I'm a very gung-ho, soon-to-be Mini Cooper S owner and plan on placing the big order this week. Today I was told to beware of engine failure due to water getting into the engine. I did the search for "hydrolock" on the site and found plenty of scary stories about bent rods and engine replacements. It seems to be an issue more with the older non-S Cooper due to the low location of the intake. Even with common sense taken into account, this is still a bit scary for a future motorer.

My question is, does this potentially apply to the R56? It seems like the intake on the Cooper S sits pretty high in the engine compartment, but hopefully someone can reassure me a little before I take the plunge.

Thanks

 

I can't imagine that this would be a problem with R56 Cooper S's. The air intake is pretty high up...I guess if one tried to ford a 24" stream, hydrolock might be a problem, but under normal circumstances I don't forsee a problem.

 

You'd have to check the owners manual to be sure, but since the engine has been completely flipped around it seems there'd be a big difference.