Considering a Cooper S
 

hello!

I am considering purchasing a 2013 Cooper S hard top.

Everything seems to be in line with my needs, but honestly I'm a little freaked out by the reliability horror stories that are seemingly all over the internet.

Are these things as unreliable as it appears?

Also, I live in Arizona, how do Minis cope with the heat?

Does the A/C hold up?

Thanks!

My last mini cooper was bought new in 2007 and was replaced about a month ago. In that time it went to the shop for some repairs, but were all covered under warrantee. It never stranded me anywhere.
Repairs: back tail light assembly
oil seal under turbo ( small oil leak)
I just purchased a 2012 Clubman S. So the few things on mine were not enough to stop me from buying another one.

Hey Spiderdog,

I purchased my first Mini Cooper S (Clubman) back in October 2016. It is a 2013 with 26K miles (at the time)...purchased from a dealer as a CPO. In addition to the CPO warranty, I purchased an extended service warranty that covers the car until 100K and includes oil changes every 9K, brake pads, etc.

I wondered the exact same thing as you. My biggest concern at time of purchase was the carbon build up issue that many had experienced. As it turns out, I believe they have redesigned the 2012 or 2013 (and newer) engines to help mitigate that problem.

In the almost 5 months I have owned my Mini, it has been to the dealer for 3 services covered under warranty plus 2 oil changes.

The 3 warranty services were to address the following issues:

1. Check engine light went on at 28K (code D1330) caused by a faulty tank vent valve; dealer replaced at no charge

2. Engine overheated (or got extremely warm) caused by a faulty oil filter housing gasket, causing a coolant leak; dealer replaced gasket and coolant at no charge

3. Faulty vanos solenoid causing the on-board processor to run the engine in a low power mode; dealer replaced vanos solenoid at no charge

First, my dealer has been extremely professional, fast, courteous and informative during each visit. They have also provided a free, new loaner mini in each instance. No complaints about the dealer nor the service.

After these 3 issues which occurred only weeks a part, I too was very concerned about the reliability of Mini Coopers, especially since I rely on this car for an 80 mile round trip commute, daily.

I asked around, posted the question on this and other forums and did various internet searches.

My own conclusion is, Minis (and BMW's) are a very nicely designed, well functioning automobiles that are can be prone to a higher incidence of faulty parts causing a more frequent need for service. Some of the parts failures are relatively harmless (such as the 3 examples I have given) and some can be catastrophic such as a timing chain failure.

Even assuming you are diligent with regard to routine maintenance (oil changes, checking fluid levels, coolant flushes, etc.), I believe (from what I have experienced and read) that you can still expect to have more frequent parts failures than other more reliable brands.

So my own person conclusion is that Mini Coopers are not as reliable as other brands...but that is a very broad generalization and no doubt, YMMV both figuratively and literally.

I do love my Mini Cooper S Clubman despite the several issues I have experienced in a short amount of time and I am very pleased with Mini Cooper's service (via my dealer). I would say, that if I buy another Mini in the future, I would only buy one that is a CPO with warranty and I would buy the additional service warranty. That gives you some time to shake out the bugs.

Lastly, when my Mini overheated it prompted me to buy and have installed a temp gauge (and oil pressure gauge) so I could keep a closer eye on the vitals of my engine.

I was shocked to find out how hot Mini Coopers run under "normal" weather and operating conditions. Mine hovered between 220F and 240F in freeway and stop and go conditions. This seemed too hot to me.

After asking around to various mechanics, Mini owners and BMW owners, I found this as the normal, intended operating temperature for both Mini's and BMW's of a similar model year, etc. The higher temp allows the engine to operate more efficiently (i.e. higher gas mileage) and helps reduce/mitigate carbon build up.

One side note, I noticed when I put my Mini in "sport mode" the engine temp drops by as much as 40 degrees (between 180F and 220F). This attribute has been confirmed by other mechanics, by BMW owners and by one mechanic at my Mini Dealer. So, when I've been on the freeway for an hour or more running at 220F, when I exit the freeway, I drive the last 2 or 3 miles in "sport mode" to cool the engine to 180F by the time I get home.

Sorry for the long post...my 2 cents.

good info! thanks for taking the time to write this out!