Nov 18th, 2009
Ah the CVT. The answer to all of our problems. Its step-less shifting was to be both good for performance and economy while giving you a wafting cloud like experience. That is until it fails costing the owner $8,000 to replace. It’s been a huge frustration for quite a few R50 owners who opted for the CVT over the manual with many failures happening just around the time the warranty expires.
One automaker who also embraced CVTs around the same time period is Nissan. In fact they are still putting them in cars while MINI has very publicly shifted back to torque converter automatics. And as you’d expect there are many Nissan owners with similar CVT failures. So much so that Nissan has just announced a doubling of it’s warranty to 10 years or 120,000 covering the CVT. In addition to that Nissan is also reimbursing owners who have already shelled out thousands on replacements overly slushy slush boxes.
At this point MINI hasn’t acknowledged the issue and it’s not clear that they will ever do so. However if you’ve had your CVT fail on your R50 MINI, make sure you’re voice is heard both at your local dealer and at MINI USA corporate. BMW has a history of eventually taking care of large scale issues. We have no idea if this will be one of them but it’s certainly worth taking up the ladder so to speak.
You can read the corporte letter to CVT owners from Nissan at Autoblog
Related:
Detailed Technically Assessment on the CVT / MotoringFile
Random Thoughts on MINI Loaners and the CVT / MotoringFile
MF Review: 2003 MINI Cooper CVT / MotoringFile
Oct 15th, 2009
One of the most viewed parts of our sites has to be the R50/R53 buyers guide we launched back in 2008. And while we felt it was a good introduction to the cars for those looking to buy used, we new it would need to be updated periodically. Our latest updates have focused around the additional oil leak issues that have cropped up over the last year or so.
But we also need you. We’d like to hear what issues you’re having with your R50 or R53 so we can help build out our buyers guide even further. Sound off in the comments section below.
+ R50/R53 Buyers Guide / MotoringFile
Aug 7th, 2009
This week’s Ask MF comes courtesy of Lisa:
I want to purchase a roof rack for my 2005 Mini Cooper. Please point me in the
right direction. Should I buy Thule, Yakima, or other? Which is best/ easiest
to work with? Which foot packs, etc do I need? I want to haul kayaks and
bikes. I’m sorry for all the questions but I keep getting different answers
from different websites and distributors. Thanks for any help that you can give
me.
We’ve had experience with Yakima and the OEM rack but would like to throw this out o our readers. Let’s hear it MINI owners, sound of below…
Related:
+ MF Quick Reivew: Yakima Rack / MotoringFile
Jul 15th, 2009
Dare we say it Autoexpress has created a pretty interesting article. They’ve taken 12 of the best MINIs ever and tested them all. Worth a read for sure but there’s no definitive conclusion unfortunately.
+ Greatest Mini Ever / Autoexpress
Jul 6th, 2009
This week we’re cleaning out the in box a bit and getting to some Ask MF’s we’ve had in the queue for awhile. The first of the week was sent in by Tim:
I was trying to find the JCW website. Prior to MINI take-over, JCW had a completely separate website. I’m only getting links to MINIUSA or MINIUK now. What I’m trying to do is contact someone knowledgeable about the R50 works head, specifically if there is a recommended cam or profile to get the best out of the head. I know from prior experience MINIUSA won’t have a clue and the JCW R50 is so rare in the States there’s no reason to post in popular forums. Your expertise is appreciated. continued →
May 16th, 2009
Let’s say you missed the boat on ordering park distance control or bought your R50/R52/R53 MINI without it used and suddenly realize it’s a must have. While it can be retro-fitted, it’s not easy. Luckily MINI has a solution. It’s the new license plate based PDC. And as you can guess, installation is a little simpler. If you park in tight quarters in an urban environment, it may be worth taking a look at.
This should be available at any MINI dealer in the US (via special order).
[ Rear Plate PDC ] Official MINI PDF
continued →
Apr 20th, 2009
Automobile Magazine has a great piece in this month’s magazine that details 12 of it’s favorite used car deals. But why is it great? Ok it may have something to do with the website they used as a source for the article. Here’s an excerpt:
The current version of the new Mini is bigger, faster, more refined, and better engineered than its predecessor. But it was the original car, introduced in the States in 2002, that inspired a grassroots eruption of Mini mania, and its smiley-face charisma and go-kart performance promise to make it an enduring cult hero. “It will be a classic,” says Gabriel Bridger, founder of MotoringFile.com, one of the country’s most authoritative Mini Web sites. “It brought sportiness and efficiency to the masses, and it’s authentic in a way that modern cars aren’t. It will be one of the last mass-produced cars to have a vintage-car feel.”
The interview that we did for the article was thorough and the author (Preston Lerner) was able to create a concise four paragraph piece that hit most of the high points of the R50/R53 ownership.
+ 12 Used All-Stars / Automobile
