Well, I'm right at 50k miles on my '06 MCSC, and the OBC has had me "come due" for exactly two scheduled services (oil change at 12,500 miles and "Inspection I" at 33,200 miles). The next service, another oil change, is looking like it's not going to come due until about 54,000 miles.

I got a free service agreement extension to 48 months/50k miles, and I'm really glad that I didn't pay for it, because both of the services I've gotten came due during the initial 36k service agreement period.

I've never gone more than 12 months between services, so I didn't qualify for any of the free annual oil changes, either.

At the rate I'm going, the fourth service ("Inspection II") probably won't come due until I'm past 75k, so even if I had extended the factory service agreement all the way to 75k miles, all I would have gotten out of it would have been the oil change at 54k. (Although I suppose it might have gotten me a brake fluid or coolant flush as well - do the dealers do those after three years or four years?)

I guess the point of my post is that if you're planning on doing a lot of interstate driving on your new MINI, think twice before paying for an extended service agreement, because you may not get very much out of it. Highway driving causes the OBC to *really* stretch out the service intervals, often to 20-22k miles or even longer.

 

Not sure I understand... you didn't use their free oil changes because it was changed before the service light come on? And as such, the dealer's oil change would be redundant?

As for the service contract, there are many items that need inspection (according to the Owner's manual). Your contract should have the details of what is covered.

 

No, I meant that I didn't get any "extra" free annual oil changes because I never went more than 12 months between OBC-recommended services. I took advantage of every aspect of the free scheduled maintenance period that I could, but in 50k miles that only amounted to the first "oil service", "Inspection I" and a brake fluid flush.

All of the required maintenance items have been performed when the OBC said they were due. That's the whole problem - if you drive a lot of highway miles, the OBC stretches out the service intervals so much that you simply don't "come due" for very many services during the free 36k mil period (or even during the extended 50k mile period, in my case).

 

I hear ya... I'm at 34k and some change and got the first oil change and inspection. I think I'll be over 37k before the next thing is due. I think I heard that they will do the service within 1k of the indicator. Maybe if I slow waaayy downnnn... NAW!

I'm glad I didn't opt for the maintenance part - not to mention that the dealer is several hundred miles away.

ScottRiqui I guess we should be thankful we get to spend that much time in our MINI's

Motor on!!

 

Ahh... I got ya. It's called advanced Teutonic engineering.... or programmers, marketing executives and bean counters!

 

How'd you swing that?

 

My car was one of the 147 2006 convertibles that was accidentally stamped with a 2007 VIN at the factory. The mixup delayed delivery of the mis-stamped cars by about a month, so MINI came up with an "apology package" for the affected owners - a $250 gift certificate, a free cabrio wind deflector, and a free extension of the service agreement to 4 years/50k miles.

 

Sweet!

 

How can I find out if the VIN is '06 or '07? I'm sure mine has a birth certificate crisis too.

 

Look at the 10th digit of the VIN. If it's a '6', your car is a 2006. If it's a '7', your car is a 2007.

If your convertible was one of the affected ones, the easiest way to check is to look at the VIN that's stamped on the passenger-side strut tower under the hood. If you have two VIN stampings there with one of them crossed-out, that's the reason why.

All of the mis-stamped cars were built around the first week of September, 2006. They were also all convertibles - no coupes were affected.

 

Thanks... mine is an 06.

 

You might want to double-check under the hood just to be sure - all of the other VIN plates/labels were replaced with the correct 2006 versions before the cars were delivered, so you have no way of knowing if your car was one of the 147 except to check the passenger strut tower.

 

I see... thanks!

 

Mini Service that I go to says that the oil/filter change is every 12 mo/12k mile, or service required, whichever comes first. Take advantage of the 12,000 mile oil change frequency. I have.

 

Ask your dealer to clarify that for you, because either they explained it incorrectly or you misunderstood. The oil & filter change is every 12 months or when the service "comes due", whichever comes first. "12,000 miles" doesn't come into play at all.

As an example, If you've gone eight months and 12k miles since the last oil change, and the computer is telling you that you still have 5k miles left to go, then no dealer is going to give you a free oil/filter change just because it's been 12k miles. You either have to wait until it's been a year, or until the OBC says you're due for service.

I took advantage of every aspect of the free maintenance period I could, but since I never went 12 months between OBC-recommended services, I was never entitled to a free annual oil change.

 

Sorry, I must have misspoke. I receive an annual oil/filter change.

 

Yes, I thought it was 12k miles too. However, when I called my SA he asked if the computer thought I was due...it said 6k more miles. My first free change was not until 18k miles. I am now going in for service Monday at 29k. Oil change not included. I assume my next oil change will be at or around 36k. I do my own intermediate oil changes between 6 and 8k miles.