How cheaply can they make cars?!? CAR WIZARD shocked what's plastic on this '07 Mini Cooper S
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- It seems cars are not built like they used to be. This 2007 Mini Cooper S is exactly one of those cars. The CAR WIZARD 🧙♂️ is shocked at the number of VITAL engine components that are now made of plastic---breaky, breaky plastic! Not just on this car, but many other makes and models on the road today!
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David, you ought to rent a brand new car [insert manufacturer here] and take it to your shop for a video comparison with something built about 10 years ago to show what direction the industry is going. Cars from '18 are now five years old and might start showing up at your business, so comparing them with '23's could be interesting as well.
Great video!
Great idea! I went from a 2007 VW Jetta to a 2021 Jetta and I wish I still had the old one to make such a side by side comparison. Of course the 21 is nicer in some ways but a LOT of the quality and durability is clearly worse 14 years later.
It would also be interesting to see a comparison between different automakers.
I agree. I travel for work weekly and they are all cheaply built. Even the new Toyota's.
Yes
Gee wouldn't you know, how convenient to make combustion engine cars less reliable by using more plastic where it shouldn't used, so it raises the cost (in repairs) to own combustion engine cars vs. the EVs that California and the Federal Government want us to swallow.
Mini tech here, these cars are quite a handful to work on. The newer cars with the BMW B46 engine are more reliable, however the 2nd gen minis (like the one in the video) with the Peugeot engine weren’t the best in terms of reliability. If you’re looking to buy a mini I’d definitely recommend a 3rd gen with the B46 engine in it
So the Mini has had a Chrysler engine (R50), then a Peugeot engine and then a BMW engine. Is that correct?
@@ianmontgomery7534 Yep. Mini R50s had Dodge Neon engines, the R56 (and all the cars of its generation) had Peugeot engines, and all F chassis minis have BMW engines. More specifically the B46 and B38 engines
Scotty kilmer doesn't have very nice things to say about the minis
As someone who has owned each gen, avoid Gen2 and my Gen3 has been the most reliable so far by far!
Plus if you one still desires the second gen, at the minimum go for the N18 engine.
N14 < N18 < B48/6
I just fixed a rear tail light for a Mini this morning! The plastic housing melted just enough that the contacts didn’t touch. One soldering iron repair later. Works great. There’s too much plastic. Eventually you’ll be able to 3D print the car so maybe that’s their goal!
"Eventually you’ll be able to 3D print the car" Funny that you mention this. What do you think the IDRA Giga presses do?
Exactly same on my daughters mini one piles of junk
Done lots of these rear lights the bulb holders are junk even the updated parts - it comes to something when aftermarket Chinese parts are better quality 😮
Melted tail lights are nothing new! Had that on a 1980s Caddy Allante....
You wouldn't download a car!
We had a 2008 Mini Cooper S that we bought brand new, and it was fun to drive but a bit of a nightmare. Always weird little problems. The last straw was that the dealership replaced the timing chain twice in under 60,000 miles and the second time was at our expense because the warranty had expired. I complained to BMW corporate about it because something smelled fishy about the whole thing. At the time, my parents Corolla with 150,000 miles had a timing chain that had never been replaced, and their mechanic said the whole reason you use a chain is because it lasts way longer than belts. After a couple of months BMW actually refunded us the entire cost of the repair and we later found out that there had been some sort of class action lawsuit related to this problem.
As a Mini owner, I have owned an R53 stage one Cooper S. It’s modified so pushing a bit over 200hp. Reliability has been great for me. For the past three years. I just did a power steering hose replacement (quite bit hard since there’s little space to work on). Supercharger service and water pump Oring service (leaking coolant). That’s about it, been reliable. It’s a great car to learn how to work on European cars. People say the R53 is a great car to wrench on and I can agree 100%
This is exactly why I'm just keeping and maintaining my 12 yrs old and 6 yrs old cars. Prices for new vehicles have gone nuts! It's still worth it to spend $4-5k to fix a car then spending $50k for a new one!
Apparently, $50k is the average new car price, which to me is insane. I've never bought any sort of vehicle for more than $18.5k. And the low end of the car market is disappearing. Compact cars are dead outside of the Nissan Versa, Kia Rio, and Mitsubishi Mirage.
@@jnordne2 you can still also get a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla thank goodness... but I would buy used!
@@jnordne2 $46k was the average price in 2022
…this car is 16 years old😅
Especially if you finance on a full term loan…your looking at around 25k in interest alone on the life of that loan
This plasticizing trend has been going on for over 30 years. I had a '92 VW Corrado SLC with the VR6 engine, and while this was really a GREAT car, the thermostat housing was plastic along with a large coolant pipe that runs across the front of the engine. BOTH of these are well known to crack with age and the aftermarket sells metal parts to replace them.
Yup! $80 in parts and a couple hours, not really much struggle and now I won't be worried about THAT coolant leak for a LONG time. All the rest of the coolant leaks however, ....meh I'll get to them eventually!
I was pretty surprised how easy the job was when you see how deep under all sorts of stuff that pipe is buried. But quick battery and batt tray removal and you have great access to it! My first VR6 repair too, very fun.
Much longer than that: I had a plastic pulley tear itself apart on a 1978 Austin, so 45 years ago. Especially on European and Japanese cars where imported fuel is so expensive it's all about weight saving. The more gadgets the public demand , such as a/c and electric windows (neither really necessary in most of Europe), the more dead weight is added to the car, and the more the manufacturers compensate by shaving weight off mechanical components to compensate and keep the mpg figures up. Wait till we're all driving electric cars with half a ton of batteries and you'll really see some creative use of plastics!
