Brown barn doors - mini R55 clubman
Discussion
At the start of the year I got myself a 2018 e300 cabriolet. It was a lovely car and enjoyed drop top motoring all summer. But with car prices going crazy my biggest fear of ownership of a big Merc did exactly the opposite. Come late August it was worth over 10% more than I paid for it! I couldn't resist. A quick visit to a local merc garage and a deal was done. The big Merc was going after just 6 months.
Now selling when prices are high is a problem, all prices have gone up across the board. So I started to look at a but closer to the bottom of the market. I am not currently commuting in the car so can afford to take a few more chances...
Now I have always fancied a BMW mini since they came out 20 or so years ago. I test drove one back then and loved it but never quite managed to buy one. Now as a father of 2 a r53 cooper s just wasn't going to be big enough. I had previously looked at the latest shape 5 door but I didn't get on with the seats. So the obvious choice? A 12 year old r55 clubman cooper s of course! Now I know the extra door is on the wrong side, and the N14 engine has a horrible reputation but still...
I started looking and found one local to me on Facebook, but it was brown. Oh well it's a cheap car and its local. I snuck out for a look and what do you know?! I love the little brown mini. A quick test drive, a very serious barter and the car is mine.
Picked it up on Saturday.
Here it is, a bit grubby, but ready to go from the sellers house. Lovely guy and a pleasure to do business with.
drive home was good, super fun little thing and feels so small after my last couple of cars. there is also something liberating about being to hustle along a cheap little car, I always feel less precious about it.
everything seems to work as it should, aircon is a bit pants, and its going to take some getting used to not have auto everything, not even climate, but its all good.
kids have plenty of room in the back and really seem to like it.
got it home in one piece....
now I know its very uncool, but with 2 young daughters the car needs a name, short list so far
- Wally the wagon
- Conker
- Jobbie
- Radagast
any other ideas? Answers on a postcard please to: Poo brown mini, Hertfordshire, HP1 8OO
Now selling when prices are high is a problem, all prices have gone up across the board. So I started to look at a but closer to the bottom of the market. I am not currently commuting in the car so can afford to take a few more chances...
Now I have always fancied a BMW mini since they came out 20 or so years ago. I test drove one back then and loved it but never quite managed to buy one. Now as a father of 2 a r53 cooper s just wasn't going to be big enough. I had previously looked at the latest shape 5 door but I didn't get on with the seats. So the obvious choice? A 12 year old r55 clubman cooper s of course! Now I know the extra door is on the wrong side, and the N14 engine has a horrible reputation but still...
I started looking and found one local to me on Facebook, but it was brown. Oh well it's a cheap car and its local. I snuck out for a look and what do you know?! I love the little brown mini. A quick test drive, a very serious barter and the car is mine.
Picked it up on Saturday.
Here it is, a bit grubby, but ready to go from the sellers house. Lovely guy and a pleasure to do business with.
drive home was good, super fun little thing and feels so small after my last couple of cars. there is also something liberating about being to hustle along a cheap little car, I always feel less precious about it.
everything seems to work as it should, aircon is a bit pants, and its going to take some getting used to not have auto everything, not even climate, but its all good.
kids have plenty of room in the back and really seem to like it.
got it home in one piece....
now I know its very uncool, but with 2 young daughters the car needs a name, short list so far
- Wally the wagon
- Conker
- Jobbie
- Radagast
any other ideas? Answers on a postcard please to: Poo brown mini, Hertfordshire, HP1 8OO
The previous owner (hi George!) Admitted that the oil needed topping up and the last time he topped up he put in "whatever I had lying around in the garage"
In a car renowned for eating oil and snapping timing chains this didn't make me feel overly happy.
First job when I get home with a new car is normally to wash it. Well this time it was a quick oils change.
My drive has a slight slope so the ramps do a great job of levelling the car and allowing a container to fit under the sump.
Did the oil change after my extended drive home so it was very hot and it came out rather after than expected overshooting my oil container and making a right mess. Bother.
Mess tidied up, time to take out the oil filter. Now some have complained this is fiddly but honestly it's the easiest oil change I have ever done. 10mm bolt to be able to move the expansion tank and then a 27mm bolt on top of the filter cartridge housing.
