$8,500 repair on a $12,000 Mini Cooper

[NiceGuyEddie]

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I'm not really sure why I'm posting this or what someone might say, but I've gotten a lot of unexpected advice here (OK - on the old forum) and you never know.

Long story short, my (long-time) girlfriend's Mini Cooper, dealer-serviced, lightly driven Mini with only 59,000 miles on it needs an exhaust valve. After coming off the freeway it sputtered and went into limp mode. It clearly sounded like it was running on 3 cylinders.

I was hoping it was an $80 set of coil packs but the dealer has photo and video-scope showing the bad exhaust valve. Head needs to come off, etc. $8,500 (with tax) stealership price. Looking into a 3rd party repair shop.

I asked what would happen if we threw in the towel for trade-in value, and it was only $500 "as a courtesy." KBB shows about $12,000. They said they would not repair the car and sell it on their own lot - they'd send it to an auction house where someone might buy, fix, and re-sell for a small profit.

The extended warranty price after 5 years was absolutely outrageous, so we passed on it 2 years ago since we knew all the dealer service was done. Gambled and lost on that.

Really saddened and surprised at all of this. The car is in flawless (physical) condition inside and out - the car is even garaged at her workplace. The paintwork looks brand new and there are no swirls.

So here goes the saying - "You lease a German car if you can afford it - you otherwise buy a Japanese car."

[drewr]

Looks like you could buy a refurbished head on Ebay for about $1200. Just have to find someone to put it on for you, or learn from YouTube.

[CABulldog]

Using Youtube I was able to replace the head gaskets on a 6.0 powerstroke, I doubt the mini is any harder. I would take the head off and take it to a machine shop to be checked/repaired then put it back on. On a 4 banger it should not be all that hard to do (famous last words)

[Papa]

This won't help, but welcome to the wonderful world of BMW service. Find an indi to do the work or knuckle down and DIY it as stated above. This is why I traded my beautiful BMW M550i in after the warranty ended. I've heard that a common issue on the M550i is a coolant leak that requires engine removal and new coolant tubes at the whopping cost of $13k.

[J R Jones]

What year is the Mini? Is it supercharged or turbocharged?
I had sudden oil leak trauma on my wife's Subaru Tribeca curiously just after various repairs. Independent shop said they would not work on it. Dealer said flat rate labor was $3500 and the car was not worth it.
I assume they expected me to buy one of their cars.
I bought her an Infiniti and when the weather broke five months later, I fixed it myself and sold it. Coincidentally I heard recently that it went another 40K miles and broke a cam chain. That finished it off.
jim

[Ford & Jeep Fan]

Just educate your self and dig into it. Buy a factory service manual if you can. They are a great help.

[rthomas98]

Go to this site. it is link up of scrap yards in the nation. https://www.car-part.com/

You can get a full engine and slide it in for under $2 Grand. Not sure which one you have.

[KDubU]

Yeah I really like Mini’s but BMW is known for some issues and what @Papa stated above, bail before the warranty is up. My friend’s M5 had a bad cylinder and the fix was around $14k.

[Skuzzy]

If this is an R56 model of the Mini, the cost is due to the fact BMW will not service the head. They will only replace it. There are after market rebuilt heads available for the R56. They are not cheap (they know BMW will not service the head), but much cheaper than to have a new head installed by BMW.

If this is an early R56 S Model then you might want to consider finding a later model of the engine in a wrecking yard. The early R56S engines used a different head than the base R56 which had a lot of problems. BMW switched to using the base R56 head in the later versions of the S engine which had the added benefit of more horsepower and better gas mileage.

The only reason I know anything about this topic is due to having a 2007 base R56 with 165,000 miles on it. Like yours, the car is in great shape and everything works fine, except the engine. I am going to convert it to electric. It is a great project car for that.

[NiceGuyEddie]

The car is a 2018 Mini Cooper Countryman, base model.

I considered that since the car is kaput it's possible to try the repair myself. I watched a few YouTube videos and as I kind of expected, it's not like my Acura Integra where you just "disconnect the exhaust manifold and pull off the head."

A friend of a friend is a Mini enthusiast and he's looking for a first car for his daughter. He wants to look at it and make an as-is offer and repair it. Hoping to get maybe $4,000 for the car because again, it's unmodified, dealer-serviced, and otherwise perfect.

