I am trying to decide whether to keep my 2011 Justa after the warranty expires. My concern is the high cost dealers are charging for even relatively minor repairs. I would appreciate any feedback on cost of repairs for any high mileage generation 2 Justa's.


Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B, manual transmission, 29,000 trouble free miles.

 

The following are the problems and costs reported by truedelta.com for the base (non turbo) 2007 Mini Cooper. This illustrates that although the problems weren't many, the repair costs were high in most cases,
Problem Cost
Cylinder #1 no compression. Need new engine $7500
Leaking valves in automatic transmission. $3700
Replaced antenna $20
Replaced water pump $550
Replaced oil pan gasket, engine mount, control arm bushings $860
Replaced head lights $60
Replaced exhaust cam actuator $300
Replaced VANOS solenoid $250
Repair damage due to oil starvation $6000
Replace front brake pads & rotors $500
Replace spark plugs and coils $450
New front brakes and pads and water pump $1200
Repair leaky coolant system $650

 

Deted

 

Feedback is ...
Is 29,000 miles that high?! Modern cars can easily go 200,000, even 300,000 miles...yes we do have mini owners who have done it....
And who goes to a dealer out of warrenty....they tend to swap parts...not FIX stuff...that is where the $$ is...
Their prices tend tend be 40% higher.....
Owning a car out of warrenty can be Scarry for some....
For me a CAR LOAN is scarrier and LASTS LONGER!!
I look at it this way....
Buy a NEW car and you are gaurenteeded to loose money as soon as you drive off the lot....
Keep a car that is "broken in" and you might save lots of $$$. Only you know the cars history enough to decide if it is worth keeping......

 

find a shop on http://www.minirepairshops.com/ or ask around to other drivers, there SHOULD be a cheaper dealer alternative nearby. If you have to do dealer try and see if they have a mailing list for specials and coupons. totally worth signing up!

 

Post removed

 

[QUOTE=ZippyNH;3916317]Feedback is ...
Is 29,000 miles that high?! Modern cars can easily go 200,000, even 300,000 miles...yes we do have mini owners who have done it....
And who goes to a dealer out of warrenty....they tend to swap parts...not FIX stuff...that is where the $$ is...


You make good points, My concern is that I don't trust the service from my dealer. I just found a independent shop that I hope will gain my trust. I have no problem keeping a car if I know I can get good service. I drove one car 21 years because I had a shop I completely trusted. If that shop would work on MINI's, I wouldn't have a problem.


Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B, MT, 29,000 Miles.

 

Another big repair cost not on the above list is clutch replacement which most long term manual owners will face sooner or later.

My 2011 Justa with 43000 has had wear/tear things replaced not under warranty. I replace cabin/air filter (cheap on Amazon) every 12 months and oil/filter every 7000-10000 miles. I replaced front/rear brake pad/sensors just after 40000. Plugs look pretty easy on the Justa which I plan to do at 60K.

If I can do the above then any local/non-specialty shop can ... and definitely cheaper than the dealer.

However, I too had considered doing a Hardtop "reset" and replace my 11' (paid for) with a new 13' as I'll be out of warranty shortly. After looking at the current value of my 11' and cost of a new 13' or 14' my position is the only scenerio where I'd be better off with a reset is if I blow an engine or transmission or the car suddenly turns into a lemon and I dont cut my losses and sell it. Since the Justas are pretty reliable and my car has received excellent maintenance I think the odds are very much in my favor that keeping the 11' is the correct choice ... doing the small stuff myself and leaving the difficult stuff to a local shop or even the dealer.

 

I have 103000 miles on my 2008 Non-S. I have had zero issues outside of warranty and my only warranty repair before that was for the oil cooler. Nothing but tires and brakes and fluid changes....