While driving the yellow car on a farm road about 10 miles out of Granbury last Sunday, I got a temp light in the center of the tach and the dreaded dinging. Pulled over and the car was puking all the coolant. Called MINI Roadside and they sent a wrecker from Granbury and off we went to Moritz.

Bryan called Monday to say a hose had failed and one was on the way, overnight. Picked it up Tuesday and they found that the hose from the thermostat housing to the top of the radiator had been installed backwards at the factory allowing the shift linkage to rub a hole in the hose.

Once again Bryan and Moritz MINI were great to work with, and MINI Roadside worked as advertised.

Learned two thing:

1. If you have an early build R-56 (mine is a Dec 06 car), go look at the hose described above and check for interference with the shift linkage. The hose is behind the coolant tank and a few inches below it, about 1.5 inches in diameter.

2. The power port (cigarette lighter) does not work unless the engine is running. Turning the engine off, and the ignition on does not power the port. Makes charging the almost dead cell phone tough if you can't run the engine because it has no coolant. I will add a port that is powered all the time this weekend.

edit: have learned, thanks to this thread, that if one puts in the key and then pushes the start button without depressing the clutch, the engine will not start, but the ignition does come full-on and the power port is powered.

 

Great information, Thanks for sharing.

 

I'll check mine, thanks for the tip. Another reason this car should have come with a temp gauge. It was the only reason I put a Scangauge II in.

I use the armrest phone cradle for my phone. It powers up as soon as I unlock it. I would have preferred to have the cig lighter powered all the time as well. You could always wire in a separate cig light socket to an "always hot" part of the fuse box via an add-a-circuit.

 

That's what I'm gonna do. I had one in my parcel shelf in the 04 car. Sure wish we had a parcel shelf for the R-56.

 

I was bummed the parcel shelf didn't fit in the R56. I had found a link and photos of it in a Mini while I waited for my car. Too bad.

 

Bummer about the hose. I'll check mine this weekend.

As for the socket, it powers down when you shut the car off, but if you release the key, re-insert and press start without the clutch depressed, you will get power without the car running. This is on a manual trans. Auto does not apply.

 

Thanks! That works. No need for Aux Socket.

 

Cool! Happy to save you the headache of the parts and labor.

 

thanks for the heads up

 

Wow, mellow yellow and from WV . . . cool. Originally from Wheeling. Been in TX since 1969, but I still get that Wheelin' Feelin.' Great color choice, by the way.

 

Does this hose issue only apply to MCS R56's? I ask because I see hood scoops on all the signature photos. I have a mere mortal MC... six speed though!

 

Not sure as I've not looked at the hose placement in a Cooper. Sure is worth a look though. The shift cable attachment to the top of the gear box will be in the same place and there has to be a hose from the T-stat housing to the radiator in there somewhere.

Did you get your car at P&W? I bought my first MINI there in 02. Great bunch of guys!