We all know German-made cars are "fun and expensive" but I never expected it to be this bad, especially after all the expensive dealer service which was done on the tick.

[42Bfast]

I hate that for you. I love the driving experience of BMW’s but loathe the owner experience.
We had a 5 series probably 20+ years ago, (I was driving a Miata at the time). The BMW blew a head gasket, repair was $3000. I remember thinking at the time that 3 grand would replace both the engine and transmission in my Miata. Sold the BMW and to date I have resisted the temptation to self inflict that much pain again.

Fast forward to the present, we’re toying with picking up a manual transmission sporty car (used) for my wife to knock the rust off her manual transmission skills and maybe even autocross a bit before she ever attempts the Cobra. She likes Minis, (as do I) but I keep pulling us away from the candle flame because I know what can happen. It bites for you but thanks for reminding me and reinforcing my resolve.

I suppose the old familiar car adage applies to me, “The first best answer to every car question is Miata!”

[JohnK]

Wow, so sorry to hear this. That totally sucks.

We're looking at a first car for our daughter, and she loves Mini's. My sister-in-law has had one for over 10 years and it's been largely trouble-free but I've also heard from many other former BMW and Mini owners that would never buy one again so I'm sort of torn on what to do. I know that talking her out of a Mini is going to be hard, but I also hate to send her off with a car that's going to be a bundle of heartache.

[Papa]

Wow, so sorry to hear this. That totally sucks.

We're looking at a first car for our daughter, and she loves Mini's. My sister-in-law has had one for over 10 years and it's been largely trouble-free but I've also heard from many other former BMW and Mini owners that would never buy one again so I'm sort of torn on what to do. I know that talking her out of a Mini is going to be hard, but I also hate to send her off with a car that's going to be a bundle of heartache.

The best advice I can offer for getting a car for your kid is to buy a Toyota! I bought my oldest daughter a used Toyota Solara with 76,000 miles for her first car when she was in high-school. She drove the wheels off that car all the way through college and finally got rid of it as it approached 200k miles.

[Alan_C]

Eddie: Before you punt the car onto a project for someone else, look for a dismantler where you can buy a low mileage complete engine and drop it in. You built your Cobra, with the available YouTube videos and forums out there, you can do this. Disposing of a 5 year old car for peanuts sucks. If you can find and engine, with your Cobra expertise behind you, you can fix the Mini too. Likely it will not be fun to work on, but doable.
Good luck and I know you can fix the car. After building, driving, and then selling my MK4, I have learned so much that little scares me off anymore.

[weendoggy]

I've owned two BMW's and love them. Yes, they (like all newer cars) are made to be put together, not taken apart. My first was a 2004 325ci which we put a whopping 60k on in 16yrs! I did/do all my own work and some was a pain, but it was free labor. The newer one is a 2020 330i and I will most likely do the same. So, it's just nuts/bolts and time. I'd dig into it myself, but that's me.

[JimLev]

BMW….Break My Wallet. I know a guy with this on the side of his BMW.
I’ve had my 540/6 for 23 years, if I didn’t do all the work on it I probably would have paid the dealer 2x what I paid for the car back in 2000 when I bought it.
7 years ago when we moved to NM we bought a new Toyota Highlander. It’s now got 120K on it. Not counting tires, oil changes, brakes, (the normal ware items) I’ve only spent $160 at the dealer for a repair.
As nice as a BMW drives and handles if you can’t fix it it gets expensive fast.
I sometimes think about getting another 5 series but then wonder maybe its time to get something else.

[DanQ]

I like that adage. I bought this 2006 NC a few years ago for my wife who wanted something fun to drive on nice summer days. We have driven it on vacations all over the country, as it is a great touring car as well. She did not like to drive my Jeep CJ, as her 5'2 body could not climb up into it, and honestly, at 64 years old, the CJ was getting impractical for me, so I sold that and now have a F5 33 Hot Rod kit in my garage which will be my toy when completed. We would never sell our "Zoom Zoom" as it is super reliable, comfortable, excellent MPG, and just plain fun.

