Part 1 of 2 - Dropping Subframe on a Mini Cooper 🚗 replace Control Arm Bush, Inner Ball Joints. 

If you click "SHOW MORE" in the description above your be able to see Links to the Tools 🔧🔨🔧 I use. Also Clickable Chapters📋 📙 throughout the video and other Links 🎬 that may be of interest. I've had a few viewers request where they can buy the tools they see in some of my videos but it's not very clear that the "SHOW MORE" tab has a lot of information in that may be of interest. Admittedly the amazon links are associated with me and I would earn a small commission which helps towards keeping the channel funded.

I’m such a big fan of you showing when things don’t go perfectly. The color on the diagrams really, really helps too. Thanks for the thorough explanation of a job I hope to do later this year!

You've done a brilliant job at documenting everything for this job. Although my Mini is the next series on, the steps you've shown here give me a good idea of what I have to look forward to. Cheers!

Please don’t give up showing your videos, I’ve done this and know how hard it is and I’ve got a ramp. Great video, love the colour coded diagrams and will help the home mechanic loads👍👍👍

Nice Mark! I can’t believe thatI missed these two videos. Happy New Year to you and your family!

Thank you. This video is excellent. You have convinced me not to replace the bushing. :) (mine is currently fine, just had an extra one and thought I'd pop it in. But certainly no, this is not just a drop in job.) Great work.

Mark I came across your channel a few months ago and am impressed with all the detail and effort you put into your video’s.Last summer I tried to replace my daughters control arms bushes on her mini and failed miserably. The car had to go to a local garage for the repair. Excellent work and keep the videos coming

Great video, something to look out for when buying a mini...

your commentary is so good. Great video. Thanks

Great job! Best mini repair videos I've seen on YT!! I'm sure that I am going to have to tackle this job one of these days. Definitely going into my favorites list.

Perfect demonstration!!!

I appreciate your video mate much help to get the job done, top man

I like the quality and detail of the video👌🏾

Great video, very methodical and easy to follow. This job awaits me and I'm not looking forward to it.

Very nice video. I'm currently doing this on my 2004 Facelift Cooper S. I'm replacing the bushes with Poly ones though using the original bush holders. Those ARB and lower ball joint bolts are really tight, I had to use a breaker like you and they went with a loud bang, a couple of turns later and I could rattle them out. I'm taking the opportunity to re-finish the subframe and replace all the ball joints and drop links before it all goes back on.

Great video thanks I'm just about to tackle this. Went through the same frustrating process at the start of your video.

I need to do this job! I have been looking for advice on how to tackle it. I am so glad I found your video. Local garage huffed and puffed when o asked them to do it, and said labour will be more than the car is worth (2007 cooper cabriolet). I have found all the parts and have all the tools…..now I have all your knowledge. Will let you know how I get on. Thanks for the video.

Omg. I've got half way thru doing this myself before finding this video. Your experience and attitude is the same as mine - this should be way easier...

Your videos are incredible

Absolutely beautiful job of showing this! One of the subtle things that really helped make this video stand out is showing the lift points clearly and showing the jack stand position in the background in the next scene.. yeah I can figure that stuff out, but seeing that savese a lot of time and paranoia!

Great video sir. Many thanks for sharing. Liked and subscribed for more mimi madness 😃. If you have more. Very good description and detailed parts. Best one I’ve seen in 8 months of owning my mini. Thanks for sharing again. 👍. Stay safe 😷.

Supremely helpful and well detailed video. And it’s worth noting that your Mini is a very early first gen 1 Mini. They changed the damper and anti roll bar link arms not long after launch

Another great video. Garages must hate you! ;)

Very good video and very informative. One thing - I would’ve put poly bushes on, considering you have to disconnect most of the front end for one bush. At least then you could almost guarantee that you wouldn’t have had to do this massive job again. Can’t wait for part2 😊👍

I feel so much better after watching this. I have a 2012 Countryman and the inner ball joint is in the subframe not on brackets like yours, with that said I cannot get the inner ball joint out and I am now faced with removing the subframe so that I can get it on a press to do it. I felt totally defeated as I have never had a ball joint stuck that could not come out but with a pickle fork, ball joint press, ballpeen hammer, 3lb hammer, dry ice, heat you name it this isn't moving. So after watching this dropping the subframe isn't that bad I guess. One bright spot is the bolts holding the bush in now face downward so you can replace them without dropping the subframe.

Fantastic vid. Had to do exactly the same job on my Cooper S a few weeks back and couldn’t find one vid showing the reinstallation process apart from yours. The manual keeps on about the “lugs” on the chassis that the subframe had to align with but didn’t say if they were at the front or the rear, watched part 2 of your vid and within minutes I was up and running again. Only thing is I went with polyurethane bushes on my control arms as the OEM ones are a bit naff. Don’t fancy dropping the subframe again unless absolutely necessary. Thumbs up 👍🏽

Verry nice of you

greate and detailed video well done .

No need to drop the whole subframe and everything attached. I removed the subframe bolts from the rear triangle pieces, the rear bushes and the two in the front up top, pulled the rear part down (with a tyre lever) )and locked it in place with a piece of wood in between the triangle pieces and the body (8-10 cm drop at the rear). Then removed the two bolts (pipe over a spanner from underneath) holding the rear bushing and stabiliser bar to the subframe (can be done with a bit of wiggling) and hammered the old bushing off. Detached the inner and outer ball joint and removed the control arm, pressed the new bushing on in a bench vice and reinstalled everything in reverse. This was on a 2004 R50 and took about 3 hours total to replace the LHD driver's side rear bushing, can be done even quicker.

Doing a good job there mate

I bought the bush only and used a 10 ton press to put them in. Then I used spring clamps to get the whole trailing bush onto the arm.

