MINI Complaints

ON 4/9 I PURCHASE A 2009 MINI COOPER. ON 4/14 I WAS IN TRAFFIC AND THE CAR STARTED SURGING AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I CALLED THE SERVICE ADVISER WHO SUGGESTED I REPLACE THE GAS CAP. I IGNORED HER RESPONSE BECAUSE IT ONLY CLICKS ONCE AND I KNOW THIS WAS COMPLETED PROPERLY AND IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE. THERE FINDINGS WERE AS FOLLOWS; HOWEVER I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL OTHER POSTINGS ONLY FOR THE SAME PROBLEMS. CAUSE: INTERROGATING FAULT MEMORY FOUND HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM TO LOW PERFORMED TEST PLANT ON DME CONTROL UNIT FOUND WORKING NORMAL, PERFORMED TEST WITH FUEL PRESSURE FAIL, WAS TO LOW OPEN HIGH PRESSURE PUMP, FOUND FUEL PRESSURE PUMP/SHAFT DEFECT, CRACK SPEND FREE. *TR

I BOUGHT A 2003 MINI COOPER AND ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF AGO, THE CLUTCH HYDRAULIC SYSTEM HAS SPRUNG A LEAK. UPON INSPECTION OF THE HYDRAULICS, THE MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THE CLUTCH CONTROL ROD WAS MOVING IN A FUNNY WAY. HE SAYS THAT THEY WILL HAVE TO DROP THE TRANSMISSION TO SEE THE ACTUAL PROBLEM AND THAT REMOVING THE TRANSMISSION ALONE WILL COST ME 1000.00 DOLLARS WHICH I DO NOT HAVE AT THE MOMENT. THE CAR ONLY HAS 67,000 MILES ON IT AND THE CLUTCH WENT WITHOUT ANY WARNING. ALSO, I AM TOLD THAT IF THE CLUTCH DOES NEED TO BE REPLACED, IT WILL COST ME 1800.00 DOLLARS, WHICH AGAIN, I DO NOT HAVE. *TR

AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON (INDICATING AIRBAG SYSTEM MALFUNCTION/INOP.) AND AUTO MANUFACTURER HAS NO FIX, DEFINITELY A SAFETY PROBLEM. 2005 MINI COOPER. *TR

CAR WILL NOT START, LEAVING YOU STRANDED. PUSHING IN CLUTCH THEN START BUTTON, AND NOTHING. FIRST TIME WAS 5 WEEKS AGO, TOWED TO DEALER, DID TESTS, FOUND NO PROBLEM. HAPPENED AGAIN ON 4/23/2009, GIGGLED DEAD MAN SWITCH ON CLUTCH PEDAL AND THEN STARTED. HAPPENED AGAIN 4/27/2009, TRIED GIGGLE THING, NOTHING THIS TIME. SAT OVERNIGHT, THEN STARTED. ONLY COMMON FACTOR HAS BEEN ON WARM SPRING DAYS AROUND 90 DEGREES. WILL BE TAKING BACK TO DEALER. *TR

POWER STEERING UNIT STOPPED WORKING DRIVING NORMAL HIGHWAY CONDITIONS RESULTING IN VERY DIFFICULT DRIVING/HANDLING. CAR HAS 48,000 MILES AND HAS BEEN SERVICED ON SCHEDULE. UNIT'S FLUIDS WERE NORMAL AND DRIVING CONDITIONS WERE A NORMAL COMMUTE. POTENTIALLY A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION. *TR

MY 2008 MINI COOPER S HAS A TERRIBLE RATTLING NOISE OCCASIONALLY DURING STARTUP. THE PROBLEM CAN BE REPRODUCED 100% OF THE TIME UNDER THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS: - START CAR FOR SHORT PERIOD OF TIME (BACK OUT OF GARAGE / WASH CAR) - RESTART CAR FOR SHORT PERIOD OF TIME (MOVE INTO GARAGE) - LEAVE CAR FOR 8 OR MORE HOURS - RESTART AND DRIVE AWAY. FOR THE FIRST 2 MINUTES THERE'S A TERRIBLE RATTLING SOUND. *TR

