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2007 Mini Hardtop repairs by problem area

Engine (66%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (4%)

Brakes and Traction Control (4%)

Suspension and Steering (6%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (9%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (7%)

Other (4%)

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Chart based on 164 repairs.

See TSBs and recalls for the 2007 Mini Hardtop.

2007 Mini Hardtop repair cost distribution

$2500+ (6%)

$1000 - $2499 (9%)

$500 - $999 (19%)

$100 - $499 (27%)

< $100 (39%)

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Chart based on 136 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

See repairs for all Mini Hardtop model years.

Mini Hardtop in California, United States Jul 2011 - Aug 2011
Aug 2011 51000 mi	catalytic converter broke off from exhaust. Covered under federal emissions warranty

Mini Hardtop in California, United States Jul 2010 - Jun 2011
Aug 2010 61000 mi US $7500	Cylinder #1 no compression. Need new engine.

Mini Hardtop in Pennsylvania, United States Mar 2011 - May 2012
Apr 2011 88800 mi	Water pump and thermostat
Nov 2011 101000 mi	Check engine light appeared. Drove to dealer for appt. was told valves needed cleaned. Cleaned and paid for the job and within 20 miles from dealer same problem occurred. Valves machined. Dealer spoke to Mini Corp. who supposedly agreed to pay for half of the repairs and dealer indicated they would split the cost of the repair w/ owner. Ultimately owner did not pay anything because of service charged that wasn't rendered.

Mini Hardtop in Alberta, Canada Nov 2009 - Jun 2011
Feb 2010 24800 mi	Timing chain broke in December, finally repaired in February. Air intake frozen most of December, but undrivable in January due to broken timing chain so cold weather problem not replicated. Told this was fixed twice before 2007, 2008. BMW waiting for warranty to expire before fixing it apparently.

Mini Hardtop in Georgia, United States May 2013 - Jun 2013
Jun 2013 74000 mi US $3700	Leaking valves in the transmission was causing the car to buck and had difficulty changing gears (automatic transmission)

Mini Hardtop in Minnesota, United States Dec 2014 - Feb 2015
Feb 2015 59000 mi	The rear main oil seal leaks and has for many years. this is a common issue with this engine. the repair is extremely expensive, so I just lived with it for 7 years.

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Mini Hardtop in Washington, United States Sep 2015 - Feb 2016
Sep 2015 91000 mi US $500	Battery replaced.
Dec 2015 93000 mi	Front control arm bushings needed replacement.

Mini Hardtop in Florida, United States Jan 2014 - Jul 2015
May 2014 61700 mi US $500	Mechanical water pump failed and was causing coolant to leak at an unsafe, fast rate
Jul 2015 77000 mi	Oil was leaking into the engine in two different locations

Mini Hardtop in Oregon, United States Aug 2011 - Jul 2014
Sep 2011 24000 mi	Timing chain and tensioner replacement

Mini Hardtop in North Carolina, United States Mar 2012 - Mar 2018
Jul 2012 19200 mi US $530	It's valves had become clogged with carbon. The dealer blasted them with walnut shells to fix it.
Dec 2015 27000 mi US $800	Coolant leak in or near oil pan.
Mar 2017 28000 mi US $550	Coolant leak in thermostat housing.

Mini Hardtop in Arizona, United States Sep 2011 - Sep 2012
Nov 2011 73000 mi US $3080	Turbocharger failed. I had complained to the dealer about rough running when cold and a clicking sound for the last two years. They told me it was normal (the common response) or my tires (the last two responses).
Dec 2011 74000 mi US $500	The brake service light remains on. Shop unable to reset.

Mini Hardtop in New Jersey, United States Dec 2010 - Nov 2012
Jan 2011 31000 mi	Replaced timing chain and tensioner. Apparently, a common problem.
Dec 2011 50000 mi US $50	thermostat control replaced

Mini Hardtop in New Jersey, United States Nov 2011 - Mar 2012
Dec 2011 55000 mi US $350	Coolant leak from thermostat gasket. Replaced.
Feb 2012 55300 mi	Leaking filler cap was replaced. Auxiliary water pump was replaced on manufacturer's recall.

