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How to Retrofit the Spacesaver Spare Wheel

157K views 84 replies 42 participants last post by  Mini2000c 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
After changing from runflat to normal tyres I opted for DIY retro-fitting the optional MINI space-saver spare under the rear boot/trunk floor, this can be done on the R50 MINI One and Cooper, also the later R56 One, Cooper and Cooper D. On the Cooper S models the twin exhaust box and rear boot mounted battery box are in the way, also not possible on the R50 One D because of the rear mounted battery? (I think).

Spare wheel carrier assembly part numbers and prices for R50 Cooper and One (petrol) - 2008 prices shown:-
41 11 7 043 349 Holder £3.83
51 71 1 510 375 Protection Foil £0.47
41 11 7 044 687 Guide £0.47
41 11 7 044 685 Spring £4.65
51 71 6 800 127 Cover £5.35
51 71 8 165 737 Lift Handle £2.77
07 12 9 904 868 Hex Nut 3-off £1.92
16 13 1 176 747 Nut Plastic 7-off £0.78
51 71 6 801 257 Spacer Rubber 3-off £2.82
07 12 9 904 864 Hex Nut £0.38
51 71 7 184 110 Support £27.50
115/70x15 spacesaver wheel/tyre
(I was lucky and got an as new Mini spacesaver spare wheel and tyre from ebay for only £20 as it was local and I was the only bidder!)

The retrofit installation of the MINI spare wheel and associated components to an R50 MINI One/Cooper:-
The first thing to do is to open the boot of the car, lift up the carpet and remove the MINI Mobility Kit or whatever may be installed in the cut out in the floor.You will see a rubber bung and three threaded studs.
Get under the car, you will see a plastic cover/undertray by the side of the exhaust. Remove this. It has 2 nuts that need to be removed at the back of the cover and 3 screws at the front.
By removing this cover you can now see the under side of the rubber bung and 3 more studs facing down. The threaded studs may have a rubber cover over them. Remove the bung and rubber stud covers.
Assemble the items inside the car in the order shown in the Realoem.com parts drawing to the 3 studs using plastic nuts. (The latest assembly listed in my parts list above is modified with less parts to assemble than shown on the earlier realoem.com diagram below).
RealOEM links:
R50
RealOEM.com BMW R50 Cooper SINGLE PARTS F EMERGENCY WHEEL MOUNTING
R56
RealOEM.com BMW R56 Cooper D SINGLE PARTS F EMERGENCY WHEEL MOUNTING

From the underside of the car, fix the final component with 3 plastic nuts to the studs.
Fit the 3 rubber bung buffers to the existing brackets on the underside of the boot floor.
Place the space-saver spare wheel over the plastic support assembly on the ground and position it under the car. Fit the lifting handle to the assembly through hole in the boot floor and pull the wheel up into position. You may find that you need to move the exhaust heat shield out of the way of the wheel. The wire spring clip holds the wheel up while you tighten the retaining nut with the wheel brace. This nut is the same size as the wheel bolts. (See also MINI Handbook for more details and pictures).

Spare wheel carrier assembly part numbers for R56 Cooper and Cooper D are:-
1 x 51717184110 Cover, spare wheel
1 x 51717124365 Spare-wheel bracket
1 x 51711510375 PROTECTION FOIL
1 x 41117044685 Spring
1 x 41117044687 Spring guide
1 x 51716800127 Cover
1 x 51718165737 Handle
3 x 16131176747 Plastic nut 6mm
3 x 07129904868 Hex Nut 6mm
1 x 0712990486 Hex nut 10mm
1 x 36111509164 - Black Steel Emergency Wheel, 31/2JX15 ET:35
1 x 115/70x15 tyre.
Thanks to 'Minimainiac' for R56 updated parts list above:
"Comes to about £130 in total and takes approx 15 minutes to fit." (2011 prices)

The retrofit installation of the MINI spare wheel and associated components to an R56 MINI One/Cooper:-
Fitting the kit to the later R56 MINI's is basically very similar to the R50 described above with the exception of an improved plastic top moulding with 3 rectangular foam pads which has replaced the need for 3-off rubber spacers/buffers clipped on pre-welded metal brackets as fitted to the underside of the boot floor on earlier cars to centralize the spare wheel.

