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MINI Cooper Care & Maintenance

282 messages, Last post on Nov 26, 2009 at 6:07 PM

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What is this discussion about? MINI Cooper, Hatchback

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Messages Page 27 of 29: 1; ...; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; Prev; Next; Last

#255 of 282 Re: Mini Maintenance Manuals [terumi] by wilemakeit Oct 12, 2009 (2:52 am)
Replying to: terumi (Oct 11, 2009 8:26 pm) I would check you fuses before you tear into anything. My pass window also stopped working. Now I found out that 10 of my fuses where wrong and had them replaced. Do you have the owners manual? if not send me a email at wilemakeitaol.com and I will send you a PDF copy of it. Good luck
#256 of 282 87 Octane? by herodotus Oct 12, 2009 (8:26 am)
I am about to take delivery of my brand spanking new 2010 MINI hardtop. With every other car I've owned or driven, I've always gone for regular unleaded 87 octane gasoline as I (a) never really cared much about the car in question and (b) assumed that "premium" gasoline was a marketing scam. Now I'm about to be driving a car that I've been obsessing about for months and I wonder whether I should rethink putting "premium" gasoline into it. Advice / thoughts? Replies to this message: british_rover (Oct 12, 2009 8:53 am) herodotus (Oct 12, 2009 9:04 am)
#257 of 282 Re: 87 Octane? [herodotus] by british_rover Oct 12, 2009 (8:53 am)
Replying to: herodotus (Oct 12, 2009 8:26 am) The MINI was designed to run on premium. If you don't premium in it the engine will run funny and you will get poor gas mileage. Replies to this message: herodotus (Oct 12, 2009 9:04 am)
#258 of 282 Mini Extended Warranty Offer by pgb3 Oct 12, 2009 (8:56 am)
BMW/Mini is offering me an extended warranty even though I have 39K on my '07 Cooper (automatic). The offer is $2800, for a bumper to bumper (Platinum Plan), good until 10/2013 or 100K miles. Does anyone have any experience with major repair issues for this year and model? Thanks. Replies to this message: Mr_Shiftright (Oct 12, 2009 9:09 am) pgb3 (Oct 12, 2009 9:37 am)
#259 of 282 Re: 87 Octane? [british_rover] by herodotus Oct 12, 2009 (9:04 am)
Replying to: british_rover (Oct 12, 2009 8:53 am) So, I am destined to have engine knocks and such like if I don't put premium gas in it? I'm incredibly skeptical of such warnings and claims, but am willing to be convinced given that I want it to run nicely and last a long time...
#260 of 282 Re: Mini Extended Warranty Offer [pgb3] by Mr_Shiftright HOST Oct 12, 2009 (9:09 am)
Replying to: pgb3 (Oct 12, 2009 8:56 am) So let's see---at your current rate of driving, that extended warranty will be up in 3 years, so it's costing you about $950 a year--and of course it will have exclusions. I'd say just put the $950 a year away in a savings account and use it if you have to. Besides you still have 11,000 miles on your full warranty, and even with the extended plan, you'll be paying your own maintenance. These extended warranties are really just insurance policies in which the insurance company and you are betting against each other. They are betting $2800 that you will spend more money on their warranty than they will on your car---and statistically, at least, based on a lot of Minis, they will win. Replies to this message: pgb3 (Oct 12, 2009 9:37 am)
#261 of 282 Re: Mini Extended Warranty Offer [Mr_Shiftright] by pgb3 Oct 12, 2009 (9:37 am)
Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Oct 12, 2009 9:09 am) 10-4; why else would they be offering it. Thanks for the input.
#262 of 282 Re: Mini Maintenance Manuals [terumi] by mymemni Oct 18, 2009 (10:09 am)
Replying to: terumi (Oct 11, 2009 8:26 pm) I went to the dealer's parts dept to buy a case of mini oil for my 03 MC and while I was there I asked the service advisor what I needed to do to fix my passenger window which would not roll down, he said, "I can take care of that" and he went to the car, opened the pass side door and gave the inside door panel a good WHACK with his fist forward of the door pocket and the window worked! he said that sometimes with little use the window relay gets stuck, I've used his method several times since and it always works sometimes all it takes is a big hammer
