R56 Mini Cooper 2007, 140,000 Miles Reliable?
#26
06-11-2014, 07:37 AM
Both my dealer and an independent Mini specialist have recommend I spend $1100+ to have my oil pan gasket replaced despite the fact my garage floor is bone dry and I have no discernible oil loss between changes. You've got to have a firm hold on your wallet and use some common sense with mechanics - they're trying to put their kids through college and make a boat payment just like you.
- Mark
- Mark
is there something magical about replacing a minis oil gasket that i dont know about?.....
isnt it just:
1) drain oil
2) remove oil pan
3) clean up old gasket
4) apply new gasket
5) reattach pan
6) add new oil
.....?......
should take you ~1hr if you take your time, no?
even if you pay a shop at $100/hr, thats no more than a $200 job parts and labor.
#27
06-11-2014, 10:27 AM
#28
06-11-2014, 10:49 AM
admittedly i havent done one on my mini.....but it looks like all youd need to do is partially drop the exhaust at the flex pipe......
#29
06-11-2014, 02:21 PM
2nd Gear
yup, you just drop the exhaust and it comes off real easy like. one or two of the bolts might be kinda hard to get to for some, but with the right extensions and u joints its not bad at all.
i was really glad i did mine, found the intermittent rattle in my engine. the dealership who did the timing chain guide a few years ago before i owned the car did a **** poor job, probably broke the guide when he switched it and left the pieces in the pan.
i was really glad i did mine, found the intermittent rattle in my engine. the dealership who did the timing chain guide a few years ago before i owned the car did a **** poor job, probably broke the guide when he switched it and left the pieces in the pan.
#30
06-17-2014, 10:07 AM
5th Gear
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Phila, PA
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You just bought it, so now isn't the time to be 2nd-guessing its reliability. No, these cars do not have good reliability records, especially the S models. But that doesn't mean that with good care and attention to issues they can't be reasonably reliable. You do have to stay after things, perform routine maintenance, and be ready to spend some serious coin when problems happen though. You want to get on a first-name basis with a good independent mechanic; maintaining a 140K Mini at the dealer is just not economical. If you're not comfortable with this, then you're likely to be disappointed. But then again, no car with 140K, especially a small car, is likely to be trouble-free.
You should be nervous as hell if you bought the car without any mechanic's inspection and with no service records. This is skating on very thin ice. You may be in for a shock after the inspection, but as I said earlier, dealers just aren't a very good way to maintain a high-mileage car like this as their repair costs are outrageous. Something like a broken door lock or a minor oil leak will be quoted as a four-figure repair.
It's one of those "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" sort of deals. These are great cars, but they do usually require more owner involvement than a typical Honda or Toyota. These are cars that respond poorly to owners who just push the right pedal until they won't go anymore.
- Mark
You should be nervous as hell if you bought the car without any mechanic's inspection and with no service records. This is skating on very thin ice. You may be in for a shock after the inspection, but as I said earlier, dealers just aren't a very good way to maintain a high-mileage car like this as their repair costs are outrageous. Something like a broken door lock or a minor oil leak will be quoted as a four-figure repair.
It's one of those "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" sort of deals. These are great cars, but they do usually require more owner involvement than a typical Honda or Toyota. These are cars that respond poorly to owners who just push the right pedal until they won't go anymore.
- Mark
EVEN IF you perform routine maintenance religiously, things will still break like clockwork, above and beyond what I experienced as normal wear and tear. I've wrenched on my own cars since I was a teenager and I perform all maintenance/service that I am able to at home .
I haven't even reached 70,000 miles on my Mini and already I've experienced a thermostat replacement, turbo oil line leak, timing cover seal replacement and I'm waiting for the fuel pump, oil filter mount seal, water pump and carbon build up cleaning due soon... (based on what others are experiencing). I can't begin to imagine the repair bills for people who HAVE to take it to a dealer for repairs. Overall, compared to my other cars, this is by far the worst car for longevity but that's what happens when engine parts are made of plastic.
Now I do understand that mechanical parts WILL eventually fail. I accept that. However, I am not used to how SOON these parts fail. It's as if part failure/sales is another revenue stream for BMW.
To me, this is a disposable car for people with a lot of disposable income. Nice car and all but never again Mini.
OP...so yeah, find a good mechanic or learn to wrench, quickly. I'm off to replace the turbo oil line ...Good luck!
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