Table 1 shows three common suspension related problems of the 2006 Mini Cooper S.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Front Suspension problems | |
| Front Suspension Strut problems | |
| Strut Tower problems |
During a service call on our 2006 Mini cooper, we were informed that both front strut mounts were bent and damaged. These are not covered under the warranty and in one case has already been replaced once at 20000+ miles after hitting a bad pothole. The car now has 34000 miles and had to have both mounts replaced. Apparently there is a design defect that Mini/BMW is not willing to correct although there are aftermarket reinforcements available. A further search of the internet reveals that a lot of Mini & BMW owners are having this issue, in particular those with run-flat tires installed.
The contact owns a 2006 Mini Cooper S. While driving 45 mph, the vehicle squeaked when it drove over a bump. The dealer stated that the strut mounts were cracked and they made the replacement. The failure mileage was 11,000 and current mileage was 12,000.
Back in late September 2006 I purchased a 06 Mini Cooper S (dealers demo with 380 miles). The week after I got it, I noticed that it pulled hard to the right when braking. I took the car to the dealer and the first time they told me that it was normal because of the road's pitch. After that I noticed that the wheel alignment started to get bad. I took the car to the dealer to check a couple of things including this one and they ignored it a couple of times saying it was ok. My big surprise was yesterday when after having to leave the car the whole day, they told me that the car has another issue named "mushrooming". This is when the car got a hard hit and the strut tower pushes up the metal where is attached to creating a bubble and damaging the alignment. How can the strut tower makes this damage without damaging the rim first?. . . All my rims are ok, no bends. Initially they wanted to charge me almost $1700 to fix the whole issue. I spoke directly with the service manager and he told me that as a goodwill gesture they would replace the strut tower, fix the problem and give me two new tires, but in exchange I'd have to buy them the two rear tires for my car for a price of $223. 00 plus extras. . . This sounds to me like bribe. . . I've done some research about this "mushrooming" issue and I've found that is a factory defect that has to be fixed with aftermarket pieces as a "reinforcement plate" and/or "strut tower brace". The problem is that the metal piece that holds the strut tower to the car is too weak, so the metal would bend so easy. . Read more...