OK, hope you guys can help me out here. I bought my first MINI 2 months ago, a 2003 R53 MCS 6spd with 156k on her (purchased for $6k to a private party). I purchased her because I was looking for a reliable & economical but fun car that was good in the snow to get me to my new job, 35 miles away. The car came with 2 sets of wheels, the 17" MINI sports with good summer tires, and an almost new set of blizzaks on generic 16" wheels. The car also had receipts for a bunch of major work recently done – Thermostat & Gasket Replace, Cooling System Flush, Cooling System Flush, Starter, Supercharger Assembly, Belts, Water Pump, etc. All in all almost $4k in work done at 148k.


Well, in the couple hundred miles I've put on her I have seen the Serp Belt Snap and leave me stranded due to a bad tensioner (had a shop replace that for me) (only 8k on the belt!). Then I got the car back and have a SES/CEL light on with two codes. Then I sprung a major power steering leak – reservoir is completely dry and I'm afraid to drive it 'cause I don't want to burn up the power steering pump. It looks like the power steering leak is from the return hose just below the reservoir, but I don't know if it's leaking from anywhere else (pouring out onto my driveway) – I'll attach pics below.
Don't want to dump a ton of money into her, and thought she'd be a descent DD for the next year or so without too many issues (due to all the recent work and good maintenance history). All this to say I'm pretty frustrated right now…


So, two questions for y'all.


1) How do I diagnose these fault codes?
P1688 -> crank pulley issue??
P1477 -> Leakage Diagnostic Pump Reed Switch Did Not Open


2) What have I gotten myself into – patch & dump or fix & experience greener pastures ahead? I'm tempted to patch up the car, cut my losses and sell her before I have anything else go wrong. Or should I fork out the dough to a MINI shop to do a full workup on her and then drive her for the next year+? Just don't like the pattern I'm seeing here so far… I thought a MINI S made great sense for what I need right now (great MPG, fun commuter car, good in MN snow, etc)… I'm just missing the reliability piece and I'm pretty discouraged.


Cheers,
Dan

 

Any car with over 150,000 miles will have worn parts that need replacing. If you're buying a car that's a decade old, with high mileage, you should budget for annual repair and maintenance costs.

That having been said, there are cars you can buy of that age with that mileage that will cost you less than a MINI: think Honda and Toyota. If that's your prime concern in a car, you should consider selling the MINI and buying of those. Of course, then you have to drive a Honda or Toyota around. Now how fun is that? Pay the money, enjoy your MINI.

 

Of course a 10yr old car with 150k+ will have issues. I'm just bummed that I can't drive this MINI 200miles without getting stranded and having MULTIPLE things go on a car that has been very well maintained with well documented service history.

Not looking at JDMs.

I'm a longtime BMW guy. Owned many E30, E36 & E46 vehicles with higher mileage and I've never had issues like this. My wife currently drives an E53 BMW X5 and I have an E46 M3 stored in my garage for winter.

Just wondering if this is to be expected with an older higher mileage MINI... does the build quality really crap out this easily there (as compared to BMWs?)?? If so I'll cut my losses and go back to BMWs.

Just looking for some advice as this is my first dabble in the world of MINI.

Cheers,
Dan

 

Makes sense. The older BMWs that you owned are outlying examples of incredibly well built and designed cars that are not the norm. E30 and E36 in particular were some of the best cars ever manufactured: bar none. If they are your benchmark, the MINI will disappoint.

There are a finite number of failures that happen to high-milage R53s, so it won't be never-ending, but it will cost you some significant bucks to get the car right at 150K. GL.

 

Dan,
Before making any selling decision - get the current issues fixed then have whoever is repairing it give it a good "once over" and make your decision based on what looks like potential upcoming expenses might be.
There's a couple of good independents in Mpls who won't "bend you over" - German Autowerks is a good alternative. I've used them before for my M5 and Land Rover.

 

Indeed.

Glad to hear these issues are finite. Local Minnesota United MINIs group had some good advice regarding the car's "midlife crisis" and how to go about these repairs. Thanks!

 

Thanks. I've taken my BMWs to Hunter at German Auto Works for a long time for any bigger issues I couldn't DIY. Great guys over there and I highly recommend them as well. (much cheaper than the stealership & often beat other "specialty indys" like ORR.)

