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1st GearNew members: make an initial post and introduce yourself as you shift from Neutral to First Gear. Current members: meet some of the new members.
Well here's my intro! Tomorrow (hopefully) I'll be picking up a new to me 2012 "justa" Clubman! I've always liked the look of MINIs since I was a kid and when the BMW version made their way across the pond, I dreamed of owning one and I added it on my bucket list!
Well 14 years later that dream is about to come true! Even though it's just a justa, it's loaded to the hilt and looks snazzy with its laser blue paint and black rally stripes. It has just under 53k on the odo and after taking it on a test drive, it drives like a champ! The original Clubman that I was eyeballing was an 09 S that was a few thousand dollars more with 59k on the clock. After much research I decided against it with all the issues the N12 engine has. My budget is limited to an extent, and I plan on doing a lot of the routine/minor maintenance myself, especially since I found this place, yes I've been lurking about for the past several weeks!!
First order of business is to detail her, I'm an OCD detailing enthusiast so it'll be an outstanding way to get to know my Clubby better! I haven't seen many issues conscerning the '12 models, is it direct injected like the S and JCW since they share the same engine? What should I be on the lookout for as and what should I be doing off the bat to minimize potential problems down the road?
Thank you all in advance! I'm really digging the vibe of MINI owners!
Welcome to NAM, and congrats on your long-awaited MINI! I too had an ongoing dream of owning a MINI that started in '02 and came to fruition in '10. It's a great feeling when the dream becomes reality. Be sure to post some pics when you get a chance.
The N18 engine does not have as moany issues as the N14 engine. 2011 was the big change over on the Cooper S, in the JCW version the engines did not change till 2013.
For the N12 and N16 ( Cooper engines ) they don't have near the issues as they are a simple version engine without the turbo. Those are not direct inject engines.
I would check the thermostat housing for leaks and do an overall scan of the engine and chassis looking for leaks and issues.
You 2012 Clubman ( NON S : Justa ) is the N16 engine.
Well here's my intro! Tomorrow (hopefully) I'll be picking up a new to me 2012 "justa" Clubman! I've always liked the look of MINIs since I was a kid and when the BMW version made their way across the pond, I dreamed of owning one and I added it on my bucket list!
Well 14 years later that dream is about to come true! Even though it's just a justa, it's loaded to the hilt and looks snazzy with its laser blue paint and black rally stripes. It has just under 53k on the odo and after taking it on a test drive, it drives like a champ! The original Clubman that I was eyeballing was an 09 S that was a few thousand dollars more with 59k on the clock. After much research I decided against it with all the issues the N12 engine has. My budget is limited to an extent, and I plan on doing a lot of the routine/minor maintenance myself, especially since I found this place, yes I've been lurking about for the past several weeks!!
First order of business is to detail her, I'm an OCD detailing enthusiast so it'll be an outstanding way to get to know my Clubby better! I haven't seen many issues conscerning the '12 models, is it direct injected like the S and JCW since they share the same engine? What should I be on the lookout for as and what should I be doing off the bat to minimize potential problems down the road?
Thank you all in advance! I'm really digging the vibe of MINI owners!
Congrats and welcome to NAM! You have many years and miles of grins ahead. Please check out our free maintenance and upgrade guides online, and let us know if you have more questions!
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone! Sorry I haven't replied back sooner but I was too busy.......MOTORING!!!
I picked up my R55J on Monday and my face still hurts from the smiles that she's given me! I love the ever lovin snot outta this car! While I feel bad trading in my 04 Focus that had a lot of good and not so good memories with it, it was time.
One thing that was very evident was that she's never been properly detailed! My first order of business was to decon her, clay, polish, and seal her up with Meg's M16 wax. Her paint was pretty rough to the the touch and with the first section of the hood clayed revealed 4 years worth of fallout nastiness! After two days her laser blue paint is bright, shiny, and smooth as silk! She's got a bit of touch up paint on her hood and sides as well as a rather nasty case of etching from bird dookie but I lover no less for it, they're her beauty marks!
My new "MinMin" has been pretty forgiving in my quest to re familiarize myself with the manual transmission, she's only had to discipline me a few times after not finding the sweet spot and downshifting properly. I'm still trying to get the hang of rev matching but all in all she's a blast to scoot about the town and countryside. Today I filled her up for the first time....93 of course and put in a half bottle of Lucas upper cylinder lube & injection cleaner for good measure.....and went on a spirited drive!
The engine is clean and there's no evidence of leaks anywhere. However I've noticed a tinny rattle under load that stops/trails off around 2k rpm most notable in gears 2 and 3. I've researched this noise a bit and it appears that I might have a loose heat shield or catylitic converter. It only does it in gear and there's nothing out of the ordinary that my ears can pick up while at idle, revving in neutral, or cruising.
Family and friends love her! Most say that she's "cute". I politely correct them that she's not "cute" but that she's "snazzy"! Then there are the haters drinking their haterade. They hate it because they're too big to fit! The wife, she just rolls her eyes but I think she secretly loves it! She's probably just mad she can't drive it because of it being manual.
Well there's my story about my first week with my MINI! Did someone say pics
10-09-2016, 05:28 PM
