THE MINI (F55/F56/3rd gen) BUYERS GUIDE | AVOID THIS CAR until you watch this!
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- čas přidán 12. 07. 2024
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Just bought a 2016 F56 S. I can't believe how much I love this car after having it for two days.
Got a late 2018 MCS last year and it is a fun car for sure 🙂 Thinking about a JCW or tuning it up a little 🙂
Great content and now subscribed.
Unfortunately, I have just handed back my 2018 JCW to the dealership after the 8-speed auto box had faults engaging 3rd and 7th gears. On some forums it's a known but not very common issue, potentially impacting the early 2018 models only. Luckily the dealership didn't fight me and gave me a full refund as I had only owned the car 40 days... worth letting people know in case they find themselves in a similar situation - Still love the F56 JCW though!
Love this channel. Great info and advice guys.
Great little buyers guide, I had a R56 mini and loved it, that's how my channel started, my mate has a F55 Cooper S and he loves it. One day I will have to get another mini to own.
Loads of good information, thankyou :)
Very good, can confirm the paint scrubbing issue on the doors. The JCW's new 8-speed is not a DSG but a classic torque converter automatic.
Out of all the modern era MINIS, F56 is by far my favourite, I've had no faults at all and she's now 8 years old.....still......give me a classic any day
I just a 2023! ☺️
So which engines are terrible in these Mini's and which are good? There is lots of info online about most all engines from BMW being crap!
@@JQUICK21 R56 Generation with the Peugeot Engine tends to be the trouble maker
@@JQUICK21 2005/6 were good, but just too old now. 2007-2010 are hot garbage. 2011-2013 are a slight improvement, but still a problem. 2014+ are regarded as above average reliability. Minis from the last 5 years are pretty much as reliable as any car in the market. They're just expensive because they're luxury and iconic.
@@jojag5don’t agree about the 2014+ being regarded as above average reliability they are the most reliable they have in the models from 2014 it was before 2014 they had issues from 2007 - 2013 but 2014 to now are reliable plus the later ones you say about being reliable have the exact same engines in them as the ones from 2014 onwards anyway it was only 1 model that had issue was 3dr John cooper works sports but by the end of 2014 start 2015 they had sorted them issues I have 2016 mini hatch 5dr automotive had no issues with it
Glad you have shown the door seal paint rub issue BMW told me the cause is an external source lol not their very course rough dried out door rubber seals,the fix BMW do is a softer door seal and some crappy clear film after painting or buffing the area if the car is under warranty it is a design fault other cars do not suffer this,bit worried that i have a F56 S early 2015 car and possible Engine now though how is it possible to find out if i have the replacement Engine ?
2016 66 plate Cooper convertible ,(bought new)
Hood replaced after 1 year , look for fraying on the "C pillars"
2016 65 plate JCW 3 Door ,(bought used)
After a couple of weeks I noticed the Tyre pressures were very low .
Inflating to correct pressure , I discovered both front tyres , and one of the wheels were damaged , had to replace at my cost.
Speculate a Saleman lost it and mounted a kerb.
Door card replaced , under warranty , curling at the top.
Front grille bar replaced , under warranty , discolouration .
Engine harness replaced , washer fluid was dissolving the insulation causing Active pedestrian warning lamp to illuminate .
Free loom , " as a gesture of goodwill" Mini paid half the labour , still cost just shy of £1000 .
2016 66 plate Clubman CooperS all4 ,(Bought used)
Tyre pressure trick again , resulting in replacing all tyres for non run flats .
Electronic handbrake warning light illuminated , no problem with the handbrake , a faulty switch , I believe the assembly would be around £1000 , no MOT fail so ignore .
Rear differential is weeping oil , 9 months it took the dealership to come up with an answer ,resulting in a potential £2200 bill for a new Diff , not done anything yet .
Always check tyre pressures if the vehicle is on runflats , low pressure will hide the telltale bulges on the sidewalls .
Great vid. I bought my first MCS last week, a 66 plate F55 with low miles. It’s a minter and has none of the issues mentioned in this video, perhaps more by luck than judgement for me though. LOL. Thanks for an informative and entertaining video.
Laughing at you! You have had your Mini for ONE week and you claim it has no issues? Wow! Do you realize how stupid that comment is?
Hey, very cool video, that's exactly what I was looking for, I'm thinking to buy a Mini 3rd Gen 2017 with automatic transmission.
