Most liked posts in thread: New to Mini

Hello Vic and welcome to M/A!
Based on what I've read make the auto trans is in good working order, I'm sure others will chime in soon.

 

Is it a Cooper or Cooper S?

Either one promises to be a great car for her, but the S model has a few things about it that require a tiny bit more involvement. You'll want to change the oil twice a year or every 7500 miles for example, and on either car only use the proper synthetic. I buy both my filter and oil from the dealer, it's about the same price or cheaper than what you can buy at Autozone and it's the right stuff. If it's an S you'll want to be sure it's had the chain tensioner replaced with the latest one, it's neither expensive or hard to do but it's critical for the future life of the engine.

Other than that, you should be good to go. Most people replace the stock runflat tires with regular tires for a better ride, but you may want to keep them for peace of mind - however all runflats are pretty spendy to replace and they don't last a real long time.

Good luck and post some pics when you can!

OH, premium fuel only, preferably from a "Top Tier" seller.....

The auto in the 2nd gen cars is the well regarded Aisin 6 speed, not the CVT - it should give you no trouble.

 

Welcome aboard.

Jim

 

Welcome!

From what I understand about the 07+ Justacoopers (Base model) they are fairly bullet-proof so long as it had/has regular maintenance.

 

The car you're discussing should be pretty much problem free then....just tell her to drive it and enjoy it!

Change the oil - just for good measure.
Make sure it has premium fuel.
Air up the tires and go!

 

Welcome to M/A.....
Yes, what minidave said....
It's best to stick with the OEM mini filter, some aftermarket ones have been known to fall apart. And it's important to stick with the synthetic oil, even more so had it been an "S". You might want to bleed the brake fluid with new fluid based on the miles. Also check the air filter and also the cabin filter.
Go to our library for "how to's" on DIY maintenance.

 

Mobil 1 has been good for me in three that I've owned. I had my first one 106,000 miles, the second currently has 59,000 miles and the newest one just turned 3,000 miles. They are great cars. I too recommend using only the OEM oil filter. Others have been known to collapse.
You should get a "Dad of the Year" award on fathers day

 

A great place to find all kinds of info on our cars is RealOEM.com Online BMW Parts Catalog.

 

Take this thread to the end and there is a PDF file you can download from yellowmini.


http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/cooper-s/3802-cabin-air-filter.html

 

Re: the cabin filter cover, some cars also have screws going straight up into the housing holding the cover on - I don't know why - my 2003 did.

On the 2nd gen cars that have the battery up under the front plenum, you can remove the battery cover (two clips hold it on) and see right down into the top side of the cabin filter. On day I noticed a large nest had been built on top of mine by a chipmunk! Others have found dog food and nuts from critters who access the hollow and make nests in there. From that point they can roam all thru the vent system - one member has had one die up in the vents or pipes and can't find it to get it out!

So, check for nests once in a while!

 

Yeah.....
That's nothing...... a certain few (2) MOM members hide donuts there.

 

Keep the high pressure water spray away from the ECU, or wrap it in tight fitting plastic.