From the day I picked up my Mini the Cd player didn't work. This was
fixed, but I then noticed it pulled to the left all the time, which
BMW said is normal, but they then agreed to fix it. They said the problem
was that the springs were coiled the wrong way, so replaced the front
suspension - lovely.
In the meantime, it had pulled into the kerb taking a chunk out of a
wheel, which was replaced. Then the drivers seat lumbar broke, some
trim on the outside worked loose, then the trim along the bottom of
the windows came off when you raised the windows.
Later the trim inside warped in the sun, first one side then the other.
The traction control went wrong three times then the airbag sensor failed
as well. Next up the gear linkage come off and left me with no gears,
which meant another trip to the garage.
Then I parked on a very slight incline, put the hand brake on, and came
out 10 minutes later to find the car had rolled out of the drive, across
a road and had come to rest on a lampost. That was fixed by adjusting
the handbrake and BMW as a gesture of goodwill did pay for the new bumper.
Then last week I had a letter from BMW saying that they need the car
back as there could be a fault with the handbrake, which in certain
conditions will mean that it will ease off. Nice one. So yet again we
are back to get that fixed. To their credit, the dealer has given me
a nice set of wheels!
Has any other MINI owner out there been suffering the same type of
irritating problems with their car as I've had with mine? This is a
list of faults that my local BMW dealership has tried to repair, but
with little or no success:
The car had an alarming pull to the left, which the dealer could
not fix, even with three attempts
The electric windows have a mind of their own! On three separate
occasions, I returned to the car having locked it, to find the windows
down and the car unlocked
Faults with the electric mirrors
The stereo broke twice
The warning light advising of a decrease in tyre pressure illuminated
periodically, prompting numerous stops at garages to check tyre
pressures, all of which, surprisingly enough, were perfect.
An alarming array of rattles, squeaks and problems with the interior
trim, some of which actually fell off if the doors were closed with
a degree of firmness
BMW quality control took the car for three days to inspect it. They
came to the conclusion that it had to be replaced such were the
problems with it. So I took delivery of another new Mini Cooper.
After only about 400 miles, the same problems started to affect
the car. I've now sold the car as I could not go through the amount
of trips to the dealership again.
I have spoken to a number of other Mini owners who are suffering
similar problems. This was to be my dream car which I intended to
keep for as long as I would be able to drive. What a thoroughly
disappointing experience it was owning one. To look at and to drive,
(sometimes), it was fabulous. A company such as BMW should find
it easy to produce a small car with the high quality of its bigger
vehicles.
I took delivery of my new Mini Cooper aroundthe beginning of November
2001 (two months late) and it has been plagued with constant faults,
defects and a seemingly endless list of recalls. Until a few weeks ago
when the nice weather finally arrived, I could honestly say that in
the year and a half that I owned this car, my local BMW dealer had washed
it more times than I had.
Problems started about a week after I took delivery. I was out driving
one night and all of a sudden the headlights turned themselves off and
all the interior lights switched off. After stopping I found that to
cure this problem I had to pull the handbrake on sharply. Not ideal
when driving. Since then I experienced the classic problem of the car
pulling quite sharply to the left and it was only after four visits
back to the local BMW dealer that this got fixed.
I've had problems with bits of the interior trim rattling, squeaking
and even coming loose (which have been fixed recently thanks to a recall).
The insulation under the bonnet came loose (another recall), I had water
sloshing about in the driver's door (yet another recall), the handbrake
slipped one night and the Mini ended up in the back of my other car
(you guessed it, another recall), the radio turned itself on at full
volume (ouch!) and I now get a warning from time to time indicating
that I have a flat tyre.
In addition, I had an irritating experience recently when the alarm
kept going off. After what must have been the 15th attempt to shut it
up, I went out to see the car (at 3am) and, quite spookily, as I approached
the car, the headlights turned on, the interior lights came on, the
doors unlocked, the windows opened and the alarm went off, again! Another
trip to BMW fixed this problem by replacing one of the computers which
had been replaced about two weeks previously as part of a service.
I have to say, without a shadow of a doubt, this has to be the most
unreliable car I've ever owned. I have a 14-year old Mazda MX-5 which
would have originally cost the same (or less), is twice as good to drive,
is only marginally less practical and has never gone wrong. I also own
a 30 year old MGB-GT which has been more reliable.
I've had at least 10 serious faults (plus a number of minor ones) on
this Mini in the past year and a half. Does anyone have an even more
unreliable Mini? Let me know!
I bought a Mini Cooper S and have had nothing but trouble with it.
