Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

kyfdx

Every 10,000 Miles
MINI COUNTRYMAN S

Every 10,000 miles, it’s important to take your MINI Cooper Countryman into the service center for an oil change. Be sure to never go more than 10,000 miles, or one year (whichever comes first), between oil changes to avoid unnecessary engine damage. At this time, you should also have the service technician rotate your tires and check your brake pads and rotors.

Every 30,000 Miles
With every 30,000 miles, you’re going to be due for an important service visit. In addition to your oil change, you’ll want to do the following at this time:

Flush your brake fluid
Replace your cabin air filter
Rotate your tires
Change your automatic transmission fluid
The technicians should also take your car out for a road test to make sure that everything feels right.

Every 60,000 Miles
In addition to your 10,000-mile oil change and your 30,000-mile service, you’ll also want to have several components replaced when you hit the 60,000-mile mark:

Engine coolant
Drive belts
Engine air filter
Replacing your engine air filter at this time should help prevent air and debris from causing irreparable damage to the engine.

roadburner

Michaell said:

So, the daughter's MINI is at the dealer for service.

Got a text message from them, with a link of "recommended" services, and prices. Simply click "yes" or "no", then submit.

The car is a 2014 MINI Cooper Countryman S ALL4 with 44,000 miles on it.

Yay or Nay?

Direct Injection Fuel Service - $265
AC Evac & Recharge - $190
Coolant Flush - $170
ALL4 Fluid Flush - $400

Fuel Service- Not if using Top Tier fuel
A/C- Only it it has lost refrigerant
Coolant- I like to change it every 2 years
ALL4- If it's similar to the xDrive system the ISTA picks it up when scanning. I'd find out if it's changed by miles or by self diagnostics.

stickguy

I would want to know what DI service they do. There any many options, from a bottle of stuff in the tank, to taking the top end off and walnut blasting the valves (or a chemical version). I watched the JR videos on that process they did. Pretty involved, and the ballpark cost for the shop to do it was $500.

So if it’s running well, would not bother. Don’t touch the AC unless it’s broken. Wait until 60k for the coolant.

The all 4, that one I would look at. I always did the transfer case and diffs on the RDX every 30k, which was actually in the manual, and the tranny the same (even though it wasn’t).

My entirely uNinformed opinions, Worth exactly what you paid for them!

fintail

Nope, either DIY (I think some level of instructions are included) or you'll need to find an installer and pay a few hours labor. As I strongly dislike working on electrical systems, I paid up.

oldfarmer50 said:

Does that $450 include installation?

28firefighter

Seems young for the ALL4 Fluid Flush by mileage but may be due by age...defer to those smarter tan I on that one.

I'd probably do the coolant flush and ignore the AC Evac and Recharge (unless you're having AC problems) and the fuel service.

fintail

MicroSD, but you can also link up with wifi on your phone and download clips (a lot faster to just remove the card and download it onto a computer).

Card storage size and recording quality determine duration - they overwrite unless you save the clip, so one doesn't need to constantly change the card, but it might help the system if the card is reformatted now and then.

stickguy said:

How does recording work? Does it have a SIM card that it loop records onto? And that you need to download from if you want to save any footage? And how many hours does it record before getting full?

corvette

pensfan83 said:

I'm kind of curious now as well. The truck has a Go Pro mount and I've thought of getting a dash cam at times but never @corvette does your Tundra have one?

It doesn’t. I installed my Möbius Actioncam behind the mirror and ran a USB cable down the passenger side of the windshield, under the dash, and then plugged the cable into one of the switched USB ports in the console. Seems to work fine.

xwesx

ab348 said:

xwesx said:

Ugh! Get rid of that air cleaner box and let that poor engine breathe!

No. Toros have a unique low-profile intake and air cleaner because of space limitations under the hood created by the FWD driveline. Most chrome catalog ones likely won't fit and all are guaranteed to look tacky. (In case you haven't noticed, aftermarket catalog chrome junk under the hood is a pet peeve)

Yeah, I suppose there is the "tacky" factor possible, but, ultimately, the car needs to breath. My C20 had an air cleaner that looked like half of that on the Toro, and it would struggle climbing steep grades. I took a grinder to the air cleaner housing and opened up the lid so that it looks more like a tripod, and the change was substantive and immediate. Now, on hills that the truck once lumbered to climb, it will climb with impunity.