In the 80's I had a 1978 Dodge van (full size with V8) that had a carburetor body made of plastic. There were a couple of little glued-on fuel passages inside the bowl that fell off after the recently-introduced gasahol blend dissolved the glue.
@@jaybeemhardscrote7466 Yes, the famous "crack pipe"!
I actually had the auxiliary electric water pump fail in Orlando...Right in front of the Volkswagen car club I was a member of. The plastic body of the pump literally broke in half! Man, I loved that car, it was such a hoot to drive and sounded SO GOOD with an AMS exhaust!
Designed to last 10 years, tops. Cars are generally leased for 3 years. Warranty covers repairs. After that, you're on your own.
we had 2008 mini and water pump replaced twice, oil filer housing replaced twice, thermostat housing replaced 3 times. was a fun car to drive but so many issue. glad we had a warranty on it. it paid for itself like 5 times over.
Even if you have warranty constantly going to the dealer feels like a mistake
@@tinleo333 you don't like waiting for your car to be fixed?! Hehe
Thats because of PSA (french engineer)🤮
@@samholdsworth420You like wasting time?
@@thisismagacountry1318 I fix my own vehicles 😂
Jonny the Car Ninja recently posted a video on a 2010 Mini Cooper and had to take the entire front end of the car off to replace the oil filter housing gasket! The engines are packed in so damn tight!
I remember replacing my camshaft timing gear in 1978, in my 1971 Mercury Cougars 351 Cleveland engine because it broke and was made from synthetic materials. Luckily, The aftermarket sold steel replacement gears to replace it.
I'm very pleased to see that a lot of these newer cars have a decent interior so that at least you are sat in a nice place while waiting for the tow truck to rescue you when the car has broken down. Again.
Welcome to the wonderful world of cost cutting. Plastic intakes, manifolds, etc.
Not government regulations though, right?
My 2007 Honda Accord K24 is at 223k miles on original metal water pump. Its a waiting game now to see what wears out first... timing chain, water pump, or clutch. (Yes a manual!) When one of those fails the engine will come out and all three will get done, and it will be good for another 250k miles. :)
Think I saw a Dorman intake runner made from aluminum. The factory intake warps because plastic.
G'day Wizard, my Citroen C4 uses the same motor. Plastic thermostat housing, plastic oil filter housing and other parts that should be metal. That same engine used on the Volvo has these parts in metal and mechanics will order Volvo parts to fit to Mini, Citroen, Peugeot, and other makes useing this motor.
Completely agree about the new cars. They are also doing weird things. I just replaced my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe with a 2014 Toyota RAV4 (only 30k and garage kept). I could have gotten a 2020 Hyundai Kona at the same price but the quality is so much worse I think the 9 year old Toyota will last a lot longer.
Korean don't make good cars hyundai n kia are kind of the same junk they have terrible history especially of engines being seized failures countless replacements of engines warranty being denied
I totally agree on your thinking. My 28 year old Acura Integra with 260k is still running great as my daily commuter. It has already out lasted several generations of newer cheap cars that came afterwards most of which are not even on the road anymore.
@@evoman44 I love Integras. If mine didn't rust, I'd still be drivng it.
@@rebeltvr6046 That's a shame. What areas did it rust at? Mine just has some rust in the rear wheel well lips where they typically rust. Other then that it's pretty rust free because I have avoided driving it in the snow for years since I got another car.
@@evoman44 I live in the Northeast and I never did any rust protection, stupid of me really. Car rusted in the wheelwells, and a lot underneath (the trunk bed was rusting out bad). But yeah, I could've done a lot better job with rust protection than I did.
So, a couple of things the wizard missed, first the gen 2 minis have timing chain stretching issues, alot of the defective parts of the timing chain will have been covered under warranty, however poor maintenance leads to timing chain failures.
Second mini realized the water pump issue and oem water pumps are now metal as well, and the cars had a 10 year 100k warranty extension on the water pump. Cars the were dealership maintenanced, probably already have metal water pumps. Being a dealer tech, the only time I see plastic pumps are on cars that we haven't seen in 10 years
12:57
Toyota did the same as well. MY oil cooler lines on my 2007 Sienna were made of rubber. The aftermarket came out with a metal hose as an upgrade. The rubber would fail and you would lose your engine
Rubber is pretty standard....
@@ezacher4634 yeah but they could have made a metal hose is what I'm saying
Some Toyota models have plastic oil drain mechanisms requiring a special tool to remove it. Well the tool is supposed to grab onto some flaps or ears for grip to twist it off but the ears are plastic and can snap off. Lol at least they wised up and started making a metal piece you could replace it with for about $50. Why not just make it metal to begin with? Toyota is not as flawless as the cult and it's high priest Scotty Kilmer would have you believe. Many of them have oil burning issues. My employer used Scions XB's for company vehicles with the dreadful 2.4 liter Toyota engine that was notorious for oil burning issues. After they had 100k miles on those engine they would burn a very significant amount of oil. Some of those cars locked the engine up because there was very low oil, not enough to lubricate a running engine. Now they switched to Honda HR-V's and those cars suck too. Many of them had their CVT transmissions go out around 60k miles. So much for Jap quality lmao.
