MINI Cooper Warranty and Maintenance Plans Worked for Us
For the past month, the MINI Cooper’s “service engine soon” light has come on, but then it’s gone off just a few days later. I figured it was just some bad fuel and let it go. Since the closest MINI dealership is about 30 miles away, I wanted a few more things to rack up before expending the effort to get it checked out.
But then Stacie started to complain that the CVT transmission wasn’t shifting between 50-65mph properly. I began to worry that we got a lemon with a bad transmission. Luckily the MINI has a 4 year/50,000 mile factory warranty. We bought the car used with 30,000 miles and we it has about 35,000 miles. I’ve used the MINI warranty once in December when MINI towed the car via their factory Roadside Service plan and was pleased with the results.
This time, I set up an appointment to bring the car in and reserved a loaner (it’s a rental from Enterprise). MINI agreed to pay for the first 24 hours (although I got them to extend it without a fight). The only bad part about the whole experience was the long wait to drop off the car, even at 7am on a Monday. By the time I got back home (after a quick side-trip), it was 9am.
But we got much more fixed on the MINI than just the transmission issue. Thanks to the complimentary 3 year/36,000 mile maintenance plan, we got the following done:
- Oil change
- New front and rear wiper blades
- Brake fluid flush
- Cleaned some rust from brake area
- Checked/topped off fluids and tire air
Unfortunately, our plan will run out next month, so we won’t get to take advantage of the free brake pad replacement covered by the maintenance plan. We still have about 50% of our pads and tires left, which is a good thing I guess.
Now I have 1 month to decide to renew the maintenance plan. I’ll be doing my own extensive research because they want about $1300 to renew. I can renew anytime, but if I wait till after the 3 year period (next month), the price jacks up an extra $200. They used some scare tactics like the “Inspection 2″ costs $1100 on average and brake replacement costs $1200 on average. Both are covered by the maintenance plan. I’d like to get your feedback to help me out here. I know extended warranties are usually losses, but what about this specific maintenance plan? I’d like to hear from MINI owners who have experienced this too.
Oh, and by the way, here’s what got fixed under the factory warranty:
- Transmission computer needed reset. It’s an adaptive system and somehow it went a little wacky. Car drives beautifully now and Stacie is noticing better gas mileage
- Oxygen sensor above gas cap needed replaced. This was causing the “Service Engine Soon” light to come on.
And of course we got the car back shined-up on both the outside AND inside! I’m pleased with the service we got at the MINI dealership (which is also a BMW dealer) as is Stacie, and we’re glad that we got her a car that she loves with service plans that actually work without needing to fight with the dealer.
Now when will they put a MINI dealer in Rockville? (There are rumors of one going into D.C…Blah!)
Try one of these related posts too!:
- I’ll Refund That for You THIS Time…
- The MINI Cooper is totally ours. Next up…
- The MINI is healthy again!
- The MINI Cooper is sick!
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If your transmission does that again, just disconnect your battery for a couple hours. You’ll have to ‘re-train’ your car with some mixed driving just after that since it will just go to all it’s default settings.
Where are you doing brake jobs that are 1200 bucks? That seems a little steep to me. Maybe it’s just because it’s a mini, but I’m pretty sure mine is closer to 700 or so when I had it done.
I thought the whole point of a CVT was to not shift . . .
I agree,…$1200 bucks for a brake job?! That’s ludicrous. Even $700 is incredibly high. I would guess a brake job should run about $300, maybe $500 depending on the parts used. Really I wouldn’t know since I do my own brakes.
Does the renewal cover you for another 4 years?
Quite frankly, it seems like you’ve had more than your fair share of problems with that car, so the warranty might be a good idea. And besides,.. it sounds like you’ve been happy with the service you’ve received. So barring any financial inequalities you may find when you do your due diligence, it seems to be a good deal.
You’re both right that I was appalled at the $1200 quote just for brakes. However, to clarify, this is a maintenance plan, not the warranty. The warranty is still good for another 15,000 miles. This maintenance plan covers replaceables on the car like brake pads, oil, wipers, and other fluids, as well as major and minor inspections.
The renewal would give us 3 more years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.
It’s totally up to you, but if you’re planning to hold on to your MINI for 3 more years, and given Stacie’s commute length and frequency of driving, then you will absolutely need the extended maintenance plan. You’ll likely hit at least one or two more oil changes and another major service interval during that period, and those alone could cost you a lot out of pocket if lots of work needs to be done. Or you could save money by taking it to a non-dealer mechanic, but I have yet to find one in our area who has enough experience to properly handle a MINI.
You’ll also want to extend your warranty before it expires, given that you’ve had two issues already, but that’ll probably cost a couple grand.
As a former BMW driver that has experienced the joy of luxury car maintenance, my advice is to find a mechanic you can trust that specializes in Minis and Euros. See what they would charge for some of the maintenance items, then compare.
I’m looking forward to your findings. We have a MINI, we bought it new in the summer of ‘06. We only have 19,000 miles on it (we’re trying to only put 12,000 to make our service plan last as long as possible). We’re trying to decide if we want to get the additional service plan when this one runs out - haven’t decided yet, we still have a while to decide though. I’m looking forward to what you find out.
Have you thought about learning how to maintain your car? I’m 52, only did oil changes, etc until a year ago. I’ve learned how to change brake pads and rotors (among other items) and it really isn’t that difficult. Buy a repair manual, a few tools, etc. Cost: maybe $50-$75. I’ll bet pads/rotors (off the Web) for your Mini can’t run more than $75-$100 per wheel. You just saved $450-$600.
And don’t trust dealer “inspections”. My check engine light went on in my Volvo. The dealer inspection stated: Needs 2 oxygen sensors - $900. Turns out only one sensor truly checks the status of the engine (the other checks the catalytic converter). So I’ve bought a new sensor ($150), a special socket to remove the sensor ($20), a manual ($20), and a diagnostic tool to turn off the Check Engine light ($44 - the dealer charges $54 to do this work each time). Total savings: $670.
I think this is called self-reliance.
When I get to 36,000 miles I’ll probably extend my maintenance warranty on my 2007 Mini Cooper S. A key reason will be for the brake job. My research says that I can expect to need rotor replacement along with the pads. My dealer charges $100 for an oil change (synth. oil + $100 pre hour) and, of course There will be other expensive maintenance issues as well. I get angry when I feel I’m getting screwed, and knowing myself I’ll get angry on perusing those maintenance bills. As I see it, it’s better to pay the $1300 for a maintenance contract than pay the therapist to address newly developed anger issues.