And.. this is where the happiness ends.
In the first 2 months of owning:

• Gas light/gross evap leak came on >not resolved yet(was noticed prior to purchase)
• The tachometer would intermitently stop working >not resolved?
• Multiple CELs>car stalled>car acts normal when i inspect it>low battery 9v CEL>reset CEL- no issues present >resolved-drives normal for next two weeks
• Battery light comes on>Alternator finally goes out>concur it was same problem as above >was replaced with a used alternator and a used belt >issue resolved
• Notice coolant tank is seeping at seam >tell owner
• Notice Air bag/seat belt light on >tell owner >not resolved
• Notice Brake pad light turn on >inspect brakes >brakes low but still have life >tell owner >not resolved
• Used belt broke>coolant tank breaks in half >dumps coolant >replace coolant tank with used "BEHR-HELLA" unit >issue resolved
• Put old belt back on>belt doesnt break. Purchase a new belt>belt immediately jumps pulley >put old belt back on, all is fine? Reason is original belt has 5 ribs(one is torn/missing), USED belt had 6 ribs, NEW belt has 6 ribs.
• After my diagnosis found Crank pulley bolt was loose, pulley had moved outward > Re-align/Re-Tighten pulley and Loctite crank bolt >issue resolved for now

Before i am given hard time for buying used parts id like to note this car was purchased by and for a teen girl (relative). She had some savings and bought this well looking mini over chryslers kia's and countless other BEATERS that looked like poo. The reason I bought used parts is because she spent all of her money in purchasing the car. All in we've (me) only spent around $100 in used parts to keep the car driveable. She would have otherwise had to spend $450+ buying NEW not including the labor I am doing for free. The not resolved denoted in yellow are issues that still need tending. She just started her 2nd job a week ago and is planning to give it some TLC as soon as the first paycheck hits.

After all these issues had risen and ive test driven the car ANOTHER issue arises. The car spontaneously starts to feel clunky and gives a VERY slight jiggle to the steering wheel over bumps, while letting go off throttle and while braking. I find this to be very weird because prior to me jacking the car up i didnt notice this issue. I did not touch any of the suspension bolts etc while working on the front end. I do the infamous tire kick test and sure enough it appears as though the control arm bushings need replaced as well. Big job but nothing im scared of, I will probably opt to do it without removing the subframe. The engine itself sounds and feels great, no valvetrain noise, trans shifts good, car is low mileage. I am kind of surprised at how little these parts last considering theyre OEM and the car has less than 100k miles.
The parts seem expensive, and this not looking like a great car for her budget but she loves it and is willing to put in work.

Our first priority is going to be taking care of a coolant flush, oil change, a new gas cap and then taking care of those bushings.
Our second priority is going to be taking care of a power steering drip at the reservoir hose, and taking care of the brake pads.
Our third priority is going to be taking care of doing provisionary-preventative maintenance such as plugs/coils/pulleys/filters etc

For the first step im planning on using zerex g48, a random amazon gas cap, and some synthethic Mobil or Castrol if you all agree with it. The bushings seems like a big ordeal but manageable, Ive read threads about people opting for the poly bushings. Not sure where that stands in price compared to OEM bushings. I havent really looked too far into this issue yet but im assuming based on the rest of the car the ball joints.links etc could all use replacement too. Hope this wasnt too long of a read but im ready to hear any opinions/advice on the matter.

 

Welcome to the Mini world!
No one is going to be little you for using used parts. If it has an automatic transmission I advise changing the fluid and or filter if it has one. The CVT transmissions don't have a good reputation for longevity. I have a 5 speed so I can't help you there.
ModMini on YouTube is awesome on walking you thru just about any repairs to your Mini: https://www.youtube.com/c/ModMINI
Power flex is the best bushings to use for the front control arms. Use Poly and it will be a once and done forever repair.https://www.powerflexusa.com/ I would advise to go ahead and replace the ball joints while your in there.
The coolant tank leaking/ breaking at the seam is normal.
The power steering uses a special oil: Get you a good scanner to clear codes and one especially for Mini's. I bought this one and it's OK and gets the job done: Getting ready to dabble in INPA but that's a whole other level of software for troubleshooting.
The airbag light might just need a reset. In my case it's the module itself and have not broken the code on getting a used module to work in my car. BMW didn't make it plug and play.

I have spent 3 months and probibly close to or over 2 thousand to sort my 2003 Mini. I knew it had issues when I bought it so I'm not complaining. I replaced some parts just because of miles(158 thousand) and everything looked stock. It is a 100% different car now than when I brought it home. I would not say that part prices are overboard. I have spent a lot less and got more fixed on this car than when I went thru my 07 Cadillac Escalade.
I buy a lot of parts off Amazon and eBay for the simple fact they are cheaper than a Mini specific store. I have bought from Pelican Parts and they are great too. Allmag is a great used parts source: https://www.allmagautoparts.com/. There are others here that are sponsors but I have not had to use them.

The hardest part is doing the past due repair and service the previous owner didn't do. Most peoples mind set is use it till it's too expensive to repair and then sell it. Good luck and the people on here are great for helping out.

 

Its 6 speed Manual. Its her first manual transmission car and she has already learned how to drive it well. Both her and her sister were learning to drive it and to say the least the car did get a fair bit of a shakedown when she first purchased. Ive been following modminis tuts on youtube.

