What kind of timelines and plans are you using for maintenance? I want my mini to be around for a long time...

I have a 02 S and it is just comming up on 50K miles. So far I have:
changed oil at 1500, 10K, 25K, 30K, 45K
changed out front brake pads at 40K
I will be doing an oil change and rear brake pads this weekend

Whats next? What plans are you putting together for your mini's longevity?

Is there anything critical I have missed?

 

coolant might be the next thing you might want to change. :smile:

 

15K between oil changes twice?

You can read all kinds of threads, do a search, on how often to change oil. I can only relate what was told me by a shop owner. MINI warrants for what 50K? After that, they dont care, your problem. Since they are paying for those 15K oil changes, wouldnt it seem natural that they space them far enough apart to ensure your car survices to 50K? After that what?

Just a thought on how often to change oil

 

fluid every 30,ooo (DIY).

fuel filter every 4o,000.

engine air filter at least every 15,000 miles.

platinum plugs every 50,000

upgrade your spark plug wires to magnecore

 

Here is my maintenance list/schedule as it currently stands (I revise it from time to time). These are the longest intervals for service/inspection--most of these are/will be addressed more frequently:

Every Week:
Wash and detail inside and out
(actually every 3 days on average)

Every 14 days:
Check oil level
Check antifreeze level
Brakes: check fluid level
Power steering: check fluid level
Wipers: check fluid levels

Every 30 days:
Check all lights and bulbs
Tires: check pressure and tread, reset tire monitor

Every 60 days:
Shocks: check for leaks
Shock tower mount area: check for distortion

Every 90 days:
Battery: check terminals and cables
Belt: check for loose or worn belt
Hoses: check for leaks or bulges
Brakes: check pads for wear
Wiper blades: check for wear
Wax exterior paint

Every 180 days:
Rotate ignition keys to keep both charged
Apply dialectric grease to both ends of all plug wires

Every 3500 miles:
Replace oil and filter
Check wheel bolt torques with torque wrench (88ft.lb)

Every 5000 miles:
Check spark plug torque with torque wrench (20ft.lb)

At Service Interval Indicator:
MINI Oil Service (Replace oil and filter)
Replace microfilter
Check brake pads with MINI tool, replace if needed
Grease wheel centering hubs
Clean brake pad contact points in calipers
Replace wiper blades
Check parking brake actuation, adjust if necessary
Reset Service Interval Indicator
Stamp warranty book pages 11 and 16.
MINI Inspection 1
MINI Inspection 2

Every year:
Rotate and balance tires
Wiper blades: replace
Pressure wash undercarriage
State inspection
Inspect entire body for rust

Every 2 years:
Replace brake fluid
Check AC refrigerant level and pressure

Every 30,000 miles:
Replace (JCW) air filter

Every 40,000 miles:
Replace spark plug wires

Every 60,000 miles:
Replace belt
Replace brake pads
Drain, flush, and refill power steering fluid

Every 100,000 miles:
Replace (JCW) spark plugs
Replace O2 sensors

Every 4 years:
Replace coolant
Replace hoses
Replace transmission fluid


This schedule complies with every MINI Warranty requirement and recommendation listed in the Owner's Manual and associated literature.

To keep track, I use a program called Automotive Wolf. I invoice all service, including car washing and gas fill-up, and the program sends me alarms when things come due, and I can even scan in invoices and receipts.

 

thanks tarzan this is exactly what I was looking for!

 

Dang, I thought was **** about maintenance until I read Tarzan's post.

I keep track of mine on an Excel spreadsheet, along with a record of all fuel used.

 

Change your brake fluid! Flush it and keep it clean. Every 2 years at the most.

Mike

 

That was very helpful Tarzan! WICKED!!!

 

Wait a minute...so you only rotate your tires once per year but you change your oil every 3500 miles? That does not make any sense. Synthetic oils are designed to last a looooong time without breaking down. Granted if you do a lot of autocross or track events changing your oil at a more frequent interval makes sense, but they you'd also be rotating your tires more than once per year if you did those things. Your MINI uses a synthetic genuine oil (a rebrand of bp's Castrol Syntec) that will last a minimum of 7500 miles before you even need to think about changing it- actually more like 10,000 but very few people side from geeky engineers like myself will actually trust those formulations for that long.

I recommend you rotate your tires a bit more often and extend your drain intervals by 3500 miles. No point in spending all that extra money for synthetic is you are going to treat it like a conventional.

Anyway, just my $0.02

 

Just took the MINI in along with my fiance's BMW 325ci Coupe for their scheduled maintenance and the MINI was due for the Level 1 service inspection and a brake fluid flush. I had both done and the MINI passed inspection with flying colors! I couldn't get over how thorough the inspection was. Wow. It gave a wonderful peace of mind since I just bought the MINI this past January.

 

Holy 6 year old thread

 

Thought it was time to bring it back to the top of the list so other new folks can use it like I did.