Hi all. New here. Been reading a little bit. Got more reading and searching to do. Just bought a 03 cooper s for 1200 bucks. Its got 90000 miles. Body is good, 1 small dent in the back. Interior is really good, just dirty.

So they say it has a blown head gasket. They ttok it to a repair shop and that is what they were told. They started to take it apart and gave up after just getting the intake off.

So im just gonna finish takong the head off and hope the shop is right. They said they had a slight coolant leak and one day the car kept turomg off and went in a tow or limp mode?

What is a good online source to buy parts? I know ill have a ton more questions as I dig into this car.

 

Congrats on the car...
Use the search feature..... Most questions have been asked and answered many times...frankly it can be faster than waiting a week for replies.... And you can look at 5 or 6 different groups of answered to see the consensus on the right answer.....
"Limp mode" is just when the computer sees data from a sensor that is do wrong it cannot continue....it falls back to a very basic running mode with VERY LIMITED rpm and power...basicly let's you drive to the side of the highway....maybe limp to an exit or safecparking spot at 20 mph or so...

 

Find a good MINI shop in your area (one that knows minis, and wont rip you off) I dont know where you are; Call Motoring Magic motoringmagic.com , if you are in my part of the world. (Hi Scott!) Start with Pelicanparts.com for parts and on-line tech support. Good luck

 

Yeah...a shop that "gives up" is best one to run away from.....
Look up "service mode"... The front bumper is removed and the rad is pulled forward to give you room to work....pretty simple and actually easy...takes about 30-45 minutes...

 

Thanks guys. I am going to use the search function. Kinda a pain on my phone. Lol. Im going to do the repairs myself. Ive build a few motors over years. Motor work is no problem.
The shop just did the compression test. The owners attempted the repairs but they are not mech inclined.

 

If there is coolant in the oil.....the oil cooler is a common issue on cars that have not had regular coolant changes....US passenger wheel well area is where you can reach it from....oil cooler is an oil/coolant loop....corrodes...leaks..sometimes internally, sometimes externally....

 

Thanks. I did check the dipstickbefore I bought the car and I did not see signs of coolant in the water. Im going to drain the pan this weekend and see what comes out. Like I said though a shop did a compression test and said the gasket is blown or the head is warped. I saw the receipt and it gives no details. Lol