I need to get some aftermarket parts for myMini Cooperbut I'm having some trouble finding some quality parts through the same places I used to use for my previous cars. Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

Minimania.com is good and outmotoring.com is good.

I know from personal experience that outmotoring.com has really good customer service.

Dan

 

Any idea on some good after market parts for usual maintenance? I am getting my 03 non S on Monday and would like to give it a tune up. I usually do them myself. The usual stuff, plugs, oil change and air filter. I imagine there is a K&N for it and Mobil1 5/30 is prob best but let me know if I am wrong. What about the plugs?

 

The oil filter is a little different, and you won't find one at your local Walmart. I can get mine at a local store that specializes in all types of filters, but even they have to order it. How many miles are on the car? Plugs last a long while these days. If it has less than 100K and it runs OK I wouldn't mess with the plugs. I would guess that plug wires have a shorter life expectancy than do plugs these days on most cars. I think any good quality 5/30 synthetic oil would be OK.

 

My car has 42k miles so plugs should be ok. I am just wondering what my friend is talking about. He says it has intermittent knocking. He filled it up with premium when it was almost empty. I was thinking it was sitting along time since I bought it from an auction, so maybe it needs some strong injector cleaner.

 

If it's knocking there's something wrong with something pretty critical. All MINIs have knock sensors and will retard timing based on fuel, intake temp etc etc. My car is running 17.1:1 effective compression and doesn't knock.

Get the oil and the oil filter from your dealer, they're both very specific to the car. Get the air filter while you're there, I haven't seen any aftermarket ones for the Cooper and gains would be tiny if any anyways. Getting new plugs is never a bad idea, what's a couple bucks?.. this could also be the source of your knock problem (the plugs are the knock sensor.) While you're looking around take a peak at your accessory belt, it's bad news bears if that breaks.

 

As my friend was driving the car just out of LA it started making a tapping noise from inside the engine. So he had to drive it back to the dealer to have a mechanic look at it. Hopefully it can be fixed and I will pick up later, but I am not optimistic=(. As long as the dealer fixes it or gets me another mini, but now I am scared.

 

Sure hope things work out for you, Jeff. Hopefully the problem is minor. Keep us posted.
Amg, what exactly is it bad news bears if the accessory belt breaks? Other than loosing your alternator, air conditioner and water pump, which would leave you stranded, and other than the fact at first glance it looks it might be easier just to pull the engine to in order to change it (it is really buried); Will it cause any damage if you are smart enought to stop driving it?

 

Well, you can change it by taking out the wheel liner but, the belt tensioner will hit the crank pulley and they both get torn up instantly. Some vendors make belt tensioner stops to prevent this but I can't remember who does it right now.

Jeff, if it was making a tapping sound it's not knock. Knock sounds more like metal pinging. I would guess it's a belt going (do you have an aftermarket supercharger pulley?) or the factory flywheel which is defective in about 50% of MINIs, maybe an engine mount if your car is a mid '04 or earlier.