it’s under the handbrake actually mate, there is a plastic tray around the back of the handbrake and then the Airbag module is under that. The issue is that it’s under the carpet.
Just a thought, I had an issue with a BMW that had airbag light issue. After a lot of time and money the fault turned out to be the disconnected CD changer lead earthing against the boot floor.
It turns out that a plug connecting to some sort of pyrotechnic unit in the boot had got damaged. They reckon they can repair it, so fingers crossed. I had a bit of a scare on Tuesday when I phoned up to chase for an update and the guy told me that his colleague had told him that I wanted to scrap the car and then when I didn’t hear from them yesterday I had visons of them phoning round every breakers yard in Hertfordshire trying to rescue my Mini before I went in the crusher!
oh yeah there is a signal wire to a piro fuse on the battery, it’s quite a fragile unit tbh but hopefully not a big fix
Sounds like a lot of knowledge to tap in to here..so.. In a hypothetical situation with up to max £2 k to spend. 1.6 cooper 1.6 cooper s 1.6 cooper diesel models What to look for? Got banger trip planned for next year and looking at a Mini. Prefer convertible but a pan roof would be ok. Usual, lowest miles, straightest can find etc. But some pointers would be helpful in the search.
for that budget, R56 minis (the 1.6 turbo) are out, you’ll get a really ratty one with no history but it’s a fragile engine at the best of times. Which also rules out diesels. so you are left with r53 supercharged S R52 supercharged convertible R50 Mini Cooper. I’ll cover off r50, most of the below applies other than the supercharger stuff, they are absolutely bomb proof but DONT get one with a 5 speed ‘midlands’ gearbox in, like the 2001,2002. Get the later 6 speed Getrag. All Cooper S use a Getrag box, some with limited slip diff, although I think it makes the car a little too pointy under power on bumpy roads for my taste if you want performance go for a R53 cooper s, facelift 2004 onwards car is better screwed together and has more power, but also a stronger ‘Teflon’ coated supercharger. When the engine is running you may hear some ‘chuntering’ the drive Theon the supercharger pulley may be worn but it’s not normally too critical until it’s very loud. Quite a few cars will have had the pulley changed for more power, not really a problem up to say 15%smaller pulley, any smaller requires mods really like cooler plugs and big intercooler. My car had 15% stock cooler and colder plugs and went well. mileage wise they are strong, look for all the usual signs of low compression and issues like rattling chain on startup. Cam chain kits are cheap and relatively easy to do, supercharger service is a big job but a satisfying one, and although BMW stated the charger didn’t need doing, most have almost no oil in by 100k miles. oil leaks, it will have them… they all leak at the rocker cover, easy job unless the bmw nuts are rotted out which while bears still shit in the woods they will be. check the crank main pulley, if the car running and the belt is vibrating and bouncing in the tensioner it could be starting to fail, again, not massive job. chassis wise check for the usual, literally kick the front wheels, if they rock a tiny bit the rear lower arm bushes are done. Again, £30 a side but a reasonable job. Check the power steering pump, they whine, they all do but should be barely noticeable inside the car at idle, when under load you’ll hear them but if it’s loud it’s passed it’s best. there are a load of things but I’ll finish with the last Important bit. The battery is in the boot, check it’s not full of water, if it is or any sign of rust it will be due to boot lid seals around the handle, and the rear brake light seals. Also most cars will have some rust starting under the rear lights where the water sits in the body seem. hope that helps. Personally I wouldn’t bother with a Pan roof one, mine was and it just condensates and rattles once the seals wear. Convertibles are okay, check the hood operation and on the convertible the chrome trim with rubber perishes and water gets in the boot. Super cheap fix. otherwise the convertibles are basically the same car, but some parts aren’t a direct swap, for example the rear seats are narrower in the convertible. hope that helps, if I can be of any more help let me know mate.
