I took my car to Creveir Mini In Cali and wanted to do a good thing and do an oil change at 2000 miles just for a little extra precaution and they would not do it for a penny under 195.00. Naturally I did not do it because I was born two days ago and not yesterday. 115.00 now oddly sounds reasonable and 3.00 dollars instead of 4.00 for gas sounds good too.

 

TOMM9050 is right! My dealer, Mini of South Atlanta(formerly Hank Arron Mini) did not charge one cent. They also did some other minor tasks as well and were happy to do them.

 

The service tech pointed to the rubber mount inside the upper right shock mount. Said it was cracked and they replaced it. I did remember hitting a pot hole not long ago. M7 Strut bar so no "mushrooming"

 

I had an extremely bad experience with a Jiffy Lube (previous car) and would never go there again. There have been a number of posts on NAM about quick oil change places putting inferior quality fluids in cars and causing major damage later on. Find a mechanic who knows and respects MINIs, or pay the dealer price. In the long run, that extra $60 could be a bargain.

 

and that was on a R53? I have been looking for R56 mushroom reports, but haven't seen any, then again some recommend buying plates or a strut bar just in case... I may do this as well

 

Another good point is that since interval is so high, you can divide the cost by the number of times you would have changed your oil at 3 to 5 k (in the days of old).

 

whoa, someone hates their car !!
crossthreaded or stripped drainplugs assuming they remember to put the plug back in, and then some non-synthetic cheap-o oil, a budget oil filter that may fall apart & plug up the galleys, and who knows what wiring/connectors/hoses they break in the process of getting the filter in/out.
just wait'll you have to pay for the repairs out of pocket & try to get jiffy lube to reimburse you.

 

Can a mini really go 10 to 15K miles before an oil change? I though the rule of thumb was 3K miles if you want your car to live a long life.

 

That is miles to go, not change-at-this-odometer. Your 8600 plus 9000 is 17,600 .... at the moment.

 

The 3K miles is for older cars with dino oil. The synthetics hold up much longer. Whether it is wise to go 15,000 miles between changes with a turbocharged engine is a matter of much debate here. You will find numerous threads arguing both sides.

 

The best time to do oil changes is an oft-discussed topic 'round here. You will find two camps--those who are content to follow the service indicator and those who change their oil more frequently. I don't think I've seen many people change at 3k; I've seen 5k talked about, and some will change within the first 1k-2k and then a little less frequently after that. The general line of thinking is that while synthetic oil allows for longer intervals between changes, it does not hurt to change it more frequently than is recommended and is felt to be a kind of insurance against failures down the road.

I suggest searching on terms like "recommended oil change" if you'd like to read up on what's been discussed.

 

9.5K so far and I'm never going to change the oil I want my car to stay original.

 

That tank is only in the way on the S model. It's also a heckuva lot easier to get to than on the r53.

of course they didn't if you were there on a regularly scheduled oil change. first 3yr/36k miles is supposed to be free. For sure all the other minor tasks were things that are also covered under your maintenance plan or warranty.

 

My OBC started out something like at 17000 miles. Currently I have 7000 miles and it says 16000 miles when I start the engine. Does it mean the next change is going to be at 23000 miles?

 

I also bought from crevier. I knew about the $150+ oil changes going in. Also the finance guy told me very honestly that the Mini will "service like a 3-series".

As far as I'm concerned this is fine. I get 3 years free maintenance through them after that I'll play it by ear. I knew going into this that I was entering the world of german service rates. For me it was worth it for the Mini's performance and because I was considering a 3-series at the time.

Though this is your choice I thing you need to also ask yourself how important the interim oil change is to you. I think as far as damaging your car the metal shavings would be preferable to what Jiffy Lube (or any other "jiffy" oil service) would/could do.

 

You can't always trust the dealer - the dealer stripped the drain plug threads on my R53. I only found out when I did my own oil change 5k miles later and the plug came out with strips of aluminum thread from the oil pan. I ended up fixing it myself as I didn't trust them anymore - I drilled out and tapped the hole and used an oil plug with a drain valve so it will not have to be removed again. This cannot be done with an R56 as it would stick down below the oil pan.

 

It's actually easier on the R56, particularly the MC.

Also my SA told me they'd change it free at one year even if I still have miles to go.

"just make sure you don't break the clip that holds the inner part of the filter in"

There is no clip in the R56 filter housing. Unlike some earlier R50 versions which had a spring loaded clip in the filter housing, that some inadvertently threw away.

I used our local quick lube place, Express Oil Change. They are SE based. I have used the same one for years. They've done both my Honda's since birth. They are also full service. I took my filter and oil and was charged $26 for the service for a grand total of about 65 including parts. They get a lot of BMWs. I just asked for a tech who knows BMWs. You can stand right there and watch them do it. The tech was very careful with the filter housing to not over torque. I also personally hand the guy underneath the new copper drain plug seal to make him aware that it is to be changed. What is as important as to where you go is building a continuing relationship with who you go to.