However I just don't want to end up putting another $2k in repairs into a $6k car to get it temporarily operational. Just trying to weigh my options and see what the best route is here. Maybe some DIY solutions...

On a side note I know GAW's insurance forbids offering an extended warranty on any MINI sold or repaired, along with Mercedes AMG, Lamborghini, etc. No joke. $100k supercars & a $20k MCS outlawed for extended warranties. A little unnerving...

 

With a car of this age and mileage ( Mini or any other make ) you need to get it to the repair shop and change all the wear items and do a tune up, oil change, fuel filter change, etc.

I would guess the next item that may go will be the clutch so plan on doing that also. Also, change the transmission fluid.

Have the brakes checked for the pad wear and if close, change them now.

Ok, now you have a starting point and you know what has been done.

Once you have done all of the above, you should be able to drive the Mini without too much worry.

Its still a 10 year old car with high mileage, but now at least it has a fighting chance.

 

I hate to say this and I am not going to sugar coat it, but the MINI does cost a lot to maintain. If you were really looking for something "reliable" then your best bet was a Honda or Toyota. I just recently dumped 1700 into my 06 MINI for maintenance (clutch and various other worn items) and that cost was heavily discounted as the mech is a good friend, it would have been a lot more than that. Bottom line is that you bought an old car that is going to have issues and repairing them is going to cost you. The MINI is not even close to really being considered a "reliable" car. It is, however, a lot of fun to drive and that is what keeps many of us.

 

Good - Fast - Cheap. Ring any bells? You bought fast and cheap. Guess what is left out.
That said, once it is repaired correctly it will last way more than the year you are looking for. If the body is good then repair it. The value is in the body and interior. The rest is throw away.
Remember this is an 'exotic'. It will not tolerate missed services. But I guess you know that now.........

 

Wow....$$$ for a older mini with 150k!!
The ps hose can be replaced pretty easy....
Sounds like the work done was WAY overpriced....
Look at the crank pulley...when they start to slip, you can smell the rubber, snd wiggle it side to side a but....a reliable mini with so many miles...lol. just hold onto your wallet...$2000 clutches, and $600-1000 ps pumps, and $800-1000 alternators might be due...then add the ac compressor...maybe s cv joint......front bushing for steering, struts, etc....you have an end of life car....unless you put up with stuff....or diy them to save $$, it WILL get $$$. As a matter of fact, very few mini's have miles as high as yours in comprassion to the number on the road....
A higher milage mini can be like a boat...a hole you dump money into...you just have snowtires to drive it yearround!!
I do love my mini, but it is not a toyotda or a honda, remember that!! But if you diy stuff s bit, it cuts the cost, and is a blast to drive...and a bit of history...
Gen 1 mini's are LARGELY rover desgined, then tweaked by bmw at the ladt minute before it was produced...very much a non bmw product with a few bmw items and touches....bme did what they had to do to get the car into production that was mostly desgined when they bought mini/rover.

 

Thanks for the advice. I didn't do much research into older MINIs, just figured the maintenance history on the larger ticket items lessened the risk of the purchase. Figured it'd be a cheaper more economical yet still sporty/fun version of the BMWs I'm used to. But apparently I can't expect an older higher mileage MINI to be anything like the quality of the older higher mileage BMWs I've owned over the years. Bummer...

I'll try to DIY for as much as I can, then decide where I want to go with it. Might just end up selling and buying another BMW E46 for my DD.

Not opposed to a MINI, just guess it needs to be newer, less miles and preferably under warranty.

You mentioned the Rover/MINI build on the R53. Is the R56 a better build with the BMW backing?

Hmmmm... decisions, decisions.

 

Also, no one has really answered my question here... any tips/ideas? Thanks.

1) How do I diagnose these fault codes?
P1688 -> crank pulley issue??
P1477 -> Leakage Diagnostic Pump Reed Switch Did Not Open

Zippy, you did mention how to check the crank pulley... I'll check it out. Cheers!

