owners of Mini will not stand behind products

This is to let you know that I am currently waiting on a new OEM replacement for Part 16111500998 which is the fuel tank mounting strap for my '04 Mini Cooper S. The strap has rusted through and the tank which is a single tank but is situated transversely over the top of the drive shaft has shifted or dropped on the right side about 4+ inches. This is due most probably to the Calcium Chloride that is sprayed on the Massachusetts roads in winter instead of spreading of salt. This stuff is doing huge amounts of damage to cars and trucks. My car, despite being a 2004, has only 40,000 miles on it! The first of the two inline exhausts is also very damaged for the same reason I suspect. I am just logging this complaint just to get something on record.. No need for action for my part, but either the part or the CACL needs changing or both. Thanks, Anthony

I have never been more disappointed in an automobile than in the BMW's Mini Cooper. BMW, Bavarian Motor Works, is German hyperbole for quality when it really stands for scheiss. Google that, Mini owners. I purchased a new Mini Cooper in 2005 and have faithfully had it serviced by the Mini dealer as advised by the owners' manual. Repairs, up until recently, have consisted of normal routine maintenance such as tires, brakes, and the regularly scheduled oil changes. I faithfully adhered to the recommended maintenance checks.

In November 2010, the engine light kept coming on intermittently. I ended up spending almost $1000 on repairs for a variety of problems from belt replacements to fluids. In January 2011, with less than 80,000 miles on the car, I took it in because the engine light kept coming on. One of the pistons was misfiring, which resulted in my having to have the engine retooled costing me more than $2500.

Today, May 2011, I thought I was just buying two new tires. The Mini mechanic said that my fuel pump is leaking and that the bushings are shot which will all cost me another $2500. I don't know about you, but I could be making new car payments for far less than I am paying out in repairs.

I am now afraid to keep my 2005 Mini Cooper for I do not know what else is going to go wrong and how much it is going to cost. I am very disappointed in the lack of quality and the enormous expense associated with the Mini Cooper. It is time for me to part ways with the Mini and time for me to purchase a more reliable automobile. In six months, I have paid out more than $6,000 in repairs on a Mini Cooper that has less than 80,000 miles.

My power steering pump went out at 80,000 miles. It's the same problem scores Minis have had and still no recall, pathetic. The pump drained the battery and must be replaced. Dealership is charging $1200 as it is out of warranty.

I am submitting this formal complaint regarding complete lack of service and breach of industry standards by Mini Cooper Roadside Assistance (Mini) and Bostonian Towing Company in Alston, MA on March 15, 2011.

The events of this day are as follows: I was unable to start my 2010 Mini Cooper car due to an ignition problem, and as a result I was forced to leave my car on Boylston Street in Boston, MA. At approximately 7:00 am that morning, I called Mini Roadside Assistance and was told that I had to purchase this service of $99.00 for the year, even though my car was less than 1 year old and under warranty. The woman representative on the phone looked up my car by my VIN number so she should have been aware that I did not need to pay for roadside assistance because I was covered under warranty, but she charged me anyway. This process took about 30 minutes.

I then had to go to work (an hour outside of Boston), and was told I could arrange all this via telephone, and called Mini from work. I was told that they would send out a tow truck and have my car towed to Herb Chambers Mini dealer in Boston (where I purchased my vehicle). I then got a call from Bostonian Towing Co., the company called upon by Mini, and I was told by the man that my car was damaged on three sides and that it was a liability to tow my car unless I signed a waiver, or called Mini and gave them permission. I told him my car was not damaged when I left it, and that is merely parked there. The tow truck person told me I was lying. Please imagine the intense overwhelming stress I am experiencing at this point. An hour from work thinking my car is damaged.

I then call the insurance company to file a claim. I call back MINI and I got a rep on the phone who told me that he cannot tow my car and it won't be covered. He said they will not tow my car because they did not know what the issue was, and if it was the key it would not be covered. I told the person I wanted my $99 dollars refunded and the MINI person yelled at me on the phone. The MINI rep then conceded and called back the man at Bostonian Towing and told him I waived responsibility for any damage. The Bostonian Tow person called me back and said he would go and get my car. At this point in time, it is around 1:00 pm and this ordeal with the MINI started at 7:00 am.

At 2:00 pm the Bostonian tow person called me and told me my car is no longer there, that it must have been stolen or towed by the city. Now I am totally frantic, and I call the Boston tow lots, the police, etc. For two hours, I was calling everywhere and there is no record of my car. The Police said they could not have towed it because its illegal to tow from a metered spot so it must be stolen.

Luckily I was parked outside the Four Seasons Hotel, and the security guard there was nice enough to go outside to see if my car was there. The security guard informed me that not only was my car still parked there safe and sound, but that there was no damage to my car whatsoever. The only thing on my car was a pile of parking tickets! I was and remain horrified.

I called back MINI and try to arrange for a tow at 7:00 pm and I would be there. The MINI person said that they would arrange this and call to confirm the company with me. I said not to use Bostonian towing. By 6:30 pm I had never received a call from MINI saying that I had a tow confirmation, so I called back for the 30th time to discover they never made a call and arranged for a tow at 7:00. Finally at this point, 13 hours later, they set up an appointment and the tow person came at 8:00 pm and finally towed my car.

I have incurred emotional distress and innumerable parking tickets as a result of this event. I filed a complaint and a woman from MINI called me back and said she would send me a check for the parking tickets. I have never received a check or a follow up call. In addition, I have tried to follow up numerous times (from work) and I am kept on hold forever, transferred to the wrong departments, transferred to BMW, and so on not one person has helped me and there is no where to file a complaint.

This is horrendous customer service and completely unacceptable. I should never have endured this emotional distress, expense of tickets and paying for a service that is supposed to be free on a car less than a year old under warranty. To date, nothing has been done to rectify this situation. At the very minimum I would like my tickets reimbursed immediately. This is the minimum, and something should be done for the rest of this ordeal. I have told this story too many times to too many people.

I live in Chile and bought my second Mini Cooper in July last year (Cooper S). When it reached 5.900kms, a signal lit up showing some problem in the engine that required me taking it for maintenance. Gildemiester, the local distributor that also represents Hyundai, has had the car for almost 7 weeks now and still hasn't finished fixing the problem. They've given me partial answers and little information plus gave me a spare car in week 3 after my claims about service.

A mail to Gildemesiters management explaining my case for some attention wasn't responded and neither did they bother calling back. A shame that Mini has these problems - both technical and poor customer service - with all the money they spend in marketing and quality. Previously, my first Mini Cooper also suddenly lost power steering, making me almost crash into a curve. That time, the issue was managed by Williamson Balfour and was also resolved in more or less 6 weeks. As you can see, nothing has changed. Service is lousy!

My 2005 Manual Mini Cooper was always a great car until recently. 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 after not being able to get an appointment at the Mini dealer near my house for three weeks. When we went to back out the car for a test drive the transmission locked up and a large puddle of oil or transmission fluid appeared under the car. It appeared to have tiny bits of metal in it.

The mechanic has worked on a lot of minis and said he had to switch out the transmissions on 4 in the last 2 months. I only have 45,000 miles on my car. It is going to cost me $3,500-$3,700 to have him rebuild it and frankly I am worried that this will just happen again. He said that we should not be using the synthetic oil because it is too thin. Frankly I am very upset. If there is a class action lawsuit I want to be a part of it. I contacted Mini and the news station but nothing yet. Why isn't there more information about this?

I bought a Mini Cooper S model in February 2007 from a private party. I recently passed the 50,000 mile engine warranty. The car, at 51000 miles, is no longer under full engine warranty. I received a check engine light and began hearing rattling sounds during cold starts. I brought it to an authorized Mini dealership (Mini of Mountain View, Ca and spoke with a man named Jesse. They had me call the 800 number they gave me. I called, spoke to a rep. who took down all of my information and told me she'd call me back. She called back today and told me that Mini would not be helping me in any way with the timing chain replacement, which is the problem.

At this point, I am extremely angry because Mini authorities told me that since I didn't buy the car from a Mini dealership and since I didn't do all of my maintenance at Mini authorized dealerships, that they were not going to take responsibility for their design flaw regarding the timing chain. Keep in mind that Mini sent a technical service bulletin to all its dealerships warning them about faulty timing chains in 2007 S models. It's obvious to me that Mini is clearly ducking responsibility for their design mistake regarding a substandard timing chain box.

I bought a used 2003 MC a few weeks ago. I drove it for exactly a week and 1/2. The transmission quit on me in the middle of the highway. I am 24 and work at Walmart. So, I can't exactly afford to fix this and pay my car payment (which I haven't even made the 1st payment on). I was wondering if you could give me some advice. My family doesn't have a lot of money. So, I am looking to get enough compensation to cover myself without going through a bunch of expensive lawyers. It has 107,000 miles on it. I've been researching this CVT transmission. It basically is faulty across the board. I paid $8000 for what I thought was a really good deal on my dream car. It would cost me that much or more to replace this transmission. And I can't even drive it anywhere. If you could reply to me by e-mail, I would love any advice you could give me.

This is not so much about the dealership as it is about the product. My 2007 Mini Cooper lost power steering. Thankfully, I was in a parking lot and not on the highway. I had to have it towed 45 miles to the dealership. This dealership was happy to repair it for $2,700. I had to replace the whole rack. I am very disappointed to learn that this is a recurring problem. My regular mechanic told me that there is most likely going to be a recall on the Mini because of this problem.

I bought a used 2003 Mini Cooper in June. It's throttle body went out the first month. The 5-speed manual transmission failed the next month, costing $3,000.00 to fix. Then the power steering failed. I got sick of paying to keep this junk car on the road, so I traded it but took a real beating on trade value.

I bought a used 2003 Mini Cooper in June. The throttle body went out the first month. The 5 speed manual transmission failed the next month ($3,000.00 to fix). Then, the power steering failed. I got sick of paying to keep this junk car on the road so I traded it (but took a real beating on trade value).

2008 Mini Cooper 56,000 miles. Turbocharger failed due to blocked oil supply line, caused from poor design. Car is 5600 mile out of warranty and BMW of Dallas wouldn't cover and was going to charge 4200.00 to repair. I'm repairing this for my friend due to high cost.

If you own a Mini Cooper, you should take your car to a repair shop to have the oil supply line changed, it will plug it's a matter of time. I modified the new oil supply line, I work on aircraft and all engine compartment flammable supply lines have a flame resistance sleeve over the line.I used this same theory and put this protective sleeve to protect the oil supply line from the heat that will cause coking of engine oil inside the line. Looks great and will last forever.

Poor engineering design of oil supply line. Mini Cooper should cover this repair and won't. They have a SI to place a small cover over the area in question after the turbo fails and will cost the consumer 4200.00. The cover cost 18.00.

Roughly 2 months later, I had to replace the entire steering wheel pump for the same reason, all a cost with labor at about $1,000. This is nuts. It's definitely a design flaw as the fan & pump are positioned in a vulnerable area. BMW put thought into the visual aesthetics of the exterior design but failed to design/engineer the mechanics to weather the elements. For $30K, I expect much more from a car & company. This isn't acceptable.

I have a Mini Cooper 2005 Base model - after only 45000km, the steering fan was completely corroded, as it's totally exposed to the elements, making the power steering fail abruptly during sharp, sudden turns & at times randomly, compromising control of the vehicle and potentially very serious consequences.

Roughly two months later, I had to replace the entire steering wheel pump for the same reason. All cost, with labor, at about $1,000. This is nuts. It's definitely a design flaw as the fan & pump are positioned in a vulnerable area. BMW put though into the visual aesthetics of the exterior design but failed to design/engineer the mechanics to weather the elements. For $30K, I expect much more from a car & a company. This isn't acceptable.

I brought my vehicle in for a transmission diagnostic at $150.00. I was told that the engineers on the East Coast needed more data to troubleshoot the problem so the technicians in Honolulu could determine the problem.

I was asked to cough up $300.00 more to determine if the problem was an electronic issue. If I paid $150.00 to have the car placed on the diagnostic system at the dealer, shouldn't it be diagnosed? The car has less than 60,000 and I drive 5 miles to work each day. I was told the island is rough on these cars and that is why there are problems. I was told that the dealership has not heard of any transmission problem in my Mini Cooper S. I bought the car when it had 50,000 from the dealer and feel this car had issues that they new about.

Is there a class action suit on this model? What are my rights when the dealer keeps asking for more money and I still do not know what the problem is? Please help.

I purchased a 2002 Mini Cooper with 34,000 miles on it. We owned it for a little over one year and with only 44,000 miles on it, the transmission went. Mini Cooper of Manhattan quoted me $5000 for the part and $4400 to install it (27 hours of labor?).

I called Mini U.S.A. about this and was basically told" Oh well, these things happen,Sorry". Here's a car with 44,000 miles on it and the transmission goes. Never again Mini Cooper. Buyer beware. My local mechanic told me not to buy it just for this reason. I should have listened to him.

The windshield on my 2003 Mini Cooper S with water-sensing wipers has cracked three times; always at the same spot in the top center, spreading out to the side. Last time it was replaced (at an independent window shop) they told me I should check with the dealer-something to do with defective design and/or manufacture. The car is now 8 years old with 170,000 miles but I'm taking it to the dealer to see if there might be a service bulletin covering this issue.

I parked my 2009 Mini Cooper S in a parking lot with a slight incline. I've parked there many times before. I left the car with the parking brake fully engaged. The car rolled out of the parking space and hit another vehicle causing extensive damage. The law enforcement officer and the owner of the other car both confirmed that the parking brake on the Mini was fully engaged, but did not hold the car. Watch out for faulty parking brakes on Mini Coopers. There are other similar warnings on this web site.

I recently filed a complaint against Mini of Ontario. I would like to retract the complaint. My situation is being handled in a most professional manner and to my satisfaction.

Bought my 2005 Mini used three years ago and it was still under warranty. Had it less than a year when it had an oil leak and had to have that fixed along with the clutch pads replaced since the oil had leaked there. Mini was aware of this problem (oil leak) and it was covered under my warranty. Replaced the horrible run flat tires with all season tires before 30,000 miles and had the front brakes replaced at 37,000 miles.

Now at 52,00 highway miles service engine, soon light came on and Mini says I have to replace the head and gaskets to the tune of $4500! They tried to blame me by saying I must have been putting bad gas in it. I have never had a car that was so expensive to maintain and dealer so crappy to deal with. Needless to say, I am out $4500 and will never buy another Mini Cooper and will most likely get rid of this one.

I had to have my 2005 Mini Cooper, with 46,000 miles on it, towed from Barstow, Ca. to Ontario because it went to "limp mode". I was traveling at 70 mph and lost power to 15 mph. I was told that the super charger belt needed to be replaced. Total bill was $3667.72. I took out a loan to pay for it.

On the drive back to Las Vegas where I live, I had to have it towed back to the dealer because a clamp was not put on correctly. Now, two months later, I get a service engine that soon lights on. I take it to Desert Mini of Las Vegas and it appears the problem has to do with the super charger belt. Possibly a clamp not being put on or done incorrectly. I feel that Mini of Ontario should pay for the labor charges, which I was told was about $300.00, since they did the original work and it was not done right. This car has cost us more than it is worth and I can see more repairs coming. Something should be done about the inferior craftsmanship and someone should be held accountable.

We own a 2005 Mini Cooper S Convertible and we've been experiencing some problems with our power steering for a few months now and they have recently become quite disturbing. We've been noticing that our power steering will go out and if we pull over and shut the car off for a few seconds and turn it back on then we seem to have power steering again for a while. The scary thing is when you're on the interstate and it goes out and it's not so easy to pull over and that has happened to us a few times commuting back and forth to Chicago.

Last night my husband drove it and when he stopped it sounded like a fan was running and he didn't think a lot about it (he figured it would shut off after it cooled down), but when he came back to the car to leave the battery was dead and he had to have it jumped. He drove back home and turned the car off and it sounded like a fan was still running. He raised the hood and it wasn't a fan running like he thought, it seemed to be something to do with the power steering and even when the car wasn't running, it still had power steering. My husband ended up unhooking the battery just to get it to stop running and we are not sure what we should do now.

My Mini has less than 35,000 miles. The battery had to be changed. With the new battery, all of a sudden it started making this humming/whirring noise. We had it towed and was told that the power steering was going to fail and could not cool itself down. We had to, obviously, have it replaced. With the recent news on Mini's and their possible power steering issues, I have to wonder if this failure was caused by the faulty parts installed.

I have 2003 mini cooper. I had my power steering fan replaced. Soon after, my power steering would cut out intermittently. This seemed to happen more often in the summer. My mechanic has not been able to diagnose the problem.

My 2003 Mini Cooper with 40,000 miles blew its transmission. It cost $7,400 to fix.

We have a 2007 Mini Cooper S, which at approximately 12000 miles had to have the clutch. This was done under warranty. Now at approximately 28000 miles, it needs another clutch, this time the estimated cost is $3800. We have been told that it is our fault. This could possibly be true, until you know the other facts.This is our fourth Mini Cooper since 2004. The first went to approximately 42000 miles, the second went to approximately 38000 miles, the third is the problem child and the fourth only has approximately 10,000 miles.

We also have in the family a 1989 Alfa Romeo Spyder with 54000 miles on the clock. If any car has a delicate clutch, it's the Alfa. The point being that we have a bad car with a company that does not stand behind its product. As long as we were buying Minis and not complaining, we were as good as gold but now that we have a problem, Mini/BMW does not want to know us. In fact they will not even return phone calls. A problem I noticed which is common amongst literally hundreds of other customers whom I have read about on the Internet. In short I will not be recommending the Mini/BMW Brand to anyone in the future nor will we be buying any more of their products.

Lastly, if anyone out there is considering a joint lawsuit, count us in.

I was driving my 2007 Mini Cooper S en route 75S on my way from Rochester to Atlanta. I got behind a very serious car accident and we were in stop and go traffic for over two miles. When I finally got back on the highway, the car suddenly started to "slip" when I accelerated at 65 mph. I could not figure out what it was, but it wasn't consistent. I made it to the hotel. I hoped that the problem was related to being stuck in traffic at 90+ degrees for so long and that the car would be okay. I got back in the next morning, a Sunday morning at 8:00 am. I wanted to get out there before there was a lot of traffic to content with and it is a good thing I did. I did not get a mile down the road when suddenly the car decelerated to 20 mph. I managed to get it off the road safely. I got out of the car and I could smell the clutch burning.

