5 replies to this topic

[stythedog]

Model:Checkmate 998cc
Year:[/b]1990

I have owned my mini since age 17 (last two years) when I first started driving. Since then it has been a total nightmare,it has been off the road more than it has been on and has swallowed all my money and a fair bit of my dads. The car has always been riddled with electrical problems and has refused to start on numerous occasions.

During the holidays I live in the middle of the country and need a car, the same is true during the term when I must regularly travel to and from uni and the TA centre. Over summer we paid to have a recon engine fitted, new drive shafts, wiring etc. in an attempt to obtain some reliability from the bugger, for when uni started. I was left with a car that was rid of most of the gremlins but nevertheless was woefully out of tune and with no working speedo (much to my mates' amusement). Then driving down a slippery hill in the dark I had to dodge to avoid a crashed motorcyclist and had my own shunt, cue bill for new wing and front panel.

So I pick up my 'fixed' mini yesterday, they did not bother to even fit the new bumper I had bought and now the bonnet won't close :s . Bonnet strapped down with a leather belt I set off down the dark country lane with lights dip beam, I flick to main beam and the world turns a darker shade of black, save the ominous glow from those snow covered fields, I laugh and drive with my face pressed to the window, main beam was never bright, dipped beam and you might as well be holding a maglite out of the window.

When I stop I put a new fuse in the main beam circuit fuse box and put main beam back on to observe from outside: one of the black wires behind the grill melts, as does the pink one at the fusebox, now I don't have dipped beam, only sidelights. churz. It looks like the wires for the lights squeeze between the front panel and inner wing panel to reach the headlights (surely not as Rover intended!?) from behind the grill. The insulation for this black wire has all been stripped back on the side where the new wing has been fitted (probably due to bodged and or rushed work) creating one big short. Does anybody know what I should do to get my lights working again so that I can actually use the car, preferably at minimum cost and time (of which, I have neither)

As a more general point I would be interested to hear as to whether I am unusually unlucky with my car or whether they are all like this. My parents want me to be rid of the thing, but against all my logic I want to keep it, probably out of stubbornness and the vain hope/belief that one-day everything will work and continue to work for a prolonged period of time. I cannot believe that there would be the shear number of clubs/forums dedicated to a vehicle of such unreliability or to a vehicle that seemed to require such an inordinate amount time/money to operate, I am no mechanic/milliionaire and this car is no Aston-Martin. Should I finally give up and settle for the Fiat seicento?

[spi-bwk]

Don't get a Seicento.....I think that thats what you wanted to hear.

[Bungle]

sounds like you need to take the mini back to the garage that did the work with a list of all the things wrong with it after they worked on the car

if you buy a Fiat seicento and carry on using the same garage your still going to get the same problems or worse

if they can't get a simple mini right what chance have they got with a modern car

[bmcecosse]

Your problems are down to poor workmanship and lack of maintenance. Minis can be VERY reliable if you look after them properly. Black wires are (should be ) earths - so they won't cause a 'short'! Take it all back to where the damage was repaired. As for the Fiat - you did watch 'The Inbetweeners' ???

[Ivor Badger]

You only think your mini is no Aston because you have never been under an Aston. Been under DB5/6/S and what a load of tat. Collection of bits thrown under an Aston Martin badge.

As BMC pionts out, most of the problems people have are from bodged repairs. Bought another type of classic car last year and almost every problem is from poor assembly/rebuild standards. Wouldn't start one day, was always at times slightly reluctant. Should have realised what was wrong immediately as the side lights were coming on dimly. It was simply a bad main battery earth where someone had fitted the earth cable to the earthing bolt without washers. The car then earths through the lights and puts them on. Can't get the earth cable off as the 5/16" ternimal is bodged over a 3/8" bolt!! It has a glass fibre shell and thus needs everthing earthed back to the one point. Pointed the problem out on the board for the car and got asked by one expert "why you trying to start the car with the lights on".

[Dan]

Your car shouldn't have a fuse for the main beam lights, or any pink wires at the fusebox. As above, sounds like your car is the victim of much bodgery. Fix it properly and it will work properly.