Good day everyone, I'm back to the Mini community!

I sold my R53 a couple years back due to a lack of room (in the car and my garage), but I will have a new driver soon and we picked up a R50 to fix up.

The fixing is costing me dearly, but I consider it a lot of teaching as well and worthwhile, already had to buy 4 new runflats are it's a 2002 without spare.

I'm trying to figure out in what areas I can utlize used components, lower cost alternatives vs. the name brands:

Clutch is dead, we have the tranny out and a LUK pressure plate/bearing and Valeo disk in hand. Also putting in new Redline MTL
- How do I tell if I need to resurface / replace the flywheel?
- How to tell if I should replace the crank seal?
- Slave cylinder looks like, should I replace it while everything is out?

Steering hoses are leaking, trying to see if the resevior is:
- Reservoir hoses, would URO be OK or stick to Rein?
- Pressure hoses (very rusty as I'm in MI), would good used or lower end aftermarket be better?

Exhaust is leaking at resonator
- Used resonator from flange to muffler including rubber or new resonator only?

Front bushing and tierods
- Options to save some money on inner and outer tie rods?
- Sub frame bushing, are the Myle HD worth the extra money to avoid going back?

Shifter cable work great but rubber boots are dead, any option to "reboot"?

E brake cable are both broken, is there a need for high end?

One torn inner CV boot where the joint seems OK, I'm planning to clean and replace all 4.

Bottom and top/rear engine mounts

From strut mounts

 

- Unfortunately due to the clutch design being Dual Mass you'll likely not find a way to resurface. Instead the flywheel is replaced, or more often the entire clutch / flywheel is replaced with a single mass which can be later serviced. You can slap the new gear in and hope for the best, or replace the flywheel to.

- The crank seal is a visual inspection, is it leaking, cracking or torn? could be worthwhile when you have access to avoid doing this later.

- The slave is rather easy to replace at a later date, even on R53s it can be changed without to much effort as its widely out in the open. Wouldn't sweat it.

- Steering hoses id stick to Rein, i have seen to many questionable uro parts only function shortly.

- Oem tie rods can be had from Rockauto for cheap, they have been on wholesale closeout for sometime, Lemforder brand.

- Personally replace all bushings with Poly, so I cant speak there.

- Parking brake cable, Raybestos. Cheap and solid company, no need for fancy.

- Top engine mounts, Corteco was a great choice. But since covid... apparently out sourcing Chinese quality. Recently received a Corteco mount and it was clearly not their standard quality. Hard to say. Lower mount i opted for powerflex but their is cheaper alternatives.

- Strut mounts, locate Lemforder (known oem manufacturer) or OEM mini. Many complaints regarding cheap ones.

Best of luck!

 

good advise here above.

buy everything from a place with lifetime warranty so that you dont end up buying it again. FCPeuro.com is good for that.

Buy OE replacement parts, not "genuine" to save money. not OEM, OE. there is a difference

The valeo single mass clutch kit seems to work well for folks. I would not skip the flywheel while your already in there. if the main seal is dry dont touch it

 

I agree with ssoliman. OE supplier parts usually seem to be the way to go.

The motor mounts and power steering lines are pretty much wear items. I’ve replaced mine multiple times.

Also, a correction: the R50 does not have a dual mass flywheel like the R53.

 

Ahh yes I stand corrected, only R50 I've touched we had swapped in the Getrag.

Based on that, is there in slippage in the clutch as it was or chatter? From there it's a visual inspection for markings and wear, based on the age unless it's been resurfaced or replaced before it would benefit from a resurface and give a good biting clutch.

 

I'll chime in with an opinion on strut mounts. Mine keep failing.. various brands (but not OEM). I just replaced the control arm bushings with Powerflex, in an attempt to stop these failures. I also purchased ECS Tuning heavy duty strut mounts which i will install soon. They are twice the cost of the cheap brands, but cheaper than OEM and are supposed to be better (more durable rubber).

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part...33/003893la01/