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Replaced:
Thermostat
Coolant Pipe
Front right axle
Water pump pulley
Side markers
New powerflex control arm bushings
Both wishbone brackets
Assorted badges and brake sensors
Going in for a new timing chain Tuesday - death rattle started this morning. Installing new front wheel bearings when she comes out of the shop.
2012 R60 fwd manual purchased at an auction for $2k 156,000 miles
Car had a bunch of fuel pressure codes and boost codes plus a reported boost leak between turbo and valves. Also used oil but didn’t smoke.
replaced charge pipe that was damaged from a belt breaking, still had a 2C57 code from worn waste gate.
new OEM HPFP
ended up rebuilding the engine which was in very good condition even having the original timing chain. Date stamp on guide was 2011.
new valve seals and walnut blast and resurface
honed cylinders after bore, taper and out of round checked out
new king bearings and Mahle rings with 3 piece oil ring
new flywheel and clutch.
New Nissans turbo and oil/coolant lines
new thermostat housing
new oil pump
4 new shocks, upper strut bearings, control arms, lower ball joints
new water pump, pulley, friction wheel and tensioner
rebuilt rear suspension completely
thats all the major stuff. Some of it was not needed but like well performing cars and I do all my own work car is from Texas and has no rust so it was worth fixing and for my enjoyment.
She was purchased for $7800 in Dallas, Texas with 74,140 miles on the odometer, literally a month before COVID caused the huge surge in used car prices. At the time $7800 was about $2,000 under Kelly Blue Book value.
Amortizing the initial purchase cost, maintenance costs, repair costs, parts costs and some other miscellaneous costs like registration, tools, etc., as of this writing, cost of ownership has been $10.72 per day, which is roughly $322/month, which is an order of magnitude more expensive than any other vehicle I have ever owned. Good thing I can afford it now.
Since I plan on keeping this car for a long time, I assume the average monthly cost will go down, as the first and second year of ownership I addressed some rather major mechanical issues. The next major expense will be the timing set. I plan on getting that done in the next month or so. I may do this job myself...not 100% sure yet.
NOTE: Though not indicated in the maintenance records, I DO change the oil every 5,000 miles. I purchase oil, filters and crush washers in bulk to keep oil change costs down. I do all of the oil changes myself. My average cost for an oil change is about 35 bux.
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Last edited by harleydood; Apr 7, 2026 at 11:17 AM.
Replaced:
Thermostat
Coolant Pipe
Front right axle
Water pump pulley
Side markers
New powerflex control arm bushings
Both wishbone brackets
Assorted badges and brake sensors
Going in for a new timing chain Tuesday - death rattle started this morning. Installing new front wheel bearings when she comes out of the shop.
Update - wasn't the timing chain - new AC compressor, condenser, pulley, and drive belt. Rattle gone. Not a job I wanted to tackle, wife drives it every day. Felt sort of bad about not giving it a shot, so I put new brakes and rotors on the R56.
Last edited by pluffmud; Apr 16, 2026 at 06:11 PM.
Reason: more info
How much $ was that A/C repair?
Did the MINI dealer do it or an independent shop?
Took it to a new shop with stellar reviews and word of mouth recommendations; much closer to home. Pleased with the results so far (time will tell) - good communication and the shop was spotless.
Diagnosis
ACC belt tensioner
ACC Belt Idler/Friction Wheel
Drive belt
AC Compressor
AC Condenser
Oil change (figured it's in the shop, let someone else do it for a change).
