My 2008 Mini Cooper-S burns more oil than I would like (1 qt/3000 miles) but I am told "They all do that.". When I topped up recently, I think I overfilled it and oil level on the dipstick (which is very hard to read on these cars) is well above the max The manual cautions to not overfill with oil. What are the dangers of overfilling the engine with oil?
View 4 RepliesI have a 2005 MINI Cooper S with manual transmission, bought new. Almost three years ago, it started making a strange noise that no one has been able to identify or repair. When turning full left at very low speed, like pulling into a parking spot or making a U-turn, the front end makes a strange noise that seems to be coming from the right front wheel. It's not a deep, rhythmic clunking noise, like a CV joint, but a higher-pitched, random clattering noise. More of a "cluh-click...click,click...clicketyclickclick...click...click" than a "clunk clunk clunk."
In September of 2010, I took it to the dealer. They assured me it was NOT a CV joint. They retorqued the axle nuts. The sound seemed to go away for a few days, but came back. I took it back, and they replaced one of the axle nuts. The noise went away but came back. This time the dealer replaced the other axle nut. The sound went away and came back. I took the car in a fourth time, and the dealer retightened everything on the front end - axle nuts (again), sway bars, shock mounts etc. Again, the noise went away and then came back.
I gave up on the dealer. Since then, I've taken the car to two independent BMW shops with similar results. Both of them made the sound go away temporarily, but then it came back.
A year ago, I replaced my second set of tires. To my surprise, the sound went away! I wondered if maybe the old, slightly-wider-than-recommended (215 vs 205) tires had been rubbing on something. But then, about a week later, the sound returned.
My 2007 mini cooper with low milage (40,000) began making clacking noises, then backfiring, then loosing power. Had intake valves cleaned with walnut shells a few months ago at great expense and just started to click and clack again? Put in fuel injection cleaner and has stopped for now.
View 3 RepliesI'm in the process of buying a used 2008 Mini Cooper S with 44000 miles in good conditions but I wanted to get an opinion regarding a rear bumper crack. Please take a look at the attached photo and tell me what you think, not sure how serious it is or how much it will cost me to fix so I can negotiate the price.
View 7 RepliesI have noticed a lot of things on the web on modules that promise increased MPG and power by adding a resistor on the IAT sensor. As much as I like the idea of increased MPG and power for cheap, if it doesn't work, I don't want to waste my time. So, what is the consensus on this type of modification? Will this mod be effective or only be a waste of time?
View 3 RepliesI'm trying to figure out how / if cruise control can be added to a 2005 F150 with the 4.2L V6. I bought an aftermarket kit, popped the hood, and then learned all about electronic throttles . What (aside from adding the cruise control switches) do you have to do?
View 14 RepliesI would like to add the stereo controls to my steering wheel. From what I gathered it can be done by just buying the buttons and the taking it to the stealership to flash the computer to get them to work? BTW This is on my 06 XLT Scab.
View 1 RepliesI have a F-150 5.4 automattic 07 model and I need to add some tranny oil,I can't see on dipstick or in book what oil I need,(4) (5)??? I still can't see any markings on dipstick, where would I see a 4 or 5 on dipstick??
View 2 RepliesFor our new pontoon with surge brakes I need to add reverse lights to the wiring harness to deactivate the surge brakes while backing up. What is the proper way of doing this? BTW this is on an 06 F150 XLT with factory 7 pin harness.
View 4 RepliesI am looking to add a new exhaust to my 05 F150 SuperCrew and am stuck between an MBRP and Magnaflow. I think I want to go with a S.I/D.O setup. Any opinions on either brand or are they basically the same?
View 9 RepliesHave an 08 f350 xl and was looking to put oem foglights into the bumper where mine has the block out 's, guess what I am asking is if the wiring is already there as it was on a different vehicle I owned ,basically it was a plug and play ,have only had the truck for a week and with the hours I'm working I really haven't had a chance to crawl under and look for the wiring.
View 3 RepliesThis has been beaten to death but all the old threads I read are for 2011 to present SDs so I wanted to make sure I can add these to my 2008 before I spend $ on the switches. Anything I should look out for on the install? Once they are installed I would like to add front and rear strobes along with a roof light for plowing.
