MINI Complaints

THE PLASTIC GAS TANK OF THE 2006 MINI COOPER WAS PUNCTURED BY DEBRIS ON RT 3 NEAR CHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS. SEVERAL GALLONS OF GASOLINE WERE LOST DUE TO THE PUNCTURE. *JB

2003 MINI COOPER CVT TRANSMISSION DIED @ 83000 MILES. I PURCHASED VEHICLE FROM NORTHWEST MINI IN TACOMA, WA ON 10-18-05 WITH 49000 MILES AND ONE YEAR LATER THE TRANNY IS TOAST. NW MINI WANTS $7200 TO REPLACE WITH SAME 'QUESTIONABLE CVT TRANSMISSION'. IRONIC THAT MINI HAS ABANDONED THE CVT TRANSMISSION FOR THE 2007 MODELS...THEY KNOW IT'S A DOG. I'M STUCK, WITH MANY OTHERS, HOLDING THE BILL! *NM

THE FRONT WINDSHIELD ON MY 2002 MINI COOPER S AUTO CRACKED SUDDENLY (WITH A POP) WHILE I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE FREEWAY, WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE--NO IMPACT SITE ON THE CRACK. THE CRACK ORIGINATES IN THE LOW/MIDDLE AREA OF THE WINDSHIELD, GOES UP ABOUT 2 INCHES, THEN SNEAKS TO THE PASSENGER SIDE ABOUT 5 INCHES. *JB

(1) I RECENTLY TRADED MY 2003 MINI COOPER IN FOR A 2005 MINI COOPER S AT A PRIVATE DEALERSHIP. (2) UPON INSPECTING THE 2005 COOPER S, I NOTICED THAT THE STRUT TOWERS WERE DEFORMED, BUT SINCE THIS WAS NOT A MINI DEALERSHIP, NOTHING COULD BE DONE BY THEM. I BOUGHT THE CAR THINKING THIS COULD BE FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. AFTER CALLING THE CLOSEST MINI DEALERSHIP WHICH IS 200+ MILES AWAY, I WAS INFORMED THAT THIS WAS CONSIDERED ABUSE TO THE CAR AND IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE PREVIOUS OWNER MUST HAVE HIT A POTHOLE. THE PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THIS SITUATION IS THERE IS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW IN THE MINI COOPER'S SHOCK TOWERS. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE SEEN THIS HAPPEN TO A CAR. I HAVE OWNED MANY CARS IN MY LIFETIME, AND NEVER HAVE SEEN THIS HAPPEN. I AM NOT THE ONLY OWNER TO EXPERIENCE THIS AND IT IS A PRETTY COMMON OCCURRENCE IN MINI COOPERS. I'M CONCERNED BECAUSE THIS SITUATION CAUSES THE CAR TO WANDER ON THE ROAD. AFTER DOING RESEARCH, I'M GETTING FEEDBACK FROM OTHER OWNERS. SOME SAY THEIR DEALERSHIP IS FIXING THE DEFORMATION, OTHERS, LIKE MYSELF ARE DENIED. I'M A LITTLE FRIGHTENED AT WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO THE CAR OVER TIME FROM THIS. WILL THE SHEET METAL GET EVEN WEAKER AS TIME GOES ON? I BELIEVE BMW SHOULD ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. (3) I HAVE NOT FIXED THIS PROBLEM ON MY CAR YET, BUT THE FIX IS TO EITHER PAY MONEY TO HAVE THE SHOCK TOWERS CUT OUT AND HAVE NEW ONES WELDED IN, OR POUND DOWN THE OLD ONES UNTIL THEY ARE FLAT, THEN BUY REINFORCEMENT PLATES FROM A VENDOR TO KEEP THE ALREADY STRESSED METAL FROM BENDING AGAIN. *JB

SUDDEN STRESS CRACK APPEARED DIRECTLY BEHIND REAR VIEW MIRROR. NO ROCK CHIP OR OTHER IMPACT EVIDENCE. WE'D JUST GONE FROM COOL (MID 50'S ) TO RECORD HEAT (100) IN 24 HOURS. HAVE LESS THAN 4,500 MILES ON THE CAR. CAME OUT IN THE MORNING TO FIND THE CRACK, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 6" LONG GROWING VERTICALLY. THE CAR IS A 2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE. *JB

