Has anyone in Tampa used any particular garage for oil changes after your Mini is no longer covered by the warranty? I'm considering a garage called Charlie's British Cars. I left a message for them asking if they service Mini Coopers. I don't want to drive to Palm Harbor from North Tampa and pay a ridiculous amount just to get the oil changed.

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

You could do it yourself if you have a couple of wrenches and a few minutes ?

 

Oooh! That's not really an option for me. I'd rather pay for someone else to do it. (Besides, I'm not patient enough to do it properly. )

Hmmm... how far do you live from Tampa?

 

Oops! Just noticed that you're in Canada.

I don't think I could afford to pay you enough to
make the trip to Florida.

 

I'm in the US - I'll bring the tools if you supply the beer. And a place to stay. Preferably on the water.

 

You are probably looking at a little bit of research. Start with independent service shops that do BMW service. The filter fousing and the socket that is needed to remove it is a standard BMW service item. Also, the procedure for replacing the filter is very similar between BMW and MINI (locations are different, but the torque settings are the same).

 

You might try asking over at www.sunshineminis.org; I got mine done at MiniWerks in Largo (just a 5.000 mile one before the 10,000 scheduled oil change).

 

Ralph @ Miniwerks could probably get you squared away, he is sponsoring our rally next month, you should come out!

 

Thanks for the suggestions from everyone!
Now I have a way to get started.

 

Heh, heh, heh...
Maybe we could switch Mini's and coast's for a few days...