Hello all, I have had one heck of a problem. Ever since I've had my MINI, I've had a problem that I can't seem to understand. I have a 2004 r50 with 18" wheels. Whenever I go over a bump or hole, the front right of the car rattles and sounds 'loose', mainly just the front right wheel. Also, I hear a high pitched squeak/ squeal when going over bumps, but I can only hear it when the windows are down and the music off. What do you think the problem is? The ball joints? The control arm bushings? The struts? Please help!!!

 

Anybody? This is driving me a wee bit yumpy.

 

How many miles on the car (I assume 75+K)?
Original or aftermarket suspension? Any maintenance done on the suspension?

On a 10-year old car, all sorts of suspension components are at the end of their lifespan: shocks, sway bar links, upper strut mounts, control arm bushings. A combination of the above can cause your problems.

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110000 miles and I don't believe the previous owners had any suspension maintenance. What should I replace first? Bushings, ball joints?

 

You should be able to do better than throw parts at the problem randomly, but it requires a lift, a big pry bar, and some experience.

If you don't have access to the latter, consider taking the car to an independent mechanic for a suspension trouble-shoot appointment. He may or may not charge you for the labor to trouble-shoot, but pay for it gladly if he does. If he doesn't, pay him to replace the items he found to be worn as a form of compensation (and insurance if his guess was wrong!).

At 110K miles, virtually everything is well worn, the question is which part has given up the ghost. My money is on the following top-3 usual suspects: shocks, sway bar links, upper camber plates.

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