I am a 56 year old woman and was stranded on the highway in Kentucky all by myself. I called for roadside assistance. The guy arrived and told me that there was no Mini Cooper dealer for 200 miles and they suggested I have them tow it to Cincinnati. I don't know a soul in Cincinnati and I did not want to go back 200 miles. I called my daughter and she immediately left Atlanta to try to come and rescue me, although it would be hours before she would arrive. She had called her auto mechanic and he told her she could probably tow the Mini with her Ford Explorer. In the meantime, the state police showed up, very, very nice gentleman. I told him that I was not sure what to do and what my daughter had planned. I discussed it with him and the roadside service guys. The trooper told me that they actually thought my daughter might be able to tow it and that there was a U-Haul at the next exit just a little way down the road.

I had the roadside service people tow the car to the U-Haul and waited until 10:00 am for them to open. When they did, they informed me that we could not use a Ford Explorer to tow the Mini, that it was against company policy. Remember when there was all that trouble a few years back with Explorer tires and all of the lawsuits? Well, apparently, U-Haul got pulled into those lawsuits so they will not let you tow one of their trailers with an Explorer. However, they informed me that they could rent me a truck and trailer so I could tow my car myself. They called a 76-year-old guy to come and get my car up on that trailer and he did it with a hand winch all by himself. I was scared to death. I have been driving nothing but small cars for years and now I have a huge truck and trailer with my car on it to tow to Atlanta in 70 mph traffic.

I ended up behind another accident a couple of hours down the road. I had been hanging onto the steering wheel so hard my hands were numb. I went into a convenience store and got the truck filled up. Unfortunately, I could not pull it back out because of the way cars were parked. I wanted to sit on the curb and cry like the girl I still am. I got up and walked around the truck and trailer and could see the only way I was going to get out was to go the wrong way down a one-way exit and that is what I wound up doing. I finally arrived in Atlanta at 9:00 pm at night. I pulled into my daughter's apartment complex and she came running into the parking lot. We both expected that I would not make it. I was literally terrified I would crash that truck and my car.

The roadside people again arrived and towed my little car to my daughter's mechanic. After reading what happened to everybody else with clutch problems on their Mini's, I knew it was futile to even try to get the dealer to do anything and that it would be a $3000.00 job. I have 50,000 miles on my Mini and I am sure, just like everyone else, I would be blamed for that fried clutch. I have been driving cars with manual transmissions for 40 years, since the day I turned sixteen, and I have never ever had to replace a clutch. I did not have $3000.00 to pay Mini to fix the car so I had to trust my daughter's mechanic. I have been in Atlanta for five weeks. The car has turned into the nightmare from hell for our mechanic. He states that he has never had such a difficult repair job. He was working on it again on Friday, when something (I don't know what) gave on the car, hitting him in the head causing a severe concussion.

At this point, I don't know what I am going to do. It cost me $700.00 to tow the car to Atlanta from Lexington. I paid this guy for the parts and the car is still not done. I have not been home or seen my husband in six weeks. I may have to abandon the car and fly home. I may very well end up having to pay for a car for the next three years that I no longer have. I am going to buy another car when I can afford it, but it will never be another BMW product, not ever! I could post another whole long story about my daughter's BMW that would make you cringe at the financial consequences to all of us. I am going to buy a car that can be fixed in any city in the USA. Cute will not be a factor.

The problem is my MINI S. I did not believe that it would be a regret to own the MINI although I bought it because I believe it is a lifetime car. My car chassis#: TG07XXX - 2009 nearly one year full of maintenance and unsafe MINI experience. I will list some of the problems I faced: 1. SEAT BELTS did not work only after 2 weeks I bought a brand new MINI? (The top-class safety equipment - this is what you promised me with). 2. The lighter multiple problems (is it a brand new car? you tell me). 3. The convertible roof top unexpected frequent problem (do I have to get out of the car to help the MINI handicapped machine to close which supposed to be automatic). 4. Engine piston or engine failure (what else! do I have to wait to lose the gearbox and the car itself and surely my money).

I cannot say except where is the value of money and the high expectations you promised me your customer with (safety luxury state of the art car). I am really disappointed as during the whole last year, I did not enjoy this claimed luxury more than a month because of the frequent problems and the frequent visits to the useless service center.

I am counting on your customer centric thoughts of dealing with such complaint. Please find below my requests: 1. MINI international personnel to contact MINI Egypt to investigate the root cause of these problems (they confirmed that this is not a misuse) as I am sure of. 2. Full compensation for the whole period the car in service center. 3. Replacement with the same category during the service period (as my car is in the service center since a week now and I was promised to get it back twice however the service promise was broken). 4. Brand new car same model same color to avoid such problems after warranty period.

The car price in Egypt is around 74K USD which could buy a better car experience beside some court fees. I need someone that can listen as the service center here in Egypt either not capable or not listening, as I am doubting MINI is not a trust car that I can count on in my day to day usages.

Aside from other problems I've had with Mini that couldn't be fixed and I am able to live with, this one is not one of them. I am under stress every day wondering when it will happen next. My car windows go down by themselves, and my driver door unlocks! I brought it to the dealer, because he said the module needs to be reprogrammed. After he was finished, I asked if he has heard of this happening before, and said yes. I then asked if this can happen to me again.

He said yes to me again. This is not acceptable! I don't have a garage, I live in SO Florida and there is no such thing as a safe neighborhood. Why can't Mini Cooper fix the module. This is ridiculous. I have never sued anybody and I don't want the aggravation, but most of all, I don't want my car stolen or rained into! It's a 2007, with less than 13,000 miles. I loved it, until now. I can't afford to buy another car. I'm 73 years young, and struggling on my social security.

Physically, it's affecting me. I am not well. I have Lupus and Crohn's (both of which, brings on attacks). I have fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, 2 herniated disks,, arthritis, ileostomy from colon cancer, and more. The damage is what I am trying to prevent, and it's just not acceptable that it will, or can happen again. It's not a calming way to live with this at the back of my mind. I have my neighbors checking my car when they go to work. I'm out there at 2 AM, checking on my car. I should not have to go through this. I liked my car, and can't afford another. It is still like new.

The 2004 mini cooper transmission failed and upon investigation, this is a chronic problem with mini coopers (2002-2006). The internet blogs describe exactly what happened to my vehicle. Without warning the gears lock up and the cost to replace is more than the value of the car. This is a manufacturing flaw and these cars should be recalled! The transmission was changed in the 2007 models, but earlier owners are victimized. The car is useless and to replace it will cost more than the worth of the car. Luckily when the gears locked up we were driving in an area with no traffic. If this happens to someone in a busy highway it will result in a tragedy.

I bought my 2003 mini Cooper, new, with a CVT type transmission from Mini of Concord in CA. It has about 67,000 miles on the odometer, all easy miles: no hard driving. We really like our car and it is well maintained at all the proper intervals. A month ago, it developed strange noise that our mechanic, Transmission Discount Center in Vallejo, tells us is coming from the transmission and cannot be repaired and can either be replaced with a used "junk yard" transmission, a re-manufactured transmission or a new transmission. All of these alternatives range from a minimum of $5,000.00-$8,000.00. Our mechanic said that BMW has stopped using the transmission that our car uses and it is no longer under warranty.

This seems excessive expense for a car with only 60,000 miles on it and it is frustrating that there is no alternative or remedy provided by BMW/Mini. I called Mini of Concord and talked to Service Manager and he has no answer why a transmission should go bad at this low mileage. There are so many complaints and I am sure a good attorney can bring a class action suit against this company and win. $8000 to 10,000 to fix a car that is only worth about $10,000 in good working condition.

The transmission went out on my 2005 Mini Cooper, shortly after it was no longer covered under warranty. How convenient for them, as I had taken it in several times over the year regarding weird noises coming from all the different components of the car. They always told me that it was normal. Now I know that it is not. I wish they would have read more sooner, because now the Mini wants $10,000 to fix a car that is no longer running. These CVT transmissions are only known to last about 60k miles and there was never a recall?

Also, the power steering causing fires in them (one of the major noises that I complained of) and still no recall? They will not take any responsibility for any of these issues and they are nasty to deal with when it comes to these issues. I need help from someone about this matter. I still hold a loan with a $4,000 balance on a car that doesn't run! I have no transportation to work now. This has become an emotional upheaval in my life and I have wasted over $20,000 on a car that is no longer of any use to me!

Two of my grandchildren have burned their legs very badly on the muffler that sticks out on the Cooper.

I bought a 2003 Mini Cooper 2 years ago, in great condition, one driver. I drive 13 miles to work and back, highway driving with some non-highway. Last week on my way to the airport, my Mini would not drive after stopping at a red light. It acted like it was not in gear, getting gas but not going anywhere. I had it towed to the local shop and was told the transmission was shot. Now for the good news, no older transmissions so $9,000 was quoted to get new one. I have a CVT transmission and now I'm reading how much Mini cars have problems with this transmission. I can't understand how such a great company (BMW and Mini Cooper) can allow this to go on without offering a better solution. I now know they don't use these transmissions anymore. So, they must have known these would be or have been a problem. They should offer a low cost solution. Does anyone know if a class action suit has been put together for those of us dealing with this mechanical problem?

I bought a Mini Cooper vehicle for my son. Unfortunately, to get the parts that you need, you have to wait after a full payment has been done to the dealer. According to his statement, it is one month. Why? The damaged car is parked in the house. I have to provide other means of transportation for my son.

I have had several serious problems with our 2008 Mini Cooper. The company says these problems are normal! (water pump, head gasket, burnt valves). I asked for free extended mechanical warranty and they refused. I would never consider purchasing a BMW or MINI because of reliability and their attitude about auto problems.

The automatic transmission on my Mini failed w/o warning. Mini tells me it will cost $9,500 to fix it. My 2002 Mini is in great low mileage condition. The NADA Blue Book sets its value at $10,800. Mini offered me $1,000 if I traded it in for a new Mini.

In 2009, I was sold a 2007 Mini Cooper which was never owned by a consumer. It was used by BMW corporate executives and had 12,000 miles on it. Since purchasing the mini, we have had a lot of transmission problems. Most recently, they replaced the entire transmission along with many other parts. They had our car in service for over 30 days. Today, I am taking it in again because the transmission is still not working properly. Not having the car to travel to see her is causing a huge amount of emotional stress in our life. In addition, we feel that the car is not safe to drive to work so we are forced to use public transport which costs extra money. We have continued to pay car payments so it is not repossessed but feel we should be getting some of these payments back as well.

I just wanted to this bring to your attention. I have a 2002 Mini Cooper and I'm very displeased with the way that it handles. I've had my car 3 years and I've had more problems then one could ever care to have on their vehicle, plus, I have taken it in countless times for repairs. It cost me over 13,000 dollars for it to be fixed in the last 2 1/2 years. Right now, my driver side door won't open.

My transmission and clutch went last year at the same time. Sometimes, the windows don't open. I'm upset with the fact that BMW makes them and that's how they last. Don't you think you should make a good product to back your name on something. It's unsafe. The door doesn't even open, a safety hazard. What if the car caught on fire? I would be burnt. I think that something needs to be done about this issue.

I recently moved to Canada and have been working on importing my 2003 Mini Cooper. As you know, times are really tough in the states, as well as Canada. I really love my mini and hate to think about giving it up. The reason I potentially have to give it up is because I paid $900.00 for import fees and found out after I paid all of this money that I now have to pay an additional $500.00 in fees to get a recall letter from your company!

I can't afford this fee and my only option is to give up my car for which I struggled to pay off once the recession hit. I was very excited to learn about importing my car and having it forever if possible. My question is: Is there any other way to deal with this matter? and why do I have to pay so much for a letter? It seems I pay 500 to 700 dollars for anything I have to do with this car. I really want some advice if you can help.

My transmission blew and had to be replaced at 41k. Both seats broke and caused a dangerous situation for myself, daughter, and granddaughter. None of which Mini has tried to help with. The certified Mini cooper mechanics do not know what they are doing and this car has cost me over 5000.00 in repairs.

Like so many Mini drivers on this and other online forumes, my 2005 Mini Cooper has a faulty CVT transmission that is now dead, after a mere 35,000 miles and very casual driving (8-10 miles per day). How can this happen? Manhattan Mini quoted was nonchalant about the fact that a five year transmission was suddenly inoperable, and then proceeded to quote me an obscene $10,000 price tag to replace it. Two independent estimates from reputable mechanics were $4,500 and $4,600, respectively. Can you say "gauge"?

2005 Mini Cooper with 74,000 miles> CVT broken. $7 k for a reconditioned one from mini that will probably break again. When are they going to take responsibility for this blatant defect.

I bought a 2003 Mini cooper a few years ago fitted with a CVT automatic transmission. my vehicle has 57000 miles on it as it has been parked in my garage as I have transmission problems. although the transmission has not yet failed it is only a matter of time. when driving it used to make a wrrrr sound, I sent it to motorworx BMW in minniapolis fo service and mentioned the noise it was making. when i got the vehicle back it still made the noise and was told it is normal. I also had to complain that although it was serviced I noticed the coolant was empty and very little oil in the engine. now when I drive the car there is a loud banging sound in all gears while moving. mini USA will do nothing as the warranty expired at 5 years and 50000 miles.

i have 2002 mini cooper {non s } with a cvt transmission. like many others it made the growling sound one day and died the next.my car has 148,000 miles ihaveowned cars with over 259k and no trans problems. i always expected a product from BMW to last forever .silly me. who has 6000-8000k to fix something that ford or chevy would have recalled i will never buy another mini product not even a toy

Now, the driver's door will not unlock with the inside door handle, and the passenger side door will not lock or unlock with the electronic switch or remote (it will with the inside door handle - go figure). I have been living with this and would repair them myself except the door locks are not included in the service manual I have. Yesterday, the "Service Engine Soon" light came on to indicate a problem with the emissions system, and I am just at 67,000 miles. To top it all off there is a crack spreading across the windshield.

Quite honestly, as much as I enjoy driving the Mini Cooper, I am afraid to take it out of the garage for fear something else will break. If I can ever get everything working for a day it will be sold. I have a 2003 Ford Focus ZX3, purchased new, with 122,000 miles (mostly commuting on mountain roads) and we have not spent as much on its maintenance in 7 years as we have in the Mini in under one.

As much as I love to drive the 2003 Mini Cooper, our next car will be either another Ford, or a Honda. Every Ford or Honda we have had has lasted for well over 100,000 and over 10 years without this many problems. Paid about $11,000 less than a year ago and it has cost over $4,000 for repairs, so far. I figure at least $1,000 more before I can sell it for, maybe, $10,000. So, it has cost over $500 per month to own a 2003 Mini Cooper.

I purchased a 2003 Mini Cooper in October with 6700 miles on it. There had been a single previous owner, and all the regular service had been performed. I never expected the clutch and the transmission to fail after 5 months and 5000 miles just after I bought the car! Now I am faced with replacing the clutch and transmission. This will cost as much as the car is worth.

My 2002 Mini S with 60,000 miles had its A/C compressor give out. No recall from Mini, although there's a big problem with this. Next, power steering pump and cooling fan broke down. Again, many complaints about from other Mini owners. Again, the car has only 60,000 miles on it.

I wished I would have known about all these complaints before I bought my new 2010 Mini S. The car had 15 miles on it and I drove it home. After 50 miles the engine yellow warning light came on and the car started to idle very poorly, almost stalling. With my foot on the brake, the car would shake forward and back. I took the car into BMW service. After two days they installed on new high pressure pump. I picked up the car and after driving 6 miles, the same problem occurred, but this time there's no warning light. I drove the car a few more miles and the problem went away. Now the poor idle problem comes and goes. Has anyone else had this problem?

My Mini Cooper 2002 CVT transmission stopped working. I wish I had read a lot more before purchasing this car. It seems to be a common problem now that a lot of Minis on the streets are no longer under warranty. We had the car for over one year, serviced it according to the BMW manual, serviced transmission as indicated. However, one day, the transmission just slipped.

That was the end of it. The car had to be towed to the local BMW dealer for a repair estimate. To my surprise, the repair bill for the transmission was over $9000, which equals the value of the car. This problem with CVT transmission should be addressed once and for all by the manufacturer. Customers were used as guinea pigs for their new technology, but only at our cost. This is unfair. We all talk bad about Toyota cars, but at least they decided to recall the vehicles and fix them. Why is BMW acting different? Maybe because they build disposable cars, only designed to be used for 2-3 years, traded in and replaced for a new model. It is time for an attorney to take action on behalf of the hundreds if not thousands of people that had severe problems with their Mini Coopers.

I just purchased a 2010 Cooper S Cabrio. It's on order from the UK, expected arrival in May 2010. I have been so excited about this car. The test drive (both manual and automatic) was awesome. I guess I should have come to this site beforehand because I see lots of problems and unhappy drivers. Cross your fingers for me!

It's about a 2003 Mini CVT Automatic Transmission. Well, after buying my 2003 Mini in July 2008 from the dealer with 40,000 miles on it, I was as happy as can be. Two days ago, I noticed the Mini grabbing like the brakes were going on and off. Upon my return from work (8 minutes from home), I informed my husband of the problem. The next morning I asked to be driven to the Metro. Well, after 5 minutes of travel, the car began to lose power, the engine made some horrendous knocking noise and clunk! That was it, I know have a completely useless un-fixable transmission!

Now, in April 2010, after putting 15,000 miles on it, I am looking at 7 to 9 thousand dollars for a new transmission, over half of what I paid for the car and I still owe about 12 thousand on the car and of course I have no warranty. As if living paycheck to paycheck isn't enough, now I have a loan and insurance for a car I cannot afford to fix!

Anybody know if there is a Class Action lawsuit filed in regards to this transmission? Was there a recall? Is anybody taking responsibility? I still love my Mini, only now it's a 12,000 paper weight! Or better yet, perhaps I could cut holes in the floor, throw my dinosaur in the back and Flintstone it to work, yabba dabba dud!

I have a 2007 Mini Cooper S. I bought it with 15,000 miles and it now has 48,000 miles. I have a cold start problem. I left it with one dealer all day and they could not duplicate the problem, and since it was more than a two-hour drive (the locals could not fix the car), I could not leave it. So now that I am in L.A. for a week, I am leaving it with the dealer. What I did not know when I got this car is that besides several niggling problems like the a/c working intermittently, this car is congenitally expensive. The tires cost $800 and with similar driving habits, the tires on my previous car, a Toyota, lasted twice as long and cost less than half as much. The brakes last half as long as well and cost $400 for each back and front.

