I bought a 2003 mini cooper S that I really love. But i've only had it for a little while and I'm having problems and I don't know what to think. Are they normal? Are they things that are serious or minor? The car only has 75k miles and I am not sure if I got swindled...

1. The rear brakes make a scrubbing sound when I brake.
2. There's an engine squeal at 2-3k RPM.

None of these things happened when I test drove it and it has been freezing cold here since I bought it.

I'm worried. Am I going to be pouring money into repairs for the duration I own this car? I love it, but I fear that I've made a mistake.

 

Has the brake warning light come on? The light should come one when the brake pads are pretty worn out. Do you know if the car still has the original brake pads? You will get a few miles of squeal before the light comes on as the wear indicator's casing wears out.

It is possible the previous owner may have removed the brake wear indicator from brake pads that he/she may have installed in which case you will not get the light and what you may be hearing is the backing plate scrapping on the rotors already.

The engine squeal might be a bad belt.

If you join a local MINI club someone might be able to help you out. Or perhaps someone here on NAM who lives near you might offer some help. Good luck!

(Welcome to NAM )

 

The squeal is just a worn drive belt.

How do the brake pads look back there? Is it a constant scrubbing or an intermittent scuff scuff scuff?

 

I had a scrubbing sound that my tires made because they were at the end of their life. How much tread do you have left?

Also, these are maintenance items you've said, so any car will need these things looked at! GL.

 

Your brakes are probably worn. There are no warning sensors on the 2003 S so you won't get warning other than the squeal. You should have someone look at them and if they are worn consider pads and rotors all around. It's a good easy do-it-yourself job.

As for the squeal. Do you know if it had a pulley change? It could be simple like a worn or wrong sized belt. But could be worse. You should have someone who knows what they are looking at check it out. If it's simply the belt you'll be good to go in 15 minutes.

But what you probably have not looked at are strut towers and rear control arm bushings which are probably shot on a 2003 at this point. And they are prone to oil leaks too so watch your oil level regularly as depending on where it leaks you may not see drops on the driveway.

Good luck with the car. Artoo is also a 2003 R53. With proper maintenance yours should last a while but without someone competent looking at it and knowing what you paid, we'll stay away from the swindled question.

Rich

 

No. 14 on the diagram. They are RR and LF sensors for MCS brakes.




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