Hello,

When I bought my 2002 Mini Cooper, I noticed one of the upper strut mounts was torn (all pictures below to avoid clutter). Not a lot, and it's not mushrooming, but definitely something to be replaced some day.
There is also a damaged strut boot on the opposite side. Again, not an immediate concern, just something to replace eventually.

It's worth mentionning a friend who drives a 2005 r52 test-drove it and told me it had excessive body roll in corners too (though that's hard to quantify).

I measured the wheel gaps, first number is from center of wheel to bottom of the fender and second number is from top of wheel to fender:
- front left 35cm / 5.5cm. Service Manual says it should be 33.9cm +/- 1mm at the front. Uh oh.
- front right 34cm / 4.5cm. Close enough to spec. Though that's the one with the torn strut mount.
- rear left 33cm / 3cm. Service manual says it should be 33.3cm +/- 1mm at the front. Not too bad but under spec.
- rear right 33.5cm / 3.5cm. Not too bad, but over spec.
So overall the car is not straight, and especially the front has 1cm difference between both side. That probably explains why my car has a slight pull to the right (though not enough to be concerning).

The other day I had the car on jackstands with wheels off (for a brake fluid change) and took a hard look at it. While all the suspension components are firm with absolutely no play, and all bearings look fine to me (except slightly worn front sway bar bushings), what caught my attention is the sticker on the shocks : "07.10.02".

So ... yeah. Front shocks have never been changed. There are no sticker on the back ones, but I'd bet they haven't been changed either. The car has 130k miles on it.

While the car pass the bounce test, on the other hand the suspension is super firm. At first I discarded that as "Mini have a harsh suspension", but I'm starting to believe it's just worn and in dire need of a refresh, especially coupled with the wheel gaps all over the place.

Here are my questions:
- is that last paragraph a good conclusion or am I mistaken?
- would a refresh reduce body roll? Or is that something else entirely? (like those bushings, pictures below)
- would you refresh front and back at the same time? Only the front? (I need to do the front for the mounts and boots anyway)
- for a refresh, which parts do you change? Just the shock? Spring as wheel? Every single part? (diagrams below)
- since it's a 2300€ car and I'm budget conscious (not going to spend 1000€ on suspension), which shocks would you pick? I saw Bilstein B4 recommended a few times, they are supposed to be OEM replacement, are not much more expensive and I'm sure to get good quality. Any opinion on those? The car is mostly for street use and not driven hard. I might try a trackday sometime in the future but that's undecided yet and never going to be a focus. Coil-overs are a no-go for me (legal grey area where I live, I'd rather not risk it). I don't want to lower the car, as it's already scrapping enough as it is. I also saw recommendations for Koni FSD/Special Active for daily driving, but they seem to be twice the price, a bit too expensive to my liking. Locally, the "bargain basement" option seems to be Quinton Hazell, Monroe, KYB or Sachs brands, but since the Bilstein are only 10% or so more expensive, I think it's rather take the brand name.
- how hard/dangerous is the project? It's going to be my first suspension project and I'm mainly worried about disassembling the shocks, since it seems a bit dangerous. And if changing springs, can you compress new ones without an hydraulic press? Though I'm considering buying one for a later potential project (gearbox rebuild)
- alternatively, can you buy fully assembled struts for a reasonnable premium? I have a hard time locating those, though I'm trying to stick to European shops to avoid import taxes + VAT.
- do I need to do an alignment right after doing so, or is it okay to drive a bit without an alignment? (most local garages are overbooked and have delays to get an appointment, and I'd rather not book one before being done in case something goes wrong and I need more time)

I'm aware that's a lot of question, I'm at the early stage of learning how to work on my car, thanks in advance for any answer! Unfortunately I don't have a mentor to ask those IRL.

Now for the pictures

What started it all, the right-side top mount crack (technical inspection didn't notice it). It didn't evolve since I own the car, about 6 months and 2K miles.


Damaged front-left boot (technical inspection did notice it, though it didn't fail the car):


Vintage sticker


There seems to be a small dip where I point. Is it from factory or some damage?


Body roll might be because of worn front sway bar bushings? They seem to be starting to dry-rot at the bottom. Opposite side is in a similar state (photo is blurry, not included).

 

At that age and mileage, the struts are most likely toast; I replaced mine at 64k, though I did live in a city that is notoriously harsh on suspensions. You'll probably also want to change all four strut mounts and sway bar bushings, and if the LCA bushings haven't been done, it'll need those, too. Obviously check tie rods, ball joints, trailing arm bushings, etc. at the same time.

