Hi MINI WORLD. I just bought a used 2004 r53. Its all stock except it has one ball mod. The first thing I noticed is that when I turn on the car, the odometer shows " Inspection -14750 miles " I was wondering if it means that inspection is due 14750 miles later or earlier. After all, I'm looking forward to post up some pics and start a new chapter with my new baby.

 

MINIs have always counted down, so that should be you missed it 14750 miles ago.

 

Also, do you have a manual for the MINI? If not you can download one from the Owner's Lounge. My 04 manual (downloaded) definitely says count down.

 

Yes I do have a manual. But there was no records on it. All I know from a receipt that the previous owner gave me is that it's got new oil, oil filter, coolant, and a new power steering pump. And a basic inspection list that goes ( status, part ). Sealed, chassis fittings......Topped off, washer fluid......Checked, brake fluid......Maint. free, battery......Checked, cabin air filter......Checked, belts......Torque Sealed, drain plug......Checked, wiper blades. They did not check anything thats not on the list.

So my questions come down to: should I have someone do an inspection 2? (millage: 74000) I'm replacing the stock air filter with a k&n one tomorrow. And I'm also looking forward to a 15% pulley. How much will the pulley affect the longevity of the car?

 

A 15% pulley should not really affect longevity. 17-19% I can see perhaps wearing out the water pump gears quicker due to them spinning faster but 15% is pretty mild and there are hundreds if not thousands of us who are running pulleys with little to no harm done. Honestly what will affect longevity the most is your personal driving style. I love my pulley but I can count on one hand the number of times my engine has been over 6k rpm. The extra oomph is fun but longevity in the end comes down to how hard you drive it/beat on it.

If changing the pulley, remember to change the spark plugs and belt at the same time. Its a good idea to get a smaller belt and colder spark plugs.

finally, many people do their own oil changes, and many more take their cars to places other than the dealer to get their services done. A lot of the time these very people don't bother or know how to reset the service light.

However, an oil change won't cost you that much in parts so to be on the safe side, I would do one immediately and reset the service light. (Search how to reset its easy).

Just because you have his receipt with a date doesn't mean you know the miles that it was changed at. Also, I never trust anyone's word when buying a car, people say anything to sell something. Without proper documentation you'd be taking a chance on if its good to go or not. . . and that's an expensive chance to take!

 

Thanks for the input. Just took another look at the receipt, it was actually from less then a month ago. So besides oil change, do you think a full inspection 2 is necessary?

 

I'd do the oil change and hold off on the rest. You're already replacing the engine air filter yourself soon... only other thing would perhaps be to pull out your cabin air filter and see how dirty it is. May need to replace that too.

Other wise, all the fluids you can check yourself as well as tire pressures. If you take the car somewhere most places do a free 'once over' of the car because they are looking for something worn to quote for replacement to make money. Even if you take your car to the dealer to get 'just an oil change' they will still do a full inspection of brakes, tread, suspension, fluid levels, leaks, tire pressures etc, because as I said they are trying to find something that needs replacing to up sell. Trust me, I've been an Audi and Mercedes mechanic for 3.5 years now and have total of 5yrs dealer experience.

 

Okay thanks. I think I'm gonna do the air filter change today. And look up where the cabin filter is and maybe replace that one too. Then I'm just gonna hold things off until I get the pulley installed, as you said they would be able to tell me then if anything went wrong.

I'm looking into the wmw pulley package right now but i should probably do a little more research.

 

My best man bought me the wmw pulley package as a wedding gift for me. Was an awesome gift, however; make sure you get the puller tool as well!! I tried pulling mine with a regular 3 jaw gear puller because way lost my order and I got impatient... long story short all I ended up doing was bending the pulley which forced me to pull the whole front clip off, remove the supercharger and take it down to the mini dealer with my tail between my legs so they could put it on the floor press and press it off. Cost me $75 and a heck of a lot of extra elbow grease.

So, no matter what pulley you get, make sure to get the right puller!

Also, you can find the cabin air filter under the dash where the passenger feet go. Put your head on the pass floor mat looking straight up. There's a access door with a clip on one side. Pop that off and out goes the filter. Simple as that.

 

Ordered the cabin air filter! Just wainting for it to come. More questions. Would it be a good idea to have a shop install the pulley? How much is too expensive? Or do people usually install them at home?

 

A 15% pulley is super reliable and wouldn't be concerned about it.

For the inspection 2 it is usually due around 60k. We usually recommend adding a new set of plugs, and wires at the 60k mark as the normal insp 2 doesn't include them.

I also suggest getting the bentley repair manual as it has instructions for almost everything.