The $252 Oil Change for the MINI Cooper

1. No Debt Plan February 5, 2009 2:27 pm

   Wow. I always knew they called them $tealers for a reason. Good grief!

2. MoneyGrubbingLawyer February 5, 2009 2:29 pm

   I take my 2007 to the dealer for the same reasons you do, although I’ll probably stop once the warranty expires. The price for basic maintenance is a little more than my local garage, and while it’s a fair bit more than Jiffy Lube (and other chains), I don’t trust the chains at all.

   Plus, a quarterly trip to the dealer gives me an excuse to check out the new models and take a few test drives. They let me take an STI out last time.

3. Pete February 5, 2009 2:29 pm

   Dealer’s service departments are one of their big profit centers. There is a reason why that is.. they overcharge for most things they do..

4. The Passive Dad February 5, 2009 2:36 pm

   I took our car to the dealership when it was still under warranty. I did receive many freebies as I complained about poor quality and frequent recall issues. Now that the vehicle is out of warranty, I found a great mechanic that owns his own shop and gives me a ride home. No free loaner cars, but I was paying for that indirectly with high hourly labor fees.

5. Angie February 5, 2009 2:50 pm

   All places charge at least $35 for the disposal of oil.
   All parts they used are likely OEM parts, and not the cheaper ones you would get from the auto parts store. The prices listed by the dealer do not really seem too ridiculous.
   Synthetic oil can vary largely depending on what brand the car company has loyalty to.

   In another note. I use synthetic oil and my car recommends for 5000 miles. I usually push to around 7500-8000. But, 15,000, really? Maybe I should put it off longer…

6. Angie February 5, 2009 3:04 pm

   Oh yeah. If you go to the dealer GET COUPONS off their website. Look for the best coupons for all the dealers in the area and go there. There almost always is an oil change one. My dealer typically runs them for $99 which takes away the huge labor component.

7. Clever Dude February 5, 2009 3:15 pm

   @Angie: Not all OEM parts are the best parts, especially for older vehicles. I know Acura changed its supplier so their filters were crap. As for synthetic oil, if you buy it in bulk directly from an auto store (or club warehouse), you shouldn’t pay more than $5-7, even for Mobil 1.

   As for recommended mileage, ExxonMobil guarantees their full synthetic oil up to 15,000 miles, but under “normal” driving conditions. If you do a lot of stop-and-go, or drive in extreme temps, then 7,500-10,000 is the limit for synthetic, maybe even less.

8. mfd February 5, 2009 3:32 pm

   My fiance takes her car to the VW dealership. The service always seems to be good but than again she only goes to one mechanic. The mechanic is going to be moving to the east coast so we’re a bit concerned about who we’ll be going to now.

9. brenna February 5, 2009 6:08 pm

   I take my Subaru to the dealer because they are completely competitive in their pricing. I only pay $24 for an oil change (and fluids topped off), plus I get the benefits you mentioned (loaner car, etc.).

10. Jenni February 5, 2009 7:30 pm

    When I had my really old Ford in Florida, I took it to this wonderful family-owned shop. They did so many small procedures for me for free, because the large procedures (piece of crap car) cost a lot.

    Now I take my Toyota to the dealer because I have coupons for free oil change, filters, etc for three years/30000 miles. I’m not sure what I’ll do after those run out … comparison shop I guess!

11. Brad Ford February 5, 2009 8:25 pm

    I take my car to the dealer for oil changes for two simple reasons.
    1. It is not worth my time to do it and to dispose (legally) of the oil and other materials.
    2. About 15 years ago, I took my new Integra to “quicke” lube. A week later, my transmission case cracked because they had cross threaded a bolt when checking my transmission case. Then, they claimed they didn’t do it. Luckily, I am a lawyer and convinced them to pay for the repairs or face a lawsuit (they would certainly lose as I had kept my receipt and the parts).

    To prevent what happened to you, I call ahead and ask them to quote me a price, negotiate, and never let them change the cabin filter (HUGE ripoff). Best of all, the Toyota dealer I like honors the coupons of the Toyota Dealer I hate.

