R50 Mini One

[squareflops]

Well the Micra daily is up for sale (previous thread) https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... and has been reaplced by the MINI. Back story is I was enjoying the Micra and was happy enough to keep it until it died either by rot or write off. Then a few months ago it started an intermittent misfire which cured itself and started again on and off. Curious I thought. I took the approach of no diagnostic work whatsoever to try and pinpoint the problem and presumed that either the leads/dizzy/rotor arm were to blame. £55 later with ECP and it was still misfiring. Irk. Had it looked into and no 3 injector was dead. OK cool got a fuel rail and 4 injectors, swapped the duff item over and all was well, for about 24 hours, another misfire started. This time I changed all 4 injectors and the problem has been solved. However it got me thinking about a replacement. This coincided with one of the boys asking re the MINI D for his Mrs and I had a look on Autotrader to see what was about for him.

It was at this point; driving home from Cardiff on 3 cylinders in the Micra that I saw it. 'Ohh' I thought, that little black MINI One is cute, 'Ohh' I thought, that's quite close, 'Ohh' I thought, that's a pretty good write up on the car, 'Ohh' I thought, that's cheap for what it appears to be! 16 hours later I was driving home in it

An 02' Mini One in black, the Salt pack which is pretty much bottom of the range and with a 1.6 90hp Tritec (?) engine. It's from a small dealer in Gloucester and the conversation with the chap there reassured me that it wasn't a 'you won't find cheaper in the UK' car supermarket type place, rather a very well presented small indy dealer in a quiet industrial estate in Stonehouse. The car had been sold by them previously and had come back with a misfire (irony huh). This turned out to be a stuck lifter in the head which killed the cam so the head has been completely re-worked, new valves lapped in, new cam, new head gasket etc. The car has 96k, full service history and is pretty immaculate inside and out other than the swirling of the paint from numerous dodgy washes no doubt. The MINI has a great history with lots and lots of reassuringly expensive bills for services, a clutch 20k ago, discs/pads changes in the past, a new steering column early in its life, suspension components being changed etc etc, a great history to come with the car. The car comes to me having just had a major service, new pads all round and 4 new Pirelli Cinturato P7 - nicer to see than Barums et al and speaks that someone somewhere was happy to spend above minimum on the little thing.

The test drive and the drive home revealed its a great little car! It handles superbly and is eager to rev, it even has a gruff little induction roar on acceleration between 3-5k. Discs all round is great to see and it stops as well as it goes and handles, I'm super impressed. I was never overly keen with the interior when they first came out, the column mounted rev counter and huge center speedo were hideous I thought but now, I really like the interior. I like it also because you sit in the car rather than perched up high like some others. The door skin comes up to your shoulder when sat down and you feel 'hugged' when driving, I really like that. The standard seats are pretty st though.

It needed/needs (wants) a few things, quick list

front discs, well worn
new mats (horrible generic things in there that dont fit atm)
new gear knob to replace the awful standard thing (some may think the replacement is just as bad)
new stereo

So for some pictures! The weather has been terrible since picking it up so no glamour shots yet, maybe some tomorrow. (I really really like the wheels for some reason)

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Good wad of history and service info

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st mats

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Soon to be replaced by these from some online company

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Standard tape deck! removed

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and replaced by

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roughly 1000 times better than the original. To be fair the standard speakers in the MINI sound very good, 6X9s in the rear I believe so bass is not lacking. The sound stage is quite rear biased but I can deal with that.

and the new gearknob, needs modification to the collar to fit so not in yet

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Discs waiting to be replaced, I stumped for Pagids after the eternal 'Eicher vs Pagid for the daily' dilemma with ECP

on Flickr

Weather pending the idea tomorrow is to give the car a very thorough valet and change the front discs. I will return with pics if that happens..

Thanks for reading

love this MINI!

[CarsOrBikes]

So, if you're keeping it, consider getting a remap (Autologic I know works) which will give you full throttle and 125hp haha, the only difference between this and a Cooper!

