RE: Shed of the Week: Mini Cooper S

[nunpuncher]

Overpriced.

Always fancied one of these so when my last lease went back they were on the stop gap list. Picked up a 52 plate locally with 3 owners, a stack of history and 87k miles for 1500.

I gave it a good service including the supercharger service, fitted a reduced pulley (£150 for all the bits) fixed the usual oil leaks, modded the airbox, Polly bushed the front and rear (£50 for all the necessary bushes), new mintex drilled/grooved disks and pads all round (only £160).

It's horribly bouncy, it rattles, it's expensive to tax and it drinks like a sailor. But, it's bloody good fun. It just feels really responsive to steering and throttle inputs and that progressive whine is amazing. It has that amazing ability to feel quicker than it is so you have maximum fun without risking jail time.

[George Smiley]

Interesting review pulled from their Google reviews - Tony Scupton wrote 6 months ago…

I bought a Mini Cooper S from ASM Performance, On the way home I noticed that the car lacked power and struggled to pull, then a warning light came on I reported the matter the next day to ASM and I was told by them to take it to a garage local to me as I live 160miles away, I did this and got them a quote like they requested me to do, I didn't take it to a main dealer I was fair and sourced a specialist, the car needed a new High Pressure fuel pump at a cost of £763.

ASM had told me not to get any work done till I got them a quote which I have done, I rang ASM and asked them why they haven't paid the garage to proceed with the work and their response was a horrible one, they basically told me they'd only pay £250 as their profit in the car wasn't very high and they'd already given me a discount, neither of which affect my legal rights but they didn't seem to think this.

We had a heated discussion for about 30 minutes within this time the representative from ASM spoke to his director 3 times and every time he did he dropped his offer to cover the costs ending up in only offering me £200.

They said they would repair the car only if I got it to them and did without a car bearing in mind I haven't been able to drive my car 3 weeks after purchasing it, which I also explain, and I told them at UK consumer law stating that I couldn't do this, the representatives response to this was that I was trying to be racist and implying that by mention UK I was implying racial comments to him, which again is totally unacceptable.

To sum it up they don't adhere to any law's will use any tactic possible to avoid paying including trying to make out I was being racist.

I have reported them to trading standards and I am currently writing to watchdog who have had a few bad reports on this garage, I feel I will have to recuperate my costs via the small claims court which I can't believe it has come too.

If you are thinking of buying a car from them avoid at all cost, absolutely shocking behaviour and I'm disgusted in the way i've been treated.

Worst service and treatment from any retailer ever in my lifetime, I didn't think companies like this where allowed to exist anymore

[soad]

/\
Wow!!

[GranCab]

I must say that PH's choice of Stealerships for SOTW and Spotted sometimes show a schoolboy-like naivety ...

[andymc]

yup IIRC motor hub

[Augustus Windsock]

Do I take it this lot are the Buckinghamshire equivalent of Clive’s / Cheshire Performance (or whatever they have or are now know as?)
It’s about time that entities like PH did a due diligence check on companies that advertise with them, I know of at least one in Nottinghamshire that is a well-known front for laundering drug money. They have a fancy showroom and flash cars for sale but wouldn’t know a good car if it fell on them.
A good friend of mine was looking for anImoteza a while back, and asked my advice
The very first thing I did was check the company selling it, and it was just horror story after horror story; needless to say he swerved them and bought a better car, for less, from a private individual.
Personally I’d avoid this car and the company if Google revealed both to be less than savoury

[Winston4692]

Had one of these for about a year, late 55 reg with heated Recaros (very rare). Loved every single minute of the ownership. Only issue I had was a dead battery a week after buying it!

[s m]

Winston4692 said:

Only issue I had was a dead battery a week after buying it!

Curse those BMW ‘M’ car parts!

[andymc]

Augustus Windsock said:

Do I take it this lot are the Buckinghamshire equivalent of Clive’s / Cheshire Performance (or whatever they have or are now know as?)
It’s about time that entities like PH did a due diligence check on companies that advertise with them, I know of at least one in Nottinghamshire that is a well-known front for laundering drug money. They have a fancy showroom and flash cars for sale but wouldn’t know a good car if it fell on them.
A good friend of mine was looking for anImoteza a while back, and asked my advice
The very first thing I did was check the company selling it, and it was just horror story after horror story; needless to say he swerved them and bought a better car, for less, from a private individual.
Personally I’d avoid this car and the company if Google revealed both to be less than savoury

yup agreed

[SCEtoAUX]

George Smiley said:

Interesting review pulled from their Google reviews - Tony Scupton wrote 6 months ago…

I bought a Mini Cooper S from ASM Performance, On the way home I noticed that the car lacked power and struggled to pull, then a warning light came on I reported the matter the next day to ASM and I was told by them to take it to a garage local to me as I live 160miles away, I did this and got them a quote like they requested me to do, I didn't take it to a main dealer I was fair and sourced a specialist, the car needed a new High Pressure fuel pump at a cost of £763.

ASM had told me not to get any work done till I got them a quote which I have done, I rang ASM and asked them why they haven't paid the garage to proceed with the work and their response was a horrible one, they basically told me they'd only pay £250 as their profit in the car wasn't very high and they'd already given me a discount, neither of which affect my legal rights but they didn't seem to think this.

We had a heated discussion for about 30 minutes within this time the representative from ASM spoke to his director 3 times and every time he did he dropped his offer to cover the costs ending up in only offering me £200.

They said they would repair the car only if I got it to them and did without a car bearing in mind I haven't been able to drive my car 3 weeks after purchasing it, which I also explain, and I told them at UK consumer law stating that I couldn't do this, the representatives response to this was that I was trying to be racist and implying that by mention UK I was implying racial comments to him, which again is totally unacceptable.