Ta da!
Oil was pretty black
New stuff just from my local motor factor. After mercedes and lotus it's refreshingly cheap to service! My local motor factor didn't have the correct size crush washer but did have a new plug and washer kit. It was only a few quid so why not!!
Also got a new dipstick. The BMW ones are both hard to read and prone to snapping off in the sump. Found this on sale so seem like a sensible investment.
As always the car seemed to run a bit more smoothly and quietly after the oil change but no idea if that's all in my mind!
Let's see how much oil it eats.
I know Castrol isn't everyone's taste in oil but it's fully synthetic and readily available for emergency top ups so I thought why not!!
In a car renowned for eating oil and snapping timing chains this didn't make me feel overly happy.
First job when I get home with a new car is normally to wash it. Well this time it was a quick oils change.
My drive has a slight slope so the ramps do a great job of levelling the car and allowing a container to fit under the sump.
Did the oil change after my extended drive home so it was very hot and it came out rather after than expected overshooting my oil container and making a right mess. Bother.
Mess tidied up, time to take out the oil filter. Now some have complained this is fiddly but honestly it's the easiest oil change I have ever done. 10mm bolt to be able to move the expansion tank and then a 27mm bolt on top of the filter cartridge housing.
Ta da!
Oil was pretty black
New stuff just from my local motor factor. After mercedes and lotus it's refreshingly cheap to service! My local motor factor didn't have the correct size crush washer but did have a new plug and washer kit. It was only a few quid so why not!!
Also got a new dipstick. The BMW ones are both hard to read and prone to snapping off in the sump. Found this on sale so seem like a sensible investment.
As always the car seemed to run a bit more smoothly and quietly after the oil change but no idea if that's all in my mind!
Let's see how much oil it eats.
I know Castrol isn't everyone's taste in oil but it's fully synthetic and readily available for emergency top ups so I thought why not!!
Thanks everyone. More love than I thought. Dipstick was still hard to read but with the oil being so clean it always is. Let me report back in a week or 2 when it's dirtied up.
No timing chain not done, tensioner was replaced recently so gives a little piece of mind but full chain replacement is high up the list as is the turbo oil feed and a walnut blast of the valves. Just trying to find somewhere local to do all 3 in a oner. If anyone knows somehwere near Hemel Hempstead then let me know!
No timing chain not done, tensioner was replaced recently so gives a little piece of mind but full chain replacement is high up the list as is the turbo oil feed and a walnut blast of the valves. Just trying to find somewhere local to do all 3 in a oner. If anyone knows somehwere near Hemel Hempstead then let me know!
Challo said:
Looking good. I missed out on a Brown clubby when I was looking for one. Ended up finding a local Chilli Red N14 that’s already had the engine rebuilt. They are fun cars, and do shift when needed.
I was tempted by a forged car I found in Milton Keynes. Over £10k of work done recently and was for sale for a lot less... Also red.But I just couldn't get past hot chocolate!!
Court_S said:
Looks good. Can I be cheeky and ask how much you managed to pick it up for?
As a massive R53 fan boy, I really hated the R56/5 cars at the time. They just weren’t the same without the noisy hydraulic steering etc however, I’ve really grown to like them over time. They’re a much more resolved design than the F56 cars.
I took advantage of the current prices this year too, swapping my M140i for an old 130 LE which so far I actually prefer.
Pm sent. I really like the R53 too but they are just too small inside for my needs and they aren't without their problems!As a massive R53 fan boy, I really hated the R56/5 cars at the time. They just weren’t the same without the noisy hydraulic steering etc however, I’ve really grown to like them over time. They’re a much more resolved design than the F56 cars.
I took advantage of the current prices this year too, swapping my M140i for an old 130 LE which so far I actually prefer.
Spent a little time giving it a wash at the weekend. It was very grubby.
Generally it cleans up well but with some dings and stone chips. Nothing too concerning.
The exhaust was pretty disgusting.
I was hoping some metal polish would so the job but the build up was just to thick (even using wire wool).
