So, I looked though the site to try to find some useful info on the quality of this reference book, but could not find anything relevant other than many people referencing it's use.

Clearly, there are not too many choices out there if one is looking to acquire a service manual for the Mini. From what I can see it is either the Bentley, the Haynes or if available the actual BMW tech manual.

Last weekend I purchased the Haynes as I had a few issues I wanted to look up on my newly purchased 03 S. Well, I'll be returning it this weekend as it is pretty useless for me. The entire book is black and white, actually let's just call it mostly gray and the pictures are a joke. The descriptions and procedures seem quite vague and don't fully describe the process for anything.

I'm a fairly mechanically inclined guy, but I like to be walked through a process step by step when attempting something new. For me the Haynes just doesn't cut it.

So, that brings me to the Bentley. It is way more expensive than the Haynes which I paid @ $30 for new. Is is really worth the price? Does it truly provide accurate, detailed descriptions of procedures? Are the photos relevant and clear? I know many of you have one. Do you use it a lot? Did it fully help you through more complex issues? I wish the publisher would make parts of it viewable online so potential buyers could see excerpts of it's contents. Just like Amazon does for many of its books...

Your thoughts please
Thanks
-Pat

 

The Bentley Manual is by far the best repair manual for the MINI. I worked for MINI and they don't have manuals they have it all in the computer system. When I look at the Bentley it looks like someone went into the MINI system and printed every page and put it in a book. The diagrams and pictures are the same picture MINI uses.

 

+1 Bentley is the only way to go.

 

The first thing I do when I buy a car is buy a bentley manual. I collect them now, have a nice little library!

 

Are the illustrations in color, B&W, line drawings or a combination? I wish I could see one up close, but it sounds like something I'll probably need to get.

 

You might get a bit of a break on the price by buying the first edition - they did an update somewhere around '05 (IIRC), but you wouldn't need that.

 

Good tip Sp4rtan! I'll look for that though might be difficult to find at this point.

 

Skip the Chilton manual, not worth even $5 imho,...

 

I recall reading that US Haynes bought Chilton

(UK Haynes is different)

Bentley pages I've seen (I don't have one and have been very happy with the Haynes for years) looked like copies of the factory manual pages I have. All that I've seen were b/w but I've not seen 'em all

There was a pirated version of the pdf factory manual but it was incomplete and corrupt (pictures did not match paragraphs) and has been fairly quickly taken down everytime it gets hug on a downloading site . . .

If Haynes isn't for you your only real option is the Bentley but look for a used one is my recommendation.

(Haynes is the bible for my 79 .... use it more than I do the factory manuals)

**********
have you connected with a local club where a member might have one they are will to loan?
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...linas-m2c2-45/

 

Thanks Capt! Haynes is definitely not for me. I've had others for various vehicles I've owned and never really liked them. There appears to be plenty of Bentley's on Ebay for varying prices, so I'll likely pick one up soon. For now, I'm meeting with a specialized shop tomorrow to have some of my issues resolved and explained. Then, I'll start doing the gen maint. myself thereafter.

Thanks for the local link! It would be nice to meet up with local owners to discuss Mini related stuff

 

It is a must if you want to do any work on your car or even double check what a shop says is wrong with your car.

 

Bentley manual is completely worth it's weight in gold. By comparison, the Haynes is a joke. Ebay or amazon has a good price on it.

 

If you are up for a challenge in reading, locating content and installing; dig up a copy of the BMW TIS. That and the Bentley are as good as you can get.

 

Using the Bentley Manual and this web site I have saved over $2000...buy the Bentley. I saw somewhere it is now out in paperback.

 

I just received my new hard cover Bentley manual 2010 Edition and all I have to say is WOW!!!! There needs to be a sticky on this site regarding this publication. It is by far the most complete, technical, vehicle specific instruction manual I've ever seen! Seriously, I've searched this site and others, but no where does it fully describe the completeness and usefulness of this book. I got it for $60 which is half the cost of a brand new one (mine is brand new as far as I can tell) and clearly an invaluable tool for working on your Mini. I'm glad I got my hands on one and I highly suggest to anyone else with any mechanical skills looking to do some work on their Cooper to pick one up ASAP. This this thing is da bomb!
-Pat

 

Best manual I ever purchased for vehicles.

 

I saw one of these on the shelf at work yesterday, I could t help but sit down and go through it. lol it's so nice! Though we don't have one for an r53, just a r56

 

Does Bentely make an updated manual for the 2014 models?

 

Another thing I just noticed is that my manual (the 2010 printing) also includes the "Diagnostics Without Guesswork" publication in the back of the book which I saw was available as a stand alone book. Sweeeet! I don't think the older 1st edition of the manual includes this extra bonus. Something to keep in mind if you're shopping for one.

 

Not yet based on what you can see on their website. Looks like 2011 is as far as they've covered to date. The good news is that vehicles that new should all be fully warrantied and you shouldn't have to get your hands dirty with too many faulty items. Of course, that does not cover any aftermarket mods you may want to do which a manual could be helpful for...

 

Just received the Bentley manual (2002-4 Used, amazon $50) It's insane how much more detail there is, compared to the Haynes (which i also own) Wish i'd bought it first..