Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Post Info TOPIC: 2006 Mini Cooper S Gas Mileage for Automatic


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 21
Date:
2006 Mini Cooper S Gas Mileage for Automatic


I purchased Olive (2006 Mini Cooper S) in February 2006 and since I cannot drive a standard, ordered the automatic. My gas mileage with the automatic is only 22 miles on the highway. Mark from Towne Mini keeps telling me that 22-24 miles on the highway is great. I know that this is terrible mileage but I cannot prove it because I don't know anyone else that drives an "automatic" mini cooper S. If anyone does drive a Mini Cooper S Automatic, I would appreciate if you could e-mail me at http://www.rizzoll@buffalostate.edu what your mileage is and if city or highway driving. I now have 4,500 miles on Olive but have yet to enjoy my mini. I just had the thermostat replaced because every time I used the heater, the check engine light would go in and I would have to take it to Towne Mini and they finally replaced it after 6 months. I also seem to notice the mileage decreases when the heater is on. If anyone drives a mini cooper S automatic please let me know. Also, I am looking for snow tires because I will be driving Olive all throughout the winter. Studs or Studless?


((Just Cleaned up the title name - Erik...))

-- Edited by Rocketboy at 06:39, 2006-09-29

__________________
Linda Rizzo


Motorist

Status: Offline
Posts: 148
Date:
RE: 2006 Mini Cooper S Gas Mileage for "Automatic"


Dang, bummer about the engine light and the mileage. I have a 2006 Cooper with 5 speed and my city average is 27-30 and 35 highway.

This is my 2nd Cooper, my 1st was an 03 Cooper.


I have had nothing but good luck with both of my MINI's

Hang in there,


Dave

__________________


Motorer

Status: Offline
Posts: 257
Date:
RE: 2006 Mini Cooper S Gas Mileage for "Automatic"


I can't precisely help with auto / mileage issue, but I have an '05 MCS / JCW and get about 30 / 31 mpg with highway driving. The JCW kit lowers the mpg figure a bit as compared to the regular MCS. It's pretty hard to believe that 22 mpg on the highway is typical with the auto. I'd suggest you do a search of the forums on mini2.com as this topic may have been discussed. If not, then don't hesitate to post your question there. That's a **very** active site that is seen worldwide and is one of the best sources for MINI information available.

In terms of snow tires, you might want to check tirerack.com and see the packages they have available for the MINI. I purchased a set of 15" Blizzaks on steel wheels for my previous '02 MCS and am still using them on the '05. I'm hoping to be able to get one more winter out of them. Having a set of snows on their own wheels makes things a lot easier when it's time to switch back and forth. With a set of 4 snow tires the MINI is very capable in the snow. No need for studs, especially if you get snows with a hydrophilic compound (e.g Blizzaks) which will improve handling on ice.

Only issue with the MINI in the snow is that it's so low it tends to turn into a snowplow in deeper snow, otherwise it just chugs along. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how well it does in the winter weather.

__________________


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 33
Date:
RE: 2006 Mini Cooper S Gas Mileage for "Automatic"


E-mail sent. Here it is for all MCofWNYers and Guests [with commercial name removed so as not to sound like a commerial].

Greetings to the proud owner of Olive.

DoctorWho (i.e., MINI Club of WNY "handle") here. We picked up our "Tardis", a 2006 MINI Cooper Sport automatic (MCSa), from Towne MINI in early April. We now now have 8300+ miles "of smiles" on it "time warping" all across NYS.

There is quite a lot that can be asked and said about MINI gas milage (and any car's for that matter). I was going to do a little gas milage spreadsheet on the Tardis in October when we reach 6 months of "attachment".

Here is what I have experienced in that time and I have watched my milage, not our "enjoyment" (i.e., spirited driving, not aggressive), closely. Every time I fill up I calculate the milage based on the odometer's milage and gas pump's quantity.

As you can imagine, most of our milage is highway. Reason: We have a daughter at UB, who competes with all the "boys" in the WNY SCCA autocross events. We went to many of those events this summer [as spectators, for now]).

On the highway I have constantly been getting 29-30 MPG and ~24 if we have not been on a "road trip". The Tardis' computer says we have an average MPG of 27. From all reports, the on-board computers are always a little low, sometimes more so.

No problems with Tardis of any kind. Have not used the heater much, if any, so far. I ordered a set of wheels (i.e., non-OEM, european alloy rims and "one size down" run-flat Pirelli snow tires) from the [on-line retailer] http://www.[on-line retailer].com/.

