2003 MINI COOPER Complaints

I WILL BE INSTALLING WHAT WILL BE THE THIRD MANUAL 5-SPEED TRANSMISSION IN MY MINI. SAME PROBLEM, SEEMS TO BE THE FINAL DRIVE BEARING IS FAILING LIKELY DUE TO LACK OF LUBRICATION. I HAVE RECORDS OF ALL SERVICE AND CHECK IT REGULARLY AND IT HAS NEVER BEEN LOW. THE BEARING IS APPARENTLY NOT GETTING A PROPER SUPPLY OF FLUID. PROBLEM NUMBER TWO, MY POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED ON ME ONCE. IT EXPLODED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THE HOSES BASICALLY GOT TOO HOT AND BLEW UP. I FORTUNATELY WAS ABLE TO LIMP IT TO A SHOP WITHOUT ANY FIRE. ON ANOTHER OCCASION THE POWER STEERING FAN CONTINUED TO RUN EVEN WHEN THE IGNITION WAS SHUT OFF, NEEDED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE PUMP THIS TIME WHICH COST ME $500 INSTALLED WITH A REMANUFACTURED PUMP. THIRD, I HAVE HAD TO PUT THREE WINDSHIELDS IN THE CAR. NONE OF THESE REPAIRS WERE WARRANTED! MINI NEEDS TO SUCK IT UP AND CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE SHODDILY MADE CARS, THEY HAVE MADE THEIR MONEY AND DON'T CARE TO HELP WITH ANYTHING. I AM A LOYAL BMW CUSTOMER BUT I THINK I WILL STICK WITH THE OLDER MODELS NOW AS THEY AREN'T IMPOSSIBLE TO WORK ON AND FIND PARTS FOR. GOD KNOWS I WILL NOT PAY 23 GRAND FOR THIS NIGHTMARE AGAIN. *TR

THE DRIVER'S SIDE (POWER) WINDOW OF MY 2003 MINI COOPER S (50K MI) FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY WHILE IN AN UP POSITION. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PROVES INCONVENIENT, TO SAY THE LEAST, PARTICULARLY WHEN ENTERING/EXITING PARKING GARAGES AND TOLL BOOTH STATIONS. MY MECHANIC WILL REPLACE THE MOTOR AND REGULATOR FOR $600. GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF GROUSING I'VE SEEN ON THIS SUBJECT, I SHOULD THINK THAT BMW SHOULD STAND BY ITS PRODUCT. *TR

1 - DRIVING NORMALLY - HEARING NOISE FROM UNDER HOOD GETTING LOUDER 2 - DROVE TO MECHANIC WHO TOOK TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP TO VERIFY NOISE WAS DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION AND MORE SPECIFICALLY THE DIFFERENTIAL WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION - THE CAR WOULD STILL DRIVE AND SHIFT PROPERLY. (THE GRINDING NOISE IS THE DIFFERENTIAL UNIT WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION CASING) 3- LOOKING FOR AFTER MARKET PARTS TO REPAIR. CURRENT ESTIMATE FROM DEALER FOR PARTS ALONE IS $7500. *TR

WITHOUT NOTICE, THE BATTERY DIED. UPON INSTALL OF A NEW BATTERY, A FAN STARTED RUNNING BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED ON. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE ELECTRICAL STEERING PUMP AND STEERING PUMP FAN HAD FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACING. THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED IT SAID I NEEDED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE I LAST HAD IT SERVICED. I CONTACTED CORPORATE SERVICES WHO INFORMED ME THAT I WAS ELIGIBLE FOR A GOODWILL WARRANTY EXTENSION PROVIDED I TOOK TO THE VEHICLE FOR INSPECTION AT THE DEALER WHERE I LAST HAD IT SERVICED. THE SERVICE DEALER, AND CORPORATE RELATIONS, WOULD NOT PROVIDE A GOODWILL EXTENSION BECAUSE THEY MAINTAINED THAT MY MECHANIC CAUSED THE STEERING PUMP TO FAIL. THE DEALER OFFERED TO REPAIR THE PARTS FOR ABOUT $1900 FOR A NEW PUMP AND $140 FOR A NEW FAN. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, INCLUDING INFORMATION THE DEALER TOLD MY MECHANIC, THIS FAILURE IS A REGULAR PROBLEM WITH THE EARLIER MINI MODELS AND THE DEALERS KEEP ADDITIONAL PARTS IN STOCK TO REPAIR VEHICLES AS THEY COME IN. ADDITIONALLY, I READ THAT MINI SUBSEQUENTLY CHANGED THE DESIGN OF THIS COMPONENT TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM BUT NEVER INFORMED PRIOR OWNERS OF THIS CHANGE. MOREOVER, I ALSO READ THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN HAPPENING WITH MINI DURING THE INITIAL 50,000 MILES OF OWNERSHIP, AND IN SOME CASES THE FAILURE OF THE PUMP FAN HAS CAUSED ENGINE FIRES WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN OPERATION. *TR

THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY (NO WARNING) WHILE DRIVING, MAKING THE STEERING WHEEL SIGNIFICANTLY MORE DIFFICULT TO TURN AND DRIVING THE VEHICLE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE DANGEROUS. *TR

REPLACED THE CLUTCH TWICE IN 10 MONTHS IN MY 2003 MINI COOPER. I BOUGHT IT USED IN MAY, 2006. JANUARY AND OCT 2007 HAD TO HAVE THE CLUTCH REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ABUSED. 18,000 MILES BETWEEN THE TWO REPAIRS. *TR

