I thought this might be a fun thread to get going, having recently made my own stupid mistake...

Although at the time it was annoying as all-get-out, after the dust settled I realized that the old aphorism is true, we DO learn from our mistakes.

I'll start...

I was trying to do an oil change in my 2005 MCS. During the time I had my warranty, I had the dealer do the work. Now I'm past the warranty and on my own. For reasons I won't get into right now, I had taken it to a local Speedee quick oil change place about three months ago. Now here I am, trying to remove the filter they installed, and the darned thing would not budge. I had the proper tools and socket, but no luck. I needed more leverage, and since my JCW strut bar was kind of in the way, I decided to remove it. Not a problem normally, but my car was up on jack stands! Completely unsuspecting of what I was about to do, I merrily unscrewed the strut tower nuts holding the bar into place.

CLUNK - - down drops the wheel to the ground, with the entire strut assembly attached - . Even more idiotic, after this happened, for some unexplainable reason, I still went and unbolted the other side!!!
Only this time, the wheel didn't drop - the plate with the screws shifted, and got stuck fast, out of position, under the strut tower...

After posting a frantic question on NAM, asking for help, and researching the problem myself, I came up with some ideas and finally managed to get the strut bolts back through the holes. I have bruised hips and hands from the effort, but all is well now.


WHAT I LEARNED:

1) Never undo all of the strut tower bolts when your Mini is jacked up, or the suspension will drop to the ground and you will be saddled with a really frustrating situation!

2) You can use racheting tie-down straps (good ones, not the El Cheapo ones) to compress the spring.

3) A 2x4 piece of wood comes in handy as a wheel support, when you need to hold the wheel up and it's too close to the ground to use a hydraulic jack.


So, what are some of the dumb things you have done, that you have learned from and would like to share with others? It might save someone else the grief you went through!

 

hmm.. I want to share one but I don't have one.. I always searched NAM thoroughly before making changes to the car and never really had a problem.

I guess that's a tip right there

OHHHH, the intercooler clamps that tightens rubber diverters on each side. I always put them like upside down! make sure you figure out which side goes up before putting 'em on!


Drew-