MINI engine failure at 40K miles: $10,200 to fix

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
First of all, who in their right mind would pay $21,000 for a Mini Cooper?

Second of all, who in their right mind would pay $21,000 for a Mini Cooper AND only drive it 2,000 miles in a year?

People are ridiculous sometimes.


Hey... fools and their money are soon parted.

Just like those who are running out to buy an badly overpriced aluminum pickup truck.
 
It is definitely expensive, but once a car is out of warranty, the company has no obligation to help. Would we be just as upset if it was 45,000 miles? How about 6 years? At some point there needs to be a cut-off. Plus, it doesn't take much to see that Minis do not have a great reliability history. She should have gotten an extended warranty.

ref
 
Originally Posted By: refaller
It is definitely expensive, but once a car is out of warranty, the company has no obligation to help. Would we be just as upset if it was 45,000 miles? How about 6 years? At some point there needs to be a cut-off. Plus, it doesn't take much to see that Minis do not have a great reliability history. She should have gotten an extended warranty.

ref



My vehicle isn't as "premium" as a 3 year old mini, but brand new it cost less than the sticker on that Mini. Even with 3.5 years of payments ... it cost less than the 3 year old mini.

I expect way more than 45000 out of it.

Hmm ... maybe 45000 is bad. I already have got 45000 out of it. I expect 100K out of it, at least.

And it's not even a "premium" vehicle.
 
Expect, sure. Demand is a different issue. Your warranty is good up until the stated terms. Anything the company does after that is purely them being nice. They have no obligation past the warranty. I certainly expect more of my cars and would be [censored] if my cars failed below 100,000 miles. At the same time, I baby them while driving. I actually check fluids between consistent changes (and less than 10% of people I know do that now). If something happens out of warranty, I may be upset, but I have no rights to demand things from a company.

ref
 
Would it be cheaper to put in a used engine?
Are minis considered luxury vehicle since sold by BMW?
 
I would buy a new anything over a used $21k car. That just doesn't make financial sense to me.
 
Originally Posted By: refaller
Expect, sure. Demand is a different issue. Your warranty is good up until the stated terms. Anything the company does after that is purely them being nice. They have no obligation past the warranty. I certainly expect more of my cars and would be [censored] if my cars failed below 100,000 miles. At the same time, I baby them while driving. I actually check fluids between consistent changes (and less than 10% of people I know do that now). If something happens out of warranty, I may be upset, but I have no rights to demand things from a company.

ref


This. If this was a any other car (Ford, Chev, Dodge Toyota or Honda etc) it wouldn't even have blown up to be the not-a-real story that it is. BMW/Mini went above and beyond for customer service in this one. Its a pricey machine, if you picked up any other machine 3rd hand, not even certified by the manufacturer, its all on the buyer.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
I would buy a new anything over a used $21k car. That just doesn't make financial sense to me.

It really depends on what you want. Some years ago, I was looking for a car... for around the price you mentioned I could have gotten a new Mazda3 or a low mileage 4-year-old 5-series. After test driving both, the choice was pretty easy for me, but again, it all depends on what one is looking for.

You also take a big depreciation hit when you buy new. If you keep your cars until the wheels fall off, then it doesn't matter, but if you change cars every few years, then it certainly does.
 
Surely at this point there are second hand motors that can be purchased and installed for half that. It's not like the Cooper is a rare vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: Mykl
Surely at this point there are second hand motors that can be purchased and installed for half that.

Right, but the question is: is this a common problem with these engines? If so, and you go with a used engine, you might end up in the same place in just a few thousand miles. Unless you just want to fix it and dump it, in which case going the used route does make sense.

However, the fact that BMW/mini offered to pay 60% of this would sway me to just go with their offer. Just wondering what kind of warranty they'll give on that new/rebuilt engine.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Right, but the question is: is this a common problem with these engines? If so, and you go with a used engine, you might end up in the same place in just a few thousand miles. Unless you just want to fix it and dump it, in which case going the used route does make sense.

