[Fro-dizzle]

LSD came as part of the chilli pack from a certain year onwards, think 05 or so.

 

[Robj2502]

No worries mate! You'll never find a Mini with the same spec really, all v different. Strange people didnt go for Chilli pack and optioned other things but lots of cars like it (Ive seen them without chilli but with full leather, climate, pan roof etc.

Yeah its funny with the oil temp, sorry I think it does know about pressure! Temp is definitely made up though based on an algorithm from the water temp...definitely no sensor for it 😂

Agree on the wheel....i went from a R50 Cooper with 2 spoke, to R53 with 3 back to R52 One (goes like a Cooper tho) with 2 spoke and honestly cant bear it 😂😂 do have a 3 spoke swap in the pipeline tho 👍👍👍

They are all very different and people made some crazy choices! this car has the full leather interior and as you have pointed out not the chilli pack (which as I recall was a complete bargain) nor much else in the way of options. Definitely think they could have spent their money more wisely!

people go on about the gauges being fake, that they may be, but clever fakes nonetheless, if you actually live with them you'll get to witness the independent way they read and in a variety of driving conditions from warm up through to sprited runs or even track use, the alternative on an otherwise stock car being neither oil pressure or temp indication, and an even more vague coolant gauge, unless one has navigation in which case you lose that altogether, so in short, no matter whether they're fake or not, they're a shit load better than fuck all ;O)

Haha, too true!

So, I have been getting on with bits and pieces in the background but nothing major - mostly research into what parts are needed and where to get hold of them. I did however manage to finally get the exhaust fitted so I went from this (apologies this was pre wash):

To this:

Super happy with it! its a resonated Milltek and it is only mildly louder than stock at tickover but sounds great under load. Its still a touch close to (touching - only just) the underside of the bumper trim but I replaced all of the rubber mounts (as the previous ones were well past their best! - was also another £60 that I hadnt factored on spending) so I hope they will give a little over the next few weeks and will then drop and eventually clear.
Fitting the exhaust ended up taking significantly longer than expected as all of the mounts were knackered and the bolts were all rusty. I ended up snapping a couple of the welded studs on the two mounts either side of the battery box in the process and then had to drill them out which was a royal pain in the backside. As was trying to get a replacement nut and bolt back into position especially with the heatshields all in situ.

To try to future proof some bits I replaced all of the fixings for the exhaust mounts with stainless stuff so if I ever have to do it again it should be significantly easier........

I also couldnt resist these:

Whilst I wasnt really looking for seats at the moment and these weren't cheap,I couldnt resist and I got them for roughly what I wanted to pay. They are in fantastic condition/like new (bit dirty in the pics) but cant wait to get these fitted. I have a set in my R56 JCW and love them so really pleased I was able to get a set for this car.

Lots of bits and pieces ordered (mostly service items) so more updates to come soon

 

[Maccmike]

Those tailpipes look great. As do the seats.

 

[JKo]

Nice progress on the car, will look mega with those Recaros!

people go on about the gauges being fake, that they may be, but clever fakes nonetheless, if you actually live with them you'll get to witness the independent way they read and in a variety of driving conditions from warm up through to sprited runs or even track use, the alternative on an otherwise stock car being neither oil pressure or temp indication, and an even more vague coolant gauge, unless one has navigation in which case you lose that altogether, so in short, no matter whether they're fake or not, they're a shit load better than fuck all ;O)

Clever calculations based on engine load and water temp won't tell you if you have lower than normal oil pressure. Or if the oil is getting too hot. All these fake gauges tell you is that when you drive hard for a while the engine runs hotter. Good to know, sure, but hardly helpful.

They do look cool tho.

It's kinda funny that Mini did offer an actual oil temp gauge with a sensor as an option for the R53, but couldn't figure out how to use the same sensor for the chrono pack...

 

[LiggyL]

Love those seats!

 

[Robj2502]

Those tailpipes look great. As do the seats.

Thanks, exhaust is so much nicer and fills the bumper gap nicely

Nice progress on the car, will look mega with those Recaros!
Clever calculations based on engine load and water temp won't tell you if you have lower than normal oil pressure. Or if the oil is getting too hot. All these fake gauges tell you is that when you drive hard for a while the engine runs hotter. Good to know, sure, but hardly helpful.

They do look cool tho.

It's kinda funny that Mini did offer an actual oil temp gauge with a sensor as an option for the R53, but couldn't figure out how to use the same sensor for the chrono pack...

Thankyou,
Very true about not having the actual readings but they do look much nicer and it is weird that they didnt do it properly especially given the hassle of making a complete set of different clocks.

Love those seats!

Thanks.

So a little update:

First of all Chrome handle removal so from this:

To this:

Also seats now fitted so from this:

To this:

Super happy with them and think they look great in the car.

Lots of bits on the way to me so will hopefully continue with the updates over the next week or so

 

[Maccmike]

They look good!!!

 

[Fro-dizzle]

Perfect 👌🏽

 

[KeithyCoop]

Those seats are very comfy, I have them in two of my other cars.

 

[Robj2502]

They look good!!!

Thanks

Perfect 👌🏽

Thankyou

Those seats are very comfy, I have them in two of my other cars.

They are very comfy, I love them in my R56. However, the more I sit in it the more I think they are mounted a little high (feels higher than in the 56). I think I may take them back out and look to see if I can lower them somewhat (there is quite a lot of space between the seat and the floor) and suspect I could lose 25mm and still have loads of space under the seat.

