Hi ya'll,

So I used to own a R56 (which I loved). Fortunately life will now allow me a chance to buy a mini again. I'm interested in a used F56, manual, S model. Are there any particular years to avoid or problems to look for?

My R56 was one of the first DI engines so I had to do the seafoam dance so I'd like to know of similar issues to avoid... ;-)

Woot! I'm so excited.

Kevin

(I also _really_ like the Roadster but they were only made briefly and I'm worried about long term parts access - i.e. convertible top replacement someday...)

 

The roadster is not a 3rd Gen car. It has the 1.6L N18 motor instead of the F car's B46/48 2.0L engine.

 

I guess I was not clear - I also like the roadster, but I'm going to get a F56 S. ;-)

 

I've got no complaints with my '14 MCS. 38k without an issue, and I punish it often enough.

 

F56 first year engine is a bit different than later years. However it is the engine they use for the JCW so no worries. There was a recall issue on the manual transmission cars with crankshaft bearing and in some cases they replaced engines, so if numbers matching engines is important to you that should be checked out. Other issues, some front suspension clunks that were fixed under warranty as well as odors from air conditioning ducts.

I bought a used 2014 that was one of the first dealer cars brought over, I enjoy driving it!

 

07/14 F56S Auto with 3 years of trouble-free driving.

One high mileage F56 owner here posted pictures of his intake valves and they were "clean". Seems like we won't have to worry too much about coking with the F56.

Some know issues:
1) Crankshaft bearing on manual cars
2) Oil cooler gasket leak on earlier built cars
3) Suspension clunks
4) AC odor
All of the above are known by BMW and will get fixed under warranty.

 

FWIW...I have had 2 F56. I had the '14 Justa and now my '17 JCW. They are a blast to drive. I just found that I needed more power than the gas mileage. Really enjoying my JCW. Such a blast to pull away on the highway and hitting triple digits in a few seconds. My Justa had the odor issue and the oil cooler leak. My JCW has yet to show anything, knock on wood. Good luck on your search and have fun test driving.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Mini produced up to May of 2015 had issue w/ a mildew smell in the cabin. There was a fix initiated by Mini (Cabin filter was getting water soaked w/ AC condensation pooled underneath it).

Water under the footwell carpets. Another AC condensation issue this one due to a kinked drain line. Again, known issue w/ a fix by Mini.

 

Woot! I found a nice manual F56 way faster than I expected! 2014 - drove it home today. Thanks again - I'm very excited!

 

Congrats! 2014 F56 MCS manual owner here as well. Owned the car just shy of a year now and love it.

As others have said in this thread, the biggest issue with the manual 2014s is the crankshaft bearing. If you haven't already, have your oil checked for metal shavings. The damage to the crank was so bad on mine they dropped in a new engine free of charge. There are some other threads about this issue specifically if you want to read about it a bit more. If you bought CPO and/or from a Mini dealer, they've probably already checked this out and you're most likely fine.

 

Thanks - yep - they had that bearing replaced back when the recall came out. The only common downside I found in it (it was _clean_) was where the door seal wears against the B pillar. I'm going to touch that up and add a bit of 3m bra tape over it.

 

Congrats on new F56! What color and options?

 

A manual, S model, cold weather, premium, and volcanic orange with black roof and black stripes. The exact minimum set of options I was looking for. Can post picture later - on mobile now...

 

Congrats on the new ride!!