Sanjay,

I think that I know a lot about the MINI...however, I not going to answer ur question on this one...because I'm not 100 percent sure of what the standard tire size was in 2005.

There has got to be a "Gen 1 Expert" out there who will answer this question for you.

BTW - Good luck tomorrow! ...And let us know what happens.

Best Regards,
Mr. Wisconsin .... not NJ!

 

One more thing... before you go tomorrow you can plug-in the last 7 of the VIN to see the options that the car has: http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html

 

There are a few tools about tire and wheel size at www.TireRack.com

You can also get a great idea of the price of the different tires all in one spot.

Motor on!

 

whoa second page - i never freakin noticed -_-
Thanks guys, going to my bank one more day today (they're giving me some issues) but if it falls through, checking the car one more time tomorrow. You guys are great! Really appreciated!

 

Hey, did notice that the flappy panels on the steering wheel to shift gears didn't seem to work when I was in Manual mode. Am i supposed to do something to get that going or...? Not a huge concern, I like the feel of the shifter itself.

 

So everything is falling into place, getting the title swapped this weekend. I am probably going to a reputable place to get the car inspected further, but at around 101k, what kind of maintenance should I consider getting done? I did check out the timing belt and it didn't show bad wear. I feel like the steering is a bit stiff, so I want the pump/fluid checked out, probably check the trans fluid as well. Anything else? Will take new pics this coming weekend!

 

Someone more knowledgeable than me will likely chime in but I'll give it a shot, even though I think the steering wheel on the '05 is slightly different than what I have. I have an '03 S with a Multi-Function-Steering-Wheel (MFSW), that has + and - buttons for adjusting speed while operating under cruise control. These buttons do not change gears. It sounds like this is what you are seeing on the '05, namely, the cruise control speed adjustment, which only works when cruise control is on.

 

The Power Steering Pumps have a long history of failure apparently associated with the Power Steering Pump Fan, so that makes a lot of sense to check out.

I wonder if the radiator fan cycling you heard could be because the low speed resistor on the radiator is dead. The coolant expansion tank is notorious for failure.

These cars have a timing chain rather than a belt so probably you were looking at the serpentine belt, aka drive belt, accessory belt.

I'd check the standard things: tire condition, brake condition, exhaust condition. I wish there were some easy way to test supercharger condition (maybe a trained ear can tell), because that is what worries me the most, aside from the Power Steering Pump & Fan.

If this is a private party sale I would have a close look at all the maintenance records to make sure things were taken care of as needed. 100k maintenance items: belt is probably due, spark plugs are due, oxygen sensors are recommended.

 

Thanks for the response Whohasgothteblues! Yeah, her records show the standard maintenance and the fan being serviced. And yeah, you're probably right with the belt.. where is the timing chain located?

Tires checked fine
Brakes work great (compared to the Subie)
Exhaust tone sounds normal, no leaks (any for that matter) - probably will try to go underneath this weekend

There was a shop someone mentioned in northern jersey, I'll try to check it out this weekend. Spark plugs and belt was my main concern - those were a hassle when they started going bad.

 

I've never seen the timing chain myself but I think it is buried in there pretty deep. I believe the thing that goes bad is the timing chain tensioner and apparently if you know what you are listening for you can hear the chain slapping when the tensioner is not doing its job. I think I have heard this affects mostly gen 2 MINIs but possibly also gen 1. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will speak up.

The spark plugs are an easy change.

 

these cars are a whole lot of fun! Good luck!

 

Drove it home last night, even my parents love the car. My mom didn't get a chance to drive it with me the first couple times I drove the car, but last night, accelerating from a lower gear gave her a thrill lol. Pics to come!

 

 

Congratulations! Enjoy it!

 

Sanjay,

Waiting for ur pics...

 

Thanks again guys - you guys were a strong influence. Here's some cell pics, going to take more official ones when my friend is free (and weather permits)

OFFICIALLY meet Alexandria (And the Subie is Khushi)

Both my ladies




Big sister is always watching!







Cat wanted in on this shot lol



More to come with some future suspension modding plans :D

Thanks again!

 

Lookin good! And thats my favorite body style for the Subies!

 

Thanks! Hey, I asked the lady who drove this before me, but she never used it so she wasn't exactly sure about some things, but the buttons on the steering wheel here


Whats the R/T and how does that phone button work? I haven't really fiddled with anything else but those other buttons looks self explanatory.

Also, Whats the forth and fifth button do in this one?


I got the rest. I need to clean the crap out of the interior here, but stupid rain today :(

And I agree... This model impreza is solid. Perfect weight for a wrx swap that I'm doing

 

The fourth and fifth toggle switches are for Rear and Front Fog lights. I've never actually seen a toggle switch bank that had the rear fog light switch populated but I have heard they exist!

That steering wheel is different than my older R53 so I'm going to hazard a guess: I think the R/T button is for switching between radio and telephone, if you have that option on your car. Maybe the phone button is to initiate a call?

 

A follow post up on the Multi Function Steering Wheel question: Did the former owner provide you with the manual? The precise description of how those features operate will be in there, and the description will note whether they were optional with your model year or standard.

Then, you can enter your VIN into the NAM VIN decoder and find out what equipment your car came with new:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...vindecoder.php

 

Nice!

 

Thanks again guys! Yeah, I'll just check out the manual when I can. And I remember that decoder site too. Will use both. Think my power steering may need to be checked. When slowing down and parking or k turning or the like, just once, the steering mad a funny noise. I got concerned at first, but when we left to drive again, no problems. Steering is a bit stiff though..

 

Sanjay,

Did you end up having the car inspected?

If I heard a noise from the Power Steering the first thing I would do would be to confirm that the Power Steering Fluid Level was ok. If it is not, I would add the MINI recommended Power Steering Fluid (I don't recall if MINI sells its "own" rebadged brand or just flat out recommends Penstosin CHF 11S)

 

After I drove it home, I did not check because the rain started to get a but intense. Haven't drove it since, but I will check tomorrow for sure.

 

I haven't had the car inspected yet - I looked through the forum and see there's a reputable guy in Newark (ECP Auto Service) that I may check out. My friend also has a personal mechanic that he knows that may be able to check it out as well. Any in central or south jersey?