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So I bought a Mini

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So I bought a Mini

Postby mc_mini » Wed Dec 23, 2020 12:50 pm

Hi,

So in a rush of blood :) I bought a 2010 Mini One First (actually manufactured in Oct 09) after test driving it when my old banger gave up on me. It's got 191Kms on the clock. First gear is a bit sticky at times but that might just be me getting used to it. Laquer is starting to peel in a few spots so will need to sort that and needs a good set of tyres but other than that the car is driving well and is in good condition.

I only have a partial service history and noticed that the wrong oil has been used for the last couple of services (10w40 semi synth). Service history I have shows what look like two oxygen sensors replaced in the last 2 years and a solenoid valve replaced.

I had my own mechanic give it the once over and he found a leaking rocker/valve cover gasket which has been repaired under warranty. He's done an oil and filter change and used 5w30 fully syth.

He checked the timing chain and tensioner and reckons they're okay. All in all he reckons the car is in good shape.

However after reading around on several forums about issues with the R56 I'm wondering if I should be looking at changing the timing chain. I've no idea if it's ever been done. Apart from that what kind of things should I be looking out for.

I intend on keeping the car for the next 4/5 years at least so I'd like to make sure it's in good nick now. Anyone recommend a good Mini specialist around the Dublin/Kildare area?
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Re: So I bought a Mini

Postby irlmin » Sat Dec 26, 2020 1:33 pm

Hi and welcome to the site , congrats on your purchase . as regards the issues in no particular order I would not be very worried about the 10/40 oil as long as a premium oil was used , high mileage R56 MINIs just run through 5/30 and you are better off sometimes using a quality branded ie Castrol , Shell , Mobil etc 10/40 than a poor quality cheap 5/30 .also change the oil / filter every 7 to 10 thousand km and forget MINIs abysmal long service intervals . Timing chains have a bad reputation however most of this is due to the R56 S N14 chain issues and again goes back to the long service intervals and oil deterioting . MINI ONE and 1st models don't suffer chain issues as much and if your car has reached 191000 km then it must have been looked after well ( we have had MINIs in with only 60000km with huge engine issues due to poor servicing ) The timing chain issue as I said will give lots of notice and it will start with a slight 'rattling' noise after cold start-up and last a few seconds . be pedantic about oil level and coolant checks and get yourself into a regime of making checks regularly . the R56 engine has zero tollerence for coolant loss . overall the oil consumption and coolant loss are the only issues that cause issues , electrics are problematic as well with water ingress into some of the major control units like Body control module and fusebox unit , again just keep an eye on dampness and deal with any water leak into the car . overall its usually down to the owner how reliable the R56 will be and watch for warning lights and STOP if you see any red ones , yellow are usually not very serious but have them checked . anyway any problems you may have please post here or just message me as I may be able to help .
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Re: So I bought a Mini

Postby mc_mini » Sun Dec 27, 2020 7:47 pm

Thanks for replying @irlmin. I figured the car must have been looked after fairly well if it got that kind of mileage on it and is still driving well. Funny enough it was a ticking/rattling on cold start that led me to start looking at potential probelms with this engine. I'm thinking I'll probably do the timing chain on this so I know it's good going forward. I think I've read on other posts that you guys do this as a fixed cost item. Can you let me know what it would cost? Maybe a trip to Cork is in order and I'll get you to give it the once over :-)

Thanks,

Martin
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Re: So I bought a Mini

Postby irlmin » Mon Dec 28, 2020 7:01 pm

Hi Martin ,
Yes we do lots of them . We have indeed a fixed price of € 550 including full chain kit , oil and filter change , camshaft adaptions etc . we only use OE spec components and premium oils and OE spec filters . G
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Re: So I bought a Mini

Postby mc_mini » Wed Dec 30, 2020 9:21 pm

Thanks Ger. Not too bad. I'll probably be in contact in the new year to organise that. Looking at the announcements this evening it'll be the end of the month before we can leave our own county though :rolleyes:
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