Not a huge amount has happened with the car in the past few weeks as I my other half gave birth to our 3rd son at the end of Feb so unsurprisingly I have been rather busy/tired. I have however been busy ordering stuff and have a shed load of parts waiting to go on.

I have managed to get the skirts fitted after realising I didnt have the correct clips and the subsequent delay. Super happy with them they really change the look of the car.

I also purchased a set of wheels -Japan racing Matt bronze JR11's 17/7.25/ET35 I couldnt get the tyres I wanted at a reasonable price (Michelin PS4's) so settled on a set of Kumho PS71 as an interim set so will be interesting to see how they perform:

Obviously it needs to be lowered to get the full effect but very happy with these too. They fill the arches much better having slightly more poke which should also give better brake clearance........

 

[NigelStap]

Looking sharp. Wheels look good.

The aero skirts do make a dramatic change to the car. I like mine.

I have Kumho PS71 tyres and have been happy with them. Not the best, but certainly not the worst.

 

[Robj2502]

Looking sharp. Wheels look good.

The aero skirts do make a dramatic change to the car. I like mine.

I have Kumho PS71 tyres and have been happy with them. Not the best, but certainly not the worst.

Thanks

Thay really do and really finish the side of the car much nicer than the plain plastic ones

The PS71's are quite well reviewed (although tyres are generally subjective - especially car to car and person to person) but will be interesting to see considering they are pretty much half the price of the Michelins. I do love PS4's though, I have them on the BMW family wagon and they transformed the way it drove/handled.

 

[Maccmike]

I briefly tried PS71s and after coming from MPS4s I thought they terrible.
Ive just put Primacy 4s on mu daily and find these better.

 

[Fro-dizzle]

The bronze quite suits that white actually, looks good.

Aero skirts look great, really do change the car. Can’t wait to get mine sprayed and fitted.

Congrats on your recent arrival.

 

[Robj2502]

The bronze quite suits that white actually, looks good.

Aero skirts look great, really do change the car. Can’t wait to get mine sprayed and fitted.

Congrats on your recent arrival.

Thanks, I wasnt 100% on them in Bronze but they make a nice change from the normal black or silver and I really like them now they are on. Really need to get the suspension fitted and get it lowered now.

They are so much nicer! I was lucky enough to pick them up in the correct colour so just needed the clips (thankfully they are aslo a good colour match).

Cheers! Forgotten what it was like to have a new born baby and how knackering it is. Starting back at work again so will hopefully have some more time on the car over the next few weeks (as car is currently in storage at work).

 

[Robj2502]

Still lots of stuff going on in the background although nothing worthy of an update just yet. However, I did manage to get all of the chrome trims removed from the interior (just not my thing) so this little lot removed:

Unfortunetly I only appear to have one pic of the change over of the parts so from this:

To this:

Much prefer the silver stuff and now matches the other bits within the car - doorcards etc.
Also removed the air filter and air filter box and found this:

I think this may have been in for slightly longer than the recommended service interval!!

This was pretty much as I expected (although didnt think it would be quite that bad - might even be the dirtiest air filter I have ever seen). This is a general issue when cars become cheap - the services get skipped/not done correctly/partially completed and issues build up until the car becomes uneconomical to repair and then they are scrapped or broken for parts. Still this one is now on the long road to recovery and I already had a plan/parts for standard filter box mod so will just speed up its installation. I also have all of the other service items so these will be getting fitted very shortly. I hate to think what the cabin filter looks like......

Whilst removing the filter box I breifly looked into the oil leak and it would appear it is coming from the crank main seal (behind the flywheel) amongst some other places (rocker cover) and it would also look like the clutch slave is leaking. Thankfully I had been looking to replace these items anyway so have already purchased a SMF and performance clutch and had bought a slave cylinder as I knew they were prone to damage/wear.

Hopefully a slightly bigger update next time but struggling for time on the car at the moment

 

[Fro-dizzle]

That filter is gross! Definitely the worst air filter I’ve seen! As you say not holding out much hope on the cabin filter and fuel filter probably looks pretty rank too!

At least it’s in good hands now though and will be looked after properly 👌🏽

 

[Maccmike]

That filter is gross! Definitely the worst air filter I’ve seen! As you say not holding out much hope on the cabin filter and fuel filter probably looks pretty rank too!

At least it’s in good hands now though and will be looked after properly 👌🏽

I changed the air filter in my lawn mower tuther day, Ive never seen anything so bad! The filter above looks clean in comparison 😂

 

[CarsOrBikes]

I'll have the gear surround console and chrome trims etc if sensible money,

 

[Robj2502]

That filter is gross! Definitely the worst air filter I’ve seen! As you say not holding out much hope on the cabin filter and fuel filter probably looks pretty rank too!

At least it’s in good hands now though and will be looked after properly 👌🏽

It was pretty mank, agreed, I almost cant wait to remove the cabin filter to see how bad it is. I reckon there will be stuff growing in it! I had forgotten about the fuel filter but also have the new replacement....

thanks, it definitely is

I changed the air filter in my lawn mower tuther day, Ive never seen anything so bad! The filter above looks clean in comparison 😂

Haha, better than a lawnmower filter! Definitely how it should be😋

I'll have the gear surround console and chrome trims etc if sensible money,

make me a reasonable offer mate. Not really sure what they are all worth together