MINI Set the Bar in Consumer Reports Reliability Ratings

Discussion in 'MINI' started by Nathan, Oct 28, 2013.

  1. Friskie

    Friskie Well-Known Member

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    You've never dealt with a fallacy of logic?
     
  2. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    That sounds too complicated, I just stick with playground rules.
     
  3. pmsummer

    pmsummer Well-Known Member

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    #23 pmsummer, Oct 30, 2013
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2013
    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."
     
  4. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    But then it doesn't make for creative, sensationalistic press to draw readers.
     
  5. Friskie

    Friskie Well-Known Member

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    :lol:
     
  6. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    It may not be the most accurate measure, but just because it's not perfect doesn't mean there isn't some merit to it....Their reliability ratings are about as unbiased as you can get. They do put too much weight on relatively minor complaints, but there is some degree of merit to their data. Does anyone on here seriously believe MINI is going to be as reliable as Lexus?

    This is rock bottom we're talking about here, not one of those areas where 5 cars are seperated by 1 meaningless percentage point....

    Hopefully they'll improve. But then again, BMW's don't rate that high either.
     
  7. pmsummer

    pmsummer Well-Known Member

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    No, obviously. But CR's methodology remains seriously flawed due to the nature of the pool of owners they draw from (it works both ways, too... for years Cadillac scored unusually high numbers when they polled Cadillac owners, because they 'forgave' problems they would complain about in a less 'prestigious' car). And as I said, attributing an unfamiliar operating system with vehicle failure is flat-out wrong. J.D. Power does a much better job in this area with their "Owner Satisfaction" survey (clearer definition/tabulation of faults, broader survey pool).

    In the CR survey, vehicles with extremely good reliability scores are downgraded for issues unrelated to faults. It's rather like a Porsche 911 being called 'unreliable' because the backseat was discovered to too small for anyone other than short double-amputees.
     
  8. pmsummer

    pmsummer Well-Known Member

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    ...and yes, my MINI has seen the dealership more than any car I've owned (with the possible exception of my VW Scirocco). I'd be far less 'forgiving' if all the problems hadn't been handled under warranty and extended-warranty.
     
  9. pmsummer

    pmsummer Well-Known Member

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    Anyone have a link to the CR scores?
     
  10. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    How did MINI do on J.D. Powers?:wink:
     
  11. pmsummer

    pmsummer Well-Known Member

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    It depends on the metric. Below average (power-train quality) to superior (body & interior quality and power-train performance).

    J.D. Power lists it as a "Top Pick" under sporty compacts. Overall reliability is listed as average.
     
  12. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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  13. pmsummer

    pmsummer Well-Known Member

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    On the JD Power chart, IF you throw out Lexus and Land Rover as outliers (which for statistical purposes is valid), you have a best to worth range of 94 problems per 100 cars for Porsche (.94 problems per car) to 190 problems per 100 vehicles for Dodge (1.9 problems per car).

    MINI comes in below the industry average of 1.26 problems per car (Mazda, Chevrolet, Ford, Cadillac grouping) at 1.5 problems per vehicle (that's in the Audi, Volvo, Chrysler group).

    So... the best vehicle has essentially one problem per vehicle. The worst has two problems per car. MINI has 1.5 problems. These numbers are a FAR CRY from what they were just ten years ago, and essentially indicate there are very few problems with new cars sold in the USA across the board... including MINI.
     
  14. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    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.
     
  15. pmsummer

    pmsummer Well-Known Member

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    Not per car. The number of incidences per car remain the same. Using your argument, Lexus (at 74 per 100) would be FAR worse than MINI... because they sell so many more cars. OMG!

    Yes, MINIs are more difficult than Toyotas... but just slightly. They are also more fun to drive by a long shot. Parts are more expensive than Toyota, but not much more than OEM VW parts (if at all).

    After years of owning VWs amd BMWs, I was spoiled by the Ford I bought (Contour SVT). Fast, fun, reliable, and the parts were half what VW parts were. When I bought my MINI, I knew it would be sort of a cross between my VW/BMW experiences and my Ford experience.

    I was right, and I've been pleased with my purchase. It's been more reliable than the other German engineered cars I've owned, FAR more reliable than the British cars of my distant past, and not quite as reliable as my Contour.
     
  16. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    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.
     
  17. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    #37 cct1, Oct 30, 2013
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2013

    +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.
     

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