Great information, I’m looking to get a 2016 onwards Cooper S soon, so this is perfect for me 👌🏻
Same! Trying to avoid the 2014/2015 recall cars. How many owners do you think would remember if their engine was rebuilt or replaced 😂
Thanks for the video, great information, I want to get one of these soon
Very welcome!
Diesels have the EGR issue (subject to a recall) and can also get diesel wicking from a sensor into the wiring loom. Not a cheap thing to sort out
Perfect, just found this vid. Picking up a '17 JCW on the weekend. 26k miles, one owner and approved used from Mini. Should be a good one!
How is the car?
@@77rons1 Great, I love it. The ride is better than expected given that it's on run flats. Surprisingly good driving position too, nice and low.
Probably ditch the run flats at some point, they can be a bit tough over pot holes etc.
@@step0601 they can be lifesavers tho if you don’t have a spare
@@step0601I had an R56 second Gen and loved it. I am debating the newer one versus getting another older one. Have you tuned your car yet? Do you know any good tuning solutions? Thanks
A few of other issues that crop up, the bluetooth module for the JCW Pro exhaust can fail and the valve can stick open/closed, so check that works.
Next, check for water in the boot, the seal fails, about £60 for a replacement.
Also make sure the display functions correctly, they can get stuck in boot mode, requiring a dealer visit to sort.
Finally, if the Pedestrian warning system error is coming up walk away- this is caused by water entering the wiring harness under the scuttle, you’re looking at a £2k bill to rectify
Worth noting the wiring issue only affects 2014-2016 cars. At some point in 2017 they fitted a fabric wrapped wiring harness with gaps that lets the water out, solving the issue. Always double check which the car has before buying
I love my 2016 F56 JCW, reliable and lots of fun, it’s really a joyful toy car.
Nice video bud, I've seen some bad press on forums etc on the 6 speed auto ASIN box. Do you think its something to worry about reliability wise ?
I've got a 2017 MCS, an issue/niggle I have is sometimes when I first take off, for the first few gear changes I can feel some sort of movement/vibration/(kinda hard to explain) through the ball of my foot coming from the accelerator pedal, right after I have let the clutch out and I'm putting pressure back on the accelerator. It goes away quite quickly if it occurs at all. I haven't had any performance issues that I can tell or gearing issues, Just putting it out there for any thoughts of what it could be??
Have rented one out on Turo, what an amazing day we had. Luckily was a convertible, those exhaust notes just beautifully complemented the drive.
I'm thinking about buying a MINI JCW the new shape 2021 or Maybe save some money and get a low mileage 2019. Any problems to look out for with the newer model. Hopefully i will be getting a manual to. I've saved your video so i don't forget your good advice. Thank you very much and much appreciated video. All the best.
Beautiful Mini!!
Great video, thanks for the advice. I'm looking at buying a 2014 Cooper S. Did all 2014/2015 Cooper S have that crank shaft bearing problem? The Carfax report (I'm in Canada, not sure if you use Carfax on your side of the pond) doesn't mention an engine replacement or a re-belt. This is a 10-year old car; how would I find out if the one I'm considering buying had that issue, and whether it had an engine replacement/re-belt? Thanks!
Amazing Guide. Thanks guys! Subscribed :)
Brilliant car all round, but if/when buying a JCW with red/grey fabric seats, check out the outer torso height edge, it can get VERY worn, and It’s expensive to fix …. As I now know 🙄😉
I have a 2019 JCW in white/silver with a red topping and all the toys, bought it when it was 10 months old from Swansea MINI, no issues at all apart from a very faint rattle around the instruments that comes and goes but I put that down to the condition of the roads, the pot holes and the thousands of speed humps that seem to have grown over night. Overall a small fun to drive BMW.
I have a 2018 JCW, midnight black. I also have very faint rattling on bumpy roads 😭 annoys me but happens ever so often
r53 cooper s owner. seems like they all rattle 😅
Had my f56 2.0L b48 2014 for 2 months now, added a jcw tune with a cai, absolutely love it, don't avoid this car. Look into the problems, before buying is definitely given for any car, but mine was definitely taken good care of, make sure you also know mini coopers burn oil, so change them well.
60k kilometer MCS 2019 here. Does not use a tablespoon of oil between 15k Oil intervals.