Lots of grades of sandpaper, then wire wool then metal polish. 5 min jobbturned into a 30 min job. It's lost some lustre now but it's better than black
Was hoping the wheels would be ok with a proper clean, but only a refurb will fix these. Corrosion is pretty bad. Oh well good excuse for new wheels, budget tyres need to go anyway.
Quick wipe down under the bonnet too. Nothing scary there, just the valve cover seeping which I had already spotted.
Inside next....
Generally it cleans up well but with some dings and stone chips. Nothing too concerning.
The exhaust was pretty disgusting.
I was hoping some metal polish would so the job but the build up was just to thick (even using wire wool).
Lots of grades of sandpaper, then wire wool then metal polish. 5 min jobbturned into a 30 min job. It's lost some lustre now but it's better than black
Was hoping the wheels would be ok with a proper clean, but only a refurb will fix these. Corrosion is pretty bad. Oh well good excuse for new wheels, budget tyres need to go anyway.
Quick wipe down under the bonnet too. Nothing scary there, just the valve cover seeping which I had already spotted.
Inside next....
Little but of maintenance today.
The clubman uses a good chunk of oil, the previous owner informed me of this before I bought the car and its pretty normal for the N14 engine.
Still it burns a bit more than I would like!
A few resources say that a faulty pcv could be to blame, well the pcv is I integrated into the valve cover. Mine was a bit leaky anyway (very common and could be another sign of a duff pcv). A bit of research suggested good results from cheap eBay parts so at £35 I thought I would give it a go.
It's an easy enough job with 10 or so 10mm bolts to come out and a few little bits to unplug.
Pleasing the chain guide was all in one piece and looked ok. Bit grubby in there but nothing too alarming. Cams all look ok.quite a lot of oil in the breather hoses. Catch can might be on the cards....
Took the opportunity to change the sparks too as the service history suggested they had been done for a few years. Got them from a citrus based mini specialist for £50 posted which didn't seem too bad. The old ones looked in a reasonable state but the electrode was definitely smaller
And all back together. (Note the lack of mini logo of the official unit)
No apparent leaks after a very short drive, but time will tell. Also interesting to see if oil consumption changes.
The clubman uses a good chunk of oil, the previous owner informed me of this before I bought the car and its pretty normal for the N14 engine.
Still it burns a bit more than I would like!
A few resources say that a faulty pcv could be to blame, well the pcv is I integrated into the valve cover. Mine was a bit leaky anyway (very common and could be another sign of a duff pcv). A bit of research suggested good results from cheap eBay parts so at £35 I thought I would give it a go.
It's an easy enough job with 10 or so 10mm bolts to come out and a few little bits to unplug.
Pleasing the chain guide was all in one piece and looked ok. Bit grubby in there but nothing too alarming. Cams all look ok.quite a lot of oil in the breather hoses. Catch can might be on the cards....
Took the opportunity to change the sparks too as the service history suggested they had been done for a few years. Got them from a citrus based mini specialist for £50 posted which didn't seem too bad. The old ones looked in a reasonable state but the electrode was definitely smaller
And all back together. (Note the lack of mini logo of the official unit)
No apparent leaks after a very short drive, but time will tell. Also interesting to see if oil consumption changes.
So far I felt the ride was really crashy, I have read the run flats make a huge difference as do the weight of the wheels.
So when some hyperlite F1 came up for sale locally I jumped at the chance. Also fancied going for darker wheels.
They are so much lighter than the standard wheels. 17kg Vs 21kg. They do make the ride a but better but not massively. They are et35, and I think the extra width is maybe a bit too much poke, and adds to tramlining.
The ride is better but only a bit. With that in mind I took them off and sold them!
I have replaced them with a set of Oz super leggara in 16" which are lighter again. They are also narrower at 7j Vs 7.5j and an offset of et37. Not fitted them yet though.
In other news the car passed its MOT today but the garage were rather shocked by how much the car was smoking.
I knew this already. Seems like a good excuse to get the bottom end forged....
So when some hyperlite F1 came up for sale locally I jumped at the chance. Also fancied going for darker wheels.