@@jeepinintexas6215 my Toyota is great. The reason they did that was to sell it with a cheaper part. They made a replacement for maintenance. I do not have any issues with my 09 Corolla or my 07 Sienna
@@jonathangatto don't get me wrong, I want a Tacoma for a daily driver and to use as a hunting rig so I can toss a game animal in the bed. I used my Jeep for hunting this past season and it worked ok using a hitch mounted cargo carrier but I still would like a truck for when I have to haul something furniture, appliances etc. I have a 5x10 trailer I can use with my Jeep if I really have to haul something big but still want another vehicle and a truck. I really want a new Jeep Gladiator Mojave but they are too damn expensive.
I had a 2014 Countryman 4All for quite some time. The car was a ticking bomb. Oil leaks here and there, timing chain issue after 80k miles and electrical issues made me sell the car. Engine bay is so small so for a simple repair, unrelated other parts need to be removed. I recommend you staying away from used Mini with 80k miles and 5 years old. It is a Bmw with a compressed engine in a small space. If you really want it, lease it or buy brand new and get rid of it after 3 years.
That's true about the aftermarket. Those parts were usually inferior, now they have better quality materials. I upgraded the plastic oil cooler assembly on my Jeep Wrangler with a cast aluminum unit made by Dorman.
Aftermarket parts makers have been making improvements over certain OEM parts since the beginning of car repairs. Even relatively crappy companies who's name I won't mention (sounds similar to the guy who helps you when entering a building) have done things to improve when it was blatantly obvious that something had to happen or they would be warranting all the parts that THEY made just because of crappy OEM design.
I suspect much of that money in new cars goes to research, development and support of all that tech that people and in some cases DOT etc., now demand. Just give me a car that runs.
The R56 Cooper S has the N14 engine, which is a Peugeot / Citroen / BMW developed motor. Electronics are BMW. Timing chain, guides and tensioner are the Achilles heel of this car. THe car you're working on has the Hypersport body kit. I have the very rare factory JCW tuning kit airbox with cone filter for this car still, but sold the car.
I had a '97 Mondeo V6. I bdid some research before I bought it. Plastic water pump vanes was #1 problem on the V6, usually at about 60,000 miles. Mine went at 66,000 on a fast dual carriageway about 3 miles from home. Nursed it home with several stops. Went to local independant motor factors a few days later and replacement pump was steel and cheaper than the OEM bit from Ford. That was 19 years ago.
Thanks Wizard for having such a brief intro. I know a couple channels with 1:30 long intros 🤣
These need a metal thermostat housing also and the aftermarket has yet to deliver. What you say is absolutely correct, I have had BMW's from 2002's to e36's they reached their apogee with the E30's and have been on a downward trajectory in regards to quality materials since then.
Had a 1971 Mini Cooper while stationed in Germany. Nice little car for a single GI to get around. My newest car now is a 2014 Avalon. My daily driver is a 1994 Pontiac Grand Am. For a 29 year old car it’s still runs great. Only item changed other than regular brake jobs, etc were the manifold gaskets. Just have to keep up with regular maintenance. Oil changes every 3,000 miles. Trans fluid and filter every 30,000 miles. Antifreeze every 3 years. The only problem I have is that with all the newer vehicles riding higher, their headlights are blinding me at night. I’ll have to tint the rear window.
Changing the engine oil every 3000 miles was ok in the 1930s. Now an oil change at the annual service at 15,000 miles is standard and there are no issues. In 2021 my garage said to skip the oil change as I had only done 124Km which is obviously sensible but very much an exception. I wonder if US engine oils are either made very cheaply or have some chemical added to make it degrade super fast. Its all very odd.
@@mbak7801 if you dont want problems with luxury euro/german vehicles, i would suggest you make that 10000 km (yep not even miles) even if they recommend 20000km they are just so fragile
@@mbak7801 i would not even do 5k without an oil change.. are you insane? Or do you just junk the car at 80k miles cause it threw a rod and you think that's normal too? the oil in GDI engines is NASTY! it's like a diesel!
@@mbak7801 think you mean 15k kilometers, (2.2km to a mile).
My neighbor's son is learning about that, 2015 Toyota Camry hybrid, 0w-20 thin oil, good for mpg but not longevity. Ran it dry, rod bearings done. It sits for now, these protracted oil change intervals are insane. Out here in the US, traffic moves on the highways, like 80-90mph. It's not the U.K. Fast traffic, long miles. Kills middle aged engines running on super thin oils that don't get checked frequently.
5k miles is as far as a reasonable person should go.
@@juki6377 Agreed, and I'd take one step further with that advice for ANY car not just German/Euro luxury cars.
I hear ya Wizard! My biggest complaint about my ‘09 BMW is all the plastic crap under the hood. The list is long, and checks-off every box you mentioned. Fortunately the aftermarket provideth and I’ve been able to convert some of the more vulnerable parts to metal. Other parts are just doomed to need replacing again and again. Let’s talk about plastic valve covers and timing chain guides!
Bought the F30 BMW with 4cyl. You're right about those plastic timing chain guides. As they wear, small slivers of plastic start roaming around and plugging up oil return galleries. Those engines will not be highly sought on the used market past 100k miles.
Some people are moving to Ford E350 and Chevy Express vans in lieu of purchasing a truck for heavy towing. However those vans used to be had for $5-10k for a 100,000 mile example that was 5+ years old. Now they are $20k+.
And they are the top targets for theft with the tweakers.
I’ve wrenched on a couple of these at work, they’re very intricate. I had to replace an idler pulley on a 2017 Mini and so much had to come out only because of the cover they put on the drive belt area. But there’s no denying these Minis are so fun to drive, drives better than a Honda or VW equivalent. It actually drove better than my Golf GTI
This process started long ago - I once had a 1986 Austin Maestro with plastic exterior door handles that one-by-one all came off in my hand, when the car was about 12 years old. Earlier models had metal handles. I had to spend hours searching through scrapyards because almost all the metal handles had been taken by people with the same problem.
