2003 Mini Cooper S (R53) - Fixing creaking interior panels

[Longbridge Apologist]

On 8/15/2021 at 3:50 PM, Peter C said:

Although my Cooper's interior is not in bad condition, one of the previous owners evidently had a dog and it left a lasting stench. @SiC would NOT have bought this car! I've already given the interior a good clean, twice but the smell was still there. I leave the windows open whilst the Cooper is parked up and just stepping into the garage was enough to smell mutt.

I gave the interior a third clean today but this time I removed the rear seats and stripped the boot trim from the backrests, which were covered in dog hair.

I hoovered and wiped every surface, hard and soft, twice. I used up 500ml of disinfectant and the job took almost four hours. 

First impressions are good, I can no longer smell mutt and the interior gleams.

Bit of research revealed that baking soda absorbs smells. I've left a container of the stuff inside the car and I'm looking forward to giving the interior a good sniff in a couple of days.

Two spoke wheel? Is that the norm on an S?

[Peter C]

1 hour ago, Longbridge Apologist said:

Two spoke wheel? Is that the norm on an S?

The two spoke wheel was standard on R50/52/53s, the three spoke was an option.

[Longbridge Apologist]

Isn't it funny, I didn't recognise the two spoke, despite having driven one a few times with it.

[Peter C]

I took the Cooper to Ace Cafe tonight. It was very quiet, I stayed long enough to drink a cup of tea and take some photos.

[stuboy]

had a drive of a friends,  do they come in automatic flavour?

[Peter C]

1 minute ago, stuboy said:

had a drive of a friends,  do they come in automatic flavour?

R50s (non supercharged) versions come with auto boxes but they are not very good.

[Ghosty]

On 7/19/2021 at 4:29 PM, Peter C said:

annoying rattle from the tailgate

Just remembered something. On our R56 there are two rubber bungs on the tailgate, one on each edge, towards the lower corner.  The bungs have slits in them so they're adjustable. Sometimes they fall out, often they work their way inwards - make sure they're both there, and if so, unscrew/pull them out a bit, because the tailgate rattles to fuck otherwise. 

Check that the R53 isn't the same - if theres an intentional ~1" hole in each side of the tailgate then the bungs are missing. 

[Ghosty]

3 hours ago, stuboy said:

had a drive of a friends,  do they come in automatic flavour?

Yes, you could get the R53 S with a 6 speed auto. Very rare though as reviews suggested the box wasn't in the spirit of the car. 

[SiC]

Iirc the R53 Cooper S auto is a slush box and a reasonable unit. The R50 Cooper is CVT and more troublesome. 

As said a auto Cooper S is rare but they do exist though. Often at a premium as still a market for people who can't drive a manual and want a Copper S.

[Peter C]

1 hour ago, SiC said:

Iirc the R53 Cooper S auto is a slush box and a reasonable unit. The R50 Cooper is CVT and more troublesome. 

As said a auto Cooper S is rare but they do exist though. Often at a premium as still a market for people who can't drive a manual and want a Copper S.

Very interesting. In my Haynes Mini book there is no mention of a Cooper S auto 'box, it just refers to the shitty CVT 'box available in the R50s.

[Peter C]

We live and learn.

https://www.evo.co.uk/mini/mini/6311/mini-cooper-s-auto

 

[Rusty_Rocket]

Hmmm, a Cooper S with an autobox... like buying some of the best running shoes for the price, and tying the laces together! 

[EML]

Marketplace - 2005 MINI Mini Cooper S | Facebook

This thing must be a real sponge of joy

Auto and extra weight of cabriolet

[Peter C]

54 minutes ago, EML said:

Marketplace - 2005 MINI Mini Cooper S | Facebook

This thing must be a real sponge of joy

Auto and extra weight of cabriolet

Looks a decent spec but not cheap.

[Peter C]

As updated in the Bini thread, the Cooper didn't start this morning. I got it all ready for a 100ish mile work related trip, I turned the key and got just a few clicks from the starter motor. I pushed the Cooper back in the garage and took my boring Kia to work.

When I got home, I dug out my old jump leads and hooked them up between the Kia and the Cooper.

No good, it wouldn't start, just a clicky starter motor.

I hooked up my (quite decent) battery charger for a couple of hours.

And hey presto, it fired straightaway. 

What is odd, I left the Cooper in the garage for a fortnight whilst I was on holiday, upon my return it started first time. A few days later, it started ok again, I took it for a brief drive and put it back in the garage. Six days later, today, it wouldn't start. Knackered battery me thinks. Let's see if it starts tomorrow.

 

[Rusty_Rocket]

Would that be a Lion branded battery?  As in an ECP special?  If so, there's your problem straight away.

