R56 Cooper D, any good?!
Discussion
I am considering chopping in my Volvo V70 for something a little bit more enjoyable to drive and cheaper to run (20k a year and saving for a house rules out most fun petrol cars). I was considering one of the tiny diesel Kia Rios like in the current thread in Readers Cars for maximum frugality but decided I’d probably get bored.
Therefore I have been drawn to Minis as a good middle ground. I know that Minis in general don’t have a stellar reputation for reliability but I’m interested in real world experiences.
From what I understand 2007-2010 models used the PSA 1.6 HDI engine that went into loads of cars from different manufacturers. These are known to sludge up and cause turbo failure but I read that around 2008 there was a redesign that significantly reduced the likelihood of this. Is there any truth in this?
Then in 2010 they switched to a BMW engine (signified by free tax I believe). I can’t find much about these, are they worth the extra cash to alleviate reliability concerns?
I’m looking around £3000 which gets plenty of post 2008 PSA engined ones and stretching that budget a bit opens the door to some BMW engined ones too.
Apart from the issues above are there any other common problems to look for? Or alternatively any small 60mpg capable cars which are also good fun to drive?
Therefore I have been drawn to Minis as a good middle ground. I know that Minis in general don’t have a stellar reputation for reliability but I’m interested in real world experiences.
From what I understand 2007-2010 models used the PSA 1.6 HDI engine that went into loads of cars from different manufacturers. These are known to sludge up and cause turbo failure but I read that around 2008 there was a redesign that significantly reduced the likelihood of this. Is there any truth in this?
Then in 2010 they switched to a BMW engine (signified by free tax I believe). I can’t find much about these, are they worth the extra cash to alleviate reliability concerns?
I’m looking around £3000 which gets plenty of post 2008 PSA engined ones and stretching that budget a bit opens the door to some BMW engined ones too.
Apart from the issues above are there any other common problems to look for? Or alternatively any small 60mpg capable cars which are also good fun to drive?
I've got one of these, owned since Feb 18, its on a 59 plate.
Reliability wise, it's been spot on for me. Easy to self service, one thing you need be careful of is PAT fluid. It works as a DPF cleaner, it's a fuel additive, and the lifetime PSA give is around 70k miles. I replaced mine myself, it was an evening after work job, its stored in a bladder under the fuel tank on the drivers side. Seem to remember it was around £40 from Euros, and should last another 70k. Annoyingly it is different to AdBlue so something to watch out for, less common to find stockists.
Mines on around 93k now, when I'm commuting on a mix of motorway & country roads I can see 600 miles from a tank.
No turbo related issues with mine, had an injector leak when I first bought it, but was remedied by tightning them up to correct torque. Supposedly a common thing, garages suggest re seating and replacing but I've had no issues since tightning them and it has been over a year since.
Tax wise there isn't much saving going for the BMW engine, PSA engined cars are £20 p.a, so it boils down to your other points. Hope it helps
Reliability wise, it's been spot on for me. Easy to self service, one thing you need be careful of is PAT fluid. It works as a DPF cleaner, it's a fuel additive, and the lifetime PSA give is around 70k miles. I replaced mine myself, it was an evening after work job, its stored in a bladder under the fuel tank on the drivers side. Seem to remember it was around £40 from Euros, and should last another 70k. Annoyingly it is different to AdBlue so something to watch out for, less common to find stockists.
Mines on around 93k now, when I'm commuting on a mix of motorway & country roads I can see 600 miles from a tank.
No turbo related issues with mine, had an injector leak when I first bought it, but was remedied by tightning them up to correct torque. Supposedly a common thing, garages suggest re seating and replacing but I've had no issues since tightning them and it has been over a year since.
Tax wise there isn't much saving going for the BMW engine, PSA engined cars are £20 p.a, so it boils down to your other points. Hope it helps
My wife has a 2010 R56 Cooper, albeit a petrol.
I don’t like it.
Poor ride, clonky gearbox, noisy. Wearing on long journeys.
Annoying switchgear in all the wrong places. Kitch interior.
Minor electrical faults. The bulb holders are crap and cause intermittent problems. Stop/start function doesn’t work. Air con condenser failed, which was expensive.
It still looks funky and, if you grab it by the scruff of the neck it’s quite good fun. But it’s not a relaxing car.
Easy to service and feels solid.
Not a bad car, but prefer the Suzuki Swift.
I don’t like it.
Poor ride, clonky gearbox, noisy. Wearing on long journeys.
