New to this forum....So don't beat me up.....
I recently purchased a 2009 Clubman. I have already replaced a few items that caused issues...VVT solenoid (5 miles off dealers lot)...Panoramic roof not opening(living with pushing up on back glass).....But now I have a different issue. The power steering started acting out sporadically. Work, not work, work,.....It finally just stopped working. This is actually a good thing, nothing worse than going into a turn without power steering only to have it kick in. My research has shown that in this year the power steering does not seem to have the same issues as previous years with pumps. I have found the electric motors and / or rack and pinion. It appears that the rack and pinion may be a pain to replace. Has anyone done this fix themselves.....Dealer is way to much $$$$$. I am mechanically inclined and have worked on vehicles for years. I have not purchased a manual for the Mini yet...Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks.

 

I know its been 2 years, but wondering if you found any help or had any success? I have an R55 with 116K mi. on it and was quoted $3K to replace the entire rack. Sounds like a big job. Tough pill to swallow on a 2008

 

Hello miniCoopOH....
I was able to go online and find the electric motor for my year, 2009. It was an electric only unit and I was able to replace the electric motor only...Not the whole rack. Of course this depends on your situation...Is the rack bad or just the motor. Total cost for a DIY repair was about $250.

 

Thanks for responding! When you say it was "acting out", what did you see? Mine is hard to turn left during normal operation, but if I try to make a sharp left turn (>= 90 degrees), the power steering totally kicks out and a yellow/orange steering wheel warning light pops up.
My regular shop was a little fuzzy on what exactly they found, but I caught something about torque sensor and a code that meant something to the effect of "short to positive", and then him telling me my entire rack needed replaced.
Either way, something electro-mechanical is hosed. And I don't see a lot of search results or youtube videos about it, which is kind of surprising.

Where did you buy your unit? dealer? used?

Thanks!