not sure if this topic has been mentioned and if i has my apologizes for not going to the right place but i need advice

took my 06 mini cooper with 103000 miles on it to the dealer the other day and they said it needs about 9100$ worth of work?!?! no doubt i will get a 2nd look but wanted to know if what they said is normal, so here is the list:

passenger strut
oil pan and crank sensor seal
leaking lower control arm bushings torn (left & right)
power steering lines leaking
front & back brakes at 2mm
power steering pump leaking
power steering fan seized
brake fluid flush
fuel injection service
coolant flush
stage 1 fan seized
the 100K mini service package (belts, oxygen/air filters)

HELP!!!

 

Lol...sounds like they REALLY want to sell you a NEW car....or build one...one part at a time...

 

P.S.
Bringing an 8 year old car to a dealer for work will NEVER end well..sure most of that stuff might be needed....
But older are are like doing triage....you do the worst first...
And non dealers typically charge about 50% per hour less for labour...and 70% of the quote is labour...
Also no such thing as a 100,000 mile service...
Goes inspection1 (usully 30,000 miles) then inspection 2 about 60,000)..then #1 at 90,000, the #2 again at 30,000 more...read up.

 

LOL like anyone would ever actually pay that. I'm sure an '06 MNI isn't even worth that much in value.

 

Heck I think I would make an appointment and then keep postponing it.They get all excited and then let down only to be excited again! Lol..greed!

 

Lol...
Think they totaled your car.....
Bet they offer you $5000 as a "trade in value"...lol...

In all honesty...no car used car is ever " perfect" like when it left the factory after a few miles...
But something here sounds...er...fishy...
They threw a list of all possible "common" things together....
Then added a fuel injector service to make it worse...hm...
Yes my 3rd post on this thread...but to give you an "estimate" of more than a cars value on a driving, running car...lol..
Things like brakes....can be done anywhere...much less than a dealer....
Same for coolant change and brake fluid flush...
Oil pan gasket and cps is based on...a drip, a weeping drip or a gush? Might need to be done...might be OK if you check your oil on a regular basis...
An extra clamp on a hose for the PS line might work...but a new hose might be needed...same for the pump...but if the system is DRAINED...why do they want to FLUSH IT...a refill should be fine..lol...
Run...the dealer is milking you...
Dou you need $1500 worth of stuff...most likely... If you want to keep the car forever...maybe a few more $$...but to keep it safe and in reasonable repair...bet you would have difficulty spending HALF THAT $9000 at an indepent shop.....bet it would be 25%...

 

P.S.
To say the "stage 1 fan is siezed" is a joke..the fan runs at two speeds...one fan...so they are so FULL OF CRAP they believe it...is the resistor burnt out...maybe... But that does not lock it up...
Oh yeah.....
You need a clutch for another $2000....so now the bill is $11,000....oops forgot the Manuel tranny flush...+$500..so 11,500...0h...cabin filtermaje it 11,600, and spark plugs....hm...maybe a lightbulb.. Think you are up to $12,000...scratched windshield...make it $12,500!! Aww...you need a A/C RECHARGE...13,000 $ to be good to go!!
By the way...I have a bridge to sell you...and some swampland...
And my long lost uncle, a prince in Nigeria wants to give you a million dollars... He just needs you to pay the taxes first...please send him some $$ for the customs fees.....

 

That looks like about $3500 worth of repairs . . . Less than that at a non-dealer mechanic.

Name and Shame please - which dealer is this?

 

Thanks for this thread, I needed a laugh today.

 

I thought My maintenance list was bad, you apparently need a whole car.

 

LOL run away from that place. A good independent shop is the way to go. You might need brake pads, fluids, and filter changes. The parts you really need are probably $500 plus labor.

 

Tell them to itemize everything in writing for their estimate. Post it here.

 

+1
I'd love to see a scan/PDF of it..

 

This is a great idea. It really is. Or better yet, a copy of the estimate. We could all put it in our signatures as a joke or something.