They are so much lighter than the standard wheels. 17kg Vs 21kg. They do make the ride a but better but not massively. They are et35, and I think the extra width is maybe a bit too much poke, and adds to tramlining.
The ride is better but only a bit. With that in mind I took them off and sold them!
I have replaced them with a set of Oz super leggara in 16" which are lighter again. They are also narrower at 7j Vs 7.5j and an offset of et37. Not fitted them yet though.
In other news the car passed its MOT today but the garage were rather shocked by how much the car was smoking.
I knew this already. Seems like a good excuse to get the bottom end forged....
Dull update alert!
The left (2nd) barn door wouldn't open. The handle just made a strange grinding, mooing sort of noise and it didn't open.
BMW in their wisdom didn't include a manual release so some intervention is required. It's not particularly unusual, in fact my car looks like it had been repaired before, so a quick Google found a YouTube video of what to do.
Firstly put the back seats down and climb in (not easy when you are 6ft5).
Remove as many clips from the plastic trim that goes under the door (note I had already released the door at this point)
So you now can't remove the trim as the door holds it in place, so you have to lift up the trim and ferret around looking for the lock mechanism. The lock does actually have a manual release on it but it's tiny and had no cable on it so you have to release it by hand, no chance with just a finger so a Allen key is employed (well it's a torx key but you get the idea)
Rummage around for long enough and the door releases and then you can remove the plastic trim and the lock
2 torx head screws and the lock is out.
As I mentioned there is a manual release on the lock so I bodged in a bit of wire to be able to open the door until I can get a new unit.
Works a treat too!
New unit was only £55 from BMW (much cheaper direct than on eBay) so that will be picked up in a couple of days hopefully. Part number 51247167498 in case it helps anyone!
Tempted to build in some sort of cable on the manual release for the next time it goes wrong....
The left (2nd) barn door wouldn't open. The handle just made a strange grinding, mooing sort of noise and it didn't open.
BMW in their wisdom didn't include a manual release so some intervention is required. It's not particularly unusual, in fact my car looks like it had been repaired before, so a quick Google found a YouTube video of what to do.
Firstly put the back seats down and climb in (not easy when you are 6ft5).
Remove as many clips from the plastic trim that goes under the door (note I had already released the door at this point)
So you now can't remove the trim as the door holds it in place, so you have to lift up the trim and ferret around looking for the lock mechanism. The lock does actually have a manual release on it but it's tiny and had no cable on it so you have to release it by hand, no chance with just a finger so a Allen key is employed (well it's a torx key but you get the idea)
Rummage around for long enough and the door releases and then you can remove the plastic trim and the lock
2 torx head screws and the lock is out.
As I mentioned there is a manual release on the lock so I bodged in a bit of wire to be able to open the door until I can get a new unit.
Works a treat too!
New unit was only £55 from BMW (much cheaper direct than on eBay) so that will be picked up in a couple of days hopefully. Part number 51247167498 in case it helps anyone!
Tempted to build in some sort of cable on the manual release for the next time it goes wrong....
Also did the first performance mod this weekend.
I picked up a jcw airbox and panel filter second hand.
It's an easy change as it's OEM.
The original filter housing is quite flat, this means the cold air feed goes through a rather strange route within the box itself.
(You can see the cold feed coming in on the bottom right of the box)
The jcw box is taller which allows the feed to take a more direct route and doesn't have the bracing within the box to hold it together. It's hard to picture but it does ook like a cleaner design. I put a a silicone intake pipe on too but to be honest the OEM didn't look like it would cause any problems.
Panel filter in there too....
Does it make any difference? Probably not! It may give a bit more noise but not loads, it may feel a bit more eager to drive but it's subtle if it does. It should however be freer flowing for when later mods come.
Also mounted an ultra gauge using a 3d printed adapter I got from eBay. The r55/56 doesn't have a temp gauge as standard which seems crazy so the ultra gauge was one of the first things I bought ....
I picked up a jcw airbox and panel filter second hand.
It's an easy change as it's OEM.
The original filter housing is quite flat, this means the cold air feed goes through a rather strange route within the box itself.