The springs are under very little force. You can actually pop the assembly apart without a spring compressor, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, and you'll need a spring compressor to put them back together anyway. The inexpensive ones that use threaded rods are fine.

Do remember that the R50 without the sport plus suspension option (is that the case here?) always had more body roll than the R53. You might consider going to a larger rear sway bar and upgrading the front to the r53 bar if it only has the standard sport suspension. I'm still running the stock sport suspension front bar on my car with an oversized rear bar, but I'm not running stock struts or springs.

You'll want to get an alignment fairly soon after. If you have toe plates, you can at least make sure it's close and won't burn up your tires if you plan on driving a lot between doing the work and getting an alignment.

 

Thanks a lot for the answers!

Strut mounts were already planned, but I'll add sway bar bushings on my list. LCA bushings look ok, but that'll go further down the list. I checked all the rest and it looks fine to me, no play, no dry rotting and no drive-ability concerns.

Nice. I'll buy 4 of them just to be sure. I'm very wary of the force those springs are under, so it's good to know they are under little force.

The one being compared is a 90hp r52 (the less powerful version). I wonder if the additional braces could be making a difference. I don't think either got the sport plus suspension option, is there any way to check? My VIN doesn't seem recognized on online VIN decoders (perhaps because it's en EU-spec car). I'll think about upgrading sway bars, but I generally stick to stock: even if I might go and try a trackday sometime, it's never going to be a track car (not with the midlands gearbox). My main concern is to know if this means parts are worn and should be replaced, or if body roll is normal. If it's normal, I don't care all that much.

No toe or camber plates, noted for the "fairly soon". I can take my time doing both front and back in 2 separate instances and drive a bit between both. I don't drive a lot in the first place (on average 100 miles per week-end, it's sitting during the week).


Still waiting a bit for answers to my other questions before starting to fire the parts cannon.

 

I should preface by stating that I have a pre- facelift '04 R53.
As for shocks: I've run both Bilstein B4's (on all four) and upgraded to Koni Yellow adjustables (up front only w/B4 rear), since I opted for lowering springs. As deepgrey had mentioned: You won't need a spring compressor when doing the swap. Just a bit of caution and upper body strength..
The Bilstein B4 were absolutely awesome compared to the short lived factory ones original to the car @ stock height. I've also read good things about Koni Reds - although I have no experience with them.
I upgraded to Koni Yellow's in the front when I change out to lowering springs (as recommended). They are/were great with the ability to adjust dampening - Although I really didn't feel much difference in any adjustment +/-.
At the time I wish I could have afforded the benefit to spend the extra money on front adjustable camber plates. In lieu; I went with OEM top strut mounts with the addition of CravenSpeed under plates and M7 top tower plates.
The car rides smooth (for a lowered Mini), and is exceptionally responsive with the addition of an ALTA 22mm rear swaybar, rear adjustable control arms, B4's on the rear with PowerFlex top mount bushings.
While your replacing the struts and shocks; take a look at your drop links while you're at it. I replaced all 4 due to age or torn rubber boots/bellows.
On the front end I discovered and replaced the outer balljoints as well due to age and slop. To my disappointment; I had recently discovered the inner balljoints are in need of replacement as well.
Dropping the subfame - That will be another episode in the 19 years of ownership for my R53.

 

I did use the spring compressors I already had, however primarily to ensure springs were correctly "clocked" into the rubber seats. Doing that reasonably ensures static ride height doesn't vary unintentionally. A second pair of hands might avoid the need for a compressor but I did mine solo. Pic below shows my "assembly station" with those compressors off and below the shocks.

 

+1 to everything deepgrey said

• (4) new struts - Bisteiin B4 will be budget friendly and deliver improvements
• New strut tops (especially since the front has failed)
• Lower control arm bushes
• check the other components and bushes, replace as needed

You may also want to consider an upgraded rear sway bar as a next step, after addressing all of the above items. It will help with cornerin/handling balance if that’s still an issue.

 

I'm currently in the process of changing struts and rear sway bar. I did the rears last weekend, used a loaner spring compressor from a parts store, and would recommend it especially for reassembly. Once the shocks were out I went after the sway bar. It was a pain because before starting any of the refresh I had to put my car close to the one car garage's side wall so I could pull the bar far enough to clear the other wall; working outside would have been better but the weather was against that. Needless to say working in a very tight space was no fun at all when lowering the rear subframe to replace the sway bar. I marked the springs and shock hardware so I could put everything back together in proper alignment. I got new bumpstops to replace the old ones that had 100,000 miles on them. Having the right tools really helped, although I had to dig around to find an SAE socket that could be substituted for a 21mm. Everything got properly torqued a went back together without issue. One of my old shocks was fine but the other was quite bad with little compression or rebound. The new Koni FSD's already make a noticeable difference because the car is much steadier over rough surfaces.

