Really a BMW product in the CAR WIZARD’s shop! And he fixed this '10 Mini Cooper S for under $1K! 

Wow! A 100k Mini! Most that come through our shop are hemorrhaging oil, and have coolant leaks galore. It seems most owners are one and done.

As an ex Mini owner I can vouch for the saying “very fun to drive but horrible to own” Had an 03…went through 2 transmissions before writing it off over one year of ownership😑

My brother bought one new 8 years ago. Babied it and maintained it beautifully. Sucked a valve 1,000 miles out of warranty. Six month battle with BMW. They covered half the repair cost. Traded it in the day after getting it fixed. Always check internet feedback on any make or model before buying!

I had a supercharged Mini Cooper S and I got rear ended by a drunk driver while I was traveling 65 down the highway, I flipped a few times and scrapped upside down to the side of the highway. I didn’t break a single bone and I just came out with cuts and bruises. These are surprisingly safe cars.

Cali plate in the front and Kansas in the back……hmmm she knows how to party!

the F56 generation, 2016 and up are amazing cars. very reliable.

I own two MC's...the Cooper Clubman S (R55) and the Cooper Countryman JCW (R60). RULE NUMBER 1: change the oil twice as frequently as OEM recommended. In other words, I change the oil every 5K miles. This will save the timing chain from early replacement and keep the engine from burning excessive oil.

Having hit the back of a new "mini" (they aren't minis anymore, they are huge), it was like hitting a brick wall. It did a lot of damage to the front of mine, and very little to the back of it.

This guy has so much wisdom, this is the only mechanic i watch and it's like a TV show. Really down to earth ass guy. Great content. I'm 20yr old from California and drive a 2004 Lexus is300, hopefully one day I can stop by the shop for some maintenance!

This 1.6 Turbo is a joint effort between Peugeot/Citroen (PSA Group) and BMW, but you only see them in Mini's in the USA.

Love your videos Mr & Mrs 🧙‍♂️!!! Very informative, and just love the commentary!!

had a r53 mini, honestly a blast to drive. Plenty of torque and the steering was great. Although it went through 2 rebuilds in 8 months so it had to go.

California plate on the front and Kansas plate on the back. Whoa. 🤔

I love everyone smashing the Mini Coopers!! I own three a 2012 Cooper S and 2015 regular Cooper convertible and a 2013 Mini Cooper S Paceman All 4. I drive them all thru Western Canadian winter down to -40c with snow tires and have never had any issues. I've own them all for 5 years or more and other than oil changes every year I've only bought tires for them!!!

It’s strange as a Brit to hear the Mini being called ‘interesting’ and quirky because there’s bloody trillions of the things over here and common as anything.

Just like to say the f56 Minis 2014s onwards are a complete different car !! Reliability problems have gone and they feel soo much better built !

Honestly I'm so thankful for people like you & others honesty! Thank you very much

What many people don't get in terms of reliability, it's that some cars especially from German Automakers require preventive maintenance, with scheduled services as parts replacement. Evident as using thermostats with plastic housings. While other cars, especially from Japanese Automakers, you can be more negligent in the preventive maintenance.

Yep, you gotta love the brittle German engine plastics. Always a joy to get cheap pieces when you pay a premium price. Thanks for caring about your customers BMW!

Here in England Minis have a reputation for being unreliable. The original Morris Minis are classics of course, but back in the day they were simple for DIY to work on. The downside was the distributor was horizontal facing the front grill and in heavy rain storm water could get in and you would conk out. The old classic 70,s minis and minvans would be far more reliable than the new BMW ones. Original mini " coopers " versions even wrecked ones, as long as they have that engine plate number are worth a lot of money nowadays.

This car is dope af!! My Mini is 7 years and 40,000 miles old and I’ve never had a single problem. It has developed three rattles that happen when it’s below 0 and it doesn’t seem to like starting when it’s colder than -35 out. Love this car 9 months out of the year!!

You and me both. I daily a 9/2003 pre-facelift S. Wouldn't trade that supercharger whine for anything. It's done 161900 miles and still going strong!

Most of these have issues because of crappy owners. Had 0 issues with mine. Regular oil changes and maintenance make a bimmer go a long way.

Thank you from everyone out here in "carland" for being an honest shop and knowledgeable. BUT, what's up with the California license plate up front and Kansas in the back? Thanks, Toyo12

Lady is surely called Minnie Driver. wizard 😂

2011 mini s with 94k, my wife’s car. I told her that when she bought it, that we have to stay on top of the repairs and maintenance. If you won’t do that, buy a Toyota or Honda. They are a lot more forgiving of skipping maintenance. We own several cars, Mercedes, Honda Toyota, as well as three domestics. I’m not a fan of BMW or English cars, however this Mini really hasn’t cost anymore to maintain and repair than most American cars. I will say, that parts can take a few weeks to get, so make sure you have a plan if it does need repairs.

