What is the reliability of Mini Coopers?
- Thread starter Vern_in_IL
- Start date
So the "extra maintenance" you mentioned in your previous post is not the maintenance required per the vehicle manufacturer but refers to the preemptive maintenance of parts that other vehicles may not even have? Right, variable valve timing won't ever cause problems if an engine doesn't have it. I'm quite familiar with German cars, having owned 5 myself, and I have never found preemptive maintence to be overly burdonsome, others may find it unacceptable. I will say that I wouldn't recommend a German car, other than Golf 1 or Golf 2 to someone who expects a car to be appliance-like with minimal upkeep while remaining reliable.
The anecdotal evidence is overwhelming. 
Some time ago I came across this thread in which one member claimed a Mini had a '[turning] radius of 35 feet.' None of the resident legends realized that this would have to be the turning circle (diameter).
Some time ago I came across this thread in which one member claimed a Mini had a '[turning] radius of 35 feet.' None of the resident legends realized that this would have to be the turning circle (diameter).
As far as reliability, I would think Mark Wahlberg and Jason Statham would be the one's to ask. They sure held up well in, "The Italian Job".
I was simply using that as an example that some cars are more forgiving when it comes to neglect. If someone like my sister owned a BMW they would probably complain about all the problems it had. I own a BMW and maintain several of them, they are great cars, but seem to get a bad rep from the people who consider maintenance to be filling it with gas and washing it.
See if it was a 4 cylinder Camry or Corolla that would have never happened then you could have carefully invested that money and retired comfortably off of it in 50 years!
I'm not disagreeing with that. It was the phrasing that you originally chose to use that threw me off which is why I asked for an example.
They've been known as "bring my wallet" for many years. A very accurate description.
Ok, I'll join the "Never owned one, but know someone who did" club.
An old boss and good friend of mine is quite the car guy. He loves fun to drive cars. A couple of the memorable cars he drove was a 3000GT VR4, and a Dodge Viper that he amateur raced for many years. His experiences with the Viper is another story, in and of itself. About 15 years ago, I ran into him at a tire store, and he was driving a blue Cooper with the checkered roof. He told me it was his daily driver street car, and that he bought it because of it's reputation for being a real fun car to drive. And he had found that to be true.
A few years later, he came back to work as a contract employee, and I had the opportunity to work with him on a few projects. I asked about the Cooper, and he told me that he had sold it. He loved the way it drove, but got tired of the constant maintenance. Some repairs had put it in the shop for extended times. I vaguely recall that the repair(s) that was the tipping point, was repeatedly failing window regulators. I think if parts availability had been better, he wouldn't have gotten quite as frustrated with it, and may have kept it longer. But since it was his daily driver, he didn't like it being out of commission for extended periods of time.
Of course that was an earlier model. I have no idea what the newer ones are like.
An old boss and good friend of mine is quite the car guy. He loves fun to drive cars. A couple of the memorable cars he drove was a 3000GT VR4, and a Dodge Viper that he amateur raced for many years. His experiences with the Viper is another story, in and of itself. About 15 years ago, I ran into him at a tire store, and he was driving a blue Cooper with the checkered roof. He told me it was his daily driver street car, and that he bought it because of it's reputation for being a real fun car to drive. And he had found that to be true.
A few years later, he came back to work as a contract employee, and I had the opportunity to work with him on a few projects. I asked about the Cooper, and he told me that he had sold it. He loved the way it drove, but got tired of the constant maintenance. Some repairs had put it in the shop for extended times. I vaguely recall that the repair(s) that was the tipping point, was repeatedly failing window regulators. I think if parts availability had been better, he wouldn't have gotten quite as frustrated with it, and may have kept it longer. But since it was his daily driver, he didn't like it being out of commission for extended periods of time.
Of course that was an earlier model. I have no idea what the newer ones are like.
If my current ride should die before I do, then I’m in for the JCW Countryman. 
Thanks for the input; the more BITOG marque experts the better. Remember however, should you as much as sit in a BMW or Mini Cooper your heralded status will be permanently revoked.
The 1st Generation cars were the most problematic; the 2nd Gen models like my Clubman are pretty solid, although around 100k miles the engine will usually need to have some issues addressed. The current cars with the BMW modular engines have tended to be very reliable.
Still, every night I lie in bed wishing I'd bought a Corolla...
Are you talking about the switches that operate the power windows, or something else? I've never heard the term, "window regulators".
Window regulators are the mechanism inside the door that actually does the raising and lowering. Here’s an example of the front regulator for a Jeep Grand Cherokee, the motor attaches to it.