Same with my Econoline. Just last summer I replaced the air housing with one of those "tacky" units, and the power gain is unbelievable. I think I even heard the engine cry, "THANK YOU!!!," when I first started it after the install.

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

Does that $450 include installation?

I suspect 'no.' I paid about $400 for the 750 two-channel unit, then another small sum for a "power magic pro" unit that allowed it to operate with the vehicle off. However, I self-installed, so that was no cost. I would guess maybe $100-200 for an install fee by a professional.

xwesx

fintail said:

MicroSD, but you can also link up with wifi on your phone and download clips (a lot faster to just remove the card and download it onto a computer).

Card storage size and recording quality determine duration - they overwrite unless you save the clip, so one doesn't need to constantly change the card, but it might help the system if the card is reformatted now and then.

stickguy said:

How does recording work? Does it have a SIM card that it loop records onto? And that you need to download from if you want to save any footage? And how many hours does it record before getting full?

On my 750S 2-channel, I have a 256 GB card in it. You need a high end card with fast write speeds due to the HD video feed, but they are still very cheap. Mine are Lexar.

One of these will record about eight hours of continuous footage with the two-camera system, at least on mine (1040p HD both front at rear, but rear is 30 frames per second while front is 60).

28firefighter

Oh my.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2010-volvo-v50-t5-r-6-speed-wagon-awd/

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

Oh my.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2010-volvo-v50-t5-r-6-speed-wagon-awd/

Yes, please

corvette

kyfdx said:

28firefighter said:

Oh my.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2010-volvo-v50-t5-r-6-speed-wagon-awd/

Yes, please

Why haven't either of you bid on it yet?

xwesx

28firefighter said:

Oh my.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2010-volvo-v50-t5-r-6-speed-wagon-awd/

Whoa! You wasted no time in hunting that one down!

That's one bright car that easily piques the interest.

28firefighter

I'm thinking about it...

fintail

I have a 900S now, I think a 128GB card (haven't bought them for a few years) as my recording time is about half yours. I think I have the same resolution setting too - it has super duper HD capability, but I don't notice a huge difference, and playback and storage are very compromised on the fancy setting.

Storage gets cheaper and cheaper, I might have to pick up a 256, I like to have a few cards in the car, just in case.

xwesx said:

On my 750S 2-channel, I have a 256 GB card in it. You need a high end card with fast write speeds due to the HD video feed, but they are still very cheap.

One of these will record about eight hours of continuous footage with the two-camera system, at least on mine (1040p HD both front at rear, but rear is 30 frames per second while front is 60).

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

So, the daughter's MINI is at the dealer for service.

Got a text message from them, with a link of "recommended" services, and prices. Simply click "yes" or "no", then submit.

The car is a 2014 MINI Cooper Countryman S ALL4 with 44,000 miles on it.

Yay or Nay?

Direct Injection Fuel Service - $265
AC Evac & Recharge - $190
Coolant Flush - $170
ALL4 Fluid Flush - $400

Definite NO on the AC Evac & Recharge

@roadburner - says no, so I’m going to side with him on this one.

Has the coolant ever been changed? If no, then I’d say go for it.

ALL 4 Fluid Flush - If it doesn’t call for it in the maintenance minder, I’d hold off.

nyccarguy

@tifighter - how many miles on your Model 3? How’s the Model X doing? How many miles?

pensfan83

That Volvo wagon looks quite nice. Love the color.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

So, the daughter's MINI is at the dealer for service.

Got a text message from them, with a link of "recommended" services, and prices. Simply click "yes" or "no", then submit.

The car is a 2014 MINI Cooper Countryman S ALL4 with 44,000 miles on it.

Yay or Nay?

