Hi guys. I just wanted to briefly tell you about my car. I finally got it where I want it. I picked up this 2011 MCS, 6 speed, 115K miles, clean title, original owner. The car needed work but was drivable. It had a bad oil leak, but that was it. He told me the clutch was done couple years back and that there was no engine or transmission issue. The seller took it to the dealer and they quoted him $5,000 for a bunch of stuff. So he ended up selling it to me for $2,700. (my previous car was a base 2003 cooper)

All parts I put in the car were genuine, oem, or reputable aftermarket. No off brand ebay parts.

The oil leak was due to oil cooler seal and turbo pipes. The leaks totally stopped with a new seal and pipes. I Kept the oil cooler as these don't go bad. New water pipe. New water pump. New thermostat housing. New turbo seals. New turbo pipes. At this point I was happy. Car was running fine and was not leaking anything. Not all the work was necessary but I thought why not. I have the front clip off, most of these parts are probably original, and I want a reliable car.

Fast forward 6 months. I was almost putting in a quart of oil WITH EACH TANK OF GAS!!! I would be at red light, press the gas, the entire intersection would be FULL of white smoke.

At this point I needed help. So I found a guy who had a shop as a hobby. I found him on craigslist. He is a mechanical engineer who also builds cars from scratch in his spare time. He does top notch work at 60/HR and gives me discounts on top of that because we've become friends and I bring him all my cars/business. I told him I read on north american motoring that it was my valve seals, so I wanted that done. He did that without removing the head. He also saw the intake valves were gummed up with buildup. So I had him walnut blast it. I got my car back and wow. Felt like a whole new car. He did mention I had a vanos code that went away after cleaning one of the solenoids. However my gut told me the car was not at its full potential yet. My mechanic did a leak down test and told me the engine was solid and healthy. This renewed my spirits.

A few months went by and I felt the power and acceleration deteriorate a little. I had an intermittent vanos code again. So I bought two new solenoids. I couldnt afford the genuine ones which are like $450 for a pair so I bought URO ones for $70 for the pair. They worked perfectly. Btw I also had him change the transmission fluid and clutch slave cylinder (oil seep) and new crank seal since it was slightly dripping. I also got new tires since it needed it.

Now its been 4 months. No leaks, drips, seeps, or codes. It pulls so much harder than when I bought it. Everything is so smooth. It idles so clean. There were several times I wanted to sell this car. I got close to pulling the trigger on a couple. But I decided to stick with it. I'm so glad I did. It basically runs brand new. I knew the engine and transmission were healthy, so I decided I would stick with it. It was running when I bought it and it has never broken down on me.

This might sound like a lot of work, it was. But we did it over time. A lot of the work I did with my dad who is a retired mechanic. We had owned a mini before. We got parts from ECS and FCP Euro. Finding a good independent mechanic was really important. Anything we fixed or got fixed never came back up as an issue. It was a process but was worth it. For what I paid for the car I am way under what its market value is. I look forward to breaking 200K miles on this thing. It is such a blast. (next up coilovers!)

MOST IMPORTANTLY: This would NOT been possible without you guys. This board answered all of my questions and there is much knowledge here its mind blowing. So thank you all! This place is the king of Mini boards!