1st Gen R53 Cooper S My 2005 R53 Daily Driver build thread

the OEM R53 HIDs are hooked up to two sensors, one on the driver side front A-arm, the other on the rear trailing arm, also driver's side. Cars sold without HID do not have them,

the question is - if you add these sensors (at $50ish a pop), is the wiring in all cars compatible and will the headlight housings receive that data? And if so, is that compatible with the aftermarket projector housings that have a "leveling motor?" I don't want to spend extra on those housings only to gut them for a different projector and then realize the leveling feature doesn't apply in my non-HID R53. If I don't get leveling with them, I will just go and cut up the one I have. And what is legal and what people are doing in the US and what is being enforced are three different things. Driving down to Atlanta, it felt like 20% of the commercial trucks on the freeway were using illegal HID kits in their ancient halogen headlight reflectors. Wouldn't you think that trucks that get inspected at weigh stations regularly should not be able to get away with that? The percentage of passenger cars with such lights is rather limited compared to the trucking industry.

 

just found this file about retrofit HID wiring.

http://motoringfile.com/files/retrofitXenonsNewstyle.pdf

All the info needed is in there, but it also means the non-HID cars aren't pre-wired. Lots of work to manually duplicate the OEM wiring, and you'll run the risk screwing things up if you don't use proper connectors at the end points. Still haven't figured out if the "base module" is in all cars, but I don't really think I will ever do this. See page 10 - you need to splice stuff into the ECU connector, even with the OEM retrofit kit! The way I see it I'd have to do a lot of custom wiring and half of them are for heated washers I won't have anyway. Sounds like just more trouble than benefit. If I do HID projectors on dark silver, I will level manually.

 

Agree with all this - the car won't be hauling bricks at night, so manual aim it is (heck, that's what I am doing with the dark silver car right now)

I had to hit a Costco parking lot and big white wall before I drove to Atlanta - my Dark Silver car seemed to have its lights aimed too low for years, and after changing ride height in the back by about 0.5 inches compared to the front it was too high, or so it seemed. So I headed to the box store on a weekend after they closed early. I think I opened and closed that hood about a dozen times until I figured out which direction to turn the adjusters and felt I had it dialed in, but then on the road to Atlanta I wasn't sure any longer. Seemed like it was aimed too low at times, other places it seems like I had aimed them too high. Maybe that is what a proper adjustment should be? One truck flashed his lights at me after I passed him. No idea why other than the lights?

The plan now is to take the Chili red car out, have its OEM HID lights point at a wall and make a chalk mark (when no cops are nearby), then come back with the electric blue, repeat from the same location and mark the average. Also good to see how much those cars differ. Both are on stock suspension with stock headlight aim from factory and both with leveling sensors. The average of the two cars (if close) will then be my benchmark for the custom job on the third car. That project will all be in a different thread, and I won't complete it until spring when that car gets back on the road out of winter hibernation.

And then there's ChrisFix telling me how to do it... (skip first 2 mins)


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDudMM4J-ZE"]How to Adjust, Align, and Aim Headlights and Fog Lights PERFECTLY - YouTube[/ame]

 

Applied some Boeshield T9 to suspension and subframe areas before finally dropping it back on its wheels 4 weeks on jacks? Probably longer. There is always something else that comes up or slows me down. So last night it came down and I polished the roof, finishing paint correction work.


back on its wheels

Then I laid out the goodies that follow -


Ready to apply the stuff

I wiped it down twice, even vacuumed the garage floor (first time ever and it feels so clean on my feet ) to avoid dust. Today one more wipe down with Prep, then I'll crack open the MOHS. First time ever with such a system - and I am a day late, because this week I wanted to see the muffler shop. Going to have to do that next week early before work, or Saturday. Weather is awful again, so the car will stay in the garage to cure for a while anyway.

 

Also noticed it sits about 0.75" higher (fender gap rear) than Chili Red, both on identical stock everything. Even after a few hours it still sits half an inch higher. Not sure if letting the wheels and shocks hang free for days and days causes the springs to stretch out that much, but I'm wondering if I have relatively new suspension stuff on that car. The parts look surprisingly clean and stone chip free for a car that has other parts looking like they got sand blasted. Actually, on this car a little more ground clearance is a welcome thing - think snow...