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It's astounding how affordable parts are for German cars. Because it's so transparent--OE/OEM/aftermarket. Try figuring this out on a Toyota. You can't. Also amazing how parts on a Toyota can be multiples over a BMW (I can give examples if needed). My 2007 BMW had one major failure--ABS/DSC and yes, that's $4200 at the dealer. But it was DIY for < $500, luckily. And the only thing that failed in 16+ years.
An extreme example--I got a PEX rear brake sensor wire, which is OEM, meaning it's the OE part in a non BMW branded bag, for $12. The same part, for my Lexus, is $120 (list $158.44). That's an extreme multiple. But there are many parts like that. It's not the part itself, it's the marketing model and of course supply.
edit: btw the list price of the BMW OE part is $33.81. In case fact checking is needed: 34-35-6-789-445
Toyota: 47770-50050
https://www.lexuspartsnow.com/parts/lexus-wire-assy-pad-wear-indicator-front-rh~47770-50050.html
Sometimes, I think of Japanese and American cars, as being like laser printers. It's the toner that costs a fortune, not the printer itself.
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As I have mentioned previously, I have put 50k miles on my R59 Roadster in two years. I'm not counting droptop maintenance, lubing pivots and hinges, maintaining the finish and undercarriage. The only preventive rather than scheduled maintenance involved the following components:
I replaced the original then six-year-old water pump pulley because the rubber on the pulley was showing signs of aging. I noticed this when I was changing the waterpump drive belt because I don't like any gekt to be older than 5-6 years.
Shortly after I bought the car I noticed a very small amount if coolant loss, maybe 1/4" down in the reservoir every two weeks. I tracked this down to the thermostat housing, a squidlike component with several cooling hoses on this engine. The electronically-controlled thermostat was part of the assembly. I also replaced the original coolant crossover pipe because I thought I'd be better off replacing it. I also replaced the coolant because I wasn't going to put the old sauceback in.
That's all the preventive maintenance I thought necessary. I will replace the transmission fluid at around 60k miles.
The engine has a timing chain, the power steering is electric. Regularly scheduled service intervals are rather long. The VANOS isn't showing signs of needing a service yet. Based on performance the carbon buildup in this DI-only engine is not significant enough to warrant decarbonization.
My 328i was supposed to be a maintenance, service, and reliability nightmare. It wasn't. In fact, all my cars I have ever had were supposed to be terrible and costly to maintain cars. I guess I just like terrible cars!
I replaced the original then six-year-old water pump pulley because the rubber on the pulley was showing signs of aging. I noticed this when I was changing the waterpump drive belt because I don't like any gekt to be older than 5-6 years.
Shortly after I bought the car I noticed a very small amount if coolant loss, maybe 1/4" down in the reservoir every two weeks. I tracked this down to the thermostat housing, a squidlike component with several cooling hoses on this engine. The electronically-controlled thermostat was part of the assembly. I also replaced the original coolant crossover pipe because I thought I'd be better off replacing it. I also replaced the coolant because I wasn't going to put the old sauceback in.
That's all the preventive maintenance I thought necessary. I will replace the transmission fluid at around 60k miles.
The engine has a timing chain, the power steering is electric. Regularly scheduled service intervals are rather long. The VANOS isn't showing signs of needing a service yet. Based on performance the carbon buildup in this DI-only engine is not significant enough to warrant decarbonization.
My 328i was supposed to be a maintenance, service, and reliability nightmare. It wasn't. In fact, all my cars I have ever had were supposed to be terrible and costly to maintain cars. I guess I just like terrible cars!
I have found the same to be true for MB parts, particularly when I have gotten the non-MB branded OEM part. And I have never had a problem with availability.
If I had to pay for a MB dealership to do the repair, I couldn't afford to own
I call them 'mini pooper'
This is going back a few years now and we were warned against buying a Mini with an AT and to avoid the "S" hot rod variant.
My wife just had to have a little red sports car that she had wanted ever since high school. I bought her a brand new '09 Mini Cooper with a 6 speed manual and she loved it. It wasn't fast but handled great and it was a cool little car.
We sold it in '18 with 85000 miles as we prepared for retirement and I can't complain since it was a really good car for us. I don't know about the reliability of the newer ones but ours never had an issue in 9 years and here are some shots from back in the day.
My wife just had to have a little red sports car that she had wanted ever since high school. I bought her a brand new '09 Mini Cooper with a 6 speed manual and she loved it. It wasn't fast but handled great and it was a cool little car.
We sold it in '18 with 85000 miles as we prepared for retirement and I can't complain since it was a really good car for us. I don't know about the reliability of the newer ones but ours never had an issue in 9 years and here are some shots from back in the day.
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