I am the OP of this thread. My 2009 Clubman S has 65,000 miles and I just completed the following services:

1. Replaced turbo oil feed line with Detroit Tuned line. The OEM line had a slow leak up top, getting the feed line heat shield oily as well as a light coat of oil and dust on parts in the area. I could also smell it burning a little after getting on the throttle.
2. Replaced turbo oil drain line. The OEM line was not leaking.
3. Replaced oil filter housing to block gaskets. The OEM gaskets were not leaking.
4. Replaced heat exchanger to oil filter housing gaskets. The OEM gaskets were not leaking.
5. Replaced vacuum pump o-ring as the service manager at the dealership I used to live near told me they tend to fail around 70,000 miles. I trust his advice.

It took me 16 hours to do all this. I did put the front of the car/radiator support in service mode which took me about 2 hours. I don't see how anyone could do these jobs otherwise.

A lot of time was spent figuring out where and how many bolts each part had and trying to figure out the best order to remove parts. Lots of socket-swapping: 8mm, 10mm, 13mm, 15mm, 16mm, 17mm. Needed deep sockets and many different extension lengths, even 1/4 to 3/8 and 3/8 to 1/4 adapters to get some of my sockets working.

I did make a mistake with the vacuum pump... I initially removed the 4 bolts which disassembles the pump, rather than just the 2 bolts that hold the pump to the head. It's very simple and interesting inside, but I had to remove it completely to reassemble it.

I used the Bentley YouTube video on the service mode. I hated removing the wheel arches because the clips tend to stretch or break when you remove them. Next time I would follow the Helix intercooler video section on separating the arch from the front facia. You just need to remove the turn signals to access the bolts and clips rather than remove the entire arch. My Bentley service manual was not of much help unfortunately.

 

Sounds like you did a good job with getting everything on the front of the motor at one time. Glad that you got it done and back together. Enjoy your MINI!

Have fun,
Mike

 

Luccia, I think it's awesome that you're putting together some DIY's. For a newcomer to the Mini Scene, it may be a huge help. I don't have one yet. I'm still on the hunt to find a decent one .. and sorting the info as I get it for what to look for.

Steve, kudos on the job you did.

 

The OP has saved himself thousands of dollars in labor and set himself up for fewer headaches down the road. Great job!

 

Yes I did! Worry free driving is what I was after!

I am elated to finally have this work done, with quality parts, on a budget, all while learning about my car. Maybe I'll even gather the courage to replace the timing chain or clean the intake valves when it is needed in the future.

For now I am just be happy for my busted knuckles, scraped elbow, and sore legs and arms to heal.

 

which parts will fail before 100K miles? on my MINI, all of them. I think that the only thing that anyone can do to extend the longevity of their car is to be extremely pro-active about routine maintenance and pay enough attention to one's car to notice warning signs before there is a catastrophic failure.

 

Stock battery died on me at 58,000 miles without warning. On any r56 you need to be prepared to have the thermostat replaced/updated as it's basically only a matter of time before it dies. Same for the high pressure fuel pump. Spark plugs at 50,000 miles. Tires and brakes as needed obviously.