12. Gypsie February 5, 2009 9:56 pm

    When I was living in Germany, I took my VW to the dealer and they were awesome! (Plus, due to environmental rules, it is very hard to do your own oil changes or even wash the car in the driveway – Big No No!) I worked with one mechanic in particular (he had the best english) and anytime I had an issue there was no charge to hook the car up to the computer to find the problem. Plus recalls were taken care of quickly!

    Here in the states, my car is no longer under warrenty (it’s almost 10 years old) and my current city does not have a VW dealership. It does have a FANTASTIC local mechanic (not part of a chain) who specializes in European cars. In fact, my brake light switch went out and it turned out there was a recall on that part but the nearest dealership was 90 miles away. Not a safe distance to drive without brake lights. Local auto parts stores did not have the part because it was a new recall. I contacted my mechanic and not only did he have the part, but he charged me his price and ensured that I could install it myself but going over step-by-step instructions. Final cost: $1.60. Yup, one dollar and sixty cents.

13. aa February 5, 2009 10:35 pm

    It’s just the dealer you faced. One bad apple doesn’t make an apple tree bad.

14. Wild Squirrel February 5, 2009 10:44 pm

    We don’t take our cars to the dealer (unless under warranty, and that’s been quite a long time ago), but we do have a mechanic we go to occasionally for maintenance even though my husband could do the work himself–we do this primarily for the reasons you mentioned…to build good will so that when something BIG happens, he remembers all those times we came in on the little things. We have a good relationship with our guy–it has paid off. We can stop by any time when our SES light comes on and he will hook it up for free, tell us what’s wrong, and if it’s something critical or something that can wait. And, he often fixes things for free. Once my window broke and he immediately opened it up right then and there, put a zip tie on it to keep it up so that I could continue running my errands, and didn’t flinch at all when I never went back to get it fixed. (It’s still the way he left it about two years ago…I’m really tired of repairing broken automatic windows). Recently, we took it in for an oil change and he decided to go ahead and change out the fuel filter too, while we had it dropped off. Of course, hubby could have done this much cheaper, but it’s a give and take–sometimes he gives and we take–other times we give and he takes. Biggest advantage–I totally trust his advice–he’s never steered us wrong. And, we’ve sent him a ton of business because of it. I’ve never had a relationship like this with a dealer mechanic.

15. Susy February 5, 2009 11:00 pm

    We take our MINI to the dealer since it’s still under warrenty. But Mr Chiots usually does the work himself. And we bought our new tires from a place that rotates them for free.

    We have a local mechanic that’s trustworthy that we take our stuff to.

16. Kristy @ Master Your Card February 6, 2009 12:19 am

    I took my car to the dealership while it was under warranty, but their oil changes weren’t nearly as ridiculous as what you paid today! Wow. I can’t even fathom paying that much…I would have hit the roof.

    I don’t like the chains, though. Jiffy Lube is one of the worst and I’d learn to change my own oil before I go back to them! They’re absolutely terrible. Their service is substandard and the work they do even worse. Do you know, they tried to tell me that I needed to replace my master cylinder once. And then they were so kind as to quote me a price on how much they’d be willing to do the job for. I don’t know much about cars, but I know enough to know better than to take their word for anything. My friend’s mechanic looked at it and said he didn’t know what the hell they were talking about. So, I try to stay away from the chains if at all possible.

17. Jon February 6, 2009 10:09 am

    You people are crazy. I always go with a quick lube that isn’t a chain store. I’ve never had any problems with them and they don’t charge an arm and a leg like the dealer.

    Sounds to me like the dealer has suckered you pretty good on how to be a “good customer”. Are you also a “good consumer” who buys expensive electronics on credit?

18. Clever Dude February 6, 2009 10:12 am

    @Jon, looks like you’re trying to compare two things that don’t relate: “customer” and “consumer” in this case. I don’t buy expensive electronics, and if I did buy them, I would buy on credit and pay off that month. I haven’t had credit card debt (carried over to the next month) since Sept 2007, thank you very much.