Similar with a 1988 Vauxhall Cavalier hatchback (GM J-body). The parcel shelf supports were made out of fabric-covered compressed fibreboard, which failed with age and wouldn't hold the shelf up any more. Older ones had the supports made out of fabric-covered steel. I never replaced those because the car died of terminal rust and engine failure.
I mean that's just cheating using a British Leyland product. There's a reason they didn't see out the rest of the year!
@@drunkenhobo8020 Technically it was Austin Rover by that point - but yeah, the build quality was absolutely appalling. I replaced it with a Peugeot 309 - that I paid a whole £50 for - that felt absolutely indestructible by comparison.
That engine was made in collaboration with Peugeot and Citroen (they cal it the THP), it's in a lot of their cars still. Its been through plenty of updates along the years, the new ones aren't nearly as bad as they used to.
Fun fact: When Ed Heinemann designed the Douglas A4 Skyhawk for the US Navy, he has a "no plastic parts" in his design policy.
We don't have the same definition of fun.
That plane was from the 1950's. Why would that be surprising....?
Ben Franklin also refused to use plastic in his Franklin stove some 250 years ago.
@@russ254 Yep, and the Roman's also used to refuse to use plastic or electric lights when they designed the Colosseum.
Incidentally, they also refused to use Michelin or Firestone tires on their chariots...
I used to own a 2013 Clubman base, it was relatively easy to work on at home. Even changed the timing chain myself with no problems. Yes, there are some things that could be designed better, but you'll find that with any car. As to the "rear-ending" comment, I was rear-ended in mine and it was able to be fixed. I loved the car and it was quite reliable considering the abuse I gave it. Traded it in for a '20 Miata Grand Touring.
Not every car. Some are better, some are worse, just like everything else in life. Germans, in general, are garbage.
Yeah the "mini" are known for the wheels on each corner. It's a feature and I'll take risking a dented wheel hub compared to worse handling and a longer car. To each their own.
Hey wizard, great video. Before you return the car to the customer check the oil pan. Friend of mine has literally just had one of these with a grenaded motor. Plastic bits and pieces in the oil pan. Apparently some guides are made out of plastic and fail.
In Australia $20,000 later after three mechanic rebuilds and car still not back on the road properly.
I could not wrap my head around the fact that the car manufacturers used plastic parts on the engine when the intake manifold for my 1996 Ford Mustang GT cracked around the thermostat housing. The car was 8 years old when it happened. Of course the aftermarket already had the solution. Later I learned that Ford was hit with a class-action lawsuit on this matter.
8 years old and it went out. Lasted a good while no? Also it's not plastic it's composite
@@xavierramirez330no, 8 years is terrible. An 8 year old car is still practically brand new. I wouldn't expect stuff like that to fail until 15-25 years.
My car is approaching 10 years old, is mostly metal and very little has gone wrong. I don't expect much to need to be done for another few years. Then things will start wearing out and need to be replaced.
Not a 1966 Mustang back then people only kept the 2 to 3 years.@@nicholasvinen
You are always so knowledgeable. Love watching your shows.
Your the best of all the other shows out there.
Last year I had to get a valve cover replaced on my 07 Ford Focus, the shop I use is the best in the area. No one else is allowed to touch my car but them. They are as honest and reliable as you are
Another factor in using plastic over metal is weight. Plastic parts will be lighter than metal. The lighter the vehicle, the less fuel it takes to move the car. So instead of Chevy or Ford, our vehicles will be produced by AMT! (AMT makes plastic model cars :) )
I can hardly wait for the revolutionary, first-ever composite (codeword for plastic) engine to hit the market and die within the first 50k or so miles.
@@pitecusH It used to be the code word for plastic was "Space-Age Materials" LOL
I don't mind spending a few dollars more in fuel to save a few thousand in repairs due to crappy plastic parts breaking.
Speaking of aftermarket parts makers picking up the slack, I know some older Honda's with their rear suspensions can need a control arm with an adjustment that was never added to their Accord, Elements, etc. Without it, you'll never get your car to stock alignment due to the aging or other pieces.
Thanks for bringing some MINI content back to your channel. Immensely fun cars to drive. 👍👍👍
Maintaining them, well that’s another story.
Thx for looking out for us Wizard 🧙♂️ 👍
BMW Mini Coopers from 2011 to current are the ones to have. Had my 2013 JCW a year before trading it in with zero issues (that weren't my fault). Also sold my first one to a friend of mine (2012 base with JCW appearance upgrades) who's been driving it for 3 years now with zero issues. Fun cars to drive, interesting driving experience, and everyone likes to say "how much fun they LOOK like", but very few people take the time to actually experience the cars. BMW Mini's biggest things to look out for is pre-2011 timing chain issues, coil packs on all models, and suspension bushings. Other than that, just follow the service advisory and replace the water pump even if it doesn't need it. Buy OEM parts or better otherwise you'll hate life.
Nah the early 2000s were the best. Those had a dodge motor
I have a 2015 Mini Cooper Countryman base. I love it. It’s a great car and I’ve always like the way that they work. I think the newer ones definitely have way better build quality it’s been a good first car for me. It has had a couple of issues but I honestly expect that with German cars.
Mrs. Wiz; the styling queues of the Mini are that of an airplane. That is why the switches are toggle just as a cockpit and the bars separating them are the same (so if you hit turbulence, you still hit tight switches intended). Once you have that in mind you will notice other things that carry that same styling theme both inside and out (including the badging).