LOL if you knewe they burn oil why did you buy one? And of course there is plenty of info online about many years and the many problems with all Mini engines.....
I also had the JCW steering wheel replaced , I didn't pay for it , it may have still been in warranty , I can't remember or it could have been a known fault and mini replaced it ..
control arms? upper or lower? how about stabilizer bar end links? I just bought a 2015 F56 last month.
Only thing is that particular one is definitely modified slightly. Lowered and maybe mapped? Good guide tho
So the cars that had the bad bearing are toast if they never got the engine replacement over a bearing only replacement?
So my car was built 2014 November at the Oxford plant but not Registered till 1/3/2015 BMW UK told me the car had an enhancement back then but that's all i got out of them so far,my car has 33k miles sounds and drives fine so what other components would be damaged if the enhancement was a bearing replacement before it was on the road and registered?
Hi just bought a 2015 mini 136hp
2 days After buyinf it engine orange light on Dashboard , the garage took it back and said it was the lambda probe changed it . We get the car back and the day After again the engins orange light back on …
No way, it rains in Scotland 🙂 Got a late 2018 MCS last year and love it. Considering doing a remap or buying a JCW at the moment. Another fun rattle you can get is from the little adjustable plastic bolts (that rest on little flat plastic bushes). The adjustable bolts are on the inside edge of the boot lid which are at the left and right lower edges inside the lip. These help create the correct pressure to prevent the boot lid from rattling. I noticed this after the car had been serviced at main dealer, and it took a day of playing around with bits til i narrowed it down. People regularly have this and think it is suspension, parcel shelf or seats in the rear. Annoying and easy to fix by simply winding out the adjustable plastic bolts.
Amazing video , I’m really into these cars to own but it would have to be a brand new one for me based on this exact source of information :D thank you laddie :D.
Your very welcome!
May be off topic but need advice. Can buy a 2011 Mini off a lady going through a divorce for $3,000. Fax looks good from what I can tell except one minor accident 4 years ago that rear ended a car and set off air bags. Grille and bumper was replaced and repainted. See nothing that worry’s me other then it has 170,000 mikes on it. $3,000 a good buy? 2011 Mini automatic a good car?…
I own an F56. Pro tip, that musky smell is when the AC is OFF, not on - at least in my car.
In short, it's a known issue by BMW. They added a catchment tray for condensation to prevent customers worrying about "leaks" and bringing their car in. Problem is stagnant water sits in that tray then circulates around the ducts.
There is a "fix" where they adjust the tray placement and flush the ducts, but for me, it eventually came back, just to a lesser degree. If I leave the AC on, I don't smell it.
You people who buy these cars when you surely know they have many problems and most all years of the Mini have the worst engines of all time crack me up.....just look at the comments here....everyone talking about the many problems and how to fix them....LOL
What about the self grenadine diesels a with their timing chains?
Love the blue accents on the car, where did you get the calipers and wing mirror caps from?
You never got an answer? Wow these people posting videos deserve a THUMBS DOWN!
If only I'd seen this video last week... Bought an MCS and forgot to check the horn, and yeah, horn doesn't work.
JCW eight speed is torque converter gearbox...
does any other owner notice that the steering wheel isnt lined up with the seat? I feel like that on my left hand drive clubman s
Nice video!
Question from my side about the Cooper S bearing problem. Affected engines have been built between 01/2014 an 02/2015. So this means that all F57 (Convertible) Cooper S do not have the issue, right? Because they have started the production of them in 2016.
Don't you just LOVE these people who post videos and cannot take a few minutes to answer questions?
I have a 2018 mini Cooper form new and I never realised the door could remove paint from the inside door panel, I always thought I must’ve scratched it or something when it happens to mine!
Betrayed by your own door there Jack 🤣 thanks for the comment !
The horn yes is not working . The bolts from door hinges fall off endless times damaging the door edge , the gasket around hatch door let the rain create a small Michigan lake inside . The code 420106 transmission ( secure vechicle with parking brake when stationary )issues. Asked to change disc and pads on the second service . Michelin tyres fitted on the new car vanished in 1 year . Car now it’s 36k milles in 7 years . Normal driving . Mileages per gallon 30 on motorways with 1.5 ltr petrol engine 3 cylinders .
2 tings are good about car . Road tax @ 30 £ and coffe and biscuits in Mini dealer while visiting the service bay .
so no problem for2019 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN ALL4 like lost compression and head gasket
How do I find out when my was made exactly?
