Hi all,

I wanted to throw something up the flagpole to see if anyone here might salute!

A very close relative of mine lives in Reno, where he has made his living as an Advanced-Level ASE-Certified mechanic for 35 years. He is also a Mini maniac. In fact, there are about 15 Minis in our little circle of friends and family, many of which he maintains (R50, 52, 53 and 56). That number will soon increase when I finish building my house up at south shore (can't wait to get back home!).

The question is this: how many of you out there feel there is a need for a dedicated Mini shop in the Reno area, and how many of you would see yourselves using that shop should it open? This relative is seriously considering dropping what he's currently doing and opening up a shop that services and mods primarily Minis, and perhaps other enthusiast makes as well if the demand is there. As with any big change, he just needs a little nudge, which is the point of this post. He has a diagnostic computer, dynamometer and other test equipment, and has extensive experience not only working on and setting up Minis, but also super-exotic sportscars and racecars such as old Ferraris, Jaguars, Porsches, Cobras and McLarens as well. The guy knows his stuff and would love to put that expertise towards something he really enjoys (as opposed to doing it for the man, as he currently does)!

Please sound off if this is something that might be useful to you or if you have an opinion on the matter one way or another.

 

I've been taking my MINI to Sacramento for service in part because the service has been good and because the car is still under warranty. However, once the warranty runs out, I'd seriously consider a local place to go for repairs and maintenance, especially during the winter when storms often make it difficult to get over the mountain. Of course, I would want the shop to be competitively priced.

 

Yeah, it wouldn't make much sense if it was more expensive than Niello. That's pretty well understood

One reason it's being considered is that we've heard from quite a few people either that they are tired of having to drive to Niello or for service or that they are unhappy with the service they get there.

Thanks for the input.

 

You know 15 mini owners? You should start a club! I had my mini re painted,new windshield and rainbow taken off by Gison's Autobody in Reno. What is the name of your relative's shop? And wait and see we may be getting a mini dealership with the new Bill Pearce BMW. I started Sierra Nevada Mini Coopers in Oct 2005 but can't seem to get interested minis so we are working on a web site.I am also involved with the Sierra chapter of BMW club. Good luck in motoring. Lisa

 

The good news is that their MINI dealership is open and they are performing service work. The bad news is that they are charging $120.00 for an oil change. For warranty service and maintanence, great. As I am out of warranty I'll only use them for very MINI specific work.

 

YES! That would be amazing! While Bill Pearse has opened a dealership, their customer service blows, and I only met one guy who actually is a Mini enthusiast....and not their "specialist" [who has probably never even driven one!]
I would LOVE a Mini shop, with someone running it who actually has had and loves minis.....especially modding them!

 

I'd love to have a trustworthy place to have the MINI serviced in Reno, but to be honest I don't know if there are enough MINI's in town for your friend to make a living. I think that will change if you consider that Bill Pearce MINI is now open in conjunction with the offering of the Countryman All4. That model should be hugely popular in Reno / Tahoe but they won't be out of warranty for a few years (I just ordered a Countryman All4 from Bill Pearce MINI. It is replacing a Jeep GC.)

Maybe if it were a Mostly MINI and also BMW?? I have two out of warranty BMW's plus an R53 that is also out of warranty. I have them serviced at Bavarian Professionals in Berkeley. They are knowledgeble and fair, plus they provide old beat up BMW's as loaner cars if you plan ahead. They are a BMW shop, but they service the MINI's as well and it has become a good chunk of their business. Bay Bridge Motors in Oakland is MINI first, BMW second (Never gone there, but have heard good things.)

 

C&C Automotive in Sparks does good work on MINI's. Dave Capurro, the owner, used to do all the work on my Caterham Super 7. He's very knowledgeable and honest.

 

I'm going to be due for a routine service here in another 2500 miles or so (that will go by quickly with the way I drive ) and my car ('09 MINI Cooper S) is no longer under warranty. The MINI dealership here in Reno has been great to me, but their prices for simple stuff are ridiculous. I would definitely consider a local shop that specializes in MINIs. Keep us posted!

Thanks!

-Gil

 

As I said, C&C. I now take my car to Devine Automotive. You don't need a shop that "specializes" in MINIs. Pearce is a real rip-off. They told a friend she needed work done that didn't need to be done and the work that they did was way too expensive. She used to drive to Sacto before Pearce opened and now uses Devine.

 

Thanks! I'll check out C&C as well as Divine Automotive. Thanks for the tips!

-Gil

 

I'm now going to KSpeed in Sparks for any work done on my MINI. I had to get an engine replacement for my car, and they broke (as well as forgot to re-install) just as many things as they fixed. They refused to pay for the parts that they broke, too. A guy that I autocross with takes his MINI to KSpeed as well. Cory's the tech we always see.

 

To directly answer your question: No, I do not see the need for a dedicated MINI shop. Any good mechanic can work on them and I'm very happy with Devine Auto. They do good work at reasonable prices

 

There is a difference between "any good mechanic" and a mechanic who understands the tuning and secondary market of these specific vehicles. I would never have Devine install Dinan on my BMW, for example. There is a reason why shops like Mini Corsa are so successful, because people want to know that a mechanic understands their vehicle.

But more importantly, since the question was asked five and a half years ago, before Reno even had a Mini dealership, I think it's kind of irrelevant now.

 

"But more importantly, since the question was asked five and a half years ago, before Reno even had a Mini dealership, I think it's kind of irrelevant now."

I must respectfully disagree that "it's kind of irrelevant now." I have taken my MINI to Mini of Reno three times and three times I have had very disappointing experiences.

The first time they did a 4-wheel alignment and told me there was something wrong that they could not remedy. I later had Les Schwab check the alignment and they said it was well within specs. The second time Mini of Reno told me that all three power steering hoses, being six years old, began leaking at the same time. The details are more complicated, but that is the gist. The last time I brought the MINI to Mini of Reno for an oil change and a check engine light. They changed the oil and then tried to send me on my way without even mentioning the check engine light. They also found a slight oil leak, but didn't make any effort whatsoever to diagnose the source. They just sent me away.

So, in my humble opinion, we still do need a good dedicated MINI shop in the Reno area. Until then, it looks like I'll be going back to Niello in Sacramento.

 

Any good mechanic can add a Miltek header and muffler and do most of the upgrades that MINI addicts do. For a Dinan system go to C&C Motors. He does head flow bench testing and head porting and has worked on racing Corvettes and Porsches. He also did an engine rebuild and conversion on my Caterham Super 7.

As I said, and others have said, avoid Pearce Motors like the plague.

 

I would certainly use him! I'm planning some mods. I've worked on my own cars for years and am generally comfortable doing so... Though now I am becoming too old and fat to be crawling under a low sports-car. If it's on the top of the engine, I'll do it myself... anything more involved than that (suspension work) I will take to a shop. If there's someone local here that knows their way around an R53, I would go to them in a heartbeat! In the interim, if he's down for some side work I'd be interested in some help. If this is of any interest, he can PM me here. My next mods will be BBK, Rear sway bar, obx header. Not sure in what order yet.