Is this typical?

[tvrgeek]

At about 9000 miles, getting ready to take it in to get all the various things looked at. I know some of these they refuse to fix, just wanted to see if my list is typical.

( S automatic)

 

Speedo way off. We know about that.

Lug nuts were finger tight, We know about that one.

 

These I will request action on.:

Odometer about 5% more miles than real

MPG readout about 10% high

Gas gauge wrong by half

Radio display blanked out a couple of times

Surging at idle

Not going into reverse all the time without a bit of gas

Rattle in drivers B pillar

Rattle from the back

Missed a downshift. Just revved and eventually found a gear

 

I really want to know if they can turn off that obnoxious cold road warning.

 

Design problems they can't fix are things like no heat on my feet, rear defroster works but not enough to defrost, really poor headlight beam shape. Really stupid for a 2009 car. My first new car ( 75 Corolla) did not have these problems. Actually, it had no defects in the first year at all.

 

Is this typical for a new car? I have been driving Saabs and Honda's for so long, I am not used to having to take a new car in for repair.

[JustJAY]

Wow!!!

[VioletDC]

Wow, is right, Jay.

 

 

That's quite the laundry list u have there, tvrgeek. I have an '06 auto MCS, and haven't heard, let alone experienced any of those things! The only thing I asked MoS about a year or so ago was some hesitation on takeoff w/in the first few minutes of starting the car. They checked and checked, but couldn't find anything wrong. Other than that, Scoopie's been a gem. I hope they get your issues straightened out w/the quickness so u can start 2 truly enjoy your MINI. But, to answer your question, no, it's not typical.

[RichSperry]

Speedo probably is off, (mine is off by 2 mph at 65), but the odometer should be right on...

 

Lug nut loose? Buy a wrench...

 

The rest of the stuff

[tvrgeek]

I only mentioned the nuts as it seems this was on a lot of 09 cars and is very dangerous. I found it after only about a week when I took the wheels off the clean them. Now correctly torqued. Speedo is intentionally set high. I have a copy of the most arrogant letter BMW put out on the subject. Mine is about 5% plus 2 MPH. They consider the DOT regulation of 10% and never less to be their design goal. I have not had one that off since my Spitfire. It was only worse as it did not work at all.

 

I guess I should be encouraged if these are just sample defects and they should be able to correct them. I know I am a bit of a tough customer. Comes with all the years I spent as a Quality Engineer. I know better, so I am pretty intollerant of manufacturing defects, and really intolerant of design shortcomings. I know this is basically a cheap car that just costs a lot. I knew when I bought it the quality and reliability are only one notch above a GTI. ( fighting for dead last with Mercedes). Yes, I knew that, but I bought it because it is a hoot to drive and my old knees just could not work a clutch anymore. I have to admit, the turbo is getting addictive. My milage has gone down from about 31 to 29, and the car is not at fault at all!

[cameroon]

Well, I'd say that my experience would be (~16k, S manual):

 

1. Cold Start rattle - this is known and has a fix (whether the fix will work...), not sure how tough it's going to be to get them to dot the fix though

 

2. MPH off slightly, but I'm not a stickler for absolutely precision there (especially since there's a slight outer diameter change when i change wheels between summer/winter)

 

3. I've never expected the onboard MPG to be accurate; more a guide. It would be nice if it was closer though

 

4. Gas gauge ... god, you'd think that car companies would do more accurate gas gauges. I've never had gauge where each demarcation was equivalent

 

I might have a rattle here or there, but it seems mostly due to the cold.

 

[Edit]

Heh, I must drive hard - right now I'm getting about 24 I have gotten 36 though, so it's no fault of the car.

[tvrgeek]

Forgot as it is winter. The sunroof won't open when it is hot. Need to cool the car first, then it opens. Sounds like I should pay attention this summer for chain noise. It would be nice to know when Peugeot fixed them on the line so we would know which of us need worry, and which are free. I can't help but thinking 15K oil change intervals exasperated it.

 

First gas mark, about 110 miles. A gallon left, 5 bars still lit.

 

I can get 24 too. Just put it in sport and have fun. 20 is easy. If one were inclined, you can go from zero to jail in about 20 minutes. 99% of my drive is up a highway cursing at (deleted), so 29 to 31 is not bad. I got 29 out of my RSX manual and it was about the same weight. I tried real hard for a week and managed about 34. No fun though. I bet if one drove under 50 nice and easy, upper 30's could be in reach. But that kind of makes the point of a Mini moot.

[JustJAY]

I am starting to wonder if you ended up getting a MINI that was totaled and put back together.

[cameroon]

Forgot as it is winter. The sunroof won't open when it is hot. Need to cool the car first, then it opens. Sounds like I should pay attention this summer for chain noise. It would be nice to know when Peugeot fixed them on the line so we would know which of us need worry, and which are free. I can't help but thinking 15K oil change intervals exasperated it.

 

First gas mark, about 110 miles. A gallon left, 5 bars still lit.

 

I can get 24 too. Just put it in sport and have fun. 20 is easy. If one were inclined, you can go from zero to jail in about 20 minutes. 99% of my drive is up a highway cursing at (deleted), so 29 to 31 is not bad. I got 29 out of my RSX manual and it was about the same weight. I tried real hard for a week and managed about 34. No fun though. I bet if one drove under 50 nice and easy, upper 30's could be in reach. But that kind of makes the point of a Mini moot.

 

Mileage-wise, I can get ~36 @ 75mph as long as its steady and not too many inclines But yeah, it's far more fun in the mid-twenties heh. I did an oil change after my breakin period, so I'd say it was 6k for the first and then 10k until Mini's scheduled service. I will be doing at least 1, and probably 2, services myself along with Mini's. That 15k just seems like its asking for trouble.

 

In another vein, using a Scangauge II and GPS today, the ODBCII MPH readings were within 1% of the GPS but the tach MPH reading was another 2% higher.

 

I've got the sunroof, too, but no sticking problems. Well, nothing routine. I think it stuck once. When I got it, I decided the sunroof as a feature was worth more to me then the potential for it to stick.

 

I'm with Jay, though, seems like you got the car with all the gremlins.

[tvrgeek]

Got it back from the shop tonight. 4 days. They did the timing chain and sunroof fixes. Confirmed the gas gauge problem is just another bad design. ( 328 is just as bad, needle stayed on full for 130 miles) Odd, they said never go below 3 bars as it is a safety issue, car may balk or stall. So we really have about an 11 gallon tank. Pathetic if you ask me. The obnoxious snowflake is here to stay. They abuse 328 drivers with it the same.

They found several of the rattles. Brake issues, which I verified on my way there, mysteriously corrected themselves. As expected "could not duplicate" transmission issues. I will have to take it back to demonstrate, but I had about all I could take driving a big 328 around. Gad have they gotten big and ponderous. Capable, just not inviting to me. I want to come up with some gauge/control solutions but will start a thread on that.