So nice to hear you are going to get that C1 perfect for that young lady to be safe on the road with her first car. Good on you . If only all garages out there were that thoughtful and genuine . 👍👍👍
hi James. I came across your site by complete accident, as one does🤣 id just like to say that i am hooked and gob smacked at your refreshing honesty. I wish you all the best mate
I currently have one. Though I love these minis these are plagued with continuous issues. The biggest by far is that ALL these models WILL require a new chain...known as the death rattle. The valve cover gasket always leaks, high pressure fuel pump, the turbo return lines go. The suspension is rock hard and does feel like a go cart and the steering does pull around depending on road.
One of my go to things if I want to know if a car suffers from many problems, it's simple but I have a look on eBay at them price lowest first and see how many there are as spares repair. Found that a really good indication.
Hi James loving the channel. I had a r56 cooper s 07 plate a few years ago was getting similar problems as yours. It Was in the garage for coil packs, rocker cover, temperature sensors etc.. Then I read about problems with the vanos and it turned out it was the vanos solenoid that was gunked up. I didn't replace it just cleaned it up and this seemed to solve the issue till I got rid. like people say when running right they're a fun car but also a money pit too. Good luck 👍
I worked for Citroen/Peugeot and yes it's the 1.6 Turbo that also goes in Citroen DS3 Racing and The 207 and 208 GTI.... and a smattering of other models with lower HP ratings. THEY ARE HORIFFIC ENGINES!!!!
@@mikesharpling2718 it's the R56, they started making the them in late 2006. This has the turbochargered engine, which is crap. The R53 had a supercharger
Really pleased you got that Mini sorted without a big bill. I don't know much about them other than they aren't super-reliable, are a bugger to work on, and bits can be expensive. I can put up with one of those three issues, but only one.
I like your work ethic mate. If you were selling executive cars I would deffo buy off u pal. As a business owner myself I always say to people " the secret of success is to be honest"... you sure are honest and will get far in life no doubt.
We offloaded one that we bought from new - valve sheared and split and part of it disappeared into the exhaust system . 6k engine rebuild - although I complained to BMW so only paid about a grand of the total cost. Happened just outside warrantee and I think it was the loose cam chain before the oil pressure built up - later ones had a tighter cam chain - car was great to drive, but the experience was very worrying and we were glad to get rid.
Nice one James. Many years ago a friend of mine had an (albeit 51-plate) Cooper- it was honestly the most uncomfortable car I’ve ever been in. You could literally feel every piece of gravel on the tarmac - so the hard suspension sounds about right. As the proud owner of a Volvo S40 diesel for the past 5 years, you should snap up that C30! Fabulous cars (you might be keeping that one for yourself!) 😉 I know Sammy has also mentioned it - but where’s the Alto? 🤔 Top work as ever James; thanks again for the videos.
Greetings from North Devon! Glad you found the fix and it wasn't a big one, at least the turbo's at the front!! Many comments about the poor engine on this, the PSA engine shared by Peugeot, Citroen, MINI and others, does have some inherent issues. From 2014 the new (F56) MINI has a brand new BMW engine which is proving to be a good bet. Pretty strong and no major bloopers like that older one... so far!!
Yeap I’ve had a Mini Cooper with the Peugeot……the PSA engine 2009, and I had niggles with it ….awful Engine ! ….but as you said the BMW engine in the later 2014 onward Minis have been trouble free for me …..much better built, much better put together Mini no comparison…
Had one of those R56s a few years back. Great fun, rock solid suspension and run flat tyres. Mine was actually a demonstrator that went to media. Found it on 5th Gear😂. Ran fine until a local garage did a full service and after that had a engine management for O2 sensors and misfired terribly. PX for a 2016 Cooper S which also went like a scalded cat! I did enjoy it so I’d consider one again if in good condition like that one.
