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MINI Cooper Care & Maintenance

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

You are in the MINI Cooper Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer

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

#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)
#265 of 282 Re: big maintenance bill [shark715] by Mr_Shiftright HOST Oct 20, 2009 (8:19 am)
Replying to: shark715 (Oct 20, 2009 7:27 am) I agree---this situation is a case for "comparative shopping" and for what I like to call "repair triage". What you do is prioritize the repairs with the counsel of a trusted independent shop who is not trying to sell you the moon or trying to make a brand new car out of your old one. In a triage of this type, some repairs are marked "urgent", some "inspect in 90 days" and some "not needed at this time". I don't see why you couldn't get 4 high-quality tires balanced and aligned for something like $600 out the door, tax included. If you have the dreaded run-flats, see about switching those out for regular tires and a can of tire sealer.
#266 of 282 Re: big maintenance bill [shark715] by snicker2 Oct 20, 2009 (8:25 am)
Replying to: shark715 (Oct 20, 2009 7:27 am) Thank you so much for your reply. I called the dealership to ask them to try tightening the bolts first to fix the oil pan gasket leak and she checked with the technician who said he had already replaced it. Do the gaskets just go bad over time or could something be overheating and causing it to expand & contract too much? This may sound stupid but whenever I run it thru the touchless car wash, lots of steam comes off the hood and when it rains this happens too, not necessarily when the outside temp is cold either. I asked them a couple of years ago if this was normal because it didn't seem normal to me. They said it was perfectly normal. What do you think? The first time I drove the car after I got it in 04 it ran hot and we had to have the dealership tow it in. Said it was a bad switch on the power steering fan I think, which made no sense to me in relation to the engine overheating but I never had a problem with it again--unless that steam is an indicator that it's hotter than it should be. Do you have an opinion on that? Replies to this message: shark715 (Oct 20, 2009 10:36 am) snicker2 (Oct 21, 2009 5:04 am) shark715 (Oct 21, 2009 5:33 am) and 4 more... rlmiller9 (Oct 20, 2009 5:54 pm)

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