However, the fact that BMW/mini offered to pay 60% of this would sway me to just go with their offer. Just wondering what kind of warranty they'll give on that new/rebuilt engine.


For some reason I missed that part of the original post.

Yeah, I'd have taken that deal. The situation still sucks, but it was a used car... if anything that Mini is offering some level of support on a post-warranty vehicle is a good thing.
 
Well said, QP, as always.

There are no good options for an out-of-warranty Mini. These really are cars that should not be owned by anyone unless they absolutely have to have one for whatever intangible reason.

Friend of mine's now wife had a base COOPER with an automatic trans and an aftermarket warranty. Result: 5 or 6 transmission swaps in quick succession -- because after the first one blew, the policy was to replace a blown part with a used one of equal or lesser mileage.

She now has a 2011 BMW 328i wagon with a 6MT, and it is treating her MUCH better.

I know the shop foreman at a Mini dealership in the area, and have a friend who is a Mini mechanic. Serious engine and transmission problems are... common. Definitely more than you'd expect from the usual rate of owner idiocy.
 
The used engine deal may not be a better deal. Sixty percent off of a new engine seems like it's probably close to the price of finding and fitting an engine of unknown state. She is not getting a bad deal. But given she paid 21k for a used mini, her ability to recognize a good deal is suspect.
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Well said, QP, as always.

There are no good options for an out-of-warranty Mini. These really are cars that should not be owned by anyone unless they absolutely have to have one for whatever intangible reason.

Friend of mine's now wife had a base COOPER with an automatic trans and an aftermarket warranty. Result: 5 or 6 transmission swaps in quick succession -- because after the first one blew, the policy was to replace a blown part with a used one of equal or lesser mileage.

She now has a 2011 BMW 328i wagon with a 6MT, and it is treating her MUCH better.

I know the shop foreman at a Mini dealership in the area, and have a friend who is a Mini mechanic. Serious engine and transmission problems are... common. Definitely more than you'd expect from the usual rate of owner idiocy.



I have a friend who is a well known BMW tech in the Northeast. He'll tell anyone point-blank that he would rather drive and maintain a Renault LeCar over any Mini. He's told me numerous horror stories about new or rebuilt transmissions(and other parts direct from Mini) that were DOA upon installation. He just hates them.
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
She now has a 2011 BMW 328i wagon with a 6MT, and it is treating her MUCH better.

On a side note, it's a shame you can no longer get a new 3-series wagon with a manual trans. It has to be auto, and it has to have xDrive. Two wrongs don't make it right. Just when I was starting to like them...
 
A friend of mine used to work at a BMW dealer in SoCal that had a Mini dealer attached to it. He was telling me how body shops hate Minis since the parts are so expensive, it does not take much for one to be totalled.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
On a side note, it's a shame you can no longer get a new 3-series wagon with a manual trans. It has to be auto, and it has to have xDrive. Two wrongs don't make it right. Just when I was starting to like them...


Indeed.

The one they found was a unicorn. Totally worth it.
 
I'd take a chance on a recent Aston Martin that had a clean title for $21k
smile.gif


Originally Posted By: dishdude
I would buy a new anything over a used $21k car. That just doesn't make financial sense to me.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
I'd take a chance on a recent Aston Martin that had a clean title for $21k
smile.gif


Originally Posted By: dishdude
I would buy a new anything over a used $21k car. That just doesn't make financial sense to me.


Well you got me there! I just can't imagine buying a used Mini when I can get a new Cruze/Corolla/Mazda 3 or Soul for the same price.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

V
Electronic key/remote dead micro switch - This may be helpful to you
Replies
7
Views
4K
vavavroom
W
20,000 miles in a CX-5 GT-R
3 4 5
Replies
92
Views
22K
Tshane3000
Back
Top Bottom