2011 Countryman Recall Issues

[gacutler]

I purchased a mini cooper 2011 countryman with 47,000miles. I had the dealer in North Scottsdale look the car over and was advised that mechanically the car is perfect. As the warranty ran out at 50K why would they want to find anything.

At 56,000 miles the fuel pump in the fuel tank failed. I was told this is not wear and tear and to be expected as this is an old car.

At 56,000 miles the solenoid valve also failed and leaked out pushing oil into the electrical harness up to the computer board. I was told that this is normal. The cost of these two repairs was about $4,600 (Should have been a recall repair).

I also had to replace all four break pads (not unreasonable but it was just another cost ($800).

At 60,000 miles the clutch went bad this is a known issue with this car and they totally redesigned the clutch in the 2013 model. I was told that this is to be expected from a mini. Cost $3,200 (should have been a recall repair).

Total cost of the two repairs that should have been recall repairs was $7,800.

Considering I have had the car for 12,000 miles and the dealer told me that the car was in perfect working order when I purchased it I am to say the least very annoyed and angry. We bought this car to be a low cost effective vehicle. It has been nothing but a money sink. And to quote the dealer these issues are reasonable as the car (a 2011 model) is old. So at minimum I can expect these costs to be incurred every 60,000 miles.

Don't buy a mini if you have the choice they are defective, unreliable and expensive to own and mini expects the customer to pay for recall issues.

Buy a V8 truck it will cost you more in fuel but save you a fortune in repair costs due to poor manufacturing / design.