The diesels between 2007 - 2010 are the Peugeot engine. The best model is the turbo or Cooper D. The Diesel One model does not have a turbo so its really slow. These diesel versions are great, and quite nippy to 85mph, provided you drive them watching the tacho and use the torque. No point trying for high revs, its all over at 3500 rpm. You will get 50+ mpg and £20 road tax (petrol version is £200 road tax) Cheap insurance too. I've met many people with them on 170K miles running well. Oil leaks are common, usually the oil feed pipe which is plastic and replacing is cheap. Also the seal at the oil filter. Look out for Front suspension, struts by Showa/ Bilstein are £100 each. Corroded subframe is a common problem and a lot of work. Brake pads & discs but they are pretty cheap If you are only using occasionally, Mini offer £50 a month insurance fully comp, depending on your driving record of course. You will easily find a very good one for £2000 with long MOT, leather AC etc. The pan roofs rattle, jam, burn their motors out. They also leak and the drains drop the water by the FRM which blows out the window/ lights/ indicator controls amongst other vital things like the central locking and start controls. I'd avoid one of them! Unless you are prepared to spend money and fix it yourself, I definately would get the diesel. Lets face it they are older cars and they've had some abuse... I sold mine a couple months back, great car.
Perfect, thanks for all the pointers. Got a few on the radar, will avoid the diesel, most are higher miles anyway. This is one I have seen, a few available at the same outlet. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/356362160085?_skw=mini+cooper&itmmeta=01JFZA4X9H1ZNS17BNMDXRFZE3&hash=item52f8d707d5:g:NDgAAOSwVRRnYL89&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKm5h%2FpapcYTifGbFYkYlDvwB4xZ4fUPe4sMF8hwgyTAHbrvPO4WtyIbm9tziYRN5IAdV5krFJmdBXgSJod8KclDbdC5DJJL82tboY2FZkz%2BvFHOJIB4zKDS5hzhJSrHTMnyFSvNFzhwivhIctkQegG9ykHk6aHqLqxM%2FEDxu4F4wlY6QzBLZe%2Bzw%2Frk3DPBNvQtiGS5qpsOH41TccmqEvIEXX9sW9LWSRvUPs5abK8IHyUKSPu%2Blgkr0fp2Jikww5eQImX1hQ5olUv9A6Le9YeiSH1UuFjAmido3xt4DVmbtw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4bVk-r_ZA I,m not expecting a new car, but dont want to break down at the end of the road either!
Looks okay mate, mileage looks low on it, but see what history it has, if any. check the stock exhaust for it being rotten out on the driver side where the pipes connect into the silencer, you can get okay stock exhausts for around £100 but they don’t come up often. Aftermarket slip ons start at £300. you can see in the picture the chrome belt line strip is well shot, so budget a bit of money to replace but more importantly check the boot floor for water. the cars are pretty solid, all the stuff that goes wrong on them tends to do so in a way that the car can still be driven, it has limp mode etc but it’s pretty robust before it goes into safety modes, I’ve had all sorts of warnings and lights and mines still been driving. However be warned because the power steering is Electric, as soon as there is any issue with the charging, you’ll loose power steering!!! one final thing, if it has air con, turn it on and let it idle. The main cooling fan has two speeds, the low speed comes on a few seconds after the air con comes on, and stays on. But the low speed fan resisters burn out all the time!!! So if it’s gone, it’s a negotiating point, but the part is £20 and a few hours of faffing to fit. You could leave it, but the high speed fan doesn’t come on until 106 degrees so if taking it to Europe you want both your fan speeds (and check the power steering fan under the car) working and clear as they do run warm
Check the front carpets as well for water as the seals around the door wear from not letting the glass drop before opening the doors Check rear lights for water inside @J biker check mot history on gov website It will list the fails and monitors It has an oil leak that will need doing It's usually the rear crankshaft oil seal The rocker cover sump gasket are the others ( not long had mine replaced) It seems to have a problem with lights and tyres I would get new discs and pads rather than monitor them I had all the brakes pipes done on mine