The car handles wonderfully and is fun to drive but requires a lot of disposable income and that you live near a dealer. The car has been a very pretty money pit and that is with many things done free at the L.A. dealer, Universal Mini, who so far, have been very good. I am going to sell it before the 50,000 mile mechanical warranty goes out. Also, because of my internet searches, I am not the only one with the cold start problem.

I spent all day at the dealer in Sacramento, CA finding out the problem was either the fuel pump or carbon build up on the valves, something I knew before I left home in Lake County. Because the dealer could not duplicate the problem, they could not determine which of the two possibilities were the problem so they could not fix the car without my leaving it for another day or two, which I could not do at the time. I asked them to fix both if they were not sure and they replied that BMW would not let them fix both items. I have never owned a newish car to have so many problems nor have parts like tires and brakes wear out so prematurely (and be normal) and I have owned over 50 cars in my lifetime.

My transmission went on my 2006 S manual at 20,000 miles, 3 weeks out of warranty. I brought it in 5 weeks earlier while still under warranty and told them that it was slipping out of gear. They said they could not replicate the problem. I realize now that they chose these words carefully. Five weeks and 1000 miles later, just out of warranty, it blew. They said the transmission fluid was dark and full of shards. Did they not check this last month? They told me $6000 to fix it. I blew a gasket. He called me back a few hours later and said Mini would provide the parts for free if I paid $1300 for labor. I thought this was rare, but there are forums out there with hundreds of people having transmission issues similar to this. There is even talk of a class action lawsuit. It was going to be $6000, but they offered to do it for $1300.

I purchased a Mini Cooper Convertible (2005) Model in 2005 from Niello BMW in Sacramento, CA. In just two short years, I have had to have the CVT transmission replaced (27,000 miles). At the time, although concerned, I wasn't too upset because it was still under warranty and therefore replaced for free. In November 2009, I had an accident as a result of a missing reflector at the end of a median (I climbed onto it). This resulted in some damage to the transmission pan (according to the invoice provided to me).

I contracted with a local auto body repair shop (Shanahan's Autobody, Sacramento, CA) to fix the damages, but they were unable to fill the transmission with fluid, so they had to tow it to the dealer, Niello BMW. Shanahan only guarantees mechanical repairs for 90 days, stating that sublet work should be guaranteed by those suppliers. Niello BMW replaced the transmission pan and filled the transmission according to the invoice. All seemed well until I started having problems with the transmission again (March 15, 2010), with no indication that the transmission was going bad, i.e. no indicator light came on. As a result, I had to have my car towed to the dealer. The dealer told me that I needed a new transmission. The car only has 43,000 miles on it, and already it is going to need a third transmission.

The dealer tried to reopen the insurance claim from the accident, stating they didn't know if the damaged transmission was a residual of the accident. The insurance company (21st Century Insurance) refused to reopen the claim, stating that replacing the transmission ($6,000-$8,000), plus the cost of the other work ($7,888.70) done on the car as a result of the accident would exceed the market value of the car. They recommended scrapping the car, a car that is in excellent condition, if it were not for the transmission. I understand the insurance company's position to a certain degree.

The question I have is who is responsible for paying for a new transmission? The dealership can't be sure the transmission was damaged during the accident and I can't be sure it was just another faulty transmission to begin with. The Mini Cooper 2005-2006 models are known to have transmission problems. In fact, I was contacted by a group of Mini Cooper owners who want to start a class action law suit. The economic impact is that after the accident, I decided to refinance my car and I also borrowed from the bank to help reduce some credit card debts. I had not had a pay raise in two years and needed a more manageable budget. Now, I have a car that is only good enough for parts, no transportation for work and I can't afford a new transmission. Even if I had the money to buy a new transmission, I'm not sure I'd want to buy another good for two years transmission.

Manual transmission failure. The clutch failed at 23000 miles and 36000 miles. The problem was blamed on the driver of the vehicle. Truth is, the parts are faulty and should be Mini Cooper's responsibility to repair! It cost $3092.00, paid by owner of the vehicle. Driver was left stranded twice in traffic and had to be towed. No injuries!

I have a 2005 Cooper S and I bought it new in April of 05 and in 8/06 the A/C went out. Also, I was able to open windows when pushed the button to unlock. In 2007 the glass door fell and broke. I had to buy a new one for about $600. On 2008 my passenger door won't open and that cost about $200 to fix. Sometimes the car will not lock or unlock. Last year, 2009, one of the bearings broke and with that it messed the belt and other stuff in the engine that cost me $800 plus to get all fixed.

Since November till now the car has shifting problems, like when I brake it kind of skids and jumps or jolts and when picking up speed it does not shift and in order to do that it jumps and then it shifts. It used to do it on the street but now even on the freeway. The other day as I was switching lanes it would not accelerate. I almost got killed by a big truck because my car did not pick up speed. I have taken it to the dealer and they "think" it is the transmission that will cause about $8000 and suggested me to buy a new battery because that can be the problem. I paid almost $300 with labor. That was not the problem. Who knows what the problem is; the mini dealer does not. I don't guess. I do not have money or the time to play the guessing game here.

Someone should take responsibility for these repairs. I thought it was just my car but now I see am not the only one. What it the US government doing to help us the consumers? Look at Toyota. People are risking their lives and they said nothing. How many people have to die to make car companies be liable to repair their bad cars? I love my mini but I can't afford repairs--they are outrageous. I have lost wages, sleep and almost lost my life this time. What about my sanity? I can't sleep thinking how am I ever going to pay for the repairs. I had to go my doctor. I am so depressed. This car was a gift from my husband for our 10th anniversary and he is no longer with me. This is the only thing he left me. I don't want to trade in for another car but I can't pay for repairs either.

I have a Mini Cooper 2003 for less than two years but I only been able to drive a few months at a time. Most of the time, it's at the mechanic for different reasons: suspension problems, ball bearings, oil pressure, passenger window doesn't work, wheel hub replaced, power steering pump noise, multi-rib belt, engine needed to be rebuilt due to crank shaft damage and this week finally transmission gone, all with only 62,000 miles. And I still have to make payments on the car.

After watching the Italian Job, the Mini Cooper became my dream car. After crunching the numbers in my budget, my dream became reality. I designed and ordered my 2006 Mini Cooper S. During the first week I drove it, it started revving on its own during peak traffic time. This should have been a sign but I was in denial. Since then, I've had problems with squeaking brakes, that service can't seem to fix. My air bag light stays on when I'm in the passenger seat, and it still revs up when I'm driving in traffic.

Every time I bring it in, the service guys can't seem to figure out what's wrong with it and I swear, I feel like I'm delusional because they can't find the problem. I've been there 3 times this week because they don't have loaners and I need my car to go to work. I brought my car in with 70 miles left on the gas tank and when it was returned to me, I had 43 miles left on it, service adviser said that they drove around and during traffic. But I know my car, I know that if you have the AC on and drove in traffic you'd use more than 27 miles. So I think they are just giving me the runaround until my car completely fails on me.

It's scary to drive because the last time I drove it during traffic, it revved up 3 or 4 times when I pressed lightly on the gas. I can't imagine what a horrible situation I would have been in if I pressed on the gas normally and zoomed in to the car in front of me or stall in that spot. I'm dreading the work that they'll have to do and how much it'll cost to fix it.

I bought a new 2005 Mini with auto transmission. The car is not driven a lot and are easy miles to and from work in a very rural area. In February 2010, with 40,000 miles on the car, the transmission went out. The dealership said it was a faulty valve that blew out causing the transmission fluid to leak out thus causing damage to the transmission thus needing a new transmission at a cost to me of $8100 because the warranty was only good for four years or 40,000 miles. They also discovered a faulty seal on the thermostat, which was already replaced once under warranty, that would cost $350 to repair. They further told me that the seal around the oil plug, which only they have touched, needed to be replaced and if it was done at the same time as the transmission it would only cost $350. So for $8800 or 45% of what the car originally cost me new, I could have my car, with only 40,000 miles on it, back in working order.

I just bought my used 2003 Mini Cooper 13 months ago. I had it serviced at the local BMW dealership for oil changes and regular wear and tear. I took very good care of this car as I felt it was an extension of my personality and was my dream car. On Feb. 18th, 2010, I was driving my normal route to work and stopped at red light. When the light turned green, I pressed on the gas to get going and was terrified of the noise it made. The engine revved to the red-line and jerked hard. After the jerk, I could feel the transmission grinding and could hear it. I drove another minute to my work's parking lot where I got out and inspected the car. There were no visible signs that anything was wrong but I could smell warm coolant. There was no warning, no lights, no vibrations in the wheel or pedals, and it seemed to be shifting fine before that.

I immediately called the BMW dealership I usually had it serviced at and took it up there. Within a couple of hours, they told me it was low on fluid and was leaking around the transmission. They said it would need to be flat-bedded to the nearest Mini dealership due to the fact that everything on Minis require "special tools". I had it flat-bedded to the Towne Mini dealership in Buffalo, NY on Saturday, Feb. 20th, 2010. I walked into the service center and told the service rep that I was there to drop off my 2003 Mini Cooper for its appointment. He asked me what was wrong and I said "there is a problem with my automatic CVT transmission". As soon as I said that, the rep jumped into a rant about how I shouldn't read online forums, because they only replace 2 automatic transmissions a year at Towne Mini.

They told me a technician would "take a ride with me". I responded that it wasn't a good idea, but they were the technicians so of course we ended up going. We got in the car and it started up fine like it had a thousand times before. But you could hear and feel the transmission under your feet stressing and eating away at itself. The technician popped it into drive slowly and lightly pressed on the gas. The car immediately red-lined and jerked forward into gear. We made it maybe 100 feet to the parking lot's stop sign.

When we went to pull out onto the main driveway, the car jerked again but this time there was nothing on the other end. The car simply revved and would not go into gear. We coasted for a second and then the technician applied the brakes. The technician giggled and said "Well, it's the tranny," which we already knew was the problem. So, the tech put my car in reverse and backed all the way to the spot I initially had the car. I got out and was told they would call me on Monday with a status report on what exactly was broken.

On Sunday, Feb. 22nd, 2010 with the dealership closed, I decided to research the Automatic CVT transmissions myself and found a staggering number of posts related to the faulty transmission. There were even posts from Mini owners that hadn't even gone over 35,000 miles on their new car, because the transmission needed to be totally replaced. I also found that Mini knows about this problem so the automatic CVT transmission is no longer available with the new Mini Coopers. And Mini currently has a lawsuit against the transmission in Canada. I researched for over 5 hours and printed out over a hundred pages of research on the faulty transmission.

On Monday, Feb 22nd, 2010 I called the dealership around noon to be told that my Mini was in need of a new transmission. I asked how much the transmission would cost and the service rep told me "usually around $6800 for just the transmission". I immediately felt my heart drop. I had nowhere near that amount of money. The service rep said he would give me a call back around 5 to tell me actual prices so I patiently waited.

Around 5pm I received a call to tell me that the transmission was going to be $6,825 and with installation it was going to be $9,380. Knowing that Mini has had troubles with the transmissions, I asked Towne Mini for the Mini-USA number and gave them a call. After telling the customer service representative about everything she told me that she would try to get "Mini Goodwill" to pay for the repairs, she said it would take 3-5 days to figure out whether or not it would be covered.

On Thursday, February 25th, 2010 after a couple of calls and a trip up to get my owner's manual out of my Mini Cooper, Mini USA decided it would not uphold its obligation to its customers and offered me no support. This leaves me to pay almost $10,000 for a transmission that is faulty. I'm at the point where I do not want them to replace the transmission. I want a full refund for what I paid on the car from Mini.

I have had many things with my 2003 Mini Cooper that I have been less than happy with over the years, usually related to the cost difference in service and parts over other vehicles, but hey, it is a Mini, so like it or not, you have to expect that. What I did not expect is that the transmission now needs to be replaced after just over 90,000 miles and only six and a half years after I drove it off the dealer's lot! I had been having issues starting in January 2010 where in many gears, the car was fine, but between 50-70 mph, the car would fight me if I either took my foot off the pedal or wanted to brake. Instead of slowing down, the RPM would rev from 3000 to 5000 or 6000 or more, unless I would do a series of pedal taps to get it to back down. Under 50 and over 70, the Mini Cooper was not exhibiting this issue.

I brought it to my regular mechanic three times while this was occurring and by the time they were able to tie the problem firmly to the transmission. They also said they couldn't do anything about it. The reason being that it is very difficult (some say almost impossible) to get replacement parts for Mini's CVT transmission in the US or to find anyone aside from a dealer to work on them and in general, the entire unit must be replaced.

But being as there are computer issues it could be, I called my dealer (Towne BMW/Mini in Williamsville, NY) the same day of my last mechanic visit and scheduled to bring it in for diagnostics. Well, after a test drive to show them the problem and an hour and a half in their back room. They gave me back a car that now grinds and stutters and which the RPM may shoot up to 5000 plus at any speed above being stopped or in park. They also gave me an estimate for replacing the transmission and TCU on my Mini (the latter of which they told me they switched with another faulty unit they had around for years that had a 'flutter' to see if the same problem would still occur, but I don't know if they switched it back, as this was supposed to just be to test the TCU) which came to $8267.71! That's more than my car booked at when I checked it's resale value online!

And PS, when I drove it back to Towne BMW/Mini in Williamsville after driving it for a block and complained that the car was now driving much worse than it was when I brought it in, the assistant service manager Mark H told me it was still safe to drive and should get me home and that the stuttering and other problems would stop after about 10 miles when the car's computer 'relearned'. I told him I couldn't go home. I had to go to work, which is past Niagara Falls NY over a forty mile round trip every day.

Mr.H told me it should still be fine for that and that after a bit of driving the car would act just like it did when I brought it in that morning, 2/23/2010, which was yesterday. Well, after a day of driving, it is still exactly the same as when I drove it off their lot, which means much worse than when I drove it in. My car does not seem at all safe to drive, it's unreliable but it is paid in full. My 2003 Mini Cooper is now a paper weight that cost me over $22,000. Seems like a lot of money to buy a car that is for all purposes 'junk' after six and a half years.

The clutch on my 2004 Mini Cooper just blew out. It was quite sudden. I have taken excellent care of the car since I bought it new. I am stunned. Mini says they can't do anything for me. I've read dozens of forums where many people have the same exact problem. They want 5k-8k to fix it depending on if I need a new transmission as well. I am so disappointed and angry. I bought a BMW made car because I believe in the brand. I guess I was mistaken. If only there was some recourse. I have read that class action lawsuits were tried and failed. Does anybody know how to get Mini to own up to their design flaws and compensate the people they took advantage of?

My 2003 Mini Cooper has an L-shaped windshield stress crack. The driver window no longer works. These issues have affected many other owners.

I had my 2007 Mini Cooper making noise but it went away after warming up. I thought it was because of the cold front he had. Then they yellow light came on to check the engine as soon as possible per the manual. I called BMW, they where booked for the whole week including Saturday. I advised the person about the issue and that I can only come in on Saturdays. So ,I made my appointment for 01/16/2009. I spoke to Ryan and he advised it might be that I'm using the wrong octane gas.

That Wednesday of that week, leaving home within 2 blocks my car was not moving so I went back and called Mini to pick it up. They told me engine parts melted and broke off, also the exhaust was damage and some brackets. The adviser Ryan said it could be because I ran the engine while overheating. I told him that I never got a warning light or any smoke from overheating. Then he said I might have missed shift and missed a gear. I advised Ryan I have been driving stick shift for over 10 years. He said he had to send it to Mini to check the computer.

About a week later, he told me the Mini tech told him it's because of downshift and going over the RPM's 6.7 when red line is 6.5 and that's why it won't be covered under my warranty. He advised to call Mini, I did and talked to three representatives. Last one was, Aaron, a regional manager he looked further into it and said the same thing - my fault. I have 39,000 miles, the warranty is 50,000 (4 years). I have read forums where they talk about the same issue and the problem was the cam chain tensioner.

My car is a 2009 Mini Cooper S. I bought it with 0 miles. I had my car only for seven months with 3,000 miles and I already need the transmission replaced. My car broke down on January 9, 2010. I wrote other complaint and forgot to put the year make of my car.

My Mini Cooper has only 3000 miles and need the transmission replaced. Saturday, January 9 my car broke down. The engine will start but when I tried to put in drive or reverse it won't start. Next day the towing truck took it to the dealership. Nobody called me until Tuesday. I called them every day to see what is wrong with my car. They told me that the Mini Cooper is closed until Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Jessica from Mini Cooper Concord called me and told me that my new car needs transmission replacement. I called different days and everybody was telling me that they can not help me because it is not their specialty. On Wednesday I went to get a loner car and I spoke with Viki the manager and I told her to replace my car because it broke down only after 3000 miles and she said she can not do that. Sshe told me to call Mini USA, but she doubts that they will replace my car.

So I called Mini USA and I talked with Cody. He was not too much help. After I was with him on the phone for 10 minutes trying to get a new car, he kept saying no because he does not think is a lemon car. I said, ok, then what are you offering me? He asked me what do you want? I told him I want extra 50.000 miles warranty on my car and a car payment; he told me I can not have both, and he will check with different managers to see what he can do.

On Saturday, my car was ready to be picked up when they called me. I told them I will not pick up my car until I have the answer from Mini USA about my extra warranty. So I called Cody 3 times and left him messages until finally he called me back and he told me that because my car was ready in a week and they replaced my transmission and gave a loner car; they don't think they need to do anything extra for me. He said he talked with Viki from Concord and other manager and that is what they decided.

Their service is bad and the cars are the worst cars ever. I will never buy a Mini Cooper again and I will tell everybody that I know what kind of cars these are. My car had only 3000 miles; just think about it. No help from them. I don't trust my car anymore. I don't think I should pay $500 for 5 years for a car that already broke down on me. It is not fair and I told those people from Mini when I bought this new car with zero miles I never thought it will break down only after 7 months from the day I bought it. Mini Cooper is bad.

The drivetrain on my Mini-Cooper S Manual is out at 85,000 miles, and the entire clutch assembly has to be replaced to the tune of $3500. Amazing! What a crappy car!

My 2006 Mini Cooper S (Supercharged) has an Eaton M45 Supercharger on it, as do ALL "R53" Mini Cooper S models. The car currently has 67K miles on it. Several weeks ago, the car started making a noise under the hood. At first, I thought it was a worn belt. It got worse and worse. I started searching around the internet for similar problems. I found out it was a failure of the supercharger.

