Mini Cooper

In the summer of 2016 I bought a used 2013 Mini Countryman S from a Mercedes Dealer at 75,000 KM (just under 50,000 mi) thinking it is German and therefore, quality. I also bought a 3 year extended warranty through a 3rd party carrier and thank god I did. The car is now at 105,000 km and we have had the vehicle into Mini BMW 4 times. The thermostat, solenoids, spark plugs, water pump, hoses, pipes, chains, belt and the headlights have all gone in that time. Every time I go in I have to pay the ridiculous diagnostic fee and the $300 deductible. Some of those repairs are routine maintenance, sure, but I also own a 2013 Kia Soul at 160,000 km which I’ve only had to replace a couple lights and the brakes and tires on. I’m going to sell the Mini as soon as I get a reasonable offer for it. It’s an absolute piece of garbage. I would never buy a Mini product again, and by proxy would never buy BMW. I’ve heard they’re just as bad.

Since March, 2018 I have been attempting to resolve an issue with the timing chain in my 2008 Mini Cooper S. The timing chain failed while the vehicle was in motion on the highway, causing the vehicle to lose power. A dealership has confirmed that the timing chain is in fact the problem with the vehicle (it may also be the case that the timing being off is causing issues with the valves). Conversations with the Mini USA customer relations and even BMW North American (their parent company) lead nowhere, and the manufacturer refuses to take any responsibility for the defective timing chains in these vehicles.

My power steering has failed AGAIN. The first time was in 2013. Mini replaced it.... after much hassle... free of charge... (The car is 2005 model). It has just gone... in the middle of a roundabout! Scary experience! Diagnostic charge of £160 confirmed the obvious. Mini are adamant that they will only pay 50% of the charge... yet it was them who fitted the 2013 one that has failed. I need some advice, please. Thank you for reading.

Buyers Beware, I am no longer a Mini fan nor I will ever recommend to anyone I care about. My girlfriend and I both purchased a Mini at Monrovia, one was brand new and the other was used with low mileage. I have had many recalls to my new Mini, two of which I needed to be towed to the dealer. My girlfriend's gas tank needed to be replaced one month after it was purchased, and now she is getting a check engine light, and her AC doesn't work. To make matters worse, they provided me a loaner from Sonic Automotive with no insurance, did not offer extended coverage, nor did not make it clear that you need full coverage, they just have you sign a contract at the time you are stuck without a car. Unfortunately on the way back to drop off my loaner car, I was hit by a ** driver that had no insurance, suspended license, and a bad driving record of speeding and racing.

I love my 2012 Mini Cooper, looks sharp and handles great, fun to drive, great get up and go, shifts good, like that you can easily customize the look of your vehicle. I like its color red, the 10 year US anniversary version, bonnet stripes, interior features including heated seats and cruise control, great cd player and sound, love the interior lighting. But it could be easier to get grandkids into the backseat. And as with any vehicle, it could have better gas mileage or electric, now that they have a 4 door coupe I would have selected it to better get kiddos in backseat.

I am writing because I am shocked at the terrible reviews I just read. I have owned my 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible since November 2005 and have never had a single problem. Of course some of that may be due to the amount of miles I have on it (about 38,000). We drive it from N.C. to Fl and return once yearly. Although there are only a few miles, the main thought I have is, why haven't I had any problems in the 12 years I have owned it? Anyway just want to share my good news after reading the previous ones.

I love the car and I have always wanted one. It's small and compact but plenty of room. It's excellent on gas too. You can go two weeks on a tank of gas. But I don't like that it's a 2 door. When trying to put something in the back seat it's hard to do. I've had the car 2 years and the thermostat sensor has went out on me 2 times. I recently had to replace the thermostat and you have to replace the whole housing unit. Overall the car is fancy looking and if I was to buy another car it would probably be the same model with a little more options to it.

Can't give them "0" stars, so they get a lucky star...just one. Super friendly sales and service people for sure, MINI, good job, you've trained them well. The complimentary Starbucks coffee and Chex Party Mix are also a nice touch, but NONE OF THESE CAN SUBSTITUTE FOR ENGINEERING AND DELIVERING A QUALITY AUTOMOBILE TO YOUR CUSTOMERS! I'd rather buy a car from a jerk that was a quality product, designed for performance, reliability, and longevity. The automatic transmission on my 2007 Mini Cooper failed at 108,000 miles. A regularly serviced automatic transmission such as the one in the 2007 Mini Cooper, by comparable industry standards, should be good for at least 150,000 miles.

My 2017 Mini Cooper Coupe is amazing, she is so fast & compact, I can fit her in any parking space! I like the British racing green color & white accents, sunroof, futuristic look, and dealer personnel.

