Hello Everyone!

I'm excited to be a new member to the forum and I'm looking forward to everyone's insight on these amazing machines.

I just recently purchased a 2010 Cooper S with 36k miles on it in Blue

I'm totally in love with this car and want to keep it running in tip top shape at all times. I already purchased a K&N air intake and it sounds fantastic.

My one question is, should I drop the $2k and pick up the extended warranty? I know it covers all the wear and tear parts such as pads & rotors, oil changes, spark plugs, etc. In everyone's professional opinion, is it worth it? I'm 24 and have the money saved up, I just don't want to be dropping hundreds of dollars on brakes & oil changes every time I turn around.

I actually had a blow out when I went over a pot hole of I-95 passing the Philadelphia Airport on my way home from work. (Shout out Philly Minis!) The tire alone set me back $290.

Let me know what everyone thinks and I look forward to talking with you guys.

 

the ext warranty does not cover wear and tear, there is a maint warranty which basically gives to 2-3 more oil changes and maybe 1 brake job, a waste of money IMO. If your talking about a ext warranty for major items maybe.

No tire is worth $290 for a MINI. Even a run flat which is a whole other topic, hate em and ditched them right away. Now a set cost me $400 installed.

 

I had to get it from the stealership, otherwise I wasn't really sure where to go.

When it comes time for new rubbers I'm most likely going to get a new set of rims with tires to save me in the long run on tires.

 

extended maintence covers brakes, all fluids, wipers, plugs, filters, aaaaand a new clutch up to 100K.

if you are paying $100 for mini to do an oil change, that covers half the cost right there over 100K........not to mention cost of brakes......and how much is a new clutch going for these days?

i bought it for mine because i do 36000/ year, and i like the piece of mind knowing my maintence is taken care of for a while.....its not likely to be a huge bargain, but more of a convience and it breaks up the cost of maintance over the payment period of the car.

as for tires, dont buy them from MINI.....Tirerack is great.....got a set of 4 runflats for $500.....

 

I consider extended warranties the same as snake oil. It's a lot like Las Vegas. Sure, there are occasional winners but in the end the house is the one making the money. I have never bought an extended warranty since I bought my first car in 1952 and have yet to regret my choice. If a guy was going to buy one I have to admit that a MCS or JCW would be the cars to buy one for.

 

I purchased an extended maintenance warranty and I can say without a doubt, it was a huge waste of money. Just do research for anything you want done. Most of the time you can find a DIY thread. For anything you can't do yourself, just find a good mechanic or shop that specializes in MINI's. They'll give you a better deal the the stealership ever will.

 

What you have described is the extended maintenance. If you plan on doing your own maintenance, it is likely not worth it. One thing is that the oil changes will be on their schedule, which is between 10k and 15k miles. This is too long, so you will need to pay for additional oil changes. Read up on this topic, I don't want to get into it (just plan on changing every 5k, and check your oil level weekly until you figure out if your car uses oil or not).

These cars require maintenance and repairs, they are not as reliable as a Honda or Toyota. Again, read up on things here.

Welcome to the club.

Have fun,
Mike

 

10-15K?.......my car pings me right at 9K for oil service.

 

They changed the schedule a year or so back. My '12 originally started out with 15K miles to go for service, now starts at 8K or 9K.

 

If he has the 205/40/17 tires then I understand why he might have had to get them from the dealer. I got a blowout near rockford IL and nearest MINI dealer was about 60 or more miles away (on RFT so I could still move but slowly). Called every tire shop in a 10 mile radius, none had the same size in stock. Ordered a tire (RE960as RFT) from Tire Rack w/ overnight shipping for about 200, had to stay overnight in a hotel in Rockford. I'm definitely not surprised at how much the dealer charges! It's unfortunate but i think they are one of the few brick n mortar places that have the 17" option in stock.