Engine Drivetrain 1st Gen Cooper S Most liked posts in thread: My Aggressive Maintenance Plan - Discussion Thread

  1. Crashton

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    I change my plugs out at about 40,000 miles. They look worn, but serviceable at the mileage. At that mileage I also change out the ignition wires.

    As far as lifetime fluids, trans fluid is changed on my MINI at 50,000 miles. Fluid is cheaper that gearboxes.

    These are just what I do. Doing these things more often will not hurt a thing.
     
  2. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Until you are out of warranty and they don't have to pay for the fix! :D
     
  3. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    I do that swap when I change the turn signal fluid. :eek:

    Good catch. I meant supercharger oil.
     
  4. SNEEEZY - Erika

    SNEEEZY - Erika M/A Wrenchin' Babe!
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    DAMN!

    Here I thought I've been doing a pretty good job of checking oils, fluids, etc. and somehow I seemed to have overlooked the turn signal fluid!

    Where is the reservoir?























































    :postcount
     
  5. Steve

    Steve Administrator
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    Apr 23, 2009
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    Click the link to the Article to see the actual schedule.

    Great stuff Aaron. Thanks for posting.
     
  6. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    I've been thinking about this and will read you plan with great interest. I only wish you had a 2nd Gen car, but I'm sure it will give me food for thought. :Thumbsup:

    Jim
     
  7. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    For Gen 2 cars, you can ignore the supercharger stuff, but might need to add turbo maint (no clue) and maybe some sort of carbon build up preventative... SeaFoam, maybe. I haven't done research for the R56, but know that some have suffered from that issue.
     
  8. lotsie

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    Good stuff:Thumbsup:

    Mark
     
  9. grodenglaive

    grodenglaive New Member

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    Looks like a reasonable schedule for fluid/filter changes for a car that sees track time.
    Surprisingly, I have never needed to change a car battery in 25 years of driving. I made up for that with my garden tractor though - 4 batteries in 7 years.
    Windshield wipers twice a year for me - the winter salt is hard on them and maybe I'm fussy too. :)
     
  10. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    You might want to consider getting the Silblade wipers. They have a five year warranty. I have had a set on my car for a bit over 5 years now and they still perform like new.
     
  11. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    Good article. I like where you're going with this.

    Some thoughts:

    What's an intercooler oil swap?
    30k on belts is aggressive. I think 60k is fine on a modern ribbed belt.
    I don't plan on changing my O2 sensors till 150k.
    Water pump? (100k or failure) Supercharger oil? (40k if DIY) Supercharger rebuild? (100k or failure) <- high labor costs, tough to recommend prior to failure for non-DIYers
    I change my cabin air filter when the maintenance interval counts down to 0.
    Is there a different MINI-recommended interval on the JCW spark plugs?
    Coolant hoses? I suggest 150k, inspect yearly
    Also inspect yearly for leaks/tears/failure: oil pan gasket, crank sensor gasket, crankshaft seal (behind pulley), lower engine mount, power steering fan, power steering rack, shocks, front strut upper mounting plates
     
  12. Steve

    Steve Administrator
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    #9 Steve, Aug 5, 2011
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2011
    Wiper blades to me are in a different category, like tires and brake pads. Unlike most things on the list they're easy to see and easy to test. No fluids to send away for testing, no dismantling of engine, trans, etc, to get to them. Visual observation is simple and 100% reliable and replacement, at least for the wipers, is easy.

    Your recommendation for the OEM blades comes close to my actual replacement timing based on failure back when I still used them. I think they actually lasted less than a year for me.

    I switched to PIAA Super Silicone and they've been working just like new for something like six or seven years now. In fact the silicone is still so good I've left the blades on even though they're starting to rust. It's almost like a science experiment I can't walk away from, I must know how long these things will keep performing like this. Ever keep the blades and replace just the rubber inserts? I feel like doing the opposite...
     
  13. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    I'm not a JCW guy, but I thought I heard a story on White Roof Radio about Todd finding a MINI service bulletin that says that JCWs (R53 JCWs, at least) get new plugs with every oil change!
     
  14. DneprDave

    DneprDave Well-Known Member
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    I would only change spark plugs after they failed a visual inspection, not after a set number of miles.

    With every oil change seems like way too much to me!

    Dave
     
  15. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    Found this on Motoringfile.

    MotoringFile » Archive » Ask MF: R53 JCW Spark Plug Bulletin

    "Every service interval" comes out to about 15,000 miles.
     
  16. 1momini

    1momini New Member

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    ? Mini lifetime fluids how long do they consider lifetime?
     
  17. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    About 100k or when the part fails. A good example is a clutch: you wouldn't replace a clutch until it fails because it's so much work and money to replace, even though you know it's going to wear out some day. So whenever they had a part that was difficult to replace (like a supercharger or automatic transmission), they just declared the fluid "lifetime." Most parts these days are designed for about 100k miles or 10 years.
     
  18. 1momini

    1momini New Member

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    16 year old daughter will be driving this car. I figure a clutch sooner than later :(
    I figure I will do the trans fluid then. PS and Brakes now.
    I've been noticing a top engine knock/ping at start up. I search this forum and found Service bulletin about carbon build up on cylinder walls. There was a picture of a tool that looked like a pipe with a chain attached in. 2 places. I gathered it was to slip down into the cylinder and spin it to break up the carbon while flushing with a cleaner. Craziest thing I ever saw. Have any of you had experience with such a thing.
     
  19. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    I think that is the 'walnut blaster' (good for a search term). The carbon build-up is primarily a R56 issue... with some of the years more than others.
     
  20. 1momini

    1momini New Member

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    I think it had 3 other bulletins that went with it couldn't find those. I am curious to know.
    I'm afraid my knock may be poor oil distribution to the top. May have bad seals. It does have 190000 miles.
    As far as maintenance goes its probably too late to get to aggressive.
    Kind of looking foward to the rebuild actually. I am going to change out those life time fluids.
    Nice write up by the way enjoyed the read.