MINI Complaints

I NOTICED ON THE FRONT OF A SET OF A BRAND NEW TIRES THE TREAD ON LEFT TIRE WAS WORN TO THE CORE AND THE WAS SEPARATING FROM THE TIRE ON THE INSIDE, THE RIGHT TIRE HAD EVERY LITTLE TREAD LEFT. THE CAUSE OF THIS WAS THE STRUTS HAD DAMAGED THE UPPER STRUT PLATES ON BOTH SIDES, CAUSING IT TO BE OUT OF ALIGNMENT .THERE HAS BEEN 216 COMPLAINTS AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE; I.E,PARTS REPAIRED OR REPLACED. *TR

NOTICED ON BRAND NEW TIRES THE TREAD ON LEFT TIRE WAS WORN TO THE CORE AND THE WAS SEPARATING FROM THE TIRE ON INSIDE, THE RIGHT TIRE HAD EVERY LITTLE TREAD LEFT. THERE HAS BEEN 216 COMPLAINTS . NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE OR REPAIR OR REPLACE THE PARTS. THE TIRES HAD ONLY 4000 MILES ON THEM WHEN IT WAS NOTICED. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 MINI COOPER WITH AUTOMATIC CVT TRANSMISSION AND HAVE HAD RECURRING PROBLEMS WITH THE CVT SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. BELOW IS A SUMMARY OF SERVICE VISITS, REPLACEMENT OF THE CVT IN 2007, AND THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE CVT AS INOPERABLE. I HAVE ALL INVOICES DETAILING WORK DONE. 10/9/02 - I PURCHASED A NEW 2003 MINI COOPER WITH AUTOMATIC CVT TRANSMISSION FROM BARON BMW IN MERRIAM, KS. 12/02 - MINI USA SENT ME LETTER RE: CHASSIS #TE13495 THAT SOME AUTOMATIC CVT TRANSMISSIONS HAD BEEN FILLED WITH THE INCORRECT TRANSMISSION OIL AND TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE IT FLUSHED AND REPLACED ASAP. 12/27/02 - BARON FLUSHED AND REPLACED FLUID. I ALSO COMPLAINED THAT THE CAR HAD DIED TWO TIMES AND RAN ROUGH. MILEAGE 1,760. 7/2/03-I TOOK MINI IN COMPLAINING "WHEN GOING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE CAR HAS A HARD LURCH" AND BARON'S INVOICE STATES "TEST DROVE CAR AND FOUND IT WAS VERY HARSH GOING INTO GEAR AND LURCHED WHEN IT WAS COLD". 2ND AUTO TRANS CONCERN WAS "CAR HAS ALMOST DIED AT LOW IDLES A FEW TIMES". BARON REPROGRAMMED THE CAR UNDER WARRANTY. MILEAGE 6,465. 7/23/07-CUSTOMER GOODWILL PROVIDED BY BARON MINI AND REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AT NO COST ALTHOUGH WARRANTY WAS UP. MILEAGE 49,512. 9/11/07-I TOOK MINI IN AGAIN COMPLAINING OF ROUGH IDLE AND CAR WANTS TO DIE AT STOPS. MILEAGE 51,167. 8/13/09- MINI WAS HAVING A HARD TIME SHIFTING OUT OF 1ST GEAR. IT WOULD ONLY DRIVE 15-20 MPH AT UP TO 3,000 RPMS. I CALLED BARON AND WAS TOLD THE CURRENT TRANSMISSION HAD A TWO YEAR WARRANTY (WHICH MADE THIS COMPLAINT 2 YEARS AND A FEW WEEKS PAST WARRANTY) BUT IT WAS POSSIBLE MINI WOULD COVER REPAIR/REPLACEMENT. THEY DID NOT. BARON FLUSHED AND FILLED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND SAID IT RUNS BETTER BUT IT IS NOT FIXED. THEY RECOMMEND REPLACING THE CVT AGAIN. I HAVE NOT HAD THE CVT REPLACED (FOR THE 2ND TIME). MILEAGE 75,558. *TR