I'm having a shop do the fronts and alignment. I really didn't want to fight the pinch bolt at the bottom of the strut or drive without the car properly aligned. The top right strut mount is torn as your is, so those get replaced as well as the bump stops and fasteners. I can't wait to see how the FSD's all around will work.

Best of luck in your refresh! Also the Youtube videos are a big help even if they have make it look super easy with the hydraulic spring compressor, tec.

 

When I got my 2004 at 125k it had the original suspension components just like yours, including a busted upper mount. Ride quality was of course horrible, generally noisy and violent across any imperfection, and initial turn-in was best described as 'sloppy'. My car already had Poly LCA's installed by the previous owner.

So, I installed Bilstein B4s with Lemforder upper bushings. I replaced the bump stops as they were perished/crumbled all the way around, along with the front dust boots since they were squished up like yours. I also installed UTIs with the struts. If the rubber perches the springs sit in are in good shape, re-use them. You don't need new hardware outside of what comes with the new struts/shocks. you should not need new dust boots in the back. You may need the foam shock mounts for the back, but there isn't a way to tell until you already have it apart.

The effect on the ride was transformative. Most road imperfections are now more heard than felt (except the really nasty ones). And turn-in is much sharper.

Impressed with the results, I purchased all new sway bar bushings and end links all the way around, as they appeared original as well. Sadly, this didn't have a noticeable impact on handling. Luckily the parts were only $35. This may not be the case with your car, but my bushings were in worse shape than what is shown in your picture.

 

Thanks a lot for all the answers, that's a lot of interesting feedback.
If I sum up my questions and the answer I understood so far (correct me if I got it wrong somewhere):

That's a good conclusion, the car is overdue for a suspension refresh

Probably not, that's to be addressed (or not) separately. r50 have a fair amount of body roll from the factory, changing the sway bar / LCA bushings might help (or might not, like blknblumark experience), but most probably a bigger sway bar is needed.

Front and back seems like a no-brainer.

I forgot the diagram in the post.

Front axle:


On that diagram :
I want to replace parts 1, 9, 11 (and the shock obviously)
I can re-use (if they do not come with one of the other part and are not too rusty/damaged) : 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 (please let me know if one of those parts need to be replaced)
Can I re-use the spring as well? I'm tempted to say yes, as they are under very little load and I'm not changing the ride height.

Back axle:


On that diagram :
I want to replace parts 1, 10
I can re-use (if they do not come with one of the other part and are not too rusty/damaged) : 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13 (please let me know if one of those parts need to be replaced)
And same question for the spring.

Thanks to everyone recommending them, it will be Bilsteins B4 for sure.

Seems to be a lot less dangerous than I thought, thanks for the feedback that spring don't hold that much tension. I'll make do with cheap threaded spring compressors.

Seems like that's a no, especially when re-using most parts from the existing struts. I'll plan ample time to be able to order more parts if disassembly shows rusty/damaged parts that cannot be re-used (though considering the car condition, it should not be an issue)

Seems like the answer is a "soon" rather than "right after". I'll be able to do front and back in 2 separate projects and drive a bit in-between, then do the alignment shortly after. Since I drive very little, tire wear should not be a big issue. Just don't plan a road-trip in that time.

P.S. : right now, this car is a street car only, and I keep it stock for potential resale value. Due to suffering from the "Midlands" disease, I won't be able to really track it (except an occasional trackday or two, not more) so while the performance upgrades might benefit other readers, that would not be a wise investment for that car (I'm already thinking about getting a facelift r53 sometime next year ^^).

 

In order to minimize uneven wear on the tires, I would plan for the alignment right after replacing the struts.

