DocMurphy

Thanks for the encouragement! I just got the word back on the damage... Needs new water pump/flange/o-ring New radiator New PS hose from rack to reservoir All in all it's gonna be over 2600. Now I'm considering having them do the PS hose and tackling the radiator and water pump myself but its cold outside haha Im gonna look into the repairs and watch some videos and see how extensive the time and job is gonna be.

All, I am relatively new to the Mini world (owned mine for a few months now) and learning firsthand the pains of dealing with the maintenance and cost. My 06 R53 started having a coolant leak so while I was replacing the horns (which both died at the same time...) I started looking into the leak source. I started removing the airbox and piping, only to find half of it is dry rotted and broken (JCW intake setup)...Yay! It looks like a few hoses leading into the airbox from the head and another one on the airbox assembly that goes to a sensor is also broken. I was thinking the coolant leak was from the thermostat housing but upon inspection I cannot see any signs of leaking....now I am thinking I have to go "front end service mode" to investigate the water pump to try to locate the leak. Although I am not sure if this will prove to be the source either... I have an appointment with GT Peace for this coming week but I was hoping not to have to take that hit in the wallet and fix some of the issues myself. I now have to decide if I am going to replace the broken air intake pieces with stock parts and keep the intake setup stock or replace the whole system with an aftermarket setup. From what I have gathered it seems better to keep the stock setup. I would appreciate any thoughts, opinions or insight on this topic if you have any experience or knowledge. As far as replacing the water pump, do you have to remove the SC to achieve this or is it just remove and replace? I have not done too much research into this process yet...any advice would be welcome and appreciated. I am also finding I have a pretty good leak in my power steering hoses so there's another issue to deal with once I figure out these current problems. I am hoping to not have to pay GTP 1-2k+ to do all this work, at this point I am debating on my path forward. I am pretty dejected at this point and not too stoked on the Mini...hopefully things will be able to get turned around without breaking the bank and I will be hyped on the Mini again soon. Overall, looking for advice, comments, insight, experiences, pep talks, wrenching buddies....anything! Or if I should just pack it up and limp to the shop to get it handled by the pros... Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the kind words and info! I will be testing out the horn issues this week. Hoping it's an easy quick fix. Maybe it's an opportunity to beef up to some air horns or something haha. Is the steering wheel connection a common issue with the horn? Hoping to make it out to the next run this coming weekend and officially join the group in December Thanks again, DM

Right on! Thanks. Looking forward to meeting up!

Awesome! I would love to join in on a ride! I looked at the events tab but didn't see anything upcoming... Ill be on the lookout for details or if you could point me in the right direction that would be great. Thanks.

Hello all, Just recently purchased a 2006 Cooper S with a JCW motor swap and other mods...mostly suspension and braking. I am new to Minis so I was a bit green when buying it besides my short time of research. I leaned a lot on the paperwork and receipts from the previous owner. It's Astro Black and in great shape. Learning the ropes of the Mini world, coming from the Subaru community. Hoping to learn, tune and ride with some of you if possible. Chasing down why my horns aren't working is my gonna be my first mod hahah but its a necessary one. R56 seat swap is next on the docket....they came with the car in the purchase. Looking forward to being a part of the group.

Im in Loudoun too! just joined today. Hope to see you scootin' around!