19. Brad February 6, 2009 10:52 am

    Our dealer is the same way. My wife likes to take her van out there for an oil change (they are reasonably priced) but she’s always calling me with stuff they “need” to do. . . like change the transmission fluid/filter (we only have 25,000 miles on it), air filters and cabin filters (things I can change for $10 but they want to charge her $50+ each). They showed my wife her dirty cabin air filter and tried to have her change it for 50 bucks. I told her to say no and I’d take a look at it when she got home. I pulled the filter and all it needed was a smack on the curb to get some dirt out. I showed it to her and she stated that wasn’t the one they showed her. . . the one they showed her was dirty. . .

20. Robert February 6, 2009 11:46 am

    I go to the dealer and pay about $100 for an oil change, tire rotation, and inspection. I go to ONE dealer for it all. Why? Peace of mind. They know my car like my doctor knows me. I got my car new (bad if you want to save $) because I value peace of mind. I will have this car ten years and won’t stress, go gray or bald worrying about cars ever again.

21. Jon February 6, 2009 11:47 am

    @cleverdude

    “looks like you’re trying to compare two things that don’t relate: “customer” and “consumer” in this case. ”

    How so? In both cases you are adhering to an idea that costs you more money. In the case of buying on credit I am referring to the people who buy and don’t pay it off immediately. You know, “good consumers” who upgrade every few years in order to keep living the “American Dream”.

    You paid $332 in the name of being a good customer. Why? So after the warranty is up they MIGHT give you a discount? Why not find someone who will ALWAYS treat you fairly and ALWAYS charge you fairly so you won’t have to hope for a freebie or discount.

22. Clever Dude February 6, 2009 11:50 am

    @Jon, I see where you’re coming from, and perhaps I should have added that I went to the MINI dealer also because MINIs are less known by regular mechanics due to their size and foreign build. I would never pay that much to get my Honda or our old Chevy done. However, Honda and Chevy would never charge me over $100 for this work either.

23. Mike February 6, 2009 11:52 am

    I take my Honda to the dealership for oil changes but a large reason is my neighbor works there and makes sure everything is taken care of and I get any discounts available.

    But with things so type many of the mechanics are willing to do work outside of the shop for half the price. I’ve saved a couple hundred bucks using an off duty mechanic. Last time I talked to him he was do work for a friend of a friend, just trying to earn some extra cash. So ask around see if anyone knows a mechanic who will do repairs off duty. Plus you get parts at cost.

24. Jon February 6, 2009 12:00 pm

    @cleverdude

    I can see that. It just didn’t seem that your justification for going to a dealer made any sense just to build up good credit with the dealer and get a free loaner car. You can rent a car for at least 2 days for the price you paid for the tire rotation…Then again, I understand that we are all in different places financially and all have our conveniences that we are willing to pay for. Just all seemed strange as someone who doesn’t always read here regularly (I do subscribe though).

25. R. May February 6, 2009 1:02 pm

    Just wanted to mention that those ‘hazardous material’ fees and ‘oil disposal’ fees are required by law.

    Not that it isn’t a joke, but usually there because it’s required by law.

26. MoneyMateKate February 6, 2009 10:10 pm

    Oh, YUCK. When I live in Scotland in the 90s, I had an old-school Mini, about 10 years old when I got her. The technology hadn’t changed since 1957 – until the new one came out, which is what you have. I loved loved LOVED how anything I needed to do to the car was the cheapest part in the store. I even liked having a manual choke! Sorry to hear that’s a thing of the past.

27. J. Money February 6, 2009 10:41 pm

    dude, i don’t know why but i am dying with your “Getting *&$*^$ in the **&# by MINI Service” headline! is this beer going to my head? HILARIOUS!!!

    (and yes, i never go to the dealer…the “Lube Center” all the way! you can get $5 off oil changes if you shop @ safeway – on back of receipt…but they always try to do more than change your oil, but they DO add fluids and air into tires and other niceties that normally don’t happen! am i still typing? i can’t feel my fingers anymore….)

