MINI Cooper: Problems & Solutions

bodble2

You mean the CVT transmission? But you can't get the CVT with a Mini S, only on the base Mini.

dangorange

hey all, I just drove my brand new mini home a few hours ago, I'm so excited it's my first 'new' car. Anyhow I've been reading the forums over the past month and have gotten some great insight as to what to look out for. here's my deal which I thought I'd throw out there and see if anyone else has experienced it. Mine is a base 2005 with the CVT, no frills. On very low almost coasting speeds, no braking or gas I could hear a very distict buzzing/high pitched vibration? sound. Not unlike the sounds of insects you may hear at night. I'm not sure if this is a 'break in' period type of sound and I'll just be calling the dealer anyway tomorrow to hear what they have to say. It's a little erratic but definitely there. The only other thing I could notice was one of my speakers is crackling, and that's definitely something I'll need replaced since it's annoying, I can't even play music or the radio so it's going in regardless. I have to say though it's just a super super car. I'm used to funky cars so the little bit of lurching in slow speeds I heard about with the CVT's as well as other quirks were not bothersome at all, kind of made me feel right at home, I love it.

crbates

Yes, I have the Mini Cooper S with the CVS transmission. I bought it a month ago. I don't think that the CVT used to be available in the S but it is now.

markjenn

My understanding is that the auto on the new MCS is not a CVT, but a conventional six-speed with auto controls and paddle shifters. The base Mini retains the CVT (continuously variable transmission).

- Mark

kyfdx

That is correct... I was looking at one last month... 6-speed, not CVT..

bodble2

Congrats! The Mini does have its quirks, but it manages to charm at the same time --- not unlike a lot of girls!

I haven't noticed the buzzing, but the Mini does have its share of quirky noises too. Try shutting it off and wait around and listen for all the funny noises that it emits for a good half hour or so. Lots of snapping, popping, ticking type noises.

beancounterbob

exact same thing happened to me today. Pulled out into the street, car would not accelerate above 3--5 mph. "Service engine soon" light came on. EML light came on, then went off when I shut the engine down. But "service engine soon" light will not go out...

I have a MCS auto, about 3 months old with almost 3k miles on it...light useage.

Not a happy moment, as it happened in Houston traffic. I thought it might be the a/c so turned it off. Made it home with engine responding normally, but SES light still on.

Called dealer. He described exactly what happened before I told him. I guess all the 2005 models are doing this. He said it is a software fix taking about 30 minutes of my time tomorrow. I made sure he represented the vehicle as being safe to drive.

If this had happened when I first got the car, I would have gone ballistic. However, after 3 months I gotta say I love this car. Yes, it IS going to be a pain. But it is the most fun to drive, most comfortable for big guy, easiest to park-- ever. I am going to try and hang in there...BUT there is a limit!!

I will let you know what happens. And if the fix works...

gdmmac

My wife has a 2004 mini cooper with auto trans. we have had the automatic climate control system serviced 5 times. Purchased car new in may of 2004. Today her car would not start, stranding her for 4 hours while she waited for the "emergency road service" to show. This was due to no available flat bed available. However, when I called AAA service on my card, AAA said it would be 30 min. So, that is an issue to another day.

My question is, has anyone be having the similar problems. We have notice recently of interior light being when she or I did not touch it. We have also reported to Mini dealer the smell sometimes of electrical burning. The car is now at the dealers waiting to find out why the electrical system is bad, error message said it was a "Airbag Malfunction".

She loves the car, but is thinking of filing lemon law action. Her previous car was a 15 year old honda civic that never had these types of problems. thinking trading for another civic or toyota Prius. Not as cool looking but more reliable.

bodble2

I've been a real fan of the Honda Civic (my very first car was a 1975 Civic hatchback), but, to be fair, a 15-year-old Civic was a pretty basic, bare-bone machinery. It didn't really have much fancy gadgetries that would be prone to breakdowns.

markjenn

If you're contemplating lemon law action, read the brochure that came with the car and get up to speed on the requirements. They're extremely specific and you need to keep excellent documentation. It's not a simple process.