They are coming mounted and balanced at a great price. Plus, our daughter gets her competition tires from the [on-line retailer] and their service and price have been great. I understand that they have local installers all around, if you do not want to install them yourself.

Every WNY MINI owner who drives their "pride and joy" thru the winter says they are great in the snow (not too deep, of course). I did a lot of research on snow tires and rims including MINI rims and Towne MINI "winter wheel package".

The Tardis has the John Cooper Works Brakes, so it can not use 15" or most 16" rims. I stepped down from my 17" summer wheel size to 16" to get a little more "sidewall" pothole protection. The Tardis has Pirelli summer performance tires on it now.

The "one size down" does not refer to the rim size, but the tire's width (i.e., 205s down to 195s). That a standard practice for better foul weather traction. The Pirelli's [non-run-flats] have very good customer ratings and testing results on the [on-line retailer].

I can go on about gas milage, tires and wheels, our MINI experience, our daughter's autocross... OK, enough.

DoctorWho

__________________
Our "Tardis" = 06 MCSa | Chili Red / Silver Roof w/Silver Bonnet Stripes Premium+Sport+Cold | Black/Red Seats w/Black/Red Interior | H/K Sound w/XM Towne "Mods" = Silver R99s | JCW Brakes | JCW Exhaust | JCW Intake


Motorist

Status: Offline
Posts: 103
Date:
RE: 2006 Mini Cooper S Gas Mileage for "Automatic"


Did you purchase your MINI simply for the mileage? The car is a cult, not just a car. Yes the mileage is good (27 city, 32 hwy) but there is so much more to the MINI than that. It has the best resale value than any other vehicle. (You will note there are no commericals on TV for the MINI). I have a 2002 and love my MINI. As far as the check engine light is concerned that only is an issue when it comes time to have it inspected. They will clear it for you and then you can have it inspected. (It happened to me twice). Also the check engine light is a problem with all vehicles. I hope you will have better luck with your MINI but if you choose to trade it in for something else you will get a good return on it.

__________________
Mr. BEAN (Velvet Red/Blk)


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 21
Date:

Thanks for responding. I wish I knew how to drive a standard. After replacing the thermostat two weeks ago, the check engine light went on again. I believe I purchased a lemon and they don't know how to fix it.

__________________
Linda Rizzo


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 21
Date:

Thank you for the advice. I wish I knew more about computers but I will go on the website you suggested. After 6 1/2 months of the check engine light coming on, they replaced the thermostat two weeks ago and today, after I put the front & rear defrosters on and after I put the seat on and the heat on high, the check engine light went on again. I don't know much about cars, but I know a lemon when I see one!

__________________
Linda Rizzo


Motorer

Status: Offline
Posts: 257
Date:
RE: 2006 Mini Cooper S Gas Mileage for "Automatic"


rizzoll wrote:

I don't know much about cars, but I know a lemon when I see one!



You should look into the NY State lemon law. The are instances of other MINI owners who had their car replaced when recurrent problems couldn't be fixed. Be sure to document everything, including conversations with the dealer, plus keep all paperwork, copies of correspondance, etc.

Check out http://www.oag.state.ny.us/consumer/cars/newcarlemon.html for details on the NY lemon law. Good luck.


Also here's a link ( http://tinyurl.com/ll6p6 ) to some conversations on mini2.com specifically discussing mileage on the MCS with the auto tranny. If you're getting 22 mpg on the highway it sounds like you are below what others are getting.

-- Edited by Pamlico at 10:55, 2006-09-28

__________________


Motorist

Status: Offline
Posts: 179
Date:
RE: 2006 Mini Cooper S Gas Mileage for Automatic


That's the one thing that MINI owners just hate to hear. It seems that every so often, a bad MINI escapes the factory (who knows who's the cause, England or Brasil), and someone gets stuck with a bum car, and MINI/BMW is seemingly clueless about what to do. I would definatally look into legal options, and please, don't let this issue sour you to the brand. The gross majority of MINI owners have never had a major problem (and the ones that have, it's usally due to driver error, or that they have an early build (like mine)).

Regarding the mileage, how exactally are you measuring it? If there is any sort of mix in your drive, it will totally skew the numbers. I usually get 26-28 mpg in my MINI Cooper S, but to get any sort of 'highway' milage, I have to put on some major open road driving. It's nice, because when I go on any sort of vacation (DC this year) or road trip (down to Corning one year), the MINI really starts sipping the gas. During the week, when, although over half of my drive is city-free, the city part, and dealing with the traffic part, does do a major hit to my mpg.