Thanks to Mini2.com forum member 'RedMiniOne1' who kindly detailed and photographed each step of fitting the kit to his R56 Mini One recently (despite his local Mini Dealer salesman saying it could not be done!), all the steps in the fitting process are shown below:

Here are the parts you require


How the spacesaver sits in it's mounting


Grommet removed and retaining parts fitted


The studs have underbody protection foam on them that has to be carefully removed due to the studs being made of plastic


So, carefully cut the underbody protection foam and slide it off the studs, again, taking care not to damage the soft plastic studs


Attach upper part of wheel mounting to underfloor using the three studs protruding from boot floor. Only tighten just slightly more than finger tight "just nipped up" or else you'll strip the threads. Don't be alarmed, the weight of the spacesaver is NOT supported by these studs! Just treat the nuts as a retaining device and not something to be "tightened down" as such.


Attach long handle to spacesaver support, pull up through floor and allow spring catch to click into place.


Fit this cover, screw nut onto thread and tighten using wheel brace and the whole lot is supported.


Mission accomplished! :)
 
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#8 ·
VERY GOOD NEWS !!! so, all in all how much does this kit cost in UK pounds sterling & how easy is it to fit? would have peace of mind if i had this fit to my car coz thats the only thing that lets the mini down (having a spare) Its my next mission soon as i get her back from the garage. And please can you direct me to the best place to buy from . MEGGA CHUFFED NOW!!!
 
#9 ·
You can get the parts required from your local MINI Dealer spares department.......the parts come to around £130+ (2011 prices) but it is usually cheaper to get the actual spacesaver tyre for the Mini spare rim new from a local tyre fitter (or secondhand as they don't get used much to wear out).

You can often pick them up (sometimes as complete kit) cheaper from a Mini specialist breakers like:
Mini Spares UK - Mini Spares UK

MiniMatt|BMW|MINI|Modifications|Parts|Spares|Service|Tuning|Repairs|Racing

BMW MINI Spares | BMW MINI Spares Ltd.

www.bmminiparts.com - Home

Fairly easy for a diy minded person to fit with basic tools if you don't mind working under the car! Just follow the instructions above and remember these kits only fit the Cooper and One. The Cooper S has rear mounted battery and twin centre exit exhaust in the way.
 
#11 · (Edited)
The spacesaver spare kit has always been available as an extra cost option when ordering a Mini new at the dealers......but few buyers bother to include it and more and more car manufacturers don't include spares even as an option any more. :(

Also check under your boot floor first to check there is no spare fitted, the first owner may have ticked the option!







These photos and pt. no's prices thanks to Minitpm89

R55 Clubman Spacesaver Kit:
The Clubman Register • View topic - Spare
 
#31 ·
The spacesaver spare kit has always been available as an extra cost option when ordering a Mini new at the dealers......but few buyers bother to include it and more and more car manufacturers don't include spares even as an option any more. :(
All down to saving weight so they get an extra 1 mpg, looks good on the data sheets,
"Latest model, more economical than the previous one" is often said, but what they dont say is its because half the pieces are missing!
Then they can charge you a bit more for a spare wheel, jack, fixing kits etc, :hmph:

I think I'll stick with my run flats.
 
#12 ·
I did look wen i got her, theres that black case thing but no wheel, she still in garage at mo havin bearings done in gearbox :eek:( but soon as i get her back im on a mission to get this spacesaver kit, to me its important. before i read this thread i was going to buy a spare and put it in back ov car with seats down if we went further than 20 miles away but the inconvenience of it all. Going to ring our local BMW Mini garage today and find out the cost of the kit minus the wheel/tyre so will post current price on here. :D
 
#13 ·
Mab01UK Iv rung the mini dealer in Colne , Lancs, (nearest to me) This is what the parts department have listed to me that i need as of 31-03-2012 inc VAT....

51 71 1 184 110 Cover (support) £49.39
51 71 7 124 365 Holder £12.90
51 71 1 510 375 Protection Foil £ .80
41 11 7 044 685 Spring £ 6.10
41 11 7 044 687 Guide £ 1.55
51 71 6 800 127 Cover £ 8.34
51 71 1 510 373 Bracket Holder £17.23
51 71 1 520 374 Thread Bolt £ 5.10
16 13 1 176 747 Plastic nut x 2 £ 24
16 13 1 183 133 Palstic Nut x 3 £ 72

Some of the parts you listed arnt mentioned like the hex bolt etc, so im not sure this guy has given me all the parts and some he has given me you havent listed, he is only a parts dept sales blokey whereas you know ur stuff . All this comes to £102 inc VAT so it doesnt seem right somehow, can you advise please :D
 
#20 · (Edited)
I would go with your Dealer List as they have access to all the latest parts which have changed a little since I did mine. If they supply any wrong parts they will be obliged to swap them if incorrectly supplied anyway....show them the photo and get them to tick them off for you.

