So i bought my '10 r56 MCS from CARMAX in Kenosha, WI, only 15 minutes away. and they say they will do discounted oil changes, but i would like to take my car to an actual mini dealership for all my service. But the nearest dealer is almost an hour away. If im correct, does anyone have any incite on how much these service appointment cost at a dealer? And im sure they are more reliable towards knowing what they are doing. Thanks in advance for any info.

 

Oil change at the dealership can vary anywhere between a $70 "special" they normally market, or up to $130 on a walk-in basis with no special pricing. I say DIY it, it's not that hard at all.

 

knauz auto is about 20-25 minutes south of kenosha on us 41

i bought my mini there and my dad bought his there

i do not know what they charge for an oil/filter change, we are still in the free change time and i do my own changes half way to the scheduled change

scott

 

knauz mini is running a special right now, $69.95 oil/filter change

http://www.knauz-mini.com/Specials/auto-service

scott

 

Unless you have some warranty time / mileage left on your MINI, I'd suggest you find a good independent mechanic in the Kenosha area that services MINIs and BMWs. Oil changes are easy, just make sure you or whoever does the work uses an approved synthetic oil. One would think that a dealership would provide superior MINI service, but that is a false assumption. Several independents can do just as well or better. The only thing for certain regarding dealership service is it will be more expensive.

 

Its not that i dont know how to do an oil change, i have on all my cars and trucks, i just like going to the dealerships:D haha but for the vehicle check ups i feels more comfortable doing myself

 

As a long time MINI owner - one of the best things you can do is get in touch with your local MINI club ( you don't have to join ). Go to one of their "cars & coffee" meets or something and talk to the members - they will tell you who the good shops in the area are ( and the good dealers ) and who to stay away from. A little time & effort invested now can save you lots pain & suffering down the road - trust me - and you might make some new friends

Good luck - I hope you love your MINI as much as I loved all of mine!!

 

Not for nothing, but why would you buy any car where the closest dealer is over an hour away? Especially a German/Brittish car?

 

Well knauz is the closest dealer, but we have shops and specialty shops, ( the euro shop) but i bought it because i love it, regardless of the drive to a dealer

 

Would you know how i could find one? I've been interested but havent looked yett

 

well said

 

In my case, it's because that was the reason that I didn't buy one ten years ago... and I've been kicking myself ever since!

Not that I don't like my current vehicle, but every time I've seen a MINI I've wished that I'd just done it. (It's probably just as well that I didn't, though, because MINIs were having some build quality issues then.) So now I'm waiting for my MCS to be built.

 

If you keep scrolling down in the main forum - you will find a heading labeled regional clubs ( or something like that ) Find your area - East Coast - Mid-West - Etc -- and go from there. That is the first thing I would do. The 2nd thing is google MINI clubs in your area / zip code - and look up other car clubs on google for local car shows and see if any MINI's show up there - if they do then you can see if they are part of a local club, etc, etc... Also as a last resort some local dealers and MINI shops will tell you who the local clubs are and how to get in touch with them.

Hope this helps

 

One advantage of at least one trip to a MINI dealer is that they can confirm the service and warranty work that was done over the car's history. Once you have this history, you can search this forum to find out if there are common issues that have not been done. There was a recall last year that you will like to confirm was corrected.

If your local dealer has a special for $70, that is not a bad deal. 5 quarts of synthetic oil is $25, a filter is $8/10, and you may need a special wrench for the filter (you may need this eventually anyway). To me, an extra $40 to learn something about a new car is worth it.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Thank you all very much you've all been super helpful, its awesome!