Anyone got a BMW Mini in Bangkok? I have recently bought a 2011 Mini Cooper S

[thejudgegiles]

Just a thought....

 

I have bought a 2011 Cooper S and it is a little modified too... and I am wondering where I can take her for a couple of things

 

I already have an Alfa Romeo here and have a couple of Alfa mechanics that are great and I can trust them and mostly the bills come in WAY under what I expect, which is great

 

If I take this Cooper S to a BMW dealer they will pull my pants down for sure... plus, I'd rather help out a local mechanic and make friends

 

So far 2,500kms and it's all fine, the EML light is on but I am monitoring all other things and I think it's triggered by the exhaust mods, it has a DualLagg system on it, it says 'increased emissions', other than that, just a bulb went

 

I am fairly confident in the car, it's on 110,000kms now and has been loved, it's super clean and a high spec car with nearly all options ticked.  It has a turbo blow off valve fitted, and it pulls super strong, the traction light flashed on hard acceleration as it should... and it feels balanced and planted.  I've taken it over 200 and no shakes and brakes right, dunno what else to say 

 

So, it has extra Mini gauges, for the turbo bar and water temp. It gets up to 100 degrees and a tad over, if I turn up the heater full blast with either air-con on or off, it takes it down pretty quickly to 80... it used to be a bit cooler before

 

It has used a fair bit of oil... but doesn't drip and the bay is not oily.  I think it needs a remap to be honest.  There is no oil in the water and the levels are all right elsewhere

 

Any pointers on any of this? 

 

In the main I am hoping someone knows a Mini guru that is fairy priced and trustworthy in Bkk... I am sure there are a couple or so out there

 

Cheers as always in advance for any genuine help... and HNY one and all

[Crossy]

That's not a Mini!

 

THIS is a Mini!

 

 

Enjoy your car, the BM Cooper really is a pretty nice car.

 

A resort near us has a classic Mini pickup shell sitting looking most forlorn. Project for when I retire maybe ???? 

[In the jungle]

25 minutes ago, Crossy said:

That's not a Mini!

 

THIS is a Mini!

 

 

Enjoy your car, the BM Cooper really is a pretty nice car.

 

A resort near us has a classic Mini pickup shell sitting looking most forlorn. Project for when I retire maybe ???? 

That's not a mini!

 

Where's the 37 horsepower 1000cc A series?

[Crossy]

1 minute ago, In the jungle said:

That's not a mini!

 

Where's the 37 horsepower 1000cc A series?

 

Currently trying to drag the skin off a rice-pudding!

 

My uncle Phil had an early Cooper S (white, black roof), enormously fun car, cornered like it was on rails. Sadly, both Phil and the car are long gone ???? 

[In the jungle]

With regard to the OPs car.

 

Your car sounds like a lot of fun.  By reputation they are an absolute pain to work on but I see you do not intend doing that job.

[In the jungle]

I passed my test in my mum's 37 horsepower Mini.

 

Then when she got a new Mini I wrote it off in very short order to my shame.  No wonder teenagers get charged a fortune for insurance.

[Thingamabob]

Your car sounds great. I fear you may have problems in locating an independent expert. I have a friend in Bangkok (Ratchayothin) with a 2018 mini Cooper diesel who has had to resort to BMW for service etc. He  has been unable to find anyone who can assist him other than local BMW dealers.

[kickstart]

2 hours ago, thejudgegiles said:

It has used a fair bit of oil... but doesn't drip and the bay is not oily

It uses a fair bit of oil ,and no leaks 110 000 km ,or in English money, 68 000 miles ,not a vast amount for a modern day engendered car.

Using oil sounds to me if the piston rings /bores are worn? ,been in Thai hands,not regularly serviced ,get a compression test done might show something.

[thejudgegiles]

Here she is.... 

 

It's a homage to my parents... who I lost recently

 

When they courted in the late 60s my dad had a Cooper S and they loved it

 

I accept it's not a 60s Mini... but I like the new ones too... and even those old ones were like go carts, and back in the day they were quick.... this is fast, really fast. It's running about 230hp as it is... but a good map and get it set up right is what's needed

 

So far there is a guy in my village with a nice Cooper SD and he knows a guy, says is mid-priced and knowledgeable... I just thought I'd ask on here too in case

 

I am sure I will get there in the end... meanwhile here she is. The nose is getting wrapped black to match.  It's a Camden special... one of only a few here in LOS... the Camden was to celebrate 50 years of Mini.... so built in 2010.... although mine was first reg'd in 2011

[In the jungle]

Front and rear bumpers do not look stock; probably FRP made in Thailand.  Paint mismatch on front bumper.  Check for crash damage front and rear.

