I Bought A Budget Pocket Rocket... And It Broke Immediately!

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0:00 Intro
0:31 Reveal
3:01 BOTB
4:25 Why
8:08 The Good & The Bad
10:40 Power Steering Fix
22:14 Test Drive
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[@memphis5220]

Win a car plus £50,000 cash. Enter before midnight Sunday, and BOTB could be knocking on your door next week! 👉 bit.ly/BOTB-Dream-Car-Win

[@Tomskii5]

Memphis, please don't get sponsored by BOTB. It's a scam, there's enough video's online exposing them. I'd rather become a patreon, than you having to deal with these outlaws and losing an audience because of it.

[@DCP333]

@@Tomskii5 +1

[@bubbles_greenbastard]

@@Tomskii5 exactly

[@ItsIdaho]

I saw the comment before the Video and I thought he was giving away the Pocket Rocket.

[@joaospeed]

I buy your alloy wheels

[@1ihnut]

Glad to see Greta is still being useful. Greta is the reason I started watching your vids.

[@nidalghazal1890]

We are becoming addicted to your vedios memphis and i loved this Mini and how yiu sorted out the power steering issue.

[@richardcollings371]

Check your cooling fan. It sounds like, with the AC on, it's cycling on and off at high speed. This means that the low speed resistor has failed. Had the same problem with my R50. Great video.

[@PatricioGarcia1973]

Also check the power steering fan down in the rack. When it starts to fail can make the rad fans not work properly.

[@TheRowlie1974]

Spotted that also, resister is toast! Cheap fix though.

[@Bruceanddenise]

Our '07 Cooper S has been dead in the driveway for almost a year now. Everyone said don't buy a $1500 Mini, everyone said you'll love it and hate it simultaneously. They were right. I'm so deep into it, I can't sell it. All the best to you and your project!

[@usernaame316]

that's cool! I'm pretty sure in a short time you're gonna make me add this on my list haha yours is my current favorite car channel. simple, clear, accessible. thank you for going through the effort of making these videos!

[@Wolfiejohn]

lov the mini and taking us along with the troubleshooting and cant wait for more just give your review of the car cause its yours and you can tell us what you love about it thanks memphis and take care

[@bigdavesnokia]

Great condition to say it 18 years old. Memphis you are the geezer!

[@jochemneeskens760]

FINALLY!!! Saw the notification while i was at work, and already got excited!! Amazing video mate!💪🏻 keep up the good work!

[@nigelbond4056]

That’s more like it! The Cooper S looks fantastic, sounds amazing (I’ve got a soft spot for superchargers) and suits its new owner perfectly. I loved how you couldn’t contain your smile at the beginning of the video. It’s lovely when dreams come true. A spirited car for a spirited driver 😎👍

[@doriansantiago5883]

Memphis, I also have a R53, an A4 Avant, and a golf Mk1.. I'm feeling as your french twin !! Great video, really fan of the R53, looking forward for next episodes !

[@Koledzy108]

And one hour ago I've been watching all of your previous videos, because I've waited so long for this one ! Keep going man !

[@j_laskada]

Really exciting! I always liked the R53 too, thought of buying it multiple times but never did the move. Congrats and enjoy!

[@sieklo6642]

Yaay! It’s super cool to see Mini R53 on your channel! I own one my self now for 3 years, have a look at supercharger oil service, it’s often overlooked by previous overs. But grinding noise doesn’t sound good, aside of that check water pump before reduction pulley cuz it will also spin faster with SC, because it’s attached to it. Small tip for reduction pulley, you can use Audi S3 1.8T injectors 390cc they are similar to JCW ones.

[@antonpoddubnov4651]

Awesome car, nice choice! Just a little FYI: in the power steering only a “BMW CHF 11s” fluid must be used - substitute fluids can cause problems later on. Good work, love the channel!

[@VixonPT]

Really looking forward for more videos on the Mini. I actually own an R56 Cooper S imported from Belgium, and yes, they can have some problems, but you can avoid most of them if you go with the N18 engine. But they are all really fun to drive.