We were returning them at work at a rate of one every two weeks until we gave up totally, sacked off ECP and opened an account with Motor Parts Direct.  No battery problems at all since then!

[Peter C]

On 10/15/2021 at 10:06 PM, Rusty_Rocket said:

Would that be a Lion branded battery?  As in an ECP special?  If so, there's your problem straight away.

Sure is boy, as fitted by a previous owner.

Three days since I got the Cooper going, it started first time this afternoon.

[Peter C]

My daily Kia has been taken away for repairs, see here:

 

I picked up my W124 from my mechanic yesterday after it had a new clutch master cylinder fitted. Unfortunately, the brake light switch has been put back incorrectly and the brake lights are constantly on. No good.

My W123 doesn’t go out in the rain.

As of yesterday, until my loan car arrives (hopefully by Monday), I’ve been using my Cooper daily for work duties. 

My surveying kit would fit better if the sub-woofer wasn't there.

I've been to a few sites in Reading and around Buckinghamshire and so far so good. The starting problem seems to have fixed itself and the little Cooper still manages to put a smile on my face.

Let's see how it gets on next week.

 

[Rusty_Rocket]

It'll be fine!!  Modern car, doing its thing!

[Peter C]

12 hours ago, Rusty_Rocket said:

It'll be fine!!  Modern car, doing its thing!

It’s a MINI.

It’s had 10 previous owners.

It’s clocked up 121k miles.

It’s a MINI.

There’s plenty that could go wrong!

[Peter C]

The courtesy car provided by the garage that is repairing my Kia has arrived and it's not good news.

On Monday morning, I took my 200E to Pangbourne and back for a work appointment, no problems to report.

On Monday afternoon and again this morning I've been out in the Cooper and I'm loving every minute of it. It's sooo much fun, even when stuck in M25 traffic and so pretty, even when parked in some dodgy places.

 

 

 

[Crackers]

2 hours ago, Peter C said:

The courtesy car provided by the garage that is repairing my Kia has arrived and it's not good news.

Nothing wrong with an Aygo. If you're not enjoying it, you're just not thrashing it hard enough.

[hairnet]

The Japanese car they gave you you will not want to give back

[Peter C]

Since the Aygo arrived at Peter C Towers it hasn’t been driven anywhere but that will change tomorrow morning as I have a short local journey to make and I will not have time to get the Cooper out of the garage.

Road test report to follow.

[hairnet]

Rag the shit out of it everywhere they like that

[Crackers]

33 minutes ago, hairnet said:

Rag the shit out of it everywhere they like that

I want to see the dents in the underside of the bonnet from the valves dancing on it. 

[dave j]

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

Rag the shit out of it everywhere they like that

That's the way all courtesy cars are driven isn't it? 😂

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 12/09/2021 at 17:35, Peter C said:

Today I removed the non-functioning rear wiper and fitted a delete pad. The plastic rear wiper is one of very few design details that I don’t like about R50s. The rear end looks better and cleaner without the wiper.

i think we can safely say this won't me true after some winter roads 🤣

[Liggle]

One major flaw I've found personally with the newer gen Aygo/C1 is the drivers seat won't slide back as far as the original, so I literally can't drive them more than a few yards with my lanky legs

[Peter C]

This afternoon I had an opportunity to drive the Aygo 8 miles to Amersham and back via the A413. Here's what I think.

I'm 6ft2 and fitted behind the wheel with room to spare. Note automatic transmission and paddle shifts - more about them later.

However, only amputees would fit in the seat behind me.

And there isn't much more space in the boot either.

It has an engine, somewhere.

I don't like the interior architecture and some of the plastics are rough. There is a fucking annoying rattle coming from the bottom of the front passenger door. The radio sounds shit, probably because the bass has been set to -1 because the speakers are knackered. The steering wheel is a good size and looks pretty enough. The seats have zero support. Overall, the interior is piss poor.

The engine is willing enough, I don't know what capacity it is but it pulls ok once wound up, however at sub 3k rpms it suffers from a very annoying hesitation. The biggest problem is the transmission, which jerks and feels like the clutch and brake pedal are being pressed concurrently whenever it changes gears up or down. It's horrible. There is no point in using the paddles because it won't let you go up and down through the gears when you want to. If you try to change gear when it won't let you, the dashboard will warn you with an annoying beeping sound. Oh, and the transmission won't let the engine rev past 6k. I've tried. 

It got me to my destination and back and probably didn't use much fuel. I shall therefore give it 3/10.

My Kia Exceed, which is bigger but probably not much more expensive is ten times the car. I want it back!