I have a 2014 R61 'Justa' Cooper Paceman with 65k on her. This is my winter/bad weather/dirt roads MINI, so it doesn't get driven too aggressively. (I use my 02 R53 for that kind of stuff.) No problems with handling, but I thought I could improve the ride by upgrading to a set of Bilstein B6s. My mechanic had no problem removing the front shocks, but he couldn't remove the long, steel bolt that secures the bottom of the shock to the left trailing arm. The trailing arm is aluminum, and my mechanic said the two metals don't do well together. I know MINI can't use steel for the trailing arms due to weight concerns, but just curious if anybody else out there has had this issue come up. My local stealership wanted over $700 for a new trailing arm, but I found one on eBay for $225. Overall, the underbody doesn't look that badly rusted, but the car does sit (in a garage) for long periods over the late spring/summer/fall when the weather is nice and the salt is off the roads. The used trailing arm assembly doesn't come with any hardware, and I'm having a hard time finding the part number for the bolt. Any help will be greatly appreciated, and by the way, the shocks that came off the car are perfectly usable if anybody wants 'em. They're yours for the cost of shipping, or free for a local pickup. They're listed in the Marketplace, and I'll post pictures of them there next week. Thanks!👍

Hopefully, WAY MOTORWORKS will see this and chime in...

 

I replied to your other post.

realoem.com is a good resource for part numbers.

 

Thanks so much!! 👍👍