The reservoir on my 2016 F56 is leaking. Could just be the hose, but I need to access the reservoir to investigate. Any tips on how to do this? My search found a reference to a TIS that details this (https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...her-issue.html) but the link is dead and I can't find anything on YouTube.

Do I just remove the inner fender liner on the passenger side or do I have to remove the front bumper or ??? TIA.

 

I was attempting to install a front splitter and accidentally drilled into mine, so I found out the hard way. You will need to remove the front bumper and it is behind/surrounding the front fog light/position light. There are bolts holding it in place and it also has an electrical connection for the low fluid level sensor. All told, I think it took me 45 minutes to replace, including removing and reinstalling the front bumper.

 

I was afraid you would say that. I have been looking more closely and I hope that I just need to replace or attach a hose that has come loose. If I can just pop off the black trim piece around the wheel opening it looks like I could access the one hidden bolt head of the two bolts and two nuts to remove the headlight assembly and get a good look at the reservoir that way. Does the trim piece just pry off? Maybe some tips on headlight removal would help me with the first step.

 

I would do the bumper remove before the headlight.
Removing the bumper is super easy.

In this order:
2 screws on each side after pulling the wheel arches loose at the front.
Unplug Fog lights an or parking lights through access cover.
7 screws at the bottom.
5 bolts at the top.
Before removing the last top bolt (Middle), put your feet under the bumper cover to cushion and support it.



Removing the headlight and not aligning it properly will interfere with the hood opening,

 

Hold on hold on hold on one sec.

Yes, the OP *may* have to remove the reservoir. HOWEVER

My 2017 F56S developed a washer fluid leak and the OP's statement "Could just be the hose, but I need to access the reservoir to investigate" sounds like it is not clear that it isn't just a hose -- or for that matter, the washer pump.

Guess what? Mine was the washer pump, and all the access you need is by removing the fender liner on the passenger side. That will also get your investigation question answered fast. Trust me, once you have visual access, you'll know immediately if the pump is where the leak is coming from.

Guess what else? Apparently the F56 washer pumps (and presumably those of whatever other BMW cars use that part) "do this sometimes." A shop I asked about it had that to say, and I found plenty of discussions of it in both MINI and BMW forum spaces.

My $0.02, pull the fender liner and look around. I dragged my feet on wondering what it could be pretty much forever, and was skeptical, but once I pulled the liner it was plain as day. And just as important, neither replacing the pump nor inspecting the hoses requires removal of bumper or headlight or anything else. Pump & hose connections are at the bottom of the wheel well, facing the tire tread. Hope this helps.

 

cjv2 Thanks for the input. The old thread I found mentioned that this was a common problem on the earlier generation MINI and, though improved, was still an occasional issue with our cars. That issue was the hose being a little too short and becoming disconnected. I do plan to pull the fender liner before I do anything else. Maybe later today.

 

Cool.

The first pic in this post of mine in an unrelated thread actually shows what you'll see when you pop the liner. My washer pump is blue (it's an aftermarket replacement) so very easy to spot. Bottom right of pic.

If you do end up looking for a new pump, I spotted a killer price over at FCP Euro for a Febi Bilstein-made part. My own aftermarket pump was 3x their price (grr) and kind of a random brand. Genuine BMW part is way expensive even beyond that -- esp for something being replaced because it sprung a spontaneous leak