Hey All,

I've been doing a lot of research into buying a new car over the last few months and even after reading some horror stories I decided to go with a Mini. Hope I'm not being a glutton for punishment. I got a 2010 mini cooper clubman S with 50k miles. Bought it from an independent dealer, but had it checked out by a Mini dealership before purchasing. There were a few little things wrong and one major issue, all totaling 5k to fix at the Mini dealership of course. I had them check for any recall work that's been completed or needed. The aux water pump was replaced and the turbo heat shield was added, but when I asked the tech about the timing chain tensioner he said my year and model was not affected and that it had a tensioner part that was not one of the defective ones. I'm not sure what to believe, after reading a lot of threads it seems like some people that have 2010s have seen the issue. I really wanted them to measure the slack in the chain, but it was a 2 1/2 hour job and I didn't have the time for them to do it. So, the good news is that I don't hear the "death rattle" but I wanted some peace of mind that I wouldn't have to be dealing with this in the near future. They also stated that I have a leak in the turbo feed line, they didn't offer to fix it but said it would be around $700-800 to repair. I went ahead and ordered the DT kit and I'm going to try to do it myself, I just hope it doesn't get any worse before I do the repair. One last thing, I've searched this site for sunroof shade repair/replacement, but didn't find much. My front shade is ruined and since I have to replace it anyway I was wondering if there is an aftermarket option that would block more sun, maybe a cloth or something thicker than the mesh screen. I live in Texas and I can already tell this is going to be an issue. Anyway, any help or suggestions appreciated.

Thanks

 

Welcome to NAM! If the sunroof roller isn't working, might need to replace it. Front is here and rear is here. An option may be when you get the replacement is to remove the shade that's in it and upgrade it to a thicker alternative, that is more solid and doesn't have holes so that it provides more shade. Here is a thread on NAM about a quick repair to it if wanted instead of buying a replacement. I believe, as mentioned, the Zippee shades are an option as well.

-Luccia

 

Hello and welcome. I can help you , we know MINIs more then anyone.

Sunroof shade Here: If you get the factory one then you will no have to cover it up with something that will not stay.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...of-screen.html



There is some threads here on the Oil line kits DIY:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-oil-leak.html




Best thing on the tensioner slack is to have someone measure the slack at an indy shop otherwise the MINI dealership would have to measure it , if you don't hear the slap then it sounds like you should be ok.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...and-chain.html




https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...procedure.html

Thanks

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I already went with the DT super kit. That thread about the sun shade was pretty neat. I may just get a darker tint instead of modding the shade too much.

 

If you want to remove the roller shade, check out my two post on how to remove the roller sahde and how to replace the sunroof gasket. Use the search this forum button and search for "How to remove the roller shade on a panarama sunroof" and "How to replace the panarama sunroof rubber seal". It is not difficult and all you need is a torx t27 bit.

 

You are welcome. The oil line kit thread is also a good guide for any kit. Good info.

My shade thread has the part and info. Good luck on whatever you choose.

 

Please let us know how the turbo oil line kit installation goes.

 

Well I replace my lines today. Took me about 6 hours. Luckily nothing was very hard to get apart, took me about 1 1/2 hours to tear everything down. The real pain was putting it all back together. A couple things I noticed. I didn't see any rubber O-ring when I took off my old line, maybe someone already replaced the line? Either way it was leaking so I feel like I caught it before it got too bad. Had a few mechanics look at the leak, they just cleaned up the top part and said it was pretty minor. Well I got to see the real mess once I removed everything. The whole underside of the turbo was coated with oil and most of the old line was pretty nasty too. It looked like the return line may have been leaking too, but hard to say. I was a bit nervous that I didn't have everything tightened enough or seated right. You can't really test for leaks until you get everything back together. I got to the point where I just had the top heat shield to put on and I fired it up and looked for leaks. Really hard to see in such a tight space, but there were no leaks up top and I was looking for any oil to drip from the rear heat shield, everything looked good. I did end up losing a heat shield screw that fell behind the rear heat shield that goes against the block. I really didn't feel like removing everything again to get it. A little bit of tape on your socket or a magnet helps greatly. I got the rest of the difficult screws in and since I didn't have that one I lost, I left an easily accessed screw hole up top just in case I want to replace the screw. I ended up using the Detroit tuned super kit that came with the down pipe gaskets and both oil lines. I didn't put the car into service mode, it would have taken a lot longer, but it is a very tight fit in some spots, I could see the benefit of having a little more space. All in all a success, gonna keep an eye for any leaks in the next few weeks though.

 

My next preemptive project is to get some peace of mind about the whole timing chain issue. I didn't think mine was that bad, but I had a closer listen today. It sounds a bit like a diesel and I can hear a faint clacking sound. Before I purchased the car I had Mini check the tensioner. They said my VIN wasn't on a recall list and the tensioner was a known good part since there was a divot in it. I guess that's a quick way for them to tell if it's an older part or a new one. Anyway, I'm not convinced, I'm thinking of going to an independent shop and having them pull the tensioner and measure the chain slack. If it's out of spec or the shop says there's an issue, I'm thinking I would try Mini first to see if they would do a good faith repair. I hear that can be hit or miss. I guess the first step is to see If I really have an issue.

 

A quick question, I also am a new owner. Bought mine from a non mini dealer, he bought it at dealer auction. So far only little things, they did front brakes and rotors, and an oil change. I hear a "clicking" in r/f which I assume is a loose pad. No problem there. I see on this and other threads where you put it in "service mode" can anyone explain what exactly that is and what it entails?
Thanks
Walt

 

I was trying to find a video on the forum that gives a good step by step instruction on how to put it in service mode. You may have better luck searching, I don't remember where it was. Basically you have to disassemble a bunch of stuff so you can pull the front clip out a few inches. Doesn't sound like much, but it can mean a world of difference once you're in that cramped space. I opted not to, only because I have skinny musician hands and didn't want to take the extra time to disassemble. Also, it seams like more to mess up or forget to hook back up.

 

Seems like a lot of people are new owners of Clubbys. I just bought on the 4th of July a 2011 Justa Cooper Clubby in Midnight Black.

Previous owner actually bought it through Military New Car Sales in Germany and shipped it back a few years later so the car has a handful of Euro options on it, supposedly. Good looking car overall and I'm hoping there are a few little things that I don't know about the R55 that people might be able to tell me.

 

@Zackattachk28 - since you have the Euro version of the mini, do you have the hazard triangle in the boot? Also, did it come with the First Aid kit, or any tools for fixing a flat?

 

+1 what does it have in the boot area ?