Anyone ever tinker with an R56 MINI Cooper?
 

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Well, wish me luck.

Found this one on Facebook Marketplace and had to go check it out.
Fully optioned 2009 Cooper S with a dealer installed JCW Tuning Kit.

Scooped it for the equivalent of $2900USD.

Runs really well considering it’s been parked for the better part of 2 years.
Shows 68,000 miles with a new warranty replacement engine 11,000 miles ago, so I have a bunch of driving ahead of me before having to seriously worry about N14 engine issues.

Needs typical used car stuff... tires are worn out and really old, brakes are shot from sitting so long, busted antenna, broken rear wiper and an MIA inside hood release handle.

Original paint with a few stone chips on the hood. No collision damage, scratches or rust, but the paint is swirl marked enough for me to need to perform paint correction.

Looking forward to two weeks of vacation coming up shortly so I can bring this thing back to road worthy condition.
My wife and 19 year old son are stoked too. Him in particular because he’s wanted to learn to drive stick since he got his drivers license.

Looking forward to the journey.

That's a great deal!

There was a wheeler dealers episode with one of those. Might be worth checking out since it will give a walk around the car with a mechanic.

Why on earth would they sell a 68,000 mile sports car for $2900 ? You stole it, nice find !

Watch your sunroof drain. Mom had a '10 MCS and it got totaled Xmas 2017. The car sat in the driveway and I noticed condensation on the inside of the windshield. It was really wet when I wiped it down. Found the passenger side footwell full of water. Water got into the electronics and the hatch would pop open at random. The insurance company didn't believe it, but MINI of Hawaii had the car and they tore things apart. Verdict: sunroof drains were plugged causing the flood in the car. Would have to start with changing the fuse box, then who knows what else. The insurance company decided to total it.

I've had a R53 MCS and the R56 felt more solid. Just as fun as the R53, but I did miss that supercharger whine.

Go to the R56 forums at North American Motoring, https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/ for things to look for and advice.

You might also be able to find locals who can help.

Good luck!

I've had my 2013 Cooper S for a couple of years now. Arguably one of the funnest cars I've ever owned. As my Daily Driver, the nearly 30MPG makes my "30 miles each way" commute much more affordable. :)

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Randy

Seller had it listed for $7500CAD uncertified, which I figured was kinda optimistic.

A couple of weeks earlier I fanned on another ‘09 , a factory JCW car. That one had more miles, but it was certified and everything worked.

I looked at it and then went home and thought on it for a couple of days and messaged him back with all the mechanical and cosmetic items that needed addressing, taking dollar amounts off his asking price for each.

I came to a “comfortable for me” amount of $3500, and he countered at $4500, which I figured I could live with.

And the rest, they say is history.

Thanks for the input, guys.

Nice score!

I wouldn't be too afraid of them. Any car with an enthusiastic following likely has lots of amateur support to address common issues. I think some of those could be optioned with an LSD in Canada. You might be lucky . . .

I have done some work on my friends car.

Comment #1: Find the right OBD II scanner. I have several and they do NOT work well on this car. I cannot reset basic faults, which is very frustrating.

#2: Be prepared for annoying small cheap parts breaking, and they will only be available from BMW at a very high price

#3: It will be a fun little car. Enjoy it.

What kind of issue are typical?

Good luck. I like the look and idea of them, but I've seen threads here about them. It seems that like BMW, it's a crap-shoot whether you get a good one or not.

I've known folks that swore that they never had problems and just drove the heck out of them. I've seen reports here from folks that swore that they'd never own another one.

Some info here

https://www.mini2.com/threads/n12-n14-n18-common-issues.326570/



1) timing chain guide rails are a very common failure point on these engines, a heavy knocking noise is the only warning your going to get.

2) Carbon coking is another common issue it can be rectified by walnut blasting the valves https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&u act=8&ved=0ahUKEwiE3v2zrKrTAhWMLMAKHVhRCv0QFghcMAE &url=http://www.dukesparkautomotive.co.uk/walnut-shell-blasting/&usg=AFQjCNHuSUdIBYlZKI4ZJEPm4qg42uWMyA

3) Vanos solenoid issues can play up & leak.

4) These engines require a good quality synthetic oil 5w30 recommended. Its a good idea to change it regularly to prevent excess wear on the vanos & valvetrain.

5) They also like to drink oil!! make sure its checked regularly to prevent catastrophe!!

6) With cars over 100k its not uncommon for oil pumps to fail, i would recommend its changed as precautionary maintenance to prevent any nasty surprises!


7) Coil packs can play up, this causes rough running & misfires + fault codes :big_grin:

I had an 0ne with a blower on it

I used to have an 06 MCS for about 6 years with the 15% pulley on the supercharger.

Was a blast to drive, sold it when it had about 150,000 miles on it when it was starting to have expensive issues.

I lucked out, clutch went out on the next owner a few months later, then the AC Compressor, power steering pump, airbag module and then the valve guides were toast. At least the new owner is a tech at a Mini Cooper shop.

I think you did very well picking one up for that price.

3rd generation is tough took look at with the "Fish Face" lol.

I would take GothingNC's advice.

I have a 2013 S with the N18 engine. I have replaced all my coils (only one went bad but when I changed them I noticed that two had been replaced before). My timing chain tensioner was shot and I replaced the tensioner and the top guide. The carbon cleaning gave back a bunch of power and is pretty easy to DIY (dealerhsip wanted $1,200 and an independent shop wanted $800). My Mini does not drink any oil though, yet. No oil pump failure but I think by 2013 they had updated it.

Great find! With lots of maintenance they can be fun cars.

My brother has one, think it's a '10 model, fully tricked out suspension/wheels/brakes. A friend of his had it. His brother had tricked it out, then hit a deer with it. My brother replaced the hood/fender/front rad support. While getting it ready for CHP inspection it started to leak coolant so the engine came apart and there it sits. I've pushed it a lot to get it to where it sits today.

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Worst issues with this engine are chain tensioner/timing chain failure and Vanos problems.
From what I’ve gleaned, the lengthy oil change interval that BMW specs only save a bit of money on oil changes in the short term, but causes expensive parts to fail down the road.

100%. That is the main cause of engine failure. That said, every single one of these cars will have a leaky thermostat housing. It is a terrible design. It cost me a starter motor from the leaking. The connecting plastic hoses and water pump are also trouble spots. It will never have Honda Civic/Toyota Corolla reliability. But life is too short to drive boring cars.

Gut it and make it super light :)