Suggest first upgrade/ Maintenance?

[jimmyjamjar]

Welcome to the forum. We are all constantly learning from one another so don't be shy to ask. What can one say about the 'A' series engine - a marvelous piece of metal bits first introduced way back in 1951 in the Austin A30 so over 60 year old technology and still going strong. The Mini does have it's quirks and it does need a hand on approach to keep it running smoothly. Parts are generally not too difficult to find and if the worst comes to the worst you can always sell a kidney and import stuff from one of the Mini spares dealers in the UK who have everything from a split pin to a complete engine. The Haynes manual referred to as the Haynes book of lies is IMHO that not everything they say works out in practice especially reassembly instructions. For me the beauty of this era of car is that you can work on them without having to use a diagnostic computer operated by a specialist technician. AS others have said brakes need regular attention as well as steering geometry ; so if you can point it safely in the right direction and stop it in time the rest can be fixed as you have time and funds.

Do check for rust regularly especially in the sills and the 'A' post ( the bit that the doors are hinged on), make sure that the gap where the door straps are fitted are sealed with a foam rubber pad to stop water going down inside the 'A' post and into the sill. Screen rubbers are another place that rust gets in espacially one trhe rubber is old and hard.