Any engine issues on the 2014 3cyl
Do not forget to grease the key lock every year or its stuck !( how to get into the car with a dead car battery.
hi , my 2015 JCW auto has developed a fault when car is in park mode , it outputs a warning to put the car in park when it in park .. a spring in the gear lever needs replacing.. expensive and tricky to replace .. for a cheap spring .. common fault I believe ..
Thanks for commenting Thomas! Good to know it shows a warning and is easily spotted.
how did you paint the roof and wing? Im considering of changing color, is it wrap or paint?
It looks like a wrap to me not painted.
Does this have the jcw exhaust? They used to come with the wireless clicker to activate it
Yes it did, the clicker was in the car at the time of filming.
Iv got a Cooper S F55 at the mo, bought it from Mini in Dec 21. Car is pretty loud on start up for about 10 seconds and randomly sometimes makes even more noise when started. Going to take back to mini next week for a check.
my 2015 JCW is exhaust noisy on start up for about 15 to 20 seconds then quiets down ...
@@tucker68red cheers yea, my Cooper S just does this intermittent crazy loud start when the engines warm.
I like Scottish
I was looking at these. I’ve read that they don’t have Bluetooth music streaming as standard, only Bluetooth for phone calls?! I’d be looking at a 2017 ish model so I found it really weird Bluetooth music is supposedly optional
That’s what CarPlay does.
I test drove a regular 2015 mini cooper and it had a whistling sound that comes and goes only on the interstate when im 60-70 mph
What year JCW is this?
Love the accent colour on this Car ! ! …….
Me too, looks terrific...
Mine loves being at the doctor every three weeks 😂
Nice audi tt in white thats what the reg of this mini is 👍🏻
Mini’s replacement 👍🏼
I know timing chain was an issue on 2nd Gen. Do we need to worry about replacing the timing chain at 100,000 miles on the Gen 3?
No
What years were the 2'nd generation? And is every car from those years bad and a huge mistake to purchase? Always thought BMW was one of the best companies and now I am learning their engines are the WORST....and expensive to fix.....why is anyone even buying these cars? Because they look good? That is insanity!
@@JQUICK21yes don’t touch the only get f56 2016+
You mention the engines from 2014 -2015 being bad....but the info I have seen and found online mentions cars and years BEFORE that.....why did you only mention those two years?
Good points made, I see the door seal as a good thing though, if it can rub paint off...you know its a tight seal :D I'd rather spend a few quid sorting that than say a bonnet respray. The front fog lights at the bottom each corner are also prone to condensation and you might even notice a bit of wind noise coming off the grill giving a whistling effect, this is normal with MINIs. The bumper and plastic arches are pretty bad for weather effects over time to dull it, but in general it's nothing that can't be sorted, good video
Thanks for the comment and those wee additions! It all helps the pool of knowledge for anyone looking to buy.
Lol door seal /try head gasket Turbo issues ecu issues the list is endless do your f research
LOL all these issues you mention here and all the info about terrible engines from most all years and you go and buy one anyway? That's funny.....
Not a dsg box! It’s an 8 speed ZF auto
och aye laddie
How can I tell if my cooper s f56 has 163hp or 192hp?
Put your foot down
You didn’t even check when bought the car I only worry what else you didn’t check if you didn’t check what engine was in it 😅
8 speed dsg……….are you sure? My 2018 2.0 SD has a regular 8 speed auto.
Definitely not a DSG… it’s a normal 8 speed gearbox from Aisin. :)
I have a 2017 mini jcw 6 speed auto box. The gearbox has broken and needs a new gearbox only on 23.7k miles
Wow.. sorry to hear Darren. Can you share a bit for others about what symptoms etc you started to see before it failed?
@@ScottishCarClan the car seemed to rev out intermittently when pulling away almost felt like kangaroo hopping a car. I did report it when I had those as the jolts were pretty harsh most times but was only intermittent. Was on motorway heavy braking 60mph - 0 when it went. Limp mode and only had 1st Gear and 2nd Gear. Gear ratio monitoring on gear 3 Clutch C1 and or C3 not open correctly. About a 3-4k gearbox rebuild or 9.5k new gearbox quotes from mini.
There was no major warning signs to make anyone think “my gearbox is going to go” It drove fine for months with no issues before it went
We’re you mapped at all mate ?