Direct Injection Fuel Service - $265
AC Evac & Recharge - $190
Coolant Flush - $170
ALL4 Fluid Flush - $400

Why would you have to evacuate the AC? Does the freon go bad?

The injection service involves what? I think an occasional bottle of Techron would do as well.

Has the coolant never been changed? Usually a drain and replace should do the trick unless it’s been more than 7 years.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

I'll admit that watching the JRGo videos has given me a better understanding of how engines work, so when I get the service items from the dealer, I know what they want to do.

Especially his latest videos on the injector cleaning of the Camaro V6. That car has over 100K on it, so I know the DI systems need maintenance. Not so sure on a 44K mile MINI.

JRGo’s Camaro had 124k miles and had been so poorly maintained that it needed new timing chains. Even with a chemical engine flush he still had to dig sludge out of one bank.

Has your a Mini been abused?

What would they do with the injection service. I suppose they could clean the throttle body and the injectors but isn’t the biggest problem with DI the build up of carbon on the intake valves? How would you get cleaner in there? Don’t you have to pull the head?

Maybe I don’t understand what the cleaner cleans.

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

Every 10,000 Miles
MINI COUNTRYMAN S

Every 10,000 miles, it’s important to take your MINI Cooper Countryman into the service center for an oil change. Be sure to never go more than 10,000 miles, or one year (whichever comes first), between oil changes to avoid unnecessary engine damage. At this time, you should also have the service technician rotate your tires and check your brake pads and rotors.

Every 30,000 Miles
With every 30,000 miles, you’re going to be due for an important service visit. In addition to your oil change, you’ll want to do the following at this time:

Flush your brake fluid
Replace your cabin air filter
Rotate your tires
Change your automatic transmission fluid
The technicians should also take your car out for a road test to make sure that everything feels right.

Every 60,000 Miles
In addition to your 10,000-mile oil change and your 30,000-mile service, you’ll also want to have several components replaced when you hit the 60,000-mile mark:

Engine coolant
Drive belts
Engine air filter
Replacing your engine air filter at this time should help prevent air and debris from causing irreparable damage to the engine.

I’d never go 10k miles on an oil change.

corvette

I'd do only the factory recommended stuff on the Mini. If she's keeping it for a very long time, maybe change the transmission fluid and diff fluid around 60k.

suydam

Par for the course on a lot of vehicles now. I think Hondas do that.

nyccarguy

Brought our Pilot in for service this AM. Maintenance minder called for A1 service. They run a $44.95 plus tax special for a full synthetic oil change. That’s what I got. I also got a “free multi point inspection.”

Here’s what they say my Pilot “needs”:

Rear Differential Service - I’ll have to check my records to see if I’ve had this done once already. $120.00 ($115 back in April)

Cabin Air Filter - $85.00 ($99.95 back in April)

Engine Air Filter - $65.00 ($59.95 back in April)

Brake Fluid Service - $150.00 ($139 back in April)

Transmission Fluid Service - $130.00 (I just had my mechanic perform this service).

Front & Rear Brake Pads & Rotors (measured 3mm) replacement - $1025.00 ($730.00 if I want the pads replaced and rotors resurfaced). ($690 for new pads & resurfaced rotors back in April)

It seems some prices have fluctuated since we last brought the Pilot to the same dealer back on 4/7/2020 with 45,677 (6,216 miles ago)

Brake pads were down to 3mm 6,216 miles ago.

corvette

Lol at the cabin air filter. Those are usually $10-20. Brake fluid is supposed to be flushed every 3 years (I think) on Hondas.

fintail

I see Hoovie bought an old Azure - I have a thing for those 90s style Continentals/Azure and the final run Corniche. I can't imagine how much of a money pit they can be, however. I'd rather have one of those than a VW era Continental.

For MB maintenance, yearly, by the book. Service A isn't so bad, but others can be pricey - if one leases, prepay and residualize it.

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

Brought our Pilot in for service this AM. Maintenance minder called for A1 service. They run a $44.95 plus tax special for a full synthetic oil change. That’s what I got. I also got a “free multi point inspection.”