Mini Hardtop in Florida, United States Nov 2008 - May 2013
Jan 2008 450 mi	Check Engine Light - Faulty gas cap? 2 days in the shop
Feb 2008 800 mi	Check engine light came back on - 2 weeks in the shop to replace carbon canister on gas tank - Service department not very nice, but the loaner car was OK
Mar 2008 1400 mi	Intermittent wipers stopped working - will have it looked at during next oil change
Apr 2008 2000 mi	Fog Light needed to be replaced because it stopped working. There was a warning light for it. We hoped a new car would not have this many issues.
Dec 2009 18000 mi	Whistle from under hood. Dealer replaced belt tensioner, but did not fix problem.
Mar 2010 26000 mi	Engine Check Light Again Check Engine Light Again part 2 Warning light went off and they fixed it after having the car for 3 days. Light came back on in a couple days and needed to spend another week in the shop to fix.
Dec 2010 28000 mi	Coolant leak after an oil change. Dealer replaced a line.
Nov 2012 52300 mi	During routine oil change and maintenance the tech left the cap off the radiator resulting in overheating.

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Mini Hardtop in Virginia, United States Apr 2008 - Jun 2015
Mar 2008 18000 mi	Timing chain tensioner failed resulting on loud rattling at idle. Repaired under warranty.
Jun 2008 24000 mi	chrome on shift knob started flaking off, replaced under warranty.
Sep 2010 74000 mi	Timing chain tensioner replaced along with sprockets, chain and high pressure fuel pump. 2nd repair for the same issue, done under warranty.
Mar 2011 90000 mi US $90	Cracked thermostat housing.
Nov 2012 117000 mi US $135	Turbo oil feed line leaking. Put front in service mode to replace, diy took 10 hours.
May 2013 131200 mi US $2400	Burnt exhaust valve on cylinder 3, requires cylinder head R&R and exhaust valve replacement. Intake valves were extremely carboned up requiring cleaning and valve job.
Nov 2013 135000 mi US $295	PCV valve cracked causing large vacuum leak and resulted in CEL. Replaced valve cover (PCV valve is integrated, can't be replaced separately).
Jul 2014 152000 mi US $45	Cracked thermostat housing, required replacement. Serpentine belt snapped.
Mar 2015 162000 mi US $250	Water pump and harmonic balancer needed replacement. Oil filter housing gasket leaking oil.

Mini Hardtop in Oregon, United States Oct 2007 - Dec 2009
Nov 2007 20000 mi	repaired sunroof shades (twice) for both back and front shades
Nov 2008 20000 mi	replaced worn out seatbelt
Jan 2009 29000 mi US $3100	replaced clutch and timing belt, four new tires, electrical module (major malfunction). Some covered under warranty. Still pulls to right
Nov 2009 29000 mi	Replaced electrical module to fix: warning light that wouldn’t go off, consistently pulling to the right when braking and starting up (anti slip feature), turn signal wouldn't cancel, and the windshield washers turned on and off as if by poltergeists.
Dec 2009 29000 mi	When sold still had continuing problems with the sunroof where I had to push up on the window while pushing the open switch to open it up.

Mini Hardtop in Pennsylvania, United States Oct 2012 - Nov 2012
Oct 2012 44000 mi US $18000	Drive chain completely broke at 40,000 miles.
Nov 2012 44000 mi	Cylinder misfire. Cylinders cracked or bent. Leak in system. We traded it in and obtained another vehicle (Toyota)

Mini Hardtop in California, United States Nov 2007 - Jan 2011
Oct 2007 1824 mi	Unbeknownst to me the sunroof was not working. This repair was performed 2 days before I'd purchased the vehicle. Discoloration of Steering Wheel - Reconditioned the leather Window washer fluid leaking from both jets and eating into the paint on the hood. - Dealer said there's nothing that can be done. Problem still exists especially on hot days.
Feb 2008 7148 mi	Grinding noise in the rack and pinion. Dealer could not replicate the problem, but installed a "Rubber Buffer."
Apr 2008 10371 mi	Loose lower dashboard panel on the driver's side - refastened by dealer. Grinding noise coming from the Steering System (Rack and Pinion) - Dealer could not replicate, but performed a 4 wheel alignment. Burning engine oil smell. - Dealer could not find any leaks. Squeaky clutch assembly. - Dealer could not replicate, but removed the slave cylinder and lubricated the Matting surface.
Jan 2011 34000 mi	This trip was yet another time I'd reported the noisy timing chain tensioner, along with a grinding noise in the steering system.

