Warranty is handled dealer by dealer and each dealer interprets what is a warrantyable item a little differently.

Since you're in NY, what matters more is what your dealers view is of mushrooming. From the feedback on the forum I've read to date, the NY dealers are taking the position that mushrooming is not a warranty issue and that mushrooming is the result of the rough NY roads. There have been many cases I've seen where NYC NAM members have not had mushrooming deformation covered under warranty.

Here's a link for reference regarding NYC and mushrooming

 

I just read that thread, thank you.

Has anyone tried putting on m7's and found that yes indeed they do stop mushrooming?

I much rather replace struts than think about my body getting bent.

 

Only time and miles will definitively answer your question about the M7 approach. Personally, I am tending to gravitate toward the camber plates - they seem to provide a 2-edged solution (protection for mushrooming and being able to adjust the camber (the stock MINI suspension does not provide for camber adjustment)).

 

A set of M7s are on their way to me as we speak. After the 'pound-down' and install, I'll keep watch. Only time will tell.

 

same here! ordered a set and the car doesnt exist yet will be receiving it in 3 weeks about. 109 dollars is worth the gamble.

oh, and the 25 torque needed is minimum torque, its not max, max is much higher by tens, Peter from m7 said. technically, you dont need a torque wrench just a strong hand and an extra couple of pulls on the wrench. i need to get a 13 mm head for my ratchet now.

 

Be very careful about this. The bolt is made of a soft metal. I've sheared off one bolt and then discovered my other strut bolts had stretched threads. It would be a safe precaution to torque only to 25 and not over.

 

Well, ok. maybe that is sound advice.

Anyone suggest an inexpensive torque wrench to buy?

Do they easily accomodate a ratchet head or how does that work. i know it needs a 13 mm one.

 

i have a 2003 mini cooper s, it has the stock suspension, and non-runflat tires 205/45/17 on the s-lite rims. i have mushrooming
on my drivers side shock tower, a bent guide support, and no strut mount cracks. it may have been some rough train tracks, or a
pot-hole, the rim is fine and nothing more is bent. oddly enough the anignment guys said my right front had wacky camber.
ive been reading about this nearly all after noon in hopes of finding some solution. the info surounding this mushroom effect is sketchy at best.

here is a summaray of all i can find on this topic from here and from other forums.

---terms used---
1. shock tower-(frame), the painted part that the whole damper asymbly bolts to.
2. strut mounts-(rubber), mounted inside of the guide support, the top of the damper fits in its center.
camber is 'held' in place by its flexibility.
3. guide supports-(metal), contains the strut mount. the guide support is mounted to the spring/damper,
and is bolted to the shock tower by three bolts.
4. mushrooming-a deformation on the shock tower, named for its buldging shape, said to resemble a mushroom.

---problems discribed---
1. mushrooming on shock tower-
caused by hard bumps/curbs/pot holes. the strut mounts do not need to be cracked for this to occur. in severe cases the guide
support is bent.

-A. known remedies

a. the 'cave man' way- elevate car (no load on suspension, supported in a safe manner), use wood(a 2X4) and hammer(sledge
or rubber) to flaten metal to spec, then seek an alignment.
b. the 'non-violent' method, it is discribed here yet requires a fair degree of skill to fabricate the rig:
<https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=74525>

-B. preventative measures

a. install m7's shock tower plates or shock tower stress bar.
b. install after market camber plates.
c. using both would be ideal.


2. cracked strut mounts-
the rubber bushings that hold the camber in place may crack from hard driving or wear and tear. this can occur independant from
mushrooming but this is not always the case.

-A. known remedies

a. get them replaced at the dealer or by yourself, warranty issues vary greatly based on region and dealer.
b. replace with a after market camber plates.

-B. preventative measure

a. incidentaly the remedies are the preventative measure in this case, although the after market camber plates are the best
option.


3. bent guide support-
if you have mushrooming you most likely also have a bent guide support and bent guide support bolts.

-A. known remedies

a. replace with factory unit.
b. replace with after market camber plates.

-B. preventative measure

a. as with the strut mounts both remedies here are a fix but the camber plates are the better, more permanant option.




this part number has been floating around but it is unclear whether it goes with the strut mount, or the guide support, or if the
two are infact attached when ordered.
part number 31-30-6-769-741 (for whole assymbly?)

---one last note, to prevent this headache all at once, replace the strut mount/guide support with after market camber plate, and
install m7's shock tower plate or brace. the combination of both should ensure no future problems.
feel free to correct anything that needs it, i.e. if my part names/descriptions aren't to your liking.

 

I would like to confirm, is there only one part number for the strut guide support for 06 MCS no matter I have ss+ suspension or base S suspension? Not including JCW which I don't have.

 

is by looking at REALOEM.COM. They show all active parts for the Mini and all BMW products. It may take a little hunting around, but the information is there.

Matt

 

I went to that site and only saw one part#, I guess there's no difference between SS+ and MCS for strut guide. Thanks for the prescription, Dr. Obnxs and I like reading your article in MC2.

 

And thanks. Just put the finishing touches on the next one on suspension mods...... But you'll have to wait for the mag for all the details!

