High Mileage MINI's
 

I'd like to hear from some owners of high mileage MINI's as I intend to keep mine for well over 100K milesand am goingI am going to be living in Asheville which is 80 miles from the nearest dealership. Up untill now I have owned mostly Hondas and Nissans which have routinely delivered unparalled reliabilty even when poorly maintained and at well over 100K. Can I expect the same kind of quality with a MINI? I have heard electrical problems are common, any truth to this?

Please advise

RE: High Mileage MINI's
 

Asheville, NC? I have family there. Nice town.

I owned two Hondas before I bought my '04 Cooper. '89, '97 Civics. Strictly on reliability the MINI cannot compare. You WILL spend $$$ just to maintain a MINI with BMW service rates after your warranty runs out. Just the hard truth. It also never helps to have only one dealer to go to. If they suck where do you turn??? I live in NJ and have 3 dealers within 1hr of my house to choose from so your situation is a lot dicier.

Now the good news.....
My '04 Cooper has over 114,000 miles on her and I still love the car as much as the day I picked her up! Sure she shows her age a little bit and has some battle scars, but everytime I drive another car it only reminds me what a great car my MINI is. Driving anything else just doesn't compare. For me that's been worth the $$$. I've never regretted buying her.

I've had repeated problems with the power window motors, but other than that it has just been normal wear and tear.

Good Luck!

RE: High Mileage MINI's
 

Good topic, I have been wondering this myself. Thanks for the inputs! Anyone else have similar experience with high mileage MINIs??

RE: High Mileage MINI's
 

I am new to the mini world. do you have to take the car to a mini dealer after the warranty runs out? there are 2 excellent mechanics specializing in foriegn cars nearby i was thinking of using after my warranty runs out. my dealer is 50 miles away so is ia a concern

RE: High Mileage MINI's
 

no, you own the car, you can do what you like with it. I do not plan to take it to the dealer after the warranty is up due to cost of repairs and the 3.5 hour drive to the nearest authorized dealer.

RE: High Mileage MINI's
 

I too would like to know about the longivity of the Mini Cooper. Thanks for starting this. I have a 93 Honda Accord EX with 321,195 miles on it and feel it should go to above 500,000. I am really looking at the 08 Mini Cooper Clubman S and really want to know if thatsuper charged engine can handle that kind of mileage. Does anyone out there have any information on this? Any information would be appreciated. Thanks......

Eagleman

RE: High Mileage MINI's
 

The bottom line here is that MINI's are NOT Nissans, Toyotas, or Hondas. They are MINI's, and they will cost much, much, more to maintain than one of these other cars.
You can not just take your MINI to a 'Firestone', or one of those other vehicle maintenance shops, and think that they will be able to do maintenance on your MINI.

The biggest issue isnot just anyone can work on a MINI. Sure they will say they can work on imports, and will probably lie to you and say they have actually worked on MINI's before... But the reality is that if you do not trust your non-MINI technician to do the job correctly the first time, you will be paying to have it done twice.

If you have an automatic MINI,you will not be going through clutches every 30k miles, and this is probably the single most important option to consider for the long term. The clutches cost about $2,400.00 to replace each time. The performance run flat tires are about $360.00 each, so you may want to consider getting the all weather tires instead.

They will not be a cheap car to maintain, or get repaired, after the warranty is up. That is for sure! If this is what you were looking for, you may want to get one of them other cars I mentioned above, or the new 'Smart Car' instead.

Either way, have fun!

High mileage? 2004 here - 118000 miles - Midlands 5-speed. Repairs? Changed serpentine belt @80k (Mini dealer). Replaced brake pads only on front.... brake pads, and rotors on rear (performed myself). Thermostat housing leak - replaced by dealer. Replaced driver window motor (myself). Replaced passenger electric lock (myself). Replaced sparkplugs @ 80k (myself).

NO OTHER REPAIRS.

This car has been EXTREMELY cheap for me to own. Maybe I just got a good one. Maybe I just drive it like an old man, who knows?

A note on the window motor - I found out later that this is VERY common. Motor replacement is NOT required. Just bang on the door just below the small speaker while operating the window switch. A few good bangs, and it will roll down. Honestly I have to do this about twice a week, but it beats paying to have a window motor replaced every time you turn around.

