---Background:
My name is Alex and I live in LA... and in August 08 I purchased a 08 Astro Black Mini Cooper S from the Universal City Mini Cooper Dealership.

---The Story:
Well its been a little over a year and its time for my Mini maintenance check... time to change the oil, fix the brakes, etc... I pick up my car... and I'm informed that my front 2 tires (run flats) are worn out, all 4 tire's alignments are off and my back right tire has a nail in it... and then I was told the following prices...
-Replace Front Two Tires: $735 (w/ tax and fees etc)
-Alignment of all 4 Tires: $235 (")
-Repair Back Right Tire: $60 (")
So I told the Service person to hold off on anything (besides the Back Right Tire Repair)

---OK NOW FOR THE HELP PART...
What do I do... I feel annoyed/confused
-When I first bought the car... and I found out that Minis came with run flats, I was told to eventually change them to normal tires because they are cheaper and they run smoother (Is this true? What are the Pros/Cons)
If that is true, how much would 4 regular tires run me and what are good brands, sizes and other info I'm clueless about...
-Also, Alignment isn't in the warranty?
-Also also, I'm very skeptical about changing oil for a car every 15,000 miles... it seems very strange to me... What would the ideal oil change be for a 08 Mini...

---The Off Topic Side/Interesting/Sad Story:
August 09 my car was parked across the street of my house and a rather large (15 foot) branch fell onto the hood of my car... broke the Right Side View Mirror, scratched the hood badly, dented the hood here and there, scratched the light trims, dented the right side door and other nasty things :( ... the tree was a city tree and the branch broke off not because of wind or animals but b/c of poor maintenance from the city (Burbank)... and thats why I'm going to file a claim. Anyways the Mini Dealership gave an estimate for those damages too, and its ended up being ~$3700

PS Sorry for the Wall of Text and all the "..."s

 

Here are a couple of the pictures of the damages caused by the tree in the Off topic/Interesting/Sad Story...

 

1. Many people like Non RFT better, because of the ride. Tires depend on what you want to do and need. Performance, all seasons etc. In LA, you can probably get away with performance tires, as long as you do not go over those passes up north in the winter. Look at tirerack.com for more info. You can buy for tires for less than what the dealer wants for 2.

Many people change their oil around 6K-8K miles. That would not be covered under the Mini maintenence. If you do it yourself, it will cost you about $30 for the oil and $10 for the filter.

2. Alignments are not included. Should cost around $100 - $125 for 4 wheel alignment. in a good outside shop

 

1. Go to discount tire or america's tire center and just get runflats there or some nice non-rfts. Way cheaper and there's lots of stores around socal.

2. If you actually need an alignment, go to a Nissan dealer that sells GTR's and get a laser alignment. It is not under warranty. Like slinger688 said, 6-8k is probably a good interval for an oil change.

 

Yah I think Im going to change all my tires to non run flats... Does anyone recommend any companies?

 

I agree, tell them to stop! Go with non run flats! I did on both of my MINI's. Picked up a 15" spare from an 05 Chevy Cobalt for both cars. It works perfectly. After having to buy 2 run flats on 6 months and having an issue with a third, I decided to cut my losses. I called Tire Rack and got rid of the RF's.

I don't know about your side of the country, but anything over 90 bucks for a good four wheel alignment is absurd.

As for the oil change. find a good European/BMW/MINI repair shop and have them do your oil changes. Or simply do it yourself if possible.

Good luck!

 

Look at Bridgestone and Yokohama.

The choice of tires depends on the size and the performance category. What size are your tires?

 

The current generation of synthetic motor oils are quite capable of protecting your engine for 25,000 miles in normal city/freeway use. The enhanced additives in the synthetics will eventually deteriorate with mileage and are the limiting factor. The oil's viscousity usually will not change, unlike mineral-based oils.

The owner's manual says to change the oil when the on-board computer want to, or once a year. The only damage done by changing synthetic oils early is to your wallet.

Changing the oil and filter yourself is fairly easy, once you find the oil filter (hint - it's under the radiator overflow tank). Undo the tank attaching bolts and move it out of the way - don't unhook anything. As the oil drains from the sump, loosen the filter cover a few turns so air can get into it, and the filter's oil will drain back into the sump. Otherwise, you will spill oil all down the block when you pull the filter. Been there ...

 

Also, when you buy your non rft's, make sure to rotate them. For some reason tire rotation is not part of the MINI maintenance schedule, which is very weird. If you buy a set of tires from most places (ex. Discount Tire), rotations are free.

 

My Tires are Size 16 but i don't know specifically what they are i think 195/55 or something... ill check soon

 

With 16" rims, you could use the standard 195 55 16 tires. Or you could do a plus one upgrade and go a little wider with 205 50 16 or 205 55 16.

I have 205 50 16 but will change to 205 55 16 for my next tire purchase. To start with, try looking at Bridgestone RE760 Sport or the Yokohama s drives which is a summer tires. There are also a lot of choices if you want all seasons.

 

I dont think i fully understand the difference and pros/cons of summer tires and all season tire... or any type of seasonal tire

 

There is no tire that does everything well all the time.

Full summer performance tires are for maximum summer grip only. They should not (and in some cases cannot) be driven in the cold weather (anything below 45 degrees F and that includes snow).

All season tires takes away some of the summer grip to give you some capability to drive in the cold and snow. Some provide good grip in the summer and some provide decent grip in the winter. But generally there is a compromise in order to do both.

Snow tires provide good cold weather traction including the best snow capabilities but they heat up and kind of melt in the summer heat.

If you live in Florida, etc, hot weather places with little or no snow, summer tires are fine all year around. Many people, with the four seasons, use all seasons for both winter and summer but it can be a compromise in traction, especially when the tires get old and worn down. The amount of compromise depends on the all season tire chosen. Some people, like myself, have winter and summer tire sets (wheels and tires) so I can have fun in the summer and be safe in the winter.

 

Thanks oldMGguy. Sometimes I feel like the only one around here who doesn't have a problem with the long oil change interval.

 

I just had mine in for her first year......had about 10k on her.....I was told one year or 15k. However they did not reset the comp, so I expect it'll say something in about 5k. What the manual and manufacturer says is fine by me...technology changes. I remember doing oil changes on my car every 3k...not required anymore.
OP do as much as you can yourself or take it to another place, I like runflats, but other tires may work better for you.