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Mini Cooper with dodgy electrics (what’s the next step)


Vince70

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Thanks that’s good to know I can get it coded now as the only door working is the drivers door but

The wipers seemed to get stuck in the wrong position first of all but now are working perfectly.

 

Also I’ve got to get the damp out from underneath the new unit before putting it all back together tomorrow morning,

 

I wonder could you give me a rough idea what the cost should be to get it coded.

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Yesterday I thought I would hoover the water out to keep the BC1 water free and chucked a car cover over it and put some tampax under the carpet as you do as I can see it’s going to take some time getting the water out the sponge backing.

 

At the moment it’s two steps forward and one step back as I now have windows and lights that work but still need the heater and locks sorted and I can’t get into the boot.

 

I’ve looked under the back seat for the manual pull but this being a very early car doesn’t seem to have the pull and seeing that the interior is immaculate I don’t want to get the hammer out lol.

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I’ve just got back from work and checked my emails and an independent Bmw specialist in Eastbourne said he will recode the BC1 for me so it looks like if got to wait till the 1st Feb before I find out what’s in the boot as I’m too tight to tax it lol.

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Did you get the boot to open?

I am not familiar with the Mini,however, could you not maybe fold the rear seats down & climb in the boot & remove the plastic trim panel, maybe expose the lock/latch & open it manually?

 

Just a suggestion, done it before on some cars, but not on a Mini.

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I’m still draining the water out the car at the moment but it’s nearly dry now and I’m going to put a dehumidifier in the car tomorrow to see if it gets the last of the water out so it fingers crossed.

 

But I went to turn the steering and get a strange noise which I suspect is a broken spring but it looks like the strut leg is a bit iffy also and wondered is it worth just chucking on a secondhand leg which should cost in the region of £25.

 

I don’t want to throw a fortune at the car as I’ve still got an abs light that’s on and it needs a service and gearbox oil change plus the recoding but would you buy a secondhand strut leg and am I right In thinking this looks completely knackered.post-9282-0-64516500-1547226851_thumb.jpeg

This one is the other side for comparison.

post-9282-0-64417100-1547226991_thumb.jpeg

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I’m still draining the water out the car at the moment but it’s nearly dry now and I’m going to put a dehumidifier in the car tomorrow to see if it gets the last of the water out so it fingers crossed.

 

But I went to turn the steering and get a strange noise which I suspect is a broken spring but it looks like the strut leg is a bit iffy also and wondered is it worth just chucking on a secondhand leg which should cost in the region of £25.

 

I don’t want to throw a fortune at the car as I’ve still got an abs light that’s on and it needs a service and gearbox oil change plus the recoding but would you buy a secondhand strut leg and am I right In thinking this looks completely knackered.attachicon.gif92AAD85B-6AF7-4EA7-9ADD-449D568772E4.jpeg

This one is the other side for comparison.

attachicon.gif5BFC666B-618D-4B52-B599-C4F998257101.jpeg

Exactly what I've done re the multipla, by the time you've bought a spring and killed yourself fitting it the strut is done. Don't forget the new drop link too as if attached they invariably pooch up.

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The new strut leg has been ordered and I got a secondhand hand one off eBay and used the BMW site to find the part number as it’s got the sports plus package so I paid a little extra to get the right one.

 

Also I had a bit of a result as my other half is scrapping her Peugeot and it had a parrot Bluetooth fitted so I’ve ripped it out the car and I’m going to install it in the Mini to the original stereo and found a loom for it on eBay for £4.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Today while the weather was nice me and my mate John decided to change the suspension leg on the car and although the leg was very rusty we couldn’t find a crack in the spring but the noise was coming from that area so it was worth changing and we had the parts anyway.

post-9282-0-71668600-1548530903_thumb.jpeg

As you can see all was going well and we fitted the new one back on but decided it needed a new sway bar so it needed to come back off and then we found half the bearings were missing on the new unit plus a broken lump of metal fell out. post-9282-0-41107600-1548531038_thumb.jpeg

So I’ve found another leg on eBay off a low mileage cabriolet R52 but wondered if it would fit and also I’m worried the spring colour code is different and wondered if it’s worth a gamble as also there was a change to the suspension on the R50 around 2002 and I’m not sure if it just the sway bar or suspension leg.

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Thanks panhard

I’ve just bought another leg for a very cheap price off eBay off a 50 odd thousand convertible and might use the new leg and thr spring off my rusty suspension leg.

post-9282-0-15123400-1548536622_thumb.png

The other leg which I bought has to go back to the seller and I got a return label for it and looking at threads it seems the only difference is it had a different sway bar on the early leg so I bought a new early one so it’s fingers crossed it works.