That happens to be a Camden Edition MINI. Unique exterior badging and interior touches.

Awesome! that's a special edition MINI, the Camden edition for the 50th anniversary. Just curious how did the plastic chain guides look? Mine started cracking at 78k miles on my 2009 Cooper S.

That huge centre mounted speedo is a mini trademark. The speedo on my dad's '73 was just like it.

thank you for NOT playing music through the videos and having a pleasant and interesting nature. also the camaraderie between you and mrs. wizard is fun .thanx

I'm really impressed that's past 100k miles. I love the R56, they're a lot of fun, but the sheer amount of problems that most of them run into is just not worth it for most drivers. I tend to stick to the first and third gen MINIs, much more reliable, though the R58 is one of my dream cars, repairs be damned!

I give these a wide berth for all the reasons Wizard mentioned. Good luck to the owner! And yes the issues of the cheap plastic is horrible - I had a BMW 530i and that also had plastic issues.

They are torque monsters for the size of the engine !

@1:33 So it's (originally) a California car! The MA RMV let me keep my CA plates, but in either state, we have to show same front and back of the car. (Maybe KS is different...) Anyway, my '99 Saab's much better underneath in terms of rust, but that MC sure looks cool & fun to drive (if not to own).

The R53 Supercharged Cooper S with the getrag 6 Speed really rip with a couple bolt ons. Can be not to bad reliability wise too. Miss mine big time.

Is there not a metal aftermarket replacement part for that? First thing smart BMW owner's do is replace plastic intake charge pipe with a metal one to avoid being stranded when the plastic one splits.

My 2013 Mini has 140k miles and I've spent $6k in the last 3 years to keep it going. Cheaper than a new car, but dang it.

Love the mid 2000's mini Clubmans with the NA powertrain. Do basic upkeep and they are loyal, comfy, and fun.

160k miles in mine. Lots of things replaced and many more to go lol. Water pump, thermostat housing, gaskets etc etc

Really great design on the outside. A dog's dinner on the inside and junk mechanically. Referred to as 'Binis' by some UK repair garages. Such a pity.

I've always liked the design of the mini Cooper not to small ot big just the right size to get things done

I have a 2011 Mini S with 142k and I've been having tons of gremlins very similar to this car, and this was the exact problem I had! The local shop that I tend to trust pretty well told me I needed a timing chain, but it was just my intake duct crumbling. Upgraded to an aftermarket silicone duct and never looked back. The OEM rubber ducts are too prone to damage, not just in the intake but all around the engine. I feel like I am replacing dry rotted rubber every single month.

The 1.6 THP BMW engine ( (THP - Turbo Haute Pression - High Pressure Turbo) is made in a coop with French manufacturer Peugeot. This motor is a ticking bomb. Oil consumption, cracking cam shafts and faulty cam chain is just to name a few.. There are incidents reported where cam chain expanded within as little as 30k miles. I believe this engine is much more common in Europe than States as all 1.6 BMW, Peugeots or Citroens are equipped with this junk motor

So rare to find a good technician / mechanic that can actually diagnose & prove the failed part. That takes time, observation, understanding the systms (including the parts/ components), and how they function together. I would much rather pay for a quality professional such as car wizzard to identify the failed part before replacing parts.

Had a 08 Mini Cooper until recently, great car and fun to drive - had 112k miles on it with nothing other than routine maintenance and parts replaced. They are built like little tanks, unfortunately ours was written off by a deer taking off some of the front end on a dark country road at night - bonnet (hood) bumper, light, aircon condenser and radiator all trashed but passenger compartment all untouched. Broke my heart to have to lose it, with hindsight should have just bought the parts to repair but didn’t have the time

2:39 Thats a very interesting comment from Mrs. Wizard, regarding the effect of tyres in accidents. I suppose an inflated tyre is a bit like an air bag for the car itself, and would absorb some impact.

My girlfriend has a Gen 3 Mini Cooper S. It has 55k miles and 0 issues. Just payed it off and we are now doing upgrades. JCW tuning kit and valved exhaust, Enkei rims and Michelin Pilot Sport tires, and a chrome trim delete kit. 210hp in a 2,700lb car is an absolute blast. The new exhaust crackles and pops like crazy.

Wow, nice exhaust leak at the flex joint!! Didn’t see that Wizard?

