Hi, I just bought a 2006 MCS convertible. It has 37K miles and is astro black metallic. This is my first Mini and I love the way the car drives. It is all stock and, besides some appearance changes, I plan to keep it that way. I have a few questions and wondering if anyone has any comments: 1) When letting off the gas the car sometimes backfires. That doesn't seem normal. I put in a full tank of premium gas initial and have driven it a good 50 miles which has seemed to help some but should I check anything? 2) Is it hard to replace the spark plugs? I searched but the results were so many I couldn't sift through them all. 3) The center third brake light is out. It isn't just one bulb, the whole thing doesn't work. Any known things to check? 4) Any thoughts on best parts place? This site seems like the best place for Mini stuff and I thank you all in advance for any help! I am pretty active in old VWs and the online community and hope to do the same with Minis. Cheers, Jim
Hey Jim, welcome to M/A! The popping or backfire as you called it is very normal for an S! The third brake light assy is an LED circuit so something on the board could be bad. Spark plugs are not too hard to replace but you do need a long plug socket with thin wall and you have to remove the intercooler to get to the plugs.
Welcome aboard! Mr Jim has it on the answers. I just checked my plugs, no need to remove the intercooler. People will actually change the exhaust to get more backfire (pop and burble)
Welcome to the in crowd! The few, the funnest, the topless. Topless motoring is motoring at it's best. Enjoy the pop and burble too. You will want to rotate you tires about every 5000 miles to even out wear from the negative camber built into the suspension. Also, make it a habit to check the fluid levels regularly. Be proactive instead of the growing current trend of having to re-act. If you replace the plugs yourself, torque them exactly. There are threads about of people not installing them correctly and haveing the plugs blow out of the block or dinging the piston. Take very good care of the canvas. 303 products or RaggTopp are about the best. Don't run the top up and down a lot without cleaning it, the brush attachment on your shopvac works well. The dirt and grit will cut the fabric and you'll be faced with a very expensive repair. It doesn't hurt to give the scissor joints a shot of dry lube once in a while either. If it didn't come with one, search ebay and other sources for a wind deflector. Just make sure it is for the R52 and not the R57. You really want one of these as they kill the wind noise and make motoring even more pleasant. Here are a few URLs that you may find useful: Top Tier Gasoline Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada Mini Cooper Info. 1st gen. Minis, Mini Parts, Mini performance, Mini specs This includes a huge list of independent shops from all over the country. RealOEM.com * Diagram Selection LightInSight - Windshield Mounted Traffic Light Lens You really want a lightinsight but they are currently out of stock so keep an eye on the website. MotorcycleRoads.US - Great Motorcycle Roads in the US MotoringFile | MotoringFile | MINI news, reviews and opinion. MINI Cooper, Cooper S, Clubman, Countryman
Thank you all very much for the replies and the nice welcoming to this forum. I am glad to the the "backfire" is just "pop and burble" and I will enjoy it from now on! I will look into the plugs since I am not sure they have ever been replaced. Okay, here is a crazy question. Where is the spare tire?? I read the manual and it states that I could have some kind of repair kit only but I don't think I am running run flat tires. Any ideas?
Tire Repair Kit - Griot's Garage The above link will take you to a solution. I carry this kit in the boot along with a spare quart if oil and some quick detailing supplies from the same company.
There is no spare. The car came with runflats. I'd gather the previous owner replaced them with non-runflats. The ride is much better, the cost is much lower and choices available are much greater. Many of our sponsors have spare tire kits. However, storage in a convertible is iffy at best. A Tire Plug kit along with a bottle of Slime and a portable compressor is another way to go.
Good to know about no spare. I will look into the kit. I guess I won't let my AAA membership expire either! The tires look new so the run flats have been replaced with normal tires which I am okay with. Thanks again everyone for the information!
Tire repair kit can be sourced at wallyworld for a lot cheaper than Griots wants for one. Amazon also carries it. Slime 40013 Smart Spair Emergency Tire Repair Kit : Amazon.com : Automotive
...and ask yourself do you want to turn over your unscheduled roadside stop to a product made as cheaply as possible by the lowest bidder. I can tell you a very scary story from a friend who bought a 12ga Remington Wingmaster manufactured to wallyworld's exacting specifications. Caveat emptor.
That is good advice. Do you think Griots products are not spec'd the same way? Yes the Slime kit may be cheap stuff, but I'd bet Griots is too. Griots just tarts their stuff up to look pretty. I can tell you the Slime kit listed above works fine. I have one & have used it.
Just back from a short errand and had a mo to think about what I posted. There are lots of good products running loose that do a fine job of replaceing a spare tire. I should have prefaced my comment with some explaination as to why I have such a dislike for anything relating to wallyworld. I allowed that to cloud my opinion and if there is anyone out there who was mortally offended by what I posted, I sincerely hope you can get over it. I can't get over how I feel about that organization. Have a nice day.:biggrin5::biggrin5:
Congratulations. You've got a great find. If you don't have maintenance records it would be prudent change out all the fluids. It's part of the life blood of the R52. Treat your R52 with respect and it will reciprocate. Good luck.
Since the removal of the runflats I have since replaced them with tyreshield.com - The domain is for sale! and a compressor. Sofar knock on wood.