So I posted in the main forum, and immediately started getting bashed for looking at a R56. It is an 07 MCS with 69K. While I know I may be at a higher risk for problems such as the water pump and the timing chain tensioner, are these experienced in almost all R56's? If so, what estimated cost should I expect?

This is the Mini I am currently, and highly considering:
http://www.kbbreport.com/rv36g?Ref=email

Just wondering if I should really steer clear? Or if haters just gonna hate?

thanks,

Mike

 

I saw your original post and the comments that followed. I thought most of them were spot on, the '07 was the first year of the 2 gen Mini. From all the reading I've done, avoid the n14 engine and look for a Mini with the n18, which I think started in '11. Have you looked at '05 and '06? From what I've read they were pretty solid.

You ask about the cost of repairs. That's a roll of the dice, but repairs on any Mini are expensive. Think European sports car prices..

 

I agree with the above, peace of mind knowing that you would be getting a later model with most kinks worked out. I just bought a used 2013 with 8K on it because I hate the new generations, so I got a basically brand new car from the last generation that should be somewhat problem free. You can find some nice low mile cars for decent prices if you really dig deep and stay patient.

 

I guess its just me thinking I found a good buy, and really wanting to go for it.. The problem is, this year fits perfectly in my current budget. anything newer rapidly gets out of my budget :/ If I do end up looking more into this MCS, what are some definite questions I should be asking the dealer?

 

Ideally you should venture south of OH to avoid the rust BUT, that car looks super clean. Holy cow looks they did a good job detailing that car. Just have a good look at the underside of the car. I think haters gonna hate. If you do pull the trigger, order magnetic drain plugs for the engine AND the transmission, as well as trans fluid. Change the trans fluid asap, (personal habit.) If you're worried about parts failing, keep money saved for the failures that may or may not arise.

 

Is there a record of a valve cleaning being done? They get pretty nasty on that engine.
They're fairly easy to inspect, once the car is yours...

 

My wife had wanted a MINI for a LONG time, but all of the problems with the 2007 to 2010 N14 Cooper S engine were too much for us to deal with. When they changed over to the N18 in 2011, I decided she had waited long enough and rolled the dice. We got lucky, as it seems like the N18 has been pretty reliable. We had NO problems with her 2011 Cooper S. When the new model arrived, we went and spent the day with one as soon as possible just in case we did not like it, so we could still find a new 2013 if we did not like the new one. Like the poster above, we both strongly disliked the redesigned one. SO, that same day we found a new 2013 as close to what she wanted and traded for it. The new 2014 IMO is just like the 2010 and newer Camaro. The current Camaro is a hell of a car. BUT, it was NOT designed as a "Pony Car". It was designed as a large sedan in Australia. It was brought here as the Pontiac G8. GM put a 2 door body style on it styled like a Camaro, but it is too large and too heavy to be considered a "Pony Car". That is what happens when you share platforms. The new MINI is a hell of a car, but it now shares a platform with other BMWs, so it had to make compromises that the R56 did not. The R56 is the last MINI that was designed to be a MINI alone. HOWEVER, the new Camaro has sold better than any time in over 20 years. I believe this NEW MINI will sell better than the R56 did BECAUSE it is bigger, more mainstream. It all comes down to what the individual values.

However, IMO, if I am going to buy a R56, it will be a 2011 to 2013 only. The walnut blasting valve gunk problems, timing chain problems, etc of the 2007 to 2010 make them too much risk/hassle to me.

Good luck.

 

I live in NY so Im kinda doomed there, but assuming no rust, was going to look into doing some sort of rust proofing if possible.

and sorry i know this is probably a super dumb question, but what is the point of the magnetic drain plugs? almost like a oil catch?

And that is why I dont want to spend much more than I am, so I have the extra cash for any necessary repairs. with that, anything i should look for when i go for a test drive? and any questions i should ask the dealer?

 

I am unsure about valve cleaning but will definitely ask! this is all i know as far as maintenance goes:
http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory...MF735X7TL83063

 

I would change the trans and eng oil right away, that way I KNEW it was good and that's the best time to change out the factory plugs. The (STRONG) magnets collect a fair amount of metal "dust" that would otherwise float around in the oil and throughout the trans/ engine. Although the engine has a filter, I still prefer to put them both in. They don't cost much and make me feel better about myself! lol

 

When it comes down to it, the MINI is a used car. Condition is everything. Maintenance records are important. Find out what has been done with the car, in detail, before purchase. The link you have shows great pictures, make sure that they are of the actual car. Do some research here on the stock problems (high pressure fuel pump, turbo oil line, carbon cleaning, thermostat/water pump leaks), and see what has been replaced (battery, for example). See how comfortable you are with maintenance, some of these items are pretty expensive.