What I found astounded me. It seems that this supercharger was manufactured with cheap seals. It was also manufactured with two oil check locations that no one knows about. Over time, these cheap seals go bad which causes the oil inside the supercharger to basically "evaporate". The leaks are not visible to the owner. Mini Cooper claims that the supercharger is "unserviceable" by the owner, makes no mention of oil needs and by the time you've heard the noise, it's too late. The only way to check the oil level (if you would be lucky enough to find out you can check it) is to completely remove the supercharger which means a major tear down of the components.

During my research, it has become apparent that this failure is very common. It almost appears as though the supercharger was designed to fail right after the car warranty expires (naturally). The consumer/owner has three choices, buy a new supercharger from Mini for $2,100, a "rebuilt" one for $1,600 or have the original rebuilt with better components for about $1,000. In addition, when the supercharger goes out, the water pump usually goes with it since the water pump is driven by the supercharger. This all adds up to a major repair bill no matter how you slice it. It's not a matter of "if" your supercharger is going to dry out and fry, it's "when". The car is still being repaired, but at this point, the cost (so far) has been about $1,500 and this is through a friend of mine who's a mechanic. This is just for parts. I'm estimating by the time I'm done, it will be over $2,000.

First of all I live in Austin and the closest dealership is in San Antonio, two hours away. 2003 Mini Cooper S with 32K miles. This year make and model are known for having power steering pump problems, and Mini is aware of it and not doing anything to fix it. The pump on my car has now failed for the second time, the dealership charged $125 to diagnose the problem and wanted nearly $2,000 to fix it. After asking for Mini to fix there problem, they offered a 30% discount how insulting.

While my car was at the dealership a large deep scratch (horizontal)happened and nobody will claim responsibility. They wanted me to drive all the way back to SA so they could see the scratch with no garanty that they would fix it. When you try to go to the next level of management they block you. Anyone above the local manager (District Manager) are unaccessable!

They have very poor customer service, and are insulting. They refunded my $125 diag fee to try and make me go away, and stop calling. I will never return to this dealership and do not recommend anyone use them. Thank goodness the new Mini service dealership here in Austin will be open in February of 2010.

My windshield cannot be fixed it has to be replaced at the cost of $350. As for the pump there is a company that will rebuild the pump for only $200 with a lifetime garanty for as long as you own the vehicle.

Purchased 2003 Mini Cooper with 4 year waranty requiring numerous warranty repairs. After warranty expired with less than 40K miles on a 6&1/2 year old vehicle, the A/C went out caused by a short requiring $1300 replacement of the compressor. Tires wore out too soon, brakes replaced twice totalling 1$1200.00. Windows will get stuck and not raise untill they decide to. Rear deck lid unlocks when only the driver's door should causing al sorts of rattling unless I close the deck lid after unlocking the driver's door. Hearing noise in the transmission now. Am now about to decide on trading it and returning to a Toyota Camry which gave me no problems at all. What's worse, I paid for my new Camry in cash, then traded it in for this cute Mini for my wife. What a bummer.

We will now have only one car to drive as we cannot afford another and will pay thousands of dollars a year for a car that will mostly likely end up in a junk yard!

I have a 2003 Mini Cooper with cvt transmission. The transmission failed at 41,000 miles. No warning; all at once the car would not go into gear. Because I have had many negative dealings with Universal City Mini dealership (Los Angeles, California) in the past (poor service, inadequate repair and denial of repair during warranty period, much bs from repair rep), I chose to have the transmission replaced by a competent independent shop. Price was $7,200. I am informed that the metal belt inside the transmission disintegrated.

i caught my trouser leg on the seat control causing me to fall as i got out of the car. I sustained a fractured elbow requiring surgery. Short term sick leave from work. Risk of arthritis, non healing, pain and limited range of movement.

The CVT automatic transmission of my daughter's 2004 Mini Cooper failed at 74,000 miles. Having read through many forums, this seems to be about the maximum life of these transmissions.

The parts for aftermarket repair are not made available by BMW or their Mini division. This leaves the consumer with no other choice than to either pay over $7800 for a transmission replacement or scrap the car.

I contacted customer relations at Mini div. of BMW N. America. After a couple of phone calls with Kristen, I was informed that I hadn't purchased enough BMW products for them to offer any assistance in the matter.

Their explanation, of course, defies all logic. I would never consider buying another BMW after being treated like this.

BMW is certainly aware that they marketed these cars with defective transmissions. They choose not to assist in treating their customers fairly.

I purchased a Mini Cooper convertible S 05. I drove the car with the top down up to NJ to visit friends. While up there I had problems with the top releasing from the passenger side. One of my friends I was visiting told me his daughter had the same problems and she sold it. While I was up there we followed the manual as to what to do and doing that allowed the top to release. My trunk where this switch is located was empty and like I said I had fixed the problem, so I thought. Long story short, sometimes the latch on the passenger side would release and sometimes it didn't.

After I drove back home to Tn with the roof up (didn't want to chance not being able to close it correctly if it were to rain) I immediately called Mini of Nashville. I spoke to Gary the manager who said to bring it in, a 3 1/2 hour drive. He told me it was the switch in the trunk, and I asked him if it could be something different because I already knew about the switch from the manual and it was the latch that wasn't releasing. I felt he should have checked the track that rolls back the top. My Mini only had 28,000 miles on it at that time.

I got home and the same thing happened, the latch would not release. I called Gary and he told me I was no longer under warranty and that it would cost 3,000 to fix...all without inspecting it. He told me it was a mechanical problem and I told him the rail that moves the top to open was still working just not enought to release the latch.

I got no where with MINI of NASHVILLE. I called customer service and emailed and spoke to Trista at least 6 times asking for help. She told me that I'd have to take it to an authorized dealer again which I did. Atlanta was closer and I believe I spoke to Brian one of the managers. He walked out to the car looked at it and told me it was out of warranty like I already didn't know that. I told him this problem started while IN warranty. Got nowhere. He didn't document the visit or reason, same as Gary in Nashville

Contacted Trista and she told me there was nothing they could do due to the fact it was out of warranty and there was no documentation on my records about the faulty top. Just a service visit. I would not have driven all those miles for an oil change. Due to the fact neither representatives for MINI never wrote down the problem or what they did I was out of luck! I called Trista and insisted to talk to a supervisor and this was in Sept of 09 one year later. His name was Patrick I got the same run around, but he promised to call me in a week. It never happened. I left 2 messages with him without a response.

Today 11-4 I called any and spoke to a different supervisor who turn me over to Patrick, Patrick was "busy" at the time and "promised" to call today NOTHING. $3,000 to repair the convertible top. I don't have 3,000 to fix this car I'm no longer enjoying and will never buy another MINI or BMW. I bought it to SAVE money on gas! If there is anyone who has similar experiences with MINI of Nashville or Atlanta please contact me ... maybe things can get done in numbers!

I just want to get this car fixed and then sell it and buy an American made vehicle.

The car went in for that rattle a few more times and it was never corrected. I was told it was a chain tensioner and I would have to live with it.

3/09 - I took my car in for a tailpipe recall notice.

6/09 - The car goes in for its 2nd annual routine maintenance and for the transmission warning light AGAIN. The car is 2 years old and has 15,700 miles on it.

8/09 - The car takes four times to start one morning and the rough idling is now more apparent. It goes to the shop and one of the two fuel pumps is faulty and it is replaced.

10/09 - (18,700 miles on the car) I was about 70 miles away from home when I got into heavy traffic (the shoulder of the road was not wide enough to safely park my car). I took my foot off of the gas and applied the brake. At approximately 20 mph the car began to shake and by the time the car was completely stopped it was shaking violently - my head and my passenger's head were hitting the seat. It felt as though it was fuel starved. It was impossible to pull to the side of the road, so I had to put it into neutral and give it gas simultaneously. It really didn't help. I drove like this for at approximately 10 minutes before I could safely pull over, but by that time the road speed increased and the car ran better. I decided that I would drive home at least as far as the car allowed. The car was fine at freeway speeds, but then shook hard at the toll plaza on the Golden Gate Bridge. I limped all of the way and as soon as I got my car in front of my house, the engine light came on and the car died. This time it had to be towed into the dealership. Luckily for me I didn't go on the desert road trip because I hadn't put the 1,500 miles on the car since the previous complaint. - I would have been stranded in the desert. This incident tripped 9 engine codes. An intake valve was "stuck open".

12/2/09 - (Today and 19,300 miles on car maybe.) While parking at my job yesterday the transmission warning light comes on AGAIN. My car is spending the night at the dealership tonight. This time it needs it gear shift assembly replaced.

If going through all of those major repairs on such a young vehicle isn't bad enough, the dealership is almost 20 miles away and the service staff is mostly apathetic (I had only one professional person) until it comes to asking for a 5 star review for their performances. I could go on, but I will stop here. I loved this car and I wanted it so very badly, but it is turning into a huge disappointment.

I'm glad that when I purchased this car I kept my 15 year-old vehicle (with 100,000+ miles on it), otherwise what would I drive when the Mini is inoperable! Good thing I got the extended warranty.

Denver dealership says only thing I can do is haul it to Denver for them to look at it. After learning of all the people on the internet complaining of similar problems I wonder why Mini isn't responsible for a recall? I have invested 600.00 on pump & fan 195.00 on labor to replace, now it would be a great amount to send it to Denver

2005 mini coopers S- Piece of crap. crank pulley, transmission, pumps, so many problems and all started at 53k. still paying on my car.. either i pay to fix or car payment. i'm screwed and mini screwed me into buying this car. wow! i'm ashamed to drive this car. it's crap!

The CVT transmission in my MINI Cooper went bad at 78,000 miles. I contacted the main MINI USA directly and was told that because it the warranty expires at 50,000mi, there is nothing they could or would do. Beyond this, I told the rep how widespread the problem was and he said he had never heard of any complaints filed and refused to transfer me to anyone else. This is a widespread, extremely common problem with the CVT transmission they put in these cars.

The cost to replace the transmission is extraordinarily high: new $5300+labor ($7500-$8500 total) or rebuilt $4000+labor. This tranny can ONLY be purchased from the factory; they don't sell the parts neccessary to rebuild/fix it, not even from the factory that actually does rebuild them.

3/09/09 - Called dealer on Monday talked to Gary G he said that it was the fuel injectors and it was normal and to not worry about the noise, I told him this was not the injectors I am very familiar with the noise fuel injectors make and this noise is an engine knock like metal on metal. He said that I should drive the car and see if the noise returns.

3/17/09 Called the dealer again got no where talking to Gary G. (I went on line and found out that there was an issue with the turbo vehicles having an issue with a cold engine chatter that was noted on many of the MINI Forums.)

I later was contacted by email from two forum members asking for my VIN number and Build date. They also wanted copies of all correspondence I had with MINI of Nashville, I declined to give them the information, I called Gary again airing my concerns he said that I could have the vehicle towed in at my expense (his estimate was $600 for the towing). I declined due to the cost and the spermatic knocking. After questioning him about the chain tensioner issues I had heard about on the forums, Gary said that my clubman was not in the build date parameters.

4/29/09-5/03/09 I attended MINIS on the Dragon and was starting my car up in the public areas and once more the car started knocking badly. I was approached by a MINI Tech from Alabama and he said Sounds like you have the Death Knock too he also referred to it as the Cold Start Chatter. He said that MINI had a fix for it. The Alabama tech found me again gave me a piece of paper with a PUMA reference 10686850-13 or SIM-11-02-07 written on it and said that I should call MINI USA the next time it happens and complain and have the car towed in at no charge using MINI re-unite program.

5/18/09 My car once again started to knock badly so I called Roadside assistance

5/19/09 The car was towed to your dealer for repairs, it took 2 days for Gary to let me know the car had made it to the dealership eventfully excessive engine noise was noted by the tech and the Timing chain and all related components were replaced.

9/20/09 I started hearing the Knocking again at cold start up
9/21/09 Once again the car was knocking at cold start up
9/22/09 I moved it out of the garage for about 2 hrs and put it back into the garage with no noise.
9/23/09 Started the vehicle up and the noise was excessive again I attempted to drive it to get to work and for about 1 mile the noise didnt go away so I returned to my house

and I called Wayne J and left a message at 8:00am ET the rest of the day and the next I did not receive a call.

9/25/09 I called Wayne J again and left a message. At 9:30am ET I received a call from Gary Gray telling me that it was my fault that no one responded because he left a message on my number 9/23/09 at 4:30pm which I never got so I went online as we were talking and pulled up my account detail with AT&T and I had not had any incoming calls or messages to that number since 9/19/09 so Gary was not telling me the truth. Gary said my car could not be making a noise because he had already replaced all of the parts. He said that I could leave the car with him but that they wouldnt find anything wrong it. I inquired about a loaner car since I was told these were available free of charge at the time I purchased the car. Gary laughed and said there was no way I was getting a loaner. And that if I needed another car he would give me a number to Hertz.

9/25/09 After unsuccessfully talking to Gary I went to the MINI of Nashville website to get the email address or phone number of Roger Harrison the MINI Sales manager to see if he could help, I got a pop up asking if I needed to chat with him. I responded yes and it turned out to be salesman Richey S. I explained I was having a problem with the service dept, Richey said I need to talk to Wayne J, I informed Richey that I had already left many unanswered messages with Wayne and that it is not working, Richey said that he would have the General Manger-Russell S call me back. That was last Friday on 9/25/09.

10/02/09 2:45pm Shana R with Global Imports called me and asked that I come with the car to Global and meet with the engineer.

10/04/09 I tried to warm the car and drive around my neighborhood. see video part 1 & 2 of 10/04/09 now posted on YouTube to see if I would be able to quite the car down to make the drive to Atlanta on Tuesday. The car continued to knock so I returned it to my garage.

10/09/09 I received updates from Brandon the Service Adviser stating that Darren was not able to duplicate the noise. I told them to start the car move it a few feet and shut down for 2 hrs then start the car and move it again then wait until the next morning and it should do it or park it on a hill with the front of the car point downhill. On Friday afternoon I was told that none of these worked but they did change my oil, checked the tolerances in the timing chain tensioner and everything was ok. They also replace a missing door trim piece on the drivers door. Brandon asked that I come and pick up the car, so I made arrangements to pick it up the next day.

10/10/09 I got up at 5:30am to make the 3 hour drive to Atlanta to pick up the car. I check in the loaner. With all the trouble Im having I asked salesman Dean about trading in my car. The Sales Manager gave me a price of $21,000 for my car. 10k under payoff no deal. The car started with no noise. I proceeded on the 3 hour ride home and stopped off at the store and got home about 1:00pm. Later in the afternoon I drove 3 miles to the boat dock stayed about 2 hours and returned the car to the garage.

10/11/09 we got up to go to breakfast and started the car and the engine started to knock again. We decided to drive the car and see if it would stop which it did after about 2 miles; we drove the 9 miles to the cracker barrel and back home then to the dock and back.

10/12/09 5:50pm I tried to start the car and it knocked I took a video

10/13/09 7:10am I tried to start the car again and it was knocking again once again I took a video.

Once I got to work I uploaded the video from Monday night 10/12/09 & Tues morning 10/13/09 and emailed 3 videos from Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday to Brandon Doyle the Assistant Service adviser at Global Imports. And then followed through with a phone call at 8:50am and notified Brandon that I gave him the links. He said he would pass on to the engineer and get back with me.

10/13/09 5:47pm received a call from Brandon at Global Imports telling me that the local tech has all of my contact numbers and that I will be getting a call from him around the end of the week. So it looks like I will be borrowing a car for the rest of this week again. So far I have not been able to drive the car for personal use since September 20th. I tried to start the car again tonight and the engine knocked loudly again I took a video of the engine compartment knock and posted to Youtube. This has been going on for over 7 months and BMW is stalling.

I won't ever buy another Mini again.

First of all, I love my 2003 Mini Cooper. I purchased it used in 2004 with less than 10,000 miles. Currently it has 63,600 miles, a combination of city and highway driving. In the past 6 months I have had to replace the AC compressor ($1,800), power steering pump ($1,100) and both the driver and passenger power window motors ($900). The dealer also replaced, for the second time, the driver buckle mech. so the airbag would work properly ($350). Today the fan for the radiator stuck on. I've pulled the fuse but it's fried my battery.

In reading other issues with Mini's, I learn that the entire transmission may also be ready to fail soon. All this without any recourse through BMW to stand behind their product and certainly nothing through the dealer. They did a poor job finding problems I asked about when my car was under warranty and are impolite at best when I say I'm not accustom to cars having this number of problems with such low mileage.

Service is definitely not part of their vocabulary when it comes to sharing the excessive and unreasonable costs of repair on my car. I'm not looking forward to discovering how much this next problem will cost.

I routinely own cars for a long time, well over 150,000 miles and I'm now realizing my favorite car of all may not even make it to 100,000. If BMW would admit some responsibility for poor quality in the form of $$, I would continue to invest in this fun car - when it's working well!

I bought a 2003 MINI Cooper Automatic/CVT back a couple of years ago. This weekend, I backed the car out of the garage, went to go forward, and found out that the car would not shift into Drive - the stick physically would not move into the "D" position.

Got it towed to the shop, and they discovered that something in the transmission had gone out. At only 88,000 miles, I joined the ranks of many other MINI CVT owners who had their transmissions fail.

They quoted $6,800 + labor to put in a new transmission, or around $3,500 + labor if they could find a used one. Apparently MINI/BMW does not make the parts to get into the transmission and repair them - replacement is the only option.

I owe about $7,000 on the car, so I really can't afford to put $5,000-$8,000 more into it to repair a transmission that should NOT fail this early in the car's life. There appear to be serious issues with the 2003 CVTs that MINI/BMW are ignoring.

My parents and I purchased a 2003 Mini Cooper brand new. Within the first year of having the car, the leather on the steering wheel started to peel off, the radio/cd player went out, and the passenger side window motor had to be replaced. Luckily the car was still under warranty. I have had the windshield replaced twice, both times the Mini Dealership quoted me $1000.00 for the repair and instead I went with an independent person to fix my windshield and each time only cost $250.00. Once my car hit 80,000 miles the car overheated and I had it towed to the nearest mini dealership (I was in Atlanta visiting my mom). They could not figure out the problem and sent me on my way saying there was an electrical wire loose. Six months later, the car overheated again and I had to get it towed which cost $300 and had to get the cooling fan replaced which was $1200. I ended up paying for the repairs but they also told me that my electrical unit was out which is why my gas light and other warning signals would not turn on and quoted me $1500 and $500 to fix the passenger side window for the third time which went out again. I neglected both of those offers since I just paid $1200 for the cooling fan.