I have the same 50 year aniversary edition, same color trim , wow its rare seeing another one

Damn this happened to me and i sold my mini because the mechanic told me it would be a big job. we need more honest mechanics

Did you miss the exhaust leak at 9:52, look like it is rotted at clamp.

Thank you Wizard and Mrs. Old enough to remember the original Mini, like the original Beetle, and loved when BMW reintroduced. IMHO a huge step above the origional. Think they are pretty good cars, have seen some in the garage with 150k, and in good shape.

I had a 2009 MINI Clubman S. My grandson would imitate that "boop boop boop boop" sound every time I cranked that car- he loved it. So many quirks, my wife named it "Gadget".

Wizard…. You wrote Mini “Copper”. We love you Mr and Mrs Wizard!!

I had a 2005 Volvo XC90 with a 2.5 Turbo and I had almost the same problem. The intake duct broke almost in half behind the engine and after the accordion area of the plastic also giving the sensors a false indication of an issue with the engine, I was also very p,ease that the service manager called me to inform me it was only a hose that was less than $100 I was a,so very pleased that the repair was very inexpensive , a few yrs later a major buzzing started of what I thought was a major engine problem , again the service manager called to inform me that “it’s only a engine mount “. costing only $69 plus labor , I drove that suv for 280,000 miles, always had it serviced by the Volvo dealer and never had a costly repair . Thanks Wizard for also being honest and fair with your customers, they hopefully will be lifetime repeat customers.

The first gen Cooper S actually WAS supercharged. It's the 2nd and 3rd gen cars that switched to turbos. This means that this car is scheduled for its supercharger service if equipped.

My 2013 “S” has 177,000 miles but it’s N18 has been fairly reliable. Over time, I replaced the timing chain, thermostat housing, turbo and a new clutch so feeling very fortunate. She mostly stays parked now due to premium gas prices but do miss the fun drive of the little thing.

Glad you were able to fix the Mini Copper for mere pennies!

Wizard: “If you get caught driving your Mini Cooper you’re mini coopin”. *crickets* “I don’t know.”

Always wanted one. Looks like the ultimate gokart.

Hey car wizard, this n14b16a engine is actually a collaboration with PSA (Peugeot/Citroen etc.) manufactured under code name prince. and can be found in multiple models like Peugeot 207 and Citroen c3! With good maintenance it’s a great engine.. but due to the service interval en for it being direct injection, the valves will get covered in carbon. This also causes many air / misfiring codes.

the camden model actually speaks to you if there is any warnings.

I love the white Alpha in the backgroung!!!

After Wizard was counting the misfires on cylinders “one, two, three, and four” I was waiting for him to follow that up with “Mr and Mrs Wizard are at the front door”

Thanks again, Mr. and Mrs. Wizard! I honestly can't believe that Mini got out of your shop with less than a grand's worth of work! It's a frickin' unicorn!✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦

As someone whos owns the same model Cooper, this is surreal to see. Mine has been merciful so far, except im still chasing an oil leak around the front of the engine near the turbo oil lines. Normal BMW issues imo. Still love the car at 60k miles

@Car Wizard Ok, so Mrs. Wizard says you like square cars so, I was wondering your opinion of the Ford Flex in all aspects??

Nice audio compression on your videos. I appreciate that. :)

I have a 2015 with the 1.9L tuned to 260HP. Zero issue until now, just regular maintenance but only 37k miles.

Have just never liked Minis. The originals ended up with all the issues from being in BL. Drove one of the early reimagined, didn't like the "heritage?" second speedo and found the switch separators a pain in the..........! There's a lot of far better hot hatches available, older ones are cheap and easy for a competent diy'er.

nice colors! I bought a used 2012 R56 cooper S, no problems until now

6:06 I bet that radio will fit right in my BMW 😆, it almost look the same

BMW put the tires as wide as they could for handling that’s why the rear tire is basically in line with the rear lights

That exhaust pipe at 9:51 looks suspicious to me.

Mechanic hourly rates have gotten insane. You know it’s bad when you think walking out with paying $500-900 for a fix is a good day lol

Over here in Blighty these are worth a lot less but I wouldn’t have a Petrol R56 with the Peugeot Prince engine as your better of with the earlier R50/52/53. The ones to get are the manual versions built after July 04 till November 06 (2007 for the R52) and have bought 5 now and all are still going strong and my current £350 example I’ve had since 2018 and apart from servicing it’s been fine.

I inherited my dads Cooper S, he bought one of the early ones with the supercharger. I loved that car but I knew what was on the horizon for me as the miles added up. I sold it before it all wet to hell. I do still see it around locally.

I have a 2006 R50 Mini Cooper 5sp. Love it to bits. Last year of the 1st gen BMW Minis.

