[Sandi T]

Just like to say hello to everyone, have just taken delivery of a beautiful 2005 Pepper White Cooper. I searched long & hard to find one with the spec I wanted and am totally thrilled at finding this one. Would like to thank you for a superb forum which gave me loads of hints & tips on buying as I was very nervous about changing from my boring but reliable Toyota. However as soon as I drove off on the test drive I was hooked! Can't ever imagine driving anything else now!!

Anyway it is a very low mileage car (only 8000 miles) but is over 20 months old with no signs of any service history. I have found a small booklet in the car containing unused vouchers for an oil change, 1st inspection service & brake fluid change. I rang my local MINI dealership who stated the 1st oil change should be done after 2 years or about 15000 miles - is this right? it seems a long time to me (the odometer flicks across from 15315 miles to the actual mileage when I first put the key in the ignition - is this when the oil change is due?). I checked the dipstick & the oil seems on the mark & fairly clean but smells slightly burnt.

I am very tempted to get my local garage to do an oil service anyway for peace of mind. What oil should I request they put in? - I noticed the engine cover states Castrol. My garage also used to 'flush' my engine before changing the oil on my old car - is it safe to do this on the MINI?

Would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Sorry to sound like an old worry guts!

Sandi

[Scrogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sandi T (original)

Anyway it is a very low mileage car (only 8000 miles) but is over 20 months old with no signs of any service history. I have found a small booklet in the car containing unused vouchers for an oil change, 1st inspection service & brake fluid change. I rang my local MINI dealership who stated the 1st oil change should be done after 2 years or about 15000 miles - is this right? it seems a long time to me (the odometer flicks across from 15315 miles to the actual mileage when I first put the key in the ignition - is this when the oil change is due?). I checked the dipstick & the oil seems on the mark & fairly clean but smells slightly burnt.

Hi Sandi, welcome to the world of MINI.

The first service on a MINI is at 10,000 miles or two years, whichever comes first. After that it is every 15,000 miles or two years (so your local dealership are wrong already! )

The 15,315 is the range until the NEXT service is due, so I would be confident in saying that the car has already had it's first Oil Change Service but the book hasn't been stamped. Any MINI dealer will be able to tell you who did the work, just give them your registration number.

The voucher book is the TLC, which the first owner bought with the car and covers you for all of the work listed, free, as long as you have it all done before your car is 5 years old. Because of this package, there is no point at all paying to have service work carried out anywhere else.

Hope this helps?

[Sandi T]

Thank you Scrogg for your help and advice.

Guess the person I spoke to at my MINI dealership got a bit confused! Nothing like a main dealer giving you a bit of confidence!!

I think I will try & get the oil change done early - do MINI dealerships allow you to dictate when you want the service done under the TLC ?

Hate the thought of having no service for 2 years & would like this done a.s.a.p.

Any ideas on the grade of oil I should use for topping up between services?

Regards

Sandi

[Scrogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sandi T (original)

Nothing like a main dealer giving you a bit of confidence!!

Sadly, a lot of them will do that!

I'm still convinced that your 1st Oil Change has already been done, otherwise the range wouldn't be showing over 15,000 miles. You really should get a dealer to check for you (or PM me your registration number and I'll do it) before doing anything else.

Under the terms of the TLC you cannot have any of the services done early, as BMW will not pay the dealer for doing the work, although there is a little bit of flexibility on time and mileage.

The intervals are:

Oil Service - 10,000 miles
1st Inspection - 25,000 miles
Oil Service - 40,000 miles
2nd Inspection - 55,000 miles

Or a maximum of two years apart for low mileage cars.

I know it is difficult for a lot of people to feel comfortable with these intervals, but don't worry, the fully synthetic oil BMW use (Castrol - only available from dealers) combined with modern engine design mean there is no reason to be concerned. Having anything done outside this schedule will have little or no positive effect on the car, and will just be a waste of money!

[Bajanmini]

Scrogg,would that Mini longlife oil only available at the dealer for twice the price possibly be Castrol syntec 5-30 in a different bottle just to charge you more?When the Mini's first came out it was'nt available or at least here.And why would they put a Castrol stamp on the tappit cover.I've been runnin Castrol Syntec all along with no probs,and also had two secret oil changes before 15,000,find it hard to believe that an engine from Chrysler made in Brazil also used in Dodge Neon's must run on Mini longlife oil.I'm not knocking you but it's hard to swallow mate.
I went in to buy 4 spark plugs,the BMW stamp was on them for USD$180.00,had a friend in Miami pick up a box of NGK BKR6EQUP FOR $12.50 same plugs just no BMW stamp.Cheers(BMW= bring money withya)

[Scrogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bajanmini (original)

Scrogg,would that Mini longlife oil only available at the dealer for twice the price possibly be Castrol syntec 5-30 in a different bottle just to charge you more?When the Mini's first came out it was'nt available or at least here.And why would they put a Castrol stamp on the tappit cover.I've been runnin Castrol Syntec all along with no probs,and also had two secret oil changes before 15,000,find it hard to believe that an engine from Chrysler made in Brazil also used in Dodge Neon's must run on Mini longlife oil.I'm not knocking you but it's hard to swallow mate.

Well, I've just re-read this entire thread and I just cannot see where I said the MINI must use the oil that BMW supply? Perhaps you could help me out?