Three months later my car overheated again, this time it was the radiator that needed replaced. Keep in mind the majority of the miles on the car are highway miles, the car is kept in great condition, and I don't drive it hard. The repairs totaled $1300. Over the course of the next few months, the car would turn off completely when I was sitting at a stop light. And a few days ago as soon as my car hit 103,000 miles the car would not drive even though the engine was running. Again the car was towed to the dealership and they told me that the drive axle seal of the transmission needed replaced which is $538 and after they repair that then the tech can determine if the front drive axle shaft assembly is damaged which would cost $738 to repair. I told them to go ahead with the first repair because I need a car. Today they called me stating that the clutch packs inside the transmission are blown and needs a new transmission and with the first repair plus the transmission the total would be $10,741.00 which is double the worth of the car itself.

2003 Mini cooper. Like everyone else...Transmission shot. Over $5.000 to repair/replace. Get real! Cunning...very cunning.

Our 2004 mini with manual 5 speed has 29,000 miles and the transmission is gone. Driven only by cautious and conservative women, this hardly seems possible. We tried to change oil more often than required but the dealer in Fife Washington refused, saying it was not necessary.

Long email I sent to BMW's director of communication. It details dozens of problems, small and large I've had with my 2007 Mini Cooper. Corporate communications is my profession, so I thought I'd get some level of action from a man with a vested interest in making his brand stronger. No reply - not even a courtesy call. That's how much BMW backs their product. So much for communication. I also sent this email to BMW's help line. What a joke. Save yourself grief and don't buy either a BMW or MINI Cooper.

Honestly, I am fed up with BMW brand, Mini Canada. I am once again filing a formal complaint. In addition, I have blind cc'd my lawyer
and cc'd BMW Canada's director of Corporate Communications, K. Marcotte. I assume computer system will have the list of ongoing
problems that have occurred with this particular Mini. In addition to the rubber/chrome problem noted above, my car has now had: (1) a catalytic converter replaced due to a factory recall; (2) a defective sunroof replaced; (3) rear wiper mechanism replaced; (4) defective battery

replaced; and (5-12) many reprogramming issues fixed, which included reprogramming the air conditioner that mysteriously and suddenly stuck on high cold during the dead of Alberta's winter and one scary incident while travelling at night through the Rocky Mountains.

In addition to other issues surrounding substandard customer care at Edmonton Mini -- I have now received unprofessional service from

Richmond Mini. This indicates to me that a systemic problem is happening with BMW's Mini brand. BMW has no quality control mechanisms in place to monitor its entry level brand, Mini Canada.

Sadly, this ongoing level of customer care service has been my experience dealing with all Mini Canada dealerships. It is clear to me that Mini Canada lacks corporate quality control over its network of dealerships. Internal communications systems at both Edmonton and

Richmond Mini dealerships clearly lack the internal checks and audits.

I'm not saying that the customer is always right. What I am saying, however, is that the customer deserves to get their vehicle -- not to

mention which is still under warranty -- back from a dealerships' service department in the exact same -- if not not better condition -- than when it arrived for servicing. To arrive yesterday and find my car in worse condition is upsetting to say the least. To find the passenger side rubber sealer on ripped off and lying on my passenger seat of my car and the chrome on both the passenger and drivers side visibly loosened, is not good customer car.

It is not a good customer experience. This gets around offices. It makes potential buyers
reconsider both Mini and BMW. Me? I was clearly mad. I removed the passenger side chrome in a fit of rage as it was dangling there,
flapping about. I had had it with Mini Canada, as this ongoing substandard level of customer care is simply not acceptable - whether

it is from Mini Edmonton or Mini Richmond.

I took my Mini in for service on 8/10/09 due to the temperature gauge going up and down. I was told the "radiator cap was not holding pressure". They replaced it for approx $300 and sent me on my way. On 8/17/09 the same problem returned. I was then told it was the "Thermostat", which I was certain it was not because I had recently had it replaced. They kept my car for the remainder of the week, calling me with various "possibilities". Over the course of the two times my car was in their care I had been told it was 4 different problems, basically everyone was guessing at what the problem was yet wanted me to pay for each (guess)repair. I refused to pay for these speculations and told them I would only pay when they knew what the actual problem was. On 8/21/09 they stated it was a "possible blown head gasket" in which the estimated cost was $4700.....more than what I was told my car was worth should I trade it in. Then they told me it would be a minimum of $1000 to "go in and see if that's the problem". By this point I had already paid for a diagnosis(8/10/09) that proved worthless and a radiator cap that didn't fix the problem either. I was completely frustrated,felt helpless and stresses. I tried talking with the controller, CEO, Managers, lead techs and no one seemed to be able to give me any clear answers to what was going on. Skeptical of their ability to help and not wanting to keep paying them,I took my car to an independent repair shop and found the problem was a simple one: air in the coolant system. I paid a total of $150 to that repair shop. Not only did I feel I was being taken advantage of, I was completely shocked that the dealership was so incompetent at diagnosing their own cars. I work in community mental health and I don't make enough money to keep paying for what they cannot figure out.

We bought our 2003 MINI Cooper, new, with a CVT type transmission. It has about 57,000 miles on the odometer, all easy miles: no hard driving. We really like our car and it is well maintained at all the proper intervals. Last weekend it developed strange noise that our mechanic, Bay Bridge Motors of Oakland, tells us is coming from the transmission and can not be repaired and can either be replaced with a used "junk yard" transmission, a remanufactured transmission or a new transmission. All of these alternatives range from a minimum of $5000.00-$8,000.00. Our mechanic said that BMW has stopped using the transmission that our car uses and it is no longer under warrantee. This seems like an excessive expense for a car with so few miles on it and it is frustrating that there is no alternative or remedy provided by BMW/MINI.

My 2003 Mini Cooper's CVT transmission stopped working about 9 months ago. The Mini has 75k miles (all highway miles). Towed the car to the Mini dealership. Had the modular unit replaced; however that wasn't the problem. The problem is that the transmission needs to be replaced. The cost to replace it is too much. Almost the true value of the car...over $7,000 to replace it.

I have to jump on the band wagon with everyone else. I bought a used 2003 Mini cooper about 2 years ago now, and the problems have began. My car OVERHEATED on me, I mean seriously with only 33k miles how does that happen. It seemed that the reservoir was bad, but after replacing and driving maybe 15miles, the reservoir was empty again tonight. My dad now tells me he thinks it might be a transmission problem, and with everything I am reading that sounds extremely possible.

I have also had to replace tires, have had constant problems with the tire pressure being off, and now today the brake pad light came on...can't imagine what that is going to cost. I have already decided time to trade the car in, accept my loss, and move on.

Oh, and I forgot, my passenger door does not open, and has not opened for sometime, the windows always make noise when rolling them up and down, and sometimes they won't roll down at all, and sometimes I cannot get my car to lock, or unlock. And the cover to the mirror on the passenger side mirror fell off. I think that is all, but I could very well be forgetting things...

But I am reading here that people are thinking of doing a class action lawsuit, count me in. This is total Bull!

Many problems with my 2004 MINI Cooper. First, at 80,000 (highway only) miles transmission goes. $7500 to fix - not covered by warranty - but harrassed the dealer into picking up the cost of the parts. Very shortly after that main computer on the car failed. MINI had the car for a month and couldn't figure out the problem. Cost of repair $6000. Now, one year later power steering problems. Intermittent at first. Became constant. Took in for new brakes ($2000 to replace calipers & rotors) and now told power steering will cost at least $1000 and they're not even sure what's causing the problem. Dealer has taken very little responsibility for this faulty product, acting like problems are caused by normal wear & tear and cost of repairs are reasonable. I completely disagree and will never buy another MINI.

Purchase used 2002 5 speed automatic transmission Mini Cooper with 51,000 miles. After four months and over 12,000 miles, CVT transmission failed. estimated cost to repair... $7,800 to 8,600

My daughter has a 2003 MINI Cooper with a CVT transmission. Her car has been running fine right up until the CVT Transmission just decided to start making a whirring noise. The mechanic at MINI said it needs replaced at a price of $6000 including the $1000 labor charges. I about stroked. I can't afford to get this car fixed for her and it being her transportation to college what do you do?? I have read where this problem has been experienced with many MINI owners and would hope that MINI would fix or assist in fixing these problems. This is too much for someone to be reasonably asked to repair their car.

purchase 05 mini cooper several days ago, drove about 150miles, parked to have dinner with motherinlaw at retirement home, next thing i hear is someone calling out, does anyone own a yellow mini cooper, its on fire, omg,i run out, fire truck and firemen trying to figure out how to access engine, soot everywhere, towed it home on a car trailer after much effort, googled mini cooper engine fire, and sure enough many mini coopers with a power steering problem have experienced this, i had no warning of such, not a recall nothing, had it been parked in my garage and exploded in fire who would stand responsible. heard of ford s having problems with brake resevoir doing this, spontaneous combustion, took ford forever to admit their responsibility, need help getting mini to own up to theirs. sorry to see such potential go down the drain with lack luster engineering.

The fan kept running on my Mini Cooper S and killed my battery. I have had to jump start it about 5 times. I went to replace the battery yesterday and now it doesn't turn on....NOTHING. It's dead I have to have it towed to the dealer. This ****** me off. I expected better from BMW. This car is way to expensive for what you get. I think we should all start complaining to the State (in which you live) Department of Comsumer Services and do some research into more places we can file complaints.

While I got more miles out of the automatic transmission on my 2004 MINI Cooper, I still have a car with a little over 100k miles that doesn't run and we broke down 1,800 miles from home. The cost to repair, $8K that I do not have. I spoke with Kevin at BMW Customer Service. He was very nice and contacted several people about helping me with the cost. The final decision, they would not be able to assist and I had to tow my car home from Albuquerque, NM. It will probably sit in the parking lot for a while until I figure out what to do.

This is the most expensive car I have ever purchased and I love my car but I expected it to last a long time and I don't think 100,000 miles is very long. I have recently been laid off from my job and do not have the funds to repair the car. Now I'm not only unemployed but do not have a car to drive. For a single mom, this has been very stressful. I feel very betrayed by a company who's slogan is 'Let's Motor'. I think this should be amended to 'Let's Motor but not very far'.

I bought a used 2003 cooper mini. The power steering works only sometimes and recently the pump stayed running after the car was shut off having to remove the battery cable to stop it. I see from many other forums that this is a common problem that may even lead to an electrical fire. Guess I should get full coverage insurance to be safe.

My girlfriend has a 2002 mini cooper with a 5 speed. She bought it when we first started going out. Since then, the wipers have only worked in dry weather. We were told by MINI that this was a common problem and would cost a minimum of 600$ to fix. on Monday we were about to get the car fixed when the Driver side window went down and would not return to the uprite position. Or any positions for that matter. So here I am, about to go outside now and take the door apart to check the window assembly to try to save some money. I personally have owned about 8 cars and none of them have had the stupid problems her mini has had.

Why is Mini USA not recalling such transmissions and giving the customer peace of mind? Why would BMV-Mini sell such a faulty product? once the found out the CVT transimission was no good, they should have fixed the problem but recalling. Why is it that they still have 01-06 models for sale? I need some help here... I've been told by several service advisors that my car is like ticking bomb... the transimssion will eventually give out.. it is inevitable. MINI USA knows this.. why are they not doing anything?

problem has surfaced!

give my Mini to my worst enemy!!

I purhased my 2004 MINI Cooper manual, purchased used at CarMax in 2006. At about 54,000 miles, the vehicle began making a whining/scraping noise, which turned out to be the transmission and needed to be replaced. While my original manufacturer's warranty had expired at 36,000 miles, my extended warranty covered the repair.

I am extremely disappointed with MINI USA since I had done extensive research on the vehicle/brand to ensure that I would not encounter premature expensive repairs. In other words, I purchased a MINI Cooper because I thought I was purchasing a quality product that would last. There is no reason why a car with so few miles, driven gently and skilfully, would need a new transmission so soon.

i bought mi 2003 minicopper and my transmission went

I bought my 2005 Mini in 2007. Last night my steering went out, nearly causing an accident. Today I called Mini itself to find out what I can do and was told my warranty ran out in March and it was likely my steering pump. After researching online, I find out many many other Mini owners have the same problem. I am about to take this car at my expense in to have it officially diagnosed but this is ridiculous! A four year old car and they have no recalls in the US but they have in the UK! I could have been on the freeway and seriously injured as a result of this. I am going to sell this car and never will I buy another or recommend it to anyone else. I am currently out a vehicle, estimates of cost to fix are about $1500.

Mini Cooper are cute cars but a service nightmare. Within the first two years of owning our brand new Mini, the clutch had to be repaired. Two years later the transmission had to be replaced. I would never recommend this car to anyone

Reason why Mini's are all 6-speed now?????

My mechanic told me that what happened to my 5 speed 2003 mini cooper is common in only 5-speeds and would NOT have happened if it was a 6-speed.

Something in my transmission cracked while driving and leaked oil on my clutch. This lead me to $6000 of maintenance to rebuild my transmission and replace clutch when clutch wouldn't have needed to be replace if there weren't all my motor oil dretched all over it.

Please advise that they do not make mini coopers in 5-speeds anymore!

Second time, you guessed it, out of warranty. Over $500 to replace. I will by the part (rails and cables) my self, window motor is good, and put it in myself. Repair costs for a Mini is at least 4 times higher than the average car, ie, Accord, Malibu, Sentra....

I love my MiniCooper but the company is not easy to work with.

Bought a 2006 Mini Cooper S with the JCW in May of 07 with 12,300 miles. Came with the MINI next (Certified Pre-Owned). I'd worked with my salesman for two years so trusted his judgement when he steered me towards the used mini instead of the new I'd wanted originally. They had replaced two tires when I purchased - this should have been a hint to me. I should have pulled carfax too.

In Feb of 09 I had it towed to NW MINI in Tacoma, WA (this is where I live now) and they refused to honor warranty and fix. They told me that my car had been wrecked and had replacement parts on the suspension and new fuel tank. I was shocked because I've never wrecked my car. I pulled a car fax and found the car had been wrecked in NJ at 5000 miles and certified after the wreck. Flow states because the wreck cost less than 25% of the value of the car they didn't have to tell me about it.

And, they are refusing the honor the warranty they put on the car and fix it. Because of the cambers were off and the back tires weren't aligned correctly from the original repair - my right strut broke, possibly the trailing arm is broke, bent at the very least; the rear end is growling now so bearings are bad and possibly the whole axle will need to be replaced. Because the car fell onto the rear wheels it's wore them down to the cords. This car has eaten tires since I bought it and from the rust on the replacement parts - my repairshop said that these have been on there for awhile. I wish I'd had the accident as then I could have dealt with my ins. co. with no probs. Flow has refused to take care of the problems and said it's my fault I must have had an accident. There was body work done in the original accident too- I've not had any accidents in my car- was just driving down the freeway when the strut collapsed. I've contacted several attorneys regarding this issue.

Contacted MINI USA and they said they can't help they aren't responsible either and to hire an attorney- however they are confused due to the jurisdictional issue and the complications regarding the warranty and work done. Way to pass the buck! Since I've owned this car I"ve replaced two tires; needs a new clutch; gears gring; replaced a window motor; a speaker and it's cover; and one of my rims is bent from the orignal accident and the tire won't keep a good seal so continually goes flat. I will say the JCW kit is fast and fun- but the MINI cooper is definitely not worth the hype or money. If you do the math they cost as much to own as a more comfortable larger car. My MINI averaged me about eight hundred a month- INSANE. I'm letting them repossess it as I won't pay the fees to fix- I didn't have the accident. I can't believe that FLOW MINI and MINI USA treats thier customers like this - it's absolutely appalling.

Princeton MINI in NJ is also part of the problem as they supposedly fixed the vehicle originally. They did **** poor work and the result is that the parts have failed and I"m stuck with a huge loan to pay off (or not and screwed credit); no car. This issue has caused serious consequences within my life with my job and just ability to survive.

I bought a brand new MINI COOPER S in March 2008.

Driving it in cold weather is uncomfortable due to cold draughts entering the vehicle through the steering column and parts of the dashboard.

On the coldest days I've considered wearing gloves and putting a blanket across my legs.

MINI UK have attempted a modification to cure the problem without success.

Mr Richard Stracey, customer service executive at MINI UK, informs me that this is "normal for this model".

Bought a 2002 Mini in July 2007. Clutch has gone out and costs $1200 to fix!

I bought a 2002 Mini (base model, not the S series) from a friend about three years ago. It had about 43k on it, but since I only use it once a week or less, it stands at 50k. It's a manual. While I haven't had any problems with transmission (yet, I guess--knock on wood) the car has a sealing problem. When it rains, water seeps inside on the passenger side. This first happened about 2 yrs ago, I took it to the dealership to get if fixed and they told me they had to install new flooring throughout as there had been water damage. It cost about $1,000.

That held it off since then but now it's back. I should say that since I park outside on the street this happens every time it rains. I keep towels in the car on the passenger side floor, otherwise it becomes a real puddle. The windshield wipers stop working in the winter, they only work when it's warm out (above 70F).

I will never buy another MINI again and will try to sell mine off at the earliest.

Bought 2004 Mini Cooper...has been a fantastic car...but had problems with the Right Rear Brake Caliper...had to drive 180 miles one way to Brian Harris Mini is Baton Rouge,LA...they were fantastic...did all scheduled maintanence and found a recall on power window and replaced that no charge...but kept getting brake caliper trouble..finaly had to take the car back over 3 times and they could not replicate the problem...left there and on the way home guess what it happened...got home and called them...they sent a tow truck picked up my car and hauled it to Baton Rouge...NO CHARGE...replaced the brake caliper no problem....

never ever had anymore trouble and they have been fantastic...but now the dreaded power steering is going out...see many others with the same complaint...still waiting to hear back from them..but as I check out the other mini sites they all say it is expensive and must give away my granddaughter in order to get a pump...has anyone gotten one fixed free of charge...I do know that most mini dealers have the ability to do a courtsey fix without charging you for them...a nice little PR manuver...and if not what is the best way to get it done...Thanks for your help..

no damages as of yest

I own a 2003 Mini Cooper with 63,000 miles on it. My air bag light is on - brought to dealer and was told the control module had a fault and it would cost me $1000 to repair! I cannot believe this would not have an extended warranty on it. No repairing - will take my chances.