@@ChopsGarage the earlier R56 was a scream, rock hard and corners like an F1 car with a limited slip differential. Popped and banged and sounded great. Later one more refined, smoother 2.0 engine, quieter but in sport mode absolutely flew. Purists might prefer the older one, me, the newer one was just a bit more comfortable and refined. 👍
Always been a terrible car in my experience. The original mini was about simplicity, low running cost and low fuel consumption. The BMW minis were none of these!
I had a mini cooper. Lovely car when it worked / had no fault codes popping up. In the end, I had to cut my losses and get rid as it was just becoming ridiculous. I too would never buy one again.
Hi well I know the R56 S very well I would not take 1 on the list of possible issues is endless with the N14 lump in that the later N18 lump did sort some of the issues. I run 2 R50 the old Tritec powered cars yes they have common faults but if your handy with the spanner’s they are fun to push round the back roads. I say that I have the latest F55 sat outside just a month old I still take the old R50 on my daily 100 mile commute. Keep up the good work as many of your followers have commented nice to see an honest guy selling car.
Hi James glad the Mini was ok in the end, don't blame you for not buying another one. I only really do the 107 C1 Aygo's, 500 Panda & the odd Fiesta. Used to do loads of VAG 1.9 Tdi stuff but they are getting on nowadays.
I’m now selling my R56 Cooper S after nearly 2 years because I just feel it’s a ticking time bomb. I have never owned a code reader till I got one of these and l’m surprised Mini didn’t give you code reader from new. Shame really as they are good fun to drive and with the JCW back box on they sound great in sport mode. Only problem now is to convince the wife not to get the countryman as I definitely don’t want one of those on the driveway.
Always keep the PSA N14 engine in the mini at the max oil mark and change the oil every 4.5k miles. Most issues on the mini are oil related. Timing chain tensioner and VAnos (VVT) is oil pressure driven, dirty oil screws both up. Once the timing chain tensioner is worn the chain is starts to rub the plastic guides which after a few 1000 miles become brittle and drop bits on to the sump blocking the oil pickup. If you are really unlucky the timing chain rubs the alloy block dropping small alloy particles in to the oil and gets pushed around the main and big end bearings! I know this the hard way….
I've a Kia pro ceed diesel 2012, goes like the clappers and extremely reliable, guess you never see these as they are rare enough and cheap to run. Worth a punt. The Volvo you looked at are great cars, snap it up!
Hi James, I bought some Moonshine detailer. I have to at it is the best rapid detailer I have ever used! My car is like new and it really was easy to use. Thank you!
hi james just went to the moonshine site and purchesd the shampoo and detailer to clean my motorbike and car ,the vid is great keep up the good work . ps if you was in norfolk i would happly buy a car from you . nice comment about the new young lady driver . well impressed with what you said
The volvo c30 D5 are a cracking car, the engines has been around for years. Very reliable! If its a good price i would go for it. Can't you sell the mini with no warranty?
The pull on the bumps is probably the stiff ride and the run flats. I'm driving the later model with a revised engine. Had a coil pack fail but otherwise no issues.
I have a 2009 Mini Cooper S R56 and the suspension is as you describe along with it's slightly heavier steering. I like to think of it as a "keeps you awake" feature because damn do you know about pot holes when you hit them :D Touch wood I have had no problems with mine with the exception of the engine coolant tank being replaced this year but that will probably come down to age. The car is like a pocket rocket and rapid, not giving mine up any time soon :D
Good result on the mini, might be OK now, get it retailed mate, sold a 11 plate country man recently, lovely car, went great very popular cooper D, people calling asking can I get another ect so good news
Take it from me.....My son bought a 2012 plate Mini One... had it 3 years In that time cost 1200 quid for the timing chain and then needed a new head gasket as it was getting water in the oil so he sold it,,, he bought it with 58000 miles and sold it at 68000, so in 10000 miles its been HELL to own for him so he's got rid of the headache and bought a nice simple little 3 cylinder runabout
The wife had a black one not the most reliable car (putting it mildly) it just spent all of the time we had it disassembling itself and I think it was down to the incredibly hard ride it just shook itself apart the power steering give up the central locking give up and you mention about a low battery may be the reason the dash pixelated the flat battery on ours give us an astronomical amount of electrical problems🤯 best day ever when we got rid of that🤗
I've got 2 supercharged Cooper S's, one's had a complete engine rebuild at 48k when the supercharger ran dry, the other has 80k with a 230bhp kit fitted that runs great
Super fun to drive! Performance cars simply require upgraded maintenance. This car is not for everybody. If you want a car that puts a smile on your face when you press the gas pedal to the floor, then you will love it!