4:40 keep the nut slightly on the bolt. That way you won’t hit the threads.

10:47 Time to walk away and have a brew 😂

Hi very much enjoyed your video , the two “ completely inaccessible “ bolts are accessible . The front ones i came down from the top , behind the engine ( against the firewall) with 3 long extension and socket on a uni joint ( swivel head would be better) , the rear ones i measured carefully and ran a 32mm holesaw through the floor from inside ( after partway pulling back the floor carpet , which gave me access from the inside of the car to the rear bolts . ( early morris minors and minis have removable floor panels yeh ) . Rest of the control arm removal - as per your video but i didnt need to drop the subframe . Have pics if dimensions etc . Siliconed patchpanel over holes , can remove if ever needed . Note : watch for fuel rail and brake lines in close vacinity ! It can be done , just thought id share . Thank you again for your video ( actually watched the with out removing subframe one )

Bmw: " oh you need to change a mini rear brake bulb" .Customer " yes". Bmw " we will need to remove the front bumper, crash bar and subframe".

I replace the right arm didn't have to drop the frame I did something similar to what you said.

Tremendous quality video for this monstrous work to change a bloody bushing set. So, for a decent garage to do it competently may be 1 working day?

By the way, thank you for not ruining this video with mindless, infantile squealy chipmunk music aka the Curse of RU-vid

The little red wire is for the option of the air con pump.

11:34 that pointy thing dangling is a temp sensor that should be inside your front grill area, inside the aluminum bumper.

Mini mall room on the N/S lol to work

Wow, what a fantastic video. What a nightmare to change a few bushes, but you had to take out the subframe to do this because as you say you would never have been able to do it in situ. How did you support the engine or wasn't it necessary? Whilst the subframe was out did you not consider treating the rust on the subframe or better still stripping it, getting it blasted and then repainted? It would mean peace of mind come MOT and make last another 20 years and something I would have done. Also blasting and repainting the wishbone arms? The reason I ask this as a few years ago I had a Fiat Bravo JTD that failed the MOT due to subframe corrosion and it was about the same as condition as yours. I spent ages cleaning and repainting with Hammerite for the car to last only another year as the power steering rack casing cracked causing a massive loss of fluid. Fortunately I was manoeuvring in a fuel station at the time and not out on the road. There was a tremendous bang which must have been the pressure of the fluid where the casing failed. And also the rear brake pipes and and it needed a new exhaust due to corrosion. Then the ABS airbag light for no explanation came on on the dash which is an MOT failure, so I had to scrap the car despite the rest of it being in really good condition and it had only covered 75k miles. Never buy an Italian car, well not a Fiat! On your mini I think I would have replaced the shock absorbers and top mounts as well so basically making the car feel and handle like new. As I would have been doing all the work rather than a garage then to me it still makes sense financially. Shock absorbers aren't that expensive. I now have a 2015 Peugeot Partner Tepee which I thought would be immune to corrosion for at least 20 years, but at only 5 years old the sub frame is showing signs of corrosion which is pretty poor. My heart sank when I saw it recently. I am also having quite a problem with knocking rattling from the front suspension driving over crappy roads especially at about 30mph in 3rd/4th gears. It's only done 25k miles. I've replaced the suspension top mounts, ARB drop links, main top engine mounting but still it's rattling, but not quite so much. The rubber in the top engine mounting was knackered. I did actually get a 5 year warranty with it from Stoneacre, first ever car I bought from a dealer and NEVER again. This was all within the first 3 months and I've been suffering with it for the last year. The warranty isn't worth the keyboard it was typed on. They are nothing more than a bunch of cowboys. Twice I took it back to them and they claimed they couldn't hear anything. Hey had it up on their ramps but claim they couldn't find any problem. So now I wait until the spring and then maybe change the lower engine mounts and possible the wishbone bushes on the subframe. The outer ball joints are fine. For Peugeot after market parts are well catered for and not too expensive, but it still adds up. It really pisses me off as supposedly the vehicle had only done 23k when I got it. I insisted they service it before I bought it but when I came to check the oil and filter shortly after I got it the oil looked so black as if it had never ever been change and also the filter. It was a one owner vehicle serviced only by them. Most of the bolts holding the engine under tray were ,missing only being held on at each corner. The front ones were totally corroded in and I had to cut them off with a grinder which makes me think the vehicle has done way more than 25k miles. Is there any way to have the ECU forensically examined to see if a vehicle has been clocked? All the MOTs and mileage seem to check out. The interior is immaculate which is rare for these types of vehicles. Sorry for the essay. Anyway thanks for your great video again. I might having to be doing the same on my Partner Tepee next year. Looking forward to Part 2.

Greetings, is using oil on threads not a bit “controversial” ? :) ps. Glad the engine could stay in place for that bushing-repair job ;)

all that work for one bushing, LOL

Where can I find that tool that presses the bushing back in

can you press it out in situ?

Bel lavoro puoi fare un video sul 4wd e il look della nissan

How long does this take ?

Should just replace the whole lower arm, they can come complete with balljoint etc

How much time take to drop subframe, change bushes and put it back?

I'm sure you realize by now that the bushings could have been removed from the bracket with the subframe on and replaced with powerflex bushings. No need to remove the subframe for that..

What a ridiculous amount of work just to change a control arm bush, why would you design something like that! I have two control arms to fit to my xtrail for it's mot this month, thankfully they're much easier than a mini!

I bought an R53 Cooper S last summer, as a bit of fun... This is now my life..on my driveway...laying on my back...shaking my head...aching knees, aching back...seized nuts, seized bolts, seized screws...im 50 years of age...pathetic.