Besides the window sticker?

I'm looking at a used 05 MCS at a BMW dealer where the salespeople are not familiar with Minis. Any way to tell if it has the LSD aside from putting the car on a lift?

Thanks!

 

Drive it

 

Well, given the fact that I've only driven one other Mini, and have very limited front wheel drive experience, I'm not so sure that I will reap much benefit from that.

Any other suggestions?

 

drive it is a good suggestion even with limited experance. Take the car to where there is some sand, dirt , gravel etc.. a place where you can get the wheels to spin. Turn off the ASC, DSC do a small burn out or hard enough take off where the wheel spin .. then look at the marks. If it has an LSD you will have two equal marks .. if it doesnt you will have one.

 

LOL
Leave the hand brake engaged maybe a few friends can help to hold the car in place

 

Its funny all the stuff I read about lsd and if you have it you spin both tires and if you dont, well you dont


Check this out, I have an 09/04 build 05 S and I can spin both tires and I have not installed a quaife and the lsd was not an option? Is there a possibility I got an lsd installed as a fluke ? I have done quite a few hard burn out and I have left smoking black marks from both tires for 20+ feet...multiple times. But if I turn a corner it will spion one, and on th etrack if I am hard into a relativly slow and tight corner the inside tire will spin.

Normal for non lsd or did I get a bonus ?

 

If you are spinning the inside corner in a turn, you definitely do NOT have LSD. Doing a straight line burn out, both will light up without it because there is no torque differential between one side and the other.
Cheers!

 

thats pretty much what I thought, but others have said it shouldnt spin both tires the way that it does without lsd. I am planning to put the quaife in pretty soon so it wont really matter anyway. I would have been bummed if I did the quaife just to find out I had a factory lsd by freak mistake.


thanks for the reply !

 

Jack the car up and turn a wheel, if the opporsite wheel turn the same way you got the LSD. Front wheel by the way .

 

I was hoping for something more along the lines of checking a sticker in the trunk with option codes or something. I seriously doubt the salesperson is going to be on board with me doing burnouts in the car.

 

can be tracked for the build details. Or simply follow pyugala's suggestion:smile:

 

Hmm, posted this last night, but it seems to have been lost is cyberspace.

You can call 1 800 ASK MINI with the VIN # and they should be able to tell you if it's got a factory LSD or not.
If the car was manufactured before 1/1/05, it does not have the LSD.

Others have said that in slow (i.e. parking lot) turns the LSD 'groans' a bit, but not having driven MINIs, that wouldn't help you.

 

Damnit. Salesperson called back after finding the window stocker. No LSD.

No Sale.