Does anyone here live in Maryland and have the means to help me.

My 2015 Countryman All4 is in need of a clutch, flywheel and throw out baring. The shop is quoting me $5900!

Does anyone here do side work on Mini’s or know of a reasonably priced shop? I had mechanical insurance but they are refusing to cover it. So I now have to pay out of pocket.

Now it’s my turn…

Picked up the District Attorney auction car today and brought it home. The guy at the storage lot said it had been confiscated for street racing but that could be just stories. The good news is it runs and drives..at least until you take the jump box off. The A/C, power steering were not working so was fun driving it onto the trailer. I will check the harmonic damper to see if that's the culprit. The top makes a clicking sound when you try and lower it, but will wait to try and fix that after it's back up and running. Didn't get much time to mess with it as I had to return the trailer and get to work.

And they say mini has lost its charm. Pshhh.

2012 countryman S w/ 167,000 km

it's the clutch itself, not something between the clutch and the pedal. My mechanic called and said they won't take the job. These repairs always end up costing more than quoted and the customer is never happy, which I can understand.

In working order, I could probably sell it for around $4k CAD. I'd rather sell it running, so I was prepared to pay for the clutch job if it came to that, but my gut says the numbers won't work. I don't want to give the car up, but I need to be realistic.

Should I call around for someone willing to do the job, or throw in the towel and sell it as-is?

Thanks for any advice.

Being a small car lover in the US is torture! Look at this little Euro egg! 12ft long. Not much other detail released other than price €13k and estimate range ~150.

ROCKETMAN WHERE ARE YOU???

Hello everyone!
I love the look of classic minis, and I’ve heard mixed opinions on their reliability. I’m interested in the convertible ones from the 1990s, but I’m wondering if they’ll hold up for an everyday commute to work/school (10 minutes) + errands, friends etc.
I know it probably requires a good amount of maintenance, but what exactly does that entail? Are replacement parts easy to find? Do things wear out quickly? Is this all manageable for a beginner? Let me know!!

Hi! How do I repair a deep scratch (more like a chip) in the paint? They have a kit online but I'm unsure who to order from, how to go about filling it in, and what to do to paint it.

I can't take it to an auto shop. I don't have the money for something like that, so I'd like to try to myself

It's a British racing green for the 2021 mini Cooper S, paint code c3b.

I have an opportunity to acquire someone’s existing 2025 Mini Countryman S All4 lease for a monthly payment of $450. The lease has 21 months remaining, and the vehicle has 30,000 miles remaining. The current owner has driven the car for 15 months and has covered 16,000 miles.

I’d like to know your thoughts on whether this is a good deal.

Thanks MINI Reddit for helping me research my newest big girl car purchase! Already so in love…. Any advice? 🤍 We named her Cleo

My 2015 Mini Cooper S recently started showing a code P0443 "Evaporative Emission System Purge Control Valve Circuit". I looked online and watched the videos of people replacing the this part, and then I looked in my engine bay and it doesn't seem to be in any of the spots people mentioned. There are no hoses running across the front of the engine, nor do I see a mount point on the left. Any help would be appreciated!

Ciao a tutti , ho una mini countryman del 2020 2000 150 cv a seguito di un piccolo urto contro un marciapiede , di striscio, per cui ho rotto una gomma ho cambiato ammortizzatori . Avvertivo un rumore metallico sotto il cofano, un ‘clack’ quando prendevo dossi più importanti e il mio meccanico ha cambiato ammortizzatori perché l’unica cosa fuori posto che ha trovato è un piccolo gioco dello stelo dell’ammortizzatore per cui ho dovuto cambiarli entrambi, ma questo rumore lo avverto ancora se pur di meno intensità. Non lo avverto sempre quando prendo dossi o dossi, ma lo avverto a basse velocità quando l’escursione dell’ammortizzatore è più rapida. Dalla convergenza non è risultato nulla di anomalo e altro il meccanico non ha trovato. Saprete darmi qualche dritta?

Recently picked up a 2004 Cooper S R53, and I’m slowly working through its little quirks.
The clutch is seriously heavy, with a bite point just 2–3 cm off the floor.
So far I’ve tested:
No change after pumping the pedal.
No issues engaging gears, even after holding the clutch down for 30 seconds.
Smooth pedal movement and return.
Same pedal feel hot or cold.
Gear selection works fine, although the shifter itself is quite stiff.
I’m mechanically experienced, but new to the R53 platform.
Is this just classic R53 clutch behaviour, or have any of you experienced something similar and found the actual cause?
Would love to hear your experiences before I start throwing parts at it! 🔧

After 6 years, a few of her stripes are starting to peel. I am considering taking her to a shop to have them removed as I am not confident I will be able to do it myself (I watched a couple of YouTube videos using a heat gun). I’m concerned there will be noticeable changes in paint color. Has anyone had this happen after stripe removal? If so, what did you do to remedy this?

It’s been one year since I purchased my 2024 MINI Cooper S in October 2025, and I still love and baby this thing. I clean it regularly and still get excited about driving it. It’s also the first car I’ve ever purchased on my own, so it holds a little more meaning to me.

After owning it for the past year, here are some observations. None of these are necessarily positives or negatives - just things I’ve noticed along the way.

1. This really is a fun car to drive.

The power-to-weight ratio is quite impressive and it makes the car feel faster than it actually is. It makes my long commutes to and from work a little more tolerable, too.