If you are serious about the car, see if you can take it to a MINI garage (either a dealer or a mechanic who is familiar with these cars) so that you can understand what mechanical condition that the car is in.

The 2007 had significant issues being the first year of the new model, and that was largely due to the timing chain and high pressure fuel pump.

It is important to look for leaks. Coolant is blue on these cars, so look for blue stains under the engine and on top of the transmission.

The difficult part is not being excited about the MINI. You need to look at it like it was a normal car (condition, options, etc). If the condition is good, and you like the options, then get excited.

Have fun,
Mike

Mike

 

My advice is this: Don't buy an early R56 MCS if you can't afford repairs.

 

that is why I dont want to spend more than this car is worth, as I have extra money set aside in case I do run into problems.

 

I would get in touch with your local Mini dealer and see if you can dig up the full service history on the car, just to get an idea of what was done during it's previous ownership. Pay close attention to oil change intervals. Mini liked to recommend 15k OCIs... not a good thing for a turbocharged small-displacement engine. Also check to see if the timing chain tensioner was ever replaced, along with water pump, thermostat, and timing chain. See if the car ever had any carbon cleaning done, too.

If you go to see the car, check for rust anywhere, especially the front doors.

Check for oil leaks. Particularly, look for oil around the seals around the drive shafts. Known issue on the R56 Minis. Make sure the exhaust is solid.

The car looks clean. But the early R56 MCS is known to be problematic, especially if not taken care of.

 

From what I can see from the carfax it looks like water pump and ignition coils have been replaced, and I did plan on asking about the rest! Although I have read a lot of threads regarding Mini replacing the timing chain due to numerous problems, is this true?

And anywhere in particulair that I am looking for rust on front doors? or just in general?

I will be sure to check out the drive shafts and the exhaust as well! (even though I hope to replace that soon enough )

 

So upon some reading through here, and some other sites, if I had a MCS that had a working timing chain tensioner, I could upgrade to a better one for a fraction of the price? like $200? Because I know once it goes its a $1600 repair minimum. Let me know if this is true or not

 

unelss it was just meant as spending the few extra hundred when you first buy a new MCS?

 

sorry for all of the posts...but I just called my local mini dealer and they searched the Vin that I gave them. They told me that my car was not under the campaign, and the way that I interpreted/she explained it, was that the car might have had a upgraded timing chain tensioner upon original purchase? or why would my month not be covered in particulair? different parts?

 

smoke and mirrors dude, they just don't want to cover the repair. good luck getting a dealer to "warranty" something like that on a used vehicle they've probably never even seen before. its not an official safety recall or anything, just a "whoops we screwed the pooch on that one" and occasionally the dealer might comp it for good will on a vehicle out of warranty/service coverage.

by 70k miles here are the things that you can pretty much be guaranteed will be worn to the point of "needing replacement in the near future". if you don't have service records for them, plan your budget on it needing it within the first year of ownership:

-Front Lower control arm bushings
-Front Lower ball joints (one of mine went bad around 52k, had them replace both sides inner and outer)
-Turbo oil feed and return lines
-Oil cooler/filter housing gaskets
-Thermostat (mine failed 2 weeks after I got the car)
-Engine Water Pump
-Spark Plugs
-Transmission fluid (if you keep it for the "lifetime" of the trans like they recommend, it'll be a short life)
-Fuel filter (interval is "100K", at 70k mine was as black as an oil filter)
-Aux Turbo water pump (this is an NHTSA safety recall that should be done free)
-Timing chain, guide and tensioner (should ideally be replaced as a unit)
-Oil pan gasket (glad I did mine myself, I found pieces of the old timing guide floating around in there)
-Struts (most OE struts are blown within a year of vehicle age, they just suck so hard when they're new you don't know when they're blown)
-Intake cleaning/walnut/media blasting (seafoam/BG44k isn't enough to get the deposits off and as clean as it needs to be)
-early models had a crappy PCV design and the valve cover will probably start leaking around the top part, this was updated midway through the lifespan of the N14 and the old design seems to have been disco'd

granted some of those are simple $50 fluid/filter jobs most anyone can do in an evening, some of those are 8+ hour jobs even for an experienced mechanic in a fully equipped shop. there are also plenty of $20-50 parts that when they do fail, require 8 hours of labor to fix.
if you are not vehicle savvy, don't own a LARGE collection of tools, and have never owned a high performance european car, I honestly wouldn't advise this to be your first. get an R53 (its a much simpler, lower tech car with many of the same quality features and handling characteristics), or save up and get a newer model year (10+). FWIW, the N18 still has it's own unique issues, i think a lot of people just don't have enough mileage on them yet to see things develop.

