The issues people are having are real and cost a lot of money and time. I love the MINI when its working but people have to stop saying oh its so fun to drive so thats an excuse to put up with these mechanical and electrical issues. idiosyncrasies?

TOP 10 in vehicle quality – yes there is a generic vehicle quality question and MINI ranked in the top 10. Top 10 in Solid and Durable construction of vehicle Top 10 in vehicle overall Ranked #2 in “will definitely recommend”

JD Power has another survey that covers reliability of 3-year-old vehicles. The 2009 survey (covering 2006 model year vehicles) ranks MINI 25th out of 37 brands.

http://jalopnik.com/5301269/mini-usa-vp-our-cars-are-like-adorably-imperfect-wives

I am fast approaching 60K miles and the car looks, feels and drives like new. Better than new thanks to the Powerflex urethane bushings I had installed earlier this year that bring the steering feel and response to a whole new level.

I don’t expect any MINI exec to come out in national TV and admit that the product they manufacture and sell indeed has QC problems. But on the other hand, it is ludicrous to come out and say that the low quality scores are due mostly to people that “don’t get” the character and demeanor of the car. Sorry Jim, I don’t buy that (I think you are very nice guy and a true gentleman) in a million years.

I have owned nothing but MINIs in the past 7-8 years and they all have served us extremely well. Fortunately, we haven’t had the more severe problems others have reported over the years. Some of the QC quirks are indeed irritating for a product that boasts BMW manufacturing and design prowess. But the cars are so damn fun to drive that they are well worth it keeping them in tip top shape long after the warranty period expires. But for others, the issues these cars may or may not have are something they don’t to put up with, considering the money paid and the inconvenience of booking dealer service and dealer location (Which is still a big problem for owners that live hours away from an authorized dealer).

BMW knows well that the MINI hasn’t been a 100% stellar car in the QC department. Having owned samples from different production years, I have a sense that they have continually improved the product. My 2004 MCS was much better bolted together than the 2002 we had first and so on.

But problems persist. Why? Too many cars being churned out? Pressures to cut costs to keep afloat? Keep and increase profit margins at any cost? Whatever the reason is, the problems with the product are real and will become harder to justify in the eyes of the consumer public as prices continue to climb.

Yes we love our cars Jim, you are correct about that. But I know my next MINI will be over US$30K and I want that car to be as good and better than the one it will be replacing.

MINI needs a mid-cycle management refresh and they can start with that clown Jim.

No mention about improving quality/responsiviness the typical corporate speak of a company that lacks commitment to their buyer or their product. Instead they choose to blame the consumer because we don’t “get it” ?! What a douche bag. I bet that clown never spent one minute behind the desk of a service writer. If he did, maybe he would “get it”.

Last place and lame excuses?!

Get real MINI

And why is “quality” measured only by the number of problems? Of the 12 cars I’ve owned in my lifetime, the one with the fewest number of problems was a Saturn, but I’d never call it a “high-quality” car. It was clearly designed for customers with low expectations, and it meets them nicely. My R53 ranks in the middle on the problem scale, but near the top when I balance positives and negatives.

If this helps, my head mechanic (whom I actually trust), says the tappeting you’re hearing in the clutch won’t go away no matter how many they put in. Turns out it’s the dual-mass flywheel. In our cars, the actual flywheel has the spring-dampened friction surface, not clutch plate like in ‘normal’ cars. When you put it in neutral and ease off the clutch pedal, the assembly closes together like you’d expect, but there’s a little back and forth movement between the metal flywheel and the friction surface from the springs, which is exacerbated by the engine’s firing pulses, causing the chattering.

Apparently, the only way to get rid of it is to pop in any normal, aftermarket clutch system where, in the neutral/clutch pedal released position, the spring dampener assembly is locked down tight and isolated from the timing pulses.

Hope that helps with the problem :)