Regarding the bushings, im assuming the issue is the LCA bushings. I havent taken a look at it yet, from looking at videos it seems like both the UPPER BJ and SWAYBAR bushings are inaccesible unless you drop the subframe or remove the axle? The LOWER BJ seems servicable enough.

• Do the UPPER BJ/SWAYBAR BUSHINGS tend to be as problematic?
  
• I realize the powerflex bushings are the better option but are OEM LCA bushings easier to install?
  
• How long do OEM LCA bushings last?
  
• Every video i see shows either the bushings being cut OR subframe dropped. Has anyone pressed out the LCA bushings while in car using a ball join press kit or similar?
  
  

The car is definitely behind on maintenance but it seems like all minor issues so far. Where it not for fancy german engineering i think we would have an easier time doing the maintenance.

 

You have to at least remove the back subframe bolts to get to the swaybar bolts. The car doesn't have upper ball joints, just inner and outer. The outers are easy to get to. I've never taken the inners off, so I don't know.

I got maybe 55k-60k miles out of my LCA bushings before they started to go. I bent one of the rods in my press kit trying to remove them. Just drop the subframe and throw them in a shop press. It's not that hard, and you can do the power steering hoses at the same time. Powerflex bushings are way easier to install than the OEM bushings.


See, not scary at all

I'm on my third or fourth set of power steering hoses. I can't remember at this point.

If the recall for the seat mat hasn't been completed on your car, that's possibly why you have an SRS light. They all die eventually.

Did you check both the inner and the outer brake pads? IIRC, the inners typically wear faster, and that's where the sensor is.

 

You see If it were up to me id have no problem dropping the subframe. I have a "while im there" mindset when it comes to repairs so i would do ALL the bushings. The thing is, this is not my car, its my nieces. I am not being paid to do this work. I am however willing to do the work for free if she wants to get in and assist me. With that being said she also her own responsibilities. I am not sure how much she can or is willing to spend on the suspension components. All i know is they need immediate attention.

For now, having not even looked at the issue im sure id need to replace at minimum the LCA bushings and while were there replace the outer ball joints.

We will likely only proceed with dropping the entire subframe if and only if she decides and has the budget to replace all the subframe bushings/ball joints and the PS hoses while were there.
I dont know how long she can keep driving the car like this before another issue presents itself from not tending to this one.

As far as the POLY bushings go, that would be a nice option but i dont know if her budget allows this. Theyre only $50 more but like i said, its her first paycheck.

 

I think the only things that are made easier/possible by dropping the subframe are the LCA bushings, inner ball joints (now that I think about it, the inner bolts are probably hard to get to), and sway bar bushings (and also the steering rack bushing if you cared). The car doesn’t have subframe bushings. All the other stuff you’ve mentioned can be done with the subframe in the car pretty easily. Check the ball joints before you assume they’re bad.

It probably needs the strut towers pounded back flat if they’ve never been touched.

 

Poly bushings create noise and vibration -- not a big deal if you're tracking the car but completely unnecessary (and annoying) for a daily driver. I guarantee it will drive nicer with the OEM rubber bushings -- much better for a teenage girl driver. If you're dropping the subframe it's just a few hundred dollars for the inner/outer ball joints, tie rod ends, control arm and sway bar bushings and sway bar links. An alignment and you're done with the front end because let's face it, she'll dump this car before new parts wear out.

 

I can’t tell any difference in NVH from the LCA bushings.

 

I also dropped mine, much easier to work on with it removed. I cleaned it up, replaced the inner and outer ball joints and the bushings while I had it out.
I agree on the powersteering lines, wish I would have done mine then.

 

The easy way to get to the PS lines with the subframe in the car is to remove the wheels and inner fenders. Then you can reach the connections at the rack from the side.

 

I don't think I made it clear in my other post but the only bushing I'm even considering changing to poly is the LCA bushing. The rest of the bushings/ball joints would be rubber/OEM equivalent

Another reason I am hesitant on dropping the subframe to replace everything rather than just taking care of the "problem part".

 

I would really love to drop the subframe just so we can rid it of all the oil leaks and clean it up.

 

Do you really want to open that particular can of worms?

 

A majority of my oil leaks were the oil pan and the front main seal. There are other places too like the oil pump and crank position sensor seem to be oil leak offenders.
If your having funny steering then I sugest the ball joints. For less than a hundered bucks on Amazon.
Outer Ball joints: Inner Ball Joints: Between those and the LCR bushings should remove any funny steering. I understand it's not your money but in the case of safety for the young girl I would encourage it.

 

Gonna take care of the engine oil.
I believe recommended oil is 5-30 synthetic so were going to go with that. Likely mobil or Castrol but im going to leave it up to her. As far as the filters go i am not really sure i have much choice? Were probably not going to bother with driving to mini for an oil filter but i wanted to hear what you guys use and or part numbers if you have any.

Currently looking wix filter but its not xp series. Part 57303. Cant find what mileage protection it offers.

 

5-30 Castrol synthetic & Mahle OX 175D Oil Filter. You can find them online. I think I've been ordering them from Pelican.
*I have been changing the oil drain plug every 2-3 oil changes too. I have in my notes Dorman 65396 for engine drain plug.