I've been lurking here for a few months, trying to soak up as much of the wealth of information I can. I've had my 2010 MINI Clubman S for about 2 months that I got with 7K on it.

I tend to hold onto cars for a very long time. The last two cars I drove I had for 14 years each putting roughly 200K on each (a bit of overlap on the two... dang, that made me feel old )

Hopefully, I'll be able to get that kind of life out of my MINI. From the information I've gathered here, this is my plan to keep it running for the long haul:

1. Change the oil and filter every 5 - 7.5 K (haven't decided yet on the cost-nuisance/benefit ratio yet)
2. Ensure proper oil level
3. Seafoam treatment every oil change, putting some down the crankcase a couple hundred miles before an oil change
4. Techron treatment every other fill up
5. Don't get slack with other standard maintenance items, filters, fluids, etc.

My daily drive is 18 miles the majority of which is highway. From what I've gathered, getting it up to temp on a highway drive will help with the carbon build up.

Since I got mine with minimal mileage on it, I'm hoping that sticking to the plan will give me the service I got out of my other cars.

Is there anything I've missed here? Anyone have any comments on my plan?

Thanks for all your insight and wisdom in all things MINI.

 

I'm new to MINI as well 2013 Clubman S. I really do wish you well on being able to keep the MINI running till 200k+. Your plan looks sound although (from my reading), the carbon buildup and cleaning are inevitable. The Techron treatment might not be as useful because you have a direct inject engine. Fuel system cleaners were nice in nice direct inject engines because the injector spray could clean off the carbon on the back of the intake valves. No such cleaning on a direct inject engine.
Late model MINIs are higher maintanence vehicles and do not seem to be easy to work on. As much as I enjoy working on cars and tend to fall into the "drivem into the ground" school of practice, I am not going to hold onto the MINI for as long as I held on to my Honda (22 years)

 

Yeah, the Techron may not do much for the carbon, but I figure it will help keep the rest of the fuel system degunkified.

Oh, I forgot to put on the list 93 octane "top tier fuel". I know that it will adjust to lower octane, but I figure keeping it running within the parameters it was designed to run can't hurt for the longevity.

I'm curious as to what the consensus is on pure fuel and whether there is any advantage for the MINI.

Both of my previous long runners were Honda products, one of them a minivan that had three transmissions in it. Other than that, they were pretty tolerant of lax maintenance. From what I've gathered, the MINI will get persnickety if it feels your devotion level is not high enough. I hope yours is a good one and gives you many years of good service.