TAILPIPE BURNED LEG WHILE GETTING ITEMS OUT OF TRUNK OF 2008 MINI COOPER 2 DOOR SEDAN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. WHENEVER SHE PRESSED THE BUTTON TO OPEN THE SUNROOF OR CONVERTIBLE, THE DRIVERS SIDE OPENED BUT THE PASSENGER SIDE DID NOT. THE DEALER STATED THAT IT WAS A LAPSE IN THE CABLE AND SHE'D THE ENTIRE UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT OFFER HER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE IS A DEFECT THAT SHOULD ALSO BE A RECALL. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

WIFE WAS DRIVING HER 2005 MINI COOPER AND SAID THAT SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER STARTING HER DRIVE, THE POWER STEERING BEGAN ACTING ERRATICALLY. THE POWER STEERING ASSIST WOULD GO CEASE WHEN SHE WAS TURNING A CORNER, FORCING HER TO MUSCLE THE CAR IN UNASSISTED STEERING MODE. THEN, THE POWER STEERING WOULD KICK IN, RESULTING IN OVERSTEER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TURN, REQUIRING QUICK CORRECTION. I WAS UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM WHEN SHE RETURNED HOME THAT DAY. HOWEVER, THE NEXT DAY, THE POWER STEERING WAS NO LONGER FUNCTIONING AT ALL. CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN THAT CONDITION, WE TOOK IT TO BE REPAIRED. SINCE THE CAR WAS NO LONGER IN WARRANTY (ONLY 32,500 MILES, BUT >4 YEARS OLD) WE DID NOT TAKE IT TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE. OUR REPAIR SHOP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAN, WHICH IN TURN LED TO A FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP. HE SAID THE LAYOUT OF THESE ITEMS WAS POORLY DESIGNED, INCREASING THE CHANCE OF FAILURE AND THAT HE THOUGHT MINI HAD MODIFIED THE LAYOUT IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS. TOTAL COST FOR THE REPAIR WAS $1,650. *TR

2007 MINI COOPER S - MANUAL TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ALLOW GEARSHIFTS AND COULD ONLY BE DRIVEN IN FIRST GEAR. DEALERSHIP STATED CLUTCH CAME APART AFTER 8 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. DEALERSHIP REPLACED WITH REMANUFACTURED CLUTCH, FLYWHEEL, GEARBOX OIL AND CLIP UNDER WARRANTY. IN JULY OF 2009 I NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHIFTING ROUGH AND THE CLUTCH WAS MAKING A SQUEAKING SOUND WHEN APPLIED. DEALERSHIP GOT A WORK ORDER FROM MINI USA TO REMOVE THE CLUTCH/TRANSMISSION. ON AUGUST 12, 2009 THE DEALERSHIP REMOVED THE CLUTCH/TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED THE PLASTIC PART CAUSING THE NOISE, BUT NOTICED THE FLYWHEEL HAD HEAT DAMAGE AND CRACKING AGAIN. THIS TIME THE DEALERSHIP AND MINI USA STATE THAT THIS WAS CAUSED BY "WEAR AND TEAR" AND NOT COVERED UNDER THE MANUFACTURES WARRANTY DESPITE BEING COVERED 15K MILES EARLIER. CURRENT MILES ON VEHICLE ARE 31K WITH 19K REMAINING ON MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY. *TR

MY 2003 MINI COOPER HAS A CRACKED WINDSHIELD THAT RESULTED FROM STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS. IT IS L-SHAPED AND IT STARTED AT THE BOTTOM MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. *TR

THE MINI COOPER ENGINE HAS AN INTERNAL THERMOSTAT THAT IS PLASTIC, WHEN MINE CRACKED AND LEAKED I HAD NO SIGNS SHOWING THAT. THE ENGINE ONE DAY GOT HOT, I DROVE ABOUT 5 MILES AND STOPPED. I TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP AND I NEED A NEW ENGINE. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THIS HAPPENS ALOT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED A BUMP ON THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. SHE EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE WAS DETACHING FROM THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE LOWER CONTROL ARM SNAPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 71,000.