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R52 owner gets first R53 - What to do first advice?
General MINI TalkShared experiences, motoring minutes, and other general MINI-related discussion that applies to all MINIs, regardless of model, year or trim.
R52 owner gets first R53 - What to do first advice?
Greetings All. I have owned an R52 for about 2 years. It had 120K miles on it when I bought it, and I've had to do a lot of work to it replacing all the worn out parts. Suspension, bushings, engine mounts, plugs & wires, fuel filter (the top hosing cracked an was leaking fuel). It's running great now, changing the clutch slave next. It's all stock and I plan to keep it that way for the most part.
The R53 I just got has 52K miles on it. It's been well maintained, there is nothing worn out or needs repair as far as I can tell. The paint has some rock chips in the hood I want to try to repair, and a few minor door dings. Else it's been a pleasure to drive to work each day.
I have two general questions.
First with this relative low milage, what preventative maintenance should I be doing beyond oil changes? Do I just wait till things wear out and replace as needed, or are there known things to do before they happen?
Second, this mini I plan to mod some. It will be a daily driver, I have not plans to go to a track. Just want some mods to enhance the fun or look of the car. So far reading here I have these on my list:
15% Pulley Alta, with colder plugs
Rear Sway Bar 22mm
Cat-Back Exhaust (Milltek non resinated good?)
R98 Wheels (I like the way they look)
That's a nice clean R53! The only real difference vs an R52 is that you have to check the sunroof drains to make sure they aren't clogged. The rubber parts (suspension bushings, shock/strut mounts, engine mounts, etc.) will not necessarily be bad, but you should keep an eye on them just because of their age. My R53 has 246k miles and the only thing that catastrophically failed was the crankshaft pulley damper (luckily it broke near home and I was able to limp back). Check yours to make sure the rubber isn't dry rotting. Also, every seal on mine that touches engine oil has leaked and been replaced at least once. I have the original supercharger, still going strong though I've drained and replaced the oil in it twice.
Can't say much about mods, I only have a ATI Super Damper (2%) and R112 wheels. The car is fun enough for me without too many mods.
Maintenance maintenance maintenance.. full tune up , all fluids including atleast the front snout side sc oil ( can be done without removing the sc ) , it will also most likely need some suspension addressed too. I've never bought one yet that hasn't had something on dire need of replacement suspension wise..
as far as mods..
Check out my Threads. they'll give you great ideas for everything from beginner mods all the way to 300+whp build.
im now playingwith an r58 jcw but the r53 , its just special. It really is.
Maintenance maintenance maintenance.. full tune up , all fluids including at least the front snout side sc oil ( can be done without removing the sc ) , it will also most likely need some suspension addressed too. I've never bought one yet that hasn't had something on dire need of replacement suspension wise..
Thanks. How do you change the SC oil without removing it?
Yes you are right on the suspension. I put the red Koni shocks on my R52 and it rides a lot better than the R53 as are a comfort. The R52 doesn't feel as stuck to the ground as the R53. I don't know if that is the sports suspension or the difference between hardtop and convertible. I'm thinking red Koni again or maybe the ECS performance coil overs. Any tried these?
