Hello, Having a problem with the wiper fluid reservoir. Looks like it is more than I can handle just to get to it. Wondering if anyone knows of a good Mini repair shop in the Greenville SC area? Thanks, Kristen
I went to BIMRS.org to find a shop in SC for you. Came up with Rock Hill and Charleston. Rockhill is a little less than half the distance at 95 miles, vs. 213 miles to Charleston. These aren't MINI shops per se, but, although I could be mistaken, I would think that any independent shop qualified AND certified to handle modern BMW's could also handle MINI's, especially since the MINI is a BMW product and brand. A windshield washer problem doesn't sound like a major issue. What's going on? http://www.bimrs.org/cgi-bin/EaglePS/pmpre3/cgi/search.cgi?temp_page=states&temp_table=static_search_Cali_Cities&sortby=city&reverse=no&in_state=South%20Carolina&innot_private=yes&rpp=1000
Thanks Thanks a bunch. That site did not come up in my searching. I found listings in Charleston and N. Myrtle Beach. I had forgotten about the shop in Rock Hill. Basically, I received the indication that the reservoir was empty and, indeed, no fluid came out when trying to clean the windshield. When I filled the reservoir, then noticed that fluid was coming out behind the right front tire. From the little bit you can see, you can tell that the fluid is going down. The information I found indicates that you have to remove the tire and then part of the wheel well. This is what I have been dreading. Something that I might could fix myself, but because of the compact design, cannot access. The person who works on my 525i does not work on Mini's. I was wondering about calling around other shops since it is not an engine issue. Unfortunately I have talked to quite a few mechanics that will not touch this engine.
It sounds like you just have a leak in a washer hose, or in the reservoir itself. I'd hate to think of you spending that much money on something that's relatively minor in the grand scheme of things that COULD go wrong with your car. It doesn't sound complicated, just time consuming. What year and model is your MINI? I may be able to offer you SOME help. If you have the last 7 digits of your VIN number that would be a helpful alternative.
I'm in Greenville, have lots of tools and a great work area. If you decide to DIY, I would be happy to assist. I've not worked on MINI's, but have done plenty of work on ours... we have an E34 525i and an E38 740iL. Currently. I've owned 7 BMW's in the last 3 years =) Have you talked to Albert Boyle at Eurosports in Spartanburg? He does BMW/Benz only, as far as I know, but he might be able to give you some direction too. By the way, in my experience, a competent mechanic should be able to fix most if not all minor issues that cars experience without being a "specialist."
I'll need to keep you in mind. I'd like to do more work on my cars and would like someone looking over my shoulder. Back to the Mini. Do you have Xenons? I've never looked closely are the hoses. F/R wipers, Xenons.
Please do. I love to wrench on these cars... I took 1 E34 and 2 E32's apart just to see how everything worked. That helps a lot =) If you work for BMW CCA hq, I walked down there just a few weeks ago and joined up. In fact, I am writing this from my office next to Falls Park (the building formerly known as Bowater)
This is great! Sounds like that MINI is on its way to recovery! Try to get the last 7 digits of the MINI's VIN. You can then print a copy of the diagram for the windshield washer system, like this (below is just a sample from a 2005 Cooper S, yours may vary).
Yes, I know what you mean. I have been thinking the same thing. It has 12,000 miles before it's next inspection. I may try and hold off until then. Keep a spray bottle and a squeege with me Mine is a 2006 Cooper S. Just bought it used in August and this is the first boo-boo. The odd thing is that I just took it on it's first road trip this past weekend. I was wondering about road debris, but do not remember hitting anything. Who knows; the timing is just odd. The last seven digits of the vin are TJ37031 Thanks for your help!
Hey jfj707, Wow, that is very kind. My schedule is kind of tight, but if you do not mind I may email sometime and see if our schedules might jive. i have always wanted to do more work on my cars, but live in a condo complex with no place to do such. Plus I am not a spring chicken anymore, so if it requires alot of muscle, I am up a creek. This is really a fun car, but after looking at the engine, I was a bit apprehensive thinking of this kind of situation. But I bought it anyway I have not spoken with the people at Eurosports. I have spoken with Randy and Bob at Campobello Cars and Gunther at Austrotech has worked on my 525i. Cool that you joined the BMW CCA. I am a member too. Not as active as I would like to be, but maybe we will meet at a meeting. I did attend the one that was held this past Tuesday (10/12). Hope to be in touch! Thanks!!!