Mini Hardtop in Maine, United States Feb 2012 - Jun 2015
Sep 2012 33000 mi US $500	Water pump replacement
Feb 2013 36400 mi US $50	Engine was sounding rough, buzzy. Afraid it was the turbo but turned out there was almost no oil left. No warning light came on and the mechanic could not see any obvious leaks. Just filled it with oil and told me to keep an eye on the dipst.
Dec 2013 45000 mi US $750	Fan was running after shut-off. Thermostat and housing replaced.
Feb 2014 46700 mi US $600	Replaced both sway bar links and bushings, and the sway bar bushings at frame
Jul 2014 50500 mi US $1000	Car overheated, water pump replaced. Mechanic recommended replacing the belt tensioner too.
Jan 2015 47200 mi US $150	Turbo inlet tube was loose and displaced, just needed to be re secured
May 2015 58000 mi US $800	Carb buildup on intake side

Mini Hardtop in Washington, United States Jul 2013 - Jun 2015
Dec 2013 102000 mi US $3000	Seal in the turbocharger failed causing oil to be spit directly out the exhaust.
Apr 2015 119000 mi	Went in for flywheel/clutch replacement, mechanic noted oil ring failed on #3 cylinder

Mini Hardtop in California, United States Sep 2012 - Dec 2013
Oct 2012 69500 mi US $720	Coolant leak was found to be coming from the thermostat housing. The thermostat housing was replaced. Turbo oil supply line leaking. Dealer quoted $1300 for replacement. I declined and took it to an independent mechanic.
Apr 2013 78700 mi US $1498	New clutch kit, flywheel resurfaced
Sep 2013 88000 mi US $82	Had to replace a Zenon headlight bulb. I purchased 2 new bulbs online from a reputable supplier and replaced them myself.

Mini Hardtop in Georgia, United States Sep 2013 - Mar 2017
Oct 2014 62500 mi	1. four new coil packs, plugs and a valve cover gasket for $600; 2 a new serpentine belt and a belt tensioner. Timing chain assembly was replaced in October 2013 under a recall. It is failing again.
Nov 2014 63400 mi US $45	Timing chain assembly was fine. Oil was low by 3 Qts. as a result of difficulty readin oil level with dipstick. There is a YouTube video about this.
Mar 2016 78000 mi US $400	Thermostat failed. Dealers would not sell the part keeping them for their customers. Had to order from supplier. Actual repair took 2 hours with pressure test.
Mar 2017 83000 mi US $450	Replaced thermostat and sensor connector Valve cover was replaced as it had a vacuum leak.

Mini Hardtop in California, United States Jan 2015 - Jun 2015
Feb 2015 74200 mi US $3400	Car started misfiring randomly one morning, I changed coil and plug on suspected cylinder, no change. Dealer confirmed no compression on cylinder #3...engine is being replaced, parts covered under goodwill but labor paid by owner.
Mar 2015 78000 mi US $800	Airbag light came on, dealer ran scan and determined that drivers frontal airbag was defective.
Jun 2015 80000 mi US $1100	Tie rods frozen to rack, had to be replaced to realign vehicle after upper strut mounts were replaced.

Mini Hardtop in Massachusetts, United States Jan 2014 - Jun 2016
Jan 2014 34000 mi	Timing chain guide failure, timing chain too slack, unable to re-insert dipstick due to above.
Sep 2014 37000 mi US $150	Coolant leak from Thermostat housing. Housing replaced, coolant flushed.

