I am taking the pirate ship in for her first service and I was wondering what to expect...? After jumping the VAG (VW Audi Group) because of poor parts, poor service I don't have a clue what to expect...



Cost of service?

Why would my brakes be squeeking already when coming to a stop?
What about the odd sound I hear when engaging clutch from a dead stop... is that clutch chatter?



Anything I should make sure they do on the first service? Sorry for the newb questions... This is all new since 10 years of VAG ownership...



-Rick

 

Your first service should be free. As far as the brakes are concerned, there BMW, change to aftermarket when they need it. Not sure about the clutch but have read other posts about clutch issues.

 

I just had my first service which was due to over a year of motoring not mileage and it was free. They did however not reset my counter for service that way when we take the MINI across country in a few months we can get her serviced again when we make it to Texas. I have had an occassional brake noise but have been told that its pretty normal especially for only 5k miles. Hopefully your service goes as smoothly as mine did!

 

The first service is indeed free. It's basically an oil change, and they will top off fluids and check over the car to make sure everything looks okay and is running correctly.

Ask them about your other two issues when you bring it in and they will check it out!

 

In addition to an oil change, you also get a new cabin filter.

 

All your service for 3 years/36k miles is "free" ("prepaid" is a more accurate term). They'll do all the stuff other folks have described, and they'll probably wash your MINI too (so if you're a perfectionist self-detailer, go in with a wash avoidance strategy).

The clutch squeal sound is probably due to the dual-mass flywheel described in much detail on other threads. Make sure you report it when you bring the car in. If your MINI is like ours, it will not make the sound for them while in their custody. (Ours seems only to do it the first few times after the car has been sitting at least overnight or even longer--seems to be some temperature/humidity interplay as well). Your goal at this point is to get the problem mentioned in your service record before the car goes out of warranty.

Expect also that your appearance will trigger a tickler for your salesperson (aka "Motoring Adviser") who will coincidentally happen by to say hello to you.

 

Since you have an 06, there's a chance your service advisor will know what's on the car and what service it may need.