28. R. May February 9, 2009 10:25 am

    Comment on the Lube Center- I use them too and they are great. No hard sell. I never let them replace my air filer becuase it’s much cheaper to do it myself.

    Please they top off your fluids free in between changes.

    If you live in MD, metro-DC its worth it if they have a location near you.

29. Robert February 9, 2009 12:17 pm

    When the dealer charges one hour, they go by a book that all dealers have, and that is what they are supposed to charge. Here is the reasoning:

    They can easily take 8 hours to make $$$$$. But they can charge no more than one hour, regardless. So if they are inefficient, they earn less money. If the job takes them 90 minutes they can only bill you for 60.

    On the flip side if a dealer or mechanic is on the ball and can, say, do two cars at once (like we can use two computers at once) then they are rewarded by being able to bill you for an hour and get the job done in 30 minutes. This way their extra performance sees a higher profit and more satisfied customers and less wait time.

    So in that way, I see the dealer charging for a full hour of labor. But as for the fluids, most dealers I know will top them all off as a courtesy. This one is obviously hurting for money.

30. Steve C |MyWifeQuitHerJob.com February 9, 2009 8:14 pm

    All I can say is welcome to the world of European cars. I just had the clutch replaced on my Audi A4 and it cost 2000 dollars. The dealer wanted 3k! I also had the timing belt replaced on my wife’s jetta. Dealer wanted 1600 but we found a mechanic who was willing to do it for 800. The drivers side window on my car just broke and I’m afraid to find out how much that is going to be.

31. Clever Dude February 9, 2009 8:32 pm

    @Steve: I understand the high price of European cars. We had a VW Passat GLX. Wiper blades alone cost $40 each for something I pay $10-15 for REALLY nice ones at the auto store. We luckily sold that car (it was later ranked at the bottom of reliability by Consumer Reports)

32. Tim February 10, 2009 10:49 am

    you hide the fact you asked the dealer to do other labor things besides the oil change. you could have asked the dealer how much they charge for an oil change ahead of time. oil changes, even at dealerships, are fixed service prices these days. But, again, you make it sound like this was all for just an oil change, which it was not.

33. Clever Dude February 10, 2009 1:08 pm

    @Tim. I didn’t hide anything. I also paid for a tire rotation ($50, yet another double-the-price service) and while the wheels were off I asked them to measure the brakes. Not a hard thing to do. I’ll still stand by my statement that MINI seriously overcharges for services and parts found for half the price, if not less, elsewhere.

34. CA Girl February 10, 2009 4:51 pm

    I don’t think Clever Dude was hiding anything… it is pretty standard for a dealer to check on other things, measure the brakes, etc., when a car is in for routine maintenance. I’ve never had my tires rotated without them telling me the amount of brakes left – anyone who would charge for that is automatically suspect!
    I go to a dealership for my 2007 Prius, my first time using a dealership instead of doing the work myself, but I wanted the full service record and someone who knows how the battery works.
    When I first starting going I was shocked since they usually charge around $60 for the oil change, tire rotation, and basic tune-up. I check it all off against the maintenance manuel that came with the car. The last time I went in, I called ahead and they said they would charge $80 to change the cabin air filter. I paid $15 and spent 15 minutes to do it myself, and I included the receipt in my maintenance log.
    The dealerships are hurting these days, however, so trying to get them to reimburse you for the amount over what you feel is reasonable might work. (Their fees are outrageous, even after giving them room for a profit!) The last time I was at the dealership, they had a special where you could pay up front for your next five oil changes, including the tire rotation and basic maintenance. Generally I think these specials aren’t worth anything, but this time it was actually a good deal – $161 paid at that time covered not only that service, but also the next four! Naturally extras like the cabin filter aren’t covered, but otherwise it saved me $30 for that and each of the next four oil changes!