 

Sill mouldings also not stock.  Check for rust and damage (such as incorrect lifting).

 

Rear wing obviously some Thai aftermarket thing.

 

Nonetheless a pretty car.

 

 

[thejudgegiles]

24 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

Front and rear bumpers do not look stock; probably FRP made in Thailand.  Paint mismatch on front bumper.  Check for crash damage front and rear.

 

Sill mouldings also not stock.  Check for rust and damage (such as incorrect lifting).

 

Rear wing obviously some Thai aftermarket thing.

 

Nonetheless a pretty car.

 

 

Front and rear bumpers are correct for the model, there is no paint damage, might just be the light.  Sill moldings correct too.  If you Google image a Cooper S JCW for 2010 or 2011 - you will see all this.  Wing is a MINI wing, was a factory option.  Only thing done is some carbon wing mirrors and the light surrounds black wrapped.  I can't find rust on the car, it's been in Ayutthaya mostly so not a salt air coastal car.  It's a bit dirty in those pics but she does look nice after a detail.  

[Kwasaki]

Nice wheels but another lamb in Thailand to the slaughter. ????

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, kickstart said:

been in Thai hands,not regularly serviced

How do you know that?

[Dan O]

I would definitely be looking at the oil consumption as it shouldnt be burning oil at all at that mileage. if it has no leaks its going somewhere and thats not good. It will probably get worse over time. that may also be the issue with the engine light and high emission issue. 

[brianthainess]

4 hours ago, In the jungle said:

With regard to the OPs car.

 

Your car sounds like a lot of fun.  By reputation they are an absolute pain to work on but I see you do not intend doing that job.

I had an old mini, and the whole front bonnet and front wings was one piece, made from fiber glass and tilted forward, a person that worked with me, had a mini also he removed the back seat, and engine' fitted an electric motor, filled the back seat with truck batteries, drove to work and plugged it in,

[JAS21]

Gunter Ritter ..ECU Thailand or something like that for the remap.

 

Search Facebook for a car club … seems to be clubs for most car models in Thailand

[HauptmannUK]

My family's business back in the UK is car sales and service, specialising in MB and BMW.  We have sold and serviced numerous Mini's over the years.

Your Mini is fitted with the PSA-BMW Prince engine. IIRC your model will be fitted with the N14 version of the engine - turbo'd single VANOS. This engine is mostly a Peugeot design with some input from BMW (largely on the valvetrain drive etc).  The engine components were made by Peugeot in France and shipped to Hams Hall in UK for assembly. Its fair to say this is a troublesome engine, especially the turbo versions.  

Timing chain and tensioner is a particular troublespot and we have replaced huge numbers of chain/tensioner/guides. A brief rattle on cold start up is the clue to problems.

The turbo versions use direct injection and carbon build up on the valves is a problem. Decarbonisation is required.

The engines are prone to oil sludging due to poor design of crankcase breather system. Change oil every 5k miles and use a top quality 0W-30 oil. 

Look out for oil leaks, either under the car, on top of the turbo (the oil feed line) and on the top of the transmission (under the air intake pipe).

I personally would not remap one of these.

You'll find plenty of information if you Google 'N14 Prince turbo'.

Basic servicing is straightforward. Just use a premium quality oil and filters. No special tools or procedures are required for routine maintenance.

There are a lot of plastic components and pipes on these engines - and in typical BMW style the plastic gets brittle with age, so be careful when working on it - replacements are not cheap!

[thejudgegiles]

10 hours ago, HauptmannUK said:

My family's business back in the UK is car sales and service, specialising in MB and BMW.  We have sold and serviced numerous Mini's over the years.

Your Mini is fitted with the PSA-BMW Prince engine. IIRC your model will be fitted with the N14 version of the engine - turbo'd single VANOS. This engine is mostly a Peugeot design with some input from BMW (largely on the valvetrain drive etc).  The engine components were made by Peugeot in France and shipped to Hams Hall in UK for assembly. Its fair to say this is a troublesome engine, especially the turbo versions.  