Matt

 

I brought it in today and SA said the tech believed it's only a casting mark, not a problem. So, they shot it down as warranty repair even after I offer to use the OEM strut guide I purchased at different dealer. Do they want to see the whole mount has a crack like the Grand Canyon before it's covered! For Pete sake, the part is only $40 and I am paying for it

 

crap it looks if i have one as well

 

just in time as I have just 700 miles left on my 50k warranty

Dominic -- How did you get 50k warranty? Is this one of the parts that get a longer warranty or is this an after warranty warrant

 

So is there an OEM fix for this? Like a new mount made of better material? I'm about to replace my shocks and it would be a good time to "upgrade" if a fix is available?

Or are they just replacing them.....only for them to crack again down the road?

 

Activate thread revival!

So I found that my passenger guide support is torn and the driver side is flattish. Got parts from Classic MINI and took Charlie in to my local Les Schwab but they said they didn't have the special BMW tool to torque the top nut. You need a slotted socket to counter brace with an allen wrench.

Per side, Les Schwab seems to think it's a 30min job, local dealer says 2.5hrs. And dealer is $20/hr more and an hour drive.

Anyone have a recommendation as to where I could:

Get the tool (31 2 210) that Les Schwab needs to add to my arsenal? Tried Ebay, Google, no takers.

Different shop in Seattle that are used to working on MINIs? Les doesn't have a narrow enough rack for MINI alignment.

Suck it up and pay the dealer, long drive and all? They know what they are doing, yada, yada. I like working on my cars. It keeps me in tune with what's going on. I'm no master mechanic, and in this case I don't have a spring compressor, but it's a drag have to go to the dealer for everything. Charlie is out of warranty ('03, 9/02 build, expired in Nov 06, 47k current)

I've read that the IE camber plate + SRP/B is the best fix, but I can't lower the car any as I already scrape on a regular basis when getting on/off the ferry. Not quite sure if lowering will be a result of the plate fix.

 

KnottyMan
I just installed some Ireland Eng. fixed camber plates. These will not change your ride height at all. Ireland uses a bearing from one of the BMW's and they have said it is from a model which is much heavier than the MINI so I would assume it to be more durable. I have not read that anyone installing these have had a failure. By the way some other camber plates will raise your front ride height, not lower it. Helix plates will raise it 1/4". If you desire to keep the same NVH you will still want a camber plate that has the bearing mounted in rubber or urethane. If you get the ball style you may induce a rougher ride or noise. If you are handy you can make your own tool to release and tighten your strut nut. It is a 21 mm (.8274) nut and also a 13/16 (.8125) will work.
I used a 21mm deep socket and cut a window into the socket so I could insert the allen wrench. I cut the window using a high speed dremel and a cut off wheel. Later I found that I had a 13/16 Craftsman spark plug socket that had the ability to be used as a socket or it had a six point area at the top of the socket that could be used with a wrench. The only problem with using that is you have to torque the nut back on so you would have to use a crows foot on your torque wrench to re-install. Cutting the window in the 21 mm deep socket worked just the same as the OEM tool and was fairly easy to do. The camber plates are the best way to prevent mushrooming and even better if you want to put the M7 plates or a strut brace on top.
I hope this helps, Steve

 

Thanks for the idea Steve. Something to think about.

I'm wonding why the dealer is spec'ng so much more time. I'm thinking maybe they are planning for mushroom fixing as a given necessity?


The other problem is that Les can't do alignments. Oh the problems of small.

 

I started to get some mushrooming on towers, so I got M7 plates and CONVT front bars. While installing we noticed that my "Top Shock/Strut Mounts" visable in hole below towers were torn/sheared through (another problem) Would camber plates address this??? Or would I still need to get new shock tower mounts??? Before I noticed this problem I wanted to get Koni Sport Shock and Hsport camber Plates, but would like to address torn black "top front shock tower mounts" (don't even know if thats proper name???)

Has anyone heard of the shock tower mounts for mini by Ruff-are they good?(not sure if the Porsche Ruff)

Felipe Hernandez
(213) 361-1471

 

So far I've had my SRP's on for six months, and hit some pretty bad pot holes. So far no mushrooming, or damaged strut mounts. The SRP's are a very good investment.

 

Just discovered cracked mounting plate on the passenger side this morning. It's 75 miles to the dealer, 52 mile round-trip to work each day. The crack is about 3/4 of the way around. Is the car OK to drive ( Ok, carefully) until dealer can schedule the repair?

 

I'd say not a problem, but don't drive hard, and watch for big bumps and pot holes. If you're out of warranty, just get the parts from the cheapest place you can (some give NAM discounts, like Classic Auto Campus) and do it your self, or take it to a good local shop for the work. It's 4 lug nuts, and 6 bolts on or near the strut per side to replace them.

Matt

 

Good Point , just don't know how long.... Anyway, thanks for the reassurance. It means a LOT coming from you.

 

Now it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll have the one and only catastrophic failure!

But I think there are lots of Minis out there with cracks and torn bushings, they just don't notice it. It it starts making TONS of sound, it's a sign that it's gotten much worse. Don't catch any air though!

Matt