Yes, the bars are there to give you somewhere to brace your fingers so you don't activate any switch by accident by being jostled about by turbulence or any sudden movement of the vehicle.
The divider bars are actually there to meet safety standards. Exposed, protruding toggle switches are prohibited because they could impale passengers in a crash. The divider bars act as a guard rail to prevent that from occurring.
@@sunnyvaletrailer Do you have a source or is that just a guess? The toggle switches are small, angled and fairly fragile and as such I doubt they present an impalement risk, especially as no occupant would be sitting in the same axis as the switch bank.
@@Ijusthopeitsquick These days they’re placed in that area on purpose to minimize risk, but that wasn’t always the case. Many manufacturers had toggle switches higher up and closer to the driver up until the late ‘60s when the regulations were enacted.
They were used back in the day on airplanes so you would not break the switch off if you bumped into the panel.@@sunnyvaletrailer
Wife has a Mini R53 Supercharged. Had it 5 years and no major issues other than a A/C clutch going bad. Regular oil changes and general maintenance will save you in the long run from major repair bills. Only issue with the Mini is baecause it is a small car, that engine is packed in tight so working on the motor can be time consuming.
Hey Wizard, the mixer box on my old '65 Mustang -- it sits on the transmission hump and holds a cable-operated flapper that directs heated air either to the footwells or the defroster -- was made of wood pulp, aka cardboard. I don't know the service life of this part, but when I bought my '65 in 2001 it had long since disintegrated. The '65 also has only one turn signal blinker, that flashes for both directions. Also the standard instrument cluster had only a fuel gauge and a speedometer, with idiot lights for oil pressure, water temperature, and alternator.
Are you complaining ?
I have a 2006 Honda Accord Euro (Acura TSX) in North America. It has the equivalent of almost 200,000 miles on it. Still on the original METAL water pump. No leaks or bearing noise either.
Stuff like this is why I think maybe leasing might actually not be a bad idea going forwards... If the car stops working, you turn it in for them to fix it and get to drive a loaner while they do without paying extra beyond the agreed monthly rate.
With many 2023 cars, not leasing it would be catastrophic for your finances. Many brands are stuffing their cars full of fancy technology and luxury gimmicks that will break. In 10 years time, these new cars be junk, while many basic 90s and 00s cars will be fine, (if they haven't rusted in half.)
Thats what BMW wants you to do. Its called a Car subscription! You always are paying them. its the forever rental.
I love the content of this channel so great to see the husband and wife team, very slick. I'd love to see Mrs Wizard give her opinion on driving the cars as well as the interiors, I think she would bring such an honest unique view on what they are really like to own :-)
I bought a2004 Toyota Highlander with 205k, replaced the original timing belt and while I had it apart the water pump as well. There was nothing wrong with the pump and probably would have gone to 300k
Same here with my Camry It had 205,000 mi on the original timing belt but you look around the internet and people freak out they think they're going to break if you look at them the wrong way.
After hearing about modern timing chains I am rethinking timing belts as they seem to last as long or in the Mini's case longer and they are cheaper to replace.@@piggy310
I spent $15k on Toyotas last year.....2000 Avalon, 2002 Camry, 2005 Highlander. $5k on parts and tires. Completely happy.
as they faze out the internal combustion engine, they are making them cheaper and giving up on the concept completely
I still adored the three Mini's I had.
Thanks for making the point that all car brands are plasticising. It's also justified by making the vehicle lighter. However, I'll never be convinced that lighter, for better fuel economy, is necessarily safer.
Thanks.
how about the cracks in the Belt? Should it be replaced or does it have some life left in it?
Crack is bad.
My neighbor had a Mini convertible. I remember it being the first manual I ever saw. I also am so amazed that the back seats were just a slab of plastic. I can't believe automakers were making plastic seats in the 21st century.
“You’ll own nothing and be happy.” -WEF
That’s where everything is going unfortunately
😔
You probably own more wealth than 99.9% of people that have ever lived. This is a failure of perspective.
Yeah, and Klaus Schwab will own everything and be the happiest.
P.S.: You vill eat ze bugs! 😜
Agreed, there is far too much plastic on cars these days, which is partly why I got a motorcycle back in January that I plan to take to work at least some of the time. 60 mpg and simple enough that I can work on it myself. The only plastic on it is the fairings, besides that it seems very well built.
Those MINI Cooper plastics are worse than today's GM plastics
Agreed
Whoa. That's bad
How is that even possible!!!???😂
W😂W
I agree. Ironically, the bloody noisemaker on this car is made of an indestructable rubbery plastic that took me forever to demolish in my driveway. Hey MINI/BMW, use these kinds of plastics!
Car wizard; Its called "planned obsolescence. Its just asinine how the auto industry has become. I don't blame you for sticking with the older cars,far better made than the junk you get today for your hard earned dollar. Thanks for your videos and keep up the gr8 work.
Thank you for this segment. Back in 2015 my wife said she wanted a Mini Cooper. I was not too happy with that because of all the bad reviews on these cars. I actually found a slightly used 2014 Mini Cooper Countryman "S" with all wheel drive. This model has much more room than the one seen here. The car had 10,000 miles, was in like new condition and the price was $23,500+ costs. We still own the car and it now has 48,000 miles on it. I am pleasantly surprised at the performance and, so far, the lack of repairs. One battery and one heater fan relay fixed by the dealership for free. I just replaced the four spark plugs and filters. We've taken it on long trips and interestingly it performs well in the snow. It's amazingly comfortable. The entertainment electronics leave a lot to be desired for sure. In the Sport mode this car performs! My wife loves this car! I believe the Mini was completely made over in approx.2012 and many previous issues improved. Earlier model transmissions were horrible. The newer ones have Aisin Japanese made transmissions and they are really good. As you say, the motors are pretty well built. So far, after 8 years, I am pleasantly surprised.... And yes everything seems to be made from plastic and susceptible to breakage. As usual 'maintenance' is paramount.
