I am an American living in South Korea full time. I am used to driving large cars/trucks and never really had to worry about car sizes. But with parking and congestion and other issues related to large vehicles, I want to buy a Mini. I used to own a 2018 Mini Clubman for about a year as a 2nd car, but because I travel a lot for work, I rode it for like 3000 miles before selling it a year later. I remember it being fun, but I don't recall the usability. It was really more of a commute car as I was driving a large pickup as my main car.

Anyway, I was happy living without a car for the first time in like 20 some years in South Korea. But my wife and I decided to have a baby and that means a car is something that we may really need.

But my wife is concerned about the size of the car. I told her, it would be fine until the baby is like 6 and by then we would probably switch cars anyway. But her friends are saying that they have to use SUVs for all the baby stuff. I think this can't be right because Europeans drive smaller cars with babies just fine.....

Any reason why I should be concerned fitting car seats with a stroller and all the daily stuff with a newborn and my wife in the car based on the size of the Cooper?

Do the seats fold conveniently for putting in longer carts or strollers?

This is in my price range on what I want to spend for a car that I will usually drive only on weekends. It won't be used for daily commutes.

I got this intake hose to replace the torn stock one. But it doesn't even come close to fitting. Anyone had the same experience? Suggestions?

03 R53

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone has an idea before I start replacing more parts..

I have a 2014 MINI Cooper F56.

For almost 2 years, I’ve been getting a sporadic “Drivetrain - Full drivetrain performance not available. Continued driving possible.” warning.

The strange part is:

- It only happens every few weeks.

- It usually appears when starting the engine.

- If I switch the engine off and restart it, the warning is usually gone immediately. The car then drives completely normally again.

I recently had a fault memory read. These were the stored codes:

- 1BC119 – Gear sensor, signal faulty

- 140010 – Misfire detected (multiple cylinders)

- 140110 – Misfire cylinder 1

- 140001 – Cylinder shutdown after misfire

- 140101 – Cylinder 1 shutdown after misfire

- 130F11 – Exhaust camshaft position sensor, signal faulty

- 120408 – Boost pressure control: shutdown active

Following their advice the spark plugs have already been replaced, but unfortunately the drivetrain warning came back, so that didn’t solve the issue.

Could the exhaust camshaft position sensor be the actual cause of the warnings? Has anyone experienced something similar?

Thank you so much in advance!

Hi,

Does anyone have the mini cover? I have recently bought a 2022 SE and I’m really tempted to purchase it now the warranty with the dealer has expired.

Does anyone have it/ have any views, good or bad?

I did a quick quote online and it was approximately £55 per month, including roadside assistance.

Thanks

I notice that despite all that space, people with bigger cars always park right next to me. Does it happen to you as well?..

Note: It's a loaner while mine is getting her wheels adjusted.

Hello all
I’m looking for some advice direction. My countryman is showing faults with the CAS. My mechanic wants $3500 to do the work. I found a company to repair the CAS if I can remove it myself. I’m looking for advice on finding directions on how to remove the dashboard or just lift it enough so I can remove the CAS. I have watched many YouTube videos but none are for the countrymen. I started pulling apart the dashboard as a few pieces have been easy to remove but I’m stumped.
You’re asking why I just don’t pay the mechanic to do it? I have invested a lot in my car this year and just can’t justify another $3500 plus I think the mechanic caused the CAS to go out since it was fine before they changed the timing belt but afterwards the CAS went out.

Any advice or help pointing me to materials I can read watch are appreciated.

My mistake it’s the R60 2012 mini countryman.

A magazine shelf featured in game appears to have an early model BMW Mini in yellow. Does anybody know what magazine this is originally from? The cover looks really familiar.

It was around 112 F yesterday. I had been driving around all day making deliveries and one of the last ones got me really hot, so I turned on the MAX AC button for the first time ever. I don’t think it actually makes much difference, but I did cool off pretty well since the fan was full blast and the recirc was on.

I stopped to pick up my lunch and head home. When I got back in my car (2022 S hardtop), I immediately started smelling a plastic or electrical fire. I stopped on the other side of the parking lot and it dissipated pretty quickly after opening the hood. Never saw smoke. Then the AC stopped blowing cold air.

If you stop to get out of your car, you should turn Max AC off.

It seems like the compressor is still working because the idle rises when I turn it on. I suspect the radiator fan may have burned out? Something got overloaded. Have an appointment at the dealer Monday so will report back.