Hi James.The programme is great and you are true gent with your customers. I was watching Edd China's channel the other day and he mentioned that many years ago he went for a general check up with his doctor who told him that he'd found lots of hydrocarbons in Edd's body, which is why from that day on he always wears gloves while he's working.Word to the wise? Keep on with the great work Ian
when suspension mountings that insert into a block of rubber were used we didnt have speed humps and potholes the old type with a bush and a bolt passing through them were more flexible
Mrs had a Cooper S and was a nightmare. High pressure fuel pump went, valve stem oil seals and loads of other problems. Suspension set up is awful. Hit a pot hole and car gets thrown about. Even took off the run flat tyres and was still hard to drive. Shift it on and stay away before it needs a timing chain. Great update though 👍
@@ChopsGarage Ah, I didn't pick up on the mileage - still, they are known to be reliable well beyond 200,000 miles, but I get that selling a high mileage car is not a thing you want to do.
Just fixed the front end knocking (at slow speeds) on my r56 cooper diesel, I reckon it's the lower control arm rear bush or the anti roll bar bushes, if so you need to drop the front subframe to replace them. Nightmare of a job on a driveway, hopefully you'll be lucky and it's only the drop links.
If suspensions knocking it’ll be antiroll bar bushes on these. Pulling to one side when hitting a pothole is pretty standard. New control arm back bushes makes them much better, poly bushes even more so. Run flat tyres don’t help that either. I’d run that for a couple of months before retailing it, your main worry is how much oil it’s burning so I’d monitor that - main cause is valve stem oil seals
Gawd. I wish I still lived in Uk. Your Work ethic is Brilliant. I would drive across Britain to Buy a Car from you..! Australia makes it a little to expensive. Petrol would cost a Bomb..!! Enjoy watching your Videos. Thx for the Entertainment. 😎
Always do your homework before buying. We have had a 2003 Cooper S (previous Supercharged version) from new and in 18 years we have done only routine maintenance and a window winder motor fix (did myself). Not sure what is your issue, but a test drive prior to purchase would have revealed the issue. Hope you got it sorted OK.
great video and I share your fear of selling Mini's !! Lovely when they are working. We had one recently which drove fine on test drive but when I pushed it harder it popped like mad and the eml light came on. It was diagnosed as timing chain and or tensioners ..... common so I am told ( after the event as usual ). Eventually advertised it at a big loss with the known fault and a chap bought it to repair. Now if anyone offers me one as a part ex I ask them to sell privately as I wont take them anymore !
I had a knock on the Frontaxle all bushing were good , it was the Breakcalliper which was rattling on the slider pins , i greased them and it was gone..
I've a copper the same age the ride is hard and can be harsh on rough roads there not all bad and really good fun to drive I'm just going up to the super charged one wich is previous to the turbo
My sister had a 2008 R56 Mini Cooper S with under 40K a few years back serviced regularly and unfortunately had no end of issues over three years of ownership and 25K. Timing chain problems, fuelling issue(s), engine management light causing intermittent performance problems. Given some of the other comments here, ironically my partner has had a DS3 for the last five years and it has been utterly reliable 👍🙃
The same engine is in the DS3 1.6 sport petrol, my other half has that DS3 for 5 years and it has needed a new seal and services. So people talk up the problems but that for a 14 years old car it still pulls well. Just let your wife eBay the cars on a sold as seen seen basis.
