Hey guys,

I got a good start on changing out shocks/shock mounts and struts with IE fixed camber plates (thanks Way) on my '04 R53 with 91K on it. I have one strut left to do. I have been doing some post follow up reading and I am second guessing myself.

When tearing down the strut/strut mount, I only had one washer (the grease cap) on the original strut mount. The literature and photos I have come across show the "grease cap washer" and an a secondary washer that goes between the strut and strut mount. I will dig into my other strut tomorrow. I am just curious if this is the norm or if someone previous changed the strut mount and misplaced a washer.

The IE fixed camber plate did not come with any washers. So I buttoned everything back up the way I found it with my new camber plates/strut mount, using the lone "grease cap washer". I am dreading tearing back into the strut if somewhere along the way a previous owner "lost" the washer.

What are your guys thoughts?

Thanks,

Jason

 

Got the other side off. I wasnt missing the washer on the other side i was missing the grease cap....it was a FML momennt gonna see if i can find a cap somwhere.

 

I am a dummy. I bought a new mount. Got home and took a look at the old mount off the other side. There sits my missing grease cap. I am no mechanic. Need to pay closer attention.

 

I learned many lesson early in my mechanical life...

Read the all of the directions twice, then dry fit the parts (mock up)

Some say it is a needless waste of time, but soon you will learn that it takes less time then doing the work twice.

(I will admit that when I did my headliner, I had it all but back in and then realized I forgot a part that required me to just about remove the whole interior... I was drinking a large G&T that evening...)

Motor on!

 

Well got the struts put back together. Just need an extra set of hads to get them in. I noticed on my right IE fixexed camber plate the mount has more play in it compared to the other. The other is pretty solid. Its not much, but enough it made me wonder. Should I be concerned about this?

 

Live und Learn.

 

The mini is all back together....finally. I am no mechanic and knew it was gonna take a bit of time as it was my first attempting a task like this. I had 2 well crap moments that added more time, but was a good learning experience. Even though it was a simple task for most, its good to feeI like I accomplished something and save cash by doing it myself. I have only took the mini out once so far, bht certainly rides better and the slow speed rubbing/creaking with turning seems to be resolved. I used the pelican parts DIY as a resource as well as a great video on youtube entitled "mini cooper strut mount". I am a visual learner and that helped a ton.

 

Congratulations on your DIY! It is most certainly satisfying when you're able to work on your own car. We are trying to do more DIY video content on our end so keep your eyes peeled! Glad we were able to assist you with your project and if you ever need any help with future ones please do not hesitate to ask.

 

Just did the mounts on my 04 S with parts from Pelican (thanks guys) and the only thing I ran into was that the new mounts seem to be about 1/2" taller than the old which made reinstalling the struts an experiment in patience and creativity. They just didn't want to fit back under the finders without persuasion. The originals may have been smooshed a bit from 140,000 miles of use but I didn't know if anyone else had encountered this problem.

 

For me the struts were far easier than reinstalling the shocks. I had IE fixed camber plates on too. I couldnt get the lower part of the shock to line up with the control arm to save my life (when I had the shocks together properly..lol). I definitely needed an extra hand. Had a hell of a time with the driver side rear. It kept getting hung up on the arm.