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Comments
I'd say just put the $950 a year away in a savings account and use it if you have to.
Besides you still have 11,000 miles on your full warranty, and even with the extended plan, you'll be paying your own maintenance.
These extended warranties are really just insurance policies in which the insurance company and you are betting against each other. They are betting $2800 that you will spend more money on their warranty than they will on your car---and statistically, at least, based on a lot of Minis, they will win.
sometimes all it takes is a big hammer
In a triage of this type, some repairs are marked "urgent", some "inspect in 90 days" and some "not needed at this time".
I don't see why you couldn't get 4 high-quality tires balanced and aligned for something like $600 out the door, tax included. If you have the dreaded run-flats, see about switching those out for regular tires and a can of tire sealer.
Here is what is happening, one of two choices;
1. The dealership needs money as many are scimping on repairs and want to get as much as they can from you, they will also likey suggest that you only maybe do half of it now. That way you will pay only 2k and be happy about it!!!!
2. They are trying to steer you to a new car, by making you feel your existing one is going to cost you so much you can and should think new. This will also help them get you to take a low ball offer for trade.
Find an honest independant shop that can inspect your car and never ever go to that dealer again, punish them for treating you this way.
Ray
Just so you know if the dealersip did work on your car without you oking the work in writing ahead of time I am not sure you have to pay for it.
Ray
Sure sometimes you can get away with just a pad swap and not replacing the rotors but the new pads most likely will not last as long. You might be able to do that once but not twice as the rotors on most newer euro cars are too thin and too soft to turn even once.
Generally the new pads will last half as long, sometimes less, when matched up to the old rotors.
That is not cheap at all.
Thanks!
my girlfriend and i are thinking to buy a mini cooper. try to find a cheapest one. both of us just started to work no long ago, so we can't afford a fine one. but, there is one thing we are really concerned about the car maintenance. i heard it's VERY expensive. anyone who has the experience can give me a clue how much might the cost will be in a year. thanks a lot. reply or e-mail me both are fine. [email protected]
Any modern car is expensive to repair if it breaks (labor rates are the same for a Honda or a MINI) . The idea is to buy one that isn't going to break.
The supercharged / turbocharged models will cost more to maintain than the non-aspirated engines.
You want the N12 1.6L non-aspirated engine, not the older W10 which is Chrysler sourced from the Neon, of all things.
thanks michelle
MINI shot my warranty when I made this apparent to them and denied knowing of such a defect. They lied to me about how many previous owners there were. Carfax said 11 owners. MINI told me I was the third. Bottom Line:
I had to pay 4k for a new trani, engine flooded this winter in an 11" puddle which cost me 7k, and before that the Harmonic Balancer became..unbalanced and fell apart while overheating my car. Now the replaced trani certified by Mini is acting the same as the bad one..MINI will not stand behind their product because they are simply lemons in a cute shell. Anybody else with specifially an 02 or a manual relate to this trani or Harmonic Balancer issue?
The 11" puddle is a separate story in its own..MINI intakes are very low to the ground, not even 8" I would say. A big storm hit our city and I drove through an 11" puddle. In that instant the intake sucked up the water and it mixed with my synthetic oil. Since a piston cannot compress water or anything but oil, the piston could not be stopped and proceeded to blow through my engine block. Therefore I needed a new motor which = 7k. So be careful when driving in heavy storms.
The new transmission is covered under a 2year warranty by MINI which is up next month..funny how that works out. So we will see the outcome of all of this.
I'd certainly have the car thoroughly checked out before you bought it. These cars are not cheap to fix.
I have couple questions :confuse: and maybe you can help me to figure out something.
1) What's the life expectancy of mini coopers?
2) It's over 100K now, i'm not sure should I trade-in or just repair everything then keep driving it.
3) What kind of problem I might face in the near future for this high mileage car? I always use synthetic oil while doing oil change.
Thanks in advance for your time.
Do a simple google search on mini and transmission problems. I think you will find for the first generation of cars the transmisions are problematic. I am told by a collegue that the new ones are much better as the transmission has been redesigned.
Did you say you just bought the car?
Did you do any research before, did you have a mechanic check it out?
R
As for the rotors, if they were measured and if they measured under the safe thickness, then yes, replace them. Coolant and brake fluid flushes are a good idea.
No sure I'd replace an 02 sensor if it is working properly. If the car never had spark plugs and wires in its whole life, then yeah, you're due.
I replaced the plug wires and plugs on my 2003 MCS at 65K, and I will be doing the coolant flush and brake fluid flush in the Fall. I have the 6-speed transmission, so I can't comment on the automatic other than to state that list price for a new one is indeed almost $7000. :surprise:
Of course, one rarely plugs in a brand new factory transmission---one repairs what one has.
Thanks.
I have a 2003 Cooper S with the 6-speed and supercharger, so I avoided both deadly bullets of the original base engine and CVT and my car has been great.
So yeah, with the new engines and the "normal" automatic, a lot of MINI problem are solved as of 2nd generation cars.
I think I'm going to buy a base MINI hardtop-I just starting selling them last month. What has everyone's experience with them? They don't have any of the BMW finickiness to them,do they? I've heard people advise to never own a BMW out of warranty, which strikes me as absurd in an expensive car...
The "out of warranty" remark is just the way things are with German cars. People who are mechanically inclined, join owner's clubs for discounts and advice, have a connection with a competent and trustworthy shop---those people will have a very different out of warranty experience than the owner of a high mileage German car, who relies on the dealer for everything, or lives in an area where there are no competent independent specialists.
But once I figured out the pros and cons, and decided on lining up good parts supplies, accurate information, and a really good MINI shop (independent), then this "pro-active" approach worked out very well for me, even with a used one. I just avoided the problem options, fixed some of the factory defects, and went on a really good maintenance program. So far, so good, across deserts, mountains and floods---no problems.
Actually there WAS one that I didn't catch. Early MINIs do exhibit a slight 'screech' from the clutch in first gear, when cold, only occasionally. I didn't hear this when I bought the car, but it did show up later. This is a defective thrust bearing in the clutch (also called a pilot bushing I think), and someday, when the clutch is more worn, I will replace the old dual-mass flywheel and clutch with a lightweight, single-disk aluminum affair. Expensive? Yep, but no more so than a stock replacement.
I haven't heard of post 2006 MINIs having this issue.
Thanks,
Jodashel