I purchased a 2002 R53 on Monday with 47K miles.
It had been sitting for 3 years. A few dents and dings. Air bag light is on.
I had Costco install Bridgestone DriveGuard tires on Tuesday. (Took them out on Highway 1 and I'm pleasantly surprised with them.) Registered on Thursday.
An oil change and replaced the broken dipstick with an overpriced unbreakable one.
The steering pump was replaced today. The dealer informed me that the car has a few leaks and that I need new struts and mounts in front.

Which leads me to the question, the S had a heavier suspension in the way of sway bars but were the struts and springs different?

I'm looking at getting the Bilstein B4 kit simply because of I have enough other bills to cover. The Bilsteins are supposed to be valved about 10% stiffer than OEM. But I don't know what OEM was like in the first place. While Highway 1 has been freshly paved, the roads around my town haven't.

Finally, is there a Mini guru in the Marin County, CA area? Gurus are invaluable asset at the VW TDi club for getting work done affordably, and wondering if there's the same locally to me. The dealer is unaffordable for me.

Thanks!

Martin

 

Welcome! Not in Marin County, but one of the best MINI shops in the Bay Area is Bay Bridge Motors in Oakland.

 

The Bilstein B4 Touring Class struts/shocks are a great choice, especially for the MINI owner that is looking for a good bang for your buck direct OEM replacement. Many owners report a much improved feeling/handling vs. stock. You wont be sacrificing your ride comfort when installing them.

Now, there are a few ways you can go about doing this. If you want to do a complete suspension overhaul we have some kits that have just about everything you'll want for the replacement below. You can also delete items out of the kit once you add it to your cart if you'd like. Otherwise, if you just want to do the shocks/struts I highly recommend you always replace the strut/shock mounts as you're in there for the job and depending on when the last time they were replaced, it might be time.

Stage 2 complete overhaul kit (includes the B4's): http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg1.htm#item0

Struts: http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg1.htm#item4
Shocks: http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg1.htm#item5
Strut mounts: http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg2.htm#item7
shock mounts: http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg2.htm#item9

DIY if you want to tackle the job yourself: http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...htm#suspension

You'll want to confirm your build date for these. If you're unsure just shoot me the last 7 digits of your vin and I can help. If you have any questions please let me know.

 

Thanks, I had already ordered the struts when I saw your note.
However, I just ordered the Bushing with Bracket for Control Arm L+R from Pelican as indicated needing replacing by the local dealer.

I included the VIN in my order.

Martin Mitchell

 

Thanks for the order, Martin. If you have any questions in the future please do not hesitate to shoot me a PM.

 

So, four Bilsteins, new strut mounts, front lower control brackets with bushings and CravenSpeed strut tower defenders were installed by my TDi guru, today, along with an alignment. And I'm happy to report a world of difference... no more crashing over the local road irregularities.

Now, on to the next issue. I have a lot of creaking noises that appear to be coming from the steering column under the binnacle. Any suggestions? Besides turning up the radio?

 

Good to hear that everything feels better, Martin. For the creaking noise I'd suggest you check the lower U join and pivot bushing on the steering rack. I'd spray them down with some PB blaster and see if the noise goes away. Let me know if it does.