I'm in desperate need of some diagnosis of my suspension. I just bought a 2004 Cooper S and it appears that it may have been lowered, but I'm not sure. I just looked and the rear shocks have Mini stamped on them, but it seems to sit very close to the rear wheels and the ride on rough roads is very very bumpy. Is there a best way to determine if the springs have been changed? Thanks in advance for any help!

 

It could be that they're just on their last legs or that your OE springs are sagging. Can you tell if the front or rear shocks/struts are leaking? Typically, aftermarket springs will be a different color. What color are they?

 

It looks like the springs are dirty black. It also seems like most of the rough action is coming from the back too. Thanks!

 

Springs might be stock. I'd have all struts/shocks inspected. You should here clunking noises when suspension has gone bad. Do you hear any noise from the rear? Is it lower in the rear than it is in the front? How many miles are on your R53? Springs will sag and become inefficient over time, but they do last much longer than struts/shocks.

 

I had an 04 R50. The suspension go noticably stiffer as i got past 125k on the car. Read that the shocks on MINIs can fail like that. Installed Koni FSDs and the ride was awesome. Firm, but much improved ride quality.