I have a 02 mini cooper with 112k miles, change oil myself every 5k miles, no problems, replaced battery at 95k. now the radiator fan will not stop running, I have to disconnect neg battery cable to get it to stop. dealer (Richmond, Va.) says the whole fan needs to be replaced to the tune of $600. the bumper and radiator needs to come out to replace the fan. anyone have any experience with this? I'm fairly mechanically inclined so is it something I can do?

also it is time to do my first brake job, Id like to replace the rotors with drilled and slotted and use EBC green stuff pads and replace lines with braided stainless
any thoughts? //

 

pretty common, my R53 had an aux fan for this issue. sorry. id take care of it though the fan will drain your battery dead and it doesnt care, it just keeps on

 

Yes, that is one of the two most common causes of fan run-on and yes the entire fan assmbly must be replaced if the controller went bad and yes that's a typical cost based on my experience having it done twice at two different dealers....yep, I'm on #3 now

It has been done DIY but as you were told, the entire front end comes off....

The brakes are an easy DIY however - there's a good set of instructions from OCTANEGUY on here.

Don't ask about pad recommendations....do a search, there's a 1000 posts expressing 2000 opinions. The drilled and slotted rotors really only provide bling on a MINI as the front rotors are pretty big and provide plenty of stopping power for most up to full race requirements. And you run the added risk of cracks that start at the drilling. Rather than slots and holes, look for a good quality that won't rust at the hub and edge, if you want more than stock.

 

for the brakes, mine came with stainless braided lines and slotted rotors, i like them but dont know how different it is concidering i bought mine with them on. Im sure its GOOD!