My Coupe has just shy of 75K miles on it in 3 years. It's been a lot of freeway driving, from long commutes to road trips to Vegas, Arizona, and other places. I've done maintenance as recommended: When the countdown gets close to 0, I have the dealer read the fob and then I get the recommended work done--and not by the dealer.

When I started home from work on Friday night, the yellow engine light came on and my Couple felt off. It was stuttering and lagging. The manual said it was OK to drive, but not to push things. I took the (main) "back" road home, looking for an auto shop along the way, but being after 7pm, none were open.

So it was up earlier than planned to head to the (SF) dealer. But when I got there, they said that they only do "light" work on Saturdays, oil changes and stuff, and they had no one there who could do diagnostics. WTF do you open your shop and not have someone there capable of diagnosing problems? Or being able to fix them?

The guy also said that I shoudl be checking my oil levels ever 1K miles and changing my spark plugs every 10K. Seriously??? I felt like the guy was incompetent.

Fortunately, he was able to refer me to a nearby shop that was open. They did the diagnostic, found an issue with the #4 cylinder, and recommended replacing all spark plugs and coils. I'm pretty sure the cost, while one I really didn't want to start out my weekend with, was probably half what the dealer would have charged, so in a way it's a win.

He also found my oil down 3 quarts and topped it off. Admittedly, this isn't something I keep an eye on. When I've had my oil changed before, I've never been told that the levels had been down. So was this likely just a fluke? A side effect of the engine problems? Or do MINI engines actually have issues with oil levels going down significantly between oil changes?

Although my regular mechanic (who I trust) suggests oil changes every 7.5K miles, and the guy who took care of me on Saturday suggested 6K. I thought I had read in the the owner's manual 15K (for "normal" use), but I can't find that reference now. Who's right? What's right?

He also said that spark plugs should last around 60K miles. With my last car, a Honda Civic Hybrid, I believe the recommendation for changing spark plugs was around 100K. And I thought with modern engines and modern spark plugs, that was closer to what we were getting to. What should I actually expect for spark plug longevity in my MINI?

 

Spark plugs should be changed about every 60k miles or 4 years. Hybrids will have way less maintenance costs so that isn't a good comparison. Plus, every car manufacture is different. Always check your oil when you stop at a gas station to fill up. It's just something I was taught to do and of course isn't something you have to do, but it's a good habit. With your next oil change, throw in a BG MOA. It's a good additive to use every now and then to help prolong the life of your motor.

 

Your dealer really sucks.

As for reliability, I really don't trust a Mini after the 3 years maintenance program. Oil change are 10K or one year.

I believe as far as you go with OEM recommendations, you are fine.

 

Check your oil weekly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!

 

Yes, the oil starts getting drastically low once you get around 75K miles. I had mini check for an oil leak and they said there was none. So I am guessing the oil is burning off due to something being looser. I am at 100K on a 13' model and I have to add an incredible amount of oil (weekly). If the spark pugs need to be changed, you will notice some substantial performance issues and the engine light may come on. By the way, the door handles seem to be the part that breaks a lot. You can by some cheap at pelican parts.

 

Welcome to 2015.

 

Ve

 

I'm on my 3rd MINI, this one happens to be a R59, but that doesn't really matter

my 2 previous MINI I had for well past 75k miles and I saw NO ... ZIP ... ZERO increase in oil consumption.

I DO check my levels regularly but SELDOM add anything between oil changes which are typically done at FACTORY schedule .....

I don't dispute that previous post folks have cars eating oil for some reason .... just sayin' it ain't ALL .......

9 of 10 people look for a site like this so they can complain .......

 

I change my oil every 5,000 miles, check oil with every fill up. New spark plugs and automatic transmission fluid and inspect intake valves for carbon build up at at 50,000.

Three quarts down is a lot, they only hold 4.5 quarts, you're lucky that the engine wasn't damaged.

If your compression in the engine is good then the most likely culprit for high oil consumption is a bad PCV valve, unfortunately, it is part of the head cover and costs about $400.

 

My last Mini was a 2003 MC. I drove it for 13 years and 253,000 miles. Never burnt any oil, and the original transmission and original clutch were still going strong when I finally said goodbye (it needed cylinder work that would cost more than the car was worth).

That car didn't owe me a damn thing.

 

I got mine with 60k miles and all the coil packs went out a week at a time one by one failed within having it for 1 month. After I replaced all of them I have not seen any issues.