Hi everyone. First time posting. I am very interested in getting my first Mini. I have been shopping around for an 05/06 for about a month now and today found one I am interested in buying. I'v been searching a bunch and went through a checklist while looking it over but I was left with some questions that hopefully you can help me answer.

I checked the wrong part of the strut tower so I don't know if it's mushroomed or not but if it IS, at all, should I not buy it or is there a level of mushrooming that is reversible and or ignore-able?

Is there a way to tell if the PSP is failing? The steering felt rather heavy but was consistent. I don't know if being heavy is just a characteristic of the r53. I'm comparing it to my Subaru and a r56 I drove.

There were two strange things about the super charger. The car was warm but when started had a clicking sound coming from the passenger side of the front of the SC. Sounded like a diesel engine but went away after about 15 seconds.

Also there was a 'clunk' noise coming from the rear whenever I transitioned from engine braking to on-throttle and vice versa. It sounded like an item was loose in the back seat rolling around but there was nothing I could see. Maybe the battery moving around? Any ideas?

Lastly the steering wheel began vibrating at around 40mph and started shimmying back and forth a few degrees as I gained speed. I guessed it to be a wheel/rotation issue but wanted to check if this could be a sign of something worse.

Thanks everyone

 

Assuming you already saw this: http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

Regarding the "clicking" sound, the "clunking" noise, and the vibrating steering wheel, I can't speak to that other than to say I have not noticed those problems with my car, so I'm not sure if they are easily fixable problems.

Regarding the mushrooming, I haven't had experience with that either, but there are many people here who have used a 2x4 and a hammer to flatten out the strut towers. Whether mushroomed towers also points to possible damage to struts, I don't know.

I can tell you that the steering on the R53 feels heavier than on other cars I've driven. I've driven a few R56s, but I can't remember whether they were as heavy or not.

So I'm not very helpful here. But the most helpful thing I can tell you is, if possible get a presale inspection by a good mini specialist. It would be worth it even if you have to make a long trip. I purchased an r56 and had a pre-sale inspection by a mechanic who was not a mini specialist, and he told me the car was fine, only to find out two weeks later that the car was full of major problems, and luckily I was able to return it. I almost bought another r56 that a dealership had just serviced and reported that it was in good condition, when I finally found a mini specialist to do a full presale inspection, and within minutes he could tell the car had been in invovled in accidents and was in very bad shape. He saved me from another bad deal before I was finally able to land a great deal on a great R53.

Where are you located? Hopefully there is some place not too far from you, because it would definitely be worht it.

I know you didn't ask for this, but I'm going to give some more advice anyway. If you do happen to have a mini specialist nearby whom you trust to do pre-sale inspections, I wouldn't be afraid of the seemingly underpriced cars or shady dealers for fear that there would be something wrong. There are parts on the Mini that WILL go wrong, design flaws that you just have to take into account. A lot of them can be fixed with better aftermarket parts, and a Mini specialist will be able to tell you whether they are fixable problems or not. Case in point, the car I purchased was a lot cheaper than other cars I was looking at, I think because when I test drove it there was a loud sound from the wheels at highway speed. Turns out it just needed to replace the lower control arm bushings - a replacement that ALL R53s are going to have to do at some point anyway (replaced with much more durable aftermarket polyurethane bushings). So it ended up being a great deal. This would depend on having an experienced min specialist available, though.

Anyway, good luck with looking. If yu can, take your time!

 

Thanks for your advice. I drove it again today. These cars are so fun. And it's stock!

Anyway, I live in Portland, OR. I did find a very well-reviewed enthusiast shop that said they are familiar with Mini's. They seemed knowledgeable on the phone but I'm just using my intuition at this point. Shop: http://adrenalineracing.net/

I'm surprised I couldn't find a thread of Mini specialists by city.

 

I would have the car check over by someone with knowledge about them.. MINIs are really in the class of there own.. Like stated above there are things that will go wrong with it..but that is just part of the territory of owning a MINI.. The fun factor out weighs that .. How many miles are on this R53?

 

06 with 72k. Looks well taken care of and has a well documented service history.

 

Definitely take to a mini specialist for a full check out.
I was the stupid one that didn't do this and trusted the dealership I bought from. Nonono. Worst mistake ever. I'm paying for my stupidity now since the problems are no longer minimal.

Please get the car checked before that way you can know exactly what, if, there is anything wrong and estimated cost to fix it all.

If you are buying from a dealer - get a warranty through them. You'll be glad you did in the event that something with a nice price tag need to be fixed.

If not buying from a dealer then I'd look into seeing if the seller will fix any thing that needs to be fixed per the mechanic or if they'd drop the price if there are expensive repairs.

 

Also, if a Mini specialist can list for you all the things wrong with the car and how much it would cost to fix it, that will give you some more bargaining power. All around win win.

 

Another vote for a PPI (pre-purchase inspection). You know what you're getting into ahead of time and as christianmc said you might be able to hack off some of the purchase price to compensate for repairs of known issues.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the continued advice.

