Hi all,

I've been lurking for awhile looking for the fixes to the many little gremlins our 2002 MCS has had.

Since we bought her we've replaced the clutch & flywheel, air con compressor, power steering pump and power steering fan.

We're still faced with some air con issues working and growling intermittently right now!

It's not all bad times. She's come on some long road trips, a track day and a photoshoot. When she works it's all smiles.

Here's a pic:

 

They can be but you also have a 9 year old MINI there, parts do wear out.

 

Welcome! Good to see another 02 MCS!

 

Thanks for the warm welcome!

The clutch and flywheel are parts I can understand that will wear out in a decade. But I thought the other bits like the power steering (other than the fluid) and air con (other than the gas) would out-last the car.

They are common problems from what gather so as long as the fixes buy me another 10 years before they fail I won't complain

 

That's a really clean looking '02, nice work!

 

your car looks great btw

The good news is, you have fixed the majority of the most common issues..

I bought an 06 with 33k miles and at 51k nothing has broken. It had an oil leak when I bought it but was still under warranty at the time.

Enjoy it! If anything, the brakes and suspension could probably use replacing then you are set

My ac has always growled when it's turned on or off. that part is "normal".

 

Thanks ... Anyone else have trouble keeping the rear hatch clean when it rains? They love to kick dust all over themselves.... Is there any good rear mud guards out there?

Fingers crossed its smooth sailing from here. I can't comment what the car was like at 51k miles (82k km) because we got the car with 97k km and the troubles were already evident at time of sale but we loved the car enough to get it anyway haha

As for brakes, she's just got herself a full set of Ferodo DS3500 pads with DBA rotors all round. I think it's a little bit overkill but it'll be my wife piloting her at the next track day so better safe than sorry.

With the AC growl, I read the 2nd gens got a TSB released about a dampener that can get installed on the AC line to reduce the growling noise. I'm started a thread (https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...4-01-10-a.html) on it but no one's commented yet.

 

Welcome to NAM - great looking MINI you have!

The problem with the dirty rear hatch is endemic to MINI, and mud flaps won't really help the issue. The reason for the "dirty boot" syndrome is that the shape of the car creates a relatively calm pocket of air at the rear of the car. Dirt settles on the rear hatch and glass, and there's no airflow to blow it away, so it just accumulates. Some people have had varying amounts of success with using different spoilers at the rear edge of the roof, but there's no 100% (or even 50%) solution.

 

Nice 02' !

For light dust on the MINI including the back I use a California Duster. They work awesome especially for when pollen turns our MINI's green

As for mud flaps to help keeping the dirt/dust accumulation down on the rear of the car.....All hatchback's get this, nothing you can do outside of welding a trunk to the back of the MINI.

 

Nice '02 MCS. That's what I drive too.

Replaced the steering pump this spring. It was still working, but whining a lot, so I decided it was time. Changed the PS fan too. Opus still has his original clutch and flywheel and it still works fine. Haven't had any issues with the A/C but I did find that it wasn't running as cold this summer as it used to. Will look at getting system recharged next spring. I think my next expense will be new shocks and springs.

I currently plan on keeping Opus for a long while.