 

In some ways, the 2005-2006 gen1 cars are imo the best....pretty simple motor, and most of the issues were generaly fixed....
The early gen2 cars are usually CHEAPER than the late gen1 r53's, but generally have had issues with the new pugot desgined motor...and a VERY different feel...less rally car, more refined commuter car...some like it, but some don't. If you are willing to turn a wrech or two, and more importantly learn about your car, you can likly make it an ok $$ deal...the prior owner did spend $$ to fix many of the common issues, before, by the sound of it, game up.
One issue is many mini's have been tracked, run hard, and put away wet. These will always cost much more $$ down the road to matain....and many folks are hetting theor feet eet with older mini's, and finding these cars thst SHOULD be gutted imo, and turned into weekend track cars.
My mini, driven sanely, with an occasionly spirted burst to make me smile, has been VERY good....a few minior things that poped up, i have diy'ed at very low cost, like the radiator fan....the mini is a great fun little car...reminds me lots of the old CRX from honda in some ways, but much more refined.....but rough enough around the edges to be fun....not overly rounded like some newer cars, even some newer mini's that try to be all things to all people....
Look sround for parts...mant bme places do ship/sell mini parts, and a couple vendors like helix that responed (i have nought koni's from them, was a good experance) , waymotorworks and detroit tuned (my 3 fav multi vendor suppliers here) can get even oem stuff cheaper than dealers, and more importantly, have not only parts but are EXPERTS...the learning curve on a mini is kinda steep, but doable, espically with a bit of coaching. Some things like "SERVICE MODE"seem crazy, where the front bumper (cover and metal) are removed, then the rad, etc are moved to gain more access to the motor, but are actually faily fast and easy to do!!
Good luck in whatever you decide...
motoringfile.com , a mini site, has tons of stuff, including a r53/gen 1 buyers guide with year by year changes, improvements and issues...and tons of history in the archives of older mini news.

 

Agreed, but not sure about the refined with the harder riding suspension in the Mini and no where near as reliable as the Honda CRX.

 

You might have a solid crank pulley replacement....hard on the bearing/ oil pump, but cheap...two aftermarket dampers with dampening like oem are ati and prc gel one...both look different, but function better/longer than the oem rubber one that fatigues...a bit cheaper in some cases.
the second you list is an evoprative emissions code (i think)...has to do with the slight vac applied to the tank i think.

 

The mini (gen1 anyway) has been sold with (i think) 5 different suspension setups...maybe 4...
the stock std, the sport, sport +, sport ++, and JCW .....i have actually been happy with the stock on 16's, and koni golds....the stock struts imo are only good for abot 60,000 miles, then become very firm....painfully so!!

 

Thanks Zippy. Very helpful advice!

 

I think you're looking thru the wrong end of the binoculars here.....if you're trying to rely on this car as a daily commuter on a 70 mile trip, it needs to be in tip top shape.

Yes, it can cost money to keep one of these on the road, but you didn't spend much to begin with. If you want a new car, you should have bought one.

That said, if you can't do any of this work yourself, you could be in for some wallet draining repairs, maybe you should sell the car immediately.

If the car is on the original clutch, it would not be unreasonable to expect to replace it sometime soon, although we have club members with 200K on their cars on the original clutch, there's no reason to assume yours will last as long since you don't how it was driven for the last 10 years. You can buy an aftermarket clutch for as little as half what an OEM costs (I like the Valeo from Way Motor Works) but the labor is the same, and it's a big job to remove all the stuff necessary to get the transmission out of the car - a big job!

Likewise, while you have the subframe out (has to come out to replace the clutch) it's a good time to replace ball joints and suspension bushings. Again, not real expensive for parts and you already have them out and on the floor where it's very easy to do.

Same with the power steering pump and hoses, although those parts are a bit spendy - but don't buy a rebuilt pump off the net, chances are good it will fail again.

If you did all this chances are good you could cruise along with no more issues. I would also check the cooling fan operation and the crank pulley as Zip says.

For the last code, check your gas cap and make sure it's on tight.

So say you do all of this and spend another $5K cause you can't do the work yourself, now you're in the car $11K, but you're probably good to go for another 100K miles, seems like a worthy investment to me, and way cheaper than buying a new one. And also a lot more fun than a toyota.

BTW, did you have the car checked out before you bought it?

I didn't think so.....so if it needs things fixed, that's on you isnt it?