Mini Hardtop in Pennsylvania, United States Apr 2014 - Jul 2014
Apr 2014 48000 mi US $150	turbo pressure regulator

Mini Hardtop in Washington, United States Nov 2009 - Oct 2012
Jan 2010 92000 mi US $300	Cracked thermostat housing replaced
Aug 2011 145000 mi US $1100	Passenger's rear strut failure, caused misalignment and tire wear/noise
Oct 2012 183000 mi	Worn bearings

Mini Hardtop in Texas, United States Dec 2009 - Apr 2011
Jan 2010 39000 mi US $400	Mass Flow Sensor Reset

Mini Hardtop in New York, United States Jan 2014 - Aug 2015
Mar 2014 109000 mi US $100	Wheel Bearing replaced.
Jul 2014 112500 mi US $80	Replaced O2 sensor that is after the Catalytic Converter.
Sep 2014 115000 mi US $320	Replaced the Upper Valve Cover Gasket as it was leaking oil badly in that area.
Dec 2014 116000 mi US $50	Rear Window Wiper Arm corroded and fell apart. Replaced with new arm.
Apr 2015 124700 mi US $120	Oil Filter Cooler and Oil Filter Housing rubber seals leaking oil badly.

Mini Hardtop in California, United States Aug 2013 - May 2015
Feb 2015 66300 mi US $450	walnut blast on the valves--runs much better now

Mini Hardtop in Colorado, United States Feb 2011 - Jul 2012
Mar 2011 107000 mi US $4500	Replaced entire engine.
Apr 2012 139000 mi	Oil leak around timing chain tensioner.
Jun 2012 140000 mi US $200	Resistor and blower motor failed.

Mini Hardtop in Arizona, United States May 2011 - Sep 2011
Jul 2011 42000 mi	Turbo oil supply line was leaking. Dealer replaced line. Did routine brake flush and cabin air filter while in shop. I reported small hole in valve cover, but dealer said this is normal on all Mini's.
Sep 2011 43000 mi	Clutch was stiff and creaking. Dealer replaced throw out bearing and pressure plate.

Mini Hardtop in Colorado, United States Jun 2011 - Dec 2011
Sep 2011 25000 mi US $258	Misc. warranty items -- nothing really worth mentioning. Trim pieces coming undone, rattles, etc. General items that I mentioned to have addressed just as the warranty is expiring November 2011.
Oct 2011 26000 mi	Still making rattling noise. Sunroof was out of alignment. Realigned and lubed. Minor maintenance performed. Frustrating as it was in last month for other maintenance but the maintenance light didn't indicate that.

Mini Hardtop in Nevada, United States May 2011 - Jun 2018
May 2012 46500 mi US $60	Replaced seal between the oil filter/cooler housing and the engine block. Small amount of coolant was leaking and seal needed to be replaced.
Oct 2012 50000 mi	Noise in front of vehicle. Found engine mount bracket that needed the fasteners to be retorqued.
Nov 2013 55000 mi US $100	Lower control arm bushings were leaking hydraulic fluid. This is a common issue with BMW/MINI. Replaced the bushings with PowerFlex polyurethane bushings to avoid doing this job in another 50K miles.
Jul 2014 59000 mi US $100	Replaced rear hatch release switch. Switch was an integral part of the licence plate light housing. Not a difficult repair but electric switch should have lasted more than 7 years in my opinion.

Mini Hardtop in Texas, United States May 2011 - Jul 2012
Sep 2011 66000 mi	Fault Light for DSC System. Dealer indicated the SZL (Steering Center Switch) Computer needs to be replaced. Will repair before end of year.