The issues are A. Difficult to find a mechanic to work on them B. Many basic parts that are "lifetime" parts on other cars are expected to be replaced 4 times as quickly in Mini coopers than in other cars. Usually you start running into these problems at 75K+ miles.
Here in Ireland these are women and daughters cars and rarely looked after....annoying
My wife has a 2013 Countryman S. I must admit, not the worst car but when something goes bad it’s expensive. It’s ironic that this is a featured car because just last week I spent $1,600 for a battery and serpentine belt at the dealer. No body else would touch it.
@@rdizzy1 Yes, it seems ALL German cars have longevity issues. I drive a 2006 Lexus GS that's been wonderful and still is at 130k miles. Again, maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. Interestingly the maintenance on most of these cars is less than the tax & license paid on a new one! A lot less.......
@@Offthbadan My dealer recommended a belt change and I paid $300.00. I am a kind of DIY guy and bought a battery that was very easy to install. The trick is that the battery needs to be programmed. A very simple process. AGM Battery was around $150.00. I just did not want to do the belt and I'm sure the old one would have gone much further but I made that decision because it's my wife's car. Rock Auto lists this belt for around $20.00 and they sell quality parts...... Dealer makes BIG profit!!
It won't ever stop. I remember reading a particular science book when I was in school (this would've been mid-'90s, the book probably from the '80s) that said Ford was researching plastic engine blocks. Obviously they haven't perfected that even now, but it hasn't stopped them (and everyone else) from making as much else from plastic as possible. Aside from questionable use in engines, the worst is arguably that "premium" soft-touch plastic in modern interiors that either rubs off and leaves the car looking like it has mange or turns into a horrible sticky mess (or both, if you're really lucky). Other really stupid car trends include electric-only trunk releases (good luck getting them open if your battery dies and you need your jumper cables or something) and, as on this Mini, frameless windows that automatically go down and back up slightly when you open and close the doors.
I dunno what cars do this but I was impressed that the front seats can go back all the way against the rear seat for maximum front leg room.
Renault Twingo does it
It's because the back seat needs to be further back xd.
My 2014 mustang does that too
We have some water pumps that come with plastic impellors as standard but then offer metal impellors for a few dollars more. I've stopped mentioning the plastic option entirely and just say we have the metal impellors available to all the customers that ask for the pumps with those options.
Have heard that the latest Gen. Mini is much better built than the previous ones, and likely will be more reliable. Still, BMW makes them. While it could be more reliable, you're not getting Toyota or Honda levels of reliability.
2006 BMW plastic water pump impeller disintegrated....flushed engine tried to piece all the impeller fragments together to make sure we "got it all"....got about 80% of the pieces so I replaced the radiator...found some more pieces there - what a headache....put in a after market water pump with a steel impeller. No issues since then.
You can set the dial visible through the steering wheel to digital MPH so you don’t have to look at the larger dial. Not a lot of miles for a 16 year old car. Had four Minis, ZERO issues outside of punctures and a rear window which was hit by a stone. Mini only has a slightly above average reliability score here in the UK.
@Eclipse538 Its rarely the driving that kills a car, its the lack of following spec and proper servicing. Both of which general public Americans are notorious for ignoring compared to the rest of the western world. Not every failure is because of that of course, but I would wager the majority.
The engines in the UK models are not the same as the US models. The US ones are far less reliable.
Remember when those Mini's first came out? They were everywhere. Every girl/woman wanted one. They looked great, great interior and drove great. Years later, I can't recall the last time I even saw one now.
Great video! I've had the unfortunate experience working on one of those. It was one broken plastic part after another and $2100 later it still wasn't right. The owner traded it in for a Toyota and no more issues.
Agree with you Wiz. Owned an 06 JCW super charged model. Fun little back road twisty car to drive, but tons of cheap plastics interior parts. I was fortunate enough not to have had to experience any major repair cost while I owned it. Sold it before I had to open up my wallet.
I’m keeping a VW Golf 1.9 Diésel I bought new in 1995. 300k miles with original clutch, alternator, water pump etc etc and can be sitting for half a year and will start first time with a jumper. Considering current car market trends this is the most reliable car I will ever have.
Yeah, I've noticed this cost of manufacturing has declined quite a bit too, despite the price of the car going up. One key place I've noticed is in parts that are meant to look nice, but not meant to bear much weight... but they look like they are more substantial than they actually are. For instance, 2 things on my Lincoln alone. The tail-light assembly is filled with LED's so it's not much going on inside of it besides that. When you hold it in your hands it feels like the cheapest dollar store toy you could get your hands on, maybe cheaper. Also, the wood grain in the car. They say it's not fake wood and they are absolutely right, it's not fake wood... however, when you take them off the car, you better be careful cause it will peel off of the plastic and its just this incredibly thin... I mean thinner than your hair wafer of wood stuck to the back of a plastic piece that actually screws into the car. I'm actually impressed by how thin they got this wood!