(You can see the cold feed coming in on the bottom right of the box)
The jcw box is taller which allows the feed to take a more direct route and doesn't have the bracing within the box to hold it together. It's hard to picture but it does ook like a cleaner design. I put a a silicone intake pipe on too but to be honest the OEM didn't look like it would cause any problems.
Panel filter in there too....
Does it make any difference? Probably not! It may give a bit more noise but not loads, it may feel a bit more eager to drive but it's subtle if it does. It should however be freer flowing for when later mods come.
Also mounted an ultra gauge using a 3d printed adapter I got from eBay. The r55/56 doesn't have a temp gauge as standard which seems crazy so the ultra gauge was one of the first things I bought ....
Edited by drgoatboy on Friday 29th October 09:25
dirtbiker said:
Looks great, love the brown! Kinda wish I hadn't opened the thread because these have never really been on my radar but I'm now off to the Classifieds 
.
Thanks! The brown is really a grower.....Do your research if you are thinking of buying. They are not without their... Err...... Characteristics.....
Long overdue update...
First up wheels. after loosing my locking wheel nut for a couple of weeks (it was on the floor in the spare bedroom of course!) I finally got my Oz superleggera on.
these are less than 15kg each which is about 7kg per wheel lighter than the OEM 17" with run flats!
they will get refurbished at some point as i would like them a little darker but the point was to improve the handling and ride. They are et38 I think compared to et48 of standard wheels so give a slightly wider stance.
And yes it does improve the ride! the previous change from run flats made a difference but it was subtly. this is a much bigger difference, the ride is more compliant and less crashy for sure, I'm not sure I can comment in improvement to handling as I'm not expert and it is a little hard to test on public roads this time of year. its definitely not worse though.
I dont think its day and night different like some people experience but I definitely like it!!
The eagle eyed ones amongst you will have noticed a few cosmetic difference too. Mostly dechroming. I wrapped the beltline (trim just under the windows) using a kit off the internet. There are loads of options on ebay but they are all basically the same thing. A roll of black vinyl tape and a razor blade.
Its a bit fiddly and took a few attempts to get right. The curved bits around the windscreen are particularly tricky, but with lots of use of a hairdryer and peserverance it is passable. Not perfect but good enough....
New black light surronds were sourced off eBay and just click in (at first i bought ones that go over the chrome ones but they then weren't flush with the bonnet and i didnt like it) and the washer jet covers were wrapped.
Door handles got clip on covers which look better than expect.
I also tried to fix a few chips on the bonnet. I bought a slightly different kit rather than the more expensive chipex kit (only to find out it is chipex anyway)
did my normal routine of slightly over filling and flatting back with 1500 grit wet and dry ( I must have done this with at least half decent results on 10 different cars) only to rub right through the paint in about 10 seconds. The lacquer must be very thin.
Bother.
I really dont want to get this resprayed right now. too much expense and bother.
Stripes it is then!!
Again another ebay purchase. The thin outside stripe was meant to go all the way down but I saw a version where it rounded off before the scoop and i really prefered it so I trimmed them a bit.
My first attempt was horrible! The vinyl is much thicker than the stuff I have being using to wrap odd bits and pieces and obviously you have to try not to stretch it.
It ended up with all sorts of bubbles and creases in it.
I contacted the ebay seller who admitted the creases were probably their fault and happened in packaging so they kindly sent me another set. I tried again with a bit more soap in my eater and git better results but not perfect. Happily the heat from the bonnet seems to have got rid of most bubbles eventually. Not sure how much i like it? I dont hate them but if i hadnt messed the paint up they wouldnt have gone on... thoughts?
Finally I had an MOT which the little brown clubbie passed. but it did pick up 2 things. 1 it smokes, a lot (more on that another time). 2 the high level brake light on the back didnt work. I thought that would be an MOT fail but apparently not. It was looking a bit manky and i had been toying with changing out the clear light for a red one anyway so what better excuse!!!
A quick call to BMW showed they were about £80 (about £20 cheaper than ebay again) and came into store after a couple of days.