35. Tim February 12, 2009 4:53 am

    @clever, you did bury the fact you ask them to do other checks which require labor. To say the oil change cost $250 is hiding this fact. As with any other dealer, you have the right to refuse specific service before having them performed. As with any other dealer, oil services are pretty standardized in price and you had the ability to get an exact price for just the oil service before even having it performed. The warranty isn’t void if you get your oil service or your onboard computer checked by someone else other than the dealer. Common service things like tire rotations and oil changes are pretty much set prices at dealerships just as if you went to jiffy lube these days.

    Dealers or whoever use labor guides to determine the time it takes to do a certain service/repair. Dealers post hourly labor rates. If you went to an indie repair person, you could get less hourly labor rate and you can get a deal off of how much time the mechanic says it actually takes versus the labor guide for the service/repair. Dealerships are not competitive when it comes to labor rates or when it comes to not charging based off of labor guides for a service/repair.

    If you can change your own oil, then you should have done so. I find it amazing you are complaining about this, rather than being angry at yourself for spending more than you wanted to on the service. just wanting them to check out other things because the car is under warranty is not a very good excuse for not having changed the oil yourself knowing how much mini or any other dealership charges for their oil change. again, though, you had the dealership perform extra labor hours by checking out other things that were included in the bill but were not part of the actual oil change.

36. Tim February 12, 2009 12:42 pm

    I say this having spent $50 on a roundel from BMW b/c my wife said she wanted it replaced. BMW didn’t charge me to replace take the old one off and put the new one on, though. but $50 pissed me off.

37. Praveen February 13, 2009 12:49 pm

    You got ripped off!

    Post the dealer’s name and the recepit online…

38. Alisha February 26, 2009 3:30 pm

    For the record, I have a 2003 Mini Cooper with 79k miles and live in San Francisco. I have successfully avoided going to the dealer since I came off warranty and have gone to local mechanics for tires, brakes, oil changes, etc. My most recent bill was when I asked my mechanic for an oil change, check the fluids and rotate the tires. Total bill: $66.
    Just saying…..

39. Lisa Forgione March 3, 2009 10:44 pm

    my local Mini dealer called me today about my 2006 Mini. I have 43K on the car, so I am out of the 36K service warranty. he offered me the extended service plan to 100k for $1600, and said I would save at least $1000 in for services.

    he said new brakes and rotors were $700/axle, the 60K service $650 and the 90K service $350, 3 oil changes $280 total and wiper blades $110.

    now, do I need rotors with brakes? the 60K and 90K services aren’t mentioned in the service book, just “inspections 1 and 2″ where there just seems to be alot of checking things and not alot of work. almost $100/oil change is crazy and the wiper blades forget it.

    plus, he’s overcharging me for the plan. I checked and it goes for $1300+tax. I emailed him and mentioned all these things. I can’t wait to hear back.

    my plan is to call an excellent local mechanic I know, who is fair with everything, and see if they can do everything for the next 57K for less than $1600. I hope they can work on Minis, reset the mileage thing, etc.

    the real issue is, not much is going to happen with the car between now and 100K. it’s after 100k that things start going, ie the clutch (which I baby anyway and my commute is all highway).

    any thoughts? I love the car and I do plan on keeping it.

40. Clever Dude March 4, 2009 9:21 am

    @Lisa, I got the same sales pitch when I was in at 32,000 miles for service, shortly after buying the used MINI. They said it would be $1300 if I bought then, which is “a discount while the car is still under warranty.” The cost when the warranty ends would be higher (around the $1600 you were quoted).

    Now, they’re quoting you prices that THEY charge for those services. As you and I have found, you can find those same services for a fraction of the cost elsewhere. While it might not be done by a “MINI Professional Service Technician”, what does it matter if you don’t need to conform to warranty requirements anymore? As long as you can find a trusted mechanic to do the work (one that has worked on MINIs before), then go to them.

    As for rotors, depending on the wear and mileage, you may need new rotors or they might just need to “machine” the rotors. Machining takes off a thin layer (if done right) to smooth it out. During the life of the brakes, the heat can distort the surface of the rotors and machining can extend the life of the rotor, but it does actually remove surface used for braking at the same time.

