I've read a few threads with folks pondering whether or not to purchase MINI's extended maintenance plan.

After a few rounds of clarifying "extended maintenance" (essentially, pre-paid routine maintenance services) as opposed to "extended warranty" (essentially, an insurance policy that pays for things that go wrong), the discussion gets down to "is $xxxx.xx a good value for the Extended Maintenance Plan?".

I got a mailer from my local dealer yesterday with a pitch for the EMP, and some cost breakdowns of what might be typical expenses over the course of the plan (in this case, allowing 3 more years of maintenance services, or through 100k miles, whichever occurs first). It was illuminating to see what MINI expected to be serviced during this period, and their estimates of how long wear items last (brakes: 20-30k miles, for example).

I put together this chart that lists the service items MINI included in their breakdown, along with the costs. The selling point here was that there'd be $5500 or so of maintenance needed over this time, and it's a better value to pay $1895 for the plan, up front. For me, I do a lot of my routine maintenance in my garage, with my "free" labor, so I wanted to confirm that doing these services on my own would be even more cost-containing.

Here's the chart. I used RockAuto for parts quotes, choosing "good" parts that I'd buy myself in each case (i.e., good brands not "economy" choices). The clutch disc replacement isn't apples/apples: MINI only spec'd the disc being replaced, I can't imagine not renewing the pressure plate and bearing while it's apart. So I priced a whole kit, and used AutoMD for a shop labor hours estimate (9.1 hours) since that's something I wouldn't try myself.

There's a "standard scope" service which I'm assuming is a routine "hook it up to the computer and see what's up" type of thing. I can't do that at home, and I wouldn't choose to have this done "just to make sure" if my MINI wasn't ailing. I'd also change oil more frequently than once a year, and do.

 

Nice comparison. I do perform few routines in my R60 but decided to get the EMP. So, if one get the EMP for around $1700, it will definitely pay itself...I think I paid $1780....again thanks for the chart..

 

Looks like getting the extended maintenance might be worth it for a few extra dollars more than doing it yourself.

 

Very good info. Do you know if the plan pays for other things like batteries, air intake filters, and spark plugs? I'm planning my next car purchase and have considered buying an EMP with it. The bad thing is that I put about 24k miles a year on my car so the coverage would only last about 4 years.

For now, I do my own maintenance on my '09. I even get MINI to pay for most of the parts. I use a MINI credit card for all of my routine purchases and expenses and then use the rewards points at the dealer's parts counter. I just hope they don't cancel the rewards program!

 

Like you i put a lot of miles on my car and the emp has worked out pretty well so far in less than a year MINI has paid for 2 oil changes, wiper blade replacement, and parking lights. Yes I could probably saved a few bucks and done the maintenance on my own but I work 6 days a week so my day off is pretty busy. Something to be said for jumping in a loaner and continuing on with my day.

 

the maintennance plan includes oil/filter changes whenever the OBC counts down to zero, or yearly on a low mileage car

mine came due at 7,900 miles (from 9,000 when new) and the dealer set the next due miles to 8,000

so with my level of driving, i will be getting 2 "free" oil/filter changes a year from mini, i also do a change 1/2 way in between myself

when mini changed the oil, the invoice showed projected rear brake pad change at 17,000 and front at 22,000 ... at that rate i'll get 5 rears and 4 fronts in 100,000 miles

my dealer gets ~$90 for an oil/filter change, 12 x $90 = $1080, over 1/2 the cost of the plan right there

i have not asked the price of brakes, but the SA said they always replace rotors with pads/sensors, so i am sure the plan is going to be a win for me just on brakes and oil/filter changes

i do plan to keep the cms all4 at least 6 years, my last vehicle purchase was 17 years and 289,000 miles ago and i still have it

scott

 

We were told that the Clutch was not included in the extended coverage. We asked the Sales/Finance person three times and he said, "The clutch is not maintenance. EM covers brakes, filters and oil." We said no thanks to that....

If the Clutch is included then I see the value in the EM.

 

my contract specifically says the clutch is covered ... the gotya is it is not covered if it is "abuse" instead of wear

my sister has the ext maint on her hardtop and has received 8 rotors and pads so far and a new clutch in just over 50k miles ... at the dealer rates, that alone covered the cost of the contract

scott

 

The bulk of the EMP "value" is in the assumption that:
a). you will need to do the clutch job
b). EMP will cover it without undue "abuse" exceptions.

With 10+ manual cars that I've owned over the years, I've never had to do a clutch job. The longest I owned a car was 250K miles - still on original clutch.

If you have a history of wearing out the clutches before 100K miles, and have reason to believe the dealer will not weasel out of a clutch job - then it may be worth the DIY time.

Otherwise, it's a lousy deal.

a