Wow, that Clubman is low on miles, cool. Although your car has low miles, one thing to know about these cars is their thirst for oil, so please check your oil on a monthly basis.
If I was you, I would call the local dealer with your vin#(last 7 digits) and ask about any open recall campaigns. Maybe your friend, while dealing with his health, didn't bother to keep up with recalls and there are a few floating around for MINIs.
Thanks for the warm welcomes.
The only recalls for this car that I am aware of are the 16" vs. 17" wheel one and the water pump recall. He had the water pump replaced sometime ago although I will call my nearest dealer and ask, thanks for the heads up.
What do you guys think about upgrading the air intake system, putting a blanket over the turbo and putting a cat back system on the car. It currently has the 7 spoke 16" wheels with run flats and I'd like to change to 17" with a wider tire.
Any thoughts?
The only air intake upgrade you need is a freer flowing air filter. The stock system is already the best engineered cold air intake there is. Aftermarket cold air intakes at best make more noise without a horsepower gain, at worst, they are noisy and reduce horsepower.
Turbocharger blanket? Yes! The best blanket goes under the stock heat shield and wires to the hot side of the turbocharger, you can barely see it when it is installed.
It keeps the hot side hot and the cool side cool, giving you a little better turbocharger efficiency, it will also save your oil line to the pedestal bearing, which is prone to leaking due to hot and cold cycling.
Cat back exhaust? Sure, anything you can do to lessen back pressure to the turbocharger will bump the horsepower a little bit and increase its life.
Going from 16" wheels to 17". You may get a slightly harsher ride, depending on the tire. I went to 1/2" wider wheels and one size larger tires than stock and had no problems with them rubbing, others here may have gone to a larger size with no problems, they can advise you.
This is a good site for MINI help.
