So had some time to go over the car, an 2002 Cooper S. This is what I found.

Valve cover leaks, oil pan leaks, crank sensor o-ring leaks. Control arm bushings cracked. Upper strut mounts cracked. I can't see mushrooming, but I could be mistaken.

Power steering fan is jammed.

Anything else I should look for?

I think I will have someone do the control arms. Does anyone know what Greasy's in Worcester charges for something like that?

 

Greasy's reputation is so good, I'd just suggest take it over there and let them develop a prioritized list, and price the top few items.

Not everyone is fortunate to have a good garage within their reach.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

I'd be looking for the door.

 

As in getting out of the car and offload to someone else?

I paid 6k for it, so I am not expecting a garage queen! I few K in work is not a big deal to me, some I can do myself, some I cant, others I just dont have the time!

 

I'm sure Pete (AKA Greassy) would be happy to work on it. He is a great guy, especially when it comes to giving you a recommendation on to diy or not an item..the learning curve on Mini's are pretty steep, and bolts tend to stick/seize on Mini's exposed to snow/salt...so it can be nice to have a lift, tons of tools and spare parts!!
Unlike the dealer, Pete knows folks are not made of money, and he knows folks need to budget for stuff, cars are usually not perfect, but need to be safe and relilable. For example, you oil leaks might be ok to monitor, and check you oil more often, and wait, but the bushings might make steering dangerous....
I bet keeping you budget in mind, he would, as stated earlier, figure out a priority list, and do stuff now that needs it, and limp the other stuff on till you need/want to have them done based on their condition.
Besides that, it is a great place to hang out at times. I have learned tons about cars there.

 

In that case it doesn't sound bad! I'd get something like that to build a track toy.

 

To continue with what Zippy said, once you get into the mindset of every bolt needing a good soaking in PB blast or something then they arent that bad to work on.

The valve cover leak is very minor, something I would suggest DIYing if you are looking to do something a bit more than an oil change. Just remember the PB blast. That said if you keep on top of the oil level it is fine to let it go, I have had a small leak on my valve cover since it went out of warranty, very low on my priorities list (outer ball joints come first).

The control arm bushings is something you want done. At the same time you should do the oil pan gasket. If your mechanic is going to remove the subframe to do the control arm bushings then the oil pan is basically right there. If my memory is correct the only way to drop the pan (and in turn replace the gasket) is to drop the subframe anyway.

Fixing the power steering fan is also very, very easy. That said if your mechanic is already under the car working on it replacing the fan only adds like 5 minutes of work. It is that easy to replace.

No idea about fixing the crank sensor leak.

 

+1 for Greasy's shop...

 

I'll also add a my .02 for Pete. You can't go wrong taking it there. He can give you a complete list of things that will need to be done and prioritize them so that you can get them done over time. Simply put, Pete is AWESOME!

 

The oil pan can be removed without dropping the subframe. But if the subframe is down, it will be easier to remove the pan since the bumper is out of the way, allowing for the a/c compressor to come off (bolts to the oil pan).

 

I did not know that! It would be kinda sucky to have to drop the subframe if you had to change an oil pan gasket.

 

I've dropped my oil pan twice, or was it three times? Anyway, I am well versed in it's removal.

My oil pan gasket still leaks, but it is minor weeping, caused by how the oil sits in the pan and my poly engine mounts. The gasket is below the oil level plus the lower engine mount bolts between the subframe and the oil pan, so all engine movement that the mount used to absorb is putting sheer force on the pan. I can live with it for what the poly mounts do.

The weeping never causes a pool of oil.

The last time I put the gasket on, I used liquid gasket to try to help seal it up better.

I drew this awhile ago to illustrate, it is slightly exaggerated:

 

Thanks for all the help guys!

 

If you're still under your car, I would check the crank pulley damper for cracks in the rubber, and the belt tensioner pulleys, strut damper bushings and throw a new belt on. Tensioners are good for about 60K, and the super charger belt anywhere from 30 to 60K has been my experience.