41. Byron Charles March 5, 2009 5:08 pm

    You was over price, go ahead and look for other alternative, because the price was ridiculous. To spread some knowledge that some people don’t know “Kaufman Tire” will rotate your tires for free, also fix a flat (nail in your tire) for free as well but their is specs on this fairly new or in good shape tire, and the puncture should not be on the sidewall

42. felipe March 16, 2009 10:34 pm

    I bought a manual transmission, at Moritz Mini in Dallas Texas, the sale person told me the transmission came full of fluid and I did not have to add more fluid and refuse to sell me trans fluid, and told me came with 12 months warranty and unlimited miles. I have a profeccional mechanic to install the transmission and I tald him obout the fluid, the next day the transmission start having problem to shift, I took the car back to Moritz after 3 days they toll me evrityng is all rigth just alittle low on flid took the car to my house after draving the car for 3 miles I start having the same problem took the car back to Moritz and after 1 week they toll me the transmission is no good and my warranty is void because draving the car with out of fluid. Can some one tell me how can I get Moritz to onore the warranty Thanks.

43. MIKE April 14, 2009 5:11 pm

    1, taking your car to a dealer, in regards to an oil change, the majority of them top of all fluids and give a complete inspection of your vechile. I am a mechanic for 10 years now and every oil change i do even if its a new car with 5000miles on it i still lubricate all door hindges, trunk hood….etc, top up all fluids, do all tire pressures including the spare tire, and give a complete inspection of your vechile, by checking all components from brakes, suspention, electirc, aif filter……etc i can go on..

    the reason why the dealer is so “expensive”…………wait one sec, do you know a technician gets paid for doing your oil change, unfortunatley like all other jobs, wer do not get a guraranteed salary, nor are we paid by the hour. We are flat rate technicians for for the .5 of an hour we just got paid to change your oil, and give you the peace of mind checking over your vechile completley we get half and hour of our rate per hour……in most cases a licenced technician will make approx 25-27/HR.

    If you think its a rip off, you can go to the local “shop” which has no particular traing in your vechile, meanwhille at mini/bmw, we are trained to know all complete update on all new mini/bmws…

    It might be expensive but well worth it. I have friends that tell me about how their mechanic at a small shop tells them they need this and that, yet when i seem to check their vechile……no repairs were necessary 70% of the time.

    ……….condiser not being so cheap and pay for what is necessary…….

44. Clever Dude April 15, 2009 7:40 am

    @Mike, You said it yourself that the technician only makes $25-27/hr, so why is MINI charging me over $200? If the tech was getting even half that, well, I still wouldn’t want to pay over $200 again, but I would be on the tech’s side. But if MINI is making a 5x profit (more like 3-4x after materials and facilities costs), it’s just not fair to the consumer, which is why I’m going to take my business elsewhere. Specifically, I’m going to begin changing the oil on the MINI myself now (or look into the extended maintenance plan, which is also a ripoff, but only because I’m closer to the MINI dealer in my new job).

    Would you pay $200+ to get your oil, filter and air filter changed? No, you would probably do it yourself or get your employer to pay for it, if they do that. I think that makes you frugal, not cheap, just like me.

45. Bob Collins August 13, 2009 8:09 pm

    Interesting. But curious, why won’t you touch the brakes? Replacing pads is a breeze, heck even the rotors are no problem. This is a job that so many people are afraid of because, “they stop the car!”, yet it is probably the most simple system/part of the car.

    Oh, even synthetic oil breaks down and should not be used for extended periods like people think. When the companies went to all synthetic *AND* dealer covered oil changes the mileage between oil changes jumped to 10,000 – 15,000 depending on vehicle. Coincidence? Of course not, they really say you should change the oil at about 4,000 miles if you are going to keep the car longer than the typical 3-4 year ownership.

