Mini Cooper MOT fail

bembo449

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Word of warning if they intend to drop the unit out the car pal , rear subframe bolts seize and snap on attempting removal , can make the bill much larger than expected
 
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joderest

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Thanks, had a clutch last year so should have been removed then, i hope !!!!
 

Kev555

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Thanks all, i am 99% sure its the head gasket, but i would also do the other known issues, cam chain and guides and vale stem seals whilst they are in there.
Dropping the engine is something i would let the garage decide, as i am going to have it done rather than do it myself.
For some reason the garage i am using has closed today, hope open again to morrow so i can chat to them, as at the moment they think its coming in for CAT and coil springs.
We have done 70,000 miles in this car since buying it 7 years ago, most major thing its had is a clutch, so it owes us nothing and is worth saving.
Funny enough last two PSA engines I had any interactions with went for head gasket in or around 70k if thats the mileage on your mini. EDIT I see you have 110k on yours, not bad mileage for a PSA :D
 
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joderest

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Kev555, its odd, i am not a lover of small cars, but this little Mini estate has been so good since we have had it, goes like stink, goes round corners well, good on fuel, clean and no body rust.
From memory its had in 7 years....
the rear door lock
thermostat housing
drivers window regulator
o ring for vacuum pump.
two sets of disc's and pads.
A wheel sensor
and air con condenser.
A clutch

Apart from run of the mill servicing, that's about it, tyres of course. except for the clutch, i have done the rest myself, so cost has been small. Wife loves the thing, she says best car she's ever had.
So, if i have to chuck a load of money at it, i think its worth while if we can get another 50,000 odd miles out of it. as i said, it owes us very little now, paid £6,000 for it 7 years ago.
 
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joderest

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Something else, my daughter is looking at a Mini (both mad on them) its 58 reg, but done 130,000, so its cheap and all she can afford. looking at history, it failed MOT on emissions at 114,000, it was then off the road for over a month before passing MOT, i wonder if it had the same issues ? Its like ours as that MOT was and is the only one it has failed.
I have been told it has full service history so i will have to have a look at that and have a poke round under the bonnet before i say its ok for her to buy.
 

sonic

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Ive had cars for over 50 years & my wife for over 40 years. Only had one head gasket fail, yes a Peugeot 205 1400 in 1997.
 

mioba

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... just to chime in. it may not be the HG itself but it could be the head has failed eg a crack between the valves will
also cause exhaust gas to go into the coolant. if it is the head it will need close inspection when out as any crack gets bigger when the engine is hot - ie running and will contract when the engine cools. regardless HG will need replacing at this stage anyway.
 

mioba

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Ive had cars for over 50 years & my wife for over 40 years. Only had one head gasket fail, yes a Peugeot 205 1400 in 1997.

Yes they are not too often. Probably caused by owners not changing coolant as sheduled
 

LostKiwi

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MrsLK has a thing for Minis too. She's currently on her 8th.
She changes every two to 3 years. Last three have been Cooper S versions. She had one when we met and I have to say I did think it was good to find a woman who liked cars... Current one has the 2 litre BMW engine. Just waiting for the coked up inlets....
 

Frontstep

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I think I mentioned on here some time ago that when going around the back of a BMW Mini dealership there was a big cage with around six scrap mini engines an employee said that was a weeks worth.
 

Kev555

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Kev555, its odd, i am not a lover of small cars, but this little Mini estate has been so good since we have had it, goes like stink, goes round corners well, good on fuel, clean and no body rust.
From memory its had in 7 years....
the rear door lock
thermostat housing
drivers window regulator
o ring for vacuum pump.
two sets of disc's and pads.
A wheel sensor
and air con condenser.
A clutch

Apart from run of the mill servicing, that's about it, tyres of course. except for the clutch, i have done the rest myself, so cost has been small. Wife loves the thing, she says best car she's ever had.
So, if i have to chuck a load of money at it, i think its worth while if we can get another 50,000 odd miles out of it. as i said, it owes us very little now, paid £6,000 for it 7 years ago.
Had a mini out for a week one time as a courtesy car, too small for my tall frame but have to say it was a decent drive for a small car. Yours seems fairly reliable but then they are owned by BMW so you would expect decent build quality. If the bodys worth keeping I always think the rest is if its not breaking the bank:D. I fondly remember the first hot hatch I sat in if you could call it that, The 1275GT:D thought it was a pocket rocket at that time. Renault 5 turbo was the next one I thought highly of, being the only Renault I ever liked
 
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bembo449

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I think I mentioned on here some time ago that when going around the back of a BMW Mini dealership there was a big cage with around six scrap mini engines an employee said that was a weeks worth.
Its odd really, ive done a few mini failures but hardly any in the Peugoet cars with the same unit fitted
 

Frontstep

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It is clear evidence of the toxicity of BMW ownership.
 

Kev555

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Its odd really, ive done a few mini failures but hardly any in the Peugoet cars with the same unit fitted
maybe better cooling setup in Peugeot? Cant remember what it was about the focus PSA engine. Think it was total engine failure due to some issues around oil changes needed more regular in cars not much over a year old. Local ford dealer in the nearest city had a lot of DLA(government) cars out were changing one to two engines a week back about 5 years ago when I was a regular visitor to the parts department
 
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Frontstep

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Are they testing these things on desktops,

how haven't these issues been sorted before putting them into production ?
 

Kev555

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Are they testing these things on desktops,

how haven't these issues been sorted before putting them into production ?

Head gasket issues have been going on for years now at PSA. I suppose the engines must be the right price for most car manufacturers. XU 2.0 turbo diesel was the last bulletproof engine I remember from Peugeot, it was in the 306 and citroen zx although there could be newer versions I missed equally as good
 
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Bogus

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Ive had cars for over 50 years & my wife for over 40 years. Only had one head gasket fail, yes a Peugeot 205 1400 in 1997.

I have also had cars for around 50 years and have 2 head gaskets fail, an Austin Cambridge in 1972, and my beloved 124 in 2001.
 


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