I have had an excellent overall experience with my 2003 Mini Cooper. It wasn't until 2013 that I had to have any work done on it besides the normal maintenance. At the time I purchased my Mini, they were fairly new on the market, and it was the unique look that love it. It has run-flat tires and a Harman Kardon stereo/CD that I like a lot. However, the cup holders in the 2003 are useless, they only give you clearance for a small cup of coffee. There is no way to fit my travel mug or my Venti cold cup. I bought something that latches around part of the console and is secured with a bolt through both of its ends. The problem is that I had to tape up the bolt because I kept scratching my leg on the bolt. Still love driving my Mini!

Ferman Mini in Clearwater Florida has had to redo most repairs they have done. So unreliable and they asked ME not to come back... HA! ALSO my 2005 lift back was elevated one day and randomly came down and cracked me in the head. Terrible that the engineers never thought to put a safety catch on the elevated door but instead they all say I should expect it from an end left vehicle. Now tell me that is a dependable manufacturer/dealer when your customer got cracked in the skull by your inappropriate design. Shame on them for trying to humiliate me telling me to never come back. What losers.

PURCHASED A USED 2010 MINI COOPER 2 DOOR COUPE. Mini dealer showed me that Carfax was clean and the car only had one owner. PUT 10000 MILES ON IT the 15 months I OWNED IT AND NOW MY TIMING CHAIN BROKE! $3000 to repair PLUS two tows. Car stopped suddenly on the freeway, glad no one hit me. My family has owned lots of BMW's, NEVER ever has a timing chain/belt snapped!! I thought these cars were reliable. Wrong.

Very enjoyable to drive - it is an adult go-cart. We particularly enjoy the convertible here in Florida. It is nice to have the wind blowing through your hair.

I like the Mini Cooper a lot. It stood up to a wreck but it's pretty worn down now and it's very expensive to fix. The drain for the oil pan somehow has become stripped and it's a custom ordered part. So it's not an easy fix. No money is tight and I haven't been able to fix it. So I'm worried for it.

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

I am sitting here waiting for a tow truck now going on 4 hours. My car - Mini Countryman 18 with 8800 miles just died. It won’t start and keeps shaking. No one was available from the diagnostic area so the roadside called a tow for us. I had to get the roadside info from the closest dealer - 45 min away. My dealer - Mini Annapolis didn’t help at all since their service dept. closes early. The roadside employees seemed calm and wanted to help but 4 hours for a tow when AAA takes 30 min - this is unacceptable!!!

I am very disappointed at the sales practice in Morristown Mini. I would advise DO NOT buy car there, I had to bear a loss of $17,000 because this dealer didn't disclose the tire information at purchase. As a loyal customer, we have purchased a Mini Cooper two years ago and were satisfied with the car. However, when we decided to replace another car and got a Clubman last Sept. in the same dealership, nightmare started not long after the joy of having a fully loaded clubman. First snow, which as a resident of NY and NJ for 20 years, was really nothing, my husband though couldn't even drive the car up to a small hill for my daughter's music lesson, it was a dangerous zigzag.

Hi, I purchased a used 2010 Mini Cooper less than a year ago which I am still financing, Yesterday my wife was on her way home. The car started smoking from the vents and soon after the car locked down while I was driving and could not breathe. While driving on the left lane she was able to come to a stop and turn off the vehicle then the door open for me. With the door open she then turn back the car as other vehicles saw that the car was smoking. They let me merge to the right lane. A police officer in his car noticed that something was wrong and came to my aid. As he was asking her what is wrong, she tells police officer that the car is smoking and that's when the car lit up in flames as the horn was going off. The car and all of hers and my personal belongings got destroyed in a blazing fire that almost killed her. What should my next step be? I am out of car, my laptop, cell phone, sneakers, etc. A response is needed. Thanks.

I got my 2009 Mini Cooper convertible back in 2013. It was below 18,000miles so I thought I was getting a good vehicle. By far the worst decision I ever made, and am at this point willing to lose money on what remains to be paid for the vehicle just to see it behind me. In the past 4.5 years, I have easily spent around $6000 in repairs, and I have another $2400 to repair on the engine and brakes just to pass this year's inspection. Not little things, mind you - HUGE issues. Things that kept it in the shop for days.

2007 Mini Cooper S - I fell in love with this car the first time I test drove it! So much fun, so cute. Then I took it off the lot and it all went downhill and I wished I'd never seen that car. The Carfax the dealer showed me had 8 previous owners! I bought it in 2014 so that's quite a turnover! I just couldn't resist it even with that huge red flag! What a huge waste of money, so many repairs in the year I had it! I had an hour commute to work and this car was constantly needing repairs. Not dependable at all and the repairs are so expensive. Just to have your oil changed is 100 dollars! I finally gave up and traded it in on a used Scion. I love the Scion, not one repair, not one mechanical problem! Nice looking car and exactly what I needed in the first place. I learned my lesson the hard way, cute car but costly and not a car you can depend on at all. One year cost me about 4000 in repairs out of pocket. Mini won't cover anything if you've taken it to another dealer.