If you have a case, the dealer and BMW will often step up and try to resolve the issue without lemoning the car. But you need to start through the process.

- Mark

gdmmac

thanks for your reply. yes that is true what you say, however, I have a 1994 del sol VTEC. This car is more advanced engine and accessories. I have had one timing belt break and one driveshaft replaced. Other than these 2 major services, I've never had a problem. Knock on wood .... Got the car back and was told the problem was a bad battery. So, problem solved for now. Dealer said they have had battery problems with other MINI's too.

bodble2

Ahh...the Del Sol...that's one of the cars I wish Honda would bring back. The other is the CRX Si.

bodble2

I think the glove box in the Mini is a crappy design....open it and everything falls out. :mad:

markjenn

I pretty much agree. In fact, most of the interior details of the Mini don't work very well. I suspect they'll fix most of this stuff in the next iteration.

If you want clean well-thought out interiors, it's hard to fault a Honda. But they don't drive like a Mini.

- Mark

beancounterbob

took the vehicle into the dealer. 3 people ahead of me had the same problem. Evidently all the 2005 MCS automatics are experiencing it. Sensors are indicating to the engine to go into the "fail safe" mode (i.e. run, but just barely) in certain circumstances. They downloaded a software update. Took about half an hour. Said no dealer nationwide has had a come back after the download.

So far (10 days of driving) I would agree. Have not had a problem.

They should have announced a recall, is my only gripe. If the car experienced this problem in heavy traffic or getting on to a freeway for instance, could be dangerous. However, they said they only got the software update 2 DAYS before I brought my car in.

So-- I like the car so much, am giving them the benefit of the doubt...

huntera

Just bought a used 2004 Cooper, CVT auto, 4700 miles and new to this forum. Learning a lot of what to keep an eye out for thanks to all here.

I noticed upon purchase a failed coolant resevoir hose. Closest dealer is 60 miles away. I made an appoitment to have cruise installed (which works great) and the hose replaced (dealer didn't order it for appointment). I had installed a piece of 3/8" fuel line so I would be leaking coolant for the repair trip. The dealer has notified me that the hose is now in. Catch: I have to make the 120 mile round trip to have it installed! They can't mail it to me. One thing I have learned here: Long distance to dealer = bad medicine.

My drivers side interior door latch has become disfunctional. I pulled on it once to unlock the door as usual. It didn't unlock and after unlocking manually, would not and still does not open the door. Now reminds me of my Austin Sprite I had in '60's.Appears to me that the mechanical system has come "unhooked" in someway. Anyone else experience this problem and have a long drive saving solution. Thanks a million.

bodble2

"If you want clean well-thought out interiors, it's hard to fault a Honda."

Very true!

"But they don't drive like a Mini."

In some ways they drive better than a Mini. But they don't drive as " cool". Of course, nothing handles like a Mini! :shades:

chubby54

I am having the same problem on my 02 mini. I had both regulators replaced becouse they were chattering and squealing. Ever since they were replaced both sides will intermitantly "forget" to roll down. I have had to have both a pillar covers replaced due to the window breaking them. and it is very frustrating having to get back in my car turn the key on roll the window down then up again to shut the door. I was told by my mini rep here in Denver that it was due to the window not being rolled all the way up so now I am very carefull to make sure the window is always up but the problem persists. I have to believe that the prob is in the regs as it never did it before they were replaced. I have had it to the dealer twice to no avail. I am going to pull the door panel off and see if I can tell what tells the BCM that the window is up and see if there is some way to adjust it. I am an auto tech so hopfully I can figure it out but so far mini has been fairly un helpfull. and as a short P.S. the windows still chatter

glaaki

I have an 03 Mini CooperS, premium package only. It has 32K miles on it. I bought it used about 4 months ago.
I was driving on the highway the other day and when I got off on the ramp and when the rpms dropped the oil light came on! I thought "Oh no, this is bad!" It went off again when I reved the engine. I checked the oil and it was down about a quart. I added one quart of oil (mobile1), and light hasn't come on since. It was due for it's service check so I took it in and had them look it over. From the dealer records, it had a full oil change at 28K. So it used a quart of oil in roughly 4000 miles. This seems excessive to me, but the dealer claimed this is normal useage and that I should check the oil level every 1000 miles. Which frankly I think is crazy. Do I have a :lemon: or what?
Can anyone else comment on oil usage in the 03 S's. It says in the manual that oil usage is normal, but this seems a bit much. I also do not drive like a maniac. It almost never gets above 5k rpms.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

kyfdx

1) You should check your oil level weekly..

