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The upper right engine mount on my 2016 F55 (with less than 50K miles) got diagnosed by two dealers as needing replacement. That one was clear and I got it done (see pictures). But the second dealer stated that the lower engine mount was 'separating' and showed me this picture. I can't tell anything from it. The shop that replaced my upper engine mount said that there's nothing wrong with the 'other' mount. My only worry is that they missed or didn't look at the lower mount. Can anyone tell from the picture if it's bad or no, or if it's a standard practice to replace the lower mount following a busted upper mount?
Thanks,
Are you at the shop because there is an issue, or are they recommending replacement because you are there for maintenance? It’s common practice to “upsell” additional services while you’re there to get more money out of you.
From those pictures, both mounts look normal to me.
Photos are not telling if they are bad. On my 2016 F56 70K on it just had both replaced. There was a knocking on the passenger side at idle and could hear it on acceleration. $1500.00 quote for both. My certified preowned warranty helped out on that one.
This was discovered during maintenance. But once I learned of it it was easy to see the upper mount was leaking and looked beat up. There was practically no symptoms though. Maybe the slightest knocking at take off; and I can only say that now after replacing it. I don't know what to look for with the lower mount though. I don't think that one would leak because it doesn't have that compartment. Anyone know what a bad lower mount looks like? Or what symptoms it would have?
Looks ok to me too. But there is nothing to leak, so unless the rubber is falling apart, there’s nothing to see. How much are they quoting? I think the part is like 125 and it would take maybe 15 minutes, including putting the car on a lift. This would be an easy DIY, or replace with the Powerflex urethane insert, which is a really popular mod around here.
Yeah the lower mount is significantly cheaper than the upper mount; but still like $500 at the dealer when you include labor. The upper one is what had some $1500 and 4h+ quote by the dealer. I got replaced at a shop for roughly 1/2 that. And I might DIY it anyway. I was just curious if there's anything I'm missing. Sounds like the dealer was just upselling like njaremka said
Photos are not telling if they are bad. On my 2016 F56 70K on it just had both replaced. There was a knocking on the passenger side at idle and could hear it on acceleration. $1500.00 quote for both. My certified preowned warranty helped out on that one.
Hi Don,
I have a 2015 F56 CPO with 46K and my dealer refused to cover the upper mount. I also contacted Mini USA and they refused to help. Do you mind sharing some information for me to take it to Mini USA? It would be great if you can PM me the service date and VIN #. Thanks.
If it's $500, they are trying to rip you off. It's probably like an hour on their books, and it would take the tech more like 15 minutes. Find a new dealer, or better yes a good indy shop!
If it's $500, they are trying to rip you off. It's probably like an hour on their books, and it would take the tech more like 15 minutes. Find a new dealer, or better yes a good indy shop!
haha, the same dealer who quoted $1500 for the upper mount. I did find a shop that replaced my upper mount for <$800 after tax but said the lower mount didn't need replacement. Thanks for the links, I might do it myself. It's the upper mount that I wouldn't have tried to do myself.
So, I finally had time to get under the car and take a look at the lower engine mount. It looks totally fine.But now I wanna install the Powerflex. The nuts are not moving with a manual torque wrench. Is it safe to use a drill driver on it? Or is there another trick to loosening it? Also, is hand lightening going to be sufficient? Or does anyone know the proper torque if I were to sue a drill driver to re-install them?
Edit: I found the torque requirement -which explains why I couldn't undo it manually- It's a ridiculous 100nm or 885 In-Lb. My nice Bauer drill diver goes only up to 450 In-lb lol
Last edited by johnny13; Aug 29, 2020 at 11:40 PM.
A drill-driver will not do it. A torque wrench should work, though could hurt the torque wrench. Get a long handled ratchet, or even a breaker bar if they're that tight / corroded. Next things to try would be soaking them in PB Blaster or similar, and hitting the wrench with a mallet. Reinstall with the torque wrench, for sure.
So, I successfully managed to remove the old mount with a breaker bar and some PB Blaster. One of the bolts (tightest area on the left side at the engine) gave me a hard time and it came back to bite me. When installing the new mount with the powerflex, I used a torque wrench adjusted to 100Nm per the repair manual (885 ft-lb). All went well except for the left engine bolt. When it was super tight and close to the torque wrench clicking (it didn't actually click) the socket slipped because the head got stripped (see attached photo; stripped head is on the right sorry the image is flipped). Somebody please tell me it's gonna be ok, haha. Should I worry and try to get it off and replace it with a new one to the right torque?
Ah, I hate those external torx heads! And they are everywhere on these cars. Looks like it's more stripped in the tightening direction, maybe you'll be ok getting it off. But yeah possibly the wrong socket size, there are a couple that are real close but not exact. In any case, I would use a Crescent X6 next time. They seem to get a really good grip on just about anything. Only problem is the handle is a little short, but add a pipe to it to get more leverage.
Yeah I used the regular socket 8-sided or whatever it’s called. It was 11mm. I think the bolt is 10.9 and what you posted is probably better but need to find one that fits on a 3/8” head. I’m not worried about taking it off if I don’t need to. The question is more of: if it stripped as I was tightening it, and it may not have made it all the way to the right torque, do I need to worry about future issues? I don’t think it’s gonna come loose really, but idk.
I see what you're saying about getting it torqued down all the way. Hm. Yeah I guess if it was me I would get a new bolt from mini and try again. Seems like a small chance that it comes undone, but nice to have it right. Get a e-torx set or spline drive sockets, they have those that fit standard 3/8" heads.
