Does TLC take care of your MINI?

[minicabrio]

First of all, the TLC is great value for what you get, no questions. But does TLC really take proper care of your MINI?

Having looked through the service schedule in the last few months, for 50k miles, or the duration of the basic TLC package, the air filter, spark plugs or HD never even get looked at. Given that I'm a 5000 mile to an oil change man, and have stuck to this on my MINI, I was shocked at the thought of leaving a set of plugs in for 50k miles.

Mine at the time had 36k on the clock, and I changed the leads, plugs and air filter. The plugs were worse than any I had taken out of any car, the air filter completey bunged up (I also ran a K&N typhoon for 10k miles so this filter has only done 26k). Anyway, I replaced the air filter and plugs and fitted some fancy leads and boy did i notice the difference.

I was concerned about it so spoke to my brother in law who works in a Ford service dept. They have a similar policy of extending intervals without making changes to mechanicals to satisfy lease companies by lowering running costs. He has had cases of spark plugs being corroded into the block on cars following a normal schedule.

There are number of people on this site that spend hours cleaning and polishing their cars and really looking after them, and letting the TLC pack look after the mechanicals.

But does it?

[15LSP]

ive just replaced the spark plugs and air filter on my 2001 cooper with 40K on the clock OMG! Plugs were blacker than black! Car has just had the final oil service and to be honest im not impressed with TLC. The car was sold to me with full service history, but the plugs have never been changed and the air filter had never been touched, I hardly call that full service history!

[minicabrio]

Quote: Originally Posted by 15LSP (original)

ive just replaced the spark plugs and air filter on my 2001 cooper with 40K on the clock OMG! Plugs were blacker than black! Car has just had the final oil service and to be honest im not impressed with TLC. The car was sold to me with full service history, but the plugs have never been changed and the air filter had never been touched, I hardly call that full service history!

You car will have full service history... and will have been serviced by the schedule...

MINI don't replace plugs and air filter till 50k miles which prompted me to start this thread...

[GarryThomas]

You may choke when you hear how much bmw charge to replace OEM plugs without TLC
around £160, I think I'll substitute NGK equivalents when I'm out of TLC cover.

Garry