Hello, My name is Clint and I have just purchased a 2006 Cooper S. (Manual 6 Speed Transmission) It has the Premium Package and Sport Package and has 75k miles on it. I researched on-line and cant really find any common problems with the 2006 manual transmissions. What should I be looking for problem wise in this car? Thanks!

 

Congrats on the MINI S! The 2006 model was pretty bulletproof. The one tip I would like to mention is supercharger belt. I think at 60K they recommend having the belt changed so check to see is that has been done through service records. Other than that I can't think of anything.

 

Wecome on board.
+1 for belts
Also do the oil regularly (~5k miles) and bleed the brakes (most people don't think of that one).
Then go out and have fun.

As for problems, you can explore NAM here. But a word of caution. People will tend to post problems that they have (how do you report not having problems?). That doesn't mean you will have any problems. I know a Gen 1 owner with 200k on his car, tracks the thing regularly and has had no problems. I have a Gen 1 Justa Cooper with no problems. So like I said...enjoy.

 

Congrats, man! Last year of the Gen1, enjoy!

 

Congrats on the new car. The 2006 is a great year.
Common issues with the 2006 are:
- Coolant leak at the thermostat housing
- Black goo leaking out of the engine mount
- Worn out front lower control arm bushings
- Leaking oil pan gasket

 

Thanks for all the advice! I'll keep you posted.

 

I bought a 2006 Cooper S too Clint recently so welcome to the club. I was advised to get Strut Tower Defenders for the strut towers as they are prone to mushrooming due to the short travel of the suspension (you probably noticed the stiff ride). They are under $140 and you can get em from M7 Tuning or Cravenspeed. Worth the investment. Also if you have the moonroof and I didn't notice in your post if you did, make sure the rails the roof slides in are greased or the roof will stick.

 

All great tips but my first question is...

Are there currently any mods on it already? Is the SC pulley stock?

 

2006 s, manual, best of the gen1 r53's imo.
Congrats.
check for mods...another mini owner who has done them can likely spot them in just a few seconds...
Knowing what has been done is good to know...for example the belt size will be differsnt with a pully air filter differsnt with a cai.

 

congrats on the ride

 

Grats - you picked a great vintage: the 06 R53 is a fine, fine car. Not that I'm biased or anything

Drive 'er in good health!

 

I have had my oil pan gasket replaced 3 times in 2 years 2year parts warranty actually pays off! have fun!

 

My buddy ksminiman can spot aftermarket upgrades on the engine within seconds. He figured out my car didnt have an underdrive pulley.

 

Congrats on making, what I consider to be, a superb purchase for a used car! I have a 2006 S that had 17 miles on it when I drove it off the lot on May 13th, 2006. I just turned 104k yesterday and I put the 4th set of tires on it last week, still runs like a champ. We've had our moments but nothing that really wasn't out of the ordinary. Well, as i said, 'really' wasn't.

This is one issue that I wasn't aware of but was brought to my attention from perusing this site....There can be an issue with the Supercharger and I just happened to catch mine before it went catastrophic on me. Mini doesn't advertise this issue, there is no maintenance schedule for it from BMW and basically it seems that BMW took a calculated risk with regard to the failure of superchargers and decided the odds were in their favor. Basically the supercharger has 2 housings for oil. There is one on the front that holds 8 or 9 oz of oil and one that is on the back of the supercharger behind the water pump that holds 3 or 4 ozs of supercharger oil.. That is the one that, of course, tends to go dry and cause the supercharger to fail. Supercharger oil is an anomoly as well. I bought mine from a local Chevy dealer as they are the only ones who have it. Its $20 for a 4oz bottle. I think Ford may carry their version of the oils as well. Beware, the original oil that hasn't disappeared smells horrible. There are a couple of threads on here regarding this.

On my supercharger the one by the water pump was completely dry and the drive gears had started disintegrate. I cleaned out the housing, gears and bearing put the cover back on filled it up and its been fine since. I was lucky. The only reason I started looking at it was the sound that was coming from the engine had started getting much louder and it wasn't normal, I could tell something wasn't right.

 

gotta love an 06 PW MCS

 

Hello, Welcome to Nam.

I have the same year Mini S you have.

Take care of the little things and enjoy your new Mini S ! ! !

 

Thanks for all of the advice! As far as I know, the original owner did not put any mods on it, but then again....I'm not sure what to look for. So, its off to my mechanic =)

 

So.....to update everyone on my new 06 MCS. 1 day after purchasing it, I noticed that the heater stopped working. (I was on my way to my alma mater to watch a football game and was in the midst of a 2 hour drive.) No biggie, I have seen threads where this can be attributed to a malfunctioning thermostat. (normal for this model) So I watched the gauges, nothing abmormal, no "Check Engine Lights" on. Then within 30 miles, the check engine lights come on, smoke comes from out of the hood and I smell a distinct air of anti-freeze. The car starts to sputter and I quickly pull over. After towing it back to the dealership, (Carmax) I find that I have a bad thermostat AND a blown head gasket....and this is just the start. They haven't even gotten into the fact that there is MAJOR anti freeze now in the engine block. So....after much thought and consideration....I do LOVE this car! And up until it crapped out I was having a BLAST driving it, I decided to return the car and get a refund, thus I am out no $$ for this adventure. PS. Carmax was actually great during this whole adventure! So, my quest for another MCS continues. This has not deterred me in the least. =)

 

Bummer...As many have said, that should have been a keeper. Hope your search goes well. I have a friend with a Gen 1 and tracks the car. His just turned 200k with no problems. So don't despair. For your next Mini get a Scan gage; you will see much more that what BMW gives you with thier gages.