Here is the diagram for your washer system along with associated parts & prices Chances are, a piece of debris probably struck a hose, causing the leak. Doesn't sound too bad. The list below, depending on what they find, is intended to give you a rough idea of your washer system's layout, as well as giving you a ballpark figure of what the damaged part will cost to replace, once you have it all disassembled. It's probably not going to cost much, but if you're really down to pinching pennies (like most of us are), you can probably get a 10 to 15 percent BMWCCA member discount on the parts at the dealer, or you might get a better deal shopping online. Autohausaz.com and Bavauto.com are two online suppliers as well. First diagram # Part Number Description lb QtyThis is the recomended quantity. Price is for each one. Once you click on BUY, you will be able to specify how many items you want to add to your cart. 'X' means as necessary (could also be length in meters). Each 01 61618229128 LINKAGE FOR WIPER SYSTEM WITH MOTOR 5.43 1 $178.98ADD TO CART 02 61618229129 SPACER SLEEVE 0.02 1 $1.88ADD TO CART 03 61618229130 DAMPER RING 0.01 1 $2.10ADD TO CART 04 61618229133 SPACER SLEEVE 0.02 1 $1.88ADD TO CART 05 61618229134 DAMPER RING 0.01 1 $2.10ADD TO CART 06 61618229135 SPACER SLEEVE 0.02 1 $1.88ADD TO CART 07 67638229136 DAMPER RING 0.01 1 $2.95ADD TO CART 08 61600702917 HEX BOLT - M6 0.02 2 $0.98ADD TO CART 09 41148218936 HEX NUT WITH PLATE - M6 0.02 1 $0.73ADD TO CART 10 61610690392 WIPER AXLE COVER 1 $1.40ADD TO CART 11 61610690394 WIPER AXLE COVER 0.01 1 $1.40ADD TO CART 12 61618229197 WATER DEFLECTOR 0.01 1 $1.77ADD TO CART Second diagram # Part Number Description lb QtyThis is the recomended quantity. Price is for each one. Once you click on BUY, you will be able to specify how many items you want to add to your cart. 'X' means as necessary (could also be length in meters). Each 01 61667045429 HEATED SPRAY NOZZLE (to 05/01) 0.02 2 $39.40ADD TO CART 01 61667061614 HEATED SPRAY NOZZLE (05/01 to 04/04) 0.02 2 $11.68ADD TO CART 61667061614 was superseded by 61667146378. 01 61667146378 HEATED SPRAY NOZZLE (from 05/01) 0.02 2 $11.95ADD TO CART 01 61667146377 SPRAY NOZZLE (from 05/01) 0.01 2 $4.88ADD TO CART 02 61667045430 HOSE RUNNING METER (meter) 0.12 X $8.58ADD TO CART 03 61667045425 CONNECTION PIECE 2 $1.22ADD TO CART 04 61667045426 GROMMET, HOSE LINE 1 $1.83ADD TO CART 05 61667045427 RETURN VALVE 1 $2.28ADD TO CART 06 61667045421 SUPPORT 1 $1.83ADD TO CART 07 34331158400 CLAMP 1 $0.50ADD TO CART 08 61131387626 BRACKET 3 $0.60ADD TO CART 09 61607061615 ANGLE PIECE 2 $0.50ADD TO CART 10 16120141132 CLIP 0.02 2 NANo Longer Available (NLA) since 02/2007 16120141132 was superseded by 16126750916. 11 61667070184 CLIP 0.01 1 $0.87ADD TO CART 12 12527511146 PLUG HOUSING - 2 POL. SCHWARZ 2 $10.58ADD TO CART -- 12527503411 RUBBER GROMMET 4 $0.50ADD TO CART -- 12527514855 FLAT PLUG TERMINAL MLK 1.2 - 0,25-0,5MM²/SN 4 $0.50ADD TO CART
Wow, you are fast! Thank you very much! Whew look at all those twists and connectors. I have the Big service manual for the 525i, but have not bought one for the Mini yet. This is very helpful! Thanks again!!
You're welcome, and if makes you feel any better... None of this stuff is going to require a lot of upper body strength or much mechanical work from appearances. Basically they will just be unscrewing and unbolting a lot of stuff, identifying the leaky part, replace or repair it, then screw everything back together again. Hardly rocket science. Might take them all of an hour or two. Three if these guys are feeling lazy (just kidding guys!) In fact, I don't want to get your hopes up, but it might cost you more in beer and pizza to compensate your Good Samaritan mechanics than to replace the actual problem part! Might be a good idea to get a Bentley Manual for your MINI when you can afford it. You can order one directly from http://www.bentleypublishing.com. You can order a used one from Amazon.com, but more often than not, these sometimes are worn, damaged or have critical pages missing. Buy new to be sure you get a good manual you can count on. By the way, your E34 525i and my E32 750iL are mechanically similar. Let me know if you run into any issues on that one (or your MINI _ I don't own one of those, but I am pretty good at scouting out information).