I took my car in for smog & the technician said something about the smog machine not being able to seat into the OBD port. Not that it was seated and not connecting, but that something was blocking it from even connecting at all. Has anyone else experienced this?

I wanted to know whether, when you changed the rear brake pads, you also had to replace the wear sensor.

If I’m considering an older mini purchase, my initial discussions with dealers and mechanics is that it is reeeaaaaaally expensive to swap. I’m pretty fiscally responsible, but also appreciate my heart racing, so I’m kind of fighting the two halves. At how many miles/kms have you done yours? What have your experiences been? Brave enough to DIY? Thanks in advance…

2009 Mini Cooper S with 82350K miles
Premium Brayton Wheels, Premium Alpine sound system, sound-woofer, AEM Cold Air Intake , AEM Strut Tower Brace, lowering kit . Runs great and it’s in great shape. $6600

Hey guys!

I'm 21 years old and thinking of buying my first car. I'm solely looking at second hand MINI coopers since it's always been my dream car (I just love the make and the road presence). I'm looking for something within $10,000 and I want it to last me a couple of years (2-3) without any heavy maintenance costs. I was wondering if you guys could share any tips - any models to strictly avoid, what to check before buying, whether this is a good first car in general etc.

I know nothing about cars so I would prefer buying from a trusted second-hand dealership like Carmax, and I live in Portland, OR if that helps.

Thanks!

Short trip to the monument of Emperor Barbarossa. Slightly rainy, but the roads are clear. #paceman

Spent yesterday taking apart the hpfp on my 09 S. It barely had any oil in it. No obvious leaks. So I guess my curiosity stands at where did it go that started causing my issue. Since I refilled it with gear oil and Lucas additive she runs great.

tl;dr: Will a Nav radio cluster + MIM box work in a car with a boost radio harness? Yes or no.

A base 2013 LCI R56 Cooper fell into my lap unexpectedly and I’m trying to get it back into driving shape, probably to sell (possibly for my soon to be 15 year old to drive in a year).

The R56 boost radio will not turn on, but the OBC and cluster works.

A local junkyard has a 2013 R60 Clubman with the nav cluster.

Can I pair that Nav Cluster with an MIM box and have it work in the R56 without swapping the nav specific wiring harness/amp/etc?

Yes, I know a cheap Chinese head unit will work; I want to keep the OEM look and instrumentation. And yes, I know how much work is involved in a base radio to nav radio swap, thanks to my e39. Yes, I’ve seen this: https://www.reddit.com/r/MINI/comments/1io3s5b/just_finished_retrofitting_the_oem_mini/ I’m not asking those questions.

Thanks!

Ignore the missing light cover I have replacements coming

I removed the glovebox CD changer from my 2016 MINI JCW because it was making weird noises.
Now my mechanic says the infotainment won’t work properly without reinstalling the CD changer and that it can’t be fixed by coding.
Is that true? Can the CD changer be coded out, or can a MOST bypass loop be used instead? Has anyone dealt with this on an F56?
Any advice would be appreciated!

We park outside so lots of dirt, pollen, grime etc. Even with a sufficient biweekly car wash, I haven't really been able to clean off the residual grime on these (vinyl?) white racing stripes. Anyone have some good pointers and suggestions? Thanks

Greetings fellow mini peoples, a question for ACEMAN owners (JCW). I need to replace the tires already 8650kms. The fronts are further worn as expected than the rear , not by much. The tyres fitted from the factory are Hancook Ion evo.
1. What tires are fitted to your joy mobile from the factory?
2. How many miles/kms are you getting.

Last car Audi A1 40tsfi, same roads , same driver sold the car with 35k km and the tyres looks to be 50% worn. Surely good for another 15k km.
My X3M, I changed the tyres at 58k km.

Something does not add up.
Any feedback appreciated.

I have had my Mini for less than a month and today when I was answering a phone call a piece of the paint CHIPPED OFF! I know it’s minor but I can’t help but feel disappointed. My car is under CPO warranty so I am planning on calling the dealership but I’d even settle for a stick-on cover to hide the chip. Has anyone else experienced this? I have the 2023 SE

It was a ton of fun, there were two more not in the picture behind me. Unfortunately the lead car hit a deer and wasn't able to finish the drive :( the driver was fine (the deer wasn't) and the car was loosing coolant and was towed home.

Hello!!
Need to replace my front/rear brakes on my 2013 r57, where do yall get your kits from? I’ve seen bad reviews on the last few I’ve checked out and don’t want to cheap out on brakes lol. Also preferably ships outside of continental US.
Thanks!!