@@Ashleycb97 no
I wish I would have seen this before I bought mine…
Give us a subscribe and we’ll be here for your next purchase then 😁👏
Merrors and pellows....lol!.
I think it's a minor problems.. 🤔🙏✝️☕👊
these engines can push 400hp stock internals stop crying
What a piece of junk this car is. Me wife has a 2015 Mini Cooper S. It has 55k miles on it and it’s leaking oil by the oil pan gasket..
Hopefully an easy fix!
There is a common issue that is being seen with many 3rd gen Cooper bases and Cooper S models. One of the three engine mounts (the one by itself on the right side) is weak and has been breaking for people around 55 to 70 thousand miles. I had mine (2016 3 door hardtop Cooper 1.5t, with no options at all. Just a basic radio and some all weather mats) from 33,000 until what is now 77,000 miles, and I have had numerous issues with it. At 35,000 my passenger side headlight went out, and it was the portion of the wiring that connects to the headlight housing. Luckily that was covered under warranty. But then I began to have a slight rattle when the engine was in drive, and stopped. I figured since it sounded plastic it was more than likely just a loose piece of trim somewhere in the dash area. The rattle got progressively worse from 40 to 50 thousand miles until finally I noticed that the oil was low after only a few thousand miles from a normal oil change. My vehicle was at about 60 thousand at that point. They found the oil leak, chased it back to the engine mount, quoted me 700 bucks for it and then replaced it. Since then there has been no rattle at all at stops and red lights. At 70 thousand the water pump broke, and then the timing case cover cracked. I'm not sure how either of these things happened, but they explained the mount to be a normal issue at that mileage apparently? Both of the newer issues together cost me another $1400. And also now the thermostat seems to be stuck open, its showing classic symptoms of that (with the car not heating up barely at all while you are driving around and much more when stopped. And now most recently the car tells me to "secure the car from rolling with the parking brake" when I put it into park. As in the car thinks it is in park but doesn't know fully, for some reason, whether or not it has been fully put into park. Nothing different has occurred with the parking mechanism of the car, the parking poles still work fine when i lift my foot off the brakes without the parking brake pulled up. And when I pull the brake up it feels completely normal. There has been many issues with this vehicle but I love it to the very end of my being. I think soon it will be time to let it go to someone else though, or maybe back to the dealership for research 😂 I cant find anyone that has had just 2 of these problems let alone anywhere near the same amount of issues I've had to deal with, with this car.
@@tylermueggenbergI’m looking at buying a cooper s 2016, thanks for sharing it’s all valuable information
Bags 'O' Shite.
Totally disagree. As someone who's had a 5 series BMW, 2 Merc E classes, an Audi TTS, a Jag XF and currently have a Mustang GT, I absolutely love my Cooper S and other than the Mustang I prefer it over any of those other cars I've had. Have owned it for 9 months with no issues whatsoever. Have customised it quite a lot in that period and it now puts out 275bhp with 434Nm torque. It makes me grin every day and not much can keep up with it on real roads. It's well built, solid, fast and handles like a go kart. What's a "bag o' shite" about it?
@@darrelljohnson2827 You just cannot handle the fact that you bought a piece of $hit car! These little turds have more problems than any car that ever existed. And that is a fact! I guess all the people online complaining have nothing better to do than lie about their cars right? LMFAO
Its MINI, not MANY. pls learn english, since you are from UK
u r very cute
How could BMW build such a shitty engine? I was all set to buy a low mileage 2012 this week until I saw the horror stories about one of the worst motors of all time….
Thats not this generation. Its the second generation cars. Specifically the N14 engine. Ask me how i know
Why is it so difficult for BMW to make reliable cars? Year after year, decade after decade ....and nothing change
Well they have because he just said after 2015 they sorted out the problems with s model and 2014 to right now in other engines they don’t have reliability issues they are pretty much bulletproof the engines he said no matter what engine you have I have a cooper d 5dr hatch 2016 and it’s so far seems very reliable and apart from one recall issue for e.g.r.c ( engine gas recirculation cooler ) it’s perfect car it was only the s that had problems in 2014 but they are fine now
Pre 90's they were great, the e60/90 are pretty good too.
Agree one brand I don’t trust when it comes to reliability.
The gen 3s have such large front ends. I prefer gen 2 instead.
Gen 1 is the best..very reliable...I also have an f56....time will tell on that one!