For snows, I would check out TireRack.com, and pick up a package deal, tires and rims. Unless you have the above mentioned fancy brakes, you'll be fine with a set of steel rims (they just won't look nice). Many MINI owners use Blizzack tires, usually ones that are slightly narrower than the OEM size tire. Believe it or not, if the tire patch is too wide, your car will have a tendancy to drive on top of the snow, and not cut down into it. It ends up being like wearing snow-shoes. Luckly, TireRack has that all figured out for you already. I've driven my MINI in the snow since 2002, and it really handles well. Traction Control is a huge bonus in the winter, and it's very predictable on how it will handle any given situation. The only problem, is that it's just hard to get the car going sometimes. Going from a dead stop to driving speed can be a lesson in spinning tires some times in the winter, which is why I always suggest that people learn how to drive a manual (safer in winter), but you should still be fine.

I hope this helps... I hate to see upset MINI owners. I am still totally in love with my MINI, even after all these years. Ya, it's a little more dinged up than when I first bought it. It's a little thread bare here and there. But man, I still love it...

Erik...



__________________


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 21
Date:

I just wanted you to know that the check engine light was a major problem and they had to replace the heat senser. I understand the check engine light comes on for a variety of reasons but it should not come on every month for 7 months straight without the dealership finding out what's wrong. I would like to have fun motering with the car but 19 miles city and 22-23 highway is not right for a 2006 mini cooper s automatic. Unless they can find out why it is getting such poor mileage, I feel I will loose out when I try to sell it. Thanks for responding.

__________________
Linda Rizzo


Motorer

Status: Offline
Posts: 257
Date:

Was the heat sensor replaced? If it was providng innacurate information to the ECU (electronic control unit - the brains of the car) it's possible the engine was always running too rich. The car initialy runs richer (i.e. more gas in the fuel / air mixture being delivered to the cylinders) when cold and during the warm up period. If the computer was being told the car never warmed up the fuel mixture never leaned down (i.e. less gas being supplied to the engine) and your gas milege could suffer significantly. If the sensor was replaced things may improve. Good luck.

__________________


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 21
Date:

Thank you so much for responding. After seven months of the check engine light coming on and after saying "Lemon Law", they finally replaced the heat sensor. I hope little Olive gets better mileage now. I kept asking Towne Mini to replace the heat sensor from the very beginning because the check engine light would go on after I turned on the heat and front and rear defrosters. Every time I did that, I had to bring the car in for service. It sounds like you know a lot about cars. I wish I did....that's why I didn't buy a used car.

__________________
Linda Rizzo


Motorist

Status: Offline
Posts: 103
Date:

Don't worry about the check engine light so much. It is not going to effect your car. The car will still operate. Just needs to be cleared prior to inspection. I once had a "check engine " light on for a whole year.

__________________
Mr. BEAN (Velvet Red/Blk)


Motorer

Status: Offline
Posts: 257
Date:

dedestaud wrote:

Don't worry about the check engine light so much. It is not going to effect your car. The car will still operate. Just needs to be cleared prior to inspection. I once had a "check engine " light on for a whole year.



Yes the car will still operate, but since this indicator is involved with those parts of the drivetrain concerned with emissions controls the engine may be running in a less efficient manner than possible with a resulting decrease in mpg as well as an increase in emitted pollutants. Depending upon what is wrong it may in fact have a negative effect on the car in the long run.

Having said that, one of the most common reasons for this lamp to go on is a gas cap that has not been correctly closed. Once the check engine light comes on due to a loose gas cap it takes at least three complete cycles of the engine warming up to normal operating temperature from cold for the lamp to reset itself.

__________________


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 21
Date:

Thank you so much for responding. After 7 months, they finally replaced the heat sensor. I hope this is the last of the problems with the check engine light. I don't know much about cars but I did figure out that something was making the engine run rich because I was only getting 19 miles city and 22 miles highway no matter how I drove the car. I pick up the car from the shop tonight and might trade it in for a 2007 mini cooper instead of the mini cooper S. I must say that Towne Mini has been very helpful through it all. It is my only means of transportation though and I need to depend on it especially during the winter. Any suggestions on snow tires?

__________________
Linda Rizzo


Motorer

Status: Offline
Posts: 257
Date:

rizzoll wrote:

.... Any suggestions on snow tires?



Check out www.tirerack.com for their packages of snow tires mounted on steel wheels. I purchased a set of 15" Blizzaks mounted on black steelies for my '02 MCS and should be able to get one more winter out of them on our current '05. Having the snows on a second set of wheels simplifies things at change over time. The tirerack pacakges show up on your doorstep about 2 days after ordering with the tires mounted, balanced and ready to be installed on the car.

