[SIZE=3] I recently took 10 Ball in for her first service. At that time, the dealer noticed a small power steering hose leak. A small enough leak that I was allowed to continue driving while waiting for replacement parts. Parts arrived a few days later, the hose was replaced, and all was well again. A day later, while backing the car out of the garage to do some spring cleaning, I noticed a new trail of oil. However, this time is was engine oil. Over a half-quart of oil had been lost in about 75 miles of driving. Back to the dealer the next morning. I got to drive a red Cooper convertible around all week, while waiting for a replacement oil filter housing.
I digress here, but felt like I was having another midlife crisis driving a red convertible. I needed a pair of very dark shades, thought about taking Rogain, and had an urge to move to Southern Cal. Other than my obvious dislike for any car that's 'look-at-me-red' [sorry to step on toes, but color is so subjective], what really bothered me about the convertible was the huge blindspot when the top was up. The blindspot was so big, you could fit a small New England state in it. Changing lanes in rush hour traffic was an act of faith, with the turn indicator on and listening for a honk. Although the audible back-up warning system is nice, now I know why MINI offers the optional aft viewing video system on the convertible. The half-full perspective: for a convertible, the car was surprisingly stiff and showed very little cowl shake. The car was so much smoother over bumps/humps than my S. Probably due to lower aspect [non runflat] tires, softer springs, and more mass. The latter definitely pushes the decision to opt for more HP in Cooper S over a Cooper. Back to that oil leak…
I guess there are a batch of '05 MINIs out there that have the potential for this oil filter housing leak. Perhaps in the same Fall '04 production run as mine. The leak requires the replacement of the entire oil filter housing assembly, not just the filter and cover, which also includes the oil cooler supply/return manifold. It's all covered under warranty. But can you imagine how this would impact a long road trip… If there's a lesson here, always make sure to carry a spare quart of oil. And if you have a car of Fall '04 vintage, keep an eye out for this problem.

Barry / 10 Ball ['05 S with 13K miles]
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There's an SIB out for it, 11 01 06, but it's not the whole housing but rather just an o-ring for the filter housing. Unless your problem is alot more serious than the one mentioned in the bulletin.

 

I just found a little oil on my garage floor yesterday. Looks like I'm headn into the dealer for a look see. Whats a SIB?

Thanks,

Rob

 

SIB is basically a bulletin that BMW/MINI releases for fixes for common known problems. This way they save time on diagnosing the problem and get it done quickly.

 

Thanks Bro

 

I got to see the actual part that was replaced and about to be returned by the parts department. It was the entire filter housing assembly. I have an interest in failure analysis and was wanting to take a picture of the problem, thinking there was a crack in the casting. The parts person took the assembly out of the shipping box and I couldn't see any cracks, due to all the oil everywhere. Mechanic wasn't around for me to quiz about the exact source of the leak. But once again, the dealer replaced the entire [about 4 pound] assembly under warranty. My leak wasn't a slow drip, over a half liter of oil was lost in about a day of city driving.

-B

 

Well your problem sounds more serious than what the bulletin calls for then. Glad you got it sorted.

 

mine too was replaced after I noticed a few drops of oil in my garage ...

 

Well it wasn't the oil housing unit or the O ring. It turns out MINI motor mounts have hydraulic fluid inside them. The one on the oil housing unit side of the motor is the one that was leaking. The service writer was a little surprised that this happened with only 17000 miles on a 2005 MCS. It was all covered under warranty.

 

So, it sounds like there are three potential oil leak sources near the oil filter housing: power steering hose, oil filter housing [from slow to fast], and the fluid filled motor mount.
-B

 

Watch those oil filter o rings. If they slip out of the groove as you are fussing with the installation, (and you can't see 'em under the shield) you will have one LARGE mess on your hands! I am sure you can guess how I know !