Here’s what they say my Pilot “needs”:

Rear Differential Service - I’ll have to check my records to see if I’ve had this done once already. $120.00

Cabin Air Filter - $85.00

Engine Air Filter - $65.00

Brake Fluid Service - $150.00

Transmission Fluid Service - $130.00 (I just had my mechanic perform this service).

Front & Rear Brake Pads & Rotors (measured 3mm) replacement - $1025.00 ($730.00 if I want the pads replaced and rotors resurfaced).

Let's see...

Cabin Air Filter: $20, ten minutes.
Engine Air Filter: $20, five minutes.
Pads & Rotors: If you are doing all four, probably about $300 in parts and an hour-and-a-half of work (for a DIY in the driveway).
The transmission is a non-issue. The differentials... definitely treat them to new fluid (front, rear, and center, if they take gear oil. Some vehicles integrate the center differential with the transmission) if still original fluid in there. That's about $30 in fluid and 30-90 minutes, depending on access under the vehicle.

About the only thing on the list that looks totally reasonable is a full brake fluid flush at $150. That job is a good one to do concurrently with the brake pads/rotors when the wheels are off, but it's a bit tedious to perform, especially if you don't have a Mityvac.

Everything else is so easy and quick to do, I truly don't understand why anyone would pay to have a shop perform it unless they had a handicap that reasonably prevented the labor.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

I’d never go 10k miles on an oil change.

Why not? Used oil analysis on the Mobil 1 5W-30 I used in the TGDI motor in my Mazdaspeed 3 indicated a 10k mile oil change interval was perfectly fine.
My son's 2009 328i(E90, N52N) has had the oil changed no more often than every 15k miles using BMW TPT 5W-30 or 0W-30; here's how the valvetrain looked at 9 years and 108k miles:



11 years on it's still running great.

explorerx4

Cabin air filters can be a pain to replace.
I replaced the one in my F-150 and am not sure if I want to do it again.
Will have to see how much the dealer wants to do it.
Won't be for at least another 2 years.

xwesx

explorerx4 said:

Cabin air filters can be a pain to replace.
I replaced the one in my F-150 and am not sure if I want to do it again.
Will have to see how much the dealer wants to do it.
Won't be for at least another 2 years.

Yeah, many of them are not as easy as they should be! Even the annoying ones, like my Fiesta (maybe it's a Ford thing?!), didn't take more than 10-20 minutes. I change mine every year, and boy do they NEED to be changed that often!

Sandman6472

Tropical storm warning now, looks like a rainy & windy couple of days! Just a few miles up the road, a hurricane watch. Thought about fleeing to the kids in Orlando, but decided to stay. Gas stations in Palm Beach and Broward counties were pretty calm for some reason. Took the garbage cans into the garage and will bring them out come Monday morning. Hoping it'll either speed up or turn more north than west but either way, it's gonna be wet and windy for us folk down south!

xwesx

Well, stay warm and dry, then, Sandy!

explorerx4

My truck sits outside and the pollen can be really thick, so I was surprised when I changed the cabin air filter that it still looked pretty clean.
Once I went through the effort of getting to the filter, I was going to replace it no matter what.
I changed it because I was getting a nasty smell from the vents, but I bought some cleaner and it disappeared after a few days. The cleaner had its' own aroma, so I wasn't sure right away if it worked.

cdnpinhead

xwesx said:

I truly don't understand why anyone would pay to have a shop perform it unless they had a handicap that reasonably prevented the labor.

BINGO!

There are those among us who are handicapped.

nyccarguy

xwesx said:

nyccarguy said:

Brought our Pilot in for service this AM. Maintenance minder called for A1 service. They run a $44.95 plus tax special for a full synthetic oil change. That’s what I got. I also got a “free multi point inspection.”

Here’s what they say my Pilot “needs”:

Rear Differential Service - I’ll have to check my records to see if I’ve had this done once already. $120.00

Cabin Air Filter - $85.00

Engine Air Filter - $65.00

Brake Fluid Service - $150.00

Transmission Fluid Service - $130.00 (I just had my mechanic perform this service).