Annoying switchgear in all the wrong places. Kitch interior.
Minor electrical faults. The bulb holders are crap and cause intermittent problems. Stop/start function doesn’t work. Air con condenser failed, which was expensive.
It still looks funky and, if you grab it by the scruff of the neck it’s quite good fun. But it’s not a relaxing car.
Easy to service and feels solid.
Not a bad car, but prefer the Suzuki Swift.
Seconding what Pat said regarding the gearbox, seems to me thats only a petrol issue, friends Mrs had a cooper petrol, 2010 that got chopped in due to the gearbox, and from driving it was horrendous.
On the diesel mine has been fine, occasional slipping out of 6th when giving it the beans but this is most likely a previous owner fault, not a mini fault with worn gears.
On the diesel mine has been fine, occasional slipping out of 6th when giving it the beans but this is most likely a previous owner fault, not a mini fault with worn gears.
I have a 2011 R56 with the BMW diesel, and have owned it for around 16 months and done 18ishk (I think). I have one on the little 15 inch wheels and it makes the ride much better than the bigger wheels (my wife has a mini on 17s). It also seems to make the handling a little more playful as you might expect. I've had zero issues, it basically costs nothing to run and does 45-50mpg on short journeys and 55-65mpg on the motorway. It pulls significantly better than you'd expect, too.
I've loved it, but it was only ever an interim car really so looking at selling it privately soon. I'm in Bristol and due to the announcement of a city centre 'diesel free' zone I think the values of diesels here have come down so might be worth looking here if you want to buy.
Oh, and nothing's gone wrong, fallen off, etc. Doesn't even have any rattles!
I've loved it, but it was only ever an interim car really so looking at selling it privately soon. I'm in Bristol and due to the announcement of a city centre 'diesel free' zone I think the values of diesels here have come down so might be worth looking here if you want to buy.
Oh, and nothing's gone wrong, fallen off, etc. Doesn't even have any rattles!
These are decent but make sure you get them serviced every 10k as this will prevent sludge build up (I say this for most older cars) & to keep the turbo healthy.
If you're doing 20k a year you might want a bit more comfort ride wise, but if you're really looking for a fun diesel steer there is a good rare option:
Megane RS dci they don't come up for sale often but if you want a fun reliable steer then this is it, but you will have to budget to fit a decent aftermarket stereo so you have Bluetooth streaming/DAB etc:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or the later car in GT form
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Other small hatch options:
Alfa Mito Veloce
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
208 Allure
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
If you're doing 20k a year you might want a bit more comfort ride wise, but if you're really looking for a fun diesel steer there is a good rare option:
Megane RS dci they don't come up for sale often but if you want a fun reliable steer then this is it, but you will have to budget to fit a decent aftermarket stereo so you have Bluetooth streaming/DAB etc:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or the later car in GT form
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Other small hatch options:
Alfa Mito Veloce
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
208 Allure
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Just sold ours on an 09 plate with the PSA unit. Superb car and it only went because we had another child and 4 into a mini with prams doesn't go.
Piece of piss to do any service work. As mentioned above it'll need dpf fluid at some point, easy to get to but like on ours the bag had split (it chafes in the holder) and the fluid was non existent... Computer said lots of miles left to interval!
Cambelt was easy too and the car was Uber frugal on a long run. Smallish tank if you're doing mega miles but 500+ easy on a tank.
Get one with 16s and get it off run flats if it still has them and the ride is comfy. Valeo silencio wipers were the only ones I found that didn't squeak...
Only issues in 7 years was a sticky egr which caused a cough at about 30mph in 3rd I think it was (easily changed) and a random airbag light caused by the passenger seat occupancy mat. 25 quid fix off ebay from a breaker. Oh and the stereo randomly died one day, but got one from a breaker.
Piece of piss to do any service work. As mentioned above it'll need dpf fluid at some point, easy to get to but like on ours the bag had split (it chafes in the holder) and the fluid was non existent... Computer said lots of miles left to interval!
Cambelt was easy too and the car was Uber frugal on a long run. Smallish tank if you're doing mega miles but 500+ easy on a tank.
Get one with 16s and get it off run flats if it still has them and the ride is comfy. Valeo silencio wipers were the only ones I found that didn't squeak...
Only issues in 7 years was a sticky egr which caused a cough at about 30mph in 3rd I think it was (easily changed) and a random airbag light caused by the passenger seat occupancy mat. 25 quid fix off ebay from a breaker. Oh and the stereo randomly died one day, but got one from a breaker.
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