 

Put on the cure yesterday morning, then attached the license plate for the first time in 2 months. The car is now curing. I learned that I need to get a stubby USB stick for the stereo head unit as the typical 2 inch thumb drive size conflicts with my phone mount. Not a big deal.

While in the car I touched the plastic shroud around the steering column and it was sticky. Sticky? I detailed every square inch I thought. Well, I didn't do the touch test of the plastic there. Apparently it is different from the other dash plastics. Normal cleaner did not get rid of the tackiness, so I tested Isopropyl 91% and that got into the layer of crap. The microfiber towel turned black and an enormous amount of gunk came off that plastic, even below. It has to be decomposition of the material due to heat or UV or both, because the other plastics around the wheel are fine. Checked the red Mini and even though it has been garaged most of its life it also is a bit tacky there. It is the plastic around the key and just in front of the tack that has the same texture the material on the dash has.

Not much left to do. Here's a rundown of the main things I have done over the last 2 months

9/17/2017 removed rear seat and installed 18 sq ft noise dampening
9/17/2017 Massive interior cleanup, hot water extractor, floor and seats
9/18/2017 Audio system install - all new
9/18/2017 fix battery vent tube
9/20/2017 Oil change Mobil 1 5W 30 + filter
9/29/2017 new coolant reservoir
9/29/2017 new rear wiper
9/29/2017 New front wipers Trico top like aero
9/30/2017 tires 4x BFG Comp 2 A/2 215/45/17
10/2/2017 new top engine mount
10/2/2017 transmission fluid changed - Royal Purple Synchromx
10/2/2017 new 532 belt
10/2/2017 Innovited HID fog light conversion
10/12/2017 new fuel filter
10/12/2017 super charger oil service
10/12/2017 new belt tensioner
10/12/2017 new idler pulley
10/13/2017 17% pulley removed and reseated properly
10/13/2017 air filter washed and reinstalled, no oil
10/13/2017 new lower engine mount
10/15/2017 new radiator foam top and bottom
10/15/2017 ignition coil and wires cleaned, dielectric grease
10/20/2017 rims polished and waxed
10/20/2017 radiator flushed
10/22/2017 Fan resistor mod
10/22/2017 black JCW front grill install
10/22/2017 bumper signals light covers polished
10/22/2017 brake fluid flush Brake Fluid: ATE 200 Gold
10/25/2017 POR 15 on all visible rust spots on subframe and suspension
10/25/2017 New front grill installed
10/29/2017 coolant fill and burp, then drain and fill one more time to flush
10/29/2017 rear seat delete plate carpeted and installed. Felt lining in compartment
10/30/2017 fog light housings replaced with new - glass was chipped
10/30/2017 license plate stainless screws
10/30/2017 paint correction/polish begin
11/4/2017 Gyoen MOHS 3 layers applied
11/5/2017 Gyeon Cure applied

 

well, that list will keep growing. New harmonic balancer, muffler./resonator fix, and who knows what else will materialize over the coming months. Subframe comes off next year for all new front end bushings and balljoints, and I'm already contemplating R56S brakes at least.

There were some weird things going on in my garage last night I think... Mini spirits returning to repossess the machine?




When I saw this car on Craigslist I was actually looking for a WRX. So at purchase time it was between a Mini and fixing it, and a 2013/14 WRX Sti and fixing it. Mini was far cheaper plus I already knew what needs fixing. The budget was easier to plan and so far I'm not far from what I expected. Now, if this car "fails" as a winter car, even with winter tires, then I may still get an Outback or something more foul weather focused. Remember, I sold a nice Toyota Tundra Crewmax Limited 4x4, so there's a lot of "capability" this little guy has to replace.

 

JCW carbon shifter knob, missing from list
Panavise phone mount missing from list

I kept sloppy notes

 

detail image in case you missed it on some other thread


Light painting the electric blue

I did some more reading about roof racks. I think OEM is going to be the best option after I figured out it can be removed (!) and all you have left once it's off the car are those plastic caps for the bolt holes. Sure takes some commitment to drill into the roof but the price is right and it's a clean solution. Most Thule add-ons will work, and the OEM bike mount is actually a good deal. The OEM ski carrier stinks and won't fit any wider ski and is huge.