Replacing your Heater Matrix R50 R52 R53 Mini.... PAY SOMEONE!!! 

For those that are looking to do this job. A couple of tips. Home bargains do silicon spray for £1, use this on the rubber o-rings. No need to drain the coolant, just make sure there is not pressure in the system and have a drip tray ready for about 300ml of fluid from the pipes and matrix. The most important tip, remember the foam seal around the matrix!! In the video it looks like she missed it. The cool air will go around the matrix instead of through it, and you will not have warm air.

Excellent job...my son's after a R53 for a track day car and i recon these will be the jobs we have to do on it...your almost at the point of saving me the cost of a Haynes manual. Keep the vid's coming.

Great video I've just done mine ,by myself ,put the seals into the matrix first, all OK after that,it's transformed the heating!!

Many thx very helpful, used some silicon grease

Just done this today on my R52. Couple of little tips - Use the OEM clips from the original Heater. The after market ones are so fine they bend out of true so re-use the ones on the car as they are more robust and have a greater tolerance (1 hour wasted faffing around). Instead of vasalene use Silicon spray as your lubricant for the seals and pipes (just soo much easier!!!). Make sure you use MEG (Etholene Glycol) coolant (the reason the matrix goes is that someone has puts a silicon based coolant in, which reacts to the original EG and then turns into glue, blocking the matrix. Stuffs the matrix, and then you get the corrosion which is a not a nice recipe for the rest of your coolant system (think water pump replacememt). Finally get a bendy tool that fits to your driver handle, not the 90 degree socket kit used in the vid (sorry Miriam). When i say bendy tool, imagine a tube that has a hex end that slots into a screwdriver multi piece, and at the other end has a hex socket you fit you bit into. The tool sheath stays static, but when you turn your handle, the bit at the other end turns in synchro. Something like this (I am not advertising. This link is an example of what I mean www.amazon.co.uk/Extention-Screwdriver-Magnetizer-Demagnetizer-Ratcheting/dp/B07BW1PKJH/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=bendy+screwdriver&qid=1628455936&sr=8-6 ), and magnetise the torx tip to get the screw back into place. Apart from that, try not to swear - this job is a swine. About 3 hours, and that is before you start the bleading process, getting rid of the airlock. Warning to some - Removing the glove box is essential else you will never get the panel off without breaking it (other RU-vid vids), BUT if you have an AUX socket in the glove box, then don't bother trying to remove the cable. You have enough working room for one person and six hands to accomplish this with the attached glove box in the footwell. The cable needs a "special tool" to detach! Nice vid, and thank you. I think I only utterred one "b*****d into doing ths. Thank You Miriam you are a star (not sure the scarf is best for car work!)

One little trick. Spray white litheum grease around the two pipes and just inside the holes for the matrix. I also used mullgrips to squeeze the pipes on. Took ages to bleed the bugger. One problem though is I can't now fit the matrix back in place. Have tried twisting the top pipe as it hit the plastic box behind the dash. Doesn't leak though😀

I trust you had support for the car other than the trolley jack! Well done!

Just done this too, Tip: I didn’t drain the main system, just disconnected the heater matrix and collected about 1.5litres of coolant in a cat litter tray bowl… but agree the clamps were a ‘right pain’ to refit.

Top one you can clamp…bottom one I found it easier to seat the rubber gasket in the core first then send the supply line in. Not tricky if you make sure to feed it true. The risk is stuffing the rubber into the core but if you take care to line it up it seats beautifully. 2 hour job with one hour to figure out that trick

I think it is faster to just put the front in service mode. It just takes a few minutes and with the radiator pulled out a few inches, you have more room to remove the hose and drain the system without creating a mess. Of course remove the bottom engine shroud/guard. It’s a also a perfect opportunity to flush the upper inflow hoses before you reconnect it to the new core/matrix. Just be prepared to catch the water.

Great video! At least you don't have to disassemble the dash like on many other makes.

You don’t have to take the glove box out to get to the third bolt. It’s in the upper left of the cover. But it’s around the edge on the back.

