2012 MINI COOPER Complaints

I'M JUST NOTICING A COOLANT LEAK PUDDLING UP UNDER FROM WHAT I WAS TOLD WAS THE THERMOSTAT OR IT'S HOUSING OR BOTH.. MY ENGINE SOUNDS LIKE IT'S RUNNING WITH NO OIL. I GO TO CHECK THE DIPSTICK AND THE OIL AT THE VERY END OF IT SEEMS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCURATELY READ, BECAUSE IT'S NOT UNIFORM IN IT'S COATING AT THE TIP OF IT. LIKE IF IT WAS SPLASHED ON. NOT SURE IF THE AUXILIARY COOLING SYSTEM IS EVEN WORKING ANYMORE, WHICH USED TO RUN FOR A MINUTE OR TWO AFTER ENGINE SHUT DOWN. I'M ADDING THE OEM SPECIFIED COOLANT ALONG WITH WATER, 50/50, EVERY DAY NOW, BECAUSE THE RESERVOIR SHOWS IT'S LOSS OF COOLANT. VIN CHECK SHOWS NO RECALLS, BUT I'M HAVING THE SAME ISSUES AS THE RECALLS. I JUST WANT MY VEHICLE RUNNING LIKE IT WAS WHEN I FIRST GOT. I BEGAN FINANCE ON THE VEHICLE LESS THAN A YEAR AGO, AND I STILL OWE 16K ON IT. I SHOULDN'T BE WORRIED ABOUT THE CAR DYING OUT ON ME ALREADY. BAD ENOUGH I WORK 35 MINUTES AWAY AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION INCLUDING HELP FROM ANYONE IS ALSO PRETTY MUCH IMPOSSIBLE. IT'S STRESSING ME OUT BIG TIME. I CAN'T AFFORD TO GET FIRED. WHERE I WORK, THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT MY ISSUES. I ALSO REQUIRE AN IID EQUIPPED VEHICLE, SO RENTALS ARE OUT OF THE QUESTION, OTHERWISE, I PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE HERE WRITING THIS MESSAGE! THANK YOU. I REALLY FEEL UNSAFE BEING ON THE HIGHWAY AS WHO KNOWS IF MY CAR'S ENGINE EVEN HAS OIL. OR IF THE COOLANT HOSES WILL JUST BLOW OFF. EITHER WAY, I FEEL LIKE I'M RIDING WITH DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT. I TRIED TO BABY THIS CAR DRIVING, BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD A 16K BROKEN CAR. I FEEL TRAPPED.

THE PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON ONE DAY WHEN STARTING THE CAR. I TOOK IT INTO A MINI SPECIALIST AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE INDICATOR SENSOR IN THE SEAT. OTHER MINI MODELS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE BEEN RECALLED. HE QUOTED $600-700 TO REPAIR IT. HE COULD NOT GUARANTEE THE AIR BAG WOULD DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT. THIS SEEMS LIKE A NO BRAINER.

HIGH PRESSURE FUEL RAIL DEVELOPED A CRACK AT A BRAZEN JOINT. HIGH PRESSURE FUEL WAS THEN BEEN RELEASED IN THE VICINITY OF THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. STRONG FUEL SMELL IN CABIN AND NEAR VEHICLE. NO FIRE OR DAMAGE RESULTED. VEHICLE REPAIRED AT OWNERS EXPENSE.

BRAKE LIGHT FAILED, BULB COULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. DEALER SAID THE COMPLETE ASSEMBLY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. UPON REMOVING THE ASSEMBLY, THE FIXTURE WAS REVIEWED TO FIND WHERE EXCESIVE HEAT HAD MELTED THE CONNECTION TO THE BULB (SAME ONES USED IN BMWS THAT MELTED THE WIRING HARNESS BACK IN 2003). I REPAIRD THE THE ASSEMBLY BY SOLDERING THE SOCKETS TO THE BOARD SUCH THAT IT DID NOT DEPEND ON A PIECE OF PLASTIC FOR PRESSURE CONTACT. IT WORKS, BUT WHEN A BULB TRUELY BURNS OUT, THE ASSEMBLY MUST BE REMOVED TO CHANGE THE BULB.

