Yeah, you have to become something of your own mechanic with Minis. It's how I learnt about cars - thrown in at the deep end with a Cooper S to maintain, make go faster, stand out from the pack, etc. I guess it may have been the same for a lot of us who grew up in the '60s and, like many of my mates owned and worked on Cortina GTs, Prince Skyline GTs, Fiat 1500s, Datsun 1600s and EH Holdens.

Generation XYZ may not have the same opportunities for acquiring mechanical self reliance as many of today's cars either don't require the same level of attention, or their owners are simply not interested in getting their hands dirty or learning about the under bonnet stuff, or the cars themselves are far too complex with all the modern electrickery to attempt anything.

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1965 Mini Van (1360)
1970 Mk2 Cooper S (1310)
1978 Rover SD1 V8 (4.6)
1996 Land Rover Discovery V8 (4.0)