Most liked posts in thread: MINI Set the Bar in Consumer Reports Reliability Ratings

And now they want to add even more breakable goodies with that driver assist system. Mitsubishi started running their ad with a lady driver watching the side of the road instead of traffic and the car stopped by itself. Won't it be fun when people start depending on that system and it fails just in time.

 

This reminds me a little of something my grandpa used to say. "Just because you can do it doesn't mean you should."

 

Hope you didn't think I was apologizing for MINI. Their reliability sucks big time. If my MINI wasn't so damned much fun it would have left my garage a very long time ago.

When I need a toaster I'll be checking out consumerist reports, not when I'm shopping for a car.

 

A lower rating from Consumer Reports might be excusable, but it takes special talent to come in dead last below all other brands.

 

R34king, that's great, but one car isn't a sample, it's a sampling error; when you take a single object out of thousands and apply it to the whole, no offense, but it's meaningless. If you owned 1,000 MINIs and had no problems, then we can talk. My car has been relatively problem free, but I know far too many people who have had issues, to the point that they'll never consider a MINI again. I've had good luck with my car, but I understand/sympathize with all those who haven't been as lucky. The fact is most MINIs will be reliable, so it's not surprising you haven't had any problems, but that doesn't take away from the fact that an unacceptably high number have.

It's part of the MINI culture--defend the car to the death--I'm guilty of it myself at times.

 

There's something fishy here ... :biggrin5:

 

Dave, Dave, Dave....:frown2: :ihih:

I'm awaiting their take on the methmobile....

 

I have a great recipe for carp, which has really obtained an undeserved reputation as an undesirable culinary main entree:

Glass pan
Layer 1 lb of horse crap on bottom
Place carp over horse crap
Cover carp with another 1 lb of horse crap

Bake @ 375 degrees for one hour

Let stand for 30 minutes

Eat the horse crap.

 

Anti-lock brakes and air bags made people more dangerous drivers. Now add all this other stupid proofing and the roads are going to be real dangerous.

With all the complaints Ford has had with their sync system it won't let you do a number of things when the car is moving. So that is a plus.

 

Consumer reports isn't the best car mag...But it does cull a ton of data, and there is something to be said for that. The bottom line is MINI has a poor reliability record since day one, always has, and BMW hasn't done enough to fix that. There will be a ton of apologists that will slam CR, especially on MF, happens everytime a report like this comes out, but CR isn't the only place where MINI doesn't do so well. It may not be the holy grail of car magazines, but there is some merit to their report, bashing CR puts the focus on the magazine, where the focus really should be on what BMW can do to make the MINI more reliable.

Would I buy a MINI as my sole car? Probably not. I love the car, but if I needed something dependable, day in and day out, there are better choices.

 

I have put 40+k miles on my r53 as a daily for the past 2 years with no reliability problems, my wife has put 25+k on her r50 as a daily over the past 1.5 years with no problems. The unreliable cars are r55+. Also depends in how you maintain your vehicle. I'm a stickler for mine and my wife's. The general public not so much.

 

Wait a minute...How can only one Indian be walking in single file? Technically, wouldn't you need at least two?

 

That sounds too complicated, I just stick with playground rules.

 

There is a basic problem with CR's methodology-reporting (beyond the usual bias of their readers/survey pool).

Complaints about the features/complexity of an automobile feature (whether it's Cadillac CUE, BMW iDrive, MyFordTouch, or MINI Connect) should not be counted/reported as "reliability problems."

 

How many MINI's were sold in the U.S. last year (or better yet, use this years projections, they're higher)? Multiply that number by 1.5 versus 1.25; that number then becomes a bit more significant.

There are lies, damned lies, and......

It's a MINI site, I get it, but still, any way you cut it, for a car that's supposed to be premium, and charges premium for what it is, it should be at/near the top, not mid-pack or bottom. Maybe I'm just expecting too much, but I think it's been MINI's achilles heel from day one and remains so. This is a MINI enthusiasts site with it's inherent biases, but the fact remains that the MINI isn't as reliable as it should be, is a royal pain to work on when it does break down, and in general is expensive to fix.

 

Any MINI is not a reliable car at all period.

Everyone owns a MINI because you love the car for how it looks and handles not because it was built well or it reliable or gets great MPG. (Carbon, Cold start issues...ect)

They are all designed and made by BMW and they charge BMW prices to repair them.

Those are the facts.

 

+1.

We love MINI despite it's relatively poor reliability, not because of it. A thought did occur to me though--if MINI became the reliability champ, I suspect a much different demographic shift in MINI owners would occur, and I'm not necessarily (and selfishly) convinced that's a good thing. Maybe a few clunkers here and there is a good thing.

Pm, you missed what I was getting at--the difference between 1.25 % of cars sold and 1.5 % is not negligible, at least to those with a problematic car,and has nothing to do with Lexus but the difference in number of cars if MINI was at the top of JD rather than the middle. If you use CR it would be even worse. People DO steer clear of MINI because of reliability concerns (Who wants to walnut blast their valves? Actually, in an out of context kind of way it sounds kind of fun....)more so than many other brands, and it's a shame. I'd like to see improvement--if you're willing to accept mediocrity, that's exactly what you'll get. It's like going Palo Ãœber when you could go Helix.

 

Consumer Reports hmmm :idea: This I'd from the same company / people that rates Microwaves and Washing machines.....:lol:

Wonder how they rate EBC brake pads and ALTA products....???

 

That new high tech carp they keep adding is going to make driving even more dangerous due to people not paying attention as it is