[Bhozar]

I just received my Christmas present to myself, from myself. The MINI Cooper Service Manual by Bentley Publishing. Its for the models between 2002-2006 including the convertible and automatics.

I already have a Haynes manual printed on recycled toilet paper with lousy pictures and confusing instructions (thats my excuse for taking 14 hours to change a rad and hoses, and 4 hours to change an exhaust manifold the first time)

So I decided to get something a bit better. At the moment its on Amazon.co.uk for £45. Okay, its a lot more than the Haynes manual, but its also a lot more book.

It weighs a ton. If you left it in your boot on a track day its got to be worth -10bhp due to the extra weight

Its mostly black and white. Printed on bright white paper makes the black and white photos easy to see. I suppose the photos could just be better than the Haynes ones.

The instructions are also a lot easier to follow and its set out in a way that you wont constantly be looking to see where you are.

I might update this post after I have had a chance to properly make use of it while working on the car.

[Bhozar]

It came in useful yesterday. My xenon lights havent been auto-adjusting their height and they just stay in the lowest position. Its been happening since the sub frame was dropped.

I looked for the parts and plugs attached to the sub frame in both the Bentley manual and the Haynes manual. Found what I needed in the Bentley manual and soon had the sensor plug back in its socket. I couldnt find anything about these parts in the Haynes manual.

So the score so far is Bentley 1 - Haynes 0.