Timing chain and tensioner is a particular troublespot and we have replaced huge numbers of chain/tensioner/guides. A brief rattle on cold start up is the clue to problems.

The turbo versions use direct injection and carbon build up on the valves is a problem. Decarbonisation is required.

The engines are prone to oil sludging due to poor design of crankcase breather system. Change oil every 5k miles and use a top quality 0W-30 oil. 

Look out for oil leaks, either under the car, on top of the turbo (the oil feed line) and on the top of the transmission (under the air intake pipe).

I personally would not remap one of these.

You'll find plenty of information if you Google 'N14 Prince turbo'.

Basic servicing is straightforward. Just use a premium quality oil and filters. No special tools or procedures are required for routine maintenance.

There are a lot of plastic components and pipes on these engines - and in typical BMW style the plastic gets brittle with age, so be careful when working on it - replacements are not cheap!

This is great intel, very very much appreciate your time to write all that. Kind indeed

 

I know the N14 is not the best... I should have found an N18 version of almost the same period, right? 

 

Well, hindsight is a beautiful thing.  I'll consider all the above and monitor things as req'd

 

Although there is oil use... I reckon 1 litre per 1,000kms... everything else seems fine... I'll hunt out the right guy and get it checked professionally

 

A compression test is a good idea on any car at 100k+.  And any remap would be purely for better running, not really hunting out more BHP 

 

Watch this space 

[malathione]

I used to use motion garage Bkk when I had an older BMW. Reasonably competent and also do Project 'A remaps and other tuning. 

 

Out of curiosity, which Alfa do you have? I still have a couple of 105's back home and wish I had them here! 

[HauptmannUK]

Oil consumption of 1L per 1000km is excessive. My suspicion is that the PCV valve is stuck open (and/or the plastic valve cover is cracked). The PCV is just a thin diaphragm with a spring behind and is integrated into the valve cover.  You can try to clean it but its not usually successful. A stuck PCV causes multiple problems because oil vapour condenses in the inlet passages and on the valves and also gums up the riNgs.  Read fault codes off your ECU and you'll likely find multiple codes including an intake vacuum code.

BMW have released a revised and more durable valve cover/PCV valve and it would be wise to replace with the new version and clean out the intake pipework.  We have a walnut shell blaster to clean up inlet valves and you might want to try to find this facility in Thailand.  The UK Mini dealer price for the revised valve cover is around GBP300 and the same part from Peugeot dealers is about half the price!  Clone parts are available in UK from URO and Bremmen for around GBP75....   not sure if these would be available in Thailand though....  Fitting is straightforward - easily less than one hour.

You can do a compression test (look for 185psi+), but a cylinder leakdown test will tell you more.

The R56 Mini is very good to drive but they are hard work and hard on the pocket as they get older.  The general standard of engineering and the quality of the engine plastics leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[josephbloggs]

29 minutes ago, HauptmannUK said:

Oil consumption of 1L per 1000km is excessive. My suspicion is that the PCV valve is stuck open (and/or the plastic valve cover is cracked). The PCV is just a thin diaphragm with a spring behind and is integrated into the valve cover.  You can try to clean it but its not usually successful. A stuck PCV causes multiple problems because oil vapour condenses in the inlet passages and on the valves and also gums up the riNgs.  Read fault codes off your ECU and you'll likely find multiple codes including an intake vacuum code.

BMW have released a revised and more durable valve cover/PCV valve and it would be wise to replace with the new version and clean out the intake pipework.  We have a walnut shell blaster to clean up inlet valves and you might want to try to find this facility in Thailand.  The UK Mini dealer price for the revised valve cover is around GBP300 and the same part from Peugeot dealers is about half the price!  Clone parts are available in UK from URO and Bremmen for around GBP75....   not sure if these would be available in Thailand though....  Fitting is straightforward - easily less than one hour.

You can do a compression test (look for 185psi+), but a cylinder leakdown test will tell you more.

The R56 Mini is very good to drive but they are hard work and hard on the pocket as they get older.  The general standard of engineering and the quality of the engine plastics leaves a lot to be desired.

 

I sometimes get very tired of this forum and the negative bitter nonsense. But then reading posts like yours it restores faith and shows a great side, of knowledgable people taking the time to share their experience and knowledge to help others.