I loved my car (2009 Mini Clubman, purchased new) until it hit 52K miles. I always had my car serviced by Mini Service, at the required intervals. At 52K miles, it needs multiple repairs ($6K) that are more than the blue book value. Repairs include drive belt, water pump, front crank seal, transmission fluid leak, and thermostat. I reached out to Mini USA and they covered $780 cost of replacing the thermostat, but refused to cover any of the other costs. (My understanding is the life of these parts is short because the engine runs hot, is in a small space, and the heat from the engine is drying out and cracking the small parts.) Mini doesn't seem to be concerned that the car only lasted 52K miles.

I love Mini Cooper Countryman 2011 but the car I was driving and the steel wheel lock by self when I was exit on the freeway. Scare me. So now I don’t trust the car anymore. Pls let me know if that happen to anybody. Thanks.

2nd Post here - venting out frustration of owning 15 Cooper S. Late 2015, was looking for a sporty car for office commute. GTI, WRX and Mini were my shortlist in that order. Test drove MINI. It spoke to me and with all excitement I bought it. This was the only time when I had excitement buying a car. I was very much skeptical about MINI’s reliability – but learned that with 3rd generation it’s all good. Even the dealer assured me.

- When the high beams are activated, the regular headlights go off. I use the high beams when I need MORE light, not the same amount but in a different direction.

Although my 2012 (hardtop) Mini is a blast to drive I will NEVER buy another one. Just turned 55k miles and I've already had to replace tires/rotors, ignition coils, and the water pump. It is currently in the shop with head gasket/engine repairs to the tune of $2,500.00. Thank goodness for the mechanical breakdown coverage we opted to buy when we bought the new Mini! It's absurd to have this many expensive repairs on a car with only 55k miles!!

I have a 2013 Mini Cooper Convertible (47k miles) which already had following problems: busted Spark plugs, Ignition coil replacement, Engine Leak, Blower motor and blower motor resistor, trunk latch sensors, etc. and Customer Service. My biggest problem is one of the most pathetic customer service of Mini USA. I will make sure that none of my family members or friends ever buy mini. #**Mini They sell you car and then don't give a ** about it. All they ever do is "we will document your complaint and we will handle it internally". WTF does that mean? If you don't have warranty on this dud, be ready to spend your hard earned $$.

My 2006 MINI Cooper has been recalled for issues with the front airbag sensor. I have been instructed in writing to take my MINI to my dealership to have it repaired as it is not safe to drive, however, my dealership is Princeton MINI, which is now permanently closed. I am pregnant with our third child and do not have the ability to drive this unsafe vehicle to the next nearest dealership, which is located in Philadelphia. I called MINI customer relations to ask if I could be reimbursed if I took my MINI to my nearest BMW dealership that has been servicing my vehicle. The customer service escalation supervisor, Samuel, declined. I then asked if MINI would pay to have the vehicle towed to that MINI dealership in Philadelphia and towed back to me.

I paid close to 30K for a loaded Mini 2007 Cooper S and spent the next 9 years regretting my decision. From the beginning, the car was back and forth to the dealership, 48 times over a 9 year period. This included both scheduled maintenance, mechanical problems, and (14) run-flat tire replacements. In addition to what was covered by the warranty, my out of pocket costs approached 20K. In retrospect, could have purchased a way nicer car for the money. I grew up in England loving the MINI, but my first experience with ownership was brutally disappointing. The transmission failed at 95K miles (it was an automatic, NO excuse for the trans to go with less than 100K miles) and another MINI bit the dust.

My 2012 Mini Cooper S Coupe with 40k miles has had so many things wrong with it, I’m not sure where to start. Here’s a current list of error messages: Coolant temperature sensor, signal is permanently stuck at low. Fuel tank ventilation system and purge air system, micro leak, leak greater than .5mm. Signal, coolant temperature from engine management. Tail lamp 1 faulty. Break light right faulty. Directional indicator, rear light faulty. Trunk door does not unlatch. I’m sure by the time these are fixed there’ll be a new list. This car has been in the shop from day one.

Wife had been looking for a new car - one that "fit" her personality - and chose to order a top of the line Mini - specifically a fully loaded 2018 John Copper Works Countryman All4. After waiting for almost 3 months to have the car delivered from Belgium (BMW) factory, we took the train down to Mini of Portland to pick up her car. Upon inspection we noticed white slime coming from outside the interior of the car and staining the black trim. "Don't worry we will get it cleaned up for you" was the manager's response. After driving it 2 hrs home we noticed the next day that the black trim molding was stained as the Clear Coat (extra by necessary living in the west mountain regions) was bubbling in the front bumper.