You could also ask them to raise the isle by 100rpm, and go buy a Kent cam to go in, which will keep you happy passing things on motorways etc.

Have a look on forums and stuff for sports seats for sale, now and again they come up in cloth which are the best as unlike leather they keep you still haha

[squareflops]

CarsOrBikes said:

So, if you're keeping it, consider getting a remap (Autologic I know works) which will give you full throttle and 125hp haha, the only difference between this and a Cooper!

Yea few of the boys have said that already, the only difference is the One is limited to 75% throttle apparently, 90 to 125 is pretty good VFM!

CarsOrBikes said:

You could also ask them to raise the isle by 100rpm, and go buy a Kent cam to go in, which will keep you happy passing things on motorways etc.

Kent cam is tempting but daily means it may have to stay mild ha

CarsOrBikes said:

Have a look on forums and stuff for sports seats for sale, now and again they come up in cloth which are the best as unlike leather they keep you still haha

Certainly will do, seats a rubbish so if sports seat are a notable improvement I'll consider it

[CarsOrBikes]

Kent cam is mild, but instead of pushing the standard motor past 4.5k when it doesn't want to, it will go to 5.5k much easier, the only reason to raise the idle is because of low speed hunting dependant on cam option, otherwise the only thing you notice is the first two seconds of a cold start the revs flare very slightly higher than usual. In fact the cam they have in their book now probably won't need it, fitted in no time at all and an invisible mod, is quite amusing.

I did it on my One and it was quite funny in certain circumstances, the same cam is actually in my S at the moment, ~270chp with other stuff done.

[Mr Tidy]

They are great cars OP.

Mrs Tidy bought a new Mini One in metallic black in 2003 with those same wheels. Sadly someone drove into her 6 months after she got it and she was never as happy with it after that.

So when she got invited to the R56 launch it got replaced by a 56 plate Cooper, which she's still got!

They drive really well when you want to have some fun!

[squareflops]

CarsOrBikes - Sounds good dude, might look into that in the future

Mr Tidy - Great to hear, and can't agree more, great cars, I can see me sticking with the marque as long as funds allow etc.

Busy day, not the best of conditions, the forecast was optimistic. Cold and very windy with the odd shower thrown in was the reality Got the brakes done. Lots of pics of what's a pretty mundane job, enjoyed it nonetheless though, was nice to spin a few spanners again, I've missed it since I was in my last place with the garage set up well, more of that in a minute.

I'm always apprehensive about jacking a new car up, finding the points and feeling it out as it moves up is mildly nerve wracking. One thing I noted is the MINI is extremely stiff, jacking up the front near side had the rear wheel off no probs almost to the point that I could put a rear stand on without need for additional jacking. There doesn't appear to be a central front jacking point which a pain! I like to jack up in the centre of the car front and rear meaning the stands can be easily placed on the side jacking points but no such thing here, at least on the rear for sure.

Anyway, up with it using the chassis rail either side and then jack stand on the point for the jack pad

Untitled by Kaeser Devon, on Flickr

All looks pretty standard under there, nothing alarming

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Breaking off the retaining bolt. Used GT85 and a few taps with a hammer to break the rust free. Nothing was copper slipped at all so everything went back together with taking apart in mind in the future

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Jumping from side to side a little but caliper tied up out the way, brakes really are so easy to work on; even I can do it..

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Brands new pads on the front as per the service history, nice to see they're Brembos too

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New discs cleaned with brake disc cleaner

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Disc on and retainer bolt torqued up with my fav wrench from Tekton

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Everything came apart as it should have and went together easily, all to torque specs

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as per

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All back together and a few miles done very gently. Interesting to see the coating being wiped off but showing the mismatch between pad and disc face

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So that was the oily work done. The plan was to decontaminate the body work of the car from whatever the dealer used as wax and apply my own. As it was now about 3pm and very windy and rain starting to spot I decided against another 3ish hours of detailing and just give the car a quick wash to get all the sand off it from the recent stormy thing from the .. desert somewhere

Just a snowfoam and wipe over with a MF mitt

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This is a 'after' a pic as I took, dried it off but by that time I just wanted to finish and get in the house

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Paint is now showing quite a few imperfections and quite a few stone chips on the bonnet but nothing out of the ordinary for a 96k car that's 15 years old

Got the mats in too, very pleased with them, fit perfectly and look great.

