1st Gen R50 Cooper Struts and Control Arm Bushings needed

So took the MINI in because the car was handling poorly while cornering and at speeds above 50 would like to pull quickly or dart into the other lane when changing lanes on the highway.

The mechanic told me that my struts were leaking and that my control arm bushings were gone and I would need new bushings and 4 new struts. A rough estimate quote for parts and labor was between $1500 and $2000.

So my question is, Does anyone have an opinion on better replacement parts than OEM? I'm looking to keep the price down as I do not have allot of money and this is my daily driver so I will be needing a rental while the MINI is in the shop. I looked at some posts and noticed that most of the MINI owners replace their Control Arm Bushings with the Powerflex bushings from HELIX.

Is there anything else I should ask the shop to replace while they are working on it. Can the shop purchase the Powerflex bushings for me or do I need to purchase them on my own?

Any help is appreciated, I am a little inexperienced with this sort of stuff. :fingerscrossed:

My MINI is a 2002 R50.

 

I plan on asking the shop to order the Powerflex bushings. Can you only get them from HELIX? I believe for struts I will be going with OEM unless there is an aftermarket brand that is around the same price. Where might I find out when my car was made?

 

Bump. Hopefully bringing the car in monday. Anyone else?

 

Thank you everyone for their input. That's why I love this community.

I will be having the shop order the Powerflex bushings for sure.

As of now, I will be calling the shop tomorrow and asking them to order parts for the job. I need to figure out what I should be paying for 4 new struts, I want to make sure the shop is charging me correctly.

I am trying to keep costs down so that will factor into which struts I choose. I prefer handling over comfort (I'm young). I haven't looked up how much OEM cost compared to the Koni Yellows yet.

Anyone know about how long it should take a shop to do 4 struts and control arm bushings.

Once again I am inexperienced in this area. How many control arm bushings are needed, I see they sell as a pair.

Thanks again everyone

 

Detroit tuned has a set of Koni Sport Struts for $604 not including shipping. Do they need a different set of springs or do they use the springs on the old struts.

After looking through Detroit tuned I see that there are front and rear control arm bushings. I assume I need two for the front and two for the rear, correct me if i'm wrong.

 

Awesome, Thanks MCS02. Perfect answer.

I will be getting the Powerflex bushings and the Koni Yellow Sport struts.

Now all I need to know is if anyone has an idea of how long (hours) it will take the shop to do the work.

The shop owner made an estimate of $1700-$2000 total (parts and labor).

The parts come out to around 700 not including shipping and he stated that labor would be more than parts.

Is it really a 1000+ job?

Any help is appreciated.

P.S. You guys and the best and M/A IS the best and friendliest MINI site.

 

That is OK, you helped enough lol.

 

Thanks Detroit Tuned. You answered my last question.

I appreciate everyone's help, I feel way more confident about my purchases and feel more knowledgeable about what exactly I need to be putting in my MINI.

Special thanks to Detoit Tuned and their website Detroit Tuned MINI Cooper Tuning. Their website interface was easy to use and locating the parts I needed was a breeze.

Check out Detroit Tuned if you haven't already, saved me some money. Next purchase will be a nice little Detroit Tuned decal for my side window.