The Mini and MINI thread

[fossyant]

BMW minis are plagued with quite expensive faults.

An the original Mini was just plagued full stop, but people love 'em.

 

[dicko]

My slightly later Metro needed metric and imperial sockets plus a couple of whitworths too

By contrast my 68 cortina rarely required anything other than 1/2" and 9/16" plus 3/4" for the wheel nuts. To be fair you did need a smattering of others now and again but a fair few major jobs could be done with just 1/2 & 9/16

I did convert the Lucas points screw from 2BA set screw to 2BA Allen cap screw.

 

[Profpointy]

I did convert the Lucas points screw from 2BA set screw to 2BA Allen cap screw.

That would have the purists clutching their pearls !

 

[CXRAndy]

An the original Mini was just plagued full stop, but people love 'em.

Yes they had many faults, but ones most owners could handle themselves.

 

[Drago]

Yawn! Negative vibes have no place here.

 

[Profpointy]

An the original Mini was just plagued full stop, but people love 'em.

There wasn't a great deal wrong with the Mini. Bear in mind it's a bit unfair to compare the rusty old bangers some of us ran as youngsters with relatively tidy cars some of us now have in perhaps more prosperous middle age. I never owned a mini myself, though have driven a few. I don't recall any of my mates' ones being any worse than other cars of that time.

 

[Drago]

This is interesting, MINI the third most reliable brand...

https://www.whatcar.com/news/2022-what-car-reliability-survey-brands/n23418

Tesla a paltry 19th

Mind you, Peugeot are 28th and my old heap hasn't self-immolated.

 

[gavroche]

I had a Mini in 1969. The left front wheel collapsed as I was going round a roundabout and two weeks later, the other side did exactly the same thing. That put me off Minis for life.

 

[Profpointy]

I had a Mini in 1969. The left front wheel collapsed as I was going round a roundabout and two weeks later, the other side did exactly the same thing. That put me off Minis for life.

Cripes, that's a bit alarming! Given the year I guess it was new or newish at least. What happened - was it the original hydrolastic whatsit? I think later ones had conventional suspension didn't
they?

 

[CXRAndy]

This is interesting, MINI the third most reliable brand...

https://www.whatcar.com/news/2022-what-car-reliability-survey-brands/n23418

Tesla a paltry 19th

Mind you, Peugeot are 28th and my old heap hasn't self-immolated.

The reliability for the top 22 cars were over 90%. So not really unreliable. Even No1 was only 98%.

They included Tesla cars from 2014, which coming from a start up newcomer isn't bad at all. I would say from the model 3 release in 2018, Tesla is a vastly improved manufacturer.

Reliability of all the top 20 would not be a concern to me if I was buying

 

[CXRAndy]

I had a Mini in 1969. The left front wheel collapsed as I was going round a roundabout and two weeks later, the other side did exactly the same thing. That put me off Minis for life.

As a teenager
I made my mini fly 60ft over a hump back bridge. Ripped all the fins of the engine sump, disconnected the battery on landing. Reconnected the battery, went on my way.

I ragged my mini to death, had rust holes in the floor, splashed my face when it rained heavily. But it was the most fun car to drive and repair-even for a non mechanic teenage lad.

 

[Drago]

And yes, it REALLY doesn't like the rain, hence the aluminium plate zip-tied to the grille. If it's really wet, the old rubber glove over the dissy cap thing works quite well.

I think that was sorted out for the Metro by the simple expedient of putting the radiator at the front where it should have been.

 

[lazybloke]

For a short time I had access to a 25th anniversary Mini in lovely British Racing Green. Late 80s?
It is the only "Leyland" car I would want to drive again....

 

[Profpointy]

I think that was sorted out for the Metro by the simple expedient of putting the radiator at the front where it should have been.

Ah that makes sense as I never had that issue with my Metro. The Metro had an electric fan and, as you say, radiator in the front, but I'd forgotten the Mini radiator was in the wing at the end of the engine with a belt driven fan

 

[Gunk]

BMW minis are plagued with quite expensive faults.

Are they?

Having owned 2 R56 Minis and an R55 Clubman over a 15 year period, they were completely reliable and utterly dependable, far better than the parent company products.

They are only problematic when they’re not serviced properly or frequently enough and they often become neglected first cars. The reputation for poor reliability is IMO unjustified