2) Virtually every automaker uses 1 quart per 1000 miles usage as meeting spec.. I think that would be excessive, but you'll never get anywhere unless it exceeds that level...

3) A quart in 4000 miles doesn't seem like that much to me.. If you hadn't checked your oil in the 4000 miles that you've owned it, then I would suggest doing it more often... If you won't do it once per week, then at least every 1000 miles as your service advisor suggests...

regards,
kyfdx

P.S... start driving faster.... you'll feel better about checking the oil more often..

markjenn

I agree with kyfdx, this consumption is perhaps a little on the high side, but completely within normal bounds, even for a new car. Unless it is leaking, you're not going to get anywhere with Mini asking them to do anything to fix it.

Your driving habits might be contribution to higher consumption. Not using higher revs and full throttle periodically can lead to glazing of the cylinder walls and higher consumption.

I could be wrong, but I think the Mini has both a oil pressure sensor and an oil level sensor. So the light was probably just telling you that you're a quart low. Checking it ever four or five fillups hardly seems onerous to me.

- Mark

glaaki

Yep, I'm in Denver too. They told me the same thing that I should make sure the window was fully up. Which it is!
When I was there the other day, they replaced the pillar cover again. This time they cleaned and checked the door open sensor. It may be that the window "thinks" the door is not open so it doesn't go down when you open the door. This seems like what is going on, so you might want to check that. The wire might be loose or corroded. Check that while you have the door panel off.
Also, it hasn't happened to me a in awhile, so I'm hoping it has gone away. I'll keep you posted. Good luck with your window.

glaaki

Thanks Kyfdx and MarkJenn that was helpful!
I will do as you suggest, check the oil more often and drive much faster

rayt2

1 qt. in 4000 miles is excessive. I use 1 qt. in 15k which is my oil change interval on my 03 Cooper. I now have 60k on it and usage is still the same. It sounds to me as if the first 32k miles on this used S were hard miles and your seeing the results now. I check my oil weekly, as suggested by another post, out of habit but my usage is as stated regardless.

Ray T. :shades:

markjenn

Engines vary in oil consumption. One will use 1 qt in 10K, another in 1 qt in 3K. It has nothing to do with whether one engine is better than the other - it just is normal variance, the same way that some engines make a little more or less power, or sound a little different. In fact, there is some evidence that engines with very low levels of oil consumption actually wear out sooner than ones with moderate levels of oil consumption - the little bit of oil that makes it into the combustion chamber acts as a top end lubricant.

1 qt/4K is not excessive according to Mnii. It's completely within the normal varaince. Regardless, you're not gonig to get anywhere complaining about it. You might was well howl at the moon. And there is no way I'd want Mini to start making repairs at this oil consumption level - there is very likelihood they'd take a perfectly good engine and cause other problems.

- Mark

dd4005

Hi,

We're looking at getting a Cooper S Automatic (with Paddle Shift) and Air-Con. I don't need to tell you guys how cool and how much fun we think the car is. We've had four test drives already (Cooper, S with stick, S with Auto/Paddle) and we know which of those combinations we prefer.

We've heard, not on this forum, of two people who've experienced the apparently famous window problems and strange light (warning and interior) behavior. We also heard about excessive servicing charges relating to brakes. I went googling for such problems and found myself here where I've found several reports of similar problems.

My questions:

1. Do you guys think that a Cooper S we order now that isn't even built yet would have the strange window/light problems when you consider that there was already apparently a recall about this?

2. I saw here a report of computer problems requiring a software upgrade. Presumably that's now being delivered as standard software, I hope.

3. Despite any problems you've had, and I see this thread only has a couple of hundred posts which compared to other cars here isn't so bad, would you still buy one? We don't expect any car to be 100.00000% fault-free, it's just unrealistic. But there is a certain expectation when buying a BMW that you're getting a better than average quality car.

