Hello all,

First time poster so forgive me for any mistakes.

Going to flat out ask the question: is the Maintenance Program Upgrade worth the extra money?

I am looking to purchase a new Mini Cooper S (Hardtop). After finding out that I fit in one (I am 6' 2") and after a test drive I have fallen for these little cars. After going through the configuration on Mini's website I noticed the Maintenance Program Upgrade option. Is this option worth the additional $1,800.

I am not what you would call an aggressive driver. I like to have fun in a car but do not plan on doing heel-toe gear changes and power slides on my way to work everyday. I would like to keep this car for as long as possible. I am no grease monkey but can do minor repairs and know of several great mechanics in my area.

This will be my first Mini. Do these vehicles start to show symptoms of problems after 3 years? Is spending a bit upfront worth the additional cost?

Thank you all.

 

You know that the price is set with the benefit of a lot of historical data, and it's not set so as to lose money.

 

Wait until you get closer to the end of the program that comes with the car (3yr 36k miles). If by then you have gone through both sets of rotors and pads (front and rear) it might be worth it. If it is a stick I would recommend it as it covers a clutch (wearable item).

IMO I wasn't thrilled with the amount of brake dust from the stock setup, so when mine wore out, after the 1st replacement (just under 36k miles). I am going with aftermarket stuff for less dust and cheaper prices. The brakes work just fine with stock parts, but I knew I was going with something different so I wasn't so worried about the dealer replacing them til 100k miles.

 

View it like a purchase of insurance. Will the benefit outweigh the risk ?

Probably depends on how long you plan to keep the vehicle and how hard you drive your MINI. For instance, if you have a daily commute that requires a lot of starts/stops, would be smart to invest in the plan.

Also, are you the kind of person who doesn't like suprise expenses and prefer to make a one time payment to preclude such surprises ?

 

Our MINI was used when we purchased it. It came with the warranty. We took advantage of that until it expired.

That was 75,000 miles ago. It's a 2004 MINI Cooper S. It's originally from St Louis, and moved to Nebraska within it's first year. So it has seen a few winters, and a few miles...and a few MINI events. It's also a daily driver, motoring about 100 miles per day five times a week.

Build quality in ours is excellent. For the piece of mind that 1800 will give you...get it. It's brand new, and if it has any problems, they'll fix it. I would imagine any issues your MINI has will be solved before the warranty expires.

Get the warranty! Enjoy!