I have a "Very High Mileage" 2004 Mini Cooper S. It has 221,000 miles on her and she has been to 49 states, Up Mt. Washington and Pikes Peak, 9 Canadian Provinces, and Mexico.

I had the original clutch replaced at 207,500 miles as well as the electric power steering pump. One headlight bulb ($225), two serpentine belts and I don't know how many sets of tires. At 100,000 miles I put drilled and slotted rotors and EBC brakes even though I had half pad life left. I LOVE this car.



"Make a world of Difference"

Updated:
In my post above, I had 118,000, and now have 141,000. Thermostat housing cracked (again), and had to be replaced. Alternator went out. Mini dealership wanted $850 to replace. Local shop where I take my other vehicles did it for $500. Drivers window will only go down 1 inch now, so I guess I'll have to replace the motor, for real. Took the original stero head out, and replaced with Alpine from Best Buy. Got one that I could splice in the steering wheel controls. Works great.
When I replaced the plugs, cylinder #2 blew out the new plug, and stripped the head. I've seen this mentioned before in several threads, but I think it was probably my fault for not allowing the head to cool enough before changing the plugs. Local shop wanted about $1800 to fix. Went to local tool vendor, and bought a spark plug 'sleeve', (not the spring type). The sleeve came with the appropriate die. Loaded the die with oil, and reamed new threads. Installed the sleeve per instructions, installed the plug, and here I am 60k miles later and still running fine.

hey guys
i was looking for the same thing
does it really requires much maintenance ?
i know its silly to ask but my friend said so
please answer

Mini states that many fluids need flushed at intervals power steering and brakes , I find these "services" a complete waste of time/ money and unneeded (I was quoted in the $800 range for these.

With the long interval on oil changes 15k= I find too long and change at 5k
Mini wants $128 for a change , I have an oil change place that does it for $60 using the same materials

Until recently mine has been troublefree , I just lost my power steering and that was very pricey ($800)

75k Ihad to do brakes

Spark plug sleeve
 

Hi Guys my 92,000 mile mini just blew out the spark sleeve, all I can find is the spark plug with a threaded sleeve around it and I'm not sure what to do. It looks like from this post it is something I can replace. I will look but if someone could point me to any previous posts or help with any info I'd appreciate it.

thanks

Great thread. This is one of the reasons I joined the forums. I'm looking to get a Mini and I've been trying to decide buy or lease. Buy = I can mod the rims etc. Lease = can't do much with it...and don't have to worry about what happens when the warranty is up.
Are there any leasers here?
Opinions?

257050 miles on 2004 mini cooper base model
 

Hi my husband and I own a 2004 mini cooper base model. My husband bought it new and had done a few modifications on her including cold air intake, custom exhaust, OBX header, stainless steel brake lines, nology plug wires and spark amplifiers, drilled routers F/R. We have had the clutch replaced 3 times. Now that she is getting higher miles she sputters a little but other than that she is still running strong. We take her every where including places people are always surprised she goes. Every time I get in her she still has the get up and go.

I just purchased a 2003 Mini with 170,000 miles on it (the previous owner drove it about 120 miles round trip everyday for work in the Sacramento CA area... the title verifies the miles for the time he has owned the car). The car drives REALLY well and I drove it up yesterday from Sac to Idaho. I'm hoping with proper maintainence it will last for years. I have owned old VWs for the last ten years, so I hope the Mini will be as easy to fix and maintain...

I have a 2004S that has 189,000 miles.. I agree its not cheap to repair but it is fun to drive. The folks before me didn't maintain it so I have purchased it twice with repairs but I smile every time I get on the interstate ramp, its a go-cart with a chainsaw engine!!

Going On 350,000kms Mini Cooper S R53
 

Nice thread, I just joined this site to add that I got my new Mini Cooper S R53 in 2005 and she's still going STRONG with now close to 350,000kms.

She's still pretty much stock, only a cold air intake was added; and with the recent upgrade to iridium spark plugs and new wires I can say throttle responsiveness is bang on :)

I take care of her, mechanically and physically - winters here are tough and I drove it 6-7 of them (now I park it) so some surface touch ups were needed but nothing crazy, there's really hardly any rust on it all. There's no doubt I will own and enjoy this bad girl for decades ahead...Cheers to that! ;)

I have 165k on my r55 turbo. It's been babied and garaged it's whole life, but I doubt I will see it reach 200k without major repairs. I'm experiencing electrical issues ATM. It has the original clutch. Engine hasn't been opened. Always premium fuel, and synthetic oil changes at 6000 not 12. This should be a 300k mile car, but I can't even find one with 200 that hasn't had thousands in repairs.

