I recently bought a used 2008 Mini Cooper S Clubman. It ran pretty great and the owner didn't report any major issues. My sister borrowed my vehicle and went over some pretty rough road very quickly. In her words, she went over a speed bump very quickly and flew. The right front side of the car hit the pavement pretty hard. It seemed fine, but the day afterwards a large puddle was underneath it.

It isn't oil or the brake fluids that leaked. I think that it was the coolant, but I am not sure. The fluids were clear and have a watery oily texture to it. It is leaking under the front right side. The other problem that has started is that the sputtering. You have the hold the button for awhile to start up.

I drove it after it leaked and there hasn't been any issue with the transmission. I am having someone look at it this week. However, has anyone have any idea what the leak might be? I have no idea where to start on the engine sputtering so any ideas would be great.

 

Might just be condensation from the air conditioner. When I drive, pull in garage, I get a puddle of clear water. I forget where. You could test this by driving with the a/c on , pull in garage check later. Then drive with no a/c, pull in garage, check and hopefully no water.

 

Coolant usually is not colorless. My mini has a dark green or blue color. If you feel it, coolant is kind of slick. And beware that coolant is toxic If animal or people drink it accidentally. If you have oil in coolant, it will become milky and that mean you may have some problem like bad head gasket. For the sputtering, I think it's usually fuel delivery problem. I am not sure if a bad head gasket can cause this.

 

Might be leaking from the thermostat housing.