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[NiceGuyEddie]

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After a lot of poking around, my girlfriend got a follow-up call from the hospital regarding surgery. She works at the hospital, and she knew the person who called. Long story short, the person on the phone has a husband that is a BMW mechanic with 50 years experience and looking to retire shortly. We brought it to his shop and we are hoping for a bill about half the dealer quote. Still sucks, but hurts only half as bad.

As you can see in the photo the car is otherwise in flawless condition. It's not only garaged, it's even garaged at her workplace. There is no spider-webbing in the paint and the interior is perfect down to the floor mats. No mud in LaLa Land

After the repair the book value might be about $12K so then, the question is what to do with it? At least we have a little time to figure it out.

[NiceGuyEddie]

CONCLUSION:

We got it fixed for $3,200 total. Sucks but better than the dealer's $8,500. Free delivery to/fro the shop which is 50 miles each way. My girlfriend had surgery so she was off for a while, there was no need for a rental car.

The head was totally cleaned of carbon, all new valves - better than stock - and all new valve guide seals. A compression test after re-assembly was favorable, so that means the engine itself is in good shape.

Not sure what's next - keep it a few years until 100K and pray for the best, or get a new car. In any case there's time to figure it out.

Thanks for all the replies and ideas.

[Alan_C]

Glad you stuck with it and did not allow that dealer to do the money dance. It seems that post pandemic, finding someone who will do a job for reasonable money is far more difficult than it has ever been.

[AC Bill]

I'd get rid of it now while it is running good, and before the next issue crops up. Sad that re-sale prices are so poor for BMW's, so push this one as a Mini. Might not scare buyers as much..

[Fman]

Wow, so sorry to hear this. That totally sucks.

We're looking at a first car for our daughter, and she loves Mini's. My sister-in-law has had one for over 10 years and it's been largely trouble-free but I've also heard from many other former BMW and Mini owners that would never buy one again so I'm sort of torn on what to do. I know that talking her out of a Mini is going to be hard, but I also hate to send her off with a car that's going to be a bundle of heartache.

Toyota Corolla, inexpensive and will run 300k miles with 5k miles oil changes no problem. Will get her through highschool and college. The Corolla is one of the most bullet proof cars on the road today. I bought my youngest son a GTI for his first car, sold it a year later after multiple repairs and check engine lights. The plastic water pump is what did me in, will never buy a german car, too many other good Japanese cars out there for half the price with similar performance, options and much better longevity.

[PointmanUSMC]

Have to agree with FMan on the Toyota idea but disagree on the VW issues his son had. I've owned 5 VW's and in my mind still think they were one of the top reliable brands. Post emissions scandal however they definitely have shaved off a bit of ruggedness I think. My wife has one of their new Top of the line Atlas and it's a decent car no issues so far when she is hauling kids around. I miss the previous gen Toureg. It was a tank. My folks have said the same about the BMW Merc ownership having owned several new. They eventually changed their minds and went back to Volvo and Toyota. If you were in the market I'd jump on the remaining 4 runners before those are changed like the Toureg. Those are also Tanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62gW3Se5e0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn8eFKgdfes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDGAe8DOmck

[NiceGuyEddie]

UPDATE:

The Mini runs, sounds, and idles extremely smooth. This leads me to believe that there may have been a small problem with one of the valves before it blew up so bad that the computer shut down fuel to the bad cylinder.

The mechanic said to use 91 octane for the rest of the life of the vehicle.

Book value of the car is about $12,000. It will need a $1500 set of tires before next winter when it starts raining again. $7,300 "value" left.

She/we can afford to lease a used base-model Mini. So I went to Mini to see about a 10,000 mile per year lease that will be all-inclusive on any maintenance or repairs, and it turns out they no longer lease used vehicles. I was surprised at that.

If it were a buy, the only small car she likes is the Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE. Not a bad looking car, and I'll take off the Toyota badge and stick on a Lexus emblem


EDIT: I forgot to say that the stealership had an itemized breakdown of all aspects of the repair. The repair shop just had parts and total labor. I'd love to know how the dealership could justify more than 2-1/2 the price.

[mrmustang]

EDIT: I forgot to say that the stealership had an itemized breakdown of all aspects of the repair. The repair shop just had parts and total labor. I'd love to know how the dealership could justify more than 2-1/2 the price.

One word "overhead".


Bill S.

[Jeff Kleiner]

One word "overhead".


Bill S.

Precisely!

Jeff