I have an 09 JCW clubman that seems to have pretty much every problem listed in the TSBs

Mini of Sterling has done a great job of fixing all of the issues as the components fail -- timing chain and associated parts, malfunctioning comfort access module in the driver's door that was randomly unlocking my car which I didn't notice until someone took advantage of the unlocked car to steal my $500+ phone, clutch failure, sunroof that needs to be adjusted every couple of months, random pieces of trim that have fallen off, etc.

Now that I have almost 30K miles on the car I need to decide if I want to purchase either the extended warranty, the extended maintenance program, both, or just switch to an independent mechanic once my warranty expires.

I was all set to purchase one or both this morning when I dropped the car off, but the person selling the policies was such a moron (NOT like the rest of the staff at Mini of Sterling who are always polite, well informed and helpful) that I left without doing so.

Telling someone that their expectations are too high for an automobile when it has been in the shop for warranty work every about once a month for over a year is NOT a very good sales technique

 

Shop around and see which dealer is offering the best price and get yours to match it. I ended up getting mine for $200 less than I was originally quoted. I extended the maintenance based on the service intervals and the projected cost of a clutch, brakes, spark plugs every 30K at $90, etc. I'm sure others will say not to but I'm not the guy that can slap on a set of brake pads in my driveway.

 

extended warranty for sure...We have a 2008 clubman and have used it quite frequently.
They replaced a turbo in Denver under warranty Ralph Shomp rocks...

 

Yes!

 

thanks! I am not going to buy the warranty from the guy who was so rude and condescending yesterday -- even though everyone else at the dealership is awesome, I don't want to reward his snark with a sale -- but will start calling around to see if I can get a better price

 

My dealership told me it's $5k to extend the warranty on my JCW, but they barely had any info on it. True?

 

I was quoted $2800 a few days ago with a deductible of $100.

 

To extend it for how long and how many miles?

That's pretty pricey!!

 

They came back with $2500 for 6 years,100k miles.
I'm at 3 yrs 46k right now.

 

Sweet -- which dealership was this? Mini of Sterling wants ~$4K to extend my warranty and I am in an 09 with 28K miles

 

Vista Mini Coconut Creek,FL

 

Have you considered trading the car? Sounds like a lemon, I've have owned dozens of new cars and never ever had one that needed to be fixed once a month. Surprised you have'nt gone postal with Mini USA.

 

the only reason I haven't "gone postal" on Mini USA is because Mini of Sterling has been so incredible.

They have gone above and beyond my expectations to make sure that each issue is repaired quickly, properly, and under warranty.

Everyone there -- except the one finance guy who didn't seem like he really wanted to sell me the extended warranty -- is always polite, friendly, and helpful.

They always provide a loaner if my car cannot be fixed in a reasonable amount of time (hours, not days!) and have been very quick to acknowledge when something is a known problem and reassure me that once they fix it, it is fixed and I won't have to worry about it any more.

That said, I don't know if I will keep the car if I can't extend the warranty for a reasonable price.

For a lot of people a Mini is a fun, cheap car. My JCW is the most expensive car I have ever driven and as much as I love her, I cannot imagine a car that cost more than twice what my last new car did (2002 Honda Civic Si Hatchback, $19K) that seems unlikely to last half as long.

If I had not been run off of the road by a jerk in a much larger vehicle who either didn't know or didn't care that my car was in the lane that he changed into, that car would probably still be going. At 126K miles I was saying "this car is getting old and a little shabby looking and is going to start needing repairs soon," but had not yet found another car that I liked enough to be willing to make monthly payments on.

When my car was totalled and needed to be replaced, I looked at literally everything in -- and out of -- my price range and a Mini was the only car that met my needs.

I was not worried about either spending more than I had wanted to or financing the car because I have always kept my cars for so long, but if I had to trade her in because of reliability issues, buying this car would turn out to be a very costly mistake

 

thanks! I don't know if I can find someone locally who will price match that, but I am def going to try!

 

Just got the EW on our new MINI. $2500 for 100k B2B

 

i was quoted 1800 for the 6yr 100k in Winton/Salem....and until i read this post thought it was high, i have 18k on my 09 and like many, run out of warranty in 2 months....been in the shop many many times so i guess I'm pulling the trigger on this..thank you. If you were wondering whats been fixed/replaced on my JCW, Engine, Transmission, clutch, throw out bearing and now its in for possible turbo failure.....car just went into limp mode for no reason...Other than that, she's been great! the engine cost alone to rebuild was 14k FYI...

 

These stories are exactly why I decided to lease my MINI. I'm "on the older side" and have never leased a car in my life, but the reliability issues I've read here made leasing seem like a good idea. The car will be under maintenance and warranty the whole time I have it.

 

most of my problems came after my warranty ran out so I would extend it for sure if you are going to keep it for a while.

 

I bought my mini used, so I got a great deal on an extended warranty from my CU, $1900, $0 deductable. Normally I don't buy them, but I heard that turbocharged MINI's were less reliable so I bit. 2 months after driving it happily my CE light came on and I lost power. Brought it into Orlando MINI and turns out they needed to replace the turbocharger. Had to wait a couple of days for the EW inspectors to come out, but when I came to pick it up, they handed me the keys and I drove off with no cash passing hands! That one trip alone paid for my warranty and then some.

 

I'd get the warranty.

The maintenance plan is a toss up. Personally, I think the factory maintenance intervals are too long and they don't cover enough due to the "Lifetime" fluid crap. So their maintenance is bare bones minimum at an inflated price that typical Indy mechanics would beat. However, the fact that they cover brakes as well does redeem it somewhat. Though for long term care, I would still recommend finding an Indy mechanic to pretty much double down on their change/maintenance intervals. So you end up paying Mini as well as an Indy... You would have to make that decision on whether it is cost effective for your convenience or not.

 

I was quoted at $1670 by mini of Montgomery county.

 

I was quoted $3900 for 3 years 72K miles thru MINI or
$2800 thru LDS which is Louisiana Dealers Service.

I have had LDS on 2 other cars and never had a problem having anything paid for.

 

I ended up getting the aftermarket warranty from Mini of Montgomery County for $3350. It was more expensive since I waited til I was at 44K miles, but I am now covered up to 104K.

 

I bought a 2008 a few months ago and inherited what is left of the 100k maintenance and extended warranties. So grateful someone bought it! It has saved me about $4K in about 2,000 miles. Radio receiver ~ $2200, AC compressor, just the part is ~$1K, plus a valve cover gasket replacement, not to mention R&R front brake pads. All zero dollars. There was a transfer fee on the extended warranty, but the dealer paid it!

 

I'm about to run out of my maintenance plan, not sure what to do. I didn't even use the plan to its full capability, I currently have 26k on the car so I don't know if it's worth extending it for another 3 yrs....any thoughts? My dealer said it would be $1795....