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON MY 2003 MINI COOPER BLEW OUT WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. THE CAR HAD JUST ABOUT 37,000 MILES ON IT AND WAS REGULARLY MAINTAINED AT THE DEALERS SHOP. *TR

ENGINE MAKES A LOUD RATTLING NOISE LIKE IT HAS NO OIL PRESSURE, NOT JUST ON STARTUP BUT FOR AS LONG AS A FEW BLOCKS OF DRIVING. IT HAS DONE THIS 6 TIMES IN THE FIRST 2,000 MILES OF OWNERSHIP. I AM CONCERNED THAT SEVERE INTERNAL DAMAGE IS BEING DONE TO THE ENGINE IF I CONTINUE TO DIVE IT THIS WAY. DEALER SAYS THEY ARE AWARE OF PROBLEM BUT HAVE NO FIX FROM MFR, OR DO NOT HAVE A FIX THAT ACTUALLY SOLVES THE PROBLEM. *TR

ON MARCH 12, 2009 AT APPROXIMATELY 9:00 PM MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING BACK FROM DINNER IN NORTHRIDGE, CALIFORNIA WHEN I MADE A STOP AT THE LOCAL POST OFFICE. I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 MINI COOPER HATCHBACK AND DID NOT NOTICE ANY WARNING LIGHTS OR ERRANT BEHAVIOR WITH THE CAR. I STOPPED AT THE POST OFFICE TO MAIL A PACKAGE, PARKED THE CAR, TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, LOCKED THE CAR WITH MY WIFE INSIDE THE AUTO, AND WENT IN. WHEN I RETURNED APPROXIMATELY TWO MINUTES LATER I FOUND MY WIFE IN THE CAR IN A GREAT STATE OF PANIC WITH SMOKE POURING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY UNLOCKED THE DOORS WITH MY CAR KEY, MADE SURE THAT MY WIFE WAS OUT OF THE CAR, AND WE CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE BOTH WITNESSED A SMALL FIRE BURNING UNDERNEATH THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT QUICKLY ARRIVED, OPENED THE HOOD AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. I CONTACTED A REPRESENTATIVE FROM MINI ON THE 13TH WHO INFORMED ME THAT SOMEONE FROM BMW WOULD BE CONTACTING ME REGARDING THE CAR. I TOWED THE CAR BACK TO MY HOUSE AND TOWED IT TO BOB SMITH BMW IN CALABASAS ON SATURDAY THE 14TH. BOB SMITH BMW HAS PROVIDED ME WITH A RENTAL CAR IN THE INTERIM. I THEN RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM BMW FROM A STEVE KOSSAR ON MARCH 17TH, WHO REQUESTED THE DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT. WHEN I SPOKE WITH SUSAN AT BOB SMITH BMW LATER THAT WEEK I WAS INFORMED THAT THE STEERING PUMP WAS REPLACED ALONG WITH A COUPLE OF ADDITIONAL PARTS. NO EXPLANATION WAS GIVEN AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT BMW NORTH AMERICA WOULD BE ASSIGNING AN ENGINEER WRITE A REPORT ON THE STATUS OF THE MINI AND THAT BOB SMITH BMW WOULD NOT RELEASE THE CAR TO ME UNTIL THEY RECEIVED WORD FROM BMW NORTH AMERICA THAT THE CAR WAS SOUND. SINCE THEN I HAVE PLACED TWO PHONE CALLS TO MR. KOSSAR AT BMW ON APRIL 1 AND APRIL 7 AND LEFT MESSAGES ASKING FOR A STATUS REPORT ON THE CAR. TO DATE I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A REPLY AND NO WORD ON THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. *TR

2009 MINI COOPER S, ONLY 3600 MILES, SUFFERS FROM WHAT IS COMMONLY KNOWN AS COLD START RATTLE/KNOCK. UPON STARTING DEAD COLD ENGINE, A LOUD AND VIOLENT SYNCOPATED KNOCK (SIMILAR TO A METAL HAMMER HITTING METAL) EMANATES FROM THE ENGINE ON THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT SIDE, AND LASTS FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS. HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN 3600 MILES, BOTH TIMES CAR PARKED WITH NOSE TILTING DOWN. AMBIENT TEMPS AROUND 30-40 DEGREES F. NOTIFIED DEALER BOTH TIMES. *TR