I bought a Mini Clubman S R55 JCW instead of a Cooper 

I'm the original owner of a grey/black 2011 Clubman S. To date, put over 205,000 miles on the most fun car I've ever owned. Great times... have no plans of selling her.

Valve/rocker covers commonly leak on these GEN2 Mini's , as they are plastic and prone to warp. I bought an aftermarket ALU cover and, along with applying Gasket sealant to the corners (opposite the timing chain side)...this seems to have solved this issue on my R55 S (N14). Along with "all" of the fluids, I would also check to see if the transmission fluid has ever been drained and replaced, along with a filter and new gasket. I have owned mine since 2016 and it has clocked about 140K km. I did replace the timing chain and turbo at 120K (admittedly, I paid a low price because these issues were noted at purchase) and I systematically change the oil every 8K km. I treat the intake with seafoam twice a year, to keep the carbon buildup under control and recommend (especially for the N14 engine) two catch cans (one for the dirty side and the other for the clean side). It's a really fun and sporty car to drive. Easy to park. Excellent on fuel. Easy to mod. I do my own oil changes and, aside from simply stuff (like the valve cover replacement or LED fog lights), leave the rest for a good/reliable local mechanic. Someone who knows how to efficiently work on a Mini and has the correct tools for the job (e.g. Mini's rocker arm locking tool for timing chain replacement). The R55 has a decent amount of room for such a little car and I happen to like its unique look.

I love these little quirky cars. It's still crazy to me that BMW/MINI didn't bother putting that little door on the other side for right hand drive markets. If the much less experienced Hyundai did it for their vastly less popular Veloster, I'm sure BMW could have done it too. Seems like a lazy decision...luckily I live in the US, but man it must suck for you guys!

That's a cooper s with jcw kit.. not a Factory John cooper works 👍

Very rare car

"JCW instead of a Copper S"... erm... it is neither JCW nor Copper [sic]: it is a Cooper S with the optional JCW sport pack (visual update of bumpers, wheels etc. - not the actual JCW with higher performance)