Radiator Problems of Mini Cooper

I bought my Mini brand new in 2013. I took it to be serviced regularly at crevier Mini and I took it every time I had a service light come on, which was multiple times in the first couple years. The warranty lasted until June 2017. In November 2017, I noticed a musty smell coming from the air vents, and noticed liquid was leaking from my car. I towed my car to the dealership, and Mini techs found that my thermostat housing failed and leaked, and the head gasket was not properly sealed which caused my car to leak coolant. Mini USA helped with the cost of my repair to my car which only had 37,000 miles on it because of its low mileage, for which I was very grateful. Now, in August 2018, I noticed that the radiator fan which is directly connected to the thermostat was not turning (the fan was still functioning when connected to power). I took it to get serviced and Mini techs found that my engine had overheated to the point of being critically damaged. There was coolant found in the spark plugs which means most likely that the head gasket leaked. When I asked if this could have been related to the prior repair, I was told it is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason this happened. However, there should have been an indicator light to prevent this type of critical problem before it is irreversible and can't be fixed, but there was not. The entire engine has to be replaced for a service charge of around $7500. This is worth more than the car itself. What I learned is that even if you do everything right, by the book, and per recommendation from Mini, your car can still fail and die within 5 years- right after the company warranty wears off. This has shaken my faith with the Mini company. For no reason should a car have failed after being driven for around 40,000 miles while receiving service from the dealership itself.

See all problems of the 2013 Mini Cooper 🔎.

Temperature sensor in radiator hose leaking. Needs upper radiator hose, and thermostat with harness to correct. Discovered during a routine oil brakes etc inspection by the dealership. I was told there was a change in the harness and the new one has a "computer" and would cost $1450 to fix. This is an upper hose and I looked online and found the replacement harness has tow separate connectors, one for coolant temp sensor and the other for the coolant thermostat. I hd checked my fluids two days before on a cold engine and they were fine and water overflow was at the proper level. I checked my coolant overflow tank the day after visiting the dealership on a cold engine and the overflow tank was low. . . I added water. . . It has not gone down for several days. I have heard there is corrosion that happens and the thermostat may not employ and you can have an overheated engine.

See all problems of the 2012 Mini Cooper 🔎.

While my wife was driving the 8-day-old countryman s on a parkway at highway speed, a pebble was apparently kicked back from a vehicle ahead, causing a piercing of the radiator and a virtual immediate inability to drive. This created a significant safety hazard. The issue is not the pebble itself, but rather the fact that, as we learned from the mechanic, there is no protective cover or screen over the front of the radiator to prevent such an event from causing severe damage to the radiator. This is a brand new model of countryman, and it appears, at least as compared with a 2017 clubman, that the radiator is not fully hidden behind the front end, but is, instead, exposed to a projectile hazard.

See all problems of the 2017 Mini Cooper 🔎.

Mini Cooper 2011 overheated and blew off radiator hoses while driving on fwy- engine damage and head replacement. . Dealer is saying bottom radiator hose must have come off and leaked coolant. Just had it serviced.

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The car had a hard time getting up to 65mph . There was a lack of acceleration from a dead stop to cruising speed. The car had a water pump and radiator installed 4 months prior to my trouble. Mini told me that my timing belt tensioner had broke . I needed to have a new timing belt installed because it had stretched . It was no longer able to keep the timing correct . I asked why when they changed to water pump they didn't see the broken tensioner. They had no answer .

See all problems of the 2007 Mini Cooper 🔎.

While traveling on a highway at @ 55mph, the coolant temperature warning light illuminated yellow and then red on my 2009 Mini Cooper. I stopped the vehicle and observed that the clips which secured the lower radiator hose in place had broken and the radiator hose was hanging horizonally across the front of the vehicle, dragging along the ground. A hole had been worn through the hose and the coolant had leaked out. After having the vehicle towed home ($285), I purchased a new radiator hose and clips from the Mini dealership ($160) and had it installed by my mechanic ($100). I also lost a 1/2 day of work. A total loss of over $600. Because of poor design and/or inferior materials internet research shows that this is a common Mini Cooper problem. I did not hit anything which would cause this issue, despite Mini Cooper's attempts to place blame on the driver's who experience this issue. If Mini Cooper would properly address this issue and remedy the situation, it would spare countless driver's from being stranded on the side and the expense of fixing what should have been remedied by a service bulletin or recall.

See all problems of the 2009 Mini Cooper 🔎.

In September 2012 I noticed a loud fan noise that wouldn't turn off. The car was also overheating. I noticed that it was very hard to steer the car, but I thought that was due to the overheating. Mechanic determined failed cylinder head gasket in 11/2012. The radiator was replaced and the thermostat was replaced. In 11/2012 the water pump was also replaced. In 12/2012 the battery had to be replaced. In 06/2013 the heater core was replaced. I believe that these issues are directly related to the loss of power steering and the associated fan failing, which caused the car to overheat and the battery to fail. Please see nhsta complaints 10453158, 10444328, 10379750, 10442431,10379459 for similar cases of these same issues related to the failure of power steering and the associated pump.

See all problems of the 2005 Mini Cooper 🔎.