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Jon's R53 Cooper S "Olly"

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Re: Jon's R53 Cooper S "Olly"

Postby Jonknight » Tue Jun 12, 2012 10:48 am

dillonmr wrote:well wear lad, she looks well paintwork if very well looklng.

if you're going for a respray on the interior bits Alcantara look can look well if you want to go away from the stock grey. Suggest loosing the lexis style lights and the chrome mirrors on the aesthetics front. Possible redo the grill decals on the rear bumper if they've gone a browny/gold colour &/or cracking (happened with mine and replacing gave the back a big lift when i did them), and get yourself a three spoke steering wheel.

performance wise, depends what you're after but I'd suggest a full fluid change if she's new to you including gearbox oil (piece of mind). If you're changing any bushes powerflex all the way. And I'd suggest getting yourself a set of strut tower plates esp if you're running anything 17" + or runflats (if you have run flats burn them, breakdown assistance is better on your back)


Thanks for the advice,

Work done so far is:

Resprayed both bumpers and bonnet.
Full service, brake fluid change, gearbox oil change etc.
Rear calipers replaced.
Fitted Cd player
Repainted downtubes and door grabs.
FItted K&N Panel filter.
Full clean inside and out.

Dont think I will change the lights or the mirrors as I like the look of the car as it is.

Will be changing the wheels at some stage but not running on runflats at the moment.

Engine wise will be a remap and pulley.

I'm sure there will be lots more added to that though :)
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Re: Jon's R53 Cooper S "Olly"

Postby dillonmr » Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:34 pm

kool, if you're doing a pulley be sure to increase the intercooler at the same time you'll need it. Also brake upgrade to handle the extra power.
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Re: Jon's R53 Cooper S "Olly"

Postby Jonknight » Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:30 pm

Spotted an oil leak today :1icon_cry: Seems to be coming from the sump gasket or maybe could be running down from further up. Power steering fan was steeped in oil anyway. Guessing its either a sump gasket or crankcase seal but not sure how much this will cost to repair.

Starting to question whether I should hold on to it or sell it and get something cheaper to run. Getting married next year and trying to save money for that but there seems to be alot cropping up to fix in the car lately. Getting alot of grief from the other half over constantly spending money on it. To be fair she's been a saint up till now.

Anybody have any advice? I'm at a loss what to do.
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Re: Jon's R53 Cooper S "Olly"

Postby Coopman » Wed Jun 27, 2012 11:16 pm

Problems are going to exist with any car. Ive had endless electrical problems with my 07 mini since day one! Sometimes you can just be unlucky. My older mini is consistantly fine. I suggest just finding out what is wrong with it and getting it fixed as cheaply as you can! You can never predict problems with any car be it new/old high performance or bog standard. At the end of the day the r53 is an economical car and personally i know from experience that it uses less juice than most other cars of its size with standard 1.4 engines! Dont sell it buddy! Just get it fixed and keep her serviced and looked after. At the end of the day youre running a small car where most guys might be driving a gas guzzler so maybe thats some consulation to mention to your fiance!
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Re: Jon's R53 Cooper S "Olly"

Postby Jonknight » Thu Jun 28, 2012 6:01 pm

Coopman wrote:Just get it fixed and keep her serviced and looked after.


Do you mean the car or the girlfriend?? :) Thanks for the reply Niall, I suppose your right, it doesn't matter what age a car is it's going to go wrong at some stage.

Seems it is the sump thats weeping alright and after researching a load of sites and forums it seems this is a very common fault and can go on cars with as little as 30k.
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Re: Jon's R53 Cooper S "Olly"

Postby Coopman » Fri Jun 29, 2012 11:23 am

Tell the girlfriend she is going to have to go with a cheaper dress on the day so you can fix the car! See how well that goes down. :P
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Re: Jon's R53 Cooper S "Olly"

Postby Jonknight » Fri Jun 29, 2012 8:15 pm

:) I don't have a deathwish just yet!!!
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Re: Jon's R53 Cooper S "Olly"

Postby Jonknight » Tue Jul 17, 2012 9:19 pm

Sump gasket replaced and everything is perfect on the car. Unfortunately I have had some bad news. My income has been cut so I have to put the car up for sale as my girlfriend can only drive automatic and we can no longer afford to run two cars.

Very disappointed but thats life I guess.
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Postby MiniMpi » Tue Jul 17, 2012 11:54 pm

Very sad to hear to hear this Jon :(
Hope you're okay buddy.
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Postby Derfinn » Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:34 pm

That's sad news Jon.
Such a shame, after you doing so much getting her fixed.
Best of luck with the sale.
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Re: Jon's R53 Cooper S "Olly"

Postby Jonknight » Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:13 pm

Thanks guys. I'm devastated to be honest.
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Re: Jon's R53 Cooper S "Olly"

Postby Jonknight » Mon Jul 23, 2012 1:48 pm

Car is now sold :1icon_cry:
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Postby MiniMpi » Mon Jul 23, 2012 4:02 pm

That was quick!!!
Gutted for you Jon though :(
Hope the car stays in the club
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