Hey guys,

I bought a used 06 R53 about a month ago and I realized there's a coolant leak. I've read that the thermostat gasket is the most likely cause for the leak.

My question is, can I replace just the gasket to fix the leak? Or is it recommended to get the entire thermostat and gasket assembly. The thermostat + gasket assembly is ~$40 for OEM. The gasket alone looks to be ~$12.

Thanks,
Matt

 

One or two places were selling a gasket that Supposedly fit....issue is the gasket is PART of the thermostat...
And since thermosts do fail...I would just replace it...and fo the job once...do it right.
Look closely at the coolant tank (on the s) and the radiator itself...the rad tends to leak where the fins are heat crimped to the plastic endtank.
Be sure you read up on bleeding the cooling system...it can be a pain on a mini..know where BOTH bleeding valves are.

 

I appreciate your help!

I definitely noticed white residue in the front of the radiator... That's another common place for leaks? Also, I just noticed today while I was driving on a cold rainy day, when stopped at lights, I would see smoke/water vapor coming from the front. Is this coolant related? Or just temperature and rain related.

I'll see drip spots on my driveway also, but the spot is a little further back in the engine bay. Maybe I have 2 spots where the cars leaking from.

Matt

 

Steam often comes off the Intercooler when rain hits it....it get pretty hot.
the white residue is a tell....it is what is left when coolant dries/evaporates.
the MINI shares it radiator design with most every modern car built today...they all have the same basic issue... the plastic side tanks are melted to the the metal core...overtime they tend to fatigue where the two meet, and leak..if the rad doesn't leak from many miles of stones, etc hitting them from the front...but they can be swapped out pretty cheap...About 95-100$ , plus shipping (usually minus 5% for the typical "coupon code") for a copy of the OEM from places like rockauto.com...you end up with the same brands as if you pay $200 for one at the "big box" auto parts store and wait 24 hours....
I caution you...
Don't just replace a part cause so many OTHER people have had issues...at some point the gasket material on the OEM thermostat WAS changed...seemed to take care of the issue....you may already have the "improved" part...
the old saying..if it ain't broke. don't fix it IMO is true....
DO look at the most common PROBLEM areas first...then look deeper....look at the thermosat housing area (kinda hard to look at, kinda behind the air box area)...but as these cars age...different items fail...some have had the oil cooler (which has engine coolant in it) fail....heck...the hoses IMO are usually good for ABOUT 10 years on most cars....

 

I have that same smoke issue with my leak. The leak is coming from the expansion tank dumping onto the hot heat shield causing it to eval and smoke out the hood vent.