So...I bothered to read the manual to figure out what that little warning really meant...and apparently it looks like the previous owner never took my car somewhere that knew how to deal with reseting the CBS computer. At this point I am told that the following needs done!
Engine oil
Front brakes
Rear brakes
Vehicle check
Roadworthiness test
Brake fluid
Seems to me that any and all possible maintenance lights were never reset! Go figure. Oil was changed at the dealer I purchased it from and my local mechanic said that the brakes were in good condition. Seems like I probably need to reset these warning lights. I know the brakes require me replacing the wear cable which is something I'll look into doing, will probably replace the brake pads while I'm at it. So how would I reset the rest of the warning lights?
Also, have others experience with Condition Based Service worked well for you? What is your opinion on waiting for the computer to tell you when to change the oil and such? I'm at about 3,000 miles now and have no clue what the dealer put in it (it was a Nissan dealer and they didn't reset anything so I'm not going to assume brilliance here).
Should I look into doing most of this myself or should I take it somewhere that knows more about MINI's (heard the little speed shop is great from threads here)? I'm comfortable replacing the brakes no problem, done a few disc brake jobs (rotors & pads) before without issue. For those in Rochester other places you would recommend?
-- Edited by cereal on Saturday 3rd of December 2011 12:57:26 AM
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The first rule of MINI ownership is always wave at the other MINIs. The second rule of MINI ownership is always wave at the other MINIs.
Well I miss read part of it! Should have read it more carefully. The brakes are ok and are 8000-9000 miles left so huzzah! I reset the "vehicle check" and "roadworthiness test" since it seems a bit arbitrary and silly. Already had a mechanic look at it after all.
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The first rule of MINI ownership is always wave at the other MINIs. The second rule of MINI ownership is always wave at the other MINIs.
Before I bought the new Mini, I took the previous one both to Towne and to Craig Autometrics (downtown off East Ave by the Little Theater). They are foreign car specialists and have been great to deal with. They are Tire Rack installers as well, which is how I got to know them. (585-325-3337)
The 'roadworthyness check' is a reminder to get the yearly inspection. The brake pads have wear sensors that are in the calipers. These are to be replaced when you replace the pads. There are threads in NAM to show how these work if you want to know.
The CBS reccomends flushing brake fluid every 2 years. For daily driver cars, this is probably excessive. For guys that track their car, yearly is probably better.
Engine oil should be every 5000 miles, dont trust the CBS.
I don't know how old your car is, or if it is still under warranty. It probably would not hurt taking the car to a MINI dealer and getting a print out of the maintenance history on the car. This is in the key fob. Towne MINI has been very helpful for me, even though I didn't buy the car there. I got a surprise with my car, the previous owner had purchased the extended warranty, and the dealer I got it from had no idea.
Mike, thanks for the reminder to check with Towne. Not certain why I just assumed that the extended warranty & maintenance wasn't purchased but I did! I'll see about calling and asking at least if nothing else just to find out. I have a 2007 MCS that was built in March so its out of warranty (with 20,000 miles now) but I'm not overly worried. Seems like they either didn't do any maintenance on it or whomever did it didn't bother to reset the indicators so that's where I"m at right now.
I'm planning on getting the oil changed anyways since I don't know what the dealer put in it when I bought it 3,500 miles ago. Better safe than sorry as far as I'm concerned on that one. Would rather take it to someone who I know will at least put synthetic in! If I don't have the extended warranty I'll get the maintenance history when I make my way out there next (seems to be every other month or so anyways).
Definitely appreciate the reminder to even ask! Seems like I see something like this on NAM often enough, I should have actually done it myself!
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The first rule of MINI ownership is always wave at the other MINIs. The second rule of MINI ownership is always wave at the other MINIs.
When I first got my 08 MCS, I spent some time at Towne, and they told me that the timing chain was a problem that was resolved with a design change (or better materials) late in 2007 or early in 2008. You may want to ask Towne to describe what to listen for, your car probably has the problematic chain asssembly in it. Who knows, maybe it makes sense to make an oil change appt with them and have them look the car over for you?