The problem with the Mini is that it's BMW underneath. The 2.4 5-cylinder diesel in that Volvo C30 is bulletproof btw, the automatic gearbox pretty much so too.
Yes, if it's the same engine as my old 207 GTi there are very well-known issues related to the timing, IIRC some had a sprocket that moved, allowing the timing to drift off caused misfire and then associated carbon build-up and things just escalated. It happened to my GTi very early in its life and firmly ended my string of Peugeots!
suspension lower arm rear mounting is a nightmare on minis, steering rack connector and subframe dropped.the best way to check them is on the brake tester at the mot station to see if the wheel moves back and forth.regards james
Those minis are renowned for a hard ride as I believe they are on lower profile run-flats, with stiff suspension. A great combo for handling, but not for comfort.
I've known a few people who have had minis and bmws and they always have some sort of issue either constant engine lights on or major expensive issues , nice cars but I wouldn't get one due to the issue some have
The only BMW mini with a half decent engine is the original mk1 BINI, the mk2 has the awful PSA engine that stretches timing chains and has the awful BMW vanos system which loves to fail at low miles and nuke the engines Those PSA engines were fitted to all mk2 minis too from the 1.4 one to the 1.6 and the turbo S models The timing chain issues usually give loads of random codes too
A College mate of mine had a Mini in 1975 he was late one morning because the engine fell out onto the road still running. The rest was a right pile of rust.🙄😔
@@ChopsGarage bmw tech just doesn't age well, seems like its not designed to out last it's warranty period, I'm sure everyone that thinks they are 100% reliable have never had a car older than 5 years
I'm a big fan of these mini's. I had the r50 2001. We got it new and fell in love with them. We now have the r56 2007 200k on the clock. We have had it from 2 yrs old. They need a hands on owner.
I had endless issues with my R56. Turned out to be an expensive purchase. Some people are luckier than others with the N14 engine, unfortunately they can be rather unreliable...This one could be OK.
Despite what everyone says, the R56 minis with the N14 engine are ok if you are careful with what you’re buying. Evidence of regular oil services, a timing chain change if over 75k miles and a thorough check for oil leaks and any loss of power are essential. All this means don’t buy one without a FSH (preferably done by a specialist NOT BMW dealers who will follow the inadequate service regime dictated by BMW) and inspection and test drive. If you’re unsure, just go for a post 2010 R56 (when a lot of issues with the engine had been sorted - so much so they changed the code to N18) or just stick to pre-R56 ones.
Bought a Mini Cooper Park Lane R50 06 plate with 65000 miles on the odometer. Had the engine re-mapped to give 135 bhp. Tritec engine is bombproof. Only complaint is that the run flat tyres are so hard around town. On the motorways they settle down. Would never recommend the Citroen/Peugeot engine. Love driving it.
The Mini Cooper s is a hard suspension and depends on size of wheels. We had 18 inch low profile before and it was just too hard, now 17 inch and not low profile and much better. Also you will find but you did not mention changing gears is sometimes quite stiff. But these mini’s are so popular and easy to sell, but from you’d prospective difficult to fix and work on
My misses had a Mini Cooper and suspension was pretty stiff even on that so I bet the Cooper s is even stiffer again had a few things with low profile tyres generally sounds like the whole strut has parted company if you hit a pot hole hard 😂
Guess I've been lucky. Ive had four Mini's from year 2000 circa total 240,000 miles and just cam chain tensioner issue. Currently have a coupe and you've even got me worried.
Have you been able to find a new unit yet then and hope the mini sells quickly for sell and lets hope the engine management light does not come back on
The mini does tend to be quite knocky sounding, especially if it's still on run flats. PSA 1.6 diesel is the only engine I actually trust in them though lol
These use the same engine as the Pugeot 207 GTi if I remember correctly and they are well know for just being terrible engines, almost all need to have a "Walnut Blast" to clean out the inlet manifold over 60.000 Miles, and are not overly reliable, but I do love a Mini Cooper S :)