I used to put off suspension work out of fear of the added expense of needing the alignment after the work was done. I no longer have that trepidation, as I get the Lifetime Alignment (a little more expensive - about double the standard alignment price, but sometimes there are $20off or similar coupon deals) at Firestone, and then anytime I do suspension work later or feel it may need adjustment, I take the car back in for an alignment and get everything checked and put right again. Further, if you make sure it is done at a Firestone-corporate store, then the Lifetime Alignment is honored at any Firestone-corporate store across the country. This meant that I still get to use that benefit, even after I moved to a different state some years ago - I just had to find a Firestone-corporate store closest to me in my new state. (if it is done at a franchise store, then the benefit is still valid, but only at that location)

 

As far as the fronts go, the manual recommends changing the self locking collar nuts #2 for the top mounts(six in all) and with your current mileage I'd do the bump stop #7 as well. The pinch bolt for the bottom of the strut doesn't appear in the diagram, but that's supposed to be replaced, too, at least on my R53. It's a M12x1.5x60-10.9 part #31356778832.. It shows up on a different diagram in Realoem. The rest of the hard parts are probably OK. For the rears most everything on mine was in good shape including #1, but maybe yours is rusty. I did both bump stops- #7 and I don't see the other one for the top mount on the diagram, but I think if you buy the whole mount the top pieces are included. All the other fasteners were in very good condition. Hope this helps!

 

Word of advice I have is start spraying your front pinch bolts with PB blaster, or other penatrating lubricant now, especially if your car has much rust on it. Broke 1 the first time I changed struts and it was a royal PITA to get it fixed. I also give mine a coat of antiseize to prevent corrosion related problems in the future. I'd also use an impact wrench on them rather than a big breaker bar, I feel like the impacts help break them free without too much torque.

I think you're ok to drive it to the alignment shop after changing the struts without too many worrries. If you're just changing struts/mounts it shouldn't change your alignment settings, but is always a good idea to have the alignment checked after working on suspension. ie the textbook answer is do the aligment after doing this work, but real world is unlikely to make a huge difference.

 

I'll plan it ASAP after all the struts are changed. It's not a daily driver, so it's going to be driven at most 100/200 miles in between (on good roads, and I baby it) so I'm not too concerned about uneven wear.

That helps a lot, thanks! I'll start by ordering the shocks, top mounts and boots, and do a second order if those nuts and bump stop aren't included. I admit I didn't understand what the "bump stops" were, good to know it's the #7 part. They seem to go by different names and I'm not a native speaker.

Thanks, I'll do that. That car has little to no rust on it, it lived all its life in a non-rusty area, fortunately, which makes everything much easier, but always better safe than sorry! Also a very good tip about the impact, I generally try to the breaker bar first, but I'll start with an impact this time.

Thanks for the input! It'll probably have a little difference because wheel gaps are currently way off (presumably due to worn shocks) so an alignment is definitely needed. I guess I'll do a small test drive and just leave it sitting without driving if the alignement is too awful to drive.

 

Small update: after taking my sweet time ordering, I received all the parts (around 412€ for anyone wondering), which is pretty much going to my usual local cheap supplier and ordering all parts related to the suspension. Now that I received the order, I know what's included and what's not included wih the "big" parts.

Everything for the front:

So ... Shocks come with their self-locking nut, nice. That's about the only included hardware:
- top strut mounts don't come with the nut, so it's 6x 31316769731 self-locking nuts
- shocks don't come with the pinch bolts, so it's 2x 31356778832 hex bolts
Any other hardware I should be replacing? According to @BRGPA the rest should be ok to reuse, but if there is diverging opinion I'd love to know. Since I have an order to make anyway, I might as well grab the rest.
Since no one strongly advised to replace springs, I did not order new ones, though it's still a possibility. Everyone I asked IRL gave me the run-around "yeah you probably should, but re-using should be fine as well".

For the back:

About the same, there is the shock top locking nut and that's it. I'm at a loss at what the 4 strut mounts parts correspond to in the diagram, but looking at a video it seems to check out.
This time the shocks come with bump stops ... and the dust protection too, so double bump stops. I guess I'll have some spare rubber.
- for the top mount, I need 4x33526757104 according to diagrams, which are self-tapping screws.
- again, shocks don't come with pinch bolts, so 2x 33506773205 bolts and 2x 33506781134 washers
Any other hardware I should be replacing? The top mounts seem to be metal and seem to be fine to reuse: at least they were not included in the "strut mount" kit, which to me is an indication they don't need replacement.

All that, including shipping, should run me into 86€, so ... full suspension for smack dab 500€, which is about what I expected to spend on this project. It might not seem like a lot, but that'll bring me up to 1250€ spent on a car bought for 2300€, and with the pending gearbox project (at least 500€ for a used gearbox of unknown quality, without all the extras) I'm going to be really near the total car value in repairs/maintenance within less than a year. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret a single euro spent on it, I learned a lot, which was the whole purpose of buying a cheap Mini. I'm just trying not to overspend.

 

Is your car really rusty? About the only fasteners I normally even think about replacing - other than damaged ones - are nylocks or torque-to-yield bolts.

