As probably some of you have read, thanks also to your suggestions I turned down (I have to admit, after seeing the interiors in person, with a broken heart) the purchase of a 08 Sidewalk, since an official Mini dealership diagnosed a worn out clutch during the pre-purchase inspection (and saved me from spending $$$$ few months after the purchase probably).

However, my quest for a 08 convertible S continues
I would like to have your opinion about the automatic transmission in these cars.

First thing first: these cars (being S) mount the AISIN, and not the CVT, right?

Has anybody figured out whether yearly transmission fluid changes actually preserves the life of the transmission?
What if the car is at about 60k miles and never changed it?
Is there anything I can notice by test driving the car that can help to figure out the condition of the transmission? Reading around seems like problems are noticeable when the car reaches normal working temperatures, so I don't think a pre-purchase inspection would find out.
Again,
Thanks!

 

Not having an automatic I can't answer the last few questions, but I do know that the 08 "S" does NOT have a CVT.

Happy Hunting!

 

The Aisin transmission in the first generations (and up to 2009 in the second generation, I believe) are an absolute disaster . . and should have been the subject of a recall

 

So you would not suggest me to consider a car with >60k miles with this transmission?
I read somewhere that if regularly flushed (something like every 20k miles) they usually stay out of trouble, but somewhere else I see that people had failures very early in the life of the car.
I also see mini for sale with auto transmission and more than 100k miles, with no reported rebuilt trans..is just difficult for me to grasp how frequent of an issue this is.

The owner (for what matters, see my story above) says that so far he never noticed any issue whatsoever with the transmission.

I honestly hope a manual 08 Cooper S convertible will appear soon in my area, but I guess they are less diffused than I think!

Thank you all for your suggestions

 

I would not buy one .. but I've had horrible experience with a 2006 MCSa, where the transmission started going bad before 45k miles were on the clock. A fluid change made it slightly better, but I decided to quit while I was ahead and sold it.

I spent 2.5 years without an R53 and when I started looking again I looked at both auto's and manuals . . and the vast majority of auto's that I came across (most of which were over 80k miles) had issues . . or had issues in the past that necessitated expensive repairs. So I stayed away and went with a manual.

 

This is really turning into a quest..
Saw another nice, very low mileage, single owner s conv today. Always taken care of regarding maintenance......

Water pump changed at 18k miles under warranty -> found leaking on inspection today (<40k miles)!! This sounds insane to me, but I see how this is another common "disposable" part of these cars. Apart from the crazy quote made by the dealership for replacement ($1650, while I saw here that other MINI service centers have done it for 6-800), found also (in random order of appearance on the estimate ):
-driver front strut mount torn (est. $400)
-oil filter housing gasket leaking (est. $395)
-oil pan gasket and crank sensor o-ring (what a surprise) leaking (est. $810)
-power steering intake and return lines (changed at 18k miles) leaking (est. $630)

I knew these were delicate cars, but I am really impressed by all these issues! About to abandon the quest I guess..

 

Who did the inspection, a MINI specialist, a MINI dealer, a general repair shop, or the selling dealer?

 

Service department of big MINI dealership.
Do you think they would have some interest in trying to discredit used cars that are not sold by them?
So far, they seemed quite professional and honest to me (apart from the estimates)

 

No, but they usually are the ones with a laundry list of issues for high dollar amounts on their estimates. Although, it can make a newer MINI, possibly with warranty remaining, more attractive if you really had your heart set on a MINI.

What are you located? There might be a good independant MINI specialist in the area who can evaluate the car and do any repairs or maintenance in the future, usually for a lot less money.

 

I am in Southwest VA, but for obvious reasons of market availability I am looking mainly in NOVA and DC area.
Particularly this car is in the DC area, but if I decide to buy it anyway (with an obvious discount from the originally listed price), I would try to find someone to service the car farther from the DC area.
Now that I think of it though, the owner (who has been prover extremely honest and available to all my requests) never reported to have the car overheat, or missing coolant, or fluids under the car (which is garaged).
I wonder how big of an issue this of the water pump is..

 

Water pump issues below for the Cooper S, on the R50 and R52 Cooper engines the water pump is not an issue, I have 273K miles on mine.

The water pump, i would check for a coolant on the front end, but if its clean and lower mileage, it should be fine.

Post #4

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...r-junk-it.html

 

This is a 08 Cooper S convertible, so R52, with supercharged engine, right?
I don't know if they are a common issue, but this car had it replaced at 18k miles and now (as per MINI service inspection said) it should be replaced again. That's why it got me puzzled
Anyway, thank you very much!
I actually did some phone calls and found out that the mini dealership quote for this (in case it is indeed to replace) was extremely high.
Fun enough among the phone calls, also the mechanics cursing at these cars as they are "plenty of poop"

 

Yes, it should not need replaced unless the one they put in was bad or installed wrong.

For the 2008 R52 Cooper Convertible S that was the last year of the supercharged engine for 2008 of the older body. 2009 was the first year on the convertible, newer R57 body.

On the Hardtop is was 2006.

 

My quest was for an R52 with a chrono pack. However, after rejecting a couple with lots of other issues, I settled for an R52 without the chrono. That was last October. My limited driving experience has been that the "normal" speedo location is not that big a deal and I can always use the digital speedo on the tach if desired. That said, I would not recommend a supercharged first generation Mini to anyone that is not willing to do their own mechanical work, unless they have some deep pockets. One reason I purchased the R52 was that I enjoy wrenching and there is a lot of information online to assist with just about any task. I especially enjoy, and utilize, the YouTube videos produced by Mod Mini. Pelican Parts also has some good online tutorials. Best of luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!
I was actually looking into R52 because seem less prone to problems than the following turbocharged generation, am I wrong?

Lately also been tempted by a 09 JCW with 65k miles and the already updated tensioner, but turned down by all the stories about carbon buildup..and the absence of a convertible top although the double sunroof and the extra HP could make the job