My R56 MCS has about 65000 miles on it now.

On some other BMW products (looking at you, E46 and E39), the cooling system is fragile, and some owners say it needs to be overhauled every 60000-80000 miles. Is this also true on the R56?

More broadly... if my car is behaving relatively well, what preventative maintenance should I be doing that isn't listed in the owner's manual?

 

I would say at least change the coolant.

I'm in the same boat and didn't know if I should do a water pump/ thermostat now or just wait until I see some leakage.

Does it start as a small leak or just grenade?

I never did anything to the cooling system on my E46 and ran it up to 100k. Just lucky I guess

 

Hi 1337. Here is a complete service and maintenance guide for your MINI!

http://new.minimania.com/MINI_COOPER...NERATION_MINIs

Just a snippet:

Every 60,000 miles
Replace Spark Plugs (except JCW models):
- N14 engines - 2007-2010 Mini Cooper S models
- N16 engines - 2011+ Mini Cooper non-S models
- N18 engines - 2011+ Mini Cooper S models

Please let us know if we can help or answer any questions!

 

Well...some enthusiast folks go hog wild on stuff cause they are having fun....
Most folks run stuff "on condition" meaning when it fails you fix it..
For a daily driver....should be fine...for a track car...you might want too look more closely.
One tip...while the body is BMW , the motor on the gen2 is really Peugeot....co designed , and produced...not a "true" BMW motor like the gen3 cars.

 

Haha true. Those bmw guys are just waiting to get their fingers dirty. They love that stuff to a manic ocd level

 

I definitely say to flush the cooling system as it's an often neglected area. I typically wait to change the thermostat or water pump until I see signs of seepage from them. I'd also suggest to replace your spark plugs if you haven't done so already. When did you last do your brake fluid? Whatever you decide to do for servicing your cooling system, we have some pretty awesome overhaul kits here that have just about everything you'll need for the job. Also, when you do the thermostat and water pump it may also be a good idea to replace the water pipe as that pipe gets brittle and tends to crack over time. We have it here. It's a pain to get at so while you have access it's a good complimentary item to replace. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

We have numerous experts on staff, so please don't hesitate to ask if you have a question!

 

Coolant flushes never hurt, but if and when you need to replace either the thermostat or water pump I would highly recommend replacing them in conjunction.

The failure rate of either of them following replacing the other is quite high, and if you can swing it I highly recommend doing both at the same time.