One the greatest lies ever told by first gen MINI owners is that the 2005-2006 cars where materially better, sadly they really weren't
The oil pan gaskets still leaked
The dipstick tube and crank sensor seals still leaked
The strut towers still buckled
They still rusted in weird areas
The R53 tensioners still failed
The crank pulleys still delaminated
The supercharger water pump PTO is still prone to lubrication related failures
The power steering pumps still fail and sometimes catch fire
The sunroof drain tubes still randomly fall off and ruin the BCM
The cat/header was really prone to cracking at the seam next to the flex joint
The front control arm bushings failed in typical BMW fashion
There was a progressive refinement on the R53 transmission in terms of the gear ratio in 1st
The later cars got teflon coated supercharger rotors, but it didn't really enhance the superchargers other weakness the PTO drive
The biggest refinement came with the R50 transmission when they ditched the fragile Midlands for a proper Getrag box
Having owned an R53 five years ago as a weekend car, I wouldn't daily one. While mine never broke down, there was always something that needed doing to keep the car in tip top shape. In terms of build quality i'd rank it lower than my MK3 VW Jetta.
If you're going to buy an R53, buy the best stock example you can find. I'd sooner take a minty 2002 vs. a tarted up 2006
The oil pan gaskets still leaked
The dipstick tube and crank sensor seals still leaked
The strut towers still buckled
They still rusted in weird areas
The R53 tensioners still failed
The crank pulleys still delaminated
The supercharger water pump PTO is still prone to lubrication related failures
The power steering pumps still fail and sometimes catch fire
The sunroof drain tubes still randomly fall off and ruin the BCM
The cat/header was really prone to cracking at the seam next to the flex joint
The front control arm bushings failed in typical BMW fashion
There was a progressive refinement on the R53 transmission in terms of the gear ratio in 1st
The later cars got teflon coated supercharger rotors, but it didn't really enhance the superchargers other weakness the PTO drive
The biggest refinement came with the R50 transmission when they ditched the fragile Midlands for a proper Getrag box
Having owned an R53 five years ago as a weekend car, I wouldn't daily one. While mine never broke down, there was always something that needed doing to keep the car in tip top shape. In terms of build quality i'd rank it lower than my MK3 VW Jetta.
If you're going to buy an R53, buy the best stock example you can find. I'd sooner take a minty 2002 vs. a tarted up 2006