Although I don't own a Mini (never have, never will) I enjoyed reading, thanks.

[bobbin]

i owned an original Mini Cooper when I was a youngster..  Great fun to drive hard. Bit of an exotic as well.. in Canada.

 

Yes... over 50 years ago.  ????

[JAS21]

1 hour ago, bobbin said:

i owned an original Mini Cooper when I was a youngster..  Great fun to drive hard. Bit of an exotic as well.. in Canada.

 

Yes... over 50 years ago.  ????

I used to rally a 1293S…in those days … ‘66…it was considered quite quick …but not by todays standards.

 

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, JAS21 said:

I used to rally a 1293S…in those days … ‘66…it was considered quite quick …but not by todays standards.

I remember a race between two cooper S sedans and two porsche 911 coupes at a raceway in Sydney in 1974. The minis would take them in the corner and be overtaken on the straights but a mini won when the rear windscreen on the leading porsche blew out. I used to race a sprite 2A on the northern beach road on sundays in Sydney that year. Same motor.

[kickstart]

21 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

How do you know that?

Good Q,having lived here for a few years now you notice these things ,twice now ,seen a rear half shaft on the road looks if wheel bearing has collapsed ,or crown wheel /pinion ,due to lack of oil has collapsed whoe lot falls out.

 Thai friend of mine has a car repair business he had in a Mitsubishi G Wagon owner had run it out of water cooked the engine had to replace the engine ,he said he is always replacing battery's ,owners never check water levels battery dry, plates twisted,replace only .

Our neighbour has a Ford pickup known them for a few years now ,far as i know never been in to Ford for a full service ,no money ,and I would say  the no money bit is a problem with a lot of car/pickup owners. 

[talahtnut]

53 minutes ago, JAS21 said:

I used to rally a 1293S…in those days … ‘66…it was considered quite quick …but not by todays standards.

 

1293 is and odd one, was it bored out? Used to have a 1275 in 1962,

a most memorable vehicle, I want one again, hate modern cars.

[ozimoron]

6 minutes ago, talahtnut said:

1293 is and odd one, was it bored out? Used to have a 1275 in 1962,

a most memorable vehicle, I want one again, hate modern cars.

I think they also used to bore them out to 1425cc or something like that

[ktm jeff]

1340 and 1380 were common. Turbos took them up to 130/135 BHP. The new minis can have 250 BHP easy.

[DavisH]

10 hours ago, ktm jeff said:

1340 and 1380 were common. Turbos took them up to 130/135 BHP. The new minis can have 250 BHP easy.

Mine was 1310cc. Modified engine. fast enough to keep me out of trouble, but not so fast to get me into too much trouble. The brakes were horrible so that kept me to reasonable speeds. It liked to cruise about 130km/h topped out close to 160 (only ever did that speed once - it was frightening!). 

[Liverpool Lou]

13 hours ago, kickstart said:

On 1/2/2023 at 10:16 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

How do you know that?

Good Q,having lived here for a few years now you notice these things ,twice now ,seen a rear half shaft on the road looks if wheel bearing has collapsed ,or crown wheel /pinion ,due to lack of oil has collapsed whoe lot falls out.

 Thai friend of mine has a car repair business he had in a Mitsubishi G Wagon owner had run it out of water cooked the engine had to replace the engine ,he said he is always replacing battery's ,owners never check water levels battery dry, plates twisted,replace only .

Our neighbour has a Ford pickup known them for a few years now ,far as i know never been in to Ford for a full service ,no money ,and I would say  the no money bit is a problem with a lot of car/pickup owners

Thanks for confirming that you could not justify your assertion.

 

The "example" of your neighbour doesn't count as it is nothing but speculation on your part. 

 

Replacing batteries that needed topping-up is not evidence of Thais not servicing vehicles in general, everyone has to replace batteries.   

One empty radiator is not indicative of "Thais not servicing their cars".

 

And a couple of half shafts on the road.  You're expecting it to be credible that you stop and forensically examine vehicle parts at the side of the road?  Laughable.

 

Your "examples" when compared with the approximately 10.5m vehicles on the roads here mean nothing.   Have you ever been to any manufacturers service department and seen how busy they invariably are with people having their cars serviced?  Ever seen how busy Cockpit and B-Quik centres are?  Why do you think that your friend still has a repair business - it's because Thais need places to get their cars serviced and repaired!