Had the winter tires put on today and the mechanic called me out to look at this. He said there was 1/4-1/2 inch play. What is this called and how hard is it to fix?? TIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

That's the infamous Lower Control Arm bushing (or LCA bushing) it's a bit of a bear to replace because almost everyone lowers/removes the sub frame to get at the other bolts that hold the bushing in place.

if you search the website you'll find tons of info on replacing these, and the general consensus is to replace them with powerflex bushings. You get better performance and longevity.

 

Hint: Click the down arrow on search and select 'Advanced Search'. It gives you more options and filters to refine your search.

 

Ok next question. Can they wait till spring or is this something I should get done right away?

 

I wouldn't say that it has to be done right away, but I don't think I'd wait til spring either.

The bushing being worn out will negatively affect your tire wear and it will also affect the handling. The bushings are around $100 and one member recently posted he was able to get his replaced for $400 so it won't break the bank.

 

Do you have a link to the power flex bushings? I can get those now then talk to the shop and see what they say about replacing them.

 

Click on the 'Marketplace' and visit the vendor pages. At the bottom of each vendor page is a selection for 'Specializing In', select suspension and it will narrow the vendor search. Several of the vendors carry Powerflex. You will be asked to enter the year and model of your MINI to be taken to the right 'shelf' in their shop.

 

Check this out, if you are ok with DIY these guys have some great articles: http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...eplacement.htm
I just had to replace mine and it is a lot of work but not that complicated, just taking off old and putting on new, pretty straightforward but it will take some time, I wouldn't make any plans that weekend, if you decide to DIY, Pelican also has the bushings. As long as you(or your mechanic)is doing this you might as well have your ball joints(inner and outer) checked as they are attached to the Lower Control Arm(LCA) and replacing them requires just a little extra time(and $ of course, Pelican has these too) at this point but if you have to do them later it will require doing basically the same amount of work as to replace the LCA bushings alone. Good luck and Motor On!!!

 

Here is all the components of the front suspension, get the Powerflex LCAB versions and its a one and done thing. 31126757561 left & 31126757562 right , part # control arm bushing with mount.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ll-joints.html

 

All the components are HERE. If any help is ever needed please just reach out to me and I will be glad to assist anyone.