Seems many are having this issue and am thinking it may be my problem as well. I was told not too long ago by a local Mini dealer that my low speed fan would need to be replaced to the tune of almost $700

I blew it off mainly becasue one it was the dealer (not so great experience), and two I am relatively new to Mini's and the price of labor! Recently I have noticed that my temp gauge is getting up there, not in the red but often times close. The AC still works, but my secondar fan is kicking in.

My questions are:
1. Is this a FIX IT NOW situation?
2. If so, where do I buy this part?
3. Does anyone know of a shop in the DC/VA area that will do this job for a reasonable price?

Thanks in advance

 

You can buy the parts....an aftermaket fan that looks and functions like the oem for less than $100, checkout Rock-auto, e-bay, etc. Then add maybe 2 hrs of shop time for the install, max, and you are done. $300 would be the total more or less....less than half the cost of the dealer. Running hot is very bad....both for the car and the ac compressor, get it fixed....it can be done diy if you are adventurous, and save about $200 too. There are several threads and numerous pictures around...it would take most home mechanics maybe 3-4 hours to do it since the bumper cover, the metal under the bumper cover, etc must be removed, then reinstalled...doable, but a bit involved. But good to know.

 

Does your temp go up, over half way, even with the A/C off? If so, you probably have a different problem than only the low speed fan.

But the good news is that the fan itself doesn't go bad but the low speed resister built into the fan. If you have a late 2003 or after, you can wire in an external resister with little effort and it will solve your problem, probably for ever. If you have an 02 or 03 then you will need to replace the fan.

Rich

 

I agree with Rich that you might have another problem if your temp gauge is rising. Is this with the A/C off or on? If it was off, it may just be the low speed fan issue. If it was on, the high speed fan should click on often enough to keep the engine cool even when sitting in traffic. The fan itself wasn't very hard to replace (although I've had my bumper off before). Putting the front end in service mode is only a handful bolts away after that. The instructions here show everything short of removing the two plastic pins on the upper part of the radiator surround, disconnecting the upper cooling hose, and swinging the radiator and fan forward.

I purchased the TYC fan from Rock Auto for around $100. It fits perfectly and low/high speeds work great.

 

What temps do Mini's normally run at? I am new to Mini's so I really dont know. It never gets in the red but about a quarter away from it.

 

The low speed fan should keep it about centered. The dealer already did the trouble shooting for you...so just get the fan fixed. The high speed fan kicks in just shy of overheating....so the fact you car is running hot is to be expected.
Fix the problem, or you may overheat, or have other parts that are being stressed by the heat fail...headgasket, ac compressor, and waterpump all come to mind. Getting it fixed is not a rent a car to get to work and leave it at the shop tomorrow rush, but I would reccomend that it gets fixed in a week or two.