To sum it up they don't adhere to any law's will use any tactic possible to avoid paying including trying to make out I was being racist.

I have reported them to trading standards and I am currently writing to watchdog who have had a few bad reports on this garage, I feel I will have to recuperate my costs via the small claims court which I can't believe it has come too.

If you are thinking of buying a car from them avoid at all cost, absolutely shocking behaviour and I'm disgusted in the way i've been treated.

Worst service and treatment from any retailer ever in my lifetime, I didn't think companies like this where allowed to exist anymore

OK apart from that though?

[daytonavrs]

Prefer an underdog and these minis are common as muck now - so -
my Fabia vRS ( BLT even better), also I'm sure it will stick with Mini drivers that it pounded the mini on fifth gear and top gear comparisons ( although non S form).
On road though its not really that fast either in S form TBH, not this one anyway. You could get a good Fabia and without a cat on it for this money and being a bigger engine with turbo has more tuning potential I think too. So not too impressed by this shed - minis are overpriced even in this form.

[anonymous-user]

Don't!! Had a torrid time with mine, the oil leaks are apparently one of the cars charming features, coolant expansion tanks fail, various increasingly difficult to reach sensors fail, these cars are properly unreliable, and not quick or interesting enough to justify the hassle.

Weren't the engines made out of chocolate in Mexico or somewhere like that, actually a Renault or Nissan unit?

Got badly burned by mine financially, final straw was head gasket going, cost more than the car was worth to repair so bye bye mini, never again.

[HM-2]

Thunderhead said:

Weren't the engines made out of chocolate in Mexico or somewhere like that, actually a Renault or Nissan unit?

Brazilian made- joint venture of Rover (when it was still part of BMW) and Chrysler.

daytonavrs said:

You could get a good Fabia and without a cat on it for this money

Only the 1.9TDi one, which is one of the most hideously overrated (by its borderline obsessive fanbase) cars in history IMO.
Agricultural engine, naff chassis.

Edited by HM-2 on Sunday 17th February 10:30

[CABC]

Thunderhead said:

Weren't the engines made out of chocolate in Mexico or somewhere like that, actually a Renault or Nissan unit?
.

Tritec engine very robust, boring iron lump. really solid.
same can't be said of cooling system, loom, pas, ac and other ancillaries.

[daytonavrs]

HM-2 said:

Only the 1.9TDi one, which is one of the most hideously overrated (by its borderline obsessive fanbase) cars in history IMO.
Agricultural engine, naff chassis.

Edited by HM-2 on Sunday 17th February 10:30

Fair enough, but I wouldn't trade the mentioned old 06 Fabia which I'm sure I'd struggle to get even £1500 for
( which is admittedly my least decent car in my own garage and the fact its agricultural - i.e. easy to manage, and runs on the devil juice with greatest economy - is perfectly acceptable to me) ..... over this '02 "thing" in this state of condition.

Though TBH I'd salivate over the idea of a tuned original MINI over a BINI makes more sense in terms of long term value too. like I said, common as muck.

[nunpuncher]

How common they are plays in to its favour. If the engine goes pop you can drop a new one in for £500. Likewise the gearbox or the supercharger. Who the hell wants a rare shed with expensive parts.

[HorneyMX5]

CABC said:

Thunderhead said:

Weren't the engines made out of chocolate in Mexico or somewhere like that, actually a Renault or Nissan unit?
.

Tritec engine very robust, boring iron lump. really solid.
same can't be said of cooling system, loom, pas, ac and other ancillaries.

A few of these making over 300bhp with a turbo on standard internals, I’d like to see you try that with PD diesel Fabia.

I like the Fabia vRS a lot, but it wouldn’t see which way a standard Cooper S went let alone a tweaked or JCW one.

[anonymous-user]

nunpuncher said:

How common they are plays in to its favour. If the engine goes pop you can drop a new one in for £500. Likewise the gearbox or the supercharger. Who the hell wants a rare shed with expensive parts.

Certainly wasnt quoted 500 when my engine went pop, for a fully fitted replacement engine you're looking at 1500 at least in my experience.

It certainly sounds like a nice simple solution to drop in an engine, but the reality is more complicated and expensive, plus you will be without a car for a while.

Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 17th February 14:46

[daytonavrs]

HorneyMX5 said:

A few of these making over 300bhp with a turbo on standard internals, I’d like to see you try that with PD diesel Fabia.

I like the Fabia vRS a lot, but it wouldn’t see which way a standard Cooper S went let alone a tweaked or JCW one.

Well I haven't come across many on the roads of recent but I do distinctly remember one enthuisiastic chap with what must have beem a standard S ( badged) around the a14/m1 "n traffic" on those fast motorways - some years ago and he was quite keen with the car but despite pulling in he was finding it hard to edge on - torque difference I imagine as the vRS is very much more the motorway car.

If anything, he was barely creeping ahead and that was only finally when he got ahead after some 10 miles ( I think he was starting to get pissed off) because he just didn't appear to hae the torque. Having heard that the Mini is quite linear on torque that would seem to make sense.

This is the late 150bhp BLT tune Fabia not the earlier 130. Night and day between the two ? I don't think so.

I think they do fair well enough on tuning and from what I understand its not major internal changes, just injectors etc. They aren't too shabby on big turbos etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pzplPkzApw

Of course I have an Octavia 2.0 TSI now if you want a car with a bit of fettling that will piss all over a Mini Cooper S, thats the one. 300hp with only a stage 1 SW map

[HM-2]

The Cooper S in standard guise is 2 seconds faster to 60 and about 3 seconds faster to 100. His not being able to gain on you was therefore likely driver error- IE not being in the right gear.