Hello, I found this immaculate 2009, one owner, factory JCW in Memphis with 74,000 miles and bought it for $11,000. It drives smooth and quick. This will be my daily driver. I had a few questions:

1. The rotors and brakes need replaced. Should I go with the factory blank rotors or go to the slotted / drilled rotors?

2. Since I don't have all service records, is there anything I need to service ASAP? (Thermostat and water pump were replaced last year)

3. Any other words of wisdom or things to watch for?

Thank you for your time.

 

Plain rotors would be my choice.
If you are not sure of age, then fluids should be changed, oil, filter, etc.
Have fun.

 

Great looking car!

Maybe check with a MINI dealer to see if the timing chain tensioner recall has been performed. Also, not too sure how easy it is to do, but check the valves to see if they need cleaning.

 

there was a electric turbo water pump recall also

 

Now that's you're the owner, if you go to a MINI dealer they should be able to give you a service history. I'm not sure if that is shared between dealers, or stored only at the dealer at which the service was performed.

Plain rotors will work great for 99% of situations. Maybe if you're tracking the car you might experience some more brake fade vs slotted rotors. More important are the pads - I used EBC Greens and they were OEM replacements. I think the EBC Red would be more suited for the JCW

 

Thank you all for the great info. I called the local Mini dealer where they told me the JCW was serviced, most of its life, at Mini of Des Moines. They read me the following info over the phone:

1. December 3 2013. 54,000 miles:
Timing chain was measured at 72mm and top guide was broken.
The timing chain, tensioner, and guides were replaced.
Turbo heat shield was replaced
Valve cover was replaced
Spark plugs replaced
Serpentine belt replaced
Rear brake pads
Cabin air filter
Front right axle seal was replaced

2. March 15, 2012. 32,000 miles. Aux water pump recall completed.

3. August 23, 2011. 27,000 miles. Main water pump replaced.

4. August 23, 2011. 27,000 miles. 4 x Fuel Injectors replaced.


That's all the info they gave me. i think that's most of the big ticket items.

Now going to Road Show Mini in Memphis for some plain rotors and pads on all 4 wheels. They quoted $900ish

Thanks again for the help.

Ed

 

If possible, you could attempt to change out the pads and rotors on your own - The parts cost should only be around $400 or so. You'd save a bunch and it only takes an afternoon (assuming nothing goes wrong).

 

$900 for rotors, pads is easily beat by Indy mechanics if you don't do it yourself. You can get low dust pads as well.

 

900 for brakes is a rip. You can buy that stuff from ECS and have a local mech install cheap. I would just go stock rotors. haha wouldn't track a daily driver.

Also keep the oil topped off and change like 5-6k. It's cheap insurance. Change air filter every 10k. Car needs clean oil and air. Maybe change the plugs since you don't know when it was last changed. And time out the turbo before shutting down.

 

So, what happened for maintenance in the last 3 years and 20K?

 

The original owners moved from Des Moines and that's where the records stopped. I bought the car from an Infiniti dealership in Memphis, TN. All the information I currently have was from me calling to the different Mini dealerships.

 

Commented on the wrong thread. My bad.

 

What does this involve?

 

Means don't shut the engine down like a vacuum cleaner. Let it idle for 5 min at least. Allows the turbo exhaust temps to come down. My JCW has over 100K with a strong turbo because 1) I always top off the oil and check every week. 2) I always time out the engine. And when it's hot I usually pop the hood and let the engine time out with the engine compartment venting. JMTC has youtube videos on turbo maintenance. They're heat units that need the exhaust temps to be maintained by allowing the turbo chamber to come down in temps so it doesn't just "boil" with hot gases on a quick shutdown.