Hey guys so I bought an 06 R53 6 speed from a former member on here. It has 95k on it and it really was well taken care of and is a clean car. I got a PPI before I bought it and they only came up with a leaky oil pan gasket (very common on these) and some leaky power steering hoses. Not bad at all I thought but I held off from purchasing for a little bit because it meant I would have to give up my 08 Mazda 3 (bone stock automatic) with only 38k. But he was moving out of the country for good and the price kept lowering. Finally I decided to do it as the price was well below what these were going for on the market. He is also my GF's brother!! Sorta helps.

So after purchasing it, I took it to a MINI specialist in Los Angeles (my home area) recommended by members on here and my local MINI dealership. Of course the knowledge and prices of the independent shop won out!! Except there was a much longer laundry list of items that both shops agreed needed to be done:

R&I:
Water pump & crank seal
Both front axle boots
S/C belt
intercooler boots
powersteering hoses
front brakes (upgraded to JCW BBK)
NEITHER SAID OIL PAN GASKET WAS AN ISSUE AT THIS TIME

So I was a bit perplexed at first why the PPI (another shop I chose in SD) had came up with such a short list but I wasnt really angry because I figured these are typical things any car needs at high mileage, and it would feel good to get new parts installed around a platform and engine with this mileage. Right??


So a few questions??

Almost at 95k, obviously one can not see the condition of the car but are these major components that I should feel good about that they were replaced? Do these help the other parts of the car and engine last longer now?

The car was modded at 74K which includes:
Alta CI
Alta catback
Alta S/c 15% pulley
Alta oil catch can
Alta air diverter
MSD ignition
Megan coilovers with camber plates

My LAST QUESTIONS on this thread!! LOL

Any suggestions with other suspension and engine upgrades?

Is it relatively safe to dyno tune this car at this mileage?
Which upgraded rear sway bar should I get and size? (I'm already very low with coilovers, would like to fix the bit of understeer)
Strut bar vs. just std's vs. nothing needed as I have front camber plates?

THANKS ALOT GUYS!! This is really my first post on here and I've read alot of topics all over this site and all I can say is thank god we have such a strong online community and bond over the MINI!!

 

you already have the camber plate, which would help the mushrooming, the strut bar will stiffen up the chassis.

for rear sway, 21mm-23mm seems to be the most popular, if you have alot of understeer go to the 25mm hollow

i would assume its safe, but if you wanted a peace of mind, you could do a compression test

and congrats!

 

You didn't mention if you were going to do the work yourself or get a shop to do it. Some of those things are easy, and others are just labour intensive (and will cost more because of it).

Regarding the top of your list:

• Water pump & crank seal - When you replace the water pump and crank seal, Inspect the SC gears and replace the SC oil while you're in there.

Otherwise the list looks normal.

• Perhaps consider changing the plugs as well (or see when they were last changed). You probably need 1 step colder plugs with that pulley (research it).
• The oil pan gasket is not critical to engine operation (as long as you stay on top of the oil level). It's not a difficult thing to replace on your own later.
• Don't forget to check/empty your OCC. You'll learn your car's habits (mine needs to be emptied every 2 weeks in the winter and never in the summer)

None of those parts will "help the other parts of the car and engine last longer". They're mostly performance upgrades.

• What can help some parts last longer would be to look into replacing the lower engine mount with a BSH or Vibratechnics (it may have already been done - take some photos and post them to verify if you're not familiar). At that mileage - if it hasn't been replaced yet - there's likely a bit of engine movement (for and aft during hard on/off throttle). That movement can crack your exhaust right around the CAT and will be an expensive replacement (ask me how I know). It's not an expensive part to replace/upgrade, and it's easy to do by yourself. I chose the Vibratechnic's.
• Fine to dyno tune it, the mileage is not an issue. What is critical is that you make sure that everything is repaired/cleaned/replaced/fixed and the car is up and running perfectly before you have it tuned or it will be a waste of time and money.

 

-New PS hose clamps might be all you need, try first.
-Megans w/ camber plates help vs mushrooming but, I've seen mushrooming w/ just camber plates alone. Look into adding VIP plates w/ bar or Cravenspeed plates.
-Check your tensioner strut before swapping in a new belt. If gone, replace w/ $70 Gates assembly or replace the strut w/ Alta adjustable tensioner stop.
-Be prepared for more NVH if you opt for BSH solid lower mount. Powerflex inserts are milder. VibraTechnics upper passenger mount is the best out there.
-Check your crank pulley for cracks or separation. If present, go ATI or PRW.
-I usually start w/ fresh fluids for every new purchase: oil, coolant, brake fluid, tranny, SC (when doing H2O pump seal); AND, if you're replacing suspension bushes & ball joints that require downing the subframe....fresh Pentosin CHF11s PS fluid.
-Usual leaky parts/seals due to age: T-stat, Crank Position Sensor, Oil Pan, Valve Cover, Heat exchanger, OE coolant expansion tank(go Canton or RMW), PS hoses & reservoir o-ring.
-Check your low speed fan....if gone, bypass your busted green resistor. There's an epic sticky on this in the Stock Problems section.
-Check your PS fan. Clean if dirty. Replace if dead.
And....please post pix for a warmer welcome.:D

 

I guess I wasnt clear but anything under R&I was just done by a good independent MINI mechanic a few days ago. All the work including the uprgraded JCW brake kit cost $1800. I'm assuming the S/C was inspected since he had to tear apart everything but I don't think he changed the S/C oil. The work was done by Danny at MINI Corsa in North Hollywood, he has many references on this site and nothing but 5 stars on reviews. He was efficient, quick, cheaper than the dealership, and friendly.

The dealership suggested a new motor mount when I took it there but Danny said it looked fine for now. However, I'm sure that should be top of my list during my next major service.

As for the spark plugs, colder iridium plugs were put in when the MSD ignition system went in about 20k ago.

As for the larger sway bar I've been reading anything bigger that 21mm could give me too much off throttle oversteer. Is this true? I like oversteer alot, I think its much easier to control than understeer but I don't want the amount to be dangerous. Should I go to a 19mm bar at the firmest setting? Or if I'm gonna do it don't think twice and maybe run a softer setting with the 21mm. Any suggestion on brand? With the coilovers I'm running firmest in bacK (quite jarring at times lol) and I run softest up front for city and harder during canyon runs.

Also does anyone suggest the Cravenspeed oil dipstick?, the stock one really is a POS!

cheers

 

Oh I forgot, should I change or upgrade the LCA bushings when changing out the rear sway bar, is that something to be done at the same time?

 

Here it is

 

If haven't done by previous owner, go powerflex on both LCA & swaybar bushes. New ball joints too, esp. the inner 1s. Lemforder or Genuine.

 

One suggestion...
Camber plates REDUCES the need for a BIG REAR SWAY BAR...
so just a MILD increase is all you need!! Go too big..like a 25 MM comp bar...and you can get snap over-steer...especially since you have camber plates.
Craven dipstick is nice bling..well built....less linkly to break/split...the OEM one CAN with age....