i have an 07 S, just clocked over 73k miles. I just spent over $2k on "service and maintenance" in the last 2 months. the only thing i actually paid a shop to do was replace all CV boots and trans seals (didn't have time to do it myself due to having to travel for work, passenger side had failed around 65k). the valve cover failed where the PCV lid is bonded on and it leaked oil all over, the oil cooler and filter housing gaskets were leaking oil onto the block, transmission (made for some interesting clutch noises), and exhaust. I put in a new timing chain tensioner for piece of mind, as well as the turbo oil drain hose. The dealer took care of the turbo water pump recall for free, other wise I've resigned to the fact that I'll be doing most everything myself (and from the quality of work I've seen most service dept's put out lately, I wouldn't trust many anyway). I am an exception, I have a lot of experience with vehicles and VERY complex systems so pulling the front of my car apart sounds more like a fun way to drink beer and get to know my ride than it does "work". My car will need new struts within the next couple months, so there goes another $800 just in parts alone. i still love my car, but it has been far more expensive to own than the sticker price and 35 mpg figure would lead you to believe. luckily, i've bought myself hopefully another 5-10 years of trouble free driving by knocking out as much maintenance as possible up front. my best friend bought an 08 R56S 2 weeks before me and has had many of the same issues (he's just about 20k behind me in mileage, so i'm technically the guinea pig)....

 

My honest opinion, don't.

 

Amazing post! Thank you!

I thought the n18 still had these tensioner issues? My car is an 08 and had the valve cover replaced almost 2 years ago, would this have been with the updated design for the pcv valve? I think my car only needs to have the walnut shell service and transmission fluid done unless there is some unforeseen leaks in the previously stated places!

Does anyone know if bmw extended maintenance would have covered the struts/bushings? My car previously had that.

 

Amazing post! Thank you!

I thought the n18 still had these tensioner issues? My car is an 08 and had the valve cover replaced almost 2 years ago, would this have been with the updated design for the pcv valve? I think my car only needs to have the walnut shell service and transmission fluid done unless there is some unforeseen leaks in the previously stated places!

Does anyone know if bmw extended maintenance would have covered the struts/bushings? My car previously had that.

Also, the price seems kind of high for the car you are looking at, I'd spend the extra 2-3k on the 2011-2012. Maintenance is key for these cars and though my car was pretty well maintained I am still going to do some preventive maintenance just in case.

 

Side note: Blunderbird, don't replace the stock struts with stock struts. Koni FSD's (stock height) or Koni Yellows (lowered) ride and handle much better than stock. There are other brands out there.

Have fun,
Mike

 

I own a 2007 MCS that had 45,600 miles when I purchased it and have owned it for a little more than a year now, three months after I purchased it I heard the "Death Rattle" as they call it, I purchased a 6-Year Extended Warranty ($200 deductible) so Mini billed MaxCare for $1400 and I paid the $200 deductible which means it totaled $1600. Then during the Summer months of 2013 my thermostat housing started leaking coolant on top of transmission housing and leaked down the rear of transmission.

My valve cover had to be replaced because it was leaking oil around the coils and down the rear of valve cover, another $200 deductible. I have the intake valves cleaned using the Mini dealers walnut blasting, they have to remove the intake manifold to perform this. I strongly recommend this and also strongly recommend getting a cylinder compression test, these Mini with the N14 engine consume (sometimes drink) oil at an alarming rate. Typical oil consumption for N14's is one quart of oil every 1000-1500 miles.

Unless you can afford a warranty look for a MCS with an N18 engine, save up your money or your budget will be drained quickly. Think about that, why three previous owners. It makes you wonder how this car went through that many owners should tell you something, it's a red flag. I'll admit I'm kind of lucky that my MCS is in good condition, compression is strong on the engine.

It's typical for any N14 to go through at least one timing chain, valve cover, water pump, turbo oil line and thermostat housing in its life, that's just off the top of my head. My replacement water pump was made from aluminum where the factory one is made of plastic, you might just replace it now rather than later. Get a compression test if you decide to buy because that will tell you a lot about the condition of the wear and tear of the engine.

 

So if the 2007-2010 MCS's are that worrisome, are the 2006MCS's better or worse?