This may also help as a friend of mine has updated my original info on the new soon to be launched MINI Wiki:
Retrofitting Space-Saver Spare Wheel - Mini Wiki

I am also told by others that secondhand spacesaver wheels from ebay or breakers yards from cars like the Rover 200/25/400, etc listed below will fit the Mini with same offset and pcd but I cannot guarantee that:
PCD Rover 45 wheels -Wheel Fitment.eu - PCD, Offset and Center Bore data

Check centre Bore Diameter? (see this link below)
http://www.mini2.com/forum/wheels-tyres-brakes/195064-space-saver-spare-wheel.html
 
#14 ·


Print out this photo above and when you collect the parts from Dealer tick them off against his list and you should be ok. There are 10 items on your list and 10 different items in the photo so you should be ok, the parts have varied over the years due to various changes and different models but if they used your Registration or VIN number to search with, then correct parts for your Mini should arrive.
How much is the spare wheel/tyre itself from BMW/MINI?

Hope this helps.
There are some more instructions on accessing the spacesaver spare in your Mini Owners Handbook, you also need to check whether a jack and wheelbolt spanner is in your polystyrene boot tray already as not all Mini's come with them either.......but I bought a used genuine Mini jack off ebay for only 99p as the only bidder!
Items 4 & 5 here:
RealOEM.com BMW R50 Cooper Car tool/Lifting jack

Or you could also use an aftermarket scissor-type jack from Halfords, etc.
 
#16 ·
Jack is deffo in boot, cant check right now as Hilda is in garage still havin gearbox bearings done, but iv defo seen it, so is compressor an a thing with 0 shaped handle with nut shape fitment on end lol < trained as a mechanic at 16 years old , learnt nothing as u can tell lol. BUT IF I PULL THIS OFF then al update on here, if a GIRL can do this then c'mon ANY bloke shud beable to do it:D AND THANX to you im learnin LOADS!!!!
 
#15 ·
Mab01UK...The spare rim/tyre was.......£99.14 !! yikes lmao
I have compared the list you provided, the list BMW mini provided and the list RealOEM provide, This is where it gets confusing.
BMW Mini Man says these bits what you dont mention: Mines a 2006 One
(27/06/2006) 1st Gen.I asked for prices INCLUDING VAT
------------------------------------------------------------
51 71 7 124 365 Spare wheel bracket £12.90
51 71 1 510 373 Bracket Holder £17.23
51 71 1 510 374 Threaded Bolt £ 5.10
16 13 1 183 133 Plastic Nut x 3 £ .72
----------------------------------------------------------
This is wot you state:

41 11 7 043 349 Holder (part doesnt exist, tried real OEM to check)
51 71 8 165 737 Lift handle
07 12 9 904 868 Hex Nut x 3
51 71 6 801 257 Spacer rubber x 3
07 12 9 904 864 Hex Nut
------------------------------------------------------------
What BOTH YOU an Dealer State:

51 71 7 184 110 Cover Support now £49.39
51 71 1 510 375 Protection Foil now £ .80
41 11 7 044 685 Spring now £ 6.10
41 11 7 044 687 Guide now £ 1.55
51 71 6 800 127 Cover now £ 8.34
16 13 1 176 747 Plastic nut x 2 now £ .24
---------------------------------------------------

Hope this is understandable, been up all night liiking at pictures , comparing etc etc. Want to get it RIGHT 1st time as BMW MINI Parts Dept will take my money no questions so i trust you more as you have nothing to gain, only to give which is ace as i would never have known this kit existed.
So i will wait till you clarify the list then bomb onto Lloyd Mini dealer an order the parts. CANT WAIT....THEN i will have the perfect car i fianally feel safe in WAHOOOOOOOOOOO:D
 
#17 ·
Well this was my reply.......


Good Morning,

Please find attachment of my screen with the price of the parts & labour involved.