46. Clever Dude August 14, 2009 12:36 pm

    @Bob, it’s the whole “they stop the car” thing with me. I’m sure I could easily do it, but I just don’t want to be the one responsible for killing myself, my wife or my fellow passengers . We’ll let the mechanics be responsible for killing us

47. Bob Collins August 14, 2009 6:47 pm

    Hi CleverDude, I understand the fear and concern on the brakes, but do you really trust that other guy?

    Just kidding, but seriously, you should try it. It is a rewarding project. Heck I know some guys who track their cars and switch pads every few weeks when they have a track event.

    You can do it.

    BTW, love the MINI, is it Laser Blue? My wife just got a Mellow Yellow Clubman, and it is amazing.

48. Clever Dude August 14, 2009 7:41 pm

    @Bob, I’ll think about it when the time comes, but I’ll check, recheck and triple-diple check what I do!

    The color is Hyper Blue Metallic (a 2005 Mini color).

49. urban zen December 17, 2009 12:40 pm

    I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. My problem though is I took my car to a Jiffy Lube for an oil change and found out a few months later when I went to have it changed by my mechanic, that they must have stripped the threads and put on a larger bolt? and my mechanic now won’t touch it so I have to go back to the Jiffy Lube folks or I guess buy a whole new oil pan and start over? Any thoughts?

50. Martin M February 11, 2010 12:42 pm

    Ha, that sounds about right. We recently hit a mega pothole which resulted in our Cooper being towed to the dealer. I always find that the service guys are pretty pleasant to deal with, but when you get the bill you can see that their pleasantness is just a distraction to what’s coming around the corner… the final bill. We got a bill for $785.30 to replace a wheel hub with bearing and tire for the driverside front with $386.95 going toward labor. Now the only reason I feel at all comfortable with going to the dealer is that they see these vehicles daily and follow the specs laid out by BMW/Mini Cooper, so I trust the work being done. On the other hand, the prices are through the roof, and I agree that their products are grossly overpriced for the same items you could probably find at most local auto repair shops at 1/3 the cost.

51. Jill Mostek February 19, 2010 7:00 pm

    They have to charge DOUBLE in order to supply Starbuck’s Coffee in the lobby. I’d rather pay normal mechanic costs and bring my own, though!

    One thing I have found it makes sense to go to the Mini dealer for, TIRES.
    Other tire places I’ve tried having my run-flat tires changed at, always say they cannot guarantee they won’t ruin the rims. Apparently (??) those type of tires are difficult to change.

52. sally March 30, 2010 10:11 am

    i bought my mini used so the first time my oil change was 470 canadian. This also included getting a full inspection of the car- and two leaks were fixed. I did this for a piece of mind because i bought the car used. After that i take it to a local garage for all my needs. I don’t regret taking it to the dealer initially

53. Mike April 16, 2010 9:50 am

    Dealership=stealership

54. Al Shaw May 18, 2010 8:12 pm

    Wait until the transmission/CVT goes out anywhere from 50,000 and up-just out of warranty and the dealer tells you they will be able to fix the problem for between $6,000 and $8,000 dollars. Good luck Mini owners

55. Elizabeth Mello June 24, 2010 12:22 am

    I agree with you, going to dealerships really cost you. They wanted $350 to do a 4 wheel alighment, Goodyear charged me $79. I went for an oil change and they said I was due for brake and fuel line flushes and would charge $200 & $300. Ala Carte quotes I believe. they quote minimun of 1 hour per service, get you up on the rack and spend maybe a total of 1/2 hour for both jobs. I love my Mini, but good god.

56. Justin September 13, 2010 11:16 pm

    I just bought a 2007 Dodge RAM 1500 here and they gave me a card that gets me $10 oil changes for life! Love it! I can’t buy the oil and filter for that much myself. Good job DishmanDodge in Spokane, WA!

