So I took my R53 in for the power steering recall and they found some other issues. First was that the supercharger is leaking. Where can I get it rebuilt? Or can I just remove it and redue the seals? Right now it is not noisey just leaking.

 

Not much to leak out if it it leaking oil....only about 4 ounces....if it leaking air from a bad intercooler gasket, it's a different story....you might need more info...Assuming it is the sc......they can rebuild them, or exchange them.....about $ 800-1000, and imo do a new waterpump at the same time (will save you big later)...plus labour and some gaskets...
Many vendors here have vetted machine shops they send them too...handling the transaction...
Steigimer who does tons of mustang SC also does mini ones...mini also has remanufactured units for a very high $$$.
Imo stay away from the cheapest of the eBay units...there was a place down in FL offering then for about $500-600 with an unlimited mile 1 year warrenty....but a terrible failure rate...and since swapping a unit is about an 6+ hour job with about $75 in gaskets....you still get a hefty bill to swap a bad unit....

 

Wonder if this is more dealer fishing. Bunch of these posts lately.

People bring car in for ps repair, dealer "finds" thousands of dollars worth of repairs.

The supercharger hold very little oil. If it's actually leaking it won't take very long for you to hear noise.

If you are able to get at it yourself, I would verify first that it's bad. Then worry about rebuilding it. There aren't any seals that normal dyi mechanics can really do. There is no gasket on the pto end.

But if it's bad there's a few choices. Get a good used one, rebuild with maybe way motor works, steigmeier, or someone else. Find a new one. I think they are still out there for a decent price, but haven't paid attention to that for a while now.

 

They wanted $1100 to do the SC and another $200 for a coolant flush, they said that the po had mixed colors.

 

For the dealer to say they will rebuild it for $1100 sounds very implausible.

Specialized Eton supercharger rebuilders charge at least $800 just to rebuild it. Its not a matter of just changing out a couple seals. If it's leaking it needs to be rebuit. It takes special tools. What exactly did the dealer say they would replace on the supercharger?

Also, how did the dealer determine the sc is leaking? Did they take apart the front of your car, for free, to check for leaks? The sc is really buried, and oil can come from just about anywhere. The sc doesn't even use normal oil. Maybe you should ask for a sample of this leaked oil

Hopefully others chime in because I'm obviously very skeptical of dealers.

Another thought, you really have nothing to lose to just drive it. If it actually is leaking it will start making horrible noises, and will cost you the $800 to fix it.
If it isn't leaking you will save $1100 and have years of fun

 

The sc oil is pretty STINKY, VERY THIN STUFF....kinda doubt anybody could detect it...
The fact they are selling you a sc for less than MINI sells them....hmmm...it is a mini dealer right?
Get a second opinion...sounds a bit like fishing...
Maybe mini has end-of-lifed r53 superchargers....and are selling them cheap...kinda odd...they have gone up in $$ every year for a bit...was about $1500 for a remanufactured unit last time I remember hearing....

To rebuild a sc, you need a press to change the seals, and some skills to refine the rotors....and usually a bin of spare parts from other units as donors...they don't make parts for them beyong the water pump gears...so most shops have piles of parts from bad units...and often the case is internally coated after cleaning to tighten it up...often the factory coating on factory coated units (all ice or 2005+ units) are peeling...so the old coating is removed, and new applied if it was failing...
If the dealer is offering 3rd party rebuilds....it's possible...but not sure how kosher....
$1100 is about the labour for most shops to do it...6-8 hrs at $150-180 an hour, plus the $75 in gaskets....sure they did not just want to sell you a sc lube job?!

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but typical dealer pricing to replace a supercharger with a rebuilt unit is more like $1000 labor and $1500-$2000 for the parts. Something was miscommunicated or there is some bunny fusiness going on!

 

Zippy was reading my mind!

 

When I brought mine in for the recall, service advisors informed me that I had a valve cover... or oil pan gasket... or camshaft sensor o-ring oil leak, all of which I addressed last November in phase 1 of my oil/gasket/seals program. There are most certainly no leaks at any of those locations.

I think these dealers are just pre-programmed to point to those as the automatic source of leaks when they spot oil on the bottom of the oil pan.

If they had really looked for the source of the oil, and shined a light between the crankshaft pulley and the timing cover, they would've seen the source of the only oil leak I currently have; the timing cover crankshaft seal, which is part of my phase 2 service (timing cover gasket, internal oil seals, crankshaft pulley replacement, timing cover crankshaft seal, belt tensioner, idler pulley.) coming this fall.

 

Care to elaborate on this some more? What does it consist of - replacing all or some?

 

I feel kind of bad for all the naive people that just follow the recommendations of the dealers.

The dealers are probably loving this recall. Im sure Mini has to pay for the new ps pump so it's not costing them any money.

 

Phase 1 (November, 2015)
Replaced the following, which were all leaking/seeping to some degree:

1. Valve Cover Gasket (including spark plug tube seals, new bolts & bolt grommets)
2. Oil Pan Gasket
3. Crankshaft Sensor O-Ring
4. Camshaft Sensor O-Ring

Phase 2 (November, 2016)
Will replace the following:

1. Timing Cover Gasket
2. Timing Cover Crankshaft Seal
3. Timing Cover Seals (upper & lower)
4. Crankshaft Pulley Replacement (w/stock pulley)
5. Belt Tensioner
6. Idler Pulley

 

Changing the coolant might not be a bad idea, even if it has the correct coolant, since it should be changed every two years. Do you know when it was changed last?

 

2 years might be a big aggressive....MINI calls it a 36 or 48 month item..
if the types are mixed, and the time since the last change is unknown, you should probably get it done...

I think we can all recommend that you post your location, so we might be able to suggest a local independent garage that works on MINI's....
some dealers are great...some are iffy, even downright scammers....sometimes the motoring advisory describe things wrong or oversimplify an explanation....or even the owners skip info when asking for advise...
But i can say bringing a 10+ year old car to a dealer is a $$$$ option....they typically charge nearly 2x the rate of the local shops...and a good independence shop that knows MINI cars can show you how to drive your car cost effectively...lets face it...no 10+ year old car is perfect...but rarely does EVERYTHING have to be perfect...sure some folks do want that, and spend $$$$ to do it, or do it as a hobby, but usually a minor leak can be monitored...check the oil regularly if its an engine oil leak, and if it gets worse, get it done..but in many cases, a few drops a day is no big issue.

Hopefully the Original Poster (OP) is reading this...don't think they ever checked back in...

 

+1 to zippy
Great post

 

Right, mixed up coolant interval with brake fluid interval.

 

Sorry Zippy but I have checked this thread often just have not responded. Just listening lol.I live about 50 miles north of Grand Rapids Michigan. I agree about the dealership thou and a local shop that knows about these cars would be great. I plan to change the thermostat housing so I will do a coolant flush also. I have only had this car 6-8 months so I know nothing about the routine maintainance on it. I have done three oil changes and that is about it.

 

Since getting mine, I've change the motor oil and the coolant. Up next, trans flush and M7 SRP tower plates and bar.

 

Rubidon,

It is a bit of a haul, but we sell rebuilt SCs and can have you turned around same day for FAR less than the dealer will charge. Not to mention, we have some great beer on the east side of the state as well!

There is a slew of maintenance work you can tack on to a job of that depth, but there is also some fun mods that can be done at the same time; like a pulley kit (if not done yet).

Not to say that that is what you need, but we can give you an in depth inspection with an estimate to coincide with anything we feel needs attending to.