Cars are built to a price point and when automakers are under pressure from the government for increased fuel efficiency and crashworthiness as well as pressure from the buying public for more creature comforts, there's going to be unpleasant cost cutting involved. The plastic water pump or oil pan or AC lines is the price you pay for the heated steering wheel, 16-speaker sound system, lane departure warning system, or any other tech that you want but don't actually need
Pretty much this. A toyota camry LE would cost $45000 if they were building them with the same materials they were in 1988. Plus plastic components are lighter and help comply with fuel economy regulations like you mentioned. This isn't entirely the automakers being cheap; its just them responding and changing to what the markets are demanding.
@@za4117 A loaded Camry is 45,000 today plastic parts and all.
yeah chasing profits and shareholder financial value has nothing to do with it, plasturgy of early 00s and the cheapness resulting from it has nothing to do (it is visible in other fields). now people dont fix themselves what the water pump looks like is not much of a concern
Yeah it cracks me up how there is always someone to blame corporate greediness on the government and consumer.
Surely your eyes are your lane departure warning system.... Maybe some people should not be driving these days 🤔
Another thing that often happens with those mini coopers and VW’s as well for that matter, is the parking brake cables have a tendency to wear out overtime and either caused the brakes to bind or just not hold properly. Now I know since this car is equipped within an automatic transmission. A lot of people in the comments are probably going to say that a lot of people with automatic transmissions typically don’t use their parking brake and it really doesn’t matter much in this case because if you live in a state where they do state inspections then you will have to fix this because in order to pass inspection regardless of whether or not the car has an automatic or a manual transmission the parking brake absolutely has to be 100% functioning and operational
I used to have this exact year and model. I purchased it used in 2012, so 5 years old with maybe 60,000 something miles. I got a Route 66 aftermarket warranty, and felt good about everything. Until the problems started....air bag warning light, carbon build-up due to the direct injection, a burst turbo inlet pipe, random electrical shit, the list goes on and on. All of that was within only a year and a half.
I ended up just selling the car at a 5K loss bc I got sick of fighting with the assholes at the warranty company; of course they were doing everything they could to deny these repairs.
I found out later that the engine in these early models was still made by Peugeot...well doesn't that just explain a lot...
Maybe the new ones are a bit better. I'd never buy another used MINI, but I'm sure leased for 3 years brand new would be a better experience.
I went with an R53, a supercharged motor made by Chrysler... and I drive it like I stole it everyday. It's always been up to the task. The only failure I've had is a crank pulley but it was still able to crawl into the shop. Now I daily it with mods.
I had a Rt 66 extended warranty as well. Wasn’t worth a thing.
I love my '06 Mini Cooper R50 5sp. It's a blast to drive. ✌🏻🇺🇸
In the UK we've a Peugeot 108 which is a Toyota Aygo (tiny car) and the water pump went a 45k. That's the first pump I've ever gone through in thirty years of driving. Also a clutch, and it overheats very easily. All more evidence of cost cutting in my opinion.
Your observation about how producers have taken the cost out of building cars and passing them off to consumers for repairs is spot on. Tesla is notorious for making cars less expensive to build but outrageous for the consumer to repair. Monro and Associates is notorious for recommending to producers ways to take production costs out of cars and these changes ALWAYS makes the vehicle more expensive to repair. I've gone from finding M&Associates to be recommended to nothing but excuse makers for OEM's. I'm not surprised recent vehicles of the last three or so years to follow this same pattern. Vehicle makers don't care how much it costs to repair their products so long as these cars can get out of warranty first.
I started watching you to improve my English, now I love watching you for fun. Greetings from Europe
I bought a 2011 Cooper base model in 2015.. it had 17,200 miles on it. Now it has 90,000, and besides sides the plastic side of the radiator, I've replaced one ignition coil, the front struts, rear sway bar bushings and all the brakes.
Nothing major so far and still runs like new.
I love the 15" tires, cheap. And so far parts have been real fair price wise.
Yup, the N/A motors: N12/ N16 are more reliable than the turbocharged counterparts of the same gen.
Yep, I have a 2012 base Cooper and it’s the same story. Quite reliable although I’m only at 60,800 miles
If it’s a base model it is NOT a Cooper ! They are NOT all Mini Coopers !
Weeeezard! I have three MINIs and have replaced the plastic water pumps with the new updated oem MINI replacement that is made in Italy and it's metal not plastic. That engine is the notorious Peugeot made N14 engine. It has excellent power output but the timing chain guides are known for cracking. You should check it with your camera to see if it's deteriorating. Also the valves build up excessive carbon from the vanos system and needs a Decoke service walnut blasting.
Always enjoy watching your videos! Oh check out the hidden secret glove box above the normal one. Just push on the silver face above the glove box and it will open.
Bought a 2001 Buick LeSabre custom and I love it. Very reliable engine
Car wizard is damn right on this one! I've always hated plastic parts. Interior is one thing but engine parts is where I draw the line. I don't even like when coolant pipes are plastic
Love the content wizard. You should do more tool videos! Your tools you couldn't live without video was my favorite very helpful
Cracked me up when you talked about the aftermarket in metal replacement units.
I love these videos. The wizard said a few years back that he hates working on BMWs, but he just said we love MINIs. How when it's a BMW?
Its not a bmw. These years have different engines. He doesn't know. But the later ones do have bmw engines and those are way more reliable than these. These were bad. They had a French engine in them
BMW with a Peugeot engine
Actually was talking about purchasing one and a coworker told me they previously owned a mini cooper similar year actually. He got rear ended at low speed (not sure of the speed, he said it was a good bump, but not hard. There was no exterior damage.
Car was totalled. Frame got twisted and would wobble down the road. Convinced me to not purchase one (at least for now, make a good extra car).