FIRST POWER STEERING PROBLEM OCCURRED AROUND 31,000 MILES, IN THE FORM OF A SLIGHT VIBRATION. SINCE THE 50,000 MILES MARK, POWER STEERING HAS FAILED ON INNUMERABLE OCCASIONS, FREQUENTLY 5 OR 6 TIMES WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, AND WHILE DRIVING AND TAKING SHARP TURNS, POTENTIALLY CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. AT FIRST, TURNING IGNITION ON AND OFF TEMPORARILY RESOLVED THE ISSUE. HOWEVER, THIS IS NO LONGER EFFECTIVE. OTHER POWER FUNCTIONS HAVE BEEN DISRUPTED AS WELL, SUCH AS POWER LOCKS AND POWER WINDOWS, SOMETIMES LOCKING YOU IN THE CAR (DOOR LATCH MECHANISM IS ALSO UNPREDICTABLY FAULTY AT THE SAME TIME, RESULTING IN BEING POTENTIALLY LOCKED IN WITHOUT ANY MEANS TO EXIT THE CAR-THIS HAS HAPPENED ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS). THE POWER STEERING IS NOW STAYING ON EVEN AFTER THE ENGINE IS TURNED OFF AND THE IGNITION KEY REMOVED, AND AS A RESULT, THE BATTERY IS BEING DISCHARGED. BASED ON AVAILABLE INFORMATION, THIS IS THE FINAL STAGE BEFORE THE CAR SPONTANEOUSLY CATCHES ON FIRE. I AM NOW IN A SITUATION WHERE MY CAR IS AT RISK OF SPONTANEOUSLY CATCHING ON FIRE, AND MY LOCKS AND WINDOWS FREQUENTLY UNEXPECTEDLY MALFUNCTION, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE STEERING PUMP MALFUNCTIONS, POTENTIALLY LOCKING ME INTO MY CAR, WITH A STEERING PUMP THAT WILL NOT SHUT OFF AND THREATENS TO CATCH ON FIRE. CATCH ON FIRE WHILE I'M LOCKED INTO MY CAR... *TR

2003 MINI COOPER TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 70,000 MILES, 4 YEARS. MINI USA AND BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF THIS FAILURE AND REFUSE TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE PARTS, CLAIMING IT'S A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAR. SMELLS OF DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES TO ME. NOT TO MENTION A MONOPOLY-- THERE ARE ONLY TWO DEALERSHIP IN DALLAS/FORT WORTH THAT SERVICE MINI COOPERS, BOTH TELL ME THAT THE COST WILL BE BETWEEN $6K-9K TO REPLACE W/LABOR COSTS. PEP BOYS AND OTHER INDEPENDENTS WON'T OR CANNOT TOUCH IT BECAUSE IT'S A MINI COOPER AND ONLY MINI AUTHORIZED DEALERS SUPPOSEDLY HAVE SPECIALTY SOFTWARE/PARTS TO PERFORM JOB. THIS IS A RACKET, MINI AND BMW NEED TO STEP UP AND STOP SELLING DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS AND REPLACE THIS AT THEIR COST AND STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT AND FAULTY AND DEFECTIVE MANUFACTURING. THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR MANY FIRST GENERATION MINI'S AS I HAVE LEARNED FROM MY RECENT ON-LINE RESEARCH. BMW/MINI HAS CHANGED THE TRANSMISSIONS ON THE MINI 2007 MODEL -- WONDER WHY?? THEY ADVERTISE THAT THIS CAR IS A SAFE, DEPENDABLE AND LONG LASTING CAR, BUT TO THE CONTRARY, LOOK AT THE LIST OF PROBLEMS PEOPLE ARE REPORTING WITH THEM. GOD HELP THEM. *JB

1) NO NOTICE GIVEN UP TO FAILURE OF POWER STEERING 2) POWER STEERING GAVE OUT ON CAR AFTER WHITE SMOKE POURED OUT OF ENGINE AREA 3) CAR IS AT DEALERSHIP RIGHT NOW. *JB

MY 2003 MINI COOPER WITH THE CVT TRANSMISSION BEGAN MAKING A RATCHETING NOISE FROM THE TRANSMISSION. THE CAR WAS TOWED BACK TO TOWN, AND AFTER TALKING TO THE DEALER, IT WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER. I WAS TOLD IT NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION: $7,200.00. NO REBUILD AVAILABLE. IT HAD JUST TURNED 90,000 MILES, DRIVEN BY MYSELF (RETIRED) AND MY WIFE; VERY EASY DRIVING. THIS WAS OVER HALF THE VALUE OF THE CAR, SO WE DROVE IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP THAT WE WERE AWARE OF FOR A SECOND OPINION. ON THE TEST DRIVE AT THAT SHOP, THE TRANSMISSION "BLEW UP" AND LOCKED UP EVERYTHING ON THE STREET. THE STEEL BELT IN THE TRANSMISSION HAD COME APART, DESTROYING EVERYTHING INTERNALLY. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY OR A BUSY STREET, IT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. UPON RESEARCHING THIS TRANSMISSION, I FIND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS NOT AT ALL UNCOMMON. I BELIEVE MINI SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THESE EARLY MODEL CVT TRANSMISSIONS, WHICH OBVIOUSLY HAVE SOME MECHANICAL DEFECTS BUILT INTO THEM. *TR