MINI Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT TRANSMISSION FLUID WOULD LEAK FROM THE VEHICLE WHEN DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID. THE AXLE AND SEAL FOR THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED HOWEVER THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE TURBO OIL FEED LINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84000.

WHILE DRIVING MY MINI THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP THAT SPECIALIZES IN MINI'S. THE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THE CRANKCASE VALVE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND IT IS BUILT INTO THE VALVE COVER. UPON INSPECTION THE MECHANIC ALSO DISCOVERED MY TIMING CHAIN IS ALMOST RUINED ALSO. I HAVE BEEN HEARING THE TIMING CHAIN RATTLE UPON START UP. *TR

JUST PURCHASED USED 09 MINI , 2ND OWNER, ON START UP CAR SOUNDED ROUGH, DIESELING SOUND AND WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT IT WAS COMMON. THEN WHEN DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS OR WHEN SLOWING DOWN, TERRIBLE RATTLE SOUND. TOOK IT IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE, AND THE RATTLE WENT AWAY, BUT THEN CAME BACK SHORTLY BEFORE NEXT OIL CHANGE WAS DUE. TOOK IT IN FOR OIL CHANGE AGAIN, AND SOUND WENT AWAY AGAIN, BUT THEN CAME BACK WITHIN DAYS. FINALLY WAS ABLE TO GET AN APPT WITH THE CLOSEST AUTHORIZED DEALER, 50 MILES AWAY, BUT COULDN'T GET IN FOR TWO WEEKS IN ORDER TO GET A LOANER. THEY HAD IT FOR TWO DAYS, REPLACED THE TIMING CHAIN, NYLON PARTS WERE IN THE OIL PAN FROM THE GUIDES BEING SHREDDED. PICKED UP THE CAR ON THE THIRD DAY, AND FIR ALMOST ONE WEEK IT SEEMED FINE. JUST SHORT OF ONE WEEK OUT OF THE SHOP AND HEARD THE RATTLE AGAIN. BUT THEN IT WAS FINE, SO I THOUGHT IT WAS AN ANOMALY. ONE WEEK TO THE DAY SINCE PICKING IT UP FROM THE REPAIR, BARELY MADE IT INTO THE DRIVE FROM TAKING MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL. CALLED THE SHOP AND HAVE IT SCHEDULED TO GO BACK IN. HAVING THE CAR TOWED TO THE SHOP AS THE REPAIR TECH TREKS ME THAT IT IS "UNSAFE TO DRIVE." *TR

TOOK MY 2010 MINI COOPER S TO A MINI DEALERSHIP IN ANN ARBOR MI, WHERE THEY HAD THE CAR FOR 8 DAYS AND FINALLY CAME BACK TO ME SAYING THAT ITS THE TIMING CHAIN THAT NEEDS REPLACING, WHICH IS A FIX WITH A TOTAL COST OF AROUND $1,500. I PREVIOUSLY HAD A 2007 MINI COOPER, WHICH ALSO HAD THE SAME ISSUE, WHERE IN THAT CASE THE TIMING CHAIN HAD ACTUALLY BROKEN. THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE WIDESPREAD AND MINI NA NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS PARTICULAR PART FOR THE MODEL YEARS THAT THIS DESIGN DEFECT HAS AFFECTED. PRIOR TO THIS ISSUE, I HAD ONLY OWNED THE VEHICLE FOR 6 WEEKS AND WAS PURCHASED FROM MOTOR CITY MINI, WHICH IS AN OFFICIAL MINI DEALER. THIS VEHICLE ALSO WENT THROUGH AN INSPECTION BEFORE BEING SOLD TO ME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, IT WOULD VIBRATE AS THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000.

TOTAL LOSS OF POWER AS I WAS CROSSING A MAJOR HIGHWAY, CAR TOWED TO LOCAL BMW CERTIFIED MECHANIC, SHOWS TIMING CHAIN MISFIRE, NEEDS TOTAL REPLACEMENT WITH MULTIPLE COMPONENTS NEEDING REPLACED DUE TO TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM. 3300$ WORTH OF DAMAGE TO ENGINE. APPARENT PROBLEM WITH TIMING CHAIN ON THOUSANDS OF MINI COOPER AND THEY HAVE NOT CALLED A RECALL ON THE PIECE. THIS WAS ALMOST A MAJOR ACCIDENT FOR ME AND IS CAUSING ME THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO REPLACE AND MAJOR INCONVENIENCE. *TR

I AM BEING TOLD BY KNAUZ MINI REPAIR THAT THE TIMING BELT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. IT IS A $2000 REPAIR. IN LOOKING AT THE INTERNET, IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT CAN HAVE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES. IN FACT, THERE IS ONE CLASS ACTION SUIT IN NJ ABOUT IT. MINI REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TO A DESIGN FAILURE. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND OVER-HEATED, CAUSING SMOKE TO EMIT FROM UNDER THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,562 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 53,000.

MY 2007 MINI COOPER S EXPERIENCED THE DEATH RATTLE. I HAD TO HAVE THE TIMING/TENSIONER CHAIN REPLACED. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AND MINI COOPER SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO RECALL THEIR CARS AND FIX THEM. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY AT @ 55MPH, THE COOLANT TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED YELLOW AND THEN RED ON MY 2009 MINI COOPER. I STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND OBSERVED THAT THE CLIPS WHICH SECURED THE LOWER RADIATOR HOSE IN PLACE HAD BROKEN AND THE RADIATOR HOSE WAS HANGING HORIZONALLY ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, DRAGGING ALONG THE GROUND. A HOLE HAD BEEN WORN THROUGH THE HOSE AND THE COOLANT HAD LEAKED OUT. AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED HOME ($285), I PURCHASED A NEW RADIATOR HOSE AND CLIPS FROM THE MINI DEALERSHIP ($160) AND HAD IT INSTALLED BY MY MECHANIC ($100). I ALSO LOST A 1/2 DAY OF WORK. A TOTAL LOSS OF OVER $600. BECAUSE OF POOR DESIGN AND/OR INFERIOR MATERIALS INTERNET RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THIS IS A COMMON MINI COOPER PROBLEM. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING WHICH WOULD CAUSE THIS ISSUE, DESPITE MINI COOPER'S ATTEMPTS TO PLACE BLAME ON THE DRIVER'S WHO EXPERIENCE THIS ISSUE. IF MINI COOPER WOULD PROPERLY ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AND REMEDY THE SITUATION, IT WOULD SPARE COUNTLESS DRIVER'S FROM BEING STRANDED ON THE SIDE AND THE EXPENSE OF FIXING WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REMEDIED BY A SERVICE BULLETIN OR RECALL. *TR