I have a Certified Used Mini next with extended warranty until the end of May 2015. What things should I look for in the next few months before the end of my coverage. In the last 18 months I had the following repairs:

Timing Chain / tensioner, new front and rear brake pads, new front brake rotors - 48,500
Walnut media cleaning of carbon build-up - 51,000
Water Pump - 57,300
HPFP, Alternator Belt, Valve cover / oil line, thermostat housing - 62,750

Currently at 66,500 miles.

 

Clutch will be your next big ticket item, if you're out of warranty it could cost you in the area of $2,600 if you go with a stock replacement, to upwards of $3,000 with an aftermarket setup.

 

I just replaced my stock clutch with a stage 2 Kevlar clutch and a lightened steel flywheel from JMTC after my factory clutch started to slip. It was not not under warranty as it is a 2008 but only had 30K miles. I know that not everyone has the ability but if I would have know what a huge difference this would have made, I probably would have done this even before it started to slip. The car is a different animal now. All I can say is wow. This is how MINI should have made it from the factory. But it was not a cheap fix...

 

Goodluck. I would sell it or trade it in. Out of warranty can potentially lead to headache and $.

 

The problem I have with trade / sell is this car is just about perfect for what I wanted. It has the Sports suspension, factory LSD and thats about it, no sunroof or sound system upgrade. I Autocross and don't need the extra's but do want the LSD and sports suspension, if I trade or sell I'm not sure I'm going to get what I want. The N18 Cooper S cant be optioned with an LSD, same for the JCW. I also don't want to start another car payment all over.

I think I have about 30-40k miles before the big items come up again (excluding the clutch) in which time I could pay off this car. But then as others have noted this car can get expensive to maintain when out of warranty I just don't know. .. ...

 

Look for a fair offer on trade in for a new car. Driving my Mini is probably the most fun I've ever had driving a car and I've had a few but, I would not own a Mini that didn't have a new car warranty. My '13 Justa Hardtop will be gone before its warranty expires.

 

If this is the car you want, then fix it and keep putting money aside to pay for the fixes. Get very proactive on maintenance--maybe invest in the tools to do a timing chain measurement, and do that every few oil changes? You'll at least know when things start going wrong that way.

If you're paying someone else to do all the work, that's less of an attractive option... Unless you can set up something with a local specialist, where he will do the measurement for not that much extra $$ every few oil changes because you are having him do all of the work to the car... Might be worth talking to some local shops.

 

be friend with ur dealer and extend the warranty (the mini XL one) lol

 

If you are mildly competent DIY-er, MINI is a great car to own.
If you can't turn the wrench, then MINI dealership will undress you every chance they get. A number of times I was quoted higher service estimates for the same jobs by MINI than BMW (engine oil change, transmission fluid swap) - that is just in-excusable.

I am happy to own an out-of-warranty MCS.
For the jobs I can not or choose not to do myself, I have a trusty independent shop on stand by.

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