Untitled by Kaeser Devon, on Flickr

Untitled by Kaeser Devon, on Flickr

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They're from www.carmats-uk.com, these are the luxury set for £25.99 plus £5 delivery, really pleased for £30.00

Ohh, had a go at the wheels too whilst they were off. Jeez the inner barrels have probably never been washed, my Valetpro non acidic wheels cleaner just isn't powerful enough to shift this baked on dust

before

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After two applications of near neat wheel cleaner

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Well that's that. Overall happy with the days work. I think I'll invest in a digital vernier caliper to see if the discs actually needed replacing they had a hell of a lip on them so I'm guessing so, but I have been wrong before. Next? hmm not sure. Maybe a remap!

I mentioned my garage at the beginning I recall, this is what I'm dealing with atm, spent as long looking for tools as I did working on the car

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[CoolHands]

You need some racking; and whitewash the walls.

[squareflops]

Yep, and a lot more besides!

[Wiggle5]

Tidy Looking car for the age!

You think your garage is bad! I have about that amount of stuff tools, a few exhausts, bikes etc in a 5x8` storage cupboard with no lights because I live in a flat, even had a set of 18" wheels with tyres in there until recently.

[Shadow R1]

Great stuff.

[squareflops]

Cheers

To give some context; before the split with the ex (I split with the ex) I had a pretty organised garage, I don't seem to have any decent shots of the whole thing but this gives some idea

DC5B1953-ED3F-4E9D-B9F5-E4F0CDE6F739 by Kaeser Devon, on Flickr

Floor was sealed and painted white, pretty much immaculately clean, compressor in the attic space etc etc. I've just moved into this place so it's a work in progress. Should look like my previous garage by next spring or so.

[J4CKO]

Sold a pretty much identical car to this for a friend the other day, it had a checkerboard roof but same wheels, colour year etc, amazing condition for 15 years old, they seem to wear well.

Love the fact a remap will turn a one into a Cooper power level.

[jamiebae]

That does look tidy, I’m not sure I’d want a car without a/c though! The gearboxes on these are made of chocolate but there’s not much you can do about that other than buy an 05 on facelift version.

I’ve had a couple of them and they’re great fun to drive, they’re also easy to modify and tinker with, and I guess there are lots of them being broken for parts now so there’s a ready source of shiny bits.

[squareflops]

J4CKO said:

Sold a pretty much identical car to this for a friend the other day, it had a checkerboard roof but same wheels, colour year etc, amazing condition for 15 years old, they seem to wear well.

Love the fact a remap will turn a one into a Cooper power level.

They do indeed seem to wear well despite the less than luxurious interior plastics. I've emailed Celtic Tuning re the map!

jamiebae said:

That does look tidy, I’m not sure I’d want a car without a/c though! The gearboxes on these are made of chocolate but there’s not much you can do about that other than buy an 05 on facelift version.

I’ve had a couple of them and they’re great fun to drive, they’re also easy to modify and tinker with, and I guess there are lots of them being broken for parts now so there’s a ready source of shiny bits.

Yea I noticed it didn't have a/c on the drive home, the fact that I didn't notice before hand means I'm not that bothered I guess ha. Might be uncomfortable if we have a hot summer but it's not the end of the world for me.

I'll treat the gearbox in a manner that is concurrent with it's fragile nature, the car won't be getting driven hard and if it does i'll be mechanically sympathetic! Maybe it'll go, maybe it won't.. I keep looking at shiny bits but have to remember this is my economic daily

[Niffleman]

I bought a 2005 MINI One about a year ago. It has done 132k now and other than a clutch it has just had routine oil filter, air filter and oil changes. Mine had relatively little service history and feels like not all the past owners have been sympathetic in their driving style or their attitude to maintenance. As mine is a facelift it has the Getrag five speed box rather than the Midlands box, so it is a little more robust from that perspective.