One day closer to being done! Replacing that looks both easy n hard lol👍🏻

Before buying new , just flush out with garden hose pipe & refit . Loads of gunge removed. Mine has worked fine since.👍

Absolutely loved the series guys. Binge watched all your videos in two afternoons and it has inspired me to be more confident in working on my R53. Thank you for sharing your experiences and hope to see more in the future.

Great vid, please please please get yourself some axle stands and more importantly please do use them, I was panicking big time watching you laying under the front of your car with it just on the Jack From an old git mechanic that’s been working on cars way too many years 🤣👍🏻

The hardest part of the job is, as she says, getting the hoses reattached to the heater core. I found it nearly impossible. I was able to makeshift a rubber hose contraption to connect it all. For each connection, I used a small piece of 1" rubber hose, and a small piece of 3/4" rubber hose, each around 1.5" in length. The 1" gets clamped to the flange on the heater core. The 3/4" gets clamped inside the 1" on one end, and gets clamped to the steel tube on the other end.

Ugh, my replacement heater matrix didn't come with new gaskets.. has anyone reused to thier old ones?

Heater Matrix LOL

You don’t need to drain fluid, just towel & small bowel in car to catch glassful when doing job. Top up when completed

Vaseline shouldn't be used on rubber o rings. The vaseline breakes down the rubber in about 6 months - 1 year destroying the seal. Coconut oil is a much better alternative. Coconut oil lubricates & conditions the o ring making it last longer.

Petroleum based lubricants will destroy some seals... Silicone is better.

1/4 drive ratchet and socket set is your friend here. Much smaller and can fit in all of those tight spaces. I almost always use them for everything I can. I used them almost exclusively when working on Jet airplanes.

Bleeding Heck! 😂 Well done. Is that the correct coolant for those silicone hoses?

great vid love watching ur vids but please loose the music whilst talking very annoying soz

Is the repair holding up? Vaseline is a bad idea on the o-rings, the petroleum in it breaks down this kind of rubber. You should have used silicone grease such as Sil-Glyde or even just a little bit of coolant, which is very slippery.

You don’t have to drain the system from under the car, just do it from the matrix

Good video, but the music is very bad, greetings from holland

Are the pipes accessible in the engine compartment? Any chance of flushing the matrix without removing it? I'm very much enjoying the series. Nice to see the care and attention to detail.

This looks crazy simple. You’re saying this is harder than changing the head gasket???

Pity you didnt say if the heater was blowing hot after you changed the matrix. Because it could have been the thurmostat. That was the problem.

looks like you had a lot of work with this car. Nice job! I am looking for one, but I am a little scared of how much work this car needs. Would you buy it again?

Hello i am form kosovo and i have a mini cooper s R53 but my light oil dosent work when are put key in position 2 oil light dosent light how to solved a problem can you tell me .?

Hi Miriam did your kit come with 4 rubber seals? 2 stepped ones and to o rings? how did you fit them on can you remember? When i removed my old matrix it only had the two stepped rubber seals in there? :)

Hi! Think I may have to do this... heater is blowing luke warm at best, I’ve replaced the radiator, thermostat, water pump however the heating was fine before I changed these! Definitely no air in the system so you reckon it could be the heater matrix?

Hey Miriam should i remove the driver seat you think before i do this job? im 6 foot tall not sure how long i can lay with my ribcage getting bent lol, or do you think too much hassle taking seat out? what i am thinking is, my coolant system which is almost fully swapped out, was blocked at the oil cooler and basically had a lot of crud in the coolant so im thinking maybe the heater matrix is also full of crud? what you think?

👍👍👌

I have to do this too. Tried flushing and calcium and lyme remover, still no heat. Seems like alot of cute girls own these cars

Please get your camera person to clean the lens 🙈

Job well done. This is a horrible job to do. Easier to do with the passenger seat out as you probably found out 🤔

Horse crap......replacing a heater matrix on this mini is one of the easiest to do. Most cars you got to take the dash out and a whole lot more.....depends on your skill level, I guess!?!?

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