Hey All -

First off thanks to this forum as it has singlehandedly saved me thousands of dollars in tips, advice, and guidance.

With that being said the list of issues on this great ride has gotten to a point where i need to hit some of them on the head and either fix myself or take in for a service. Some of these I am hoping can end up being DIY vs paying the insane Mini dealer repairs.

1. Right-hand door creaks heavily when opening and closing. Video Here:


2. Rear hatch door no longer aligns with the female receptacle on the car. I therefore have to push the door to the right when closing to get it to fit. Pictures:


3. Red oil light comes on. I had the oil changed less than 1,000 miles ago. Dipstick shows the correct amount of oil. I believe this started coming on right after the change as well. It was performed not at the official mini dealer but from a competent service shop.

4. TPMS Light is on I believe my last set of tires do not have a sensor - is there a way I can turn this off? Comments from when I had it inspected:5. Airbag light - had this tested last fall and the outcome from the service shop was:Well, that's all. Nothing fatal I think but seems like 1-2 of these would be a weekend project.

Thanks in advance!

 

Change the oil filter to a genuine mini oil filter and be sure to install everything right. It is an easy procedure to mess up if you aren't paying attention. Also easy to get right if you are. Watch a video to get the correct orientation for the filter. Even if you have an oem filter it's worth the $12 to try because this is most often the case. I got a shop to change mine and they put the wrong filter. Oil light came on at idle. I did my own change recently and put the filter in backwards. Oil light on constant. Flipped it around and fixed again.

 

door...try some lube...
the hatch...the hinges are likely worn, and need to be replaced...take a look...usually caused...by imagine this, LACK of LUBE...but doo look around...maybe the car was rear-ended...or only one lift strut replaced..that can cause some odd behavior.
Do get the filter checked....ASAP. If you don't...you can total the car in MINUTES...cause a new/rebuilt motor is $5000+
TPMS...TIRES ON THESE CARS DO NOT HAVE SENSORS....it uses the ABS sensors to count revolutions...
RE-set the system...and if it does not fix it...find someone who know what they are doing!!

 

{I was still typing while Zipy posted ... you see some overlap}

#1 - looks like the 'door stop' the gizmo that also holds the door open ... I see it in your video ...it seems to 'pop' .. this part is easy to replace and not very $$. I'd try to lube everything first .... something that should be done a couple of times a year ...

#2 - I'd take a very serious look at the hinges at the top of the hatch ... looks like one has moved or could even be broken . . .

#3 - could be a crap filter was put in or put in wrong ... I'd go see a good MINI mechanic SOON. There is an easily displaced plastic part involved here ...... 02 non-S has special issues in this regard

#4 - an 02 has a TPMS system that works off the ABS sensors and does not use wheel sensors. Most problems result from a failed wheel speed sensor and these are relatively easy to replace, the bigger problem is identifying which one is bad. The TPMS is easily reset ... do you have an owner's manual? but if you have a bad speed sensor the light is gonna come right back on .... USUALLY when a speed sensor is bad you also get an ABS warning light ... actually usually the 'trifecta' : TPMS, ABS and ASC/DSC http://www.minimania.com/pdfile/2002...676.1463613404

#5 - Safety systems sometimes have special warranties ... much longer than what's on the vehicle. It is worth calling a dealer and discussing IMO.

 

My tpms always acts funky with weather change or battery resets. Goes back to normal when I fiddle with it a bit.

 

About your oil light, make sure you check the oil filter and housing as others have said. I had the oil light on occasionally at idle and I found that the housing was not sealed properly and made it more difficult for oil pressure to get into operating range.

 

Thanks for sharing the manual link below Capt_bj!

Definitely agree on doublechecking the oil filter installation. If it is correct, then the procedure for turning off the light is:

http://new.minimania.com/Oil_Service...___02_06_MINIs

Oil change procedure:
http://new.minimania.com/Oil_Change_...-53_Cooper___S

Tire sensor reset:
http://new.minimania.com/Resetting_t..._Service_Light

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.

 

The tpms sensor reset switch is under the emergency brake. Check your tire pressure. Mine goes off twice a year, when I switch from winter tires to summer tires and back again. I never know exactly how to reset it lol, I just press and hold the button and eventually it goes away

Like the others said, oil filter either wrong or installed incorrectly. Get it fixed immediately!!

Worth the extra money to get oem filter. If you aren't changing your own oil, bring one with to make sure you have a filter that won't starve your engine of oil and destroy it. The oil change guys will be fine with using your filter.

 

There was an issue with a spring and anti-siphon valve in oil filter canister on the early cars. I think they frequently broke and caused oil pressure problems and warning lights. Check your canister to see if that's causing the problem.



Also, there have been several threads on the hatch hinges seizing and breaking from lack of lubrication. I'm not sure if they are compatible with your car, but the hinges were changed sometime around 2004 with a slightly different design and thicker metal.

 

What do folks use to lube their door and hatch hinges with? I'm not having any problems but I've never lubed mine.

 

Depended on what I had around....lol...
I used a bit of red grease on a swab...just a tiny bit...too much attracts dirt and grit....
Some folks swear by "dry" lubes, like are used to lube garage doors....

 

Wurth HHS-K and Boeshield T9 are good for the hinges.

 

All -

Thanks for all the feedback.

- Fixed the passenger door - just need to tighten the screw that holds the end of the hinge thing to the actual car. Kind of weird that it was loose but an easy fix.

- Rear hinge ended up breaking. Got a new one and was going to put on then the left gas strut came off and the whole door went all cockeyed and bent the other hinge. About to embark on that project. Any idea what struts to use to replace those? They were like $70 a piece from mini.

- Got a new oil filter and will fix shortly.

Thanks again for all the help!

 

Struts are about $20 a PAIR from many places....Amazon, rockauto.com, even some vendors have them cheap if you are not adverse to non-oem. I used some I bought online from rockauto...worked fine. Some folks are sticklers for the sticker.....but they are pretty much universal parts...they just snap on.

 

The strut is 41626801258, you can get the version without the MINI sticker for about $15 from our various friends.

 

Here's some pictures I posted on an oil change thread. These are of the canister and it's OEM components on an '02 or '03- we have two and I can't remember which car this is; both look like this.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3683997

The spring and basket seen are no longer sold as replacement parts by MINI. If the oil change place (or the do-it-yourselfer) throws away either the basket or the spring there is a replacement canister assembly that you have to buy. I believe it's both parts- the canister and the part that is mounted on the engine.

Check this out as soon as possible- running your car with low oil pressure is a very bad idea.

Val