1st Gen R53 Cooper S Winterizing the R53

The same thing happened to me today. It was suggested to me to use lots of boiling water to warm up the door locks so they can open and then to spray silicone around all the rubber so they don't freeze again. Once I get into the car, it's gonna get started and sit awhile with all the heaters on so the windshield and rear windows melt and hopefully most of the snow on the rest of the car, too.

 

Rain X does help with the windows.

 

Door handles... Switch to the 2005+ refresh handles...cars in parts of the country that had freezing precip and went through dealers got the swap for free (largely) back when they were mostly under warrenty as a campaign... The desgin was changed...till you do that, you are gonna be stuck...I'd suggest you check for cars getting parted out..when you see the back side of the handle, the part you squeeze, you will understand the change...just reuse your lock
Next...just basic stuff...kinda late in the year...just make sure the coolant (often neglected) is OK, washer tanks (BOTH many cars, like with xenons) are full.....tires...snows or aggressive all seasons, narrower tend to do better in snow, wider float,...so 7.5+ or even 8 are crazy...6.5 are about right, but 5.5 work on width...
So.e like to spray the underbody with corrosion protection.....stuff is pretty well covered, but suspension bits, etc could use some help....then drive, have fun!!
Drove my r53 for 10 Winters...never really did anything unique or special.

..love it!! If most of society went by this, the world would be a peaceful place!!

 

I park mine under a tin carport, no ice problems.

 

Just mice...... :wink:

 

One more thing, check your battery (load test) or if you don't know how old it is just replace it.

It's better to change the battery now then when it's really cold and dark in a parking lot.

 

Batteries on r53 are sometimes VERY long lived due to the fairly cool spot they are stored in...but the long cable runs can make starting a challenge when very cold. I always opted to replace a battery BEFORE it failed...at the first sign it was growing weaker....let's face it, a strong battery is nice to have...having the option to leave the radio and lights on for a long time is parked is nice....some folks say if the car starts, its fine, not realizing that the capicity has dropped so low, an interior light left on for an hour will prevent a start, or hazzard lights will kill the battery in minutes....
Most any GOOD battery with a vent will work...unvented batteries like optima work well too.

 

I found this guy nesting by the ignition wires. Not sure what to do, but I'm thinking of some poison pellets.

 

I hook up a CTEK charger to my battery once a year just before it gets cold. Make sure I have a fully charged battery.

My original battery from the factory lasted 10 years before I replaced it.

The price of a CTEK charger seems to have gone up significantly since I bought mine quite a few years back.