Over the last three years, I solved a number of issues with my Mini and want to communicate those to you in case you encounter similar issues with yours.
Article submitted by reader Jim Burton
Car
2005 Mini Cooper, 80,000 miles, base model, 5-speed manual, sport suspension, well maintained, stored for the winter
Clutch Rattle
At idle, especially during a cold start, you can hear a rattling coming from the clutch area. This is a design problem with the clutch disk and it will not effect the life of the clutch. Mini has a redesigned the part to eliminate this problem. Make sure you get the redesigned part when doing a clutch job. Replacing a Mini clutch is very labor intensive, so customers should just live with the noise.
Mini Clutch Kit (Cooper) - Sachs K70341-02
Service Engine Light
The Service Engine light would come on in hot weather and the computer said it was the "knock sensor." The light would go out after a day or so, only to reappear a few days later. The light started to come on more frequently over the years. The solution was to replace the spark plug wires with high quality wires for around $50. The OEM wires are poor quality and only last around 4-5 years.
Mini Spark Plug Wire Set (Cooper) - Bosch 09799
Sluggish Performance
The Mini performed very sluggishly around town and the gas mileage was dropping into the 20s from the low 30s. With the A/C on it was difficult to get the car going and the engine sometimes bucked. There was no service engine light. The solution was a new Bosch battery ($110). This was the only battery besides the Mini OEM battery that would fit the battery box. I replaced the ten year old original battery and the car runs like new.
Front Control Arm Bushings
Front control arm bushings need replacement around every 60,000 miles. It's a weak design spot for these Minis. To do the job properly, the subframe must be lowered and that takes many hours of labor to do the job. Koch Tools created a high quality custom bushing press that allows you to press out the old bushings and press in the new ones without touching the subframe. The cost is $130 including shipping. I replaced mine with PowerFlex bushings from England.
Rear Tire Cupping
Minis with sport suspension tend to cup the rear tires very rapidly. When you rotate them to the front and the other two tires mounted in the rear cup, the tire noise becomes almost unbearable. This cupping is even worse if you install performance tires. The solution is to stay away from performance tires altogether on Minis. The cars are just too light. Instead, go with a high quality touring tire and set the alignment to that of the standard Mini (not the sport suspension). You will not notice the difference in performance and your tires will last much longer. The Bridgestone tire engineers in Nashville, TN helped me solve that one.
About the Author
Gareth runs the BMW catalog at FCP Euro, he can be reached at gareth@fcpeuro.com
