Went to install the whiteline (an Aussie company - http://www.whiteline.com.au/) front and rear strut braces yesterday.....I don't expect anyone on NAM to have used their stuff before, but my question more relates to MCS suspension, bonnet and/or chassis changes

front one was all nicely bolted in and tightened and then with a (gentle) lowering of the bonnet, it became obvious that it was fouling and the bonnet wouldn't close...and not just a little bit...

we're talking an inch here....

well...we put some polish (couldn't find anything else on hand to mark it) on parts of the brace, and shut the bonnet to see where it was fouling....

I didn't have my camera with me at the time...but the flanges where the brace bolts onto the part that's secured to the strut towers was fouling....and the brace itself was pretty much fouling all along the bonnet...

now...what we couldn't understand, was that the brace was second hand, and had happily resided 'foul free' on an often tracked 03 MCS for quite some time....

do any of you know if there have been ?

The only thing we noted was that my bonnet liner was 'fatter' than the older models - but that would compress between the brace and the bonnet....and surely wouldn't make that much of a difference...



So....does anyone know if there have there been changes between the models with respect to suspension/bonnet/body changes in the newer models that would effect a 1inch ? The previous car it was on, was an Jan 03 build MCS, and mine's a Nov 04 (05 spec) build MCS.

(lucky the seller was happy to send the money back my way....he was very helpful...)

 

I read somewhere that the shock towers were reinforced in '05 MINIs, though I can't remember where I read that at the moment. Perhaps this reinforcement included making them thicker?

I've had this same problem with another strut tower brace. I returned it because I thought it was built improperly...

 

yes...twas a shame as I'd gotten both braces quite cheaply....

oh well....