4. What kind of speed do you get from your Cooper S's ? During our test drive it wouldn't go above 130mph. I was surprised to say the least. My Mercedes E280 which is a much bigger car and only has 22 more hp gets to 150mph no trouble whatsoever.

Thanks :shades:

~dd [ http://dd.fotopic.net/c294494.html ]

kyfdx

I'll give the perspective a non-MINI owner..

1) Anecdotal evidence would suggest that the MINIs are getting more reliable, as model years progress.. I still wouldn't bet on them being problem free in the window and electrical department.. that seems to be a trouble spot. The one you buy, however...may turn out to have ZERO problems..

2) Software upgrades are easy... you drop your car off, and when you pick it up, it is fixed... If that is the fix to a problem you are having, then it is nothing to worry about.

3) "there is a certain expectation when buying a BMW that you're getting a better than average quality car." I have a BMW, and while I enjoy the car, and appreciate what I'm paying for, I don't confuse quality with basic reliability. Superior materials and the best engine money can buy doesn't always correlate to bullet-proof everyday reliability... you know, like a Honda or Toyota.. That said, nothing I read about the MINI would scare me off of a new one..

4) Not sure about the Cooper S, but my BMW is governed to 130 mph..

regards,
kyfdx

P.S.: I'll leave out transmission recommendations, since you say you've got that figured out..

dd4005

Thanks for that kyfdx. I was thinking that those problems would probably be fixed by now. It's not putting me off as much as it is my better half, she's a bit worried. :shades:

How come your BMW is governed to 130mph? All the BMW's I had were governed to 155mph (except the ones I had ungoverned ;-) ).

By the way, it wasn't a governer stopping the Cooper S from going above 130mph, it just didn't have any more power. When you hit a governer limit it's somewhat more violent than just not being able to get it to go any faster.

Maybe the "works" engine upgrade to 210hp will be worth it.

~dd [ http://dd.fotopic.net/c294494.html ]

crunch

As a Mini Owner (two in fact, 2004 MC and 2004 MCS/JCW) we have over 35k miles between the two, No problem, no window problems, nothing. Brakes are covered for the first 36K miles as part of the maintenance but I have had no brake issues either.
There have been and apparently still are problems with the software for the MCS automatic. Hopefully they will have it fixed prior to your delivery.
As far as the speed, I think the MCS is limited to 138, faster with JCW and the limit can be upped or removed with 'chip tuning'. You really don't have enough power to overcome the drag on a stock MCS so you probably can't go beyond 130 or so without mods.
The biggest problem I have with the MCS is tire wear. Not a car problem but a driving style issue. When something handles as well as the MINI, you don't slow down for the turns.
If you google correctly you might find tens of thousands of MINI related post at various places. Look a little harder.

dd4005

Thanks crunch, this is all gold It's good hearing the more positive experiences too. People tend generally to not bother posting that they didn't have any problems.

As for the brakes coverage, I suspect that's probably only for the American market. You guys get awesome warranty/guarantee packages, much better than is available in europe. Standard over here is 12 months/12,000 miles.

I'll ask about the software when (make that if) we take delivery, get it done then and there before we leave the dealership.

As for the speed limiting, I read somewhere that BMW limits the speed lower (than 155mph) specially for America. Apparently they even did it on the M3. Crazy!

In europe the only limit you ever get is the 155mph standard one. I think it was about 15 years ago that BMW, Mercedes and VW/Audi all got together in a meeting and drew up a gentlemen's agreement that they'd all limit their cars to 250km/h (155mph) because they felt that driving above that speed was dangerous without training. When you buy a new Mercedes in Germany they'll remove the limiter for about $4k. BMW will remove it if you take some kind of training course. Porsche being Porsche were never part of such nonsense :shades:

Having driven at 186mph here I can see what they mean. At 3 miles per minute you need your wits about you :sick:

