Hi guys,
I'm new on here and this is my first post so hoping I don't get flamed I was going to post in the new members thread however as I have bought my first Mini Cooper S only 2 days ago, and already experiencing problems I though I would post here.
I have always had Honda VTEC powered cars and thought I would buy something with some low rpm and midrange grunt, however this Mini feels really flat and sluggish throughout the rev range. It is a stock 2003 Cooper S with 81k on the clock and full service history, and on the test drive wasn't too bad. There were 3 people in the car and it seemed to pull ok. Not as quick as I expected but I thought it may have been to do with the added weight in the car. I drove it briefly yesterday and some today and it really does feel as if it is struggling to pull in all gears through the rev range. Also when turning the steering at low speeds there is a very noticeable whine, however I have read this is a common power steering sound?
I have searched on here and people have previously advised owners to check the bypass valve as they can go bad. How hard are they to check? I am quite good with DIY mechanics and have a good understanding of engines. I'm going to give the car a service tomrrow, but is there anything else I can check? There are no engine management lights appearing at any point when driving. On the test drive in 2nd and 3rd gear when giving the car some, the supercharger whine was quite vocal however now i can hardly hear it even when revving the car hard.
Your advice will be greatly appreciated. I really hope I can get this car sorted as I'm quite disappointed. Maybe I'm just used to more raw less refined lighter VTEC cars
EDIT: Thought I would add, the car had been stood up for a month by previous owner if that has any bearing on the issue
I'm new on here and this is my first post so hoping I don't get flamed I was going to post in the new members thread however as I have bought my first Mini Cooper S only 2 days ago, and already experiencing problems I though I would post here.
I have always had Honda VTEC powered cars and thought I would buy something with some low rpm and midrange grunt, however this Mini feels really flat and sluggish throughout the rev range. It is a stock 2003 Cooper S with 81k on the clock and full service history, and on the test drive wasn't too bad. There were 3 people in the car and it seemed to pull ok. Not as quick as I expected but I thought it may have been to do with the added weight in the car. I drove it briefly yesterday and some today and it really does feel as if it is struggling to pull in all gears through the rev range. Also when turning the steering at low speeds there is a very noticeable whine, however I have read this is a common power steering sound?
I have searched on here and people have previously advised owners to check the bypass valve as they can go bad. How hard are they to check? I am quite good with DIY mechanics and have a good understanding of engines. I'm going to give the car a service tomrrow, but is there anything else I can check? There are no engine management lights appearing at any point when driving. On the test drive in 2nd and 3rd gear when giving the car some, the supercharger whine was quite vocal however now i can hardly hear it even when revving the car hard.
Your advice will be greatly appreciated. I really hope I can get this car sorted as I'm quite disappointed. Maybe I'm just used to more raw less refined lighter VTEC cars
EDIT: Thought I would add, the car had been stood up for a month by previous owner if that has any bearing on the issue