Mini of St. Louis currently shares their service department with the BMW dealership, therefore they are quite busy and usually booked at least a week in advance. (The BMW dealership is finishing a new building, so MINI should be alone by spring) Call them and ask for the MINI service adviser and he should be able to help you over the phone, or set up an appointment to come in. They have loaners, and any warranty work should be done free. The normal labor rate is $110/hr.

 

Good Morning Ms. Brit,

Thank you So much for answering my plea. I have a 2005 dark silver/ black roof 6speed (R53). I love it SO much!!! Not sure anything is wrong with her. Except, those first few cold days (30 some degrees) She complained about starting up a little bit. So, I am a tad bit concerned for her. Since, I bought her used, I thought I might need to have her checked out before it snows.

The speedometer says 7800 miles till I need maintenance- whatcha think? Is she OK- or should I make her an appt?

Also, are you happy with St. Louis service- do they cost a fortune?

I was told she still has a warranty- how does that work? (never had a car with a warranty before)

One more thing... Have you joined any clubs? That sounds like fun!

Thank you,
Andrea.

 

Hey Cube,

Thanks- I just saw your post- I really appreciate it! I am so glad to have found everyone here.

So, does your club want a new member? I think I might join you mini fanatics.

My mini is pretty much all alone here in Mattoon (although she does see a yellow one once in a while).

While, she loves keeping all of the attention for herself. A few friends might make her smile!

Thanks,
Andrea.

 

Regardless of what your speedo says until next maint - make the appt. You may get a free oil change regardless (if there is no record of one being done this year). With only 7,800 miles on it, I doubt that it has ever been in for an oil change. Do you know where it originally came from? Warranty work has nothing to do with the remainder of miles left until next oil change. As my MNI is still under warranty, I have never had to pay anything when I took her in for service. The first 3 years includes free oil, changes, etc, but you still have that 4th year or 50,000 miles to have other problems fixed for free.

I have been a member of the STL MINI Club since 2004. Although it is quite a drive to attend most events, it has been well worth it. Due to the upcoming winter weather, the Rallye's (drives) will not start up again until Spring, but you never know what the club may have up their sleeve for other events.

Happy Motoring!
MsBrit

 

I agree with the suggestion to call -- the number is 314-727-8870.

I haven't dealt with the service dept, but I can recommend you speak with Devin Pinckard even though he's on the sales side. Great guy -- I'm sure he'd be happy to help you with whatever you need. You can reach him at that phone number.

Dave

 

Thank you all for the great advice! I did call on Friday & spoke to the mini adviser. He was very nice & quite helpful I did not explain the miles on my mini very well It has approx. 21,000 on it. The dealership I bought it from took it in to get checked out before I bought it (Indianapolis). It has 7800 miles till next oil change.

So, the mini advisor said since the cold weather hit- they have been seeing quite a few mini's with the same problem. 1st, if I am feeding her 91 octane switch to 93 octane. I usually fill up at citgo (& I always give my baby premium) The inflection in his voice gave me the idea that he was not thrilled with citgo gas. I think I might change stations...

Another suggestion was to give her a fuel booster/ conditioner, before my next fill up, then skip on the next fill up, then give her the booster/conditioner again. Her said this is what they have been doing & it has been remedying the issue.

Whew! It made me feel a lot better

Thank you all for your great advice, it is such a relief to have everybody here.

Have a Great Weekend,
Andrea.

 

FYI, While Devin is a great guy, he's been gone for quite a while.

 

Ah, thanks, Mike -- I guess it *has* been over a year since I talked to him...

D

(Any idea what he's doing now?)

 

The reason BMW advisors do not like some fuel is the use of top tier fuel which is limited to few distributors. BMW insists on a top tier fuel to keep out carbon build up and will keep the oil cleaner longer. Philips, Texaco, Mobil are a few of the top tier fuelers. They keep the additives in that the lower octane does not have at other companies. Heard this from the Land Rover forums which have aluminum engines too!

 

I was just in for coolant renewal service at Autohaus in StL this past Friday and saw their top tier listing. Noticibly missing were Exxon/Mobil and Amoco/BP. It was mentioned that Exxon/Mobil fuel has been tested locally and showed higher than normal ethanol percentages. I don't know much, if anything, about the state testing procedures or if this is true.

EB

 

so, I should look for a Phillips or Texaco fueling station... Right?!

 

Here is a link to top tier retailers.
http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

Mark