Just a silly wild ass guess, but I'll put my money on the thermostat housing. A known issue on R50 / R53 MINIs. Not terribly expensive.
Agree, this could be from the thermostat housing. Likely you just need the o-ring/gasket and might as well get a new thermostat while you have it off. This is not an uncommon failure.
Thanks a lot for the reply guys. I traced the leak back up as far as I could and it seems to be coming from the area near the blue ziptie in this photo. Does that sound about right? I'm taking it into the shop tomorrow afternoon. Is it safe to drive a short distance as long as I top up the resevoir with water?
Absolutely not true in my experience. I had my rad fan fail earlier this summer - would only come on in high speed mode - and the temps would climb slowly from the mid point towards the end point (vertical) - sometimes staying on the 3rd indicator line if I was stuck in traffic, turning on the heater @ max capacity would bring it back to center.
Thanks so much for the feedback and tips everyone, it's much appreciated! Taking it to the shop today, I'll post a follow-up when I know more.
Hey everyone, just an update. I took my car to MINI Victoria this afternoon, they called within the hour and told me it was indeed a leaky thermostat. She checked the status of my warranty and found I still have bumper to bumper coverage until Dec 22, so the thermostat is covered and they are also doing a free "MINI Clinic" to see if theres anything else I should have looked at while I'm still covered. Thanks so much for all the help and suggestions everyone, it's great to be part of such a supportive community. I hope I'll be able to pass it on.
Glad to hear the leak was verified to be the Thermostat Housing and that it will be covered under warranty.
I agree with all above just make sure the water you add is Distilled Water, you wouldn't want to add all the chemicals into your cooling system that are in either Tap or Well water. Make a stop before bringing your Mini to the dealer for the coolant flush and pickup a Gallon of Distilled Water for them to use when mixing your coolant. (50/50 mixture). After working in the dealerships for 20 + years before going into biz for myself I never came accross 1 dealer who had or used Distilled Water like they should have been using. For under $ 1.00 your coolant system will Thank you for years to come.
Where you one use this tool as there is no radiator fill neck in the radiator? I bought the tool and then realized there is no fill point :nonod:
I've never used the tool, only heard about it from my mechanic, but I assume you use the radiator overflow tank.