I just recently had my Mini Cooper S at the dealership for an oil change. I picked up the car and when I started it up the next day I realized the computer indicated that I needed an oil change in 4700 miles. Is that because they failed to reset the computer or they failed to change my oil?

 

does it specifically call for an oil change

or is it just indicating 'service'

when reset the counter just jumps to the 'next due'. You may have just had an oil chnage but the computer may think you need, for example, brake pads in 4700 miles.....

The GEN2 computer is trying to track more than the simple oil/service intervals of the GEN1. I just reset my GEN2 from a 15000 interval, and it too says something on the order of 5000 to next service. Toggle thru all the reminders on the OBC . . .

 

maybe your car was due for its yearly oil change , which they did , the yearly oil change has no reminders and they don't reset cbs countdowns for yearly oil changes. So its very possible they did the yearly but youll need your cbs oil change in 4700 miles. There is a whole weird calculator for figuring out if you can do the cbs oil change early that the dealers use that takes miles per year divided by x times y that says if you get a yearly or cbs oil change when so close.

 

I have a mini 2008 and don't have a clue about cars. I'm out of warranty and wondering when they say change the oil once a year, how many miles are they assuming you're driving. Also, how often should the microfilter be changed. I have 43,700 miles and just had my rotors changed in the front and have not clue if I really needed it. Supposedly I also had a water pump leak. They did show me where there was green stuff and cakey looking dry stuff under it. Did it really need to be replaced! Although, since having it changed, my heater is working much better - have no clue if there's a corolation. I'm taking my car back to the mechanic who had been servicing my cars for more than 15 years since the brake light is on - I wouldn't let them do the back brakes. Any general info on maintenance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

You're not necessarily out of warranty; the basic vehicle warranty is 4 years/50,000 miles. Perhaps you're thinking of the free maintenance program, which is 3 years/36,000 miles?

Regardless though, I believe MINI's recommendation for oil changes is once a year or every 15,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Most folks on the forum agree that 15,000 miles is an interval that is too lengthy, and seem to center on a 5,000-7,500 mile interval. It's not apparent from your post whether you have a Cooper S (turbocharged) or a "Justa" (base model) Cooper. In the case of the former, it's especially important to check the oil level regularly to ensure it stays within the proper operating range; otherwise, you could be inviting a host of other engine problems.

I don't know that I've ever seen a specific recommendation by MINI; I would change it either when it's visibly dirty or if you start smelling faint odors from the HVAC.

From what I understand, rotors on BMW vehicles (of which, MINI is one) should be changed with the brake pads. Apparently, the rotors wear a little more quickly than on, say, American-brand vehicles. At 43,700 miles, it's probably not a stretch of the imagination that you needed front rotors.

Based on what I've read on the forum, bad water pumps are probably more common on the MINI than you'd expect. Diminished heater performance would correlate almost directly to water pump problems; if the coolant isn't circulating properly, the heater core (which draws heat from the engine cooling system to blow it into the passenger compartment) won't be able to perform its function. Like with the oil, it's important to keep a close eye on the coolant level to ensure it remains within the proper operating range.

When you say you "wouldn't let them do the back brakes," I presume you mean the dealership who changed the front rotors? While it's unusual for the rear brakes to wear out as quickly as the front brakes, why were you unwilling to let them replace the rear brakes?

 

Thank you so much for your response. You have no idea how upset I am at my ignorance. I spent almost $500.00 replacing the water heater and then learn it was still under warranty!!! By the way, it's a basic model. This just goes to show I need to start reading manuals and do better research. Again, thank you for taking the time to respond.

 

Glad to help -- I think. I take it you didn't have the water pump replaced by a MINI dealer, then...?

Assuming that's the case, you might check to see if MINI will reimburse you for the water pump repair, which would have been otherwise covered under warranty. It's a long shot, but you might get a sympathetic dealer who will plead your case to MINI corporate...

 

I live in Laguna Beach CA and there's a well-known local used car dealer that sells mercedes, BMWs, porsche's etc. it also has a auto repair shop behind that specializes in the same type of higher-end cars. Franks Auto also has a collision body shop in San Clemente that did a fabulous job on my car when I got hit three days after getting my car then most recently when I was rear-ended. When I priced out pads and rotors at the dealership it was going to be $1000.00 Frank's was $488. From an ethical stand-point, shouldn't a reputable mechanic have suggested I see if the water-pump was still under warranty? He had told me I needed a 45,000 mile service for $250.00, front and back brake pads a rotors and the water pump for a total of $1600.00. He knew this was major financial burden and it took me quite sometime before I even gave them the go-ahead to fix anything. Finally, he said that I could wait a bit on the service and back brakes but the fronts and water-pump really needed to be done. It just seems to me, that he should have at least suggested i check on the warranty for the water pump. My question is, should a decent mechanic that works on BMWs, Minis etc. know that the water-pump should be covered. My only consolation is that had I taken it to Mini, I would have spent the same amount of money on the brakes. Next Sat. I'm going back to my trusted Midas guy who will check the rear brakes since my brake lights came on. Mida did quickly look through the wheels and from what he felt, said I could wait another 2,000 miles. It's been 7,000 miles since my last oil change so based on your recommendation, I will have them do that and check the microfilter. Thank you again. I do feel better know that I have vented. I don't suppose you're local and want to be my personal mechanic LOL

 

Well, giving Frank the benefit of the doubt, different manufacturers have different warranty periods; and the length of the warranty can also vary from model year to model year. He may not be seeing too many of the Mk II MINI's (2007-present), many of which are still under warranty (and the warranty period for which is longer than was the Mk I MINI's, if I'm not mistaken). Still, if he's going to be working on a particular make and model, one would presume he would keep up-to-date...

Best suggestion I could make is go back and politely discuss this with Frank. Ask why he did not suggest that you take the car back to MINI so the water pump could be replaced under warranty. If they really are reputable, I would think they'd try to help you resolve it somehow.

In the end, however, you may just have to chalk it up to a lesson learned... Sad, but true in this world...

You might want to check to be certain places like Midas can fit you with the proper brake pads; they tend to be "geared" more toward American-made cars.

Since it's a "baby BMW," when they reach the end of their warranty/free maintenance period, most folks seem to take their MINI to an independent shop -- or they do the work themselves -- because it's far more cost-effective than paying the dealer to do the same work. Don't know if there's a similar list of shops dedicated to MINI's, but here's a web site that provides some of the BMW independent mechanics; one in your area may also work on MINI's. If you have a more generalized shop do the work, you may have to resort to supplying your mechanic with the proper parts, obtained from your MINI dealer or other external sources (depending on the part).

Be sure the shop doing the oil change uses the proper oil for these cars. Here's MINI's approved list of engine oils (you'll have to scroll down most of the way down the page to find the list, which also calls out MINI's own oil: MINI High Performance Synthetic 5W30 oil, part no. 07 51 0 143829).

Well, I'm an engineer, so I'm not sure you want me to tinker too much with your car... But in any event, I spend most of my time in either Pittsburgh, PA or Lexington, KY -- and either is a bit too far from Laguna Beach to make my services useful to you... But if you ever motor up this way, be sure to stop by and say "Hi!"