[@stephentaylor7171]

Looks a nice clean car! Looking forward to following your journey with the R53

[@TheKreattion]

I love Mini's. The new ones are so spacious despite being such small cars. I'm 6'3" and I have way more room in one of them than I do in my Volvo S40 from 2007

[@KnightHunterStudios]

Having recently subbed I've got to say, the content is amazing! For an older Mini Cooper it certainly looks great (especially in grey)! Having got an R56 Cooper (albeit not the iconic R53) myself I know just how nippy and agile these great cars are! Fantastic new daily driver man! :)

[@valerioemidio]

Don't forget that the supercharger is serviceable! It takes oil and a few gaskets. Easily done by yourself, trust me on that. Do that ASAP and see if you can still save that supercharger. I'm pretty sure that a common mechanic doesn't even knows it needs to be serviced and the oil you'll find on yours will be the original from factory (a black molasses to say the least). Do a video with that content/operation, it might help other people figuring out. Take this advice seriously, don't just ignore it! In other news, keep it up, you're doing just fine on youtube! Cheers!

[@luispereira9999]

Just found this channel, love the vids!! Cheers from Luxembourg!

[@tonym7cvk430]

Top video chap enjoy that Cooper S and all it’s quirky issues I have 2 R50 Mini’s they keep me busy

[@Officialplayer101]

Nice car 👍🏼 hope to see a lot of content about this car, I've been looking for my dream mini, an R56, here in Germany for a while.

[@russjam121]

Very nice choice. I own a later R53 in the same colour and it's the most amazing car I've ever owned. You cannot beat the whine of the supercharger. I found a super low mileage one with just over 60000 miles on it and for a 17 year old car that is rare as you said and I paid the price for it's rarity. It is also a good investment as over the past couple of years Ive only seen the R53 versions go up in value here in the UK as the r56 and onwards are not as sought after also the r56 with its unreliable N14/N18 Turbo engines are just not worth the money unless you have a bottomless bank account. Sure the R53 has its issues but they are nowhere near as expensive to sort out especially with a vast quality second hand parts market out there for everything from engine parts and full engines to body panels and trims. I look forward to your future videos on this vehicle and hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine.

[@nerdn00b]

As a Belgium Mini cooper S f56 LCI owner (GT Edition heavily modded), I'm really happy to see a member taking care of one of these. Excited for the mods to come. Don't forget NotNorMal Facebook group for meetings, questions and overall tips. Welcome !

[@markharris7662]

My favourite car the mini. You now have all the four cars I would love in my garage. You have great taste.

[@michaeltutty1540]

Very neat video, Memphis. The only experience I have with these early Minis was from friends of mine who bought an early Cooper S new. They only had it 6 months. They forgot that the Cooper S came on run flat tyres. The lack of a spare cost them about $3,000 Canadian dollars when they got a puncture in the far, remote northern area of Ontario. Replacing the tyre was a 3 day ordeal. Not fun, even though they loved how the car drove.

[@jakubmasar3982]

I have R56 Cooper S and its funny little go-kart, Love that car! And also I am happy that you are in Mini family :)

[@okay_chr1s]

Been subscribed since the e28, excited to see where the mini takes you!

[@Dutch-vj2eg]

Supercharger pulley can apparently slip on the shaft, you may want to check and replace even if pre-emptively.

[@markusberndkrause2858]

Nice car. You find some weird engineering solutions in newer cars, like the fan for the power steering pump 🤔. When I worked 14 years ago in Germany we made the red foil for the S.

[@LucnotLuck]

My dad had one of these, super rad quick and fun. Great choice

[@matthewbell1968]

Great choice Memphis, 100k subscribers very soon 👍👍 PS for the marks on the window try any toothpaste which has baking soda, it can sometimes work 👍

[@grayfool]

Good car choice. Probably one of the best new Minis. It does sound noisier than I remember. I would highly recommend any classic Mini. A completely different driving experience to anything else. Huge fun. I've owned five in the past and loved every one.

[@Pharmacien007]

Hello Memphis ! Very Nice little pocket rocket you have bought there !!! I just pick one myself and on the way home , the steering pump broke down … I replace it with a new one (bosh) but it is very noisy… does yours do that noise too ?

[@harraneabdelkader316]

bro, post more often i love your videos, keep up the good work.

[@rabk5702]

Well done on fixing your new car good posting much enjoyed

[@simonjames46]

That noise is the supercharger rattle of death. The windows do that you have to smack above the speaker three hard times and I mean HARD and it will start working again. Welcome to the mini club!

