Greetings!

The warranty on my 2013 Paceman has just expired and I'm curious to know what others do with regards regular oil changes etc?

Over the past 10 years I have always been driving MINI's that remained under warranty, trading them in as it expired. I'll be keeping this one. The dealer wants to charge somewhere in the region of $120 for an oil change, plus another $120'ish for an air filter that's due at 36,000 miles.

Can I take my MINI anywhere to have the oil changed? How will this affect the resetting of the onboard computer?

What about the air filter? Does the dealer need to do that or can it be done cheaper elsewhere?

Sorry for the dumb questions. I did try searching the forums but couldn't find answers to my questions. I don't want to pay dealer pricing if I can get comparable services elsewhere for cheaper.

Thank you for your insight.

 

All this can be done at any independant place. Even Jiffy lube will reset the computer and change an air filter. As long as you use recommended oil (synthetic) then you are fine.

Then again you will have crazy **** folks like me who don't use the dealer at all even for the free oil change because for one they don't allow oil changes in close enough intervals and their oil is not up to par IMO of course.

For me oil was changed at 1,000 (Mini wont do this for free). Then it is changed every 5k (Mini around 10k or when the light comes on) and they use bulk crap oil, I use Total synthetic that I feel is better and actually recommended for German cars.

Again all my own opinion and this debate goes on for hours and pages so I don't really care to debate, it's what I do.

 

Thank you for your reply, you're very helpful!

One follow-on question. When the dealer plugs my key-fob into their machine it then tells them exactly what my MINI is due for. Will the "oil-change" shop also be able to see all of this? Will they be able to tell when I need all the various bits of "wear and tear" maintenance?

 

welcome first time post person

there is a TON of information on this site that goes back to the introduction of MINI in the US. While some of us are happy to try and answer questions, we also appreciate those who read a bit before they ask ... or even use search ... I see you say you tried .... my search of 'oil change interval' found 52 possible threads. three samples:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...nge-reset.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...n-florida.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...questions.html

The oil change issue is undoubtedly on the top ten most frequently asked catagory, and around here if you ask 5 people their opinion you will get 13 replies, all different ....

A few thoughts on your question:

- the dealer is usually the most expensive place to get the oil and filters changed

- some say ONLY the dealer can be trusted to do it "right" and MINI IS a wee bit more complicated than most. However I'd also say that in over 40 years of car ownership the ONLY time I had the job messed up when not doing it myself, it was a dealer that messed up ...

- the procedure to reset the basic service indicators is in your owner's manual and is simply a set of button presses of the button on the end of the turn signal stalk which talks to the On Board Computer

- an EASY way to save money is to learn how to do simple maintenance tasks yourself. Changing oil, and the air filter is EASY with a few simple tools. If you have never done it B4 seek out a nearby MINI buddy who has. And there are many DIY guides available right here on NAM. Most backyard mechanics can handle brake pad and rotor changes too.

- OR, ask your local MINI buddies for a MINI smart mechanic near by. They usually charge way less than the dealer.

- MINI is designed to use a full synthetic oil and it is only WITH such an oil that the extended range between changes is achieved. There have been horror stories of aftermarket oil filters failing ... so the use of ONLY MINI oil filters is often recommended.

- On the other hand changing the oil way below recommended intervals is just wasting money. But the makers of the oils and the filters and even the garages are NOT going to turn you away! They LOVE your changing the oil 3 times more often than factory recommendations .... As an owner of MINI since 2002 I have followed the OBC pretty much and have not had a single problem ... none of my MINIs burned a drop or developed leaks or any other problem traceable to lubrication.

- your follow on question: only the dealer can read the data in the key .... or an indep' mechanic who has bought the software and there are not many of these . . . but 'problems' get recorded in the On Board Diagnostic system that ALL cars have now and these codes can be read by anyone with a generic code reader (available at any part store, harbor freight or amazon .... OBD reader.) Knowing what to DO about the code is another issue. Most maintenance issues are not unique to MINI and some of us don't rely on the computer anyway. Oil has already been discussed ... brake fluid flush every 2 years is a common interval ... brake wear is easy to check with a quick peek at the pads .. you don't even need to pull the wheel. I written on this many times ... search my posts with topic brakes

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BTW

The warranty on my 2013 Paceman has just expired

are you sure? did the warranty expire, or did pre-paid maintenance run out? different things

On the Roadster I just bought the maint' is 3 years and the warranty is 4 years ...

AND most dealers are HAPPY to sell you an extension to either .....

 

Jiffy Lube probably not, they will be just more generic to "most car" needs. Any reputable indy shop yes. They will have access to Mini recommendations. I could be wrong but it will be the same intervals for all the cars in that model years. So yes they can.

 

Thank you for linking to those threads. I guess my searches failed since I wasn't using the right terms. I appreciate your patience and your informative reply.

 

Many Dealers offer special price on oil changes. Mine is $69.95, car wash, and free espresso included. Nobody beats that price. Check dealer website for price. Air filter is a simple DIY item, dealer is overpriced as well as cabin air filter.

 

MINI dealerships are actually pretty competitive with the pricing (Starting at $69.95 at mine) of their oil changes if you factor pricing for full synthetic oil changes. They use OEM filters which is a plus over any quick lube place. They also use MINI Full synthetic oil. It's not "bulk crap" as stated earlier. It may be bought in bulk but it's not "crap" by any means. I recommend changing at least every 5k but if you're fairly light on the pedal or have a non S then 10k will be ok. You can do a local google search for either European shops or quick lube shops, note not all quick lube places will be able to service your MINI call ahead and check.
If you're not against changing your own oil I'd recommend getting a fluid pump from Bavauto.com or Amazon and suck the old oil out the dipstick tube. Get the socket for the filter housing and watch a couple how to's and change it yourself
Air filter changes and light resets are a breeze, easily doable by anyone. The manual can walk you thru how to reset your oil light or you can find a handful of videos on the interwebs that walk you thru step by step.

 

Capt_bj made a good point. Your pre-paid maintenance program runs out at 3 yr/36,000 mi, but the full factory warranty is good for 4 yr/50,000 mi, and I think when you say your warranty ended you mean the pre-paid maintenance one, not the full factory one. At this point, they will charge for those things you mention like oil change/air filter, but if something breaks they should cover it for another year until that bumper-to-bumper warranty expires.

I used to do all the oil changes for my previous 08 S, and it would cost me $27 for oil (Mobil 1 0W-40 from Walmart), $10 for filter, 30 minutes of my time and a few shop towels.

 

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