MSVG/Flickr
I took my Mini Cooper in for service knowing it needed repairs, but was overwhelmed when the dealer estimate came in at $4,500. I bought the car used with a 50,000 mile warranty and this was the first time anything – and everything, it seems – needed fixing. With coupons I negotiated 10% off my total bill, wiping out $450. I considered asking for 20% off if I paid in cash, but even then my bill would be $3,600. The car is only worth $9,300!
Then I remembered a super old post from February 2009 titled, 15 things we overpay for. At the end of the post I confessed to overpaying for five of the things on the list, including car maintenance at the dealer. Two readers, Lisa and Tyrone, recommended mechanics who work on Minis. I dug up the post, called both mechanics and got two estimates within 15 minutes.
How much would repairs cost? $1,900 at one, $1,400 at the other. That’s 43% and 31% of the dealer estimate, respectively. Wow!
So what is the difference between the Mini dealer and a regular mechanic?
BargainBabe.com
Long story short, I picked up my Mini from the dealer, paid $82 for the inspection and dropped it off at a regular mechanic’s shop. I was leaning towards the mechanic who quoted me $1,900, but his first opening was July 14 so I took it to the cheaper guy. My final bill may be higher, but so far I’m on track to save $3,100 thanks to BargainBabe.com readers!
Here is the work I am having done on my car (no DIY repairs for me):
- replace front brakes and rotors, flush brake system
- clean the throttle body and fuel injection system
- flush the cooling system and replace fluids
- replace lower controlling rubber bushings, which are cracked
- replace power steering fluid hoses, which are leaking
- replace two engine mounts, which are cracked
- install two new back tires
- align wheels
The experience made me realize that the collective saving power of BargainBabe.com readers really is amazing. If you are trying to save money on something, email me and I’ll share it on the blog. Who knows? Maybe another reader will help you save thousands of dollars.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
That seems like an awful lot of repairs for a car that’s not that old.
You should get your tires from Costco. They have the best prices, and alignment and rotation are always free.
@Shefali My Mini is 7 years old. It has needed almost no work in the four years I’ve owned it so I figured it was due for service. Plus, I could tell a few things were off. The brakes were squeaking, the car was running loud, seemed slow, and would shake randomly while idling.
I am looking for someone to repair my dryer.
@Cindy I got your email and a few others. I’ll gather them into one post asking for tips and recommendations. Hang tight!
WOW! You did great, girl. Hope I’ll be able to follow your example when my car comes due for repairs. Per the above recommendation for Costco tires, I agree plus the advantage that they are nationwide, so no matter where you travel (we travel a lot), you can find a Costco to maintain/repair for free. WalMart is also a nationwide chain which does the maintenence/warranty repairs for free.
Wow, I had to learn that lesson the hard way! When my car needed it’s 60,000 mile check and I had 3 toddlers at home (and was exhausted and “not able” to shop it around), I paid WAY too much to have my then-station wagon worked on at the dealer, to the tune of over $2,000… but learned my lesson and asked around and the next time any of my cars needed work I took to a local mom/pop specialty place. My next 60,000 mile check (diff car) was just under $1,000… definitely a step in the right direction! I think dealers just take the money b/c they know that they “can”. It’s a major rip-off.
Can you share the names of the dealers? I also have a Mini and could use a discount.
@Shirley The Mini mechanics recommended by readers are:
Steve’s Auto Clinic
16205 Nordhoff Street
North Hills, CA 91343-3822
http://www.stevesautoclinic.com
The M Shop
5041 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
323-257-5773
http://www.themshop.com
wow, now that’s a fantastic savings, i would like to find a mechanic that can repair my oil leak and replace gaskets on my 2001 toyota corolla, I’m in Glendale, any recommendations thanks Manny.
That’s a great saving, especially considering the mechanics came recommended to you by other bargain seekers.
One word of caution based on my unfortunate past experience at a “mom and pop” dealer.
It all came down to the fact that they took on a job that they were not qualified to do and ended up keeping my car for 8 long weeks to finish the repairs.
My car was a Volkswagen and it was in for some engine repair. They sent the engine away to another shop to be worked on and meanwhile the mechanic at that shop incurred a major injury and was not able to work on it.
When they did get the engine back, it was only 1 week later that my check engine light came on and my engine was having the same problem again.
I brought it back to the shop since they had guaranteed their work. Ultimately, there was nothing they could do to fix the engine (apparently a crack in the engine head) and I was out $1100 for the work they had done and my engine was still in disrepair.
My take away lesson was that I would never take a foreign car to a mom and pop shop for major engine work like this. My downfall was my naive and lack of knowledge about cracked engine heads.
That mechanic had been recommended to me, but the people who recommended it never went there for major engine repair like mine.
If I had been lucky, the shop would have told me to go elsewhere, rather than attempt to fix my car.
So just be careful with those shops!
(I filed a BBB claim against them, but that’s about all I could do.)
Manny,
recommend Palmer Auto Repair on N. Figueroa in Highland Park.
They’re AAA approved, have great recommendations on Yelp, and from what I know, won’t sell you stuff you don’t need
Jeff is the go-to guy in charge.
Also on location is Universal Towing – an AAA contracted service.
Don’t feel bad. None of those are really do it yourself repairs. I replaced my brake pads but I’d want a pro dealing with the hydraulics.
Way to shop around. Let’s hope they finish on time!
Manny, I recommend Magnolia Automotive in North Hollywood. They do great work for an excellent price and are honest about what actually needs to be done. I found out about the place from a friend, and my boyfriend and I have both taken our cars (a 2005 Toyota Matrix and a 2003 Honda Pilot) there since. You can find reviews of the place on Yelp and Yahoo Local.
I have a Mini and needed new brakes so took it to the dealer and boy did they try to rip me off – we bought the manual at amazon for 1/3 of the price that you could get at the dealer and my husband has a friend that works on cars so they replaced my brakes, but the dealer riped me off with an oil change and didn’t change the mileage as I didn’t pay the higher price for an oil change with other mainteance. Where did you take your car as I am looking for someone to work on my Mini Cooper. I bought it new in 2004, it is a 2005. Thanks.
I have a 2005 325i BMW and I take my car to Monaco Motors on Vanowen Street in Canoga Park. Ask for Wade or Mike. Great service and they know their stuff.
Since 1992 I have taken my Buick LeSabre car to INTERNATIONAL AUTO on Sepulveda in Van Nuys (Roscoe & Sepulveda-general area).
My neighbor recommened them to me when my 1976 camaro was crashed into back in 1992. We still take my husband’s 1976 camaro to them as well as my newer 2005 Buick LeSabre. My husband has a2002 Grand Am, our daughter a 2006 Saturn and we wouldn’t take it anywhere else, they also do Smog Checks, have the computer handy when you need to do 75,00/100,00 mile check ups.
They have competitive prices with Jiffy Lube (and time too) for oil changes (well they don’t clean the outside of your windows)
Mike and Lotsi own/run it, they are great,I feel very comfortable, they are honest and tell me when I don’t need something.
Good Luck,
Chris
Picked up my car today and the total came to $1,441.61, including tax. My Mini is running smoothly and feels a lot more solid than when I dropped it off. Also, it’s much more zippy!
Where did you take your Mini? Please let me know.
Re: the value of a finding a well-recommended mechanic vs. Valerie’s bad experience with a mom-and-pop shop:
The website for the NPR radio show Car Talk lets you search for mechanics near you (by zip code) and read recommendations & opinions from other customers. You can specify make of car if you have something unusual. http://cars.cartalk.com/content/mechx/find.html
p.s. You have a good theme . Exactly where did you find it?