 

passenger strut: Is it leaking or knocking?

oil pan and crank sensor seal: Don't know about the pan, but the crank sensor seal is just a matter of reaching it, unplugging it, pull the CS out, replace seal and back in it goes.

leaking lower control arm bushings torn (left & right): Those are plausible (not leaking tho), if they are really really busted, you can feel them by wiggling the wheel front to back with the car parked.

power steering lines and pump leaking: I doubt the pump itself is leaking, most likely the line coming from the reservoir, replace the clamps and clean it really well, then check again.

front & back brakes at 2mm: Not much to do there except replace.

power steering fan seized: If that's the case, replace the fan.

brake fluid flush: Never a bad idea, but it depends on the cost, a Motive bleeder cost around 70$ + the brake fluid.

fuel injection service: Not sure how well it works even if we do those from time to time (Toyota dealer).

coolant flush: If you've reached the life span of the coolant, not a bad idea.

stage 1 fan seized: ???

the 100K mini service package (belts, oxygen/air filters): Depends on the maintenance that was done on the car.

Honestly, I'd go to an independant shop that are familiar with Minis. From that list, my real concerns would be the brakes, control arms (if they are worn out) and fixing the power steering lines (new clamps if it's that simple). Then you could go on from there.

 

I'll save you $4000. Give me $5k and your Mini and I'll give you my 02MCS in perfect condition that already has had all of that and more done to it.
All jokes aside the dealer is often in a legal position to give you a repair grocery list knowing you'll elect to turn it down. Then they can't be sued if an accident occurs due to a repair oversight. And, once in awhile a bloke with too much money might say go ahead and fix it.

 

passenger strut - Easy to fix but you probably need to replace all the struts with 100K miles

oil pan and crank sensor seal - Meh! You can but a lot of oil for $9100

leaking lower control arm bushings torn (left & right) - Also pretty easy to fix but you can go a LONG way with this problem.

power steering lines leaking - That's not a common problem. I'm not sure I'd believe it.

front & back brakes at 2mm - Nothing special about Mini brakes. AutoZone has pads and rotors.

power steering pump leaking - probably a loose hose clamp. Get under there and replace it.
power steering fan seized - Pick one up at a junkyard for $20. Easy to replace, two or 3 bolts and a plug.

brake fluid flush - Why?

fuel injection service - Get a bottle of Techron at Wal-Mart. They don't do anything different.

coolant flush - Again, why? If your coolant needs change, you can just change it. Flushing is what you do to toilets.

stage 1 fan seized - So what? Mine never worked. The car doesn't know the difference.

My guess is that you could buy all the tools needed to do all this work for $500 and the parts for $750. But $9100? The car is totaled!

 

My car had almost the exact same list of problems when I bought it (for $5k).

I've done all the work myself and have probably $500 in parts into it now. Then my AC compressor blew up on me so now double the cost I have into the car.

You can drive it for a long time like that if you fix the brakes first. Where are you located?

 

passenger strut - DIY that guy
oil pan and crank sensor seal - DIY again
leaking lower control arm bushings torn (left & right) - These dont "leak", theres no fluid in them. you can wait.
power steering lines leaking - yes it is a common problem, see if a clamp will work as others have stated
front & back brakes at 2mm - well, you should probably get new brake pads yes
power steering pump leaking - related to lines possibly.?
power steering fan seized - should have a check engine light for this guy
brake fluid flush - this may actually be a good idea. i had mine done and immediately felt a difference. it is part of the brake system, safety first and all. but maybe get it done at an independent shop
fuel injection service - DIY at walmart
coolant flush - meh. get a test kit if its that concerning
stage 1 fan seized - do the jumper fix thing
the 100K mini service package (belts, oxygen/air filters) - probably should change the belt if you havnet in a while. screw the oxygen sensors unless you have a CEL. air filter, get a high flow air filter and be done with it. same price. DIY

 

The mini that I just bought (very cheap BTW) came with a similar list of issues from the dealer with an $11k price tag. Clearly that is why it went up for sale. I bought it anyway having seen the list prior to the purchase since I will do all the work myself. Granted mine has quoted head work unlike the OP's car but I do find it interesting how much overlap there is between his list and mine and that interestingly enough I happen to have exactly 2mm left on my brakes as well, hmmmmm? I have attached the estimate for your reading pleasure.

 

What AstroBlack said.. There's a ton of DIY stuff in there..

If The OP had a location, I bet someone could point him at the right indy mechanic… OP post the city you live in.

 

Cant believe they put that in ink and paper, who would pay that?