This perhaps needs to be in a different thread, if so feel free to move me.

Simply stated, I have some questions about the maintenance schedule for my July 2007 build MINI Cooper S. I've poured through the owner's manual, and there is, of course, info on regular service for the MINI, like getting wiper blades replaced after approx 6 months, about oil changes being determined by the car's on-board computer, etc.

However, I'm wondering if someone could lay out a good timeframe for, simply, when to take the MINI in. My other vehicle, a Dodge, pretty much lays it out nice and plain in the owner's manual:

3,000 Mile Service
change oil and oil filter
check belts, hoses, air filter

6,000 Mile Service
change oil and oil filter
rotate/balance tires
check belts, hoses, air filter

9,000 Mile Service
change oil and oil filter
check belts, hoses, air filter

etc. etc. all the way past 120,000 miles with "major" services due at 30,000 miles, 60,000, 90,000 miles etc. like replacing the battery, replacing spark plugs, replacing belts, etc.

Is there such a schedule for the MINI? One of my main reasons for asking is that the on-board computer tells me that my next scheduled service is 7/2010 at 21,000 miles. WHAT?! That doesn't seem to make any sense at all. Nor has it ever changed since the day I took delivery; isn't it supposed to change depending on your driving habits? Is that ONLY looking at my oil? What about other services like checking belts and such?

So, it all boils down to this: how often should I darken the garage door of my MINI service bay?

 

I don't know of any official milage-based service recommendations. I'm pretty sure it was OBC milage, or after two years.

My OBC has decided to recommend an oil change out in the 20,000 mile range too. (Although I recently knocked it down an extra thousand with a Saturday of pushing the car a bit)

My plan is to cut the OBC's recommendations in half with my own oil changes- I'm okay with synthetic holding up more than the tried-and-true 3,000, but 19k seems to be pushing it to me. My plan is to get the Blackstone report when I do my first change this weekend, and adjust my plans based on what I hear from them.

I'm sure the plan is for a tech to check out belts, hoses and the like once the car's in for it's oil change, just like before. Hopefully we'll see a Bentley manual out before too long.

 

I'm only going to keep my car till its out of warranty. So what ever the OBC says I do...no more no less. As long as the services are done as per BMW the warranty is safe.

 

You're maybe right that when it's in for oil they check other bits, but one thing that confuses me is in a turbo charged "high performance" engine like the MINI's, belts, the air intake, and other parts are simply under more stress than in other types of engines. I'm curious what the timeframe should be on replacing, say, the air filter. Now, synthetic oil lasting 6, 10, or 20 thousand miles, that's all really nifty, but air filters simply don't last that long (unless they're a K&N style honeycomb, which even then would need oiling and maintenance).

My fear is that, by waiting for the suggested oil change interval, I'm helping BMW/MINI not have to perform what would be routine on any other car in the world, and even worse leading to some major wear and tear on the vehicle which I'll have to foot the bill for when my "maintenance warranty" ends.

 

There are tons of threads about "service indicator" and the like. What usually happens to the OBC is it starts at 15k and goes up for awhile, then goes down pretty fast. You can get free service/oilchange at one year no matter what your mileage. A lot of people pay for some on their own (or do their own) before that. Some (like me) will wait for a year (about 12k for me). I've never really looked in the manual for the stuff like air cleaner, etc. I figure I'll let them worry about it for 3 years, then I'll take over.

 

My hope is to, as silly as this sounds, have this car forever. I mean, forever is a relative term, but I'd like to pass this car onto my kid in 16 years. I don't baby my vehicles (my cars never sit in a garage undriven), but I do take excellent care of them, usually surpassing the suggested maintenance and repairs.

I'm happy to do my part in keeping it maintained too, and I understand that when it comes out from under warranty everything will be my bill, but I hope BMW does their part until then.

 

i broke down and changed my oil/filter at 8k miles, even though the mini-HAL has deemed it unnecessary. i paid for it myself, of course, specifying castrol syntec, 5-30 weight, and the regulation mini oil filter. while i was at it, i had the run-flats "rotated," front -> back.

i'm old school, and believe that you should be pretty religious about the first oil/filter change. when mechanical parts are new, they create microscopic metal shavings that make great sandpaper when suspended in oil. so that first change is important to flush the crap outta the system.

i'll prolly follow HAL's advice from here on out, like a good little astronaut. i plan to rotate tires more frequently 'cause i can do that myself.

 

I'm kinda following my Jeep's maintenance schedule for some things on my Mini. I changed my air filter today at 11,500 miles. It was pretty dirty, I don't know when Mini or the OBC suggests it be changed but I'm glad I did. It was $33 from Mini and pretty easy to change.