 

The car has nearly no rust. But the manual does recommend to replace those nuts and bolts as well. For reference I snapped a picture of one of the front strut top:

 

Not to pile it on ($$)....However after going through all the trouble and expense updating/upgrading my suspension (B4 shocks, drop links, 22mm rear swaybar & poly bushings, adjustable rear camber/control arms, ventilated rotors, new Continentals DWS... ), there was one small component I neglected to upgrade: The rear top shock mount bushings.
After all that time and money; 4,000mi later, I began to hear a persistent, annoying clunk from the rear end everytime I drove over an uneven road or a speed hump at low speed. It took me a frustratingly long time to finally figure out that my new top rear, foam shock bushings were already squashed and degraded which resulted in the clunking noise. I highly recommend upgrading or replacing your rear top mount shock bushings with Powerflex.
Believe you/me, it is a PIA and cost more to have to replace the worn bushings (w/Powerflex), after already having replaced the rear shocks - but it is worth it if you can do it while you are at it. Once and done.
Just my experience.

Happy to see you've made some good choices so far in updating your suspension

 

Yeah, I wouldn't have any qualms about reusing those. Even if you plan to replace them, you don't need to wait on just those to do the work. You can reuse the old ones and then swap them for new nuts with the car on the ground.

What do you mean about the four strut mount parts? If you're referring to the rear mounts, the bushings aren't in the realoem diagram you posted above.

 

I did an identical job a few months ago (down to blown strut mounts) and kind of wish I had gone w/the delphis. I also opted for the bilsteins as they were marginally cheaper but I dislike their performance when cold.

 

Thanks! A bit too late since I already got those parts and I'm not sure I could even get Powerflex ones in time. If I have the same issue, I'll know where to look first though, and if it's those bushings, I'll definitely upgrade. It doesn't cost me more since I do the work myself and don't pay for labor (and value my spare time at 0$/h).

Thanks for the opinion! Difficult choice to make since there are diverging opinions and the service manual says to change those, but considering they are not rusted and seem overall in good shape (at least the visible ones, but I don't have any reason to believe the others will be different), I think I'll skip the replacement, save 86€, and rush-order any specific part that seems in a bad state/broken. Hopefully I won't have to.

The picture I have might make it hard to see, but here is what I ordered:


That's 4 small parts for each side, 2 rubber bushings, a metal washer and a straight round thingie.
They indeed do not appear on RealOEM which is why I'm a bit confused, except the metal washer that seem to be part #12.
I looked up a disassembly video, and those parts seem to be there and sandwich the upper strut mount, so I'll mix and match them in front of the strut.

Thanks for the feedback. A bit too late for me, and it was not a cost decision, just a "I don't know all those brands, might as well go with Bilstein everywhere", since it's a reputable brand. For that part, they were also nearly the cheapest. I would have had to order on other site to get Delphis, and the cost would have been nearly twice (though the picture shows they come with replacement nuts, so there is that).

 

Those rear bushings were going to be my add-on recommendation. RealOEM doesn’t list them separate because they are considered part of the upper shock mount.

 

I don't remember how I determined it but I believe Sachs were OEM....maybe made for delphi? Sachs was the other option I was considering along w/ebay coils since price was in the ballpark...ultimately I figured the mini's low enough and a high performer w/little sus. work....looking into a rear sway bar atm.

 

Looks like you have what you're likely to need. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my rear bump stops and hardware were in good condition when I replaced my shocks, but since I had already ordered new ones I used the new. One thought about the powerflex is that they will last forever but the ride is probably going to be harsher.

I had my shop do the front end and really like the new Koni Special Active setup. It was a welcome change after the tired originals. I think you'll find the same with your refresh.

 

Thanks! I expect to find all hardware in good condition considering the overall low to non-existent state of rust of the car (I'd order new hardware if it was at least moderately rusty). Interesting note on the powerflex being harsher. I'd rather have a softer ride for comfort, especially if it's cheaper. I'm not too concerned about longevity, since I drive very little and mostly highway. Unless I got a bad part, I expect all those parts to outlast my use of the car.

I did see the Koni Special Active/FSD being recommended a lot. Unfortunately I dismissed those due to cost. All around Koni would have been half the price of the car itself, so I couldn't justify it.

Thanks again for all the advice, I'm only waiting on a few tools (pass-through sockets to be able to torque struts properly) and will be ready to tackle the project on schedule, 2 weeks from now. I'll post an update once it's done.

 

The poly bushing on the rear shock mount makes it so that all suspension motion goes into the shock, and not into deforming the bushing.