Hi folks,

Aside from regular oil changes and adhering the the service schedule, can anyone recommend a list of aftermarket parts that I could install on my mini to make it a little more reliable?

I'm trying to proactively quash any issues that are known to arise, before having to react to it. I've got 70k on the odo, really want to continue modding it, but am starting to have the feeling like I'm driving a ticking time bomb....and I don't like it.

Thanks in advance!

Strut tower plates and a 'LightinSight'.

Thanks for the input...already have the strut plates/bar. Love it.

Lightinsight? The thing that helps me see traffic lights? How does that make my mini more reliable?

Well I guess by seeing the red light at the last minute, because for whatever reason, I didn't see it normally as I approached...I won't speed through it...and get T boned? hence...my mini is still running? lolol

My bad flynbrick...I guess I should've been more clear in my question...I'm more interested in hearing things I could add to the drivetrain that literally makes my mini more reliable aka less chance of having to go to the dealership to get warranty work done.

Maybe this is just a stupid question that doesn't make sense...

If you haven't already, I would buy a clutch/flywheel kit. I don't know if you are aware or not but some people have had early clutch failures. And if you're going to add more power a solid clutch won't hurt.

Unfortunately, I don't think there's a lot of magic here. Change the oil, regularly. And check the level, regularly.

For other items, it's a question of how much you want to spend proactively, before things fail. As you probably already know, the items that fail are commonly HPFP (silly to replace given the warranty), turbo oil lines, thermostat, water pump, timing system (maybe a good thing to replace, especially to the extent you can get it done by the dealership on the bulletin).

There's always exceptions but as a general rule, the less mods you do to your engine, the more reliable it is.

awesome, thanks man...never even thought about the clutch further than changing transmission fluid. Any recommendations?

thanks for the response rhygin. I've seen the turbo oil line kits...time to look into it. I don't think I've come across aftermarket versions of everything else though. except the timing system...I think I've seen a kit for that too.

damnit...so many things...lol

Agree. and I'm not looking to mod my engine for power anything....more on the side of looking for stronger than oem components. if that makes sense?

for example, if there's a better hpfp out there that anyone knows of, or thermostat. I'm just trying to avoid having to replace with another mini part that's just going to fail again.

One thing I just learned. Do not check your oil first thing in the morning cold. You're supposed to get it to running temp and then turn it off for 5 min and then check it.
I was a qt. low when I went in for an oil change and I thought it was fine as I check it weekly.
And quit reading these forums..it makes you paranoid.

+13

Sent from my XT926 using NAMotoring

70k, make sure your valve cover isn't leaking. buddy of mine had to get a new cover because his is leaking now after i spotted it for him. 53k on the od.

hahaha, the most sage advice yet! thanks

ahh, thanks man, wow, that wasn't even remotely on my radar, will scope that out this weekend!

Me personally, I'm waiting until I'm done paying off my car before I add power and start my engine build process. In terms of a clutch/flywheel kit I'm going with the JM Turbo Coopers kit. A couple people on here run them and they like them. One the more expensive side of things the OS Giken set up is proven to work. Waymotorworks sells those. Unfortunately it's not a cheap upgrade but, in my opinion, it will be worth upgrading the clutch/flywheel because I don't want to spend a lot of money on power only to have the clutch unable to cope. Keep in mind you will hear some harmonic vibrations going from a dual mass flywheel to a single lightweight flywheel. A buddy did this to his VW and that sound is just something you have to get used to. It does not mean something is wrong with the kit.

As for the transmission itself the Getrags are nearly bullet proof. I use Royal Purple synchro max for my fluid. It's awesome. Gear changes are a little stiff on cold mornings but once this warm up gears are so smooth.

What are you planning to do in terms of performance? The weak spot in MINIs are issues with knocking/predetonation and their con rods. I would recommend a methanol injection kit (prevents knocking and cools as well). If you're planning on boost to be tuned 18psi+ I would recommend con rods. These things aren't cheap but I view it as you could drop $3k into the engine and greatly reduce the chance of blowing the motor or you could roll the dice but if your engine does blow you're looking at $4k+ to replace the engine only to have it potentially blow up again. But I don't know your goals for your car.

One thing I must recommend (I do this once a year) is to hand clean the intake. Look at the pdf in this link: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...right-way.html

Carbon build up can ruin the motor and it decreases performance/power. Doing this by hand I think is better than making your own walnut blaster and it sure beats paying $700+ to have MINI blast the intake. Anything that takes up to 5 hrs or more can be a pain but it's worth it for the longevity of the engine.

As for oil I never use the crap MINI uses. I use Royal Purple 5W-30 fully synthetic. Works really good and I change my oil every 3-5,000 miles. I would also replace the turbo oil line. Some people have had problems with their solid oil line cracking and not feeding the turbo the oil it needs. Here is the kit I would recommend: http://waymotorworks.com/wmw-stainle...-line-kit.html

Sorry for the lengthy response, but I wanted to be thorough.

Just read that you just want to do better than OEM parts and not really put power in the car, so disregard my question about the degree to which you are going to modify.

Here's what I would recommend:
-ARP head stud kit: http://www.sneed4speed.com/products/...d-kit-r56.html. Some may think this is overkill for what you want but solid head studs, IMO, are never a bad idea.
-Replacement head gasket: http://new.minimania.com/part/G2NME8...59-60-Cooper-S Never know when you'll need it so a spare is a good idea.
-Uprated HPFP: http://www.jmturbocoopers.com/Mini-C...rade-HPFP.html You mentioned you wanted a better HPFP and JM Turbo Coopers came out with one.
-Turbo oil line: http://waymotorworks.com/wmw-stainle...-line-kit.html

Even though you are not looking to go for broke on power I would still recommend a methanol injection kit just for knock prevention and cooling purposes. Knocking can happen even to untuned cars. I know first hand because that is what caused my first motor to blow and it was a stock motor (no flash tune or anything).
http://www.howertonengineering.net/m...stem-w-o-tank/
Not cheap by any means but it sure beats buying a new engine or trying to rebuild the engine.

Again, take some time once a year to clean the intake of carbon build up.

Oh!! and if your turbo goes out don't spend the money on a new one. have Gpopshop rebuild it. They charge about $600-700 which is way better than $1500 on a new turbo.

https://gpopshop.com/

Ok I'm done blowing up your thread for a little bit haha

dude. seriously, don't take this the wrong way. but many, many thanks. me love you long time. and I mean that in a bromantic kind of way. lolol

this is exactly the kind of info I was looking for, thank you for taking the time to hash all that out! shoot, if you've got more pointers, please, by all means, fire away!

time to get to shopping! bye bye tax return yayyyyyy

Sigh...