Hi everyone - just bought a 2006 JCW R53 (with only 72,000 KM) last week. Got bored driving the Ford Expedition beast and wanted something totally different !
So now I look forward to the drive to and from work Some of the roads in Doha aren't great, and traffic is quite heavy, but boy when you do get some decent open road it is so rewarding to wind it up and hear that SC screaming.The kids absolutely love it too.
But as with most cars, there are some niggles, so will be searching on here for help.
The AC is ok first thing in the morning when its not too hot (95 F) but afternoon time when its been sat out in the sun all day (110 F), the AC is not much use, blowing out warm air. So thats my first job, along with a decent set of tyres, rear bearings and all the filters and oils etc. Looking forward to getting my hands dirty again !

 

Welcome to the forum

 

Welcome to NAM.

Any pictures?

 

ahlan wa sahlan akhi to the forum

 

Hi and welcome to NAM!
We like pictures!

 

Thanks for the welcome guys - pictures to follow for sure - had the AC gas topped up yesterday and wow what a relief - Qatar Heat and Leather Seat

 

Salaam Akhi, my arabic is not great, I'm actually an expat from the UK - been here 4 years. But this is my first Mini ever though !
Yes I know what you're thinking, a Brit who never owned a Mini, but came all the way to Doha before he bought one !
Actually my (much) older Brother had an original 1960's 1275 GT, and I can still remember as a nipper sitting in the driver's bucket and being thrilled by shifting up and down the gears, imagining what it would be like to drive it. How times have changed.

 

lol...all is good. I'm trying to get to UAE or Qatar but waiting on my wife to finish...I'm originally from Jordan but American born.

Minis are the best in my opinion. I never had a 1st gen, but i can imagine the coolness. I might fish one if I find something special

stay cool

 

Welcome!

Oh, the joys of sand... The first thing is to clean out you coolers, (Radiators, Condenser, and Inter-cooler), then look at your wheel bearings and or bearing carries and door hinges. Don't forget the cabin air filter.

That moon dust grit gets into all these spots and need to be cleaned out or replaced because of the damage the fine grit does over time.

Once the Condenser is cleaned out then a good AC shop should be able to make sure your system is still sealed and holding the correct amount of refrigerant. But face it... it gets HOT there I remember being in Saudi Arabia at 23:00 and you could still feel the radiant heat coming off the roads and walls being over 100 F.

Best of luck.

Motor On!

 

Welcome to the site, I have had my share of trips to Qatar(12), but never made it down town Doha, but we get some pretty awesome car on base that are just all jacked up from the heat. The summers there really suck!

 

Thanks - good tip about cleaning out the radiator and condenser - made a big difference- i was also low on pressure, so a simple re-gas seems to have done the trick - first thing in the morning I have to keep it at around 20 celsius on the AC display, otherwise my fingers start getting too cold on the steering wheel ! But in the afternoon I have to put it down to LO to keep cool, which is awesome now.
It has been around 45 celsius at midday these days - with humidity on top. I think we are lucky in Doha with getting some sea breeze.

 

Thanks mate The place will be deserted soon (no pun intended !)

 

 

Ok just looking for some good engine oil & transmission fluid that can cope with the hot weather here - not sure I want to go for the BMW longlife stuff - never believed in long oil change intervals - call me old fashioned but I like to change oil every 6-8,000 km or atleast every year. Apparently I have a LSD with 25% locking ?? according to the Spec Sheet. I am guessing that will need some kind of additive to the tranny fluid ?

Got all my filters sorted now - air filter, AC/cabin filter, oil filter.
Rear wheel bearings arrived yesterday too. Got a full set of CV boots on order too.

 

Good looking car.

I wouldn't worry over any special oil, but just keep up with the oil changes 6-8K km you will be fine.

Manual or Automatic?

Motor On!

 

 

MTF-94 is what you want for the transmission, and the trick with coolant is use a high-quality hybrid organic acid (HOAT) they generally have corrosion inhibitors and is free of nitrite, phosphate and amines chemicals. Perfect for the aluminum engine blocks and heads.

Motor On!

 

Thanks - went for OEM coolant and MTF in the end - availability of Mini parts is very poor in Qatar - mostly cater for Big White Japanese Automatic 4x4s -
Right time to get on with the work now - I sense a build thread coming on -