WARNING LAMP FOR "AIRBAG SYSTEM FAILED" ILLUMINATED ONE DAY WHILE DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT STREET "IN TOWN" APPROX 25MPH. AT FIRST LIGHT WENT OFF IF I BUCKLED PASSENGER SEATBELT (EVEN WHEN SEAT WAS EMPTY) NOW IT WON'T GO OFF EVEN DOING THAT... ALSO DOESN'T MATTER IF DRIVING AT HIGH OR LOW SPEEDS, ROAD TYPES, TURNING, STOPPING, PARKED, DRIVING, PASSENGER IN RIDER'S SEAT, NO RIDING PASSENGER, ETC, IT WILL ILLUMINATE (& I NEVER PLACE ANYTHING ON MY PASSENGER SEAT). TOOK TO A MECHANIC - HE CHECKED & PROVIDED CODE 9435. STATED AIRBAGS MIGHT NOT DEPLOY WHEN THIS WARNING LAMP IS ILLUMINATED. SAID THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MINI COOPERS & IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT HE THINKS PROBABLY SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER A RECALL. CONTACTED MINI DEALERSHIP - SAID NO RECALL FOR MY VEHICLE. FROM WHAT I HAVE FOUND THERE ARE ALMOST 100,000 OTHER MINIS THAT HAVE HAD A RECALL FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM, HOWEVER, THEY TELL ME MY VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL - WANT TO CHARGE ME MINIMALLY $65 JUST TO RE-DIAGNOSE THE CODE, THEN LABOR & PARTS TO FIX! CALLED MINI CUSTOMER SERVICE - TOLD ME NO RECALL FOR MY VEHICLE & THEY REFERRED ME HERE.

WHILE DRIVING EAST ON INTERSTATE 40, I WAS APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES EAST OF ASHEVILLE, NC WHEN I HEARD A VERY LOUD BOOM THAT SOUNDED LIKE A GUN SHOT. IT THEN SOUNDED AS IF A WINDOW WERE OPEN AND I COULD FEEL OUTSIDE AIR, THEN I SOON DISCOVERED A LARGE HOLE IN MY SUNROOF.

I PURCHASED THE USED 2012 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN, I DROVE IT FOR 84 DAYS, AND WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR THE ENGINE SUDDENLY WENT DEAD ON THE ROAD AND STOPPED WORKING. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT FROM AFTER TWO WEEKS THEY SAID THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND CAUSED IT TO DESTROY THE ENGINE, NOW I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE NEW ENGINE. I CHECKED ON LINE TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY PROBLEMS WITH TIMING CHAIN ON THESE CARS, MINI SAID THEY HAD PROBLEMS IN THE PREVIOUS MODEL CARS THAT MADE AND THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM, APPARENTLY THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST IN THE NEWER MODELS.

TEMPERATURE SENSOR IN RADIATOR HOSE LEAKING. NEEDS UPPER RADIATOR HOSE, AND THERMOSTAT WITH HARNESS TO CORRECT. DISCOVERED DURING A ROUTINE OIL BRAKES ETC INSPECTION BY THE DEALERSHIP. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A CHANGE IN THE HARNESS AND THE NEW ONE HAS A "COMPUTER" AND WOULD COST $1450 TO FIX. THIS IS AN UPPER HOSE AND I LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND THE REPLACEMENT HARNESS HAS TOW SEPARATE CONNECTORS, ONE FOR COOLANT TEMP SENSOR AND THE OTHER FOR THE COOLANT THERMOSTAT. I HD CHECKED MY FLUIDS TWO DAYS BEFORE ON A COLD ENGINE AND THEY WERE FINE AND WATER OVERFLOW WAS AT THE PROPER LEVEL. I CHECKED MY COOLANT OVERFLOW TANK THE DAY AFTER VISITING THE DEALERSHIP ON A COLD ENGINE AND THE OVERFLOW TANK WAS LOW... I ADDED WATER... IT HAS NOT GONE DOWN FOR SEVERAL DAYS. I HAVE HEARD THERE IS CORROSION THAT HAPPENS AND THE THERMOSTAT MAY NOT EMPLOY AND YOU CAN HAVE AN OVERHEATED ENGINE.

THESE 2012 MINI COOPER CLUBMAN ARE HAVING THE TIMING GUIDES BRAKE AND SOMETIMES RUIN THE ENGINE. IN MY CASE I THINK I CAUGHT IT ON TIME, I CALLED MINI HERE LOCALLY AND MY WARRANTY RUNS OUT THIS SEPTEMBER 2017 OR 100,000. BUT MY CAR JUST HIT 105,000, THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT MINI HAVE HAD FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS AND I SAW A RECALL UP TO 2011 BUT HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING FOR 2012 MINI CLUBMAN. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT BMW/MINI WENT WITH PLASTIC GUIDES INSTEAD OF SOME OTHER MATERIAL THAT COULD WITHSTOOD MORE BEATING, SPECIALLY FOR THIS AREA. THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP, BECAUSE I'M HAVING TO FORK OUT ANY WHERES BETWEEN $1500'TO $3000.00!TO GET THIS FIXED. I WAS DRIVING WHEN I HEARD THE NOISE AND NOW IT SITS IN MY DRIVEWAY.

VEHICLE HAD BEEN DRIVEN 24 MILES AND PARKED FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES WHEN ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAUGHT FIRE. MASTER MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT ORIGINATED WITH THE COOLANT PUMP AND CAUSED A SHORT CIRCUIT WITH THE ELECTRONICS OF THE PUMP IGNITING A FIRE.