Originally Posted by NC TRACKRAT

Congrats on a great-looking car at an even greater price. Don't know where you're located but I heartily recommend that you investigate and enroll your daughter in a BMW CCA Street Survival School Driving School as soon as possible. You and she will both benefit. She needs to learn her...and the car's...limitations.

Originally Posted by Eddie07S

From someone who had the optional Sport Suspension which was the base suspension in the JCW, the shocks MINI uses are really not good. I replaced them at ~50k miles with Bilstein B8s and which I wish I had done that the day I bought the car. From everything I have read, the B4s are also a step up from what MINI uses, even though they are considered to be the OEM replacement. There is a really good thread on NAM comparing the B4s to the KONI FSDs. Both come across well and it comes down to cost vs the improved ride of the FSDs. And both are considered to be much better than anything MINI uses. As for the optional JCW sports suspension (the suspension that comes with the red springs), I doubt that the shocks in that optional package are any better than than those in the base JCW suspension and they cost a lot; the B8s would be my choice instead of those.

As for replacing the strut bearings, buy a set of IE fixed camber plates. These come with a much needed, but mild, increase in camber (same as the factory camber as the Gen II GP). They also come with a steel plate that will prevent mushrooming of the strut tower. No change in ride quality, no increase in tire wear and no increase in noise. These are one of the best improvements in handling you can make. Turn in is greatly improved without the potential of spinning the car in the middle of a corner that a larger rear sway bar can cause.

If you are tearing the front suspension apart anyway, those are the changes I'd make (been there, done that ). Keep the MINI S springs. No need to go lower and/or stiffer for a young driver.

Hope all comes together with the car. I fully understand about daughters having several who we raised to be strong willed and independent. It is tough to do in those teen years but worth it for their sake when they go out on their own. Yours is lucky to have you.

Originally Posted by RUPNOK

Thank you for that solid suspension recommendation. I'll have to decide b4 vs b8. All corners vs just the fronts. If everything else looks ok, I'll leave well enough alone. Don't really want to be adding aftermarket bushings, etc. and introducing any NVH to the car.

I'm already talking to my daughter about street survival skills. I give her a running commentary as we are driving together all the time so she knows what I am seeing and anticipating as I drive.

Originally Posted by RUPNOK

Thank you for that solid suspension recommendation. I'll have to decide b4 vs b8. All corners vs just the fronts. If everything else looks ok, I'll leave well enough alone. Don't really want to be adding aftermarket bushings, etc. and introducing any NVH to the car.

I'm already talking to my daughter about street survival skills. I give her a running commentary as we are driving together all the time so she knows what I am seeing and anticipating as I drive.

Originally Posted by Eddie07S

i would strongly advise against just changing the shocks in the front. This would be just as bad as putting two new tires on the front and leaving two bald ones on the rear.

As as for the IE fixed camber plates, these are not like the adjustable ones you may be familiar with. I have them in my car and from my experience the IE plates don't add to NVH. They are made with stock BMW strut bearings with all the rubber dampening, plus they they have a built in reinforcement plate. Don't write them off; check them out (Way Motors has them).

Originally Posted by r53coop

On the oil change, loosen the filter a little. Then walk away and come back in like 1/2 to a full hour. The oil will drain out of the filter housing.

Originally Posted by Eddie07S

I think MINI did everything they could to discourage the DIY'er from changing their own oil. Apparently the R53 wasn't bad enough so they made the R56 (second gen MINIs) even worse. I feel your pain with that one.

Originally Posted by RUPNOK

Finally had a chance to do the compression test and get the car in the air. Here is a pic of the plugs from cylinders 1-4 from left to right:


My crappy Harbor Freight compression tester read 120 across all cylinders. Take that for what it is worth. Car drives great, so I think that number is low by at least 10-15 psi.

Also noticed that the passenger's side strut bushing has failed as compared to the driver's side:



I was only 50% right when it can to the oil leaks. Turns out the the oil filter housing gasket was leaking, but the other was coming from the driver's side outer cv boot. Can't really see a tear, but oil is/was being flung from it all around that side. Have a new cv axle and oil filter housing gasket coming in the mail. Still trying to decide what to do with the suspension. Should I replace all strut tops only or do the tops with new struts and old springs vs sportier shocks and springs with a very mild drop. Really don't want to compromise the ride on this car as it will not be seeing any autocrossing etc.

Originally Posted by IQRaceworks

Nice car, but I think that giving it to a foul mouthed 16yr old girl with "an attitude" is a bad idea. I hope you get good insurance on it....chances are it's going to get wrenches soon after you give it to her. She needs a 1984 Volvo....not a Mini S