View 3 RepliesI just got this truck with the plow installed so I'm not sure what kind of adjustments are available for the plow itself. If I add a 3-4" lift, will the plow still reach the ground and work OK? What kind of adjustments would need to be made?
View 2 RepliesI used to own a fleet of school buses and I had remote trans filter on all of them. I'd change the filter about every 10K and felt like it really extended my trans life on Allisons. I wanted to put on my SD, so, I had a spare filter block with a 20psi bypass valve, and I used it. Worked out real well mounted to the radiator support, up front--easy access. uses a NAPA 1268 filter. In the picture it looks like the hoses are real close to the AC condenser, but in real life, the are three inches from it.
View 2 RepliesHow hard are they to put on, and who makes the best one? I was told about hell bent steel, but I am not sure? I got an 04 Ford F150 looking to level it out...
View 7 RepliesI am looking at purchasing a Mini VCI, and am a little unclear as to what the requirements are.
I have a netbook running Windows 7 Starter version, 32-bit. I also have a work laptop with Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit. Will either of these be compatible with the current version of Mini VCI? Are there different brands and versions of Mini VCI around- if so what is recommended?
The clutch went out and the repair people tell me to replace the master cylinder, the slave cylinder and other related components to the tune.
View 12 RepliesIn the past month or so I've noticed some weird behavior out of my car. 2006 Mini Cooper 130K miles on it (still going strong!!) Automatic.
Scenario 1 - Driving in D accelerating at a normal pace (read, not gunning it) the RPM's spike rapidly from 3K to 4K and the car almost sounds like it's redlining. Once it hits 59-60 MPH it drops back down to 3K RPM and the rest of the acceleration is normal.
Scenario 2 - Cruising on the highway at about 70+. Normally start taking the foot off the gas to slow down with traffic and when my speed drops to about 60 MPH the RPMs spike again from around 3K to about 4K. When the car gets below 60 MPH the RPMs drop again. If i let the car come to a stop the RPMs decrease normally without any other spikes.
Scenario 3 - Driving in sport mode (yeah buddy) around 20-30MPH it almost feels like the car is not upshifting and the rpms go crazy. jump from 2500 to about 4-4500 and finally the car lurks forward.
How to repair a 2009 mini cooper that started misfiring? What is the most common cause for misfiring?
View 19 RepliesMy 2002 Mini Cooper has been a faithful trooper since we bought it in 2002. It has carried me around at track days embarrassing faster cars at the track (pretty much anything else that shows up at a track day) due to its handling, picked up the groceries, and ferried the kids to countless activities in the last 12 years. It has just about 90K miles. Since this spring it has been giving the impression that is overheating after running for as little as 15 minutes. We've changed the thermostat, radiator and had the head off to replace the gasket and check it for warping.
We've also bled the system thinking it could be air trapped somewhere. My mechanic says that it isn't actually overheating - there is no fluid boil and it isn't using any coolant up. There are no leaks. He thinks it could be a bad gauge. I called MiniMania and they agreed that it is not overheating really and suggested that it is an electrical issue. They doubted it is the gauge and suggested running the engine at idle with the radiator cap off so I could check the temperature of the coolant with a thermometer as the temperature gauge did its thing moving into the red.
We have a 2006 Mini Cooper Cabrio with 55K miles. The car is a lot of fun, but lately I've run into a problem: when starting movement and engaging first gear, as I release the clutch and engage the engine - the car/engine shakes briefly. Sometimes just a little bit, sometimes quite severely, but always noticeable and resonating through the car. This happens when you apply very little gas (less noticeably) and when you give considerably more gas (shakes a lot more and when it engages - gives an abrupt kick).
This also happens in the second gear, but not to the same degree. Today this happened every time i've shifted into first or second and i'm getting worried that we are in for some expensive repair on a fairly low mileage car.
I'm not new to manual transmission and have learned to drive on a car with a stick. I've been behind the wheel for 20 years with driving manual on and off for at least half the time.