 

You either missed this post, or misunderstood it. The answer is yes. You should note that the OBC adjusts as time goes by. When my odometer showed 2 miles, the OBC showed 24000 to go. I'm at 12,600 now, and the OBC shows 7000 to go.

 

Who did you talk to? Was it Mike or Fred?
I'm a little surprised that they jumped $50 considering how good they are for everything else.
If you go to any dealer you are going to pay a lot for service work, it's the way of the car world and at least with a MINI you do get 3 years of scheduled service built in.
Most of the oil change mania has been surrounding the MCS with its turbo charged engine, the likelihood that there is actually any metal from break in in your oil is slim to none because of the way engines are made now v yesteryear.

If you still want an oil change either jump on nemini.org and ask around for a recommendation to an independent in your area of NJ or contact Lordoftheflies here on NAM via PM. He'll be able to help you out.

 

My OBC readout has never changed. It started at 18,000 miles. After 6,000 miles of driving it was still showing 18,000 miles. I took Romi in and got a software upgrade and an oil change.

Now she shows 10,000 miles and has not changed yet, but I have only driven about 400 miles since the trip to the dealer.

I stopped changing my own oil in all our cars when the state raised the reclamation fee for used oil. By the time I bottle up the used oil, drive it to a reclamation center, pay the fee, and drive home, I almost save money by not changing it myself. Same with batteries.

 

Actually, mine did the same thing and the dealer said that it was a glitch...been in 2 times to have the thing reprogrammed from a MINI tech and it still doesn't count down at all....they even had someone come in from MINI to do it the 2nd time and he couldn't figure it out either..they said to just bring it in when the odometer hit 15,000 and not really go by what the countdown says

 

Surfblue says: Don't take this personally, but in general, if this oil change stuff keeps up, I'm gonna vomit on my keyboard. If you're a PROUD girly girl, then know your limitations, pay a professional and PROUDLY PAY to have it done. You DO mention that WE bought a new house, and although in these times people vary, (and that's OK) but I assume you have a MAN of the house? Real men DO DIY OIL CHANGES. You say, "metal shavings"...forget that. These are modern engines, not a 1927 Morgan.
Oil changes are absolutely 180 degrees out from rocket science. There is a LONG explanation or two (one of them mine) inside this overall forum. You need to buy a FEW simple and not that expensive tools, a five quart container of oil, an new filter an oil collection and storage pan (that will fit right under the car. You run the left side wheels up on a couple two by fours to angle the drain to the low side, you pull the plug, let the hot oil out...the thigh bone's connected to the leg bone, etc.
I have little faith in so many posters on this group, who just can't seem to wrap themselves around this procedure. Sometimes I honestly read this site and I feel I bought the wrong car, NOT because of the CAR, but because I have to associate with other owners. OK, my negative side is run down. MOVING ON: Here's another positive thought. CONTACT your local Mini club. I KNOW that you have one in your area without even looking. Bond with them. Find someone to show you how to do it. This is called OWNERSHIP in the largest sense. IF you lived an hour north of San Francisco, I'd be PLEASED to put your car and your husband in my garage and show him exactly how it's done. It's an hour job, even allowing for oil drainage, which is most of the hour. So see, even ol Surfblue has a nice side.
And I say again, if you're truly a proud girly girl, pay up.
BTW, you mention that next car, you're going CHEAP. Well, you just spent a pile of dough on a nice car. You can use it, you can abuse it, you can lose it. Your choice. BTW, your next car should be a Toyota Yaris. It's super reliable, easy to maintain, and BOY are you gonna miss that Mini every time you actually DRIVE the Yaris. But you'll be out less than $13k delivered for your stripped down basic hatchback. And it will run to probably 250k without a hiccup.

 

woah!!!
even us girly gurls can change our own oil.. maybe its just a matter of her learning how to do it.. not everyone is in"tune" with their car.. and why do you have such little faith in someone who cannot change their own oil?? And you know you DON'T HAVE TO associate with mini owners, but apparently you can stand it long enough to post 409 times.. sorry not everyone has your acumen when it comes to changing their oil... I for one, went to the dealership when my car's oil was changed the first time, got right in there with the mechanic, took pictures, and learned.. not everyone has the time, nor the want to do so. Not all us girly girls have to pay up.. your post, antagonized me slightly.. and my husband who is a soldier? a real man as you might put it.. doesn't do oil changes on our car.. i do.. hm.. i have deployed to iraq as a civillian, have put up 150 meter masts, weighing 150 plus pounds and worked as hard as a man.. does that make me a real man, because i can do a man's work?

 

MINI charged us $74 three weeks ago. I can, have, and DO change my own oil in our '64 corvette, my '05 SSR, my '48 chevy truck...and countless others, but on my mini and volvo, let the dealer do it, I have it in there for service anyway and it really isn't that expensive when you look at the interval between changes.

Many people choose to pay for that luxury because they want to, not because they have to or are incapable of doing it themselves, regardless if they are man or woman.