How about Mini Coopers - Auto-Trend Repairs and Service Information Forums

Shawnee_B · FAR BEYOND DRIVEN

How about Mini Coopers

SELLC · CERTIFIED POST WHORE

Someone else just recently asked me this exact same question!

To be honest I have never had one come in for service! So that is a good sign, a good sign that they are rare and getting parts will be a PITA.

But if you're buying new, that really shouldn't be a problem!

If the wife wants a Mini Cooper, get the wife a Mini Cooper! Get the optional HEPA filtration system so she can cruise around in the Wuhan atmosphere without worry! LOL

I took the Corvette out for a cruise today, it was a great cruise, probably the furthest Ive driven all week! Went up and down Hines both ways and was shocked at how many people were out walking around in this cold wether! The last straw was when I seen this flock of about 20 geese all huddled up by the side of the road, I pulled over next to them and rolled my window down and asked them if they were aware of the COVID-19 outbreak, to which they all just honked and bobbed their heads! So out of jealousy I threw my beer at them and sped off!

Rastus · UNSTOPPABLE!

Hey Shawnee,

We had a couple come in at work, as the dealership serviced BMW's & Mitsubishi's...All this to say, that the "electrics" are apparently a direct swap over from the BMW 3-series...

I did road-test one a little while ago too, as it had an electrical fault with the engine-fan staying on all the time. Turned out to be a faulty sensor...

Anyhow, I thought that they drove surprisingly well, with a real rigid chassis, & the designers seemed to keep a lot of the original interior appointments like the round gauges & stuff, & yet blended them with all the new modern electrical appoinments.

It would imo be the electrics that will give you the most trouble, as regular mechanics can't service these babies, you "have" to go to an authorized dealer.

Codes that are stored in the cars memory only indicate that a fault is with a certain component, & that may not be the cause of why it's failing. A dealership, since it services nothing bet these cars would "know" what the real issues are behind the fault, so you'd likely get the car back quickly, though you have to pay-up for the service too.

The old saying of "You wear the badge, you pay the price" is deliberately being enforced on all modern cars, by the manufacturers. There's no way to avoid this. And should you decide to go to independents, expect a longer turn-around time, though price of parts will still sting you.

-- Edited by Rastus on Sunday 22nd of March 2020 06:37:27 PM

SELLC · CERTIFIED POST WHORE

You are aware that some cars sit at the dealership for months sometimes, right Rastus?

Id argue that its very rare that a car requires dealership service and in most cases its usually only during the warranty period or in the case of re-flashing or anti theft keys.

Rastus · UNSTOPPABLE!

SELLC wrote:
You are aware that some cars sit at the dealership for months sometimes, right Rastus?
Id argue that its very rare that a car requires dealership service and in most cases its usually only during the warranty period or in the case of re-flashing or anti theft keys.

Hi SELLC,

This is absolutely true about the cars sitting around, no bull-shyte. And I'm NOT suggesting that you can't fix them either...But the BMW's I saw ( & worked on ), all had a unique "plug-in" to the computers harness ( we call them OBD's, (I think meaning out-board-diagnosis )), & they were color-coded boxes, for different aged cars & models, & likely very expensive. These then wirelessly spoke to a main-framed computer, that then linked-up with BMW in Germany, that then confirmed the cars ID, faults, history, & all the other bollox.

Regular "G-scan" tools / computers / i-pads, say the likes of Snap-On, may not provide you with enough updated data, or provide the correct information regretfully.

I preferred to almost always use the G-scanner that we had, but was advised many times to use the OEM stuff, at least whilst working on the Mitsubishi's, which were my main bread & butter whilst working there.

The Mitsubishi's were essentially the same as the BMW's, having to hook-up to Mitsubishi Japan via i-pad, but differed in that the OBD socket was always the same across all the models. The advantage here being that the OEM manual was available to confirm codes, & provide further directions for diagnosis & repair information of fault. A G-scanner can't provide this information. The Mitsubishi scanner is called a MUT, that stands for Multi-Use-Tester. It also allows you to monitor all functions of the electrics in real-time, plot graphs, & reset variables as needed, including the stupid service remoinder spanners, that are always out-of-sync with mileage & time lol !

SELLC · CERTIFIED POST WHORE

What you say is true Rastus, but not for the reasons you have stated.