The parts on there own are £223.16 Inc VAT
The labour is £118.80 Inc VAT

Total £341.96 Inc VAT

If you wish to order the parts the tyre would need to come from Germany need to allow approximately five working days.


Look forward to hearing from you in the near future


I did ask for a price without the tyre but as you can see i didn't get this but i would say the tyre from them would be £100+
 
#18 · (Edited)
Harvey 94, are these the people that are called STEALERS? if so i now know why!:bad:

If this was your local BMW Mini dealer they seriously want a massive ear slapping coz my local dealer in Colne Lancashire quoted me £102 inc vat for the kit..all bits ordered seperatly, althoug some parts i didnt need thanx to Mab01uk's help and the wheel & tyre was £99.14. So just over £200 and he NEVER once said he recomended THEY fit it for me. THEIR number is 01282 720720. Ask for parts department then ak to speak to Michael IF you ring, just out of curiosity. SEEMS TO ME someone is trying to rip you off to be honest.
 
#21 ·
OK after almost 2 weeks of sitting on this subject i have finally got prices etc

Iv just bought a spacesaver wheel & rim off ebay, its for a rover 25 so it will fit as i went n the link that Mab01uk gave.
£23.99 inc P&P

Just got off the fone to BMW Mini parts dept and got last few prices for the actual kit which stand at a grand total off

£104.08 inc VAT

Total cost for piece of mind....

£128.07

Iv got the original jack, compressor etc in the boot so no extra cost there:D

of course i will still carry a Holts Tyre Weld JUST incase i have a blow out & a puncture :D......funny tho NEVER went to these extremes with the Clio :D
 
#22 ·
i would like to share with all thats interested . Got my Rover 25 space saver wheel for £23.99 inc P&P off ebay. BUT me being the tightest person on the planet i begrudge buying the kit JUST yet and this is wot ive come up with for now, 2 straps and the wheel comes with me, the straps have loops on both ends, i put them thru the metal loops that are fitted in the car, crossed them over the wheel (needs a good clean i know) took the head rest off and put the stem thru the top loop, just need to make a bag for it now :D hope this foto shows up other wise you all cant see lol. For now this is saving me £104.08 and once i make a bag for it i think it will be a good second best to the kit, then wen am flush al prob buy the kit
 

Attachments

#23 ·
BTW the blue straps were FREE as i had these to pull the back seats up wen in the flat down position but just bought some blackstraps with the metal grippers/tension thingies that ya thread thru...£1.49 each at the local car shop...Me & Hilda r not just pretty faces ya know:wink::p:D
 
#25 ·
LMAO no we use Hubby's Ford Ranger for the shopping anyway, always have even wen i had the Clio, he likes to mooch around Sainsburys about 7.15 in the morning as i finish my nightshift there at 8am.
Yes the boot closes perfectly BUT the parcel shelf cant be locked in only with the string, but with the new black straps i think it will fit better, just had wheel in back garden for a wash, waiting on it drying. But for any trips distance wise or wen im driving alone i feel a lot safer knowin the spare is with me, Hubby said his mind is at rest now as im always toddlin off on my own here there n every where...The question is..."Do i know how to change a wheel"? after all i am a woman :D:D:D:D
 
#26 ·
:D:D:D

Well safety first! It won't be practical for most but for you it seems perfect for now, just a quick tip, check your wheel nuts, the reason I say this is that when I first got our mini I had to remove each with a hammer!! No joke and it wasn't rust or seized just some idiot putting them on far to tight! You only need to hand tighten the nuts then press down on the tool a few times with your foot , that's more than enough! No point having your spare if you can't get the wheel off as you say! :)
 
#28 ·
Thats our main gripe about Hilda, not having a spare so we had to get one, as for the kit iv used lol, its perfect for now and iv put the black straps on and the parcel shelf can be fitted properly, im made up about my lil invention. and not everyone has the £108 at hand so this way may help some other mini drivers till they can afford the retro kit.
Hubby going to sort wheels this week to make sure and also to fit the space saver to make 100% sure its a correct fit. AND im spraying them so they will have to come off agen anyway, thanx for the advice:D
 
#37 ·
Spacesaver is virtually invisible from behind unless you crouch down on the ground to check........when did you last notice that the Mini driving in front did or did not have a spacesaver? Those without spacesaver have a large black plastic cover tray in the same place anyway.
 
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