1st Gen | R52 Convertible Archives

Jan 23, 24Apr 17, 24

MINI’s Secret Concepts From the 90s That Almost Changed the MINI Cooper Forever

If you think the new J01 MINI Cooper EV is a radical departure, wait until you see what MINI was cooking up in the 1990s. As MINI ushers in an entirely new...

R50 & R53 MINI Parts are Becoming Scarce

The F57 2016 MINI Convertible vs the R52 and R57

MINI USA Recalls 92,000 MINIs for Airbag Faults

1st Gen | R52 Convertible F57 Convertible R57 Convertible

MINI Celebrates Ten Years of the MINI Convertible

It’s been ten years since the R52 MINI Convertible was launched and a new MINI model was born. Since that time we’ve driven every model variation from the very first 2005 R52...

Jul 18, 14

1st Gen | R52 Convertible R50 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper) R53 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper S) R55 Clubman | 2009 to 2014 R56 Two-Door Hardtop R57 Convertible

Finding the Perfect Used MINI – Your Stories

For so many years MotoringFile has focused on whats new and recently released. However with the price of 2002 MINIs now well below $10k there are great used MINI deals to be...

Sep 24, 13Sep 23, 13

1st Gen | R52 Convertible Faults & Fixes R50 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper) R53 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper S)

R50/R53 MINI Power Steering Warranty Extension

Do you own a ’02 – ’05 MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper S or MINI Cooper Convertible in the US? Have you had to replace your power steering pump at your cost? Did...

Jun 1, 13Jun 2, 13

1st Gen | R52 Convertible Faults & Fixes R50 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper) R53 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper S)

NHTSA Investigating MINI Power Steering Failures

Tuesday the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into potential power steering problems of the 2004-2005 MINI. The site lists this as involving MINI “Coopers” but we believe this...

Sep 28, 10

1st Gen | R52 Convertible JCW R50 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper) R53 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper S)

R50/R53 JCW Accessories Becoming Scarce

BMW has a history of producing enormous amounts of parts and sitting them on shelves for many years. However when it comes to accessories long-term availability is something less than a certain...

Mar 22, 10Mar 20, 10

1st Gen | R52 Convertible Faults & Fixes R50 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper)

Nissan Doubles Warranty on CVTs Due to Mechanical Failures

Ah the CVT. The answer to all of our problems. Its step-less shifting was to be both good for performance and economy while giving you a wafting cloud like experience. That is...

Nov 18, 09Nov 18, 09

1st Gen | R52 Convertible R50 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper) R53 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper S)

Official R50/R53 License Plate PDC Retrofit

Let’s say you missed the boat on ordering park distance control or bought your R50/R52/R53 MINI without it used and suddenly realize it’s a must have. While it can be retro-fitted, it’s...

May 16, 09May 16, 09

1st Gen | R52 Convertible Ask MotoringFile R50 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper) R53 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper S) R55 Clubman | 2009 to 2014 R56 Two-Door Hardtop R57 Convertible R60 Countryman | 2010-2016

Ask MF: R53, R56, R60 – What Does it Mean?

We’re reposting this Ask MF originally from last year due to a number of similar questions we’ve gotten over the last few weeks. This week’s “Ask MotoringFile” comes from Dave M and...

Feb 23, 09Feb 19, 09

1st Gen | R52 Convertible Faults & Fixes R50 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper) R53 Two-Door Hardtop (Cooper S) Recalls/Campaigns

Common Issues: Power Steering Failure

A very interesting story over at BBC sent into us recently concerning Power Steering issues on R50/R53 MINIs. >BMW’s customer service told Heather this wasn’t a common fault, which is surprising because...

Feb 18, 09Sep 29, 09

1st Gen | R52 Convertible

How-to: Burning a MINI to the Ground

A sad ending to a great car. Here’s what happened courtesy of AUSmotive.com: >Ever wondered what happens if you drive your car over a mattress and just keep on driving? Well, wonder...

Jan 12, 09Jan 12, 09