Hey guys, I have been losing coolant on my R50. The dealership I bought it from has not been able to find a problem, although it is a japanese oriented shop. Last night I put a board underneath the car to see if it's dripping out there. Here is a photo of the results.. there is a puddle and it seems to be coming from the red circled point. Can anyone offer any advice or information here? Thank you!

 

I'm sorry, apparently that isn't working quite right.

 

thermostat maybe?

 

Could be.. that seems to be a relatively common problem. I managed to get an appointment at the MINI dealership tomorrow. It's not where I purchased the car, so I will be out of pocket, but at least it'll be done right.

 

Power steering pump is right there. Could be that...

Why not find a good local mechanic? Dealer is going to cost you ca fortune.

 

Would I notice if there was a leak in the power steering? The car doesn't feel any different lately, and I am noticing a steep drop in the overflow tank levels.

I'm primarily taking it to the dealership because it is 2 blocks from my house and therefore pretty convenient. I may just have them diagnose and take it from there.

 

It looks pale green so I am assuming it's coolant. It's pretty watery, and I did top up the overflow tank with distilled water a few days ago when I first noticed it was running low. I felt around the coolant tank and wasn't able to find a leak, but I did dry everything out and am going to check again on it in a bit to see if I can find any "new" moisture.

I do have a third-party warranty that should cover it if I do need a new power steering pump or anything major. Do you have any idea what a thermostat problem might run me?

 

Sorry, I forgot to address that last question. I don't drive the car very hard, I do give it the occasional spirited run through the twisties but it is generally just 20km a day commuting, nothing aggressive. I have actually only put 1200km on it since purchase, mostly very conservative.

 

If it is green and watery then it is coolant and the location is consistent with the thermostat. Easily repaired for a few hundred.

 

Great, thank you! I did follow the leak up as far as I could, it's right around the area of the blue zip-tie in the photo. Is that consistent with the thermostat?

 

If the fluid is greenish, I doubt it's PS fluid.....And if the leak is at the back of the engine near firewall I would check the coolant tank bottle first.....they are a known problem.

 

Hey everyone, just an update. I took my car to MINI Victoria this afternoon, they called within the hour and told me it was indeed a leaky thermostat. She checked the status of my warranty and found I still have bumper to bumper coverage until Dec 22, so the thermostat is covered and they are also doing a free "MINI Clinic" to see if theres anything else I should have looked at while I'm still covered.

Thanks so much for all the help and suggestions everyone, it's great to be part of such a supportive community. I hope I'll be able to pass it on.