It's amazing how many different car channels i watch are all coming to the same conclusion lately: car quality is getting worse while costs are at their breaking point. It's going to take another 3-5 years before we can assess the COVID era build quality across every manufacturer. I'm betting that across the board these are going to be years to avoid.
Just hoping that crash comes sooner than later. Pappa wants to buy a used Highlander and prices are insane right now.
I been telling my friends the same thing about covid era cars. Any car built in 2020-2023 will be a problem down the road.
get 2000-10 Toyota, Honda
@@safffff1000 that's not blanket advice. V6 Honda automatics are known to be problematic across a number of vehicles during that range, for example.
I'm taking the car care nuts advice for the Highlander.
@@BM-si2ei Those makers have duds but they have the highest percentage of reliable vehicles.
@@safffff1000 don't generally disagree, but folks need to do their research once they decide on Yota and Honda.
At one time toggle switches were banned because of the idea that they might stab people if you got into a collision. Soft, flexible toggle handles might have solved that problem but most manufactureres switched to knob, or rocker switches, or push-button. I prefer the rubbery toggle switches. Maybe the curved bars between the toggle switches are there to prevent the switches from stabbing people, and are there to make sure that the curved bars stab the people instead?
Car Wizard I tell my friends that vehicles are more cheaply made yet the companies want more for them! 😮😜
I had a 2007 Cooper S and and I sold it after 2 years. 2007 was a bad year for them. I just bought a 2023 Cooper S and was a major difference in the quality. The 2014 and up have excellent reliability.
friend is selling her 2009 clubman $2000 with the half yellow check engine light (been on for 5 months) and it runs okay but the light is scaring me!!! Was told that the o2 sensors or cats were bad? But it could be many items…
Should I buy it? It’s very clean overall… just going to use it for a daily beater
I had a mini Cooper countryman and the vehicle literally started to disintegrate on me after the warranty went out. Lots of plastic pieces melted, sheared off, etc. I loved everything about the vehicle and it was maintained really well, but it just didn't last.
I honestly believe that they pick the plastics they use based on how easily they can be recycled rather than how durable they are, the German manufacturers have been boasting about their high recycling rates for many years.
The key thing you said is "after the warranty went out" -- that's all the manufacturers care about. The plastic engine parts are designed to get the car through the warranty period. Once the car is out of warranty, they would rather you bought a new one.
@@captainvector I didn't know so many pieces were plastic
@@markyoung13 yup, messed up
My fiats are 2007 and 2009. The inlet manifolds are plastic (1.3 diesel and 1.2 gasoline).
Radiator and headlights are carried on a fibre filled plastic frame. It’s tough as.
The only design issue is a dirt trap on the inner fenders that invites rust. I can’t help thinking it’s a design error as the factory could have easily flipped the offending beams left for right.
I had a similar situation with my E39 530i. I replaced the plastic waterpump with an aftermarket Hepu waterpump with metal impeller. It was only $50. I don't understand why they couldn't have had a metal impeller from the factory.
The reason why the factory WPs are plastic is because it's cheaper and lighter while it lasts exactly as long as BMW told the supplier it needs to last. If it costs 5 cents less to use a plastic part, and they sell a million pumps a year, that's 5 million dollars. I used to have an E46, and the previous owner put in a water pump with metal impeller, but I replaced it beacuse after 20k miles, the impeller looked really nasty and rusty. It was so easy to do that I wouldn't have minded replacing the plastic pump every 50-75k miles
@@areitu5c x 1,000,000 = $50,000 not $5 million.
this was your typical fine video with some information not many knew about. Too much plastic! You perform a great service for you viewers. Can't wait for your next Citroen video.
After all the parts that you said are problematic, its half of the Engine bay. What is a good engine if the rest does not last for long. Yes, you are right.
The very first generations, specifically those that had the 1.6L N/A engine, were notoriously crap. (They were called "Prince" engines, sourced from some french manufacturer, I forget if it was Renault or Citroen.)
Bought a sparkling 2009 Peugot 308 1.6 liter Turbo (manual transmission) with just 75.000 kms on the speedo in August 2018.
It had full service record and lovely performance, like a new car.
(The engine is the same in a Cooper S)
Within a year the timing belt tensioner with plastic guides fell apart and luckily the engine did not blow up.
Shortly after this was repaired, the high pressure fuelpump failed.
Three months later the coolant started to disappear, because the cylinder head was leaking.
The car was off the road for three months.
In a time span of only 18 months and some 14.000km of use, we spent around A$6500 on repairs.
A friend of mine, who is a mechanic, told me about the same model car, owned by an elderly lady, that after just 35.000 km came into the workshop with one piston broken in half...
I think that some of the parts in those unreliable BMW engines are made of inferior quality materials, most likely in China.
In future we will never again touch any car that may have been manufactured with parts sourced from BMW.
In Australia Toyotas are often referred to as 'white goods', because of their reliabilty and longevity.
I used to sell cars and I can tell you the interiors fall apart at 70k miles. Watch out for the vacuum pumps too.
3D printing enthusiast here: you're correct, 3D printed parts won't last as long as injection molded ones especially if they're glass fiber reinforced, there are 3D printers that can do that but they're very expensive, not for consumer use.
didnt mention good luck getting the design from the manufacturer
@@ocd2222 yeah, you'd have to reverse engineer it yourself, a lot of hassle.
..David, as U know, Plastic=light-
b4 I buy a vehicle, I get info on the CEO salaries n degrees- this why more than 50% of new car sales R imports!
Luv this Mini Cooper S-big name in Eu.