I know the recommended first service is at 15K and it can vary depending on driving style/conditions. When I start mine up I now see 17,000 and the date 3/2009 on the tach. I used to see 16,000 and when new 15,000. Does this make any sense (I have 1,200 miles on it)? I'm not feeling comfortable with that. I know many have just had their oil changed on their own. But will the dealer only service under the agreement (MA says they charge $120) if the service indicator shows it's due? Comments appreciated.

 

My first oil change will be done at 1-2,000km. 5,000km for the 2nd change oil and every 5,000km afterwards

 

just one of those quirky MINI things. Mine started at 10K, after a few weeks jumped to 17K, now its at 11K. I have over 10K so I'm getting mine serviced next week.

 

I'd call your MINI service department to make sure you get the right answers to your questions, but I'll offer what I think I know: The difference in the mileage to your next service is due to your MINI adjusting it to your driving conditions (eg, short trips would decrease the service interval, whereas mostly highway driving would increase the service interval). The time to service (3/2008 in your case) is based on 12 months from production and should not change. I don't think your MINI service department will provide free service until your mileage interval reaches zero or your time interval occurs. I know some are doing routine maintenance, especially oil changes, at more frequent intervals. However I talked to a good technician who worked for BMW for 20 years who said he never saw an engine problem as long as the service interval was followed. The MINI uses a synthetic oil which does not break down like traditional oil.

 

Thanks, coloradokid. The service indicator is an old BMW feature. I had the same thing in my 1988 325is, and it adjusted for driving style (and the current OBC is identical to that one). I suspect you only get free service if you reach one of the indicated points. I'll check mine again, but I thought it said 3/2009, not 2008. I guess they know what they're doing, just to old car guys like us it seems like a long time between oil changes. I was uncomfortable with 7500 miles on my Jeep that I traded in.

 

Do you have the correct date in the OBC? There's no way it is scheduling your service 2 years away.

 

The OBC date is correct, the the thing says service in 2009, not 2008. I did not check the times setting to see if the year is correct but I will.

 

You don't say what year/how many miles are on your car. The service indicator does adjust for the conditions of your oil and driving patterns. If your car is very new, the 2009 indication is possible, but is as meaningless as the instant gas mileage reading. Also, if your car is new, the service is free. $120 is absurd for an oil change. But, MINI dealers have come to understand they can easily rip off us MINI owners.

 

My indicator reads 18,000 miles and 1/2009. I have had my mini for two months and driven it 3300 miles, most of them in highways. About 3 weeks ago, I the dealer changed my flywheel and clutch. When I dropped off the car, I also mentioned the inidcator issue. They ran some tests and figured there was no problem. I am guessing that this issue is also related to how you shift. I usually shift at around 3000 rpms, not forcing the engine, which in turn does not damage the oil as if one when where shifting at 4 or 5 thousand rpms. I have though of this, so am not sure.:impatient

 

That is totally over the top and not good for the world's oil reserves

MINI would not advocate oil changes every 20k miles or so if it was bad for the engine.

Sure, get an early oil change after run in, but after that trust MINI's advice.

 

My current date and year are correct, but I only have 1200 miles on it, so the fact that it says service at 17k and 3/2009 is probably true. I can get synthetic oil/filter for $50, and I assume the synthetic they use at Mini is the same as they use at Goodyear. Thanks for the comments.

 

My service indicator was stuck at 14K miles for up to actual 3,500 miles. Then the indicator dropped to 13K miles. Based on what is posted above I'll watch to see if the indicator "adjusts" to my driving style. BTW my wife has a BMW and the indicator decrements as she drives.

 

Are you serious--kilometers?

 

BMW/Mini wants your engine to get to 100000 miles and then you buy a new one. If you change oil every 6-7000 miles you'll get double the miles out of the engine. If you plan on having the car for less than 100K miles then the recommended 17K mile oil changes will be fine. Bottom line is the longer you wait between oil changes the earlier the engine will have problems.
BMW claimed they had "lifetime" fluid in their automatic transmissions and there was no need to change it. They found out that was not accurate but it took them ten years before they put a drain plug in the automatics. Not much different from oil changes.

 

As an engineer myself, I have to say thats absurd, absolutely absurd.
But you go on thinking it, I'm sure you think you're right.

 

You may be an engineer but perhaps you should talk with a seasoned BMW technician. Those are not my thoughts about which I wrote but those of a technician with over 30 years experience with BMW.

 

Mine seems stuck on 15,000 after 4300 actual miles. Started at 15K, and never moved. As mentioned in a previous post, very little city driving, and I get on it every now and then.

My previous car was an MB SLK230 and they would reset the service indicator for 10,000 miles. I would usually get more like 14,000 actual miles before it counted down, and I'd get it serviced as soon as it showed 2000 to go.

 

I was concerned about the mileage fluctuating on my service indicator also. I got down to 10,000 miles on my odometer and the service said 10,000 miles also so I called my MINI dealer and they told me that I had 10,000 miles to go before they would change the oil. The miles given on the service indicater is the miles to go before you change the oil, not the miles actually showing on your odometer.

 

my MA said regardless of the OBC reading (and b/c we won't put too many miles on it a year) they will service it yearly regardless.

 

Mine said the same.

I went in there Monday to see if I could schedule on since I'm at 12K now. (I got the car this summer) He plugged my key fob into a reader and it said it wasn't due for about another 10K miles! But he said if I hit the year mark before the computer says to bring it in then I can just bring the car in and they'll service it.

 

I picked up my MCS from a software update, Monday. Before I took it in I think the miles to service was around 16,000 and the date to service was May 2009 (two years after delivery). I have about 5,000 miles on the car. Now it reads 9,000 to service, but still says 2009.

 

My service indicator is also showing the service date as 2 years from the date of manufacture. My car was manufactured last October and my service indicator is showing the service date as October 2009.

 

The OP is back after the thread aged 7 months. I now have 10k on my car and the indicator says 17k to go, so it really hasn't gone down from May even though the car was almost new then. I think it's been determined that the "date of next service" is a year off (ie if it says 3/2009 like mine does it's really 3/2008). That makes sense because I bought my car in April. I think I'll just do it then, only a little over 2 months to go. I've seen the indicator as low as 13k I think, so it does go up and down. My old BMW indicator had a series of indicator lights that went out with time.

 

If in doubt, DIY it at every 5K....

 

When not in doubt, do it when the car says do it.