#263 of 282 big maintenance bill by snicker2 Oct 20, 2009 (6:57 am)
Took my 02 mini cooper s to dealership for oil change and new tires. Currently have 63k so Inspection II was suggested and I agreed to go ahead. I know how important maintenance is but I was curious if anyone could share some info on their own experience with cost. The specifics for me are as follows; Inspection II $630, which includes oil/filter change, new air filter, new a/c filter, new spark plugs, new drive belt, fuel injection system cleaning, tune up, new wiper blades, inspection of transmission, hoses & belts. The Inspection uncovered that the power steering intake and return hoses are leaking,($264), the bushings on the front are cracked and need to be replaced, (he showed me),($650), the oil pan gasket is leaking, ($550); not an expensive part but alot of time involved in tearing out to get to it, rear brakes, ($600), then of course the new tires $1080, & alignment $139, (discounted $60). Makes me queezy-- can't do the work myself and last time I got tires I went to a local franchise who to my surprise did not know how to install run flats properly which resulted in leakage from right front because they thought shaving the rubber nipples off the inside rim of the Pirelli would make it fit the rim better--didn't work and the hassle made me think it was worth the peace of mind to let the dealership do whatever I need. I have only had 1 large maintenance bill previously which was around $600 for an end stage fan failure last year. Other higher cost items were cover under warranties which was great. I don't anticipate this type of thing recurring frequently but am I being taken? Or is this just a lot of issues coming to light at the same time? AND my big concern is why is the oil pan gasket leaking? I asked the tech and he said "it just happens". My concern is... does it just happen or did it happen because something is getting too hot? I just don't want to pay $4000 and find out next year that there is some major engine problem that's been lurking and I'm just too ignorant of how engines operate to realize this. Would appreciate some genuine honesty here since my car is at the dealership as I write. Replies to this message: shark715 (Oct 20, 2009 7:27 am) Mr_Shiftright (Oct 20, 2009 8:19 am) snicker2 (Oct 20, 2009 8:25 am) shark715 (Oct 20, 2009 10:36 am) and 6 more... rlmiller9 (Oct 20, 2009 5:54 pm) rlmiller9 (Oct 20, 2009 5:49 pm) snicker2 (Oct 21, 2009 4:50 am)
#264 of 282 Re: big maintenance bill [snicker2] by shark715 Oct 20, 2009 (7:27 am)
Replying to: snicker2 (Oct 20, 2009 6:57 am) Take a look at your owner's manual and you will see that they are "exceeding" the work that the manufacturer calls for. Also, I would ask the following questions: 1) Are the leaks bad enough for you to spend all that money fixing them? You may be able to easily live with minor leaks. 2) Regarding the oil pan gasket leak, why not just try tightening the bolts first and see if that works? It may or may not stop the leak, but it will take them 10 minutes to do so. 3) The bushings may be cracked, but that does not always mean they need replacement. 4) $600 for rear brakes is a absolute ripoff, and if you don't know how to inspect them yourself, I would get a second opinion elsewhere...it's unlikely they they "immediately" need to be replaced after 63k miles as the fronts brakes do the majority of the work 5) you can get a far better price on the tires and alignment elsewhere.6) You can easily replace the air filter and wiper blades for far less than what I will bet they are charging you. 6) Modern cars don't require "tune ups". There is nothing to be done on modern cars as the ignition is computer controlled. "Tune up" is a term from 40 years ago. You said nothing in your post that would indicate that there is a major engine problem. Replies to this message: Mr_Shiftright (Oct 20, 2009 8:19 am) snicker2 (Oct 20, 2009 8:25 am) shark715 (Oct 20, 2009 10:36 am) snicker2 (Oct 21, 2009 5:04 am) and 5 more... rlmiller9 (Oct 20, 2009 5:54 pm)

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