57. gmfoley October 21, 2010 10:35 am

    Also you need to check part prices from dealers. Most dealers have no problem marking up part prices above retail (most are making 40 to 45% at retail) another 30%. All the high end dealers do this and think they have a right. I was an insurance adjuster for years and seeing some invoices at 40% above retail just makes me think what do they do to the people off the street. Any repair that the dealer does the service writer makes a piece of it ( commision), the tech makes a piece of it, the service manager same thing and then the dealership wants a piece. A service writer in Scottsdale can make 100,000 with no trouble. Can they make this amount or are there over priced repairs that are unneeded? When you add all the people eating off the pie the customer has to really pay for service. Also a good airplane mechanic will make about 1/2 a car mechanic makes ( no way to cheat like in cars).

58. Brian February 25, 2011 12:48 pm

    I have a ’06 Cooper S and a ’05 Nissan Frontier. The Cooper just came out of warranty and I’ll be doing my own oil this week. I have a stockpile of 3 OEM filters for the Cooper and can get the rest @ the local auto parts store. My Frontier is still under warranty and I juast has some repairs done at the dealer for free. Then they wanted to do a transmission & driveline fluid change. They wanted…wait for it….$535 to change the ‘oil’ in the gear box and 4×4 differentials. I went to my local shop and had it done for $170 (only cuz it used synthetics) That’s a HUGE mark-up if nearly $400 out the door. It pays to shop around on this stuff.

    GREAT article!!!

59. Keith Hamburger March 21, 2011 4:27 pm

    Well, we ordered our 2003 Cooper S the end of October 2002. The dealer received it in the middle of December but, due to some financial difficulties, we arranged to pick it up in the middle of January. It took us 3 years for the countdown timer to let us know that it was due for the second oil change. Since the computer takes into account the type of driving done I have to assume that was because so much of the mileage was long distance highway miles. So, we took the car in at the end of December 2005.

    There’s where the “trick” comes in. Supposedly with 36000 miles the first three oil changes should be covered. Well, because they decide when you get the oil changes based on the service notification countdown, we figured we would get by with just two covered oil changes. But, after the second one was done we were presented with a $250 bill for the oil change. They told us that the coverage started when the dealership took delivery of the car, not when we took delivery of the car. They used the excuse that “we were covered” in case anything happened during the time they had posession but that’s just BS. If they had wrecked the car or anything before we took delivery of the new car they would have been responsible no matter what.

    Oh well, I’ve not taken the car to the dealership since. Brakes and rotors can be done for around $150, replacing all wear parts. I’ve done it. Oil changes, very simple. I’m doing one in the driveway right now. Besides, I far prefer to know how to work on my own cars, out here in fly over country it’s often hundreds of miles to the nearest dealership.

60. luis June 8, 2011 1:57 pm

    Hey Everyone
    I got My mini in South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) and never had ANY problems with them. warranty or not all good.
    Well just at the end of last year move to North Carolina, shop around to get the new Fog light program or (code in) I found a dealer in Greenville, South Carolina ( Century MINI). Who give me a over the phone quote of $65.00 or so. Out of no where, and 4 or 5 hours later and a $450.00 it was my bill. The service guy ask me if it was okay for the mechanic to look for the problem as of why they could not program my light.
    I tell you why they could not program the fog light. Because I did the install me self.. Oh but wait I had a copy of HOW From BMW MINI.By the way the mechanic at this Century place told me ” the installation was done correct to the teeth.
    But what was the problem you ask the “mother board” is fry. REALLY? wow how come everything else works fine window up n down radio ,door locks,AC…
    let see I did the NEW switches by the book, the wiring by the book.Or should I said instruction.
    okay how much was the mother board $411.00 or something like that not including installation and reprogram. could can see where this is going. Sure I will be back > in your dreams you%^&.
    lets not forget one of the few mechanics hanging around my car open the box where the old switches was and took every one of the inner part the makes the switches work. yeah you know who you are.
    Any way I went to the dealer in Charlotte NC. to get oil filter and out side of the shop I got the talking with one of the mechanic who told me, Dude there nothing wrong with it. they do that because they don’t like it when you do your own work.
    people please lets stop this from happening to others.
    HAPPY MOTORING!!!

Leave a Comment

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.