[@groenekool]

Big fan of the videos and nice car! It is nice to see a car channel of this quality on youtube from someone from Belgium which also gives more insights into what is possible here, being a Belgian myself. What car would you recommend as a cheap/reliable/safe option here as a first daily driver?

[@memphis5220]

Polo :)

[@constant333]

That supercharger whine , is gonna convince me :) great video

[@walterbutscher8438]

Cool new ride. Good luck with it. Stay safe

[@RodrigoMoschetto]

Congratulations boy for the new toy! I also think this one suits you more. : ) Have a good time!!!

[@Imn0talan]

Looks in perfect condition!! Congrats bru

[@paulpateman6723]

Love the Mini Memphis I had a Cooper S as well very reliable and I had it tuned it went like a go cart 🇬🇧🇬🇧👍👍

[@zokusharuuku1091]

No kidding, I just bought a 2003 dark silver Mini Cooper s lol I like that front grille as opposed to stock

[@jorgex1604]

Congrats on your new car. Looks good!

[@EnriqueLopez-hb5jn]

Have you thought about putting the rally stripes on, maybe the flag that they usually put on the roof & mirrors housing, it would add that special touch to the Mini🇬🇧🏁I have seen some cars with either one of those on, it looks sporty 👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍

[@hoffa2586]

Hopefully the clutch was done already. It’s a pretty challenging job that no doubt you are very capable of managing. My son and I did that plus many “while you are in there” items while you have it all apart! There was a recall on the PS pump which may be something to look into give the low mileage.

[@marceloleal1246]

The mini trully fits you so well 👌🏻

[@billcunningham8485]

Yes! An R53. Excellent. I am just finishing up my fourth and final R53 after making profits on the first three. I did all of the maintenance on my current R53 and swapped in a 15% Supercharger reduction pulley and a larger sway bar under the back end to enhance the already great go-kart handling. Replaced every wear part in the front end and replaced all bushings with polyurethane - pay attention to the lower control arm bushings. The stock OEM rubber bushings go bad. The poly bushings last longer and handle better. Cheap fun. Can’t wait to see what you do with yours.

[@billcunningham8485]

Opinion on the start up sound - check the timing chain tensioner. It is an easy and inexpensive fix. Basically it is a bolt off the back of the engine close to the oil filter housing. However buy an OEM part for this - worth the extra cost. Tensioner works on oil pressure. Power steering fan - you can buy just the fan itself and buy an aluminum cover so sand and rocks can cause damage. Drop the subframe I would suggest doing the full service on the supercharger. Oil in two chamber front and rear. Buy the correct oil - it is also a good time to change out the water pump as its attached to the back of the Supercharger.

[@TheTheoBillon]

Intake + Exhaust + Coilovers = sensational karting handling & sounding Mini!

[@cybot3796]

Those Mini Coopers are really cool cars .... you'll have a lot of fun driving it!! ;)

[@fila1445]

Looks at title He bought a mini Looks at thumbnail Yup... Video starts Oh you poor sod :(

[@ContasYT]

You should do an exhaust in the mini as well, they sound great without that many muflers

[@jonathanfenne4948]

Keep the old pump. You can solder the broken wires. Check the resistance of each coil at the commutator and then apply epoxy resin to the soldered joints to prevent further fatigue failure.

[@casparpaarlberg9560]

Maybe you should look into miatas! Could be cool for some videos. If not it would be cool to do a memphis meeting one time I would definitly show op. Great video btw

[@iminimal86]

welcome to the mini club buddy ^^

[@dasreich5126]

That Mini is either from the United States or Canada. It's very nice thought. Great find.

[@karelpeeters7535]

welcome to the club i have a r56 cooper s and a 92 spi in my collection 😁

[@glenndr3668]

I’m also from Belgium and i love your vids, i think you need to do something with your a6 allroad, my brothers, friends and I do things with diesel tuning in our squad we have 3 audi a4 3.0tdi stage 3 en they are running +300hp and +600/700nm :)

[@andycasier6724]

Wat goed dat je een mini hebt gekocht. Zo'n cooper s in dark silver vind ik echt het mooist in combinatie met deze velgen. Het is de combi die ik zelf ook zou gekozen hebben. Ik heb zelf 10 jaar met een r 53 one d gereden. (De licht gefacelifte versie uit 2005) Echt een leuke auto om mee te rijden. Ik ben heel benieuwd naar volgende video's.👍😁

[@cainy77]

Power steering pump common problem on mini r53 the electrics go out on them best to replace it with a reconditioned one

[@AndrewKNI]

Good luck with your new Cooper S. Looks fab. Enjoy :-)

[@Ammerstol]

Rotten luck you got a problem with the Mini right away. But...you're the man so you get it fixed in a jiffy. And yeah, for its age, it does look verty good!

