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New MINI Owner ? Rescuing a Neglected R53 Cooper S!
1st GearNew members: make an initial post and introduce yourself as you shift from Neutral to First Gear. Current members: meet some of the new members.
New MINI Owner – Rescuing a Neglected R53 Cooper S!
Hey everyone,
I’m going by GermanClassics because I'm a longtime BMW enthusiast and driver of the golden era cars 90/2000s, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the MINI Cooper S R53 – just never had the chance to own one.
Now the opportunity came up, and despite the car being in very poor condition (missing parts, neglected maintenance, sketchy wiring), I couldn’t resist taking it!
It’s a 2004 Cooper S (R53, W11 engine i believe) with 300,000 km, I’m just at the beginning of the project. The engine runs, but there’s a long road ahead. Right now, I’m focusing on fixing missing intake parts, replacing the broken CCV hose, and sorting out whatever else I find along the way to make the car mechanically fit.
I’d love to get help, advice, and suggestions from the community! Any technical must-reads you’d recommend? Feel free to drop some links – I’m eager to learn!
Looking forward to the journey and getting this R53 back on the road.
Driver assistance and lightning S520 Fog lights S522 Xenon Light S530 Air conditioning S546 Revolution counter S548 Kilometre speedo S550 On-board computer S563 Lights package
Wheels and drive S214 Automatic stability control (ASC+T) S228 Sport suspension settings Plus S255 Sports leather steering wheel
Environment and safety S327 Engine compartment lid stripes, white S369 MINI LA wheel, S-spoke 85 S382 Roof and mirror caps, white S823 Hot-climate version S850 Dummy-SALAPA S855 Language version, Italian S863 Dealer List Europe S872 Chilli S884 On-board literature Italian S895 Additional fan S8SP Control unit COP
