Can anyone provide me with a diagram of the engine bay for an R56 Cooper S? I'm not very car savvy and I want to make sure that I don't mess something up, as I've only had the car for a few months. I am trying to top up my brake fluid, and I'm not quite certain where the reservoir is.

Thanks.

 

Why do you need to top up your brake fluid?

 

Because it's low.

 

if you cant find the brake fluid reservoir,how do you know if the fluid is low? if it is low, be sure to use dot 4 brake fluid

 

It is on the drivers side at the firewall under a door.

 

There should never be a time that you would need to "top off" the brake fluid. If the fluid is low, it means you either have a leak or your brake pads are low. If you have a leak, take it to the dealer. If your pads are low, they need to be replaced (and just the replacement will bring the brake fluid level back up).

 

So if the brake light has come on what does that mean?

 

Light means there is a problem in the brake system or the pads are worn out. The other poster is correct...there should be no need to add fluid as long as there is no leak. As the pads wear the caliper pistons need to be further out of the caliper and this takes additional brake fluid that comes from the reservoir. When the new pads are installed the caliper pistons are pushed back into the caliper making the excess fluid go back into the fluid reservoir. If you top off the fluid and then install new pads the fluid will overflow the reservoir when the caliper pistons are pushed in. This will make a big mess. It either has a leak (must be fixed) or has worn out pads (must be replaced).

http://www.familycar.com/brakes.htm

Good info on brakes in genaral on this site.