[@ferbbb]

Basically the same Cooper S as Chris from Bifb bought. Happy coincidence.. ☺️

[@itsandernow]

I love greta so much hahaha, great video !

[@FastLab_Garage]

Big fan from croatia! Love your videos

[@lewishaggerty2010]

If you can get your hands on a Haynes manual for these, my dad and I have found them to be a huge helps with our Checkmate cooper.

[@williamwhite5329]

I have the same year mini R53, for the window try and smacking just above the speaker a couple times.

[@danieltreadway1213]

This worked on my r50 as well

[@arts6535]

Art from UK. For that noise have a look at the lifters. Maybe new oil and oil treatment will cure it.

[@arthur850_]

Hoi Memphis, een vriend van mijn broertje heeft laatst ook een r53 mini cooper s gekocht en die maakte wel ietsjes minder geluid dan die van jou. Er is niet veel verschil que supercharger geluid maar je zou het wel misschien even kunnen nakijken. Verder ziet hij er nog echt netjes uit! Mijn complimenten! Die van hem ziet er ''wat meer gebruikt'' maar ook goed. Die van hem heeft wel een schuifdak maar is niet heel erg. Verder nogmaals: Erg mooie vangst!

[@theskydivers2281]

the rain seems iconic to your channel

[@jeremydaniels4830]

Great purchase Memphis

[@k7xd]

Love that supercharger whine

[@segrox]

Even power steering pump gets overheated, that's so BMW :)

[@Hydro4201000]

congrats! wait till u add the pulley you'll be in love, I was with mine!!

[@MrHuismeester]

Mooie snelle rakker ! Gefeliciteerd met je nieuwe aanwinst ! Mooie auto en ziet er keurig uit voor zijn/haar leeftijd. Een vriendin van mijn man en mij had precies dezelfde uitvoering een vroeg type, en ook bij haar begaf de stuurpomp tijdens een vakantie in Frankrijk.....maar ook die was snel weer gefikst bij terugkomst in Nederland. Wel is het dashboard wat krasgevoelig en waar je zeker op moet letten bij dit type is dat de lampjes in de koplampen kunnen sneuvelen met het te hard dichtgooien van de motorkap, omdat mee scharniert met de kap, maar misschien is dat niet het geval bij xenon. Verder een probleemloze auto. Alleen bij de verkoop van deze auto heeft die ruim een jaar (.) te koop gestaan zonder dat er ook maar iemand om kwam, zelfs geen Handelaar....Nu rijdt ze met veel plezier in een Mini van 2013! Nogmaals een mooie auto en wens er ongelooflijk veel plezier mee !!

[@cellmate454]

So as for the window being stuck, it is definitely the regulator. As a temporary fix, you can hit just above the speaker firmly with your fist while toggling the window switch and it should free up. But again, this is temporary and the problem will come back. The supercharger noise may not be the supercharger at all. The water pump is driven off of the supercharger PTO and the gears in this PTO can fail which is a possibility of where you are hearing grinding from. Not having the pano roof isn't really a bad thing either. Slick tops are sought after because there is less weight up high so you get a lower center of gravity, also the drain plugs for the sunroof are known to come undone and water will then get inside the car, namely on to your footwell module which can cause all sorts of issues (ask me how I know). Overall good find, very clean and well taken care of. Good job on the power steering. With that out of the way, that's one more common problem you don't need to worry about. Motor on!

[@IntegraDIY]

Very nice but a second gen turbo would’ve been better, those things pull pretty nicely. But yours seems in really good condition which is getting more and more rare for the older ones. I say over all it was a good purchase and you can always do a super charger pulley swap for more boost 🚙 💨

[@RutgerHardick]

Ik heb er 10 jaar in gereden (Chili Red) en 2 maanden geleden verkocht met 107K op de teller. Feest om in te rijden. Heb nog wel setje winterbanden voor je.

[@mysterymonkey]

Might be the timing chain. They tension on oil pressure and the plunger can stick making the chain slightly loose, causing a noise like you have there.