The OBD-II mandate here in the USA only requires that the manufacture make available information as it pertains to the "emissions" of a vehicle, in other words the engine controls. Manufactures, read that as ALL OF THEM - then figured out a way to circumvent that law by having separate modules for things like the transmission, ABS, SRS systems and everything else in-between. They do this on purpose with the sole objective being to lock out the aftermarket. Back in the old days Democrats used to care about the rights of people to access and service their vehicles outside of the dealership - but not anymore.

Still, the aftermarket does offer scan tools that access ALL the modules - they are very expensive, but allow the aftermarket to at least get into the diagnostic modules outside of just then engine controls. There is no doubt that the manufacture will have superior testing equipment for their own cars, at least until such time as it's out of warranty - but eventually their roadblocks are defeated by the aftermarket as the dealership releases newer and more advanced systems each model year and they cycle is a vicious one that just continues.

The mainframes you speak of are nothing new, much like your web-browsers history - cars have a cache of information that the manufacture uses to analyze their machines (read that as your car) and improve them. Now days a lot of companies acquire this information in real time over the air!

PowerStroker · UNSTOPPABLE!

Cars are getting a little too complicated for the generalist working out of his garage. It's probably better that manufacturers "lock them out" and leave these things to the people who have ongoing training by the manufacturer.

SELLC · CERTIFIED POST WHORE

I like the way you think PowerStroker! Keeps people like you at the dealerships where you belong.

You guys fix that shit while its under warranty for peanuts and leave the real money for us five years from now!

Dealerships will soon be a thing of the past soon anyway... won't be long before your job is replaced with a robot or over the air updates. Your technology is BS anyway, about two decades behind the curve, yet you think it's state of the art because your spoon fed information on an already obsolete design.

You should be so proud! Now get back to your warranty labor rate for repetitive mindless repairs.

Rastus · UNSTOPPABLE!

SELLC wrote:
1. You guys fix that shit while its under warranty for peanuts and leave the real money for us five years from now!
2. Dealerships will soon be a thing of the past soon anyway... won't be long before your job is replaced with a robot or over the air updates. Your technology is BS anyway, about two decades behind the curve, yet you think it's state of the art because your spoon fed information on an already obsolete design.

LOL !

R1. Maybe, maybe not so...In a throw away society like we have, the market would devalue "most" cars to perhaps 1/10th the original asking price..Meanwhile, the cost of parts goes up & up in the time-frame...This means that the "trade / dealership" would be the only ones who could keep the life of the car going, since their labor costs & parts costs are also around 1/10th of what regular folks pay...

R2. Cars will generally be sold always through a dealership, as people trust & understand that new things bought from OEM suppliers is where you get confidence purchases from, & why you pay top-dollar for the service imo.

There'll always be room for independents ! It's just not getting easier to make-a-dollar.

SELLC · CERTIFIED POST WHORE

Rastus, I don't think you really know what "Warranty Time" means...

PowerStroker will tell you, it means bend over - spread your ass cheeks and take it down to the bag like a good little boy.

PowerStroker loves that dominatrix stuff!

As for making a buck, well it's like they say.. The payment on success is due daily! Up one day, down the other... such is the way of most things in life, no?

SELLC · CERTIFIED POST WHORE

Restus, perhaps you need to check out this link -

https://autotrend.activeboard.com/t66445697/tesla-removing-features-on-its-used-cars/

to better understand how automobile manufactures will abuse over-the-air updates and locking the end user out of options they paid for...

Rastus · UNSTOPPABLE!

SELLC wrote:
Restus, perhaps you need to check out this link -
https://autotrend.activeboard.com/t66445697/tesla-removing-features-on-its-used-cars/
to better understand how automobile manufactures will abuse over-the-air updates and locking the end user out of options they paid for...

Hi SELLC,

Thanks for the link & post, much appreciated.

I can't tell you what year all this bollox came out, (& I wasn't going to say it either) but if I can help it, I'll never, ever own, any vehicle, that has to be dependent on having access to the internet to operate...

Any vehicle that comes out with that sneaky-little-fat antenna on the roof is the give-away folks...And I dare say they'll also have the i-pad style facia / head-unit in the upper center console.

Prison planet for sure...And "they" will always know, where you are, what you were doing, how fast you were going, what you spent your money on etc etc etc etc.

I didn't want to point-out the obvious, but yeah, we're being ****ed-over, & folks are gladly paying for it...

Perhaps Shawnee will have a change-of-heart on the Mini ?...

I also can't tell you if the vehicle can be sorted-out to run, without the ethernet extra's, but I sincerely hope someone works out a way.

This is also a way of depreciating the vehicle, so that it gets used for scrap-metal, rather than acquiring new owners, since the electronics will be too expensive to keep up-to-scratch.

