Hello! New member here.

At 80,000 my fiance's R53 MCS started losing compression in cylinder 3, which was causing it to misfire. After speaking with a very reputable BMW/Mini mechanic, he recommended getting out while we were still ahead (he always had bad things to say about the Tritec engine). This wasn't an easy choice as we loved that little car!

Long story short, we sold it to Carmax and picked up a very low mileage (25k) 2012 R56 Cooper private party. This thing feels like a brand new car. While it's a step down in terms of horsepower, I was able to convince her to get a 6spd manual instead of an automatic like her R53, which is sure nice. Now I get to teach her how to drive a manual... should be fun!

I will try to get a picture of it up once we take delivery tonight.

 

Good luck with the new motor.

Find a new mechanic - anybody that doesn't like the tritec is (censored)

 

Ya I have to agree with cadfael_tex. Tritec's are good motors.

 

Also agree^^

 

I know you said it was a reputable MINI mechanic, but I hope it wasn't something simple like the #3 terminal corroding on the coil which is a very common problem.

 

+1 Yea, it gets rust on it and a simple keep to pull off the plug wire and hit it with some mild sand paper.

 

As someone who builds engines and has owned many different cars, they are alright, but they are no Toyota in terms of reliability, and they are no BMW in terms of smoothness and efficiency. There's a reason why BMW was unhappy with the engine and liquidated its stake in the partnership. Anyway, I don't want to start an argument, I'm just not a huge fan of the engine, and neither are many reputable BMW techs who fix them all day long.

 

As I said in the original post, cylinder 3 was way down on compression. Prior to compression testing it, I did brand new plugs, coil, and plug wires. All OEM parts. FWIW, the OEM coil had zero corrosion on terminal 3 (yes I was aware of that potential issue prior to you guys pointing it out).

 

Welcome to NAM and congratulations on the purchase. Manual is the way to go. Those are some really low miles so good find. Looking forward to the pictures.

 

Thanks! And thank you for the awesome DIY guides your site has! I use them all the time.

 

You're welcome! Very happy to hear that our articles have helped you and your projects.

 

Ok, easy thing to miss.