Starting to feel like I bought a lemon...
Discussion
I fancied a cooper s. Looked at loads & came across a late '55 low miles, all checked out on HPI, so I did the deal.
It had kerbed wheels & a few cosmetic probs - all factored in to the price, so off I toddle. Now a month on, I've had to change two wheel bearings, refurb all four wheels (ok knew about that one), replace the exhaust - went on the top of the rear box & once off, found it to have been recently gum gummed, replaced the timing chain tensioner, replaced the aux belt - in the nick of time as it was starting to split badly, replaced pads all round - all done by me - reasonably handy on the spanners.
Now, the clutch release bearing is beginning to rattle. That is not an afternoon on the drive & a few sockets & will mean a new clutch, dm flywheel as well as the bearing.
I'm wondering what I'm going to find next. The car has a FSH, but I'm beginning to wonder exactly what that means - useless garages or twenty quid, a wink & a stamp. I'm sorting this motor, but it's taking £££'s I've bought & sold cars for years I know how to fix them & what to look out for - I've been caught out by this one & it undermines the old confidence a touch. Rant over (3/10 for lack of cursing) but after an(other) afternoon under the thing changing the tranny oil & brake fluid, I feel the need to let off a bit of steam.
It had kerbed wheels & a few cosmetic probs - all factored in to the price, so off I toddle. Now a month on, I've had to change two wheel bearings, refurb all four wheels (ok knew about that one), replace the exhaust - went on the top of the rear box & once off, found it to have been recently gum gummed, replaced the timing chain tensioner, replaced the aux belt - in the nick of time as it was starting to split badly, replaced pads all round - all done by me - reasonably handy on the spanners.
Now, the clutch release bearing is beginning to rattle. That is not an afternoon on the drive & a few sockets & will mean a new clutch, dm flywheel as well as the bearing.
I'm wondering what I'm going to find next. The car has a FSH, but I'm beginning to wonder exactly what that means - useless garages or twenty quid, a wink & a stamp. I'm sorting this motor, but it's taking £££'s I've bought & sold cars for years I know how to fix them & what to look out for - I've been caught out by this one & it undermines the old confidence a touch. Rant over (3/10 for lack of cursing) but after an(other) afternoon under the thing changing the tranny oil & brake fluid, I feel the need to let off a bit of steam.
At a guess it would have already had a set of pads in the history somewhere around 30,000 miles and the exhaust if it was only ever used for short trips.
Wheel bearings due to being bounced up kerbs and wheels turned from lock to lock whilst at a stand still - just sounds like a previous owner with no mechanical sympathy.
When you say low miles I'm guessing 50,000 on the clock or less?
Doesnt sound the end of the world.
What else have you got bills for in the history?
Wheel bearings due to being bounced up kerbs and wheels turned from lock to lock whilst at a stand still - just sounds like a previous owner with no mechanical sympathy.
When you say low miles I'm guessing 50,000 on the clock or less?
Doesnt sound the end of the world.
What else have you got bills for in the history?
You have been unlucky, but most of that is wear and tear. The belt shouldn't have been left to get that way, and so that might indicate that the car hasn't been looked after properly.
If you sort the clutch out, you will have sorted out a lot of the potential wear and tear problems, so if I was in your position I would feel unlucky but just get on with it and then enjoy the car.
As for your confidence in spotting the problems, these were not things that anyone could have picked up on without digging deep inside the engine. No-one tends to do that when looking at a potential purchase.
My opinion is that a stamped service history means f
k all, but unfortunately there isn't a great deal else we can go on other than what we can see
If you sort the clutch out, you will have sorted out a lot of the potential wear and tear problems, so if I was in your position I would feel unlucky but just get on with it and then enjoy the car.
As for your confidence in spotting the problems, these were not things that anyone could have picked up on without digging deep inside the engine. No-one tends to do that when looking at a potential purchase.
My opinion is that a stamped service history means f
k all, but unfortunately there isn't a great deal else we can go on other than what we can seeDefcon5 said:
PAS pump gone yet? Only a matter of time..
I'm gathering my skirts for that one. I have saved hundreds in garage bills & I am turning it into a good little motor with all the wear & tear & service items getting done, it's all just nuts & bolts stuff, but I swear I had a good listen for the CRB on test & heard nothing.
40k on the clock & it checks out with HPI & previous mot's etc. On paper it's a good one, but seems everywhere I turn there's another problem. Hmm, must check the top mounts for mushrooming...
OTOH it goes like a rocket.
Baryonyx said:
A colleague of mine had trouble with the PAS on her Cooper S. In fact, that car seems to go wrong every week. The build quality is dire.
All the PAS pumps will fail, every single one. OP, check the wishbone bushes, the big ones will disintegrate at some point, had to do mine last month.
Steamer said:
Wheel bearings due to being bounced up kerbs and wheels turned from lock to lock whilst at a stand still - just sounds like a previous owner with no mechanical sympathy.
This - 4 kerbed wheels instantly makes me think that the previous owner didn't give a st about their car, and what else have they buggered up? You've found a possibly abused clutch already.bennyboydurham said:
Unlucky perhaps. My missus had an 04 plate Mini One that was driven with little sympathy up to 84k miles over 4 years with no problems. I always found it a tough little car.
Our 03 Cooper was bought with 49k on the clock and at 67k and nearly three years later hasn't needed a penny spending on it outside of a service and tyres, and keeps sailing through MOTs. Very tough little cars and touch wood none of the Mini foibles have reared their heads (although the stat housing does have a slight weep that means it needs a bit of coolant every few months, but until it starts disappearing dramatically I am not going to worry)
Car still feels tight as a toiger too (this months Evo review seemed to reinforce our experience)
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