Mini Hardtop in Iowa, United States Jan 2017 - Jun 2018
Mar 2017 63000 mi US $850	Axle seal, replaced. Divert valve, turbo

Mini Hardtop in Vermont, United States Jul 2014 - Jul 2015
Jul 2014 75000 mi US $350	noisy lifters

Mini Hardtop in Texas, United States Jul 2010 - Nov 2014
Nov 2010 65000 mi US $275	While replacing front brake pads I found a lower radiator hose that had a broken hold down device. Hose had been rubbing on a sharp edge and was worn almost through. Had dealer replace it.
May 2011 71000 mi US $250	Paid for diagnosis of loss of power under acceleration. Found bad coil on Cyl. 2. I purchased the part (as well as spark plugs) and installed myself. Plugs were maintenance item not included in cost of repair. Car ran badly under acceleration. Dealer diagnosed a bad coil on cyl. #2. Said I also needed plugs, injectors cleaned and carbon removed from intake valves. I paid for their diagnosis, and bought plugs and coil which I installed myself.
Dec 2012 89000 mi US $1360	Replaced timing chain, sprocket & tensioner
Mar 2013 91000 mi US $1100	Clearcoat was peeling off near windshield spray nozzle on hood and rear hatch door, and one other spot on the hood.
Sep 2013 95000 mi US $900	Sunroof would not open (after a long period of intermittent problems). Required removal and repair. The shop found and repaired a defective vent tube for the transmission.
Jul 2014 101200 mi US $125	Removed and replaced leaking thermostat.

Mini Hardtop in Arizona, United States Jul 2011 - Sep 2011
Aug 2011 32000 mi	Sending unit in fuel tank replaced.

Mini Hardtop in Ontario, Canada Feb 2010 - Jan 2017
Mar 2010 27280 mi	Sunroof rattle
Apr 2012 48560 mi C $700	Changed tensioner to fix the dreaded cold start rattle Brake line was leaking
Sep 2015 83080 mi C $200	Serpentine Belt replacement
Apr 2016 85040 mi C $175	Replaced high pressure fuel pump. It was covered because Mini extended the warranty on this part to 10 years
Jan 2017 83700 mi	Car is running on 3 cylinders! Valve on cylinder 1 is burnt.

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Mini Hardtop in Connecticut, United States Nov 2009 - Nov 2017
Feb 2009 24000 mi	Tailgate latch needed to be repaired
Mar 2011 75000 mi US $450	I needed to replace my coils and plugs to fix an engine misfire. Oddly, I got no check engine light for this.
Feb 2012 95000 mi US $1200	Also needed a new water pump
Feb 2014 102200 mi US $650	Leaky cooling system
Jul 2016 113200 mi US $650	The hood release cables broke, making it difficult to open the hood. The cables needed to be replaced.
Jul 2017 115500 mi US $80	The rear brakes needed to be completely replaced. Pads, calipers, and rotors. The A/C system was blowing hot and smelly air, and needed to be cleaned out and recharged.

Mini Hardtop in Texas, United States Feb 2012 - Mar 2012
Feb 2012 40000 mi US $60	Replaced headlights & rear license plate lights which failed shortly after 36,000 mi warranty.

Mini Hardtop in Kansas, United States May 2014 - Nov 2014
Oct 2014 57000 mi US $1100	Had to have the Panoramic rood replaced. I have since traded the Cooper for another Camry. I will NEVER own another Mini with the Panoramic roof. THEY ARE JUNK.

Mini Hardtop in North Carolina, United States Jun 2015 - Mar 2018
Aug 2015 89600 mi US $330	Leaking thermostat housing. Coolant evaporating, so no visible sign other than low level in coolant tank. Excessive smoking on acceleration after sitting at an idle. Assuming a bad pcv valve in valve cover. Must replace entire valve cover to replace pcv valve. Horrible design.
Jun 2017 106000 mi US $100	Brake Vaccum pump leaking oil .
Dec 2017 109000 mi US $900	Burnt 2 exhaust valves. Had head reworked, New timing chain, waterpump, exhaust cam phaser and all associated gaskets and seals

Mini Hardtop in North Carolina, United States Nov 2011 - Dec 2014
Apr 2013 122800 mi US $300	Cam sensors replaced debugging. Needed exhaust cam actuator which was replaced.

Mini Hardtop in Oregon, United States Feb 2010 - Jun 2011
Dec 2010 34000 mi	Weird cranking sound when slowing down or pressing on gas on left side driver side of car up front. Took the Mini to the dealer and they replaced a transmission mount that was bad and had a TSB for it. Perfect now and no sounds.