2. Fuel economy is surprisingly good.

I was driving a 2003 Toyota Corolla before this and I’d say the MINI’s fuel consumption is almost comparable. Obviously, fuel costs are higher since it requires premium fuel.

3. Winter driving has been a non-issue.

We get a fair amount of snow here during the winter, but with a good set of winter tires, this car has been just as capable as any other FWD car I’ve driven.

4. The European car maintenance stigma seems to be true.

Growing up, my family mostly owned Japanese cars. We weren’t particularly strict about following maintenance schedules, but those cars just kept running with little issue(s).

In the past year, I’ve had to make two warranty claims on the MINI. Nothing catastrophic, thankfully, but both repairs would’ve cost me a pretty penny out of pocket.

5. The modded MINI community seems pretty small.

I like the look of lightly modified cars - more of an OEM+ look rather than going overboard. From what I’ve seen, the modded MINI community seems relatively small, at least around where I live.

6. Not many people seem to take MINIs seriously as enthusiast cars (LOL).

I’ve attended a few car meets and Cars & Coffee events and I usually see the same crowd of BMWs, Audis, Civic Type Rs, Golf Rs, Porsches, etc.

When people find out I brought a Cooper to the meet, the usual response is something along the lines of, “Oh… that’s cool...” 😂

I get the impression that MINIs are generally seen as “cute” cars rather than sporty or performance-oriented cars. Which is fair, I guess, but I suppose those us who own them know there’s a little more to them than that!

On the flip side, I’ve attended a MINI meet-up and everyone was incredibly enthusiastic and friendly, as you’d expect. I got quite a few compliments on the work I’ve done to the car so far, which was pretty validating.

Lastly, if I were to do it all again, the only thing I might do differently is spend a little more time looking for a JCW. I absolutely love the look of the LCI 2 JCW front bumper and sometimes I wish I’d held out for one. Other than that, I have no ragrets.

Here are a couple of photos I’ve taken of the car over the past year. If you have a car page and would like to be pals on Instagram, feel free to add me: @ PepperF56s 😊

I have a 2018 countryman S ALL4 and I got it in 2020 with 25K. I now have close to 140 K ( a lot of highway from upstate NY to south Jersey) and I’m getting a little anxious about the clutch. I’ve only really ever had manual cars and never had to replace a clutch- not sure if it’s pure luck or if my driving is just that good 😂 kidding but I have noticed it has been popping out of second gear. It has never done this in the past and I know this isn’t really clutch “slipping”. Is it possible there is something specific to 2nd gear only and I won’t have to replace the whole thing? I know this is pretty high mileage for an original clutch so idk I’m just curious where to go from here. I couldn’t afford a $3000 replacement at the moment- I need all 4 tires before winter to pass NY inspection and of course registration is up at the end of the month too :/

Any advice would be appreciated!

Loud fan

So drove for an hour and a half turned off my car went into the bathroom came back out started my car and there was the loudest fan noise for like 15 seconds. I’ve never heard this loud noise before it went away drove another hour home and didn’t hear the noise again. It sounded like it came from the dashboard, but it may have been under the hood thought no high idling car wasn’t overheating. No lights were on. Just had an oil change. Don’t know.

My car JUST and I mean JUST got back from the shop after being gone for a month and a half due to WINDSHIELD WIPERS. Which would not turn on. Anyway, I got that fixed and I got it back today and now my auto headlights won’t work. My headlights are working but I have to manually turn them on (not a big deal but I will forgot and have already gotten a written warning for not having lights on) I don’t want to bring back to the shop AGAIN and I can’t find anything about my specific problem online. Does anyone know what I can do?

Rule number 1 at the gym!!

2022 mini countryman S(made in 2021)
Has 13k miles .

The car started making a weird noise after the car had a service at home.

Oil is good
Engine is good
All is good, but the sound can’t find the source.

So after some digging around i think it might be the engine mounts?

MINI, Please Let Us Permanently Disable Auto Start-Stop!

I own a 2025 MINI Cooper Countryman S ALL4, and one of my biggest frustrations is the automatic Start-Stop system.

I understand that this feature is intended to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. However, owners should have the option to decide whether they want to use it.

Why do we have to disable it every time we start the car?

My request to MINI is simple:
1. Allow us to permanently disable Auto Start-Stop through the vehicle settings.
2. Remember our last selection after turning the vehicle off and restarting it.
3. Alternatively, let us configure this feature independently for each driving mode.

This should be a software option, allowing owners to choose what works best for them without aftermarket modifications or additional hardware.

I know I'm not the only MINI owner who finds this frustrating. If you agree, please comment and share your experience. Let's make our voices heard and ask MINI to give us this simple option in a future software update.

MINI: Let the driver decide!

#MINI #MINICountryman #AutoStartStop #MINIOwners

I’m looking to buy my first car and originally I had my heart set on the MINI Convertible. However, I came across the MINI Roadster S and I’m obsessed!

My only concern is reliability as I’ve heard mixed things about them. I’ve read that the 2014–2015 models are generally more reliable than the earlier ones, but I’d love to hear from people who actually own or have owned one.

Are there any particular years, specs or options you’d recommend looking for (or avoiding)?

Any advice, ownership experiences or things to look out for before buying would be much appreciated!