I bought the mini. The power steering pump is basically dead, there is an oil leak from the oil pan gasket and there is a motor or suspension bushing/bearing that is bad in the front right. And they said the suspension on the Minis usually needs a full replacement around 80k miles and this one has 72k.

I think I'll be needing a further inspection of the mounts and the suspension to better identify the knock I'm hearing. I want to see if I can check the quality of the mounts myself. I think I'll put money toward first removing the knock sound even it involves the redoing the suspension. The minor oil leak and pump failure both feel like they can be left temporarily (checking oil and dealing with tough steering).

 

Check the drivers side door jamb...there will be a production date there....
Then with this date check with mini...if you are the US or Canada, the replacement of the pump/fan may be covered under a recall.......
Not all gen 1 cars are covered, but some are....including some 2005 model year cars.

 

Zippy you know it is not a recall but an extended warranty. It covers MINI's upto 2/05 for 13 years or 150k miles.

 

CornerHugger read this

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...50k-miles.html

 

Thanks for the heads up. It would have been nice to save $800 but it's an 06 made in 11/06

 

Replace the rear sway bar bushing. If the noise is something like the sound of the ball inside of a spray paint can but less tinny...it's the same noise I had.

Only cost me $50 shipped for the poweflex bushings.

Search for clunk in the trunk...i posted that.

 

For good shops - ask the guys at PDXMINI.com -- its the local portland area mini club.

 

I don't know if it is as easy with the R53 as it is with the R56, but it probably wouldn't hurt while they're inspecting things to have them take a gander at the timing chain/tensioner... BTW - There are so many fun runs in the area with great twisties you are going to love playing on in your MINI and so many that are just plain enjoyable (I grew up there). join the local Portland MINI club! Join them for at least one run... You WILL NOT regret it and will get hooked - they'll show you what your MINI really can do! Motor on!

 

clicking - check your timing chain
clunking - check sway bar bushings

 

Hey you're in Portland, Cool!

PDXMINI is awesome! Shortly after I bought my MINI I met Jeremy at Craven Speed. He essentially introduced me to PDXMINI. Went on a run with them down to Tillamook. Best fun I've ever had with my clothes on.

Anyhow, I learned that Dyna Sport MINI (in the Pearl District, NW Portland, OR) is an Authorized Installer of Craven Speed parts. I do most of my own work, but if ever I need to have something done, I would try them just based on the recommendation from Jeremy.

-I've heard too many bad stories of dealerships that no longer have staff on hand that remember when the R53 was new... all their young techs don't know much more than how to do warranty work on a current model.

So for me, it will be an independent MINI Specialist if ever the need arises.

Enjoy your new car.

(p.s. my car also had 72k miles when I bought it. Check your serpentine belt right away. It's supposed to be changed at 60k. Also I changed my plugs -I think they're supposed to be good for 100k miles. Mine were original with the BMW markings. My MPG went up almost 2mpg after I changed them. If you attempt this yourself, make sure engine is cold-cold, like after sitting overnight. The threads in mini's aluminum head are very soft. Have a good torque wrench too. 22 ft pounds. Recheck the torque after a few warm up and cool down cycles -and a couple hundred miles, -if the plugs work loose a little, they could shoot out of the engine like a rocket, taking the threads with them -or at least I've read that. Mine were still tight after I rechecked them twice a few days and a week after instal)

 

Thanks again. I signed up for pdxmini. I also checked the f. nt sway bushings and they look fine I still have no idea where the knock sound is coming from. There are no hub rings on the wheels so I'm hoping this is why it has a wobble. I also was told spark plugs can be an indicator of how the engine is performing. I removed then and assuming they are the originals they look great.



Anyway here it is! What a blast to drive!


Again thanks for the information. This community is hekpful

 

Very nice MINI. Check your strut mounts for the clunk as well.

 

Looks can be deceiving with bushings. My bushings in the rear looked fine but replacing them cured my woes.

Do you get the knock when going over bumps, when rocking back and forth from forward and reverse?

Youtube has a few videos of knocks on minis.

Also...my knock was rear sway bar bushings not front.

Lastly on the wheel wobble...have the wheels and tires been balanced? Is one of the wheels bent?

 

Hyper blue with white top -nice! Mine's hyper blue with a black roof and mirror caps.

Plugs look nice and tan, hard to tell in a photo though, sometimes things look lighter or darker in a picture.

If the plugs have the letters BMW on the ceramic insulator, then they are either original, or were purchased at a dealership. NGK makes several plugs in a heat range 6 that my local parts guy claims are OEM (not true, or I dont know what OEM means)

The one called Laser Platinum and part number ends with QUP are the only ones that came in it from the factory -but if you get them from Napa, then they don't say BMW in the insulator.

Hope you find the knock. My motor mount above passenger frame rail made a click on take off and gear changes. Not saying that's your problem, but it's the only sound I've had and fixed.

 

Very nice looking MINI... I have those same wheels!!

 

That Jeremy is a great guy!

You can also talk to Allen, one of the other club members, he is kind of our MINI guru. He's usually happy to help when we need some work done.