I have two MINI's 04 S and JustA06 - Can you repair the strut towers to flat with just a hammer and a block of wood? I am looking to put the M7 braces on and am just trying to figure out if these mushroomed flats are ever flat?
Thanks.

 

Yes, after looking at other's pictures of mushroomed towers, I really believe I have had one of the worse cases if mushrooming. They were pounded back down flat as a pancake. That was 4 years ago. Jack the car up and pond away with a short handled sledge and some wood.

 

I hammered mine most of the way out with just a block of wood, then put the M7 plates on just "snug" then continued with the hammer and wood, slowly tightening the plates as they got loose from the towers flattening out. Nice and flat now.

 

Thanks for the replies - Do I need to jack up the car until the wheel is offf the ground? Do I do one side at a time or should I put both sides on jack stands?
Ready to get started tonight. and was hoping to hear opinions soon!

 

 

Not only should you lift the car so the wheel is unloaded, you should remove the strut before taking the BFH to your car. Then bend the strut top bearing plate separately from the frame. It looks harder than it is. It's four bolts to remove the strut: 1 18mm at the knuckle, and three 13mms at the strut top. Do the bottom first, and with the aid of lots of lube, slide the knuckle off the strut. Then remove the three 13s and out comes the strut. Be careful, and put the car on jack stands: you're going to have to use some elbow grease to get it done. We charge one hour of labor to do both sides.

 

OK - Now I have the tower land flat again and the M7 plates bolted down. Two questions: #1 I am not comfortable with the nuts with the attached washer not even being below the height of the bolts.
#2 Just dropping the hood it did not close...the water molding process has not been done. I also have the Alta CAI and will trim the surround to gain a little lower clearance but how much resistance should I have after the forming and trimming for the M7 brace.

Thanks.

 

Sometimes the bonnet blanket will form sufficiently to close with no issues. Sometimes it won't.

I removed mine, and cut most of the material off the back side of the blanket to make it very thin where it crosses the bar. No issues after that.

 

Is mushrooming obvious? I've looked at mine and they don't appear to be mushroomed, but would I know?

I'm going to get some STDs, but need to know if I need to do some repairs first.

 

If you have/had run flats you are probably in need of repairs. The low profile 17" tires and wheels were the worst.

 

There were 16" runflats on this one before I bought it. It now has non-runflat tires.

 

More than likely going to have to then. I'm unfortunately in the same boat my friend.

 

Easiest way to tell is to look at the three strut mount studs that extent up through the top of the strut tower. These three studs should be vertical and parallel. If they are "splayed" outward, so the tops point in vectors that move away from one another, then you're mushroomed. This is because, as mushrooming occurs, both the strut tower and the upper strut mount are deforming into that mushroom shape... so the studs are no longer mounted on a flat surface, but on one shaped like a pincushion.

 

I'll check those and use a level to see what their orientation is. Thanks.

 

Alright - Thanks for all the information on this thread. I thought I would give a final wrap on my findings. I have the Slites on a 04S that had mushroom problems. Yes I did hammer them flat with a block of wood wrapped in duct tape to prevent paint damage to the towers. Raised the wheels off the ground but did not remove the struts...just too lazy. Total time was about three hours and two weekends...don't ask. The M7 plates fit perfectly after the towers were flat. The hood liner was adjusted with the water soaking as described and formed over night. A few tips that went a long way..(1).use distilled water sprayed into the liner about a 1/2 gallon total. (2) Wrap the strut bar in protective plastic...and use talc powder or chalk dust sprinkled on the bar to highlight where the impressions to the liner need to be water soaked. (3) let the hood down to transfer the chalk / talc to the liner ..and presto the area is obvious. ( 4) get busy soaking the liner with spray bottle and press against the liner with the outlet of the spray bottle as you are doing it.. take your time and use 1/2 gallon. ( 5) close the hood until it latches and you could weight the hood with bird seed bags or common weight plates placed on protective towels.
Overall...great part from M7 and easy enough to do for the backyard novice. Hope this helps.