Just pasted 260K on the 2005 MCC

You ma' boy blue! - North American Motoring

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...4495c62f7e.jpg

Thousands in repairs? Looked like an r56 at first glance. Nice upgrades.

Thanks , not allot of repairs, mostly upgrades. Its a Gen 1 MINI. no R56 ;) , That's the Blue one linked.

Canada Question/Follow Up
 

Cool to see a mini having done such good road tripping. Was Newfoundland the 1 Canadian province you didn't hit? Also, any new places you've hit since this post or maitenance worth noting?

Hi Canada Question / Follow Up: Here is an update on my 2004 Mini Cooper S
As of July 1, 2017 I have 277,845 miles on the odometer. The engine has never had the head off, so all internals are original. Valve cover gasket only replaced once 5,000 miles ago along with a few other o-rings and seals. Still on the second supercharger and clutch but I think I will need a clutch this year. I also have to replace the original headliner soon too. The Mini has not been to Newfoundland yet but I don't have any plans to go yet. We also have a 2014 Forester with 120,255 miles and a 2013 Mercedes Sprinter passenger van with 109,987 miles, so I haven't driven the mini much since 2013. Averaged about 1000 miles each year.

Over 151K and counting....
 

Car has over 151K on it. The only things done to it besides the basic maintenance have been new tires all the way around and replaced rear swaybar links. Love the car.

Let me preface by saying that I am new to the forum. I am currently on my second Mini. I love the brand, great cars! Driving anything else just doesn’t feel the same. In 2015, I traded in my 2003 Mini with 154,000 miles for a Chevy Colorado. Two years later I got rid of the truck and went back to a Mini. My 2017 Mini has 61,000 miles on it and going strong. That’s quite a bit of mileage in just three years but the Mini can handle it. I plan to put a couple hundred thousand miles on this one. As far as maintenance, I’ve only replaced tires, and done a couple of scheduled services being that my service warranty has already expired, but I have planned and budgeted for future maintenance. Anyone who chooses to own a Mini, has to go into it with the understanding that services will not be cheap. I’ve found some breaks in maintenance costs here and there by going to other shops, but I have gotten the best results from dealerships. Not to mention the peace of mind to know that the service was done by people who know brand standards. A good dealership will look out for you on the pricing.

Amazing to read this thread with more responses than 99% of the others on this forum. New here. Just got our new to us 2016 Countryman S All4. 1st ever Mini. Has 45k miles and new Pirelli 245 Run flat tires. Have no knowledge of previous owners service record, so I changed oil and filter, putting in new NGK9747 plugs and replacing battery soon. Might have the intake valves cleaned and adding an oil catch can. Took it to a local European Car Service for check out. Told the transmission should not be serviced til 100k miles. I love the way this tight, nimble go-getter handles. Amazing little German car made in the Netherlands. Knew going in that it might be a $$$ hole like our boat and 5th wheel. Will try to get many miles from it - Joy's Toy.

260k miles R50 cvt
 

no major repairs ,still going .but cvt won't go faster than 70 mph
other than that , no problems going to drive till wheels fall off

I purchased Darthcooper new taking delivery in October of 2003. It now has nearly 311,000 miles on it. With mods, repairs, and prophylactic fixes, I think I have effectively purchased it twice now. Virtually every moving part has been replaced at least once. I am on the second engine and the third gearbox which is a new Getrag 6-speed with the factory GKN LSD. I love this car. I have told my wife if after I’m dead she can’t find a good home for it, then bury my ashes with it.

High Miles
 

Well here is an update. I still have my 2004 Cooper S with almost 3oo,ooo miles on her. She has the original engine / 6 speed transmission and neither has been opened up. (All original internals) I haven't put too many miles on her because I have "Rescued" 3 other its Gen Mini's. A 2003 Electric Blue Cooper S, and 2 convertibles, both 2005 S models. So I split my time driving 3 of the 4. I'm still working on the Hot Orange Convertible.

Cool :)