Bought a Mini Cooper last year, Power steering went out $900,Now transmission went out on the way to Vegas dealer told me $8000 to fix. Wish I had read more about these cars. I think I'll just let them repo the thing.

$8000 transmission $900 power steering pump windows roll down sometimes, drivers seat stuck in reclined position.

We bought a MINI 2002 MCS. It seems to have had more than the usual failures. The car now has 90,000 miles. Gas tank level sensor error, the power steering pump has failed, the front wheel bearings failed, the remote door lock system failed, antifreeze reservoir failed twice, o-rings to engine head or intake started to leak and head or intake had to be pulled, NAV system failed early on and they took the British lady voice away and applied a legal notice to the screen that I didn't have when I got the car, air conditioning system now stopped working, good thing that I bought the extended warranty but now it is out and I will have to pay 100% of the costs. Really worried with 90,000 miles that I will have a transmission failure.

Bascially the cost of repairs, even under warranty are high. Service group is always nice but with this many failures, as good of condition I take of my cars is unacceptable.

Bought a 2006 Mini Cooper, brand new. Ordered it, waited patiently, it finally got here and had the wrong tires on it. We thought fine we'll deal with it but it should've been a warning. We bring it in for the first oil change and they did a little warranty repair work. They changed the brakes. It had only been 11000 miles! And shortly thereafter, we had to change the tires-that should've lasted about 3 times as long as they did. Since then, we've had several problems getting the car worked on by Mini or just with the car itself.

During our second oil change/1 year inspection, they gave us a [bad] Chevy Cobalt to drive because they had to keep it a few days because they were so busy...probably fixing so many other Mini problems. Anyhow, the rental car they gave us got a flat while we were trying to go back and get our car. Last summer, our car started overheating and so we had to take it to Mini. $150 right in the door, once we finally got someone to talk to us on the phone and set up an appointment. Once they finally looked at, they told us the thermostat went out. That was another $200 just for a $50 pump.

So we leave there, everything seems cool, and now the airbag light is on. We don't know(and hopefully won't have to) if the passenger side airbags work or not. Once in a while, it acknowledges that there is something large enough to warrant the use of the airbags on the passenger side, but 99% of the time, the light just stays on and the no airbag light is lit as well. We've also just put on another set of brakes (front and back), changed the oil, and bought another set of tires (they're $500, 85000 mile touring tires... yeah).

Also like to mention the incredible stupidity that we're up against with our local dealer. We've had receptionists hang up on us, service men who won't call back, people hand us off to other people with no result, and everyone acts all peachy when you walk in like there's nothing wrong. They're like robots with happy faces.

Around $1500 so far on repairs, tires, brakes, oil changes

I bought a used 2002 Mini Cooper about 2 years ago and it has been the worst purchase I have ever made. Since purchasing my car, I have had so many problems with it that I can't even keep up with the maintenance costs. Here's the skinny on my problems with this car: 1) My driver side door no longer opens with the inside door latch so I have to bang on it to get it open; 2) my sunroof is broken and will not close!; 3) tire pressure light will not go off; 4) driver-side window will not roll down; 5) windshield wipers stopped working ($500 to fix!); 3 flat tires since purchasing the car on two years ago!; and 6) driver side seat would not lock. Needless to say after I get rid of this car I will never buy another one. And I will advise anyone who asks to never buy this car!

I've had my 2006 MCS since Nov. '06, and have been happy with it, until 2 days ago, when I came home, parked the car in my incline driveway (just like EVERY other day), pulled the handbrake all the way, unloaded groceries, and went inside my house. Fifteen minutes later, we heard a loud crash coming from outside. The car rolled 30 feet downhill before crashing into a wooden jungle gym. The car is near-totalled.

I took the MINI to the dealership, and service specialist Nick contacted me later to tell me that they've checked the parking brake and nothing was wrong with it. I found several other people online with the same exact problem, but their email addresses are no longer valid. Nick is trying to tell me to contact my insurance company, but I KNOW the parking brake was fully engaged, meaning this is a manufacturer's defect and neither myself nor State Farm should have to pay one red cent. There's a lot of talk on this forum about maybe we could join forces or we should band together and file class-action against BMW. Let's do it, Let's Sue (a play on MINI's Let's Motor mantra).

The entire right side of the car is scratched or dented. The windshield is fully broken. Glass everywhere in the interior. I can only imagine the damage to the undercarriage, as it took a lot of physical stress.

I made arrangements to purchase a 2009 Mini Cooper S. The sales rep. would not negotiate price with me. He said the Cooper is the most desired vehicle on the road and favored. Therefore, BMW had no need to negotiate on the Mini prices. Iwas not doing a trade in; I was doing cash down. I read the multiple negative reviews. I emailed the link of the negative reviews to the Mini rep; he says BMW corrected all these problems as of 2007. I noticed many of the complaints came regarding the 2007s. As much as I love that Mini Cooper S, thanks to all of you. I have withdrawn my offer to purchase one.

Our May 2006 BMW Mini has 124K mileage and a $10,940 cost estimate to have this magically sealed transmission system repaired! Apparently the Mini transmisson is sealed and requires complete replacement. Why would I spend that same book value today for repairs on this car? This transmission issue is an un-heard-of engineering catastrophe. If we had not previously owned and enjoyed trouble-free 3 series, 5 and 7 series, then this would be hard to believe of our once beloved BMWs. But it is true. The transmission issues are absolutely huge on the Mini, a far greater problem than my 525 i tire rims that kept producing flats

Consequences: just might leave the little beast with the dealer. This is an unresolved mess. BUYER beware. They do not tell you that this little 'engineering' marvel is a sealed system. My question: who would design a transmission that is SEALED? Not repairable? Seems like built- in obsolesence? You tell me? Out-raged in Toronto. ps. And Customer Service is exceedingly loath to admit and deal with the problem, at the dealor and head office levels. Hello call waiting... I shall be ill if I hear another pre-recorded message of warranty, quality and genuine parts.

I purchased a new 2007 Mini Cooper S which has had nothing but problems. The dealer is only open on week days which causes me to take time of work to have it looked at. First problem was a terrible grinding noise in the steering which I took the car in 3 times for. Each trip by the time they get it in the shop the noise is not present and they say they find nothing wrong. I have had the notorious rattling valves in the morning and dealer said this was normal.

Cars engine light has come on twice and both times it was heat related when cold outside. Each time was another 120 mile round trip to Indy to have the thermostat and housing replaced due to not functioning properly. Second of these the car had to be trailered there as I refused to drive it even though they said it was ok. (By then I had read many of the complaints on this site).

All said and done my Mini had 22K on it when I finally traded it in due to sheer lack of confidence and far too many expensive trips to the dealer. (time off from work, fuel and wifes time to pick me up). I will never by another Mini or BMW for that matter, cant trust a company like this. PS. Love my new Subaru!

Expenses in time of and fuel for many trips to dealer. $5K loss due to poor value at trade-in. Tried to seel out right with no callers in 30 days of advertising.

I have an '02 Mini-S it has been garage kept since new. It only has 12,000 mi mainly because of all the problems. It has been looked at so many times I can no longer remember! But I'm still having trouble out of the power steering pump leaking and if I don't refill it every week or so it will burn the pump up (that's when I fell brave enough to try to go anywhere in it. BMW should put a warning sign on the visor to BE SURE AND TAKE A CELL PHONE WHEN GOING BEYOND THE DRIVE. All my warning lights stay on from the Air-bag to the check engine light.

The dealership in NC. told me that I would need all new work on the manifold system because the code on the computer keeps saying low manifold pressure, then they tell me it's because of water in the engine, the oil was changed and the manifold warning stopped, but later all the dash lights began to come on and stay on. I'm having trouble with it overheating and at last they want to replace or at least disassemble my Supercharger. No Way.

These cars do have too many troubles to be the cars represented in their ad's, but the pocket-picken Dealerships/mechanics who can't seem to find any major problems until the warranty expires? Then they hit you with Thousands $$ and in most cases these repairs will run more than the current Bluebook on my car. So basicly I have a car with 12,000 miles, garage kept since new, never driven in rain or snow, never driven by anyone but me, never raced or mis-treated, and if I would like to keep driving it, I will have to go to the bank take out about 7 to 10 thousand dollars (and that's just getting started)

Come'on people this is highway robbery, someone should do something! Maybe if we all pooled the money wasted on bad repairs we could have hired an attorney and at least made BMW/Mini USA buy these things back from us. In closing, I now drive my husband's Ford F-350 diesel pickup, how's that for fuel economy!

I have an almost new car that I have spent around $30,000. on and I can't drive it. It sets in my garage covered up and I get to starr at it on occasion. I have spent a fortune trying to get it fixed and the repairs don't last. It will cost at least $7,000. to get started on the repair needs according to the shop and possably an additional 3-4 thousand more to fully complete. Not to mention that it's over 150 miles to the nearest dealership. All this on a car that has 12,000 miles and in the physical condition that mine is in, this car is mint. You can still smell the leather when you open the door. I have a 1994 Nissan Altima with over 150,000 miles and all I've done to it is a couple pair of brake shoes and oil-filter. This new car can't be driven. It isn't safe with the power-steering problem and with the manifold and now supercharger going out.

I'vehad so many problems since the purchase of the car. So many infact that I can only name a few that I can remember.

1) The cup holder fell off

2) The plastic molding on the doors
( both sides )were replaced several times due to cracking ( looks like if you were to bend plastic that weird white line )

3) Squeeky windows on both sides (said it was a worn belt and this was only after a year after i got the car)

4) Chair got stuck in the upright posistion

5) The hatchback door fell off ( dead serious....)

6) Something was leaking by the engine and i cant remember what that was.

7) The rear defroster wires on the back windshield went

8) Half the lights went out where the heat controles are.

9) The horn in currently broken

10) Rear windshield wiper motor blew

11)Musty grose smell that comes out of the vents when the ac is turned on
( told me that was going to happen all the time )

12) Key wouldnt unlock the doors.

13) Then after the key broke, it wouldnt unlock from the inside.

...thats about all i can come up with now.

Worst investment EVER. Should have kept my 1996 Toyota celica. NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER had any problems with that car, just the normal maintance.

A New Member of the Club I was Lucky I got 95000 mile out of my transmission & clutch. No I am not Happy about this, i am very very mad after 4600$. My old Klunkers never had these issues, by years end I will go back to Honda or Toyota!!!

Same loud noise when the clutch was not engaged. This was the transmission, so while he was in there & the high milage naturally the clutch needed to go too!

as happens with so many owners of mini coopers, my transmission blew up at only 70,000 miles. and dealer told me 5,000$ plus to repair it..

I purchased a 2002 Mini Cooper three months ago. About two weeks ago my car started making a noise when the clutch was disengaged. So I brought it to a foreign car mechanic, they told me it was the clutch. I got three quotes on the clutch and the lowest was $1,200. So I fixed that, and three day's later the car started to make the same noise as before.

After fighting for a long time with the previous mechanic he takes it back and looks at it. The he preceeds to tell me that the transmission is out and it will cost $5,000-$8000 to fix. The car only has 40,000 miles on it and Mini will not take responsibility for this. It is amazing how many people have reported these same problems will Mini, we should ban together and get something going. Obviously these cars have major defects and it is so sad how Mini is handeling it.

I purchased my minicooper in 2004 it was a great car until the repairs bills kicked in I have kicked out over $12,000 dollars into this car If I would have researced these blogs before writing a $24,000 check for this vehicle I would have went a elsewhere. This list of problems goes on and on . And as I read the other complaints from other Consumers its really scary because I have been throught the same problems.

About 2 weeks ago I call the dealership to tell them that my Service Engine Soon like was on. the service Rep states to me that as long as its not flashing you are fine and we can make and appointment to bring it in for service. mind you its past the 50,000 mile mark so its out of warranty and they charge $120.00 just to diagnois the problem and if I decide to let the work on the vehicle they will subtract that from my parts.

I woke up the next day and the Service Engine Soon light was gone. couple of days when by hoopped in the car it wouldnt start I had to get a boost. once I jumped it I could here my power steering fan and it was louder than usual. and when I turnt off the car it continued to run unsually longer than it was suppose to even after the vehicle was off that was what caused my battery to run down.

So i had to replaced my power steering pump, a battery an emission sensor and the total price is $1850.00 plus $200.00 for labor so ridiculous. I just got home and Im so frustrated with this car I want to throw it off the cliff. Someone needs to make consumers aware of the things prior to warranty's expiring and downside of the Mini Cooper ownership as a whole because this is happening. I thought this was a good a car the resale value is good but the repair bills can set you back. If I would have none what I know now I would have left this car on the lot.

I have to set up a special savings account just for service of my vehicle. we dont even want to start on the struts, wheels, tires, and the back hatch which hasnt been open since of 0ct of 08 because the hinges rusted how that happened? Good question, those cost $30.00 but to install $350.00 so terrible. and the xeon lights the screw is broken to adjust the light so the driver side lights faces down, and is not facing up cost $1500 to purchase that dosnt include labor and the light is not out it just needs to be pushed up. I just sick off this car.... :(

Last spring I began to make inquiries about the Mini Cooper. It became very clear right away that this dealership has customer service at the bottom of thier list. I worked so hard to get information about the vehicle, financing and so forth that it almost drove me crazy. I made countless calls and finally had to rely solely on the website for Mini Cooper. It's a great website, but no reflection on the company because it is the same for all dealerships with the exception of available cars. I decided to move forward with the purchase because I really love the car. I was promised $2000 for a trade-in prior to the purchase of our new Mini Cooper.

A purchase agreement was written up the day we arranged to go downstate in the trade-in (about 5 hours away). They wrote in $2,000 for the trade-in as the appraised value. At the last minute they said they could only give us 1,300 for the trade-in. We had no choice, could not turn around and go back in the old car because we needed the new one and so many arrangements had already been made. Later i wrote to the company and asked why we were shorted the $700. They would not reply. I called and called, e-mailed and e-mailed then finally got a reply, but their reasoning made no sense. the items they listed about the car I had already made known. they said as long as there were no major dents or scratches we would get 2,000. there were no major dents or scratches.

Recently, i needed some parts for the car. the body shop called and called but [dealer] does not return calls to vendors either. My car repair was delayed weeks/months because of them again. Luckily, a new dealership has opened up so I no longer need them. But people need to know that they are crooks and frustrating to deal with on top of it.

Part of the purchase was put on my visa. Becuase we had to pay more than planned on the car, I could not pay all of my visa bill, had interest and finance charges that set me back. Plus, I would have kept the trade-in if I could have to sell for more later but we only had one driver and could not bring the old one back.

Vehicle has various issues but most notably an engine problem caused by water getting into the manifold, freezing and then causing high emissions and low engine power in cold weather. We were lied to on our initial visit to the dealer when we asked if they were aware of this problem. They said not at all and their fix was to change the oil. The car was only 5 months old. The problem reoccured the day after we took the car home - 200 miles from the dealership. When I called them back, and went all the way up to the head of the service dept., he finally admitted that they were well aware of the problem but MIni issed orders to change the oil first even though we traveled so far and they knew at that time it wouldn't take care of the problem. We argued for a while and then we had to drive 70 miles to a rental agency of their choice to have our car hauled back to the dealership while they put us in a very substandard rental car.

I also emailed Mini's main site at that time, received a call back and was told by the first rep that I should pursue whatever legal action I wanted to. He also lied a number of times most notably when he told me there was no supervisor available for me to talk to. I did speak to someone else who promised to call the dealership but I never heard back from him. He also stated that the problem had never come up prior to my complaint even though Mini is manufacturing new parts to try to take care of the issue. The service manager at the dealership said he was going to file a complaint for me to try to get some monetary compensation or a new vehicle.

When I spoke to him today he didn't remember ever talking to me. The manifold piece itself is apparently somewhere that they can't track it. They would not order the part while we had the vehicle. It had to be trailered back there before Mini allowed the part to be ordered because they said there aren't enough of them to go around. Now my driveable car that I paid over 30,000 for is sitting at the dealership while I'm driving a rental with no snow tires. And the lying continues. Worst product and customer service I have encountered in a long time.

Time lost from work - 3 days and still counting. Driving a car not fitted for the conditions in the area I live. Hours of time on the phone and the worry that they never really will fix the problem.

My Mini Cooper (2003 with 104,000 miles), beloved little car, has been a money pit. I've replaced the power steering pump, exhaust, all 4 tires at least once a year, strut mounts... and now I'm looking at a problem with the transmission or clutch. What a huge disappointment. I thought this car would be worry free & fun, but it's turned out to be a huge suck of money and time. I've spent at least $7000 on repairs on my Mini over the last 2 years.

I've spent at least $7000 on repairs on my Mini over the last 2 years.

4 weeks ago I brought my 2003 38,000 mile car into the dealer for an annual NYS inspection. I knew I needed tires & had a small oil leak - but the car was running just fine. $4,000 and a day past: 3 tires, strut mounts, control arm bushings. I take the car home and it feels just as good as when I brought it in - no better. Two days pass & I hear a funny noise that I thought was just the new tires. But I hear it only when in gear (manual trani). I bring it back to the dealer where they check it out and tell me I have metal shavings in the trani oil.

So they drain it and refill it and the noise seems to go away. 35 miles after that visit to the dealer and I'm driving along and my power steering goes out. what did they mess with now I ask myself. I park the car and a little while later I get back in and it seems ok. But then the steering goes out again. Then it stays out for two days - then it worked. Then it's out again. The dealer said he would check it out. $1,300 and now it works again - new pump. I see that this is too frequent a problem. And my car only has 38,000 miles on it & I've had it since it was new. I asked if there was some sort of recall. No such luck. How can this be?

See above. $4,000 + $1300 + 3 days in the waiting room. I keep good care of my car.

I purchased my 2007 Mini Cooper S in May 2007 and starting in November 2007 (2000 miles on the car) it would not start properly. I depressed the break and pressed the start engine button but this time the check engine light and the cruise control system failure light came on and the car turned off. I attempted to restart the car 3 times and finally it worked.

I called the dealership immediately and brought it in the next day. They first told me that it was a problem with the throttle. I brought the car home and a week later, the same thing. The next time I brought it in to the dealership they said it was an electrical problem. I took it home again and the next month, the same issue. To me it seemed to be related to the cold air since it had no problems in the summer.