You want to get narrower tires for the winter as the wide, low profile stock tires will tend to ride up and "float" on snow. Narrow tires will cut into the snow. Tires manufactured with a hydrophilic compound (e.g. Blizzaks and others) are better on ice than regular tires.

A snow tire equipped MINI is surprisingly capable in the snow. Chugs right along like a little tank. Only downside is that the car is so low that in deep snow it becomes a snowplow.

__________________


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 21
Date:

Just got my car back today after being in mini dealer all week. After replacing two thermostats and deciding it wasn't the thermostat, they replaced the heat sensor. Hopefully all is well now. I'm glad I did not ignore the check engine light and am concerned if any damage was done to the engine, etc. for the last 7 months this problem was happening.

__________________
Linda Rizzo


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 97
Date:

I learned to drive standard on my MINI, Little Em'ly. Greg at Towne gave me a lesson in driving standard in the parking lot, and he only looked like he was going to puke once. My wife drove it home for me from Towne (i was not gonna be a new standard driver down Main St in Williamsville on a Friday at 6:00 pm). Coming home, as I live next to a park, drove it around there for a little while. Next morning, Saturday, drove to Tops and back. In 2 weeks I was very comfortable driving standard. My elderly father said, " I would have bet a paycheck you would never learn to drive standard!" I was 45 at the time.

Little Em'ly is an '04 MC. Had I known I was going to be ok driving standard, I would have bought an MCS. She regularly gets 29 mpg in town, and 34 on the highway. My wife says this is because I drive like an old woman. I say it is because I am a superior driver. I rarely drive over 74 mph. I have driven it at 117 mph, but ran out of road.

If you're going to trade it in anyway, get a standard. So what if you get embarrassed a few times? I don't ever want to drive automatic again. All I want to do is go faster!

__________________

Dave, driving Carmina Burana, 2006 MCS.



Motorer

Status: Offline
Posts: 257
Date:

rizzoll wrote:

....... am concerned if any damage was done to the engine, etc. for the last 7 months this problem was happening.



Keep all the paperwork, etc. If a problem related to a bad temp sensor pops up in the future you'll have documentation that you made MINI aware of the problem and it took months to diagnose and (hopefully) repair things. When whatever component fails (but in reality it's unlikely) you can show that you were in essence forced to continue to drive the car when something was demonstrably wrong.

If in fact your car was running way too rich for all those months you could put a bottle of Techron injector cleaner (available at places like Pep Boys, Autozone, etc) into a tank of gas which will help remove any crud that may have accumulated as a result of the rich mixture.

Good luck. I hope your mileage increases.

__________________


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 21
Date:

Thank you so much for responding. I wish I knew as much about cars as you do. I will definitely document everything.

__________________
Linda Rizzo


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 21
Date:

Thanks for the words of encouragement but if history repeats itself, when I was married, I went through 4 clutches in 6 years trying to drive a standard. It was decided that any future cars would be automatic.

__________________
Linda Rizzo


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 76
Date:

If your poor gas mileage continues by any chance, it is the Oxygen Sensor! Check my reply to your post on "Site News and Issues". The oxygen sensor is solely responsible for how rich or lean your car will run. Rich means too much fuel, and lean the opposite. The temperature sensor if bad will cause your car to never realize it has warmed up, and will maintain a cold start mixture continually (rich mixture). If Towne had a mechanic worth his salt, he would pull a spark plug or two and look at them. If they are black, the mixture is way too rich, if white, way too lean. They should be a light chocolate brown. I have NEVER gotten below 35MPG on my standard 2002 Mini. Your fuel mileages are way out of line for this vehicle, unless you have an extremely heavy foot, especially at lights and stop signs!

__________________
"Let's Roll"


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 21
Date:

Thanks for responding. Towne Mini replaced two thermostats and the temperature sensor. We asked them to replace the sensor 6 months ago but instead they had me go back and forth each month with the Check Engine Light on for 7 months. Now I am wondering what damage has been done to my engine from driving around for 7 months with the check engine light on. Do you know if I would have a claim for the lemon law?

__________________
Linda Rizzo


Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 76
Date:

SEE: http://www.oag.state.ny.us/consumer/cars/newcarlemon.html for the answer to that one. Bill

Edit- fixed link-YellowMiniNY

-- Edited by yellowmininy at 19:30, 2006-10-10

__________________
"Let's Roll"
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.

Tweet this page Post to Digg Post to Del.icio.us


Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse
Powered by ActiveBoard