You have done a perfect channel Wizard, together with missis Wizard of course!

I have a 2010 S Car is a blast to drive and very interesting to work on So far I’ve ported and polished the head, piston faces, and valves then lapped them in Thermostat, waterpump, alternator, tensioners, injector rebuild, vacuum pump, auxiliary water pump, turbo, oil/coolant lines, intake, charge pipes, intercooler, radiator, condensor, compressor, expansion valve, new oil cooler, downpipe, coils, spark plugs, a bunch of other random bits and pieces. My only complaint is the additional tools you need to buy to do work on this car, the “one use throw away parts” that should be replaced before they cause issues. Overall, they’re cool little cars and if it blows up it won’t hurt my feelings any, it’s unique but not rare or special.

According to a garage owning chum, perhaps designed for the gearbox to break, soon after the warranty expires. Fun to drive perhaps, and front driving lamp bulbs interesting to replace, according to The Car Ninja.

Even though, the 1.6 Turbo is not a BMW engine (the Oilcap gives it away), as far as I know, they often have problems with Timing Chains and the VVT system (or seized turbos due to oil vaporisation in the Oil feeding line). You can source engine parts cheaper, by buying them from Citroen/Peugeot, they cost like half of that, what BMW charges, and they exactly the same part.

Get the wizard in front of a cooper diesel with the PSA engine, additive tank etc he would lose his mind. They are easy to look after really but when BMW convinced PSA to change to chain drive engines and direct injection it all went wrong, BMW cost cutting in effect everywhere. French and Italian cars are actually quite reliable but these Franco/Germanic ones are really bad...

BMW plastics with a french engine what could possibly go wrong - It keeps the car ninja in super cars and his pantry full I suppose

U should check the wheel plays from the outside as on the rear it tends to have a lot of play in them

9.52 exhaust weld failed at that clamp! Another cheap fix!

I just brought a 2013 Mini Cooper Coupe S (107k); doing some maintenance on it; what I was upset about (besides the lack of space replacing water pump and transmission filter) - the inlet fuel line was wearing a hole near the retaining clamp and this line appears to be directly above the exhaust pipe - luckily I decided to do some preventive maintenance and replace the water pump, thermostat and cross-over pipe; or I would have never discovered this impending fire hazard; so if you have a mini cooper; be sure to visually inspect the inlet fuel line (it can be removed with your bare hands - spray some WD-40 on the black tabs to help with removal) - other things I’m working on - crankshaft seal leaking, right output axle seal leaking, valve cover leaking, of course inlet fuel line starting to leak at end, cross over pipe brittle, air intake deteriorating, trunk rubber cover latch deteriorated and completely gone, suspension appears to jump over bumpy roads (weird not sure if it’s the car size or the shocks are going bad) - but other than that, the car is fun to drive and may get another used one - you can literally sit on a chair and change your spark plugs - it’s that small 😂

Bought my wife a new cooper s convertible last summer. She finally got sick of the bad design and continuous rattles coupled with the arrogant attitude of the local BMW dealer. Bought a Mazda MX5 (Miata) RF instead and we both love it. Just goes to show BMW are just lousy designers.

I have a 2015 Cooper and have a spare tyre. Dealer, when I bought it, said that it was the first one where the purchaser had specified a spare.

The Car Wizards has the coolest walk on RU-vid! I'd love to see a continuous loop video of him just waddling around on his stubby little legs with Pantera's WALK as the background music!

Nearly bought one years ago bought a boxy scion instead! So glad I did it’s still running! 2008 174k only major repair so far is a alternator. If I had bought a 08 mini I do not think it would have held up so well. I miss the old minis from growing up in England. They were simple cars that were easy to fix! Since bmw took over they became complicated sadly they look great, but I don’t trust the reliability.

11:47 The non S models get a one pipe exhaust off to the right side that bolts up to those studs

Yeah Johnny the Car Ninja told Tyler if he ever got one, he’d definitely get an 02 to 06 with the Supercharger.

1:23 thank you for clarifying that, financially, you won't give them the shaft! hahahaha

Same thing happened to my intake but mine fully snapped in 2. Found a silicone replacement on amazon for 60 bucks with a new pcv breather as well

Good to hear you calling the "hood" by the correct "bonnet" name. 😁

they see me coopin, they hatin, laughin and tryin to catch me out here actually drivin and coopin my exhaust is so loud, im bangin They hopin that they gonna catch me coopin tryna catch me coopin, tryna catch me coopin, they hopin that they gonna catch me cooooopin

yep king of the hill JAGELLE back there love the long distance grill shot

Great video as always, really well done , thank you

At 9:51, is the exhaust system rusted through at the clamp?