It is the most enjoyable car to drive that I have ever owned. Certainly not the fastest, most powerful or most comfortable but it gives a real sensation of speed, is difficult to unstick at road legal speeds, responds quickly to inputs and shrinks around you as you drive. Analysing it carefully I think that the low centre of gravity, wheel at each corner and short overhangs certainly help. I also think that the relatively low gearing and lack of refinement also add to the sensation of speed.

I am currently looking at soft tops and am going to try and go for a Cooper S R53 version. It should put an even bigger smile on my face!

[squareflops]

Mine certainly wasn't looked after in the paint dept, maybe it's because it's black but boy does it show the swirls. Nothing excessive really but I do think the black exacerbates the issue. Nothing a good detail won't clear up.

I do like the ratio's of the Midlands box, no idea if they were the same as the getrag but I like that it's tall geared (the Cooper had shorter ratios I read?) and it's very snicky, a lovely positive change. The revs sit at about 2750rpm I'd guess from the rev counter @ 70mph in 5th which I really like, means good economy if I decide to sell the Porsche and take the MINI to NBR next year.

A remap is also on the cards, have spoken to Celtic Tuning and been on the Lohen site, £300 with Lohen for a panel filter, a flash and iridium plugs seems the best vfm, plus a relatively consistent 125hp+ from 90 is a very impressive gain.

Enjoy the Cooper S!

[GiveItSomeWellie]

Looks almost identical to my old 2002 One;



Great cars, I paid £1100 for it in Feb 2014 when it needed a new gearbox, it had full history, a ton of paperwork, and was in really good condition. Paid £500 for a reconditioned gearbox and new clutch, took it from 62k to 72k miles with nothing more than a service, and sold it for £2500 a year later. It was my 3rd MINI, and the one that cost me the least in maintenance. Oh, and definitely get it remapped, the difference is well worth it. The Bluefin map I had didn't even affect fuel economy, despite being driven harder following the remap.

I love my S (despite it now being off the road for nearly 4 months, and now looking quite neglected), but there is definitely something about the N/A One and Cooper. If I had reason to do so, I'd have another one tomorrow.

[SebringMan]

I've always fancied one of these TBH! However, I fancied either a Cooper S or strangely, a One D 1.4! The latter I was going to get as a money saving car but I am surprised at how well good examples hold their value.

As always it's looking good! I cannot keep track of your cars these days however!

[squareflops]

Identical indeed GISW. That was a lovely profit you sold it for, I'm still surprised that they're so cheap atm. A real bargain. I'd like to experience the S but as with my boxster I'm more than happy with the potential savings that come with the 'budget' model. An S of either marque would be great but I'd be spending more and I wonder what my ROI in terms of extra fun would actually be? Map will be done at some point on the MINI for sure.

Hi SM. I was actually turned on to these by a friend buying a One D for his wife, he seems to really like it!

SebringMan said:

I cannot keep track of your cars these days however!

I can; barely. I got asked last week if I buy and sell Micras for a living by a new neighbour.. Hmm not really no, not for any profit anyway

[RossF1984]

Cracking looking car! I must get myself a set of those mats! Will be following this thread now...

I bought a 2006 MINI One Seven approx. 6 months ago to use as my daily and love it!

Managed to get a very clean, low mileage (60k) example. I have done a few little jobs since taking ownership:

1: Pipercross Panel Filter
2: New plugs
3: New battery
4: New chain tensioner
5: New aux. belt tensioner

But now I am hungry for a little more oomph! I dont want anything silly and don't want to "Buy a Cooper S". Been looking at the Bluefin and becoming increasingly persuaded... Also been thinking about upgrading discs & pads to a "Fast road" (Stop laughing!!) variant.