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~dd [ http://dd.fotopic.net/c294494.html ]

crunch

I believe that the maximum legal speed limit anywhere in America is 75mph. That makes the 130 limit almost twice the legal limit. Also note that most Americans are not trained to drive fast and that our licensing relies very little on driving skill. Couple this with limited vehicle safety checks in many states and you get an environment where high speed driving would be quite dangerous.
Some of us that have the 'need for speed' participate in controlled driving events at racetracks.

markjenn

I suspect the 130 top end is about right and has absolutely nothing to do with a speed limiter. Top end speed is mainly governed by power and aerodynamics, so the Mini's small size and lighter weight, while helping with acceleration and nimbleness, do not help much with top end. So the modest 170 hp will only go so far. And the Mini's aerodynamics are poor. It is not a car that likes to cruise at very high speeds.

I'd think an ordered car today would be out of the woods on most current problems, although the window and electrical issues are pretty much a BMW thing that comes and goes on all their cars. I've noticed a trend towards window problems tending to happen more on cold climate cars. I've had the "steering clicking" issue on my 2004 (also common), but otherwise it has been flawless. As kyfdx says, there is a difference between quality and reliability. The Mini is a very high-quality car, but I doubt it will ever match the impeccable reliability of a Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or Mazda 3.

My only comment, reading a little between the lines, is that the Mini is not a great performance car in the vein of a 330i. It's a nimble economy runabout that has great handling and some panache. But it's not a fast car by today's standards and when the day is done, it's a FWD car, and jacking up the power with JCW and other engine mods aggravates the handling issues. So you need to have reasonable expectations.

- Mark

dd4005

I hear what you're saying on quality vs reliability. I've had 4 Toyotas and 5 BMW's in the last 10 years. The BMW's were ultimate driving machines no doubt but I spent more than $500 on each service. The Toyota's I spent virtually nothing during the services but they do feel cheap.

I'm losing the battle to get a mini though. "SHE" is concerned about the fuel economy. At $6.00 a gallon for fuel in Germany (and pretty much the whole of Europe) and plenty of cars around that are using half the amount a Mini gets through it's becoming tough.

I was totally under the impression that it, like ALL BMW's, was RWD. If it's FWD then I've totally gone off it. It never felt like FWD when I tested it. No torque steer at all. OK, I never got to drift it around a track (sadly) but it really didn't feel like one. Oh man that's depressing, I gotta go find confirmation of that.

~dd

edit: Confirmed, FWD. I really never thought to check whether it might be FWD. BMW normally doesn't lower themselves to such cheapness. Oh well, the short love affair with a mini is over I guess I'll switch to my alternate dream small car, although it's not out for a while yet, the BMW M1.

Thanks for the info, sorry it was all in vain. Still shocked and stunned.

bsqd

Just joined the ranks of Mini owners the end of July. Bought because I loved it, as all of us do. But I too have had the EML error, had it just 5 days after getting it, turned the engine off restarted, the Service Engine light stayed on. Ran fine called the dealer set the appointment for a week out, need to have the new "service pack" downloaded. Check engine light had gone off in the meanwhile. Just got my car back on Thursday, driving today and bam EML light again! :sick: Coasted to a spot to turn it off, Service engine light still on. As of now the Service engine light is off, but we're going to the dealer first thing in the morning! We'll see what they have to say...

dtandjt

We were driving our 2005 MCS with 5621 miles on it yesterday when all of a sudden the engine light comes on, it begins to run rough, smoke comes our of the tailpipe and we had to pull over and shut it down. Got towed 200 + miles to nearest dealership. It is being diagnosed today. Anyone have a problem like this?
Thanks

markjenn

Good luck with the engine light problems.

FWIIW, on any current car, I would never let a CEL or SEL stop me from driving the car, provided it was running fine except for the lights. These new OBD II systems are so sensitive, they'll trip on very minor sensor glitches. If one comes on and stays on, I'd call the dealer and make an appointment when convenient, but in the interim, I'd put a piece of tape over the light and drive the damn thing.

- Mark

bodble2

Not sure if it applies to Mini, but I've read somewhere that if the CEL comes on and stays on steady, then no big deal to keep driving, but if it blinks, then not so good!

