Hello, I got my 2002 S a little over a month ago and ordered the m7 stb as a precaution for mushrooming. I went to install it today and... I was too late =(. It was used so I sort of expected this. The driver side is much worse than the passenger side. Would it be safe to install the stb anyway? I'm not even sure I could get it bolted down all the way and I'm worried something would crack. I read on another thread that a guy had fixed his mushrooming but I have no idea how to go about doing this. How do you fix mushrooming and how easy is it to accidentally crack something? please help! Today was supposed to be joyous but of course... something had to go wrong. I read on another thread that a guy told the poster to search to learn how to fix it, but I've searched, if you know of such a thread please link me. Please help me!!! Thanks.

 

you can tap it back to flat with a block of wood and a hammer. Or a rubber "dead blow" hammer (has lead beads inside). You should be fine. It is something anyone with those two tools and an arm to swing with, can perform.

 

Is it likely that there are other problems i.e. something cracked underneath? I have a warranty that would probably cover that sort of thing. I just don't to be taken. I got the car a month ago....

 

If there was a crack, it would be in the seam which is visible. It would be along the side of the strut tower. The seam has the anti corrosion undercoat stuff on it, and that would split apart if the metal below it had done so.

 

For the most part, mushrooming isn't covered under warranty. Most dealers consider it "abuse" ... ...but you may get lucky if you have a sympathetic dealer.

There's a couple of ways to fix it. Some have had success by simply jacking up the front of the car to take the weight off the suspension and then tapping the tower back down as described above. A slightly more involved fix is to pull the struts, tap down the tower and flatten the strut mount metal in a vice. Although some would say it's overkill, this is what I do, but I have a lift and have pulled the struts out of a MINI so many times I don't think of it as being much of a job. I had to do the same thing when I first installed M7 plates a few years ago. And then again when I installed the Craven top-plates & IE fixed camber plates since the M7 top-plates didn't work very well...

While you should definitely check it thoroughly, it's unlikely the tower metal itself is cracked, but be sure to check the rubber of the strut mount for cracking. Depending on the age and mileage of the car, I'd say you have about a 50-50 chance there. Some minor checking of the rubber is normal (although keep an eye on them) - it's visible tears that should worry you. The strut mounts are considered a wear item and should be replaced when needed.