Its the 3rd time in 3 years that im refilling the coolant fluid in the tank of my mini. And the gap between 2-3rd time was less than a month. What might be wrong? A leakage perhaps? Where and how can i check it?

 

Not to be insulting, but you are certain that you're filling the coolant reservoir and not the window washer fluid reservoir...? Both reservoirs are in close proximity to one another, but have different caps (screw-off on the coolant, snap-off on the window washer). Remember to let the car cool down for a while before removing the cap on the coolant reservoir; the system is pressurized, and if you remove the cap immediately after shutting off the engine, you could wind up with scalding hot coolant all over you!

Assuming that you are losing coolant, are there any strange puddles underneath the car after it's been parked for a while? If so, the relative location might point toward the source. In some cases, you might need to get down underneath the vehicle to pinpoint the actual source.

The most likely candidates are a leaky water pump (seems to be a weak component on the MINI) or leaky coolant reservoir (the plastic that BMW/MINI uses seems to get brittle over time). Sometimes the cracks/holes in the reservoir are difficult to find; but as the system is pressurized, it might be a little easier to spot immediately after shutdown. Just be careful if you're groping around the reservoir!

I also seem to recall that a bad thermostat can be a leaky point as well.

And it's not out of the question for a hose or coolant line to develop a leak; I know there's one hose that runs either to or from the radiator, near the bottom, and the bracket that holds it up has a tendency to come loose or break, allowing the hose to drag along the ground. Eventually, that hose will wear through and develop a leak.

All of those things failing, and the system is not leaking to the best of your ability to determine, you might have a failing head gasket. Obviously, the coolant has to be going somewhere, and if it's not leaking out, then the engine might be consuming (burning) it. Usually if the gasket has developed an appreciable leak, you'll have white smoke coming from the exhaust. Another way to potentially confirm a failing head gasket is to remove the oil filler cap or dipstick and check it for some mayonnaise-like residue (possible sign that the coolant is getting mixed in with the oil).

Good luck!

 

I have an 07 S and my coolant level kept dropping but I couldn't find any leakage anywhere. It ended up being the thermostat and hosing (cracked). The reason there was no puddle under the car is because of a pan/shelf under the motor that kinda holds the liquid. Also, like the previous post said, leaky resorvoir bottle is a common problem. If it's leaking you should be able to run your finger around the seam and if you see a white powdery substance, that could be the issue. good luck

 

Thanx guys for the help, although im not familiar with all this terminology i will check and let you know

btw. I think my mini is beginning to fail in different sectors i also have the oil issue since purchase, this time i measured it, i did 1700km and the oil level went from max to min. is this normal?

 

You said oil level did you mean the coolant level? If you meant the coolant level, no, it is not normal. After shutting off the car let it set abit before really checking the coolant level because the level will be a little lower until it cools abit and then the level in the resorvior will rise due to pressure release. Any build up of pressure and the releasing of pressure will drain some of the coolant back into the resorvior.

 

It's not abnormal for turbocharged MINI's to burn oil, although there doesn't seem to be a lot of rhyme or reason as to whether or why it does. Some vehicles seem to be pretty tight and don't burn a drop; others seem to consume oil at varying rates. I've heard it speculated that all BMW's (and therefore, MINI's) will begin to burn oil as they age, but I don't know whether that's a fact or someone at BMW/MINI planting a seed about what's 'normal' for BMW/MINI engines...

Best advice is to check your oil level frequently and keep it topped off.

 

Ok, apparantly you are having oil issues also. OK, I think the 1700 km is about 1050 US miles. If you went from full line to low line (little round nubs on dip stick), that would be equal to about 1 quart of oil. My service advisor tells me that a turbo S can use up to a quart within 800-1000 miles. I must be lucky because my level stays the same. I do check all my fluids at LEAST weekly and more if I do any longer trips.
Supposedly that is normal, at least normal for BMW. Main thing is don't let it go lower than bottom round nub. Keep extra oil in car and add when needed (DON'T overfill, however). I've been told that under or overfilling can cause damage. Getting back to your coolant level. Keep a close eye on that, you definitely don't want to cause overheating due to no or low coolant level. Wish there was a good 07 instructional for replacing the thermostat, it would have maybe saved me $450.

 

no by oil level i mean just the engine oil, a different issue

 

Took mini to the dealer and as they said, it was a thermostat, cost 200euros, what a bummer!

 

Thermostat issue a bummer. I think I would have tried replacing it myself if I would have known then what I know now. Still probably a pain in the a__. Good luck. So, far mine is working fine and since the dealer installed it, it has a 2 year warranty.

 

ok but replacing it, means that you must be aware what the fault is, being aware means that you already put pressure in the cooling system, and that means that you must have the appropriate tool or whatever, anyway

btw why haven't we made a permanent thread with "how to" videos? i did recommend it but noone wants to apparently!

what does a thermostat look like anyway?

 

I have yet to figure out how to cut and paste on this site (I'm not PC literate) but if you do a google "what does a thermostat look like on a 2007 mini cooper s" it'll bring up NAM. Look at the post from 05/27/2011 by BoostedMini. Shows pics and instructions on how to change it.
It looks like a 'heart' lol. It's under the How To:R56 heading.

 

can you plz post a link so i can find it cause i cant seem to locate it!
oh ok i got it, but i dont see any "how to" pics

 

Are you looking at the one by BoostedMini? It shows R56: Thermostat housing and thermostat. Has a set of pics showing each step. I'm going to try and get my wife to help me figure out how to post stuff on this site but she's been busy lately. Sorry for my stupidity on pc's. I've found lots of how to's for various things. Sometimes you just have to place the wording just right to have something come up. The posting for the therm. housing and therm. is from this site but I sure can't find it searching.

 

i still don't see any pictures, where are they?

 

Do this exactly!!!!

On a google search type in:

REPLACEMENT OF THERMOSTAT AND HOUSING ON 2007 MINI COOPER S

Should bring up re How to replace the thermotat? Mini Cooper : : North American

3rd line down you should see:

HOW TO: R56 - Thermostat Housing + Thermostat - North American

 

i gotcha now! thanx

 

It doesn't look too hard to do if you are sure that's where your leak is coming from. I found another one out there in reference to changing out the water pump. That looks like a PITA. Hopefully, it is only the thermostat. The dealer wants $450 to change out the thermostat and I read dealers want around $600 for the water pump.
The only good thing about the dealer changing out the part, is they give a 2 year warranty.
Good luck.

 

ok thanx, what i wanna ask if anyone knows is, why do those parts break? many minis have issues either with the thermostat or the water pump, in my dads car Golf6 there are no such issues