Front & Rear Brake Pads & Rotors (measured 3mm) replacement - $1025.00 ($730.00 if I want the pads replaced and rotors resurfaced).

Let's see...

Cabin Air Filter: $20, ten minutes.
Engine Air Filter: $20, five minutes.
Pads & Rotors: If you are doing all four, probably about $300 in parts and an hour-and-a-half of work (for a DIY in the driveway).
The transmission is a non-issue. The differentials... definitely treat them to new fluid (front, rear, and center, if they take gear oil. Some vehicles integrate the center differential with the transmission) if still original fluid in there. That's about $30 in fluid and 30-90 minutes, depending on access under the vehicle.

About the only thing on the list that looks totally reasonable is a full brake fluid flush at $150. That job is a good one to do concurrently with the brake pads/rotors when the wheels are off, but it's a bit tedious to perform, especially if you don't have a Mityvac.

Everything else is so easy and quick to do, I truly don't understand why anyone would pay to have a shop perform it unless they had a handicap that reasonably prevented the labor.

Cabin air Filter & Engine Air Filter I can definitely do myself. My mechanic charges $150 Labor per axle for brakes. Plus parts.

corvette

xwesx said:

explorerx4 said:

Cabin air filters can be a pain to replace.
I replaced the one in my F-150 and am not sure if I want to do it again.
Will have to see how much the dealer wants to do it.
Won't be for at least another 2 years.

Yeah, many of them are not as easy as they should be! Even the annoying ones, like my Fiesta (maybe it's a Ford thing?!), didn't take more than 10-20 minutes. I change mine every year, and boy do they NEED to be changed that often!

My parents’ Volvo S80 was like that on the cabin filter. You had to remove the passenger side floor mat because you needed the extra 1/8” clearance.

ronsteve

pensfan83 said:

That Volvo wagon looks quite nice. Love the color.

I like to call that color "Arrest-Me-Red"

Nice looking car... it's going to go into the teens I'm sure.

stickguy

28firefighter said:

Oh my.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2010-volvo-v50-t5-r-6-speed-wagon-awd/

tasty. too bad doesn't have tan interior too. Very nice.

roadburner

cdnpinhead said:

xwesx said:

I truly don't understand why anyone would pay to have a shop perform it unless they had a handicap that reasonably prevented the labor.

BINGO!

There are those among us who are handicapped.

That's putting it charitably...

stickguy

Volvo immediately at 9K. definitely mid to upper teens.

that one is a bear for the cabin filter. something like an hour labor at the dealer. Required that the brake pedal assembly be taken off. That is why I never did it on my old S40.

service items, personal comfort level. Not everyone wants to be crawling under the car, or getting it jacked up and on stands then messing around with it. It is possible to mess something up in the brakes too if you make a mistake. So I don't judge anyone that does not feel like tackling that themselves.

stuff like wiper blades and air filters (with a few exceptions as noted) that anyone can safely do!

Michaell

roadburner said:

cdnpinhead said:

xwesx said:

I truly don't understand why anyone would pay to have a shop perform it unless they had a handicap that reasonably prevented the labor.

BINGO!

There are those among us who are handicapped.

That's putting it charitably...

Wow. Just wow.

So, I'm an imbecile and/or handicapped because I don't wrench on my own cars?

Any other sweeping generalizations you'd like to make?

fintail

I'll possibly do filters, bulbs, basic stuff like that (up to plugs/wires on the old car), but fluids and component replacement, nope. I live in an area where a detached house (the way to get a useful garage) within reasonable commuting distance for a single income person without backing by the bank of mommy and daddy is a hilarious dream - so no jobs like fluid changes or brakes are really possible without inconvenience or worse. And for some of it, I'd rather not deal with it if possible.

I can keep my cars fairly spotless in the garage space I do have though, that's worth something.

cdnpinhead

roadburner said:

That's putting it charitably...

It's required these days. Wouldn't want to trigger anyone.

cdnpinhead

Changing air filers isn't exactly rocket science. Brakes and so forth,I take your point.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I’d never go 10k miles on an oil change.