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I fitted the new leg today ( or my mate John did while I made the tea) and the mini is now creaky free and really does drive spot on now and I loaded the underside of the car with Dynax while the strut was off so I can’t see the new one rusting anytime soon and added a new drop link whilst it was apart.

 

The only problem since doing the job is the brake pad warning light has come on and I don’t know why as the pads have plenty of meat so further investigation is needed.

 

I was so lucky as the new strut and spring look like new and only cost £16.50 especially after last weeks fiasco when the one I bought was complete scrap but eBay are going to sort a refund on that one so even more win as it was over double the price also.

 

The leaks now have also been sorted after buying a later R56 door rubber and a new sunroof drain tube but the main leak was the badly fitted windscreen as it was pouring through on that one.

 

I’ve driven quite a few R50s in the past and have to admit this is the best one yet and is also quite quick so next it’s the gearbox oil change and molyslip then it’s going to get the keys coded and I sent the remote one away for repair and that was only £11 so it looks like owning a mini is quite cheap with the amount of cheap spares available.

 

I have to admit though I still prefer my e36 Ti over the mini but it’s going to be a fun winter car.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I’ve just got back from taking the car in for it’s BC1 to be reprogrammed and I’m still having no luck with it talking to the car..

First the remote keys or central locking doesn’t work because my key didn’t have the barcode on the chip the wipers also couldn’t be reprogrammed so sit upright on the screen but work but apparently it’s most probably a problem with the wiper motor and I still don’t have a heater and can’t get in the boot..

 

The heater I was told would most probably need a new motor also and the mechanic didn’t know how my keys are managing to talk too the car as he said that shouldn’t happen when the BC1 was changed so to get that talking to the BC1 it needs new keys and an immobiliser ecu.

 

On the plus side spares are quite cheap as a new heater motor is £10 and I’ve bought a wiper motor already just a minute ago for £14.

 

But I’m not sure if it’s going to work and the biggest headscratch is the locking as I’m putting that one on hold.

 

On the plus side apart from the electronic bits the car drives like a dream and I’m getting the gearbox oil changed tomorrow and I don’t have puddles in my footwell anymore.

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I’ve just got back from taking the car in for it’s BC1 and the mechanic didn’t know how my keys are managing to talk too the car as he said that shouldn’t happen when the BC1 was changed so to get that talking to the BC1 it needs new keys and an immobiliser ecu..

Was it the classic 'bring it down and we'll have a look at it' type of 'we can do that, service'. Then when you get there the 'and you need B C D E as well mate, and that of course is eggstrah innit.

 

Many years ago I acquired a R8 with one key and a remote for the MIL. I had a key cut and ordered a second remote from the code in the first. When the new remote didn't work, the dealer had a look at it. They fooked around for two hours and claimed they could get either one to work but not both. In the end I drove away with two remotes with only one working and didn't have to pay for the new remote. Not that the new remote was any good because it didn't even remotely remote. I lost patience and told the MIL not to loose the single working remote. Car went to the bridge with still only I remote working. Fooked fancy technology.

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I’ve bought the wiper motor but I’ve got the feeling it won’t work as I’m sure it’s a case of recoding as it seems too coincidental that the wipers didn’t work at all till I fitted the BC1.

But I’m no mechanic so have too take professional advice really.

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After being told my key couldn’t be recoded because the six digit code wasn’t available on the chip I’ve just decided to open the key up and low and behold what do I find but the 6 digit codepost-9282-0-51408400-1550269990_thumb.jpeg

And it reads on the configuration program

post-9282-0-79451300-1550270044_thumb.png

So I wondered if anyone knew someone in the Kent Sussex area that could code my keys.

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This weekend it got some of this and then this in the midland gearbox which had been sitting about in the house collecting dust.

post-9282-0-65583700-1550524542_thumb.pngpost-9282-0-58978300-1550524564_thumb.jpeg

I was really quite lucky as a friend of my other half’s daughter works in a garage and he did the oil change for me for a score.

 

I noticed on the way over that the rear brake caliper was binding so another has been ordered plus a set of pads.

 

By the time I get this winter beater of death sorted it will be summer I guess I should of kept that lovely Honda engined rover lol.

 

I will say parts are so cheap for the R50 as although I’m not convinced with the garage that I need a wiper motor I bought one anyway for a tenner and I also bought a new heater control panel as I think that may be broken as the air position dial doesn’t turn a full £360 and the heater temperature dial feels very tight plus it doesn’t blow on any speeds I thought with that would be try the cheapest item first.

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