Hey I am Joshua, I've been a mini owner for a little under a year now. I bought this 06 5 spd convertible from my dad for crazy cheap after he ruined the tranny and the brakes. I put a new tranny in as well as a clutch along with replacing the full brake system. ive put a lot of time, dollars and sweat into making this thing drive. Its window leaks, the abs module is dead, the airbags don't work, the power steering does not exist anymore (remember when the pumps caught on fire? because I do...) the car has had nothing but problems but i love it none the less. It is still one of my favorite cars I've owned! I've come to love the challenge of keeping it running. i absolutely love driving this thing! I'm glad to join up with people who agree with me, because working in the auto industry you get outcast pretty quick for choosing to daily drive a higher maintenance, German car over a cheaper, Japanese or American vehicle.

 

Welcome to NAM

Post some pics, thanks for the history, sounds like you got the bug pretty good.

Keep it running.

Motor On!

 

THIS WAS A SCREENSHOT OF A VIDEO I TOOK OF THE CAR AFTER THE FIRE. LOST THE PS PUMP, RES, AND THE WHOLE BACK HALF OF THE WIRING HARNESS.
AND SINCE I LIVE IN FLORIDA AND MY WINDOW LEAKS, THIS IS A REGULAR OCCURRENCE AT WORK, AFTER OUR AFTERNOON STORMS! XD

 

You can adjust the window up to stop it leaking. I used a shock adjuster wrench, worked great ( I tied a string to it so I didnt lose it down the door). Bentley has a good writeup on how to adjust it, its on here somewhere.

Also, check the rubber foam at the front side of the window under the pillar cover. Mine was disturbed and leaking there. Water will work its way down the pillar and by the fuse box, which is bad. I caught mine as soon as it happened.

 

Is it going all the way up?

If not you may have to reset the upper and lower limits, so the auto-close works correctly.

Here is the procedure.
1. Sit in the car, and put the key in position 1, so you have power to the windows.
2. Push and hold down the window switch, and keep it held down for 5-30 seconds after the window is all the way down. This resets the memory
3. Roll window back up, and release switch.

Motor On!

 

Window regulator is broken unfortunately. Waiting for funds to fix it until ive financially recovered from the fire... Luckly it leaks at the back end of the drivers window away from the fuse box. But none the less a close eye is kept on it in the rain.

 

Welcome to the forum

 

Hi and welcome to NAM.
before you write off the ABS pump, you need to know they had a plug corrosion issue and also a wire just befor the plug, getting worn through on the chassis.
power steering is fixable, with a rebuilt.
What is wrong with a street legal go cart? Not a damn thing! Enjoy and keep the tires facing down!

 

 

Welcome, glad you've been able to do so much yourself.

 

dyno maybe... eventually. ive been interested in manual steering rack however i have yet to find anything that will fit our little cars.

 

New regulator going in as we speak. Im looking forward to not having a leaky car anymore.