The car went into the dealership a total of 15 times. The 14th time they told me that the problem was due to the bad fuel that I was putting into it because the ethanol content was too high (even though I used premium every time). They flushed out the fuel system and ended up rebuilding the top half of the engine. I took the car back and it seemed to be fixed. Yesterday I went to start my car and the check engine light and the cruise control system failure light came on and the car shut off. I was able to restart the car and went straight to the dealership. I told them I didn't want it back. The sales manager is now working with corporate to get me a new car, so we'll see what happens.

I bought my used 2003 mini cooper S on april 2006 with 38k miles. The car now has 100k miles on it but I've had a lot of the same issues listed on the mini cooper section of this site and I've spent a lot of money fixing it. First issue was with the power windows and locks when the weather was really hot. They wouldn't work unless i punched the inside of the door (something I learned from one of the mini technicians). This was covered under warranty to get replaced but i figured I would mention it. Next the car would make the rattle noise that ended up being the popular clutch problem. They replaced the clutch and fly wheel twice.

Needless to say my car still makes a metal whistle sound when I take off on first gear. Tech said is like having new brakes squeak... lame explanation. Next my power steering fan went i'm out of warranty at this point so about $500 replacing it. Next my power steering pump went while driving. It stayed off for a few days and the day before I took it to the dealer it started working but I noticed the pump would not shut off when the car was off. I had to drive the car to the dealer that night and disconnect the battery. otherwise it would have just drained it and cause more issues. That was about $1500 to replace.

The latest problem is the heating system. My car doesn't over heat but it doesn't blow hot air. This has been a cold winter here in NJ and it has been a nightmare. They replaced the thermostat for $400 and I drove away. 20 minutes later the problem started again. Took it back a few days later and they flushed the system over and over again until it worked. Now the heating worked for about 3 weeks and stopped again. I'm back to cold air and they tell me the next thing is to replace the water pump and if that doesn't work then the super charger needs to be looked at. Those two things would cost an arm and a leg and at this point I just rather get rid of the car. I hear a lot of people with the same issues. It seems like the money I save in gas i spend in the dealer fixing it. not worth it.

My 2003 Mini Cooper caught on fire yesterday. A short in the power steering pump some how sparked the fire right after the power steering went out. I noticed my car was hard to turn and then within 1 minute my car was on fire.

The fire went out quickly so fortunately only the power steering pump, two electrical harnesses and the fan only have to be replaced. It is going to cost $1500 to fix. This could have been a total disaster if I'd have been on the freeway. Mini should recall these pumps. I know my car is not the first fire caused by a faulty power steering pump.

Purchased an '02 mini auto hardtop used. Several problems came up right around the 50-55k mark. Our seat got locked in the recline position and won't move, and we refused to pay $900 to have it fixed (we felt that only one part of the seat needed fixed, but the dealer said the whole seat needed to be replaced.) Our muffler's heat shield rusted off completely, pieces literally hanging off, and the muffler started dropping lower and lower to the ground.

Despite no leakage, we were told the whole muffler needed replaced, even when the bracket was the only thing that fell off. We welded the muffler in place ourselves, and took off what's left of the heat shield. If we had the dealer handle it, we would of been without a car for over a week because of wait times and over $1k repair for a simple bracket falling off.

Today my husband was driving home from work, and when making a turn, the car just died mid-traffic. The engine revs when pressing on the accelerator, but regardless of drive/reverse, the car won't move. After seeing what others have posted about the cost of repairs for transmission failure, we're scared to death to take our car in for diagnostics, literally crying because the cost to fix the car could be as much as the value of the car. What's even more unnerving is our car only has 55k miles on it, and we only drive locally.

I have a 2008 Mini Cooper S. Bought new in Portland, Oregon. Within 500 miles the engine, at start up, will make a loud metallic rattle sound for about 5 minutes. It doesn't happen every morning, but frequently enough, about 2-3 times a week. [Dealer] says the sound is normal and will do nothing to fix the problem. Many Mini owners have experienced this problem and there seems to be no solution from Mini or BMW. But after owning over 100 cars for 40 years, this is not a normal sound. Something is going on and nobody is fixing the problem.

My '03 Mini, with 67k miles, up until the past summer, had no problems (or problems that I had to pay for--Mini has replaced the front windshield twice due to stress fractures). In July, the power steering pump failed. Because it's widely known in the Mini community that this is a frequent failure, the dealership paid for half (when I asked). This failure was a first for me. I've never owned a car where this has happened.

Around Thanksgiving, the check engine light came on. I was going to bring to the dealership (50 miles away)to have the codes read. When the light went out, I decided to wait and see. Short story: light came on a couple weeks ago, stayed on, but car was running fine. I put off bringing it in. Last week, had a couple incidents of rough idling with light flashing. Called dealership immediately. Told that if the CEL wasn't red, I could wait a couple days to bring it in. If my local mechanic could've gotten more information about the problem, like back around Tgiving, I would've known that a cylinder was losing compression. Mini keeps most information on this car so proprietory that even the local BMW shop can't work on them. Yesterday I had to leave the car at the dealership since it's been running on only 3 cylinders. It'll take 3-4 days to repair.

Economic damage: $2100 and a week's rental on my dime. After reading all the posts here, I fully realize that owning this car any longer is a crapshoot. There's no excuse for a company that's part of BMW/Daimler to manufacture a vehicle with major components that fail on a regular basis.

Bought a 2003 Mini New. There is not enough space for me to go into details. Would be thrilled to provide info. if a class action suit was initiated. It is the worse car that I've ever purchased. Makes my prior 2 door Saturn look like a dream. The Mini has been a nightmere after 1 year that has never stopped. Have spent more time at the dealership than I did with my marriage which is why I'm divorced. Please contact me if there is an attorney out there that wants to rid of the Mini Myth.

Between the Mini and my house value in the toliet - all that is left is my sense of humor.

the first time i took my mini was in arpil of 2007, at that time it was to get the gas gauage fixed. I had to take the car back three times. I gave up after the third time and the cost of 600.00. I went back on january 3, 2009 to get a speed sensor fixed. The service advisor came and told me that all my spark plugs were loose and the head was striped out in the secound cylinder. The cost of a new head is over four thousand dollars. The service advisor also said that the engine might need replaceing as shavings from the striped cylinder might have got in the engine. The cost of a new engine is over seven thousand dollars.

The service Advisor said that the car was unable to drive. I drove the car from my home in Willows to Sacramento i should be able to drive it back. The service department got it running but after driving about twenty miles the car started making a poping sound and i had to have the car towed home.

I spent 160.00 on having them strip out my head and then wanting over seven thousand dollars to get it fixed.

I have a 2004 4 Runner with 43k miles on it and have replaced front brakes once, I have a corvette with 20k miles on it and have never replaced the brakes and I have a pick up truck with 25k miles on it and have never replaced the brakes - it is definitely not my driving. I feel like the car has draw backs that trump its coolness and am very disappointed and should have been informed that the brakes were soft and needed to be replaced often - also the car has a terrible rattle in the dask that they cannot seem to find and fix.

Economic damage is $800 for brakes and the cost of cabs back and forth to the dealership since it is not near public transportation and the fact that I feel that I did not get full disclosure from them upin purchase.

Purchased a '02 Mini in April, '05. Since that time I've had to replace the Airbag warning sytem wiring. Once under their warranty program and twice under my dime. Then received a letter from MINI saying that they would extend the warranty for ten years. They system failed again and luckily they did the work. While in the shop they found that the strut mounts had gone bad and had to be replaced, the oil pan gasket was shot and was leaking badly, both of which cost $1500+. They clutch had gone out under warranty with fragments going into the starter and burning it up.

These items were replaced at MINI's cost, but 4 months later the clutch went out again, this time out of Warrant. Another $1400+. While repairing the strut mounts this last repair, I asked that they look at the transmission because of the noise it made. They wanted to pull and replace for $4000. I said no and just make sure the fluids are OK. I guess I'm living on borrowed time from the previous post to this site. Its too bad that a company like BMW is ruining their rep. with this machine. I've a '84 325e that has been solid for 23 years. Some of this should have rubbed off on the MINI Coster, I mean Cooper.

I've taken great care of my MINI since it was my first new car. I bought an 02. The back hatch fell off twice, the straps that hold up the muffler, and the outside of the muffler is rusting, I've had the wheel bearing/cv go bad, heating core is shot so my drivers side floor is soaking wet, and now the throwout bearing is going bad. I parked it for the winter because I don't want to deal with the cost right before I get married.

Aparently my entire income is supposed to go into this car, I cannot sell this, it is not worth anything near what I paid in total for it. So until I drive the 200 miles to the MINI dealership, I'm stuck with a car that makes a horrible sound and could possible stop shifting all together. I'm an experienced stick shift driver, I was told last oil change that there was some metal shavings found, didn't know it would result in a complete disaster. I will never by another Mini or Bmw.

70,000 miles power steering motor goes. thought bmw had a part in making these vehicles?

I own a 2003 Mini Cooper S. I almost got into an accident because the power steering motor stoped working while driving.

mini cooper s 2003 72,000. clutch failed twice. now power steering failed as well as abs (brake system). Right passenger door wont lock electronically. for a time the locks and right window didn't work. Also had to replace throttle. And one point the back seat dislodge. Sunroof also broken.

I have a 2004 Mini Cooper which the clutch without warning just disintegrated, I took it to a transmission shop that is very reputable (it has been in business for over 30 years) and my husband had used when his Honda's transmission went after 200,000 miles. After replacing the clutch to the turn of 1,700.00 they still could not get the transmission to work. They had to take it to the BMW dealership!

What is it that BMW is not telling all of us about this car? Too many people are having ploblems with this clutch just disolving on them for no apparent reason. I really feel that BMW should own up to this one and take their loses and run, because I for one would love a class action suit against them.

I am a school teacher. I bought the car because they advertised it to be very economical. NOT with repairs like this, I will be bankrupt!

We recently relocated from Sun City, Arizona to Bakersfield, Califiornia. My wife needs to have warranty repairs done for her Mini Cooper. Mini Cooper USA states that warranty work can only be done by certified Mini Cooper mechanics. The nearest Mini Cooper dealership is 120 miles from our residence (240 miles round-trip). I was told on the phone that there were no other options. This is horrible customer service for Mini owners that do not live near a Mini dealership or BMW dealership that does repair work on Mini Coopers. At the very minimum Mini Cooper USA could offer to reimburse the customer for repairs done by a qualified mechanic in or near the city of residence. If repairs are not done properly, that would be between the customer and mechanic to resolve and not Mini Cooper USA.

A round trip drive of 240 miles just to have warranty repair work is ridiculous!Driving long distances is physically difficult for my wife and I. I cannot drive a stick shift. The nature of the mechanical problems could easily cause a vehicle breakdown enroute to the repair location some 120 miles away. The warranty is of no value to us if we cannot use it due to the distance between our home and the nearest Mini Cooper dealership.

I bought a new 2003 Mini Cooper with a 50K warranty in June 2003. While under warranty and receiving recommended maintenance through the dealer, the car required repair of the driver's seat which was frozen in the reclined position. As soon as the warranty expired, the brake light indicator began flashing and I took it immediately to the dealer. I was told the entire brake system needed replacement for $1600 (not sure why indicator only tells when brakes are totally shot or why most recent service check had not shown worn pads). Later, the driver's side window failed and that cost $600 to replace.

Then, I was told the struts needed replacement to the tune of $1600. My male friends who are mechanically inclined and/or engineers said that one would need to be doing stunts in a car to need that kind of repair at 58K miles. Later, the air conditioning system died which cost $1400 to replace (at 60 K miles). Now at 69K, the transmission is going bad. My present mechanic (cheaper and more reliable than dealership) says replacement of transmission and clutch with remanufactured system will be $4000.

This is an outlandish amount of repair for a car with <70K mileage. I have had 2 previous Hondas that were cheaper than the MINI and never needed a clutch or transmission. My son drove my '95 Honda CVCC until last month and it had 200K miles. I will never buy another MINI, or BMW for that matter, based on this experience. I will be sure to discourage others from buying one. I hope a class action suit is formed.

The car has required $7800 of unanticapated repairs in the last 19,000 miles of driving after the warranty expiration.

I have an '02 cooper with just over 72,000 miles on it and the transmission is dying! My loyal mechanic informed me of the cost of a new transmission and that BMW knew of the existing problem and only recently started issuing recalls for only the recent models. What are the rest of us supposed to do with a great car that just has a crappy and faulty tranny and the manufacturer won't own up to it and give us a break on the cost of a new transmission.

Metal shavings were found when they drained my transmission fluid and my car is making a horrific grinding noise when driving. This is my commuting car and I live in an area where I cannot car pool with anyone. I own the car, but cannot sell in good conscience knowing that the tranny is going out, but want to keep the car, but it is going to cost me an arm and a leg to pay for just the transmission. The manufacturer knew of the problem, yet hasn't devised a plan to assist its paying customers. I know BMW is a reputable company and my other car that my fiance drives is a 330 xi and we have had no problems with it, but to knowingly disregard those who are having a manufacturer's dilemma and not being helped out is ridiculous and, in short, unfair.

I purchased a 2004 Mini Cooper from Thomas Automotive in Medford, NY in Feb of 2008 with a bumper-to-bumper warranty (an additional $2500 fee was added to the sale price for this, I was told by Thomas Automotive it was full coverage and the company I'd be dealing with would be "Customers Edge-Preferred"). Dec. 8th, 2008, the transmission died. The car has just over 54K miles on it. I contacted Thomas Automotive and they told me they no longer deal with the warranty company and I now have to do the footwork deal directly with them.

After 9 phone calls to Customer's Edge I was put in touch with the company "WarrenTech." The rep I spoke with at WarrentTech gave me the name of an approved local repair shop and said to set up the tow/diagnostic with them (AAMCO of Centereach). I did contact AAMCO and was told by Frank not to worry about the tow, it would be covered and then he explained the diagnostic/approval process. As I work full time I also needed a rental. WarrenTech spoke w/Frank at AAMCO later that day and he was told they'd arrange for a rental for me at Enterprise, also in Centereach, at $30/day.

I have 80,000 miles on my 03 mini cooper r50. And my transmission is blown. I cant belive BMW is just turning there heads from this issue.

I cant afford car payment plus repair bill.

Add my name to the rapidly growing list of people who bought Mini Coopers in their first few years of production and who have had the transmission die after a very short life span. I bought mine in 2002 and over the past six years, have put just under 60,000 miles on it. The transmission died this week (luckily as I was pulling up to my house after a long drive) and I was told by a service adviser that it would cost $6,000 for the new transmission and $1800 to install it. He then told me that they had also found an additional $1800 worth of smaller repairs (and I just spent $1300 to have the brakes and the driver's side door and window repaired 3 months ago).

I could not believe that a car made by BMW could possible blow it's transmission after 60,000 miles and I assumed that the company would be scandalized by the poor performance of my car and would comp me the $6,000 for the parts, despite the fact that my mini is two years out of its warranty, but I was wrong. And now I understand why Mini can't comp the new transmission. They are about to have everyone who bought this car in it's first four years of production on their doorstep wondering why their BMW-made transmission died halfway through it's expected lifetime.

I've opted not to get the car repaired for two reasons. First, since the repair estimate stands at $9600 and the blue book value of the car is only $10,000, the car is essentially totaled. But more importantly, Mini obviously doesn't stand by its product. I don't know what in the world is going to happen to this car next but I do know how Mini will respond when it does - with a big get lost.

Mini discovered the problem with their transmissions in time to change them in their 2006 cars. At that time, they had a responsibility to their customers to issue a recall of the original faulty transmission. Failing that, they should offer a greatly discounted new transmission to those of us who have fallen victim to their poor engineering. The fact that they are charging $6000 for this new transmission makes it clear that Mini regards their failure as an opportunity to gouge their customers.

I'm selling the car as is, but obviously at a fraction of its blue book value. I feel I am owed $6000.

80,000 miles, 3 transmissions, BMW mini not standing by their product. Enough said.

$5000 to $7500 average cost for repair, BMW MINI is aware of the issue but will not stand by their product. You could be one day or one mile over the warranty period and you are out of luck. Good b[y]e nice doing business with you. Will not buy even a pen from them.

Privately purchased my 2003 Mini in April this year with 67k miles. Seller had just had a new clutch installed by the dealer a month before I purchase the car from him. Now, the transmission has suddenly and totally failed with less than 75k miles on the odometer. The dealer who replaced the clutch just let me know that it will cost approximately $6k to replace. I am a careful driver and cannot imagine why a transmission would totally fail on such a young car.

I am not sure I can afford to repair this car, despite how much joy it was to drive. I am in shock, and am not sure what to do.

My Mini clubman with less tha 1000km on the clock suddenly would do more than 5 kph. The car was towed away but no one can tell me what was wrong and why it took 5 days to repair. Luckly Mini gave me a rental car for 2 days.

I own a 2002 Mini Cooper S. The driver's seat is stuck in the recline position. It will cost more than $700 to repair! The seats in the mini have ALWAYS been very hard to move. The power door lock on the drivers side does not work. The clutch makes an odd groaning noise at take-off. I am reporting these as it seems like there are many consumers reporting the exact problems with their minis.

Seat repair - $700 +. Can not drive car in relined seat position. Dealer says ther frame is broken - huh? Door lock repair - $200+. Clutch repair - $1700 plus.

Two clutch burnouts in about 1.5 years, blamed on my driving. Despite my explanation that I have owned four prior cars, all manual shift, two of them used, never needed a new clutch. But on my 2007 Mini, I have two burnouts. It makes no sense. $1200.00 to replace the clutch out of my own pocket.

My 2003 Mini S has had more issues than I think is reasonable for a vehicle that is regularly maintained with less than 60,000. As far as I know, I operate the vehicle correctly, i.e., don't ride the clutch, jack rabbit starts/stops, etc. Cracked windsheild (cracked) Broken rear window (shattered) Broken power window $2200 brake pad & calipers (replace/repair) Broken struts Replace the clutch steering bushings replaced engine fan Total cost for repairs listed above exceed $6000. A fair chunck of change relative to the cost of the vehicle.

The next time repair estimates exceed $1000 I'm going to leave the keys AND the car with the technican. Unless you have money and patience to burn, or are into pain, I wouldn't recommend the car to anyone. While I adore the car and love the way it handles, it has been anything but reliable, dependable and trustworthy. AND its HIGH maintanence. The dealer is anything but helpful. Neither the salesman nor the technician, but the CASHIER told me she's seen a LOT of similar repair work for Minis.