Here's the story so far:
489 miles
The gearbox is replaced because of bizarre noises emanating from
the front end. At the same time they replaced parts of the driver's
seat because of annoying squeaks. Then the dashboard had to be stripped
because of squeaks and rattles.
1274 miles
The squeak returned as soon as I collected the car the last time,
but I couldn't be bothered to go through it all again. But now I've
decided to get it done and to put it right the dealer had to remove
the rev counter, the upper steering column cover and all sorts of
other bits. While they were at it they also replaced the off-side
seat back and base
2053 miles
Once more there's a squeaky chair problem so this time the dealer
replaces the backrest and various other bits
2500 miles
Squeaky chairs are still the order of the day but by now the climate
control is also playing up, the tracking needs realigning and the
plastic guttering keeps falling off. There's still a rattle from
the dash and now the boot won't shut properly...
Since we bought our Mini One on 4 January 2002, the experience has
been disappointing. From the first day, we noticed a slight pull to
left. Trying to convince the dealer that something was wrong has been
a nightmare. We felt - or to be more accurate they made us feel - as
if we were complete morons. After several check-ups and with the dealer
insisting nothing's wrong, we wrote a letter to BMW and to the dealer.
BMW never replied to us but miraculously the dealer acknowledged that
there was a problem and there have indeed been several other Minis with
the same defect. They suggested the replacement of the front (?) air
spring system and they quoted BMW as the originator of this remedy.
The shift to the left is now less annoying (and probably less dangerous).
We still do not know what has been the damage to the tyres by driving
the vehicle for more than one year like this. But the irritating thing
now is that the whole smooth driving experience has disappeared, presumably
due the use of a much harder suspension system. The car now feels as
if you drive a relatively comfortable 4x4 instead of the superb, fantastic
feeling that the original test drive gave us.
Furthermore, there were numerous other problems:
Squeaks and funny noises especially during turnings
False airbag alerts
False tyre alerts
Cracked shift knob
Scratched chrome-plated interiors
Constant electric window malfunctions
Constant driver and passenger seat malfunctions (folding/unfolding)
Water penetrating the front windows when using the windscreen
washers
The tape player does not always work properly
The boot won't close properly
The follow-me-home lights don't work correctly
Faulty parking lights
Faulty remote locking.
We would like to hear from other Mini owners whether they've faced
the same problems and most importantly whether they experienced
the change in driving "smoothness" if they decided to have the spring
system replaced.
I arrived at traffic lights in my Mini One but when I put my foot
on the brakes there was no response. I tried again and still got no
response - I went into the back of a lorry.
I am now nervous of using the car as my dealership has tested the brakes
and has told me they can find nothing wrong.
Have there been any other incidents like this with BMW Mini, or did
I imagine everything - which is what is being inferred by the BMW dealership.
Since having taken delivery of my replacement Cooper S, (my original
one died through lack of water after 13 miles on the clock) I have had
the usual problems as encountered by other owners - an outstanding problem
is a flat spot when pulling away. This only occurred when driving the
car from cold, and once it had happened it would be fine for the rest
of the day.
BMW installed new software, the problem was more evident, they then
changed the coils, and it's now even more evident and happening at any
time from starting off. My driving style has been questioned as BMW
has never been able to reproduce the fault.
I drove the car with a technician in the passenger seat, the problem
occurred, the car was booked in for repair, and after a few days my
car was delivered back - it was worse than ever! A new engine management
system had been fitted plus other bits and pieces. I went for a test
drive with another Cooper S and the fault was reproduced in this car
but nowhere near as severe. BMW accept that a problem exists and is
likely to affect all Cooper S cars. I now drive my car unsure if it
will decide to pull away smoothly or not. If it was constant I could
at least adopt a style to suit! Am I alone with this problem?
I picked my Mini Cooper up in October 2001 and had a fantastic time
driving and owning it until the problems started occurring. Firstly
I came out to the car and it had decided to open the windows and unlock
itself in the middle of the night (and yes it was chucking it down all
night). I'm just thankful this happened at home and not in a car park
somewhere. To their credit, the dealers couldn't do enough to help.
I then noticed creaking and groaning from the dashboard, especially
when the heater was on. The passenger seat creaks and the leather has
gone baggy. I constantly have problems when people attempt to get into
the back seats with the passenger and driver seats locking up when forward.
The boot consistently refuses to open and can take 10-15 minutes to
be persuaded.
When out for a drive, the exhaust bracket around the rear silencer snapped.
I have also had serious problems with the ABS and tyre pressure indicator.
