MTTS Chicago Update

I am having a hard time believing the stock MINI brakes (Front and back) will last 180K miles without requiring any replacements. You are lucky to get 30K-40K miles of the OEM brake pad and rotors. Ditto for the clutch and transmission (He is got a Midland Gears 5-speed, the most unreliable manual gearbox made for the MINI).

However, I truly admire Mr. Stanfield’s enthusiasm for the car and his passion for motoring for the fun of it. 281K miles on ANY car is nothing to sneeze at. This speaks volumes about the quality of the MINI, even for a first year model (2002), which has always been believed to be the most problem ridden year of all.

But something in his story doesn’t jive. I would like to see his maintenance records. Even if the car has been driven for 281K highway miles, the consumables in the car are not going to last (Within safety limits) beyond the mileage the factory has deemed for these components to be safe and useful.

I have paid and registered for MTTS in LA, but how do I make sure that I can schedule a test drive. They mention something about reserving a time? Where do I do that?

Hey Todd! Great interviews as usual. Really nice chatting with you and the guys after Ridemakerz on Sunday. Too bad we couldn’t get Gabe to come out and play for a bit. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to swing by the Windy City again sometime soon!!!

I saw Harold when his car was at International MINI for it’s 200,000 mile checkup. That was only a little over a year ago, by the way.

He told me then that the only thing he had had done on his car was the brakes at around 180,000.

Harold does a LOT of day trips and freeway driving, and he’s been around the BMW community for quite a long time. I trust him when he says that. I haven’t listened to the interview, but did he mention it is on the original spark plugs as well?

Like I said in my previous post, I commend Mr. Stanfield’s motoring spirit and to put 281K miles in 6 years is simply put, a lot of driving.

However, I find it hard to believe that the OEM brake pads will last in excess of 180K miles. he also said that his driving is a 50/50 mix of highway and city jaunts. Perhaps he knows something we don’t know, but I am still a little skeptical.

I am a true believer in regular maintenance. A well kept car will go the distance and survive the test of time. I believe Mr. Stanfield abides by that simple principle. In listening to his very candid interview, I was also pleased to hear that he has pretty much stuck to the factory oil intervals for all these years. Interesting that no one has commented on that. He said that he only changes his oil when the onboard computer tells him to and that is every 10K-15K miles. So this pretty much knocks down the “myth” that quassi-obsessive 5K mile interval oil changes are a must to ensure the engine’s long term life. Mr. Stanfield is perhaps proof positive that those frequent oil changes are really no longer needed, and nothing but a waste of time, money, oil and filters. In that specific regard, I tend to agree with him. I think that changing the oil more frequently than the onboard system tells you to is more psychological assurance than anything else. Am I being naive in thinking otherwise?