The bottom line my son had damaged his engine because of low oil and had to replace his engine (5, 600.00). Global said even if the car was under warranty they would not cover the engine they said he should of checked the oil daily. He was never told the car needed the oil check daily. Also he found out from a independent mechnic who had work for Global before that they are trained to not repair oil leaks unless the owner brings it to there attention until the car is out of warranty. I would never trust Global Mechnics and I would never buy another mini from Them. Also the independent Mechnic says it is better to change the oil every 5, 000. mile .
Consumer Complaints & Reviews
My Son purchased a 2006 Mini Cooper from Global Imports Mini when it was brand new. Everything was fine until the warranty ran out. He was sold a maintain warranty which I was not aware of that was suppose to cover maintance on the vehicle. Cost 1800.00. I didn't know it only covered oil changes every 15, 000 miles.In May he took the car in for an engine noise and found out if was very low on oil and had a small oil leak around the oil pan gasket. The car is always parked on concret and we never saw an oil leak, also the engine light never came on or oil light. ( He found out later from another mechnic that these cars burn up oil in the turbo charger which my son was never told to look for and it doesn't have a low oil senser.)
Not all MINI Coopers are pieces of crap, in fact I would suspect that the majority of them are extremely dependable vehicles. I have a 2006 MINI Cooper S with 41,000 miles on it; my wife traded her 2005 MINI Cooper S Cabrio in for a 2007 MINI Cooper S Cabrio. Before I go too far, I will state that, yes, MINI does have an issue with the clutch/flywheel in the 2002 - 2006 MINIs and the dealerships in Atlanta (MINI of South Atlanta and Global Imports MINI) are very good about correcting the issue without complaint. My clutch assembly (clutch disc, pressure plate, and throw-out bearing) and flywheel were replaced at 32,000 miles UNDER WARRANTY. The dealer (Global Imports MINI of Atlanta) gave me no grief over it; they simply made it right and it cost me zero.
I am very pleased with my MINI, as are the 32 other members of Middle Georgia MINIs with their MINIs. My family is a 2 MINI household...these are our daily drivers. I have a few mods on my MINI and it has not affected the terms of my 6 yr/100K mile extended warranty. If you are looking at buying a MINI, do not just go by what you read on these sites which are dominated by a minority of MINI owners with a very small percentage of lemons, talk to the local MINI Clubs or owners in your local area. If you look at this site, you will likely see as many if not more complaints about other popular cars as well. So please keep things in perspective when judging the MINI.