The ABS failed just as I slammed on the brakes as a learner driver pulled
out on me (in the wet), I ended up locked up going sideways down the
road with oncoming vehicles swerving trying to miss me.
It took the dealer three months to work out what the problem was. I
have since changed to another dealer, who told me that the parts the
original dealer had said they had replaced had never been touched, merely
reset!
Finally I have been lucky enough that I have never had a letter regarding
recalls (I know a few who have), as my car has always been in the garage
when they have come to light and have been done whilst the other problems
were being looked at!
I have an 02-plate Mini Cooper with 18,000 miles on the clock. The
car has been back to the garage a number of times for various knocks,
rattles, throttle motor but as all of these have been under the warranty
I've had no cause for complaint.
However, today I drove the car through a road that was flooded with
about 4-5 inches of water (ankle height), behind an old-shape Vauxhall
Corsa. The flood was about 5-6 metres wide and half-way across the engine
cut out and the management system wouldn't let me try to turn the engine
over again.
BMW emergency services picked the car up and after checking it at the
dealership informed me the engine needs replacing at a cost of £3400
and either I can foot the bill myself or claim through the insurance
- either way I lose out on a fair whack of money. I was told the engine
damage is not covered on the warranty as it's not due to a manufacturing
defect.
I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem with the Mini
and hence is there a design flaw with the car (air intake being in the
wrong position, device not fitted to prevent water entering, no safety
cut out in engine to prevent this sort of damage occuring).
I have a Mini Cooper S which cost me £17,500 a year ago. Here are
the problems I've had so far:
String on parcel shelf came apart
One head rest would not operate
Rattle from behind dashboard (still not fully resolved)
Recall for handbrake
Car has become stuck in first gear twice and will only go into
neutral with huge effort using both hands, with the vehicle stationary
- clearly a design issue as they can't find anything wrong
Car often will not start first time. When this happens it will
nearly always start on the second attempt; very occasionally requiring
three goes. Problem never identified and still exists
Paint peeling off the steering boss
Filler cap not locking (required new motor)
Leaking coolant
Dipstick snapped on wash/wipe reservoir cap
Windscreen cracked for no apparent reason (no impact)
Airbag warning light came on and it had to go back to the dealer
Wing-mounted indicator light fell out of housing - held on by
wire
Central pillar strips (at rear of doors) need replacing - paint/surface
fault
At least the dealership has dealt with most of these issues...
I had to have a new engine installed in my 8-month old MINI Cooper,
after it got damaged while driving through floodwater. Once the work
was done I collected the car from the dealer and later that day I was
driving home when a car behind me started flashing its lights at me,
so I started to slow down.
There was a shot of flame from the side vent and flames coming out from
the driver's wheel arch. I quickly pulled over and soon found that the
brakes had gone. I jumped out of the car extremely quickly as a wall
of flames emerged from out of the front grille. The speed at which the
car had caught fire was shocking, especially as there was no indication
to me while I was driving that there was a problem. The fire brigade
arrived and put the car out, which was completely gutted.
I informed my insurance company and the dealer, as the car was under
warranty. Eventually MINI UK carried out a forensic examination, but
their report was inconclusive so they will not accept any responsibility.
Has anyone else encountered anything similar?
I picked my Mini Cooper up in October 2001 and had a fantastic time
driving and owning it until the problems started occurring. Firstly
I came out to the car and it had decided to open the windows and unlock
itself in the middle of the night (and yes it was chucking it down all
night). I'm just thankful this happened at home and not in a car park
somewhere. To their credit, the dealers couldn't do enough to help.
I then noticed creaking and groaning from the dashboard, especially
when the heater was on. The passenger seat creaks and the leather has
gone baggy. I constantly have problems when people attempt to get into
the back seats with the passenger and driver seats locking up when forward.
The boot consistently refuses to open and can take 10-15 minutes to
be persuaded.
When out for a drive, the exhaust bracket around the rear silencer snapped.
I have also had serious problems with the ABS and tyre pressure indicator.
The ABS failed just as I slammed on the brakes as a learner driver pulled
out on me (in the wet), I ended up locked up going sideways down the
road with oncoming vehicles swerving trying to miss me.
It took the dealer three months to work out what the problem was. I
have since changed to another dealer, who told me that the parts the
original dealer had said they had replaced had never been touched, merely
reset!
Finally I have been lucky enough that I have never had a letter regarding
recalls (I know a few who have), as my car has always been in the garage
when they have come to light and have been done whilst the other problems
were being looked at!
What TopGear
readers had to say about the BMW MINIs reliability! 