I regularly suggest to my customers that, if they plan to change their own oil, they should use any 0W-30 Synthetic oil, as the dealership will just replace it at the next service anyway.

The entire point of my comments are to try and reassure a new owner that she does not need to have oil changes or services outside of the manufacturers schedule. If she chooses to do so, MINI will not pay for them as part of the TLC.

[Bajanmini]

.

I know it is difficult for a lot of people to feel comfortable with these intervals, but don't worry, the fully synthetic oil BMW use (Castrol - only available from dealers) combined with modern engine design mean there is no reason to be concerned. Having anything done outside this schedule will have little or no positive effect on the car, and will just be a waste of money![/quote]

[Scrogg]

O.K, so that's quoting what I said BMW use. Doesn't actually say it has to be used though, does it?

[Bajanmini]

Point taken Scrogg, but to this reader and probably others it certainly implies Mini longlife oil is the way to go,what i'm saying is Mini longlife is more than likley Castrol in another bottle in order to charge more,i would doubt very much that BMW produces thier own oil for one model car that they make,as i said in my previous post using spark plugs as an e.g,anything with a BMW stamp on it seems to cost lots more, so if you've got a TLC package let them pour Mini longlife for free by all means,but in my case where i dont have a package it's going to be Castrol Syntec for half the price.No pun intended mate

[Scrogg]

No, it's Castrol in a Castrol bottle. They don't try to hide it!

But anyway, despite our differing opinions, I am glad we now agree that, for someone that has the benefit of TLC, there is no point paying extra for oil changes that just aren't necessary.

Think about it, if MINI thought they could get away with making owners have their cars serviced more often than the current intervals, and thereby make more money, then surely they would?

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

Quote: Originally Posted by Scrogg (original)

Think about it, if MINI thought they could get away with making owners have their cars serviced more often than the current intervals, and thereby make more money, then surely they would?

Remember that (under TLC) it is BMW paying for all the servicing and oil changes for the first 50,000 miles and not the customer; it is in BMW's interests to reduce service visits to the absolute minimum. Your confidence in BMW's service advisers not being over ridden by the might of BMW's all mighty marketing department is touching.

Tigger.

[British SD]

Sorry, I disagree entirely with your logic scrogg. MINI's only interest is to see the engine like everything else last past its Warranty so if your interested in keeping the car beyond it, its worth protecting.

Synthetic oil is awesome especially over on this side of the Altlantic pond where unlike synthetic, conventional oil thickens to molassis in the Cold Winter. Even though the properties of the oil don't break down the same, synthetic oil still gets contaminated just the same as conventional oil.

For the 50 quit it costs you for a synthetic oil change verses 4-5,000 quid for a new engine out of Warranty, I would suggest its cheap insurance to add in extra oil changes between the TLC service schedule.

[drumzz]

hi, you gave the intervals for the services earlier on in the thread. however, i just had my car in for inspection 1 service and its only done 20500miles. the mini dealer was the one who told me to book it in? so how can it be at 25000miles?

[Scrogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tigger, Eeyore & Roo (original)

Remember that (under TLC) it is BMW paying for all the servicing and oil changes for the first 50,000 miles and not the customer; it is in BMW's interests to reduce service visits to the absolute minimum. Your confidence in BMW's service advisers not being over ridden by the might of BMW's all mighty marketing department is touching.

TLC was designed as a way of guaranteeing MINI owners would come back into the dealer network for servicing rather than, as they are fully entitled to do under Block Exemption regulations without affecting their warranty, going somewhere cheaper.

If the 'long' service intervals are BMW's way of keeping their costs down whilst vehicles are covered by this package, why do the intervals not shorten once the customer has to pay?

Surely any manufacturer cavalier enough with their confidence in their own product to risk engine damage over financial outlay would also be cavalier enough to get as much money back as they can once the tables are turned?

And yes, I know some people would take their cars elsewhere after TLC has expired, but enough don't to make it worth BMW's while!

As for the BMW Marketing Department over-riding a dealerships Service Advisers, I cannot actually think of a reason why these two groups of people would ever even need to talk to each other?

[Scrogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by British SD (original)

Sorry, I disagree entirely with your logic scrogg. MINI's only interest is to see the engine like everything else last past its Warranty so if your interested in keeping the car beyond it, its worth protecting...

For the 50 quit it costs you for a synthetic oil change verses 4-5,000 quid for a new engine out of Warranty, I would suggest its cheap insurance to add in extra oil changes between the TLC service schedule.

Perhaps you could explain how changing the oil more often than is recommended by the people that build the engine is more effective than just topping it up as and when necessary between services?

[Scrogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by drumzz (original)

hi, you gave the intervals for the services earlier on in the thread. however, i just had my car in for inspection 1 service and its only done 20500miles. the mini dealer was the one who told me to book it in? so how can it be at 25000miles?

The Service Intervals on MINI (and probably most cars these days) are only approximate.

Lots of different factors (but mainly how the car is driven!) will affect them, either up or down.

Obviously I know nothing about the history of your car, so please do not take offence at this as I assure you none is meant, but unless the car has taken 4 years to cover those 20,500 miles (maximum time between services being 2 years) my first response would be that it has been driven hard.

There is a thread on here somewhere (I can never find them when I need to ) asking people to post the mileages at which their 10k services were carried out, and the differences are quite incredible!