Please keep in mind I'm not particularly mechanically inclined. I can change my oil and brakes but not a lot else. I'm leaking quite a bit of coolant but still haven't seen any over heating. The leak, which I haven't traced is occurring at the front of the car. Where should I start to look? I replaced the valve cover gasket a couple of months ago. Cooper is a 2005 R53.

 

depending on where the puddle is, (is it puddling?) it could be the radiator, a hose, the water pump, or the thermostat gasket.

If it's on the passenger sideish it's probably the water pump or radiator, if it's drivers sideish it's more likely the thermostat gasket, a hose or radiator. I want to say that when my thermostat gasket failed the coolant ran down the side of the engine and off the oil pan. Just have a peak under the hood, or from underneath the car to see, or take it to a shop and have it pressure tested (or they may be able to find it without pressure testing it)

None of it's too hard to change, and there's DIY's for pretty much everything, and nothing's too expensive, I would check your coolant level and keep a close eye on it until you get the leak fixed though to prevent any overheating problems.

 

Things can travel down hoses and drip down causing it to appear it's leaking from one place. Check all radiator hoses and the radiator for any cracks. The thermostat as well can leak as it's made of plastic and can get a hairline crack, which typically pools on top of the transmission. It's important to get under your MINI and start looking around for the source of the leak.