CRACKED WINDSHIELD WITH NO IDENTIFIABLE IMPACT MARKS. LOCATED JUST BEHIND AND TO THE LEFT (IF SITTING IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT) OF THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. IT WASN'T THERE WHEN I DROVE TO WORK IN THE MORNING BUT WAS THERE WHEN I WENT TO MY CAR AT 5PM. *NM

WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED WHILE DRIVING IN RAIN. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED PROBLEM AS WIPER MOTOR FAILURE. I NOTICED THAT THE WIPER MOTOR WAS EXPOSED DIRECTLY TO THE WEATHER AND MOISTURE BECAUSE IT IS LOCATED DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE COWL INTAKE AND I FELT THAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. IT'S EXPOSED TO RAIN, SNOW, AND WINTER ROAD SALT SPRAY - EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT BEING DRIVEN. I OBTAINED THE REPLACEMENT PART AND NOTICED THAT IT HAD A PLASTIC SHIELD INSTALLED TO PROTECT THE MOTOR INDICATING THE MANUFACTURER DOES KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND HAS IMPLEMENTED CORRECTIVE ACTION. WHEN I CONTACTED BMW, THEY CLAIMED TO BE UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM. BMW INSISTS ON CHARGING FOR THE REPAIR ($465.00) AND HAS NOT YET RECOGNIZED THE FACT THAT THERE IS A SAFETY DEFECT WITH THE VEHICLE. THERE IS ALSO A HIGH LIKELIHOOD THAT THERE ARE OTHER VEHICLES THAT COULD EXPERIENCE THE SAME FAILURE RESULTING IN LOSS OF LIFE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE LUG BOLTS SHEERED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE BY HAND ON MORE THAN ONE WHEEL. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE HUBS.

I HAD ~40,000 MILES ON MY MINI COOPER LAST SUMMER. THE POWER STEERING JUST STOPPED WORKING WHILE I WAS MOTORING. I WENT TO TURN AND WHOA, NO POWER ASSIST. I'M ESTIMATING THE DATE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. I CAN LOOK UP THE REPAIR ORDER IF THE CORRECT DATE IS IMPORTANT. I THINK THAT BECAUSE OF THE MANY PROBLEMS SOME OF US HAVE HAD, THERE IS A REASON WHY I HAVE READ THAT THE 2007 MINI IS GOING TO HAVE A DIFFERENT STEERING SYSTEM FROM THE ELECTRICAL-HYDRAULIC ONES WE NOW HAVE. I GUESS I WAS LUCKY BECAUSE WHEN IT FAILED ON MY 2003 MC, THERE WAS NO PROBLEM OTHER THAN THE LOSS OF POWER ASSIST. AND IT WAS REPAIRED WHILE STILL UNDER THE 50,000 MILE WARRANTY. IN THIS DAY AND AGE WHEN IT SEEMS MOST CARS LAST 150,000+ MILES WITH NO WORK BEYOND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, IT MAKES ME WONDER WHY BMW/MINI CAN??T SEEM TO GET IT RIGHT. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY P/S PROBLEMS WITH MINIS. HERE IS A THREAD AND VOTING POLL ON THE PROBLEM... HTTP://WWW.MINI2.COM/FORUM/FAULTS-FIXES/49527-IMPORTANT-HAVE-YOU-HAD-POWER-STEERING-PUMP-FAILURE-PLEASE-VOTE-YES-NO.HTML HERE ARE SOME REAL HORROR STORIES INVOLVING FIRES. SOME FROM OTHER THINGS, BUT MANY FROM THE P/S PUMP. HTTP://WWW.NORTHAMERICANMOTORING.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=73527&HIGHLIGHT=POWER+STEERING+FAILURE HTTP://WWW.NORTHAMERICANMOTORING.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=68356&PAGE=3&HIGHLIGHT=OBITUARY THERE ARE MANY ADDITIONAL WEB PAGES WITH THREADS LIKE THE ABOVE, BUT THEY ARE ON THE MINIUSA.COM OWNERS LOUNGE WEB SITE WHERE YOU NEED AN ACCOUNT TO ACCESS THEM. *NM

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED. REPLACEMENT WAS REQUIRED AT 48,000 MILES. VIEWING THE MINI OWNERS WEBSITE REVEALED MANY SIMILAR SITUATIONS WHERE THE PUMP REQUIRED REPLACEMENT ON MANY 2002-2004 MODELS. THIS COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES. *NM