If it ain't broke, fix it? As my '02 Cooper approaches its 6-year birthday I was wondering if there are some repairs that might be less costly if they are done sooner rather than later. I just recently passed the 50,000-mile mark so it's not high mileage.

I have the original PS fan & motor, and when I mentioned the service bulletin to my dealer to separate it from the radiator fan, they said they only do that if there has been a problem. So I was wondering if replacing the fan would be a smart move at this time.

Another thing I thought of is the CV joint boots. Whenever I have had a front-wheel drive car, inevitably I have had to replace the CV joints. How long do the boots remain pliable/non-brittle?

 

i don't know if i'd do any preemptive fixes. but, i don't think having an "extra" power steering pump and fan on hand is a bad idea at all as the prices for the PS pump alone is outrageous.

BBA remanufacturing (google) will sell you a lifetime warranty remanufactured pump for $200 (+ a $150 refundable core charge) so even if you don't send your old one back your saving about $250 on the rebuilt pump from the dealer! not sure what the time frame is on sending the old unit back and getting the core refund though. you could call them. you could always eat the core fee and send your old PS pump to them to have rebuilt for $200 and sell it here and make your $ back or have another spare. you'd get 2 lifetime pumps for the price of one from the dealer!

but, are you doing the work at the dealer or on your own? if you're paying the dealer have you considered a good independent MINI specialist in your area if there is one? maybe check the regional florida forums here on NAM for one? i know i've saved about 50% going this route on labor for stuff i have no time to do- or can't do- or don't want to do.

if you're going the dealer route maybe having "back up" parts is a mute point i guess as they probably would refuse to use them. maybe you have an extended warranty?

if you're doing it yourself or at an independent who will let you bring your own parts i would probably keep a spare PS pump, fan and protective shroud, thermostat, maybe even a spare door lock and window motor on hand!

anything else i would just keep an eye on. sure others here will have some ideas.

 

If it's a manual transmission a good choice would be replace the clutch slave cylinder. They tend to not provide any sort of sign that they are going to fail, they just fail with the clutch pedal going to the floor and not coming back.