Why not? Used oil analysis on the Mobil 1 5W-30 I used in the TGDI motor in my Mazdaspeed 3 indicated a 10k mile oil change interval was perfectly fine.
My son's 2009 328i(E90, N52N) has had the oil changed no more often than every 15k miles using BMW TPT 5W-30 or 0W-30; here's how the valvetrain looked at 9 years and 108k miles:



11 years on it's still running great.

Why not? Peace of mind. That and my relatively low annual milage and short trips could make the oil break down quicker. Yeah, UOA might show it’s overkill to change synthetic at 5k and dino at 3k but I suspect that would cost as much as an oil change.

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

Tropical storm warning now, looks like a rainy & windy couple of days! Just a few miles up the road, a hurricane watch. Thought about fleeing to the kids in Orlando, but decided to stay. Gas stations in Palm Beach and Broward counties were pretty calm for some reason. Took the garbage cans into the garage and will bring them out come Monday morning. Hoping it'll either speed up or turn more north than west but either way, it's gonna be wet and windy for us folk down south!

I saw a hysterical weather report last night detailing the horrors of storm surge during every previous hurricanes. They painted a picture of being swept away from your bed in the middle of the night unless you fled inland. Irresponsible fear mongering in my opinion.

oldfarmer50

cdnpinhead said:

xwesx said:

I truly don't understand why anyone would pay to have a shop perform it unless they had a handicap that reasonably prevented the labor.

BINGO!

There are those among us who are handicapped.

Let’s see, the Mustang only has 13k miles so it probably doesn’t need it. The Kia is only a year old. The Sebring is so old I don’t think it has one and the cargo van has rust holes which ventilate the cabin just fine.

I won’t have to disappoint Roadburner for a while yet.😄😄

ronsteve

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Tropical storm warning now, looks like a rainy & windy couple of days! Just a few miles up the road, a hurricane watch. Thought about fleeing to the kids in Orlando, but decided to stay. Gas stations in Palm Beach and Broward counties were pretty calm for some reason. Took the garbage cans into the garage and will bring them out come Monday morning. Hoping it'll either speed up or turn more north than west but either way, it's gonna be wet and windy for us folk down south!

I saw a hysterical weather report last night detailing the horrors of storm surge during every previous hurricanes. They painted a picture of being swept away from your bed in the middle of the night unless you fled inland. Irresponsible fear mongering in my opinion.

Hide from the wind, but run from the water! The actual flood zones are well identified and people who live in a flood zone definitely need to GTFO. Fortunately, on the east coast of Florida, unless you can SEE the ocean or ICW from where you are, you're probably NOT in a storm surge flood zone. Now there's lots of flat land that can take a while to drain the rain water if the storm slows down there, but that's more of an inconvenience, not sweep you out of your bed in the middle of the night.

Now if you have other health issues that would make being stuck in your home without power and maybe water for a couple of days a legit issue, that might be a good cue to leave. But if you can safely ride it out in your home, it's definitely better to stay put and leave the roads for the people that NEED to leave.

The east coast of Florida is definitely NOT like any part of the Gulf Coast. Hell, it's not even like the upper SC coast (think Hugo). And it's definitely not like NYC. Every bit of coastline has its own unique characteristics and issues, and that part of Florida is a place I worry about LESS than most when it comes to hurricanes. This is why we need to let peeps like @Sandman6472 and @abacomike trust their local sources (which we usually aren't privy to).

ab348

Michaell said:

Wow. Just wow.

So, I'm an imbecile and/or handicapped because I don't wrench on my own cars?

Any other sweeping generalizations you'd like to make?

Exactly.

I did one brake job in my life years ago and vowed it would be the last. Just not worth the time and aggravation for me, and that was before all my physical woes came along. That's also why the disk brake conversion parts for my Cutlass sit in a a box in the basement, along with a replacement transmission in the garage among other things.

If people are up to doing those sorts of things themselves, great, knock yourself out. But put the attitude towards those who do not/cannot do things like that in a box and shove it into a corner somewhere (I could think of an alternate location but will restrain myself), never to be seen here again.