$6000+ in repairs.

I own a 2003 Mini Cooper that I almost got into an accident because the power steering pump stops working while driving. After doing some research, I found that it is a very common complaint from other Mini owners. This is a very serious issue, since one can easily loose control of the car. I would urge MINI USA to recall the power steering pump in all MINIs, since it is defective by design and will fail without warning.

I almost got into a very serious accident and it has cost me $1000 to repair.

I bought a brand new Mini-Cooper 2007 last December 2007. It has only around 15,000 miles and the warranty is still applied for 4 years or 40,000 miles. My car broke down last week due to engine overheat. Before the car broke down, I had called the dealer to inform so problems that occurred with my car, however, they schedule me for a week later saying that they are all booked up. I asked them if it was alright to drive, and they told me its okay and could be driven till the service date. However, the next day my car broke down on the highway and had to be towed to the dealer.

When I contacted the dealer, they say its 100% under warranty and I do not have to pay a dime. After two days, I received a call saying that the dealer is only willing to cover 80% of the cost and I will have to pay the 20%. The total cost was around $9000 to replace the engine. The reason they gave was that it was my carelessness that I did not take the warning lights more carefully and better inform them of the problem, therefore, causing the expense to fix the car higher. Therefore, I had to take part of the responsibility in the cost to fix the car.

This is really a bad experience and I bought it brand new so that I do not have to encounter any problems which I will face with used cars. But this seems worse than used cars. I hate Mini now and I would not recommend to anyone. I do not know what to do now and they are forcing me to fix it or they will start to charge for the inventory and car rental fees.

Before the car broke down, I had called the dealer to inform so problems that occurred with my car, however, they schedule me for a week later saying that they are all booked up. I asked them if it was alright to drive, and they told me its okay and could be driven till the service date.

However, the next day my car broke down on the highway and had to be towed to the dealer. When I contacted the dealer, they say its 100% under warranty and I do not have to pay a dime.

After two days, I received a call saying that the dealer is only willing to cover 80% of the cost and I will have to pay the 20%. The total cost was around $9000 to replace the engine.

The reason they gave was that it was my carelessness that I did not take the warning lights more carefully and better inform them of the problem, therefore, causing the expense to fix the car higher. Therefore, I had to take part of the responsibility in the cost to fix the car.

Purchased 08 Clubman 3 weeks ago, plastic piece over passenger door fell of on my way home from dealership. In car wash, touchless only, rear right door came open on its own while carwash was circling blowing water in. Was in ohio, took it to dealership, they new of a bulletin, said to keep it locked and avoid pressure washes. Took the car to local dealer when I got home, they didn't know about bulletin, found it, ordered parts 2 weeks ago, still not in. Engine noise noticed, from pulley. Tech cleaned belt and it still is making noise and is getting louder. Called today, 10/30 and said parts weren't in, they would take them from new vehicle but no loaner available for 2 weeks. Noise from engine getting louder, cant wash car. I'm a car freak and this is very upsetting.

rear of Mini Clubman was filled with water. I cant wash car by hand. I am waiting for heart and lung transplant so I can't wash it like i usually do. really disgusted with my new car.

I bought a 2007 Mini in May '07. Two weeks ago, as usual, I'd depress the brake and press the Start Engine button to start the car. The starter would engage but the engine wouldn't hold the charge after seven attempts. As it only has 33K+ miles on it, it was still under warranty so I called MINI Roadside assistance, which was very helpful and expeditious. The dealer tells me that the problem is due to bad gas, the ethanol content is too high, even though I always put premium in it; they further told me that because of our gasoline and ethanol combination here in the US, this is a design issue and not covered under warranty. They flushed the fuel system and charged me $360.

It happened again today, and again, I had to take time off from work to tow it in. The dealer again attributed it to bad gas and sent me a list of Top Tier Detergent Gasoline Retailers and Technical Service Information bulletin SI M 13 02 06 dated April 2006 and copyrighted 2006 affecting MINI Model R50, R52, R53, with W10 and W11 that says NEW WARRANTY INFORMATION Because carbon deposit build-up is related to fuel quality, it cannot be considered as a defect in vehicle's materials and workmanship. Consequently, usage of BMW Group Fuel System Cleaner is not covered under the terms of the MINI New Vehicle Limited Warranty or maintenance plan.

I was not made aware of this information when I endeavored to purchase a reliable car; in fact, I was told that I could use premium and regular interchangeable. I am sharing this infromation in hopes that it will not cost others the same grief and expense. If you or someone you know also experience this problem, please advise me. Perhaps we can get a class-action suit started. It will cost me another $360 dollar not to mention time from work and anxiety.

Economically, this has cost me $720 dollars for this specific problem alone olus time off from work. I have also had to pay for over $300 front brake pads at 27K miles.

Don't even know where to start..on 6/30/06 I purchased a Mini Cooper-04 within one week of having this vehicle I started having problems with only 45,000 miles on it..thought I did my homework..thought it's made by BMW can't be anything big with only 45,000 miles. Eww I was sooo wrong. Airbag/battery light went on. Next the car kept stalling everwhere..in town on the highway. I was mortified. The assbags at the dealership insisted it was something I did..in a week..are you freaking kiding me? It was towed in and apparently fixed..not! I brought it home to have the pressure tire light go on and still stalling.

On my second return to this dealership I had to threaten that I would go to channel 10 because I was told it must be my driving and the warranty would not cover...In this short 4mth period the dealership was bought by Balise who absolutely refused resposibility for the previous dealer. So they said in good faith they would pay half on the comp. brain which was the problem...whatever that was. And this time I could not get a rental for free..un-freakin-believable. They so kindly added it to my loan with them for 1,700. You know to help me out. I quickly brought it to a legitimate mechanic who said wires were unplugged and to get rid of the car. They fixed what they could for the cheapest price of 800...this sucks!

I loved Mini's until that! never again! Got rid of it happily to....a car dealership..as a trade..in which they told me the car was upside down in price.. I have to say Citifinacial was wonderful to deal with in going over all the paper work they could see I was absolutelly cluless as to how the car went upside down in price..Well the car dealership helped me with the loan remember..they forgot to tell me they added some DEALS to the warranty. And in trading in the piece of **** I was responsible still for that warranty...go figure it was all greek to me. Citifinancial cut my price of the new loan down to what it should have leagally been for the new car. Total out of pocket cost for a freakin Mini..about 3,000..sucks!having a reputible financial institute step in and fix things for me..sweet.. placing this complaint on the internet for everyone to read...PRICELESS!

I purchased a brand new 2008 Mini Cooper S in April of 2008 and the clutch wore out with 353 miles on the car. They gave me the scripted abuse answer and told me that they would repair it as a courtesy. The clutch wore out again at 8,800 miles and I was told by the dealership that it was going to be $3,200 to repair because the wonderful bumper to bumper warranty wasn't going to cover the clutch due to driver abuse. I have driven many different makes and models of vehicles tens of thousands of miles for the 31 years that I have been driving and have never worn out a single clutch.

I was told by the service manager that these cars are different and need to be driven in a special way. They never offered to show me how they were to be driven, and I refuse to change my driving habits to fit a car. I had the vehicle towed to a different Mini dealership, at my expense, to have the repairs made at 1/2 of the cost. I then traded the car in just to get out of it and came out with only a $14,000 loss.

BMW should take ownership of this known problem and make it right, or stop selling the vehicles to us hapless consumers. The sales hype and image presented by Mini is false advertising as well, don't fall for it like I did. I believe this to be a poorly engineered vehicle and the warranty is worthless.

Down payment - $12,000 Service agreement - $1,200 extended warranty - $800 towing charge - $150 repair - $1,600 All gone as I traded this car in for payoff.

We purchased a 2007 Mini Cooper S in June 2008. It has about 7000 miles on it. We felt secure buying a used car because the car came with a 100K mile warranty that covered everything including wear and tear such as windshield wipers, brake pads, etc. A few weeks after we purchased it, my husband noticed that the clutch seemed to be slipping. He is mechanically astute and had looked this car over carefully before purchasing. He had not noticed any problems witht he clutch during the test drives.

He took it in immediately to the dealer. We were informed that the car needed a new clutch. They said it was beyond normal wear and tear and Mini USA would not cover the repair under the all inclusive warranty! The implication was that we were at fault. My husband and I are both experienced manual transmission drivers and have never had a problem before. Our previous cars with manual transmissions had no problems for 100K miles!

I can't say for sure what the previous driver did but the car was working fine when we got it. I have never heard of a clutch breaking after 7K miles.It sounds like a design problem that causes catastrosphic failures. I am even more convinced now that I have read other people's problems. Sounds like we need a class action suit to get them to live up to the consequences of their faulty design and to the promises of selling all-inclusive warranties.

After complaining to MiniUSA, they reduced our bill to $1500. I am irate that we had pay anything since we had this supposedly super warranty that covers everything. We also had to pay for a rental car for two days that was $100 and my husband sent 6 hours going there and coming back and waiting.

I purchased a Mini Cooper on 09/22/02. Drove the car 43,000 mi. regular maintenance,when called for ,was done where purchased. Many expensive problems have occured, but none like the latest. On 10/14/08 the trans (automatic tvc) went out. replacement cost $8,600.00. I said what?, and called mini consumer affairs. They said they would negotiate with the dealer to reduce the cost.

An obvious problem with the trans is known by them. The result was a reduction in labor cost of $1600.00 was apparently supposed to make me happy. I am 65 yrs old and can not afford this cost. The car was not abused in any way. THis is an obvious flaw in the transmission from the start. Mini should take care of the cost.

My wife was driving her 2007 Mini Cooper. When she arrived at her destination, the car started smoking badly and appeared to be on fire. A strong odor of burnt rubber was present. The clutch no longer worked and the car would not move. The car was towed to where it was purchased. The service writer called and said that it was a burned out clutch and that it would cost $3,500 to repair it. This car only had 9,000 miles on it. He said that it was not covered by warranty and that this usually happened because of abuse.

My wife and I have driven a clutch all of our lives (after 16 years of course) and never had one clutch burned out much less at 9,000 miles. We have another vehicle with a clutch (Honda Civic) and our driving habits have not caused it to burn out. Upon investigation, there are dozens of similar stories of low mileage clutch burn outs on the 2007 Mini Cooper specifically. The dealer denies any advisories or problems of this nature despite numerous examples that I provided from the internet. The Mini service representative would not talk to me directly even though I asked.

I am filing this report so that others considering this vehicle will be aware that they may be buying trouble and second, that Mini Cooper is not very good about standing behind their product in the face of numerous experienced drivers having clutch failures at such a low mileage. Third, I want to make sure that if others experience this problem, that they don't buy that this is the first the mini people have heard of this issue. I loved our Mini until this incident and have had no other problems.

In view of how Mini Cooper handled this situation there will be no more Mini's in my future. There may be a good case for a class action suit in all of this...there is no telling how many people just paid the repair and made no fuss. Any bright attorneys are welcome to call me.

$3,500 dollars in physical damage and the stress of dealing with a disreputable car company.

I purchased 2002 Mini Cooper S in April of this year with around 56K on it from Amity Nissan.It was actualy advertised with 51K but it was at a great price so I didnt let the extra mileage bother me.The car was beautiful so I made a trade and purchased the car.Heres where it gets rediculous.I noticed some things within the first few days.1 a clicking sound in the steering column. 2 water in the trunk. 3 a severe pull to the left And lucky #4 NO HEAT!!! I brought the car back to nissan and they said they would take care of it. 1 weak goes by...nothing. I called and nobody knew anything so they said they would gert back to me. No one called me.

I called again. They told me that they sent it to a Mini/BMW dealer for the column and heat.Ok finally someone who knows this car is working on it.Right? WRONG!!!Mini calls me to tell me they changed the thermostat and the noiase in the column is a common problem and nissan wont pay for it becauyse its not considered to be a serious problem. Whatever. I picked up the cart that night and within 50ft of the dealer the heat went cold again. I brought it straight back. They called me a few days and told me they changed the radiator.

Once again i picked it up and the heat went cold within the first 20 minutes! Now I was ******!I went back to the dealer the next morningand sat down with the Service manager and told him how i felt.Ill put my Foreman on it right! away he told me. They called me later that weak to tell me it was fixed. It actually seemed ok this time until the next night when i was on the way back from Jersey and it was only 31 degrees out! My girlfriend and I froze to death the whole way home! Thank god the heated seats work!

I contacted Lemon Law and they told i had to take it up with the dealer where i purchased it. The dealer told me I had to get a lawyer. Needless to say that was more than i cared to deal with. I decided to have my mechanic fix it because I would rather pay to have it done right.Now im having ther power steering problems and the clutch feels like its going so i guess im on the short list for a world of headache. But there is no way ill ever bring it to another Mini dealership again! Oh and i was told later on that unless you actually buy the car from Habberstad Mini they cant be bothered with it.

Transmission died with no warning whatsoever at 58,000 miles. I had just left home to go to work. I was stopped at a red light, the light turned green, I hit the gas, the car moved about six feet, the transmission seized and died in the middle of the intersection.

The steering pump went out at 50,000 miles and cost about $1200 to replace.

The feature which tells you how many miles you're getting per gallon, etc. never worked. It was replaced free of charge after I had owned the vehicle for a couple of years, and the new one never worked either.

Mostly, I'm upset about the transmission. A five-year-old transmission with under 60k miles shouldn't just die, especially one that's engineered by BMW. I thought I was buying value five years ago. I'm bitterly disappointed.

I bought this car new in 2003 and just finished paying it off two months ago. I can't afford to replace the (insanely expensive) transmission, and I can't afford to replace the vehicle. I took what I could get for it from carmax because the salesman at the local MINI dealership seemed inconvenienced by my call, and it's almost a total loss.

I loved this car dearly, and I've been crying like it's grandma who died. My husband and I are now a one car family because we can't buy a replacement vehicle. I'm almost eight months pregnant and don't know how we'll manage with a newborn and only one car.

I bought BRAND NEW mini cooper in March 2004. When my brother brought the car for me, I notice that back bumper have some rust. Since my nearest dealer is about 45 mins. - 1 hour drive(without traffic). I decided to just leave it like that. It wasn't a big deal. After driving for a month, the panel of the back of my seat fall off(both front seats). I called the dealer. It was a worst dealer, I have ever seen. At that time, you have to call a head to make appointment, which was about 1-3 week waiting list. And, they have only specific date and time available. I have a fix schedule, so I couldn't go.

I just wait for month or so. Window at driver side started some problem. It wasn't working. I couldn't open or close. I have to use it caz I have to scan my apartment pass. Then, passenger seat couldn't adjust. Thus, I decided to wait for another month to check, if somethings going to brake again. Nothing happened. I call to make appointment. They said, they have next week available. I asked if they can order all parts. They said, Yes I got there. I didn't go anywhere I just sit an wait at the dealer. They guy said, you can take your car back today, and bring it back when a part come. I was like okay. I drove here more than 30 mins...Okay they said they fixed panel at both seat.

After, a week took my car back, it's fall off again. I couldn't open the door in the winter.

I purchased a used 2003 Mini Cooper from a non-MINI dealer in the summer of 2005. I think it had around 20,000 miles on it. In September 2008 I brought my MINI to a MINI dealer because I was having trouble starting it and the power door lock on the driver's door no longer worked. While they were taking out the power steering unit to replace the starter the mechanic noticed that the power steering fan was completely seized up and needed to be replaced. A couple of days later, I was told the mechanic noticed a noise while driving the MINI, checked the transmission fluid, and the transmission and clutch needed to be replaced. The car only has 59,000 miles on it. It is the 4th manual transmission car I've owned. All the others had over 100,000 miles on them when I sold them and never had transmission problems. HOW CAN THIS NOT BE A RECALL ITEM with all these similar posts?????

2002 Mini Cooper S. Clutch and Transmission Failure at 85K. Dealership in Chicago offered to replace for $6800. I havent discussed with them but Im going to attempt to play hard ball and pay no more then half....we will see. I took good car of this car over the years so a total failure of clutch and trans is totally inexplicable. My hope is to have it repaired and then sell immediately. This car has been in the shop for repeatedly for many issues. I use to recommend the car to everyone but now after this Im going to be doing the exact opposite. Currently looking into a possible class action suit against BMW for faulty design or mechanics on the CVT. Ive read on other forums that this person is putting together a class action suit...might be worth looking into.

I have a 2003 Mini Cooper I bought used with 23,000 miles. I have had the car for a year and 3 months, Since then a this is what has gone bad: a strut, power steering fan, coolant fan, power windows, and door locks. To fix the strut, power steering fan and coolant fan has already cost 3,000. I'm still not done with the repairs. Mini coopers are a rip off. Components are always going out. My Girl friend had a 2006 330i and her car has had the same problems. Don't buy a mini cooper.

I have a 2003 Mini Cooper I bought used with 23,000 miles. I have had the car for a year and 3 months, Since then a this is what g=has gone bad: a strut, power steering fan, coolant fan, power windows, and door locks. To fix the strut, power steering fan and coolant fan has already cost 3,000. I still not done with the repairs, Mini coopers are a rip off. They are just like a BMW, components are always going out. My Girl friend had a 2006 330i and her car has had the same problems. Don't buy a mini cooper.

My 07 Mini Cooper was recently bought back using CA's Lemon Law. When I drove the vehicle off the lot, the clutch ground from 1st to 2nd gear. I took the car back 3 days later to Irvine Mini....they could not replicate it. I took it again about a week later to Brecht and they (and I) could not replicate the grinding. During this time I wrote MiniUSA to tell them of these issues. Upon the third time of going to the dealer (Brecht again) I got a call from their service supervisor who told me that my synchros were destroyed and that EVEN THOUGH the problem was my fault, they were going to replace the transmission (I suspect the only reason the grinding was confirmed was because of my letters to corporate).

I responded that I didn't know what kind of a car could have be ruined by driving it off the lot. I was insulted by the assumption that I caused the problem when 1) I have always driven a clutch and 2) the problem was persistant from the beginning.

Anyway, I got a new transmission and all was fine for about a month. I was on the freeway and after a horrible noise, my clutch went dead. I had to call roadside service to have my car towed. It was at this time that I wrote Mini and informed them that I was planning on NOT taking back this car as it was a lemon. I never encountered any problems with MiniUSA and the process was smooth. In total, I drove the car for 3 months! I could have received a replacement vehicle but I seriously doubt Mini's reliability.