Woohoo! I bought a MINI! Couple Q's
 

Hey everyone! I just joined the fun! Recently my previous favorite car...an Integra, finally bit the dust so I needed a new car...fast.

I saw this Hyper Blue Mini with a silver top, silver racing stripes, silver mirrors, at the VW, BMW, Mazda, Mini lot here in Jacksonville and HAD TO HAVE IT! It's an '06 MC that was a demo, but only had 200 miles on it. It's got a few options and I love it! It's definitely going to surpass my Acura in the favorite car category!

I have a few questions though...

I'm not sure if it has bluetooth for the cell phones or something, but it has a button with a telephone on it on the steering wheel with the audio controls. I pushed it and it doesn't mute the volume on the stereo...so what does it do? The manual says something like "Accept call, end call" but thats about all the explanation it states. What gives?

I hear I should get the oil changed when I get around 2000 miles. Where should I have this done? Only at the dealership? And how much does it usually cost?

Can anybody recommend quality and slick looking seat covers, pref. leather? Front and rear. I bring my dog in the car a lot and would hate to see his sharp claws scratch the leather.

Last, in order to get the auxilary input hooked up for the iPod, should I go through the Mini dealer?

I'm sure I'll have more questions, so keep an eye out for me!

You don't need to have the oil changed until the mileage counter at startup gets under 500. It's covered until you 36,000 (at least that was the number for '04s).

You can change the oil yourself if your handy. If you go to the dealer before the scheduled service the price is outta site. I changed mine at the engine breakin at 1450, then again 5000 and once again at 7500. Just had MINI do the "first" service with 11,800 on the clock. I just don't like leaving the oil in there for 10,000 miles or more in this case. The first two changes it came out very dark, but now it's staying nice and lite.

Congrats on your new MINI!! and Welcome.

The Ipod aux input, again you can do this your self, very easy.

Happy Motoring

Welcome !

Check out the Wet Okole seat covers. Lots of owners love them......like me.

Welcome to NAM. Congrats on the purchase, sounds like a sweet ride.
The buttons for phone comes with all the Multi function steering wheels, with or without bluetooth.
Oil change prices vary. I say DIY. Use synthetic.
Smile for miles!

If you want to get an aux cable without paying through the nose, check out this tutorial: http://www.mini2.com/forum/faq.php?f..._obc_functions

Soon, I'm gonna give this a try myself. It looks really easy and it'll save a ton.

I just had my first oil change at 10k miles and I haven't experienced any problems. It was free through the dealer.

About the doggy dilemma...Pet Smart has some nice seat covers for cars that fit my Mini's back seat perfectly.

This is all really fantastic information!

I'm pretty sure I'll be ordering the Wet Okole seat covers eventually, they're very nice looking. I'll probably find a cheap alternative for the back seat until I can save up some cash for them. I'm currently in the process of ordering a roof rack for my bikes...

As far as oil...I can do it myself. I'll follow Mr. Jim's routine.

How do I figure out if my car is cell phone ready? My Samsung has bluetooth but I tried searching for my Minis signal and got nothing.

What size plug does that Auxilary jack accept? I have an iPod nano so I need it to work with the same size as the headphone jack. Oh and where can this be purchased? How much? Will installing it myself void any warranty?

Thanks again everyone!

Aux Input
 

The Aux Input accepts a 1/8" plug, the same as a headphone jack. You can buy the installation kit from your MINI dealer or almost all of the MINI vendors that NAM lists. Retail is $39.95 and I don't remember seeing any lower prices in the vendor websites. A few had slightly higher. You'll need to get a patch cable to connect the iPod to the Aux port, but there is a 12in one for $4 from radio shack.

The other option is buying the iPod adapter from MINI. The cheapest I've seen for that is $130, but most places its $150. Same basic install, but it'll charge your iPod and let you use your MFSW controls. I don't have a MFSW, so its an easy choice for me. You'll have to make that decision on your own.

Installing aftermarket products can only void your warrenty if they are the direct cause of the problem. Its a really difficult installation to mess up.

MBE someone with a dog & Wet Okoles can answer to this... Does neoprene fabric get snags? I have always liked their seat covers I figure they would be the worst thing to get if you have a frequent doggie passenger as the doggie toenails & rough foot pads would cause snags & such in the fabric.

I can't speak to leather Skydiver but I have the leatherette seats & my 70LB dog has ridden in my uncovered MINI passenger seat 4 days a week. I clean/protect my seats monthly with 303 Aerospace & after 2-1/2 years his seat looks great & has no damage at all :grin:

I don't have a pet, but I can say that many of my passengers have long claws/fingernails, and as yet, they have not snagged my Wet Okoles as we tear though the twisties, hair flying, passenger screaming and holding on to the door armrest and the seat. :nod: :lol:

Wet Okoles :thumbsup:

I have 2 dogs and no snags. The fabric on the neoprene is "glued" to the rubber. Really no way to snag or rip it.