Problems of the future lol !

-- Edited by Rastus on Tuesday 24th of March 2020 02:34:25 AM

Shawnee_B · FAR BEYOND DRIVEN

SELLC wrote:
Someone else just recently asked me this exact same question!
To be honest I have never had one come in for service! So that is a good sign, a good sign that they are rare and getting parts will be a PITA.
But if you're buying new, that really shouldn't be a problem!
If the wife wants a Mini Cooper, get the wife a Mini Cooper! Get the optional HEPA filtration system so she can cruise around in the Wuhan atmosphere without worry! LOL
I took the Corvette out for a cruise today, it was a great cruise, probably the furthest Ive driven all week! Went up and down Hines both ways and was shocked at how many people were out walking around in this cold wether! The last straw was when I seen this flock of about 20 geese all huddled up by the side of the road, I pulled over next to them and rolled my window down and asked them if they were aware of the COVID-19 outbreak, to which they all just honked and bobbed their heads! So out of jealousy I threw my beer at them and sped off!

Charged the batt in mine and ran it 15 min. Still too much mud here to go out.

Think BMW owns mini now. Parts shouldn't be that hard to find. She likes manuals. Depending on driver the clutches are a prob. Heard some only make 20K

Shawnee_B · FAR BEYOND DRIVEN

Rastus wrote:
Hey Shawnee,

We had a couple come in at work, as the dealership serviced BMW's & Mitsubishi's...All this to say, that the "electrics" are apparently a direct swap over from the BMW 3-series...

I did road-test one a little while ago too, as it had an electrical fault with the engine-fan staying on all the time. Turned out to be a faulty sensor...

Anyhow, I thought that they drove surprisingly well, with a real rigid chassis, & the designers seemed to keep a lot of the original interior appointments like the round gauges & stuff, & yet blended them with all the new modern electrical appoinments.

It would imo be the electrics that will give you the most trouble, as regular mechanics can't service these babies, you "have" to go to an authorized dealer.

Codes that are stored in the cars memory only indicate that a fault is with a certain component, & that may not be the cause of why it's failing. A dealership, since it services nothing bet these cars would "know" what the real issues are behind the fault, so you'd likely get the car back quickly, though you have to pay-up for the service too.

The old saying of "You wear the badge, you pay the price" is deliberately being enforced on all modern cars, by the manufacturers. There's no way to avoid this. And should you decide to go to independents, expect a longer turn-around time, though price of parts will still sting you.

-- Edited by Rastus on Sunday 22nd of March 2020 06:37:27 PM

Crap, don't know if there are any dealers! Louisville only one in KY and closing May. Next is Cincinatti, St Louis, Nashville. Nash closest at 2.5 hrs no traffic but that doesn't happen.

She likes Vipers too :)

Shawnee_B · FAR BEYOND DRIVEN

PowerStroker wrote:
Cars are getting a little too complicated for the generalist working out of his garage. It's probably better that manufacturers "lock them out" and leave these things to the people who have ongoing training by the manufacturer.

I agree.

SELLC · CERTIFIED POST WHORE

Shawnee_B wrote:
PowerStroker wrote:
Cars are getting a little too complicated for the generalist working out of his garage. It's probably better that manufacturers "lock them out" and leave these things to the people who have ongoing training by the manufacturer.
I agree.

You guys can think whatever you like because such "lock-outs" will only apply to you guys anyway! I'll still have the ability to scan and repair them once they are off warranty! With a good scanner all the computers in the CANN can be accessed, they even have people that know how to hack into Ferarri and Lamborghini computers - not that I see any of them cars around here. I'm just saying, the things you guys are begging for will only hurt you and raise your costs.

So I agree too! Lock people like Shawnee, Rastus and PowerStroker out! PowerStroker might get in on the Fords since he works there but I don't see what good that will be for him since he drives a Honda! LOL and his old beater pickup probably isn't even OBD-II compliant as I doubt it's newer than a 1996, so he would need an older rig to even access that computer - they even had pin-out boxes for them old clunkers.

Bottom line is the manufactures will never be able to lock out the independents, except for maybe cutting and making keys but even still most good mobil locksmiths have the ability to do them now days outside of the dealerships.

The real lock-out is coming in the way they manufacture cars now days, making them throw away cars - at least for the people who can't afford to maintain them.

Rastus · UNSTOPPABLE!

