Hi All

Wanted to know if anyone has encountered this problem

Sometime ago I am felling that my steering has become more stiffer than it was when the car was new.
I have already drive a lot of Minis from friends and mine is the only one I detect this problem.
Also I have already tried Minis older then mine and with more miles and the steering looks more softer and easier to go around

I have also the sport button but if I turn it on it makes his job which is putting the steering stiffer and the faster throttle response.
The problem lies with the sport button OFF, meaning, the normal working procedure of the power steering.

Does anyone has any ideias of what this could be?

Thanks

 

Off the cuff, I'd say to start by checking the power steering fluid level; make sure it's within the operating range. Also, listen for any squealing noises from the pump when you're turning the steering wheel; hearing any (except at the extremes of the steering limits) could be a sign of impending pump failure.

Next place to look would be down under the car; make sure nothing is binding or stuck in the steering linkages.

 

How often do you check your power steering fluid? The R56 doesn't have a power steering pump that I know of, and thus, no fluid to check. It's all electric.

For the OP, I think mine has actually become lighter (34,000 miles on it right now) since new, so you might have a legitimate problem.

 

while it might seem obvious -- have you checked your front tires? Are they low? Are they worn or is the tow-in way off?

I've heard of no one with powere steering issued on a Gen II car.

 

Sorry. Thinking of R53 MINI's, I guess; symptoms are ostensibly similar to those described by OP. No need to be condescending...

 

Also check the wiring around the power steering system as it could be shorting out (thus a fire risk). But the power steering unit could be failing. Reading the power steering module event log would probably be a good idea as it may give some clues what is happening. The dealer could do this.

As a side note, using the sport button will make the steering "stiffer."

 

Not trying to be condescending. Sorry! There just happens to be a lot of misinformation that gets thrown around the forums.

 

Fair enough. No harm, no foul.

 

Maybe the laughing smiley face took it a little too far. I'll have to learn restraint!

For the OP, you said you've driven other MINIs (and older ones). Have you driven any other R56s to compare? If you have only compared it to R53s, they are two different systems and feel a little different. I see you're in Portugal so I'm not sure about the dealers there, but here I wanted to compare my car's clutch feel with another, and my dealer let me drive a used one (same year as mine) around the block so I could compare. Clutches probably vary more from car to car than steering, so you'd probably get a good comparison.

If it's still under warranty, best bet is to take it in to the dealer.