Hi guys. I've been a lurker for a bit. I picked up my '08 MCS, hard top, 6-spd about a year ago. I've been through a bit of of run with it, starting with the chain tensioner issue, thermostat after that, and few annoyances here and there. My love for driving it has overcome those things, but I'm definitely into trying to do more of the work myself.

I fought Mini about the chain, as it started under warranty, then was fixed out of warranty. I got them to pay for the parts, but it was still about $1600 out of pocket which really pissed me off. Not to mention that while it was sitting at the dealer for weeks, as I fought with them, both fobs died and they won't give me even one replacement.

A week after I got it back, it starting to overheat and leak coolant, so I had to replace the thermostat. Fun.

I still change the oil every 4-4500 miles, as it burns a lot, maybe even more than Mini's normally do. I can deal with that, as I either change it myself, or stack up coupons and get $30 Castrol Synth or Mobil 1 at Pepboys. One thing for others to note is that do to the reliance on oil pressure, you can hear the chain rattle a bit (even the new one) when oil the pressure is low. I just keep a quart in my emergency-under-the-seat-bag, in case.

I'm now at 65k miles and looking for input as to what I should be doing preemptively. Is there a standard service I should get done? Plugs/wires? Anything with the tranny? I'm gearing up to do the brakes on all four corners and will try this myself. I see some vendors here have some good packages, so that's the route I'll likely go.

The front drivers headlamp is out of alignment. Upon further inspection, the little plastic arm in the assembly broke, and, of course, you can't buy that piece. The dealer wants $400+ for a new assembly, so I'll try to find one online.

I'm also looking to have a shop do a resonator delete for me, so if anyone knows a good muffler/exhaust shop in Central CT that they can recommend, I'd appreciate it.

I've noticed a clicking sound intermittently at idle, under the hood. It sounds almost like a repeating spark of some kind, or even a small belt spinning and slapping...that's my best description .

Anyway, thanks for any advice and hopefully I can keep this thing for long enough to around here for a bit. I'm kicking around the idea of selling it, but for now we'll see what happens.

 

You are a stalker? How about a pic of your MINI.
Plugs are always a good thing to replace depending on the mileage. Your MINI does not have wire, so no worries there. Tranny, you can change the fluid as that is always a good thing to do depending on mileage. A walnut blasting for carbon build up is definitely a good idea also. You might want to use an oil catch can like many do here to help with carbon build up also. How much oil in how many miles do you use?

 

I haven't been good at calculating exactly how much oil is being burned off. I'll have to start.

Where can I get that walnut blasting done? Will the dealer do it? I'll look into changing the tranny fluid and plugs. I'm assuming it's they're both fairly straightforward projects. I have the Chilton's manual (or is it Haynes?) so I'll follow that. Thanks for your input.


Here's my coop:

 

Mod has to approve my post?

 

Hmmm. Maybe because I posted a pic? Anyway...

I said thanks for the advice. I have been lazy about measuring how much oil is being used, so I'll have to check, and start using a catch can.

I assume walnut blasting is big bucks, so I'll have to research where I can even get it done around here and take it from there. I have the Chilton's manual, so I'm hoping to do most of the work myself from here on out.

 

Nothing is cheap on a MINI, but there is lots of info here.

1. Plugs are a 12 point design, which requires a special socket. They reccommend a 60k change interval.
2. My oil usage went down a bunch when I let it remain at about 1/2 way on the dipstick. When I was intent on filling it up all the way, I would add about 1/2 qt every week (about 250/300 miles). When I let it drop to the lower bulb on the dipstick, I only added oil once per month. Then I found that my valve cover was leaking, and I recently replaced that.
3. There are several threads for doing the walnut blasting yourself, see if that interests you.

Enjoy your MINI, both good and bad.

Mike

 

Thanks. What kind of oil are you using? I was using Mobil 1, then went to Castrol when I noticed it said it was recommended under the hood...and it's so much cheaper.

 

I've used the MINI oil and Amsoil with similar results for usage. The owners manual recommends several different oils. I will probably stick with either of these two for the forseeable future.

Mike