Hello, I recently purchased a used 2009 mini cooper base. I got it from a regular used car lot, not a mini dealership, and I am not certain what items need to be checked. It has about 24K miles and recently took it to a local mini dealership to take care of the maintenance items as indicated by the dashboard signals. The two items that the dashboard told me I had to do were break fluid flush and vehicle check. So I did those. I understand that vehicle check is where they just hook up some computer diagnostic thing and it tells you something is wrong? Nothing came back from that.

Are there any other maintenance items that I need to keep in mind aside from the dashboard signals? Or can you simply rely on the dashboard to tell you what needs to be done? Is the dashboard signal "smart" (for example, does it somehow detect the quality of the motor oil and let you know when you need to change it?) or can someone just reset that thing without actually doing the required maintenance?

 

all the warnings are based on miles driven except the pad wear which has a physical sensor. Can you reset 'em w/out doing the work? YES except for a worn pad wear sensor.

there ARE slight adjustments based on how the car's computer sees the car driven - in other words, hard acceleration and hard braking sensed by the computer will shorten the service intervals 'slightly' ... and 'nanny driving' like I do can lengthen the intervals.

What did the MINI dealership say? Most will take a look around - you want to have a conversation with your service manager.

I'd be doing a visual check on the brake pads & checking cabin filter, engine air filter, brake fluid is a factory 2 year change out

{you could NEVER change the oil, but reset the counter anytime it popped up}

 

You should be changing the oil every 5k miles despite what MINI recommends. This seems to be the best thing you can do for it. Also make sure to check your oil every other full up.

 

I agree with the oil comment, the car will wait about 15k before telling you to change it. When you took the car to the dealer, they check the key fob, which records the maintenance history of the car. They would have told you if you needed a cabin or air filter, for example. They would also have told you if there were any recall work that needed to be done (I don't think that there are any on the base cooper).

Enjoy your MINI, and welcome.

Mike

 

I should've been more inquisitive, but I wasn't so they didn't say much. They just did the break fluid flush and didn't offer any additional comment on the vehicle check.

Didn't understand what you meant on the above.

 

Thanks for the oil change tip. It should be ok to do the oil change at a quick lube place right? Should I ask for any specific type of oil?

So besides what the dahsboard tells me, is there any other maintenance stuff? I guess I'm more used to the traditional maintenance schedule that dictates a certain check list of items every x,000 mile interval. Does Mini not have that kind of maintenance schedule? I guess Im not so sure about trusting the computer to tell me what is due, especially when the various check lights can be reset.

 

You should ignore the recommendation for a 5k mile OCI. That is way too short for synthetic oil under normal driving conditions. I think your owner's manual should list recommended oils. If not, signup on the Owner's Lounge - they are listed there. They are all synthetic with weights varying slightly by brand. I'd probably go to a good independent shop instead of a quickie lube place.

 

Only synthetic oil for a Mini Cooper otherwise the warranty will be voided. Mini only says that for scheduled maintenance the coolant should be changed every 2-3 years, the brake fluid every 2 years. I agree that the oil should be changed more requently and at about 7k miles. I had the same questions as you when I got my first Mini and I called my dealer to inquire. This is what they said to me. The 36,000 miles of free scheduled maintenance should set you up for many miles of great motoring. More or less they said "drive it until something is wrong". Have fun!

 

check post #4 and #14 here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ggestions.html

 

Hi and welcome.

Do yourself a favor and buy a Bentley Service Manual. Even if you don't do any work on your car, it's a great reference for all service questions.

Now, on to the deal...

ANY car with a service plan, (MINI, BMW...) is a marketing ploy. Yes, all recommended service is included for the first 3 years of ownership, but what they don't tell you is that they ONLY care that the car gets out of the warranty period without completely falling apart. They DON'T CARE if it dies after that. So they only include and provide the most basic, service.

If you plan on keeping the car for longer than the warranty period, you need to be more proactive with preventive and routine maintenance.

1.) You still need to check the oil level. Free maintenance doesn't mean you can ignore everything.

2.) Modern synthetic oil will last longer than conventional oil. After sending oil samples to Blackstone labs for analysis, I've set MY schedule for oil and filter changes at 8,500 miles. The analysis showed the oil to be near the end of it's useful life with wear particles and components of the additive package being used up. This was based on my driving style, and particular to MY car. (your mileage may differ...lol)

3.) Manual or auto? If manual, I'd change the transmission fluid every 30K miles. I have no idea about an auto. Lifetime fluid is a marketing term, and really means it will last until it dies from neglect...

All other service items should be listed in the owners manual.

Have fun, motor on...

 

Thanks for the link.

 

Mine is manual. I will take a look at the owner's manual again. I skimmed over it the first time.

 

IMHO I would NEVER take a MINI to a quick lube. Find an independent MINI shop for the peace of mind of having it done right.

 

+1

There are only 4 different oils that MINI says you can use and each of them is specific. http://www.miniusa.com/faq.jsp?categ.../maintenance-m

Just because they say:
"Oil types
Do not use oil additives as this could result in engine damage.<
Approved engine oils
Your dealer can advise you on which engine oils
have been approved by the manufacturer of
your MINI.
The engine oil quality is critical for the life of the
engine.
Only use approved High Performance oil.
The approved oils are SAE 0W-40, 0W-30,
5W-40 and 5W-30.<
Alternative oil types
If the approved engine oils are not available, up
to 1 US quart/1 liter of another oil with the following
specification may be used:
API SM or higher"

So just because it says these weights doesn't mean that is all you need to notice, the approvals and brand make a difference, even it the numbers are different. Check out the link above and then choose one of those 4 oils. I use the MINI oil from the dealer because it shows a record of that oil being purchased int heir system and it is no more expensive than trying ot track down the right stuff in a parts store at the same or a higher price than the parts counter at my dealership.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt_bj
{you could NEVER change the oil, but reset the counter anytime it popped up}
Didn't understand what you meant on the above.

the computer is, for everything other than the brake wear sensor - just counting miles. If you tell the computer you changed the oil it says OK - has no idea if you changed it or not . . . SO you could tell the comuter you changed it for years and never actually change anything. Not recommending that tho.

I've owned MINI S since buying my new off the lot 02-S in Oct of 02 and now have a 7 S as my daily driver. I drove the 02 about 95,000 miles changing the oil per the computer (which was always more than once per year) - the car didn't burn oil when new or when I sold it. My 07 gets driven little since I've retired and I'll do the oil every 6 months or so mostly because it is my hobby now - I tinker with my cars. While I was under warranty, I changed the oil per the computer or once every 12 months per the owner's manual.

 

For the sake of chiming in... I have a 2012 Cooper S that I bought new and will be putting a ton of miles on. I've had it since June of 2012 and I have about 15k miles already. My thought process is as such:

I have no doubt that modern synthetic engine oils are capable of lasting every bit of the interval that MINI recommend via their little computer reminder system. Assuming you drive nicely and maintain the proper oil level, it should be fine. I drive like a nanny most of the time. My commute is almost entirely highway and I don't generally speed or do much out of the realm of mediocrity.

BUT, sometimes, I like to give it the beans and drive like I'm recreating the Italian Job. What does bother me is the idea that I could be driving around on 10k mile old oil and then wake up one day and want to drive like a madman. The last thing I want to do to my engine is thrash it on old oil. So what I do is change it every 5-6k miles. I take it to the dealer and let them do it. They're aware of my modifications and my service manager has made it clear to me that I'm not the only person that brings their turbo Mini in for service on a shortened schedule. She said many people do, and they seem to last longer that way.