Help please - new here. Mini Cooper 04 Lost compression

[monkey251]

Hi looking for some advice

My mini cooper convertible 04 plate has lost compression on 2 cylinders on Saturday.. not overheating just suddenly lost power when driving.

AA towed, its in garage they say not coils... £300 to investigate and likely £1500 to repair

Been offered £600 for parts

Car worth £1500 - Ive spent £1000 in last few months on roof mechanism and 2 new tyres.

Worth the repair?

Clutch also will need doing soon and rear brakes..

Any advice welcomed. Thanks

[monkey251]

[Deerfoot]

monkey251 said:

Been offered £600 for parts

Do you mean somebody has offered you £600 for the car to break it?

monkey251 said:

Car worth £1500 - Ive spent £1000 in last few months on roof mechanism and 2 new tyres.

Worth the repair?

To be fair only you can decide if it`s worth repairing. There are plenty of Mini Cooper engines on flea-bay. I`m sure you could get one fitted for way less than the £1500 quoted for repair (how they can quote that prior to the fault being diagnosed is another point).

[monkey251]

Yes Ive been offered £600 for the car in its present state

Have been recommended a supplier of recon engines.. they are quoting £500 + VAT

Im just wary of throwing more money at what is an old car. Much as I love it. Sense is seeming to say that Im going the spending close to 2k on it in the foreseeable....

[t400ble]

If its lost compression, it wont be a coil

[monkey251]

Yes garage have established that its not coil.. that was AA Relay diagnosis... they have tested and said lost compression on 2 cylinders. £300 to have a look and then diagnose further.. but very likely to be a £1000 job at minimum and possibly more.

[t400ble]

Guess the HG could of failed

Have a ring round and get some prices. Head need to come of and see though to be 100% sure

[monkey251]

Yes.. wouldn't it show signs of overheating though? Never had any issues like that with it?

Was driving happily on motorway at 60mph and it just lost power, EML light came on. Pulled over and car cut out. Then when restarted it was only firing on 2 cylinders.

[Dr Interceptor]

Can't help, but that's my old car! Collected new on 17th July 2004 from Vines of Guildford!



Gutted to hear she's not well

Edited by Dr Interceptor on Monday 8th February 17:30

[monkey251]

I am distraught to be honest.. really really would like to fix her.

Im very tempted to invest (throw away potentially) the £300 to diagnose the fault just in case its not a new engine and is head gasket or something less expensive.

[monkey251]

p.s. fab spec.. took me 4 months to find her ...

[Dr Interceptor]

monkey251 said:

p.s. fab spec.. took me 4 months to find her ...

Spec was very basic when I got her! Chill pack, Vis pack, metallic paint (cool blue), body colour dash and a Sony CD.

I later added the Aero skirts, the chrome interior, chrome exterior, R90 alloys, JCW steering wheel, plus I painted the wheel trims!

Id also bought leather rear seats, but hadn't got round to swapping the fronts!

When I changed the rears, there was written under the seat "R52 trial No. 5"... Shows how early down the line it was.

I was actually there in the factory the day she was built!

If you don't want to repair, I'd be interested in having her back as a project. She was the fastest Cooper ever!

[monkey251]

Ah now I know all that.. it would be sacrilege to part company with her....I knew she was special from the day I saw her

Going to bite the bullet and pay the £300 fingers crossed... !

[monkey251]

she struggled above 80 though... not as nippy in her middle age LOL

[Dr Interceptor]

monkey251 said:

she struggled above 80 though... not as nippy in her middle age LOL

aww bless! She did have a very hard early life!!

Certainly message me before letting her go for parts, I wouldn't be afraid of dropping a new engine in.

[monkey251]

Sure of course.. wish I had the skills myself!

[Dr Interceptor]

My Facebook is hot tonight.... That car was so well loved!

[monkey251]

such a small world really! Ive never been on pistonheads before today ... found the forum when looking for advice

[Elliot2000]

Whereabouts in the country r u?

[monkey251]

Cambridge