8 or so torx screws and the whole rear spoiler trim comes off
The light is just clipped in so easy enough to change once i had cleaned out 11 years of crude that had accumulated in it.
I much prefer how it looks to the clear/white one. ties in better with the rear lights now and looks much more cohesive in my mind
wow, long update!!! few more pics....
First up wheels. after loosing my locking wheel nut for a couple of weeks (it was on the floor in the spare bedroom of course!) I finally got my Oz superleggera on.
these are less than 15kg each which is about 7kg per wheel lighter than the OEM 17" with run flats!
they will get refurbished at some point as i would like them a little darker but the point was to improve the handling and ride. They are et38 I think compared to et48 of standard wheels so give a slightly wider stance.
And yes it does improve the ride! the previous change from run flats made a difference but it was subtly. this is a much bigger difference, the ride is more compliant and less crashy for sure, I'm not sure I can comment in improvement to handling as I'm not expert and it is a little hard to test on public roads this time of year. its definitely not worse though.
I dont think its day and night different like some people experience but I definitely like it!!
The eagle eyed ones amongst you will have noticed a few cosmetic difference too. Mostly dechroming. I wrapped the beltline (trim just under the windows) using a kit off the internet. There are loads of options on ebay but they are all basically the same thing. A roll of black vinyl tape and a razor blade.
Its a bit fiddly and took a few attempts to get right. The curved bits around the windscreen are particularly tricky, but with lots of use of a hairdryer and peserverance it is passable. Not perfect but good enough....
New black light surronds were sourced off eBay and just click in (at first i bought ones that go over the chrome ones but they then weren't flush with the bonnet and i didnt like it) and the washer jet covers were wrapped.
Door handles got clip on covers which look better than expect.
I also tried to fix a few chips on the bonnet. I bought a slightly different kit rather than the more expensive chipex kit (only to find out it is chipex anyway)
did my normal routine of slightly over filling and flatting back with 1500 grit wet and dry ( I must have done this with at least half decent results on 10 different cars) only to rub right through the paint in about 10 seconds. The lacquer must be very thin.
Bother.
I really dont want to get this resprayed right now. too much expense and bother.
Stripes it is then!!
Again another ebay purchase. The thin outside stripe was meant to go all the way down but I saw a version where it rounded off before the scoop and i really prefered it so I trimmed them a bit.
My first attempt was horrible! The vinyl is much thicker than the stuff I have being using to wrap odd bits and pieces and obviously you have to try not to stretch it.
It ended up with all sorts of bubbles and creases in it.
I contacted the ebay seller who admitted the creases were probably their fault and happened in packaging so they kindly sent me another set. I tried again with a bit more soap in my eater and git better results but not perfect. Happily the heat from the bonnet seems to have got rid of most bubbles eventually. Not sure how much i like it? I dont hate them but if i hadnt messed the paint up they wouldnt have gone on... thoughts?
Finally I had an MOT which the little brown clubbie passed. but it did pick up 2 things. 1 it smokes, a lot (more on that another time). 2 the high level brake light on the back didnt work. I thought that would be an MOT fail but apparently not. It was looking a bit manky and i had been toying with changing out the clear light for a red one anyway so what better excuse!!!
A quick call to BMW showed they were about £80 (about £20 cheaper than ebay again) and came into store after a couple of days.
8 or so torx screws and the whole rear spoiler trim comes off
The light is just clipped in so easy enough to change once i had cleaned out 11 years of crude that had accumulated in it.
I much prefer how it looks to the clear/white one. ties in better with the rear lights now and looks much more cohesive in my mind
wow, long update!!! few more pics....
CoolHands said:
I’m not a big fan of stripes however in this case I th8nk they actually make it look better.
Mine had clear brake light (as standard) do you have the part number of the red version? Not sure if it’ll fit mine, probably but mine is model year 2013 so I don’t know if everything (fittings etc) is the same.
Cheers cool hand. Like I say I think I like the stripes... Maybe. Mine had clear brake light (as standard) do you have the part number of the red version? Not sure if it’ll fit mine, probably but mine is model year 2013 so I don’t know if everything (fittings etc) is the same.
This was from the box for the stop light, does that help?
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