Hey, all you can eat/drink pizza and beer is the least I could do for all of you Good Samaritans! Your E32 750iL is beautiful!!! I bet it is wonderful to drive and ride in. Is it your primary car? I was not going to get much of anything as a trade in on the 525i plus I really love that car, so I am keeping it for the time being. I do not need two cars. The BMW does have some issues. The driver side window does not work. Some of the lights in the dash are out. I have been told you can actually remove that part of the dash panel and access that area without removing the steering wheel. I am skeptical, but was going to take a look. Also having an oil usage issue. About a quart every 700 miles. Have not decided a path for that yet. Had the valve gasket covers replaced a year ago and that helped at first. Been thinking about a compression test. Someone said to use a heavier oil. using now BMW 5W30. Another person recommended an additive by Moly. Since it is not the primary car anymore, I have not worked on it any. Thanks again for all of your help. I try and do internet research, but it is so much nicer to talk with people who have experience.
Thanks so much and you're welcome! You're going to have to mail my pizza to me. I don't drink alcohol, which is probably for the best since shipping beer across statelines might be problematic legally. Thank you very much. Like yourself, it's my second BMW-produced "child." Unlike yourself however, my first one, a 1981 BMW 320i, doesn't have the privilege of sharing the limelight with its larger sibling, as that car was drowned under the waters of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I'd love to get another one though. My current baby is that car's successor. It is for now, my only vehicle. I flew out to Jacksonville to purchase it, intending to purchase a nearly identical blue model with a six cylinder for $1,000. The seller told me when I arrived that the blue one was not ready for sale and had only the white one available. So I took that one in November 2005. On the plus sign, she got a new paint job and new wheels courtesy of a 3rd generation E38 7-series (my car is a 2nd generation 7) a few months before I bought her. On the minus side, her electrical wiring is a bit of a nightmare, courtesy of a badly installed aftermarket stereo no longer present in the car. Nonetheless, she gave me the shock of my life when, while out of Jacksonville, I thought I was doing a legal 70 mph, but was in fact doing a shocking (and silent!) 110!! Drove her all the way from Jacksonville FL to Dallas, TX. And yes, I took the LONG way around -- all 8 days worth. Right now she's semi-retired while I resolve some mechanical and electrical issues on the car, as well as having failed emissions. I have her in secured storage until I can get her fully roadworthy. Other than some wear and tear on her 23 year old chassis, she's still in great shape. All 223,000 miles on her V12 engine. Might be a dirty switch. Have you tried removing it and cleaning the contacts? If the switch is good and tests well electrically using a voltmeter, quite likely the motor is burned out. Takes about an hour or two to replace, plus a little creativity to support the window glass while the window motor is being replaced. The motor can be replaced with a new or used unit from either an E32 7-series or another E34 5-series. http://bmwe32.masscom.net/sean750/dash_bulbs/changingClusterBulbs.htm I've done this on my car before. I tried the method that involves dropping the steering column straight down, but was not successful. I did mine the old-fashioned way: I disconnected the battery, pulled the steering wheel, and pulled it straight out. I replaced the capacitors and the lights on mine successfully, but I tripped the airbag light on mine. This requires a special tool or a trip to the dealer to reset. Still, it can be done. It's recommended that you replace all the bulbs at one time. Total cost about $10 for the bulbs. According to my Bentley manual, there are 13 1.2 watt bulbs, 6 1.5 watt bulbs, and 3 3 watt bulbs on your cluster. The 750iL is even worse when it comes to oil leaks than your car. Other places oil can leak is on the front or rear seals. Any place oil travels, oil can leak if the seals go bad. This takes a little detective work and determination. You said you had the valve gasket covers replaced but what about the seals that join the head to the block? Luckily for you, you only have ONE cylinder head to worry about. Mine has two of nearly everything, including the heads. No problem. I split my time between this board and Bimmerboard.com, in the E32 (my car) section. There is also an very popular E34 board (your car) there, along with a HUGELY knowledgeable E34 guy named Shayne. You can either look me up (I am bcweir750 on that board) or go find him on the E34 board. Either of us would be happy to help.