Mini Hardtop in Michigan, United States Sep 2011 - Apr 2012
Oct 2011 27200 mi US $350	Check engine light came on, idle became rough one morning. Car was very sluggish. Replaced oxygen sensor ($100 warranty deductible) then VANOS solenoid ($250). Shop then suspected VANOS unit, referred me to the dealer.
Nov 2011 27900 mi US $100	Dealer said nothing wrong with VANOS. O2 sensor possibly also not needed. Instead, diagnosed damaged cylinder head, from oil starvation. Never had low oil light. Would have been $6,000 without warranty. My key would fall out of the ignition occasionally while the car was running, whether in drive or park. Replaced ignition housing.
Apr 2012 30000 mi	Currently I have an issue with the check engine light coming on and staying on. It has been to the shop for diagnosis but they can find nothing wrong with it. They reset the light, but it came on again within a few days.

Mini Hardtop in South Africa Dec 2013 - Mar 2018
Sep 2016 21700 mi R 650	Faulty fuel pump sensor unit (corrosion). Unit replaced by dealers.

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Mini Hardtop in Florida, United States Jan 2017 - Jun 2018
Apr 2017 162000 mi US $20	Replaced valve cover gasket
Sep 2017 169000 mi	Leaking from unknown location around water pump side of engine. Replaced water pump but leak remained. Then replaced hose near firewall that goes from water pump to thermostat. Alternator failed, repaired at shop. Alternator failed again within 2 weeks. Shop repaired again at no cost. Bottom line, anything on the serpentine belt is very expensive to repair, ~$800.

Mini Hardtop in South Carolina, United States Sep 2012 - Sep 2016
Oct 2013 69000 mi US $100	ongoing issue.. rear passenger brake caliper rides too close to rotor.. high pitched, but low volume squeak of metal on metal sound ensues on take off, and on sharp curves.. has seized once, have replaced caliper x4 to no avail..
Sep 2015 88000 mi US $300	grinding noises and friction when spinning rear tires.. both rear hub assemblies needed to be replaced.. Mini dealer also damaged rear driver side caliper, but said nothing to owner.. this was replaced
Aug 2016 97000 mi US $600	coolant leaked until reservoir was empty. the seal for the coolant reservoir was replaced. thermostat had to be replaced, entire cooling system was taken apart and cleaned.

Mini Hardtop in Ohio, United States Aug 2010 - Jun 2011
Dec 2010 40000 mi	Manual.transmission shifted would not return to neutral gate on its own. Cables were removed, cleaned and relubricated, and reinstalled with a different routing to help eliminate binding.

Mini Hardtop in California, United States Jul 2014 - Jan 2015
Aug 2014 83500 mi	Difficulty changing gears. Should have replaced transmission but did 52 hours of repairs. Lots of little things fixed. Runs like a charm now.
Jan 2015 US $1200	I seem to have worn out the key fob and had to switch to the spare. The mechanic could not reproduce the problem but suggested that I use old key fob to see if that corrected the problem. It did and now it works great.

Mini Hardtop in Washington, United States Jun 2014 - Jun 2018
Oct 2016 109000 mi US $900	oil leak around filter housing
Jan 2017 88300 mi US $600	Failed thermostat. replaced.

Mini Hardtop in Pennsylvania, United States Jul 2008 - Feb 2014
Jul 2008 30000 mi	Replaced catalytic converter
Jul 2010 63000 mi	Replaced footwell control module, due to reverse light issue.
Feb 2011 68000 mi US $20	Replaced antenna mast due to wear and damage
Sep 2013 95000 mi US $550	Replacement of water pump due to leak.

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Mini Hardtop in California, United States Feb 2012 - May 2016
Mar 2012 32000 mi	While in for the emergency aux water pump recall, I advised dealer of intmt check engine light. Seems that the MAP Thermostat ECU input had failed, part of the emissions system.

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Mini Hardtop in Great Britain Apr 2015 - Dec 2016
Nov 2015 84300 mi £150	Rear calliper replaced in both rear wheels.

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2007 Mini Hardtop repairs by problem area

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