BTW, regarding oil consumption. Having had had Honda V6 models for a good number of years now, I've gotten into the habit of checking the oil level maybe once (at most!) between oil changes, because those engines almost consume ZERO oil. I used to check it more frequently but, I swear, the oil level always remain at the Max line!

rayt2

My experience with my CRX was likewise, no oil usage between 5k oil changes. Once the car hit the 100k mark I started to see a 1/2 qt usage in between changes. I had 180k on it when I sold it and bought the Mini. Oil consumption in my experience with muscle cars to foreign has shown the same results, heavy foot = oil consumption. This I feel is the case of glaaki with the used 03 "S" with 32k on it. Those 32k were hard miles by previous owner or he has a heavy foot if he's using a qt in 4k and it will only get worse as time goes on.

Ray T. :shades:

bodble2

What you said is consistent with my situation --- I've never bought used (so no issue with previous owner), I don't drive with a heavy foot (well, only occasionally), and I've never kept a car beyond 100K miles.

daggett88

I am looking at a 2002 loaded with auto. I have found in the forum that they are slugish and I noticed that on a test drive. Has anyone noticed a wine when slowing down? I am not sure if it is the brakes or the tranny. I think it is the tranny.

rayt2

I have a 5 spd but have driven the automatic as a loaner and found that yes it is sluggish off the line and even more so if running the a/c. Once you get up around 3500 rpm the response is much quicker when into the throttle. This is in line with the torque curve of the car also. I have noticed same thing with my 5 spd. its sluggish to start but once rpm's pick up so does the acceleration. If your running a/c off line sluggishness is even more so.

Ray T. :shades:

bodble2

Yup, the CVT is pretty sluggish off the line. Plus it is a bit lurchy unless you ease into the throttle. But, as you said, it is pretty zippy once it gets underway. I'm not sure the CVT is a good partner for the engine in the Mini, because I've driven a Freestyle with a CVT and it is waaaaaay smoother.

beancounterbob

have driven the vehicle almost a month since the software fix on EML light. No problems...just finished today driving it from Houston to South Padre Island and return (some 700 miles). Not a problem.

Will keep you advised..please do the same...

BTW: actually like the car better on the freeway...so much more comfortable than much larger cars and great gas mileage...

bodble2

"...so much more comfortable than much larger cars"

How so?

bsqd

Good to hear Beancounter,

Took my Mini back to the dealer last Monday, there where surprised to see me again with the same EML error. Said they never had a return after the "download". What they ended up doing was replacing the Map sensors. Took about a 1/2 day, part of that was to talk to the manufactor to see what could be wrong. I've had it back just over a week and all is good. Whew! So we're happily cruising again!

beancounterbob

Hey there, Candadian...

The car is amazingly comfortable for a tall person. Invariably, people see me get out of the car and say "how can you fit in such a small car?"

Answer: very nicely...I am 6'4" and 250lbs. It is the ONLY car I have ever owned or sat in where I can stretch my legs out full length and hold my arms out straight to the steering wheel. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is. I have been in pain with stiff joints trying to utilize my legs again after riding in wife's lexus for a long stretch.

It was one of the major motivators in buying the MINI...

bodble2

Aside from the ride, I can't say the Mini is an uncomfortable car, even though I'm not a tall person by any means. There are sufficient adjustments in the front seats to get a good comfortable position -- provided there is no one sitting in the back seat! What the car lacks is space for your nick nacks.

godoy

Any horror stories on the factory roof racks Mini offers??????, thinking of having one installed so to carry my mountain bikes.

Are they worth the money v.s. something like Yakima or Thule?

doug14

Has anyone experienced the problem of an automatic engine staying in low gear (making a straining noise) when driving between 60-70? I have an 03 and have returned it to the dealer about seven times since I first purchased it. They keep claiming it's a software problem, but I did find out they no longer use that type of transmission. Nearing my wits end as it's started doing it again. The fixes last about three months. It seems to eat gas when malfunctioning as well.

roma1

I have exactly the same problem. I went to bmw dealer 6 times with this problem after that they decided to change my transmission. So they installed a brand new transmission and after 4 month I'm having the same problem again. I'm going to see dealer soon again