SELLC wrote:
Shawnee_B wrote:
PowerStroker wrote:
Cars are getting a little too complicated for the generalist working out of his garage. It's probably better that manufacturers "lock them out" and leave these things to the people who have ongoing training by the manufacturer.
I agree.

You guys can think whatever you like because such "lock-outs" will only apply to you guys anyway! I'll still have the ability to scan and repair them once they are off warranty! With a good scanner all the computers in the CANN can be accessed, they even have people that know how to hack into Ferarri and Lamborghini computers - not that I see any of them cars around here. I'm just saying, the things you guys are begging for will only hurt you and raise your costs.
So I agree too! Lock people like Shawnee, Rastus and PowerStroker out! PowerStroker might get in on the Fords since he works there but I don't see what good that will be for him since he drives a Honda! LOL and his old beater pickup probably isn't even OBD-II compliant as I doubt it's newer than a 1996, so he would need an older rig to even access that computer - they even had pin-out boxes for them old clunkers.
Bottom line is the manufactures will never be able to lock out the independents, except for maybe cutting and making keys but even still most good mobil locksmiths have the ability to do them now days outside of the dealerships.
The real lock-out is coming in the way they manufacture cars now days, making them throw away cars - at least for the people who can't afford to maintain them.

Hey mate,

It's actually worse than you may realize...

These "new" cars also have keys, but not in the true sense of the word per-se. The cars computer, which is always on, senses the presence of the key ( which is in-fact a remote control unit, that sends-out its own wi-fi signal, & there's NO physical metal shaft to engage a lock ), that then awaits the order / signal to open doors etc etc.

You also now simply push the brake pedal down, & push a button to start the car.

Any issue with the "key" component, & you're going no-where.

Also worth noting, is that the rear-vision mirrors are fitted-out with camera's, & microphones..This means that you're under constant surveillance once you jump-in & start driving.

It also means that "they" can stop you in your tracks whenever they choose to.

And it also means that when you try to work on one-of-these babies, "they'll" know it's you, & make life pretty difficult for you to get your job done.

I'm not kidding here.

SELLC · CERTIFIED POST WHORE

Yes you are correct but they will get caught eventually... Just like VW did with their emissions scam that could tell when it was being emissions tested and cheated by changing the mixture.

Usually any car older than six years is considered obsolete by the dealership, unless it's on their used car lot.

A lot of the cars I am working with now days have these push button start keyless transponders. I don't have to worry about it because none of my cars have it, although I once had a Chrysler ECM go on security lock-out due to a bad connection at the instrument cluster. The dealership could not even unlock it, or figure it out! I sent out the computer and had that security feature erased so I could start the vehicle once more, then found out there was a cluster issue because some of the instruments were not working. So much for the big bad dealership! They didn't like having to refund my money but they could not repair it, so I was not going to pay them.. AMEX went in and got me my money back on that deal.

Rastus · UNSTOPPABLE!

The way I got stuff working for me again, was to place a piece of electrical tape over the camera, & wha-lah, cars started, MUT's started working again, & I could do my job.

My workplace was also wired-for-sound & had camera's everywhere. Mitsubishi is / was apparently the worlds 3rd largest company ( meaning they for sure have investments in "energy" needs, aka nukes). And all this "funny stuff" started happening once I brought-up nukes & stuff with the young fellows, & tried to advise them in taking care of themselves, & to keep updated with all nuke activities & to question everything, since we're passing on a pretty shyte world for them to live in.

Hopefully some listened & learned. We'll see.

SELLC · CERTIFIED POST WHORE

Shawnee_B wrote:

She likes Vipers too :)

We are talking Apples vs Oranges here...

Totally different animals, or should I say reptiles...

I have driven a few Vipers in my days, mainly the earlier ones... They are fun but ride a lot like a Corvette..

Think just raw 10 cylinder power... That basically sums it up.. When getting on it the early ones feel like they are twisting like a noodle.

Shawnee_B · FAR BEYOND DRIVEN

Raw 10 cyl be OK

SELLC · CERTIFIED POST WHORE

I will admit I'm not a big Dodge fan, but the early ones, IMHO, look super exotic.. The interiors are also very sporty, almost reminiscent of the AC Cobra.

I'd drive one for sure!

Cool thing also is the early ones have really come down in price, and I mean A LOT! Almost about the same money as a Corvette, if not much less!

The later ones don't look as good, they took too much off the body and I don't think they even look like Vipers...

Shawnee_B · FAR BEYOND DRIVEN

I'm not a dodge fan either. Vipers cool though. If I had to replace the F350 it could be a Ram simply because of the cummings. I dunno