[@poptartmcjelly7054]

20:30 What you saw there are not breaks in the wire but rather the starts and ends of the wire used to make the windings. These rotors are wound in such a way that there's really only one wire. A machine stakes one end of this wire on the commutator tab and then winds one phase on the rotor. When it's done with one phase it loops over the next commutator tab and continues the winding the next phase. Doing it this way it quicker, cheaper and more reliable. Your motor was probably wound with two wires to keep the armature symmetrical for better balance, hence why you have those poking wires on both sides of the commutator. Normally they don't poke out like that but it kind of makes no difference anyways.

[@rody2883]

Hello from Namur ! Nice daily btw

[@SuperNovaa34]

Wow dude ! I was also thinking about buying a Mini Cooper S, what a perfect timing. However, I'm still hesitate with the R56 gen (1.6 Turbo) which has better performance with tune and more fuel economic. PS: I'm from Belgium too !

[@deanoloughlin6129]

Watch wheeler dealers, where ant anstead does a full supercharger service on a mini .big love from the UK 🇬🇧

[@matthewbell1968]

But that means you have to put up with Mike as well..... 🤮

[@deanoloughlin6129]

@@matthewbell1968 aah hes not so bad ...

[@DueVolvi]

Heavy clutch = old clutch. Heavy shifting can be old transmission oil. Buy some Ardeca Unigear S 75W90 and Liqui Moly transmission gear oil additive for much smoother shifting

[@JustinVerlander35]

You’re gonna get really good at putting that Mini service position and pulling the front bumper, lol. What’s up with your Volvo and e28? And the Audi you and your friends fixed?

[@gaudericvanneste7119]

Ik kijk naar je op! Het geeft me meer moed om mijn richting autotechnieken af te werken!

[@sandrodunatov485]

What!?! A Mini?? Wait.. you showed us a Giugiaro Golf, a 5-series BMW classic, resurrected from its grave a gorgeous '240,all fantastic examples of almost historic cars in their own radiant way, and a shinin' A6, and you throw in a...Mini? OMG next will be what? Evoque? Cinquecento? Joking, joking... really enjoy your sincere, no frills videos that are a pleasure to watch. Keep up the good work ... and sell that Mini ... ;-D

[@maxtenhagen4163]

Kijk maar uit met onderdelen van mini parts halen soms heb je geluk maar bij hun zit het vaak tegen en zei trekken alles van uk minis af en veel dingen passen dus niet !! Just a tip en btw als je onderdelen nodig hebt ik heb nog een complete mini staan die weg moet in onderdelen!!

[@Rayvandevelde]

Voor uw raam aan de passengiers kant, even een paar klappen geven boven de speaker dan gaat hij weer omhoog en omlaag spreek uit ervaring ;)

[@trm_neooreo1373]

Nice car, well done! An ac radiator cleaning should be done, because the fans are very noisy.

[@jkk244]

I am the original owner of a 2002 R53 here in Texas (same color as yours!). I was very surprised to see that your MINI has the North American-spec (US & Canada) side-marker lights in the plastic wheel arches (amber front, red rear). I’ve never seen these on any MINI I’ve spotted in Europe. Were they possibly added by the previous owner?

[@Egoncalves]

Congrats! Also have one with 60k kms :) Enjoy!

[@ruslansharif4596]

Can you give me some advice please, on which site i can check the car by vin or something ? odometer, crash and so on.

[@Blurredman]

There's an awful lot of wear on the rotor where the carbon rides.. I had the same on an alternator (for peugeot 205), eventually it wore all the way through the hardened outside material (brass??) and was no longer conducting..

[@sjans7931]

Ik rij met een classic mini dagelijks, het is mijn enigste auto haha. Zo een Cooper S staat nog op mijn bucketlist om zo eentje binnenkort te kopen

[@jaronJCW]

I agree with this diagnosis

[@knortn]

You could get a fuel tank from a facelift R50/R53. These take 50 liters. They were made from 2004/06 onwards.

[@omertahsinrenkli8894]

nice car man!! keep goin

[@toto29620]

What's you have decsribed for the handling and heavy feeling is pretty typical for all bmw from this era. Cars can be fast and fuel efficient but the fealing is really the most important point, if you don't have fun driving why bother with it, just get another one. Maybe try an e46 or e36 next time ! Lot of maintenance but really fun to drive.