I just picked up my first mini cooper about a week ago, it's a 2003 cooper base with the cvt/shift tronics tranny. so far I've done mostly emergency maintenance on the car as the last owner wasn't smart enough to replace the ORIGINAL air filter with 107,000 miles on it. additionally it hasn't had any of it's big services done at a bmw/mini dealership so there's no records of maintenance. hopefully i can learn everything i can from you guys.
btw, i think the dealership i bought it from replaced the oil with traditional oil. can anyone enlighten me if that's a huge problem?

 

I don't think it's a huge issue. You may want to replace with synthetic oil right away, though. Don't forget to check/change the cabin air filter, along with brake fluid and coolant, which should be changed every two years. Silk green is a great color. Sounds like this car is in better hands now...

 

alright, one last question. how do i get at the cabin air filter? my last car the glove box pulled off to get at it.

 

Welcome to the forum. I would get the oil changed to synthetic very quickly with 107K you could be asking for engine trouble. Also the CVT transmissions can be a trouble spot, keep your eyes on it and treat it gently. If it goes bad there is no fixing it and a replacement can cost as much as $7000.

 

Welcome Rusty!

 

I'd get the fluid changed on the CVT asap as well. Most people that change it on a regular pattern seem to have better luck with the CVT.

 

+1 on the CVT fluid change, although neither of our cars is a CVT model, I have heard that changing the CVT fluid regularly is a good idea. It takes a special fluid (not ATF) so have it done by somebody who knows what they are doing.

Silk Green is an awesome color- my wife loves her Silk Green/Silk Green MINI!

Val

 

The cabin air filter is accessible inside the glovebox on the left side.

 

perfect thanks