HELP? Area vendors for strut replacement?

[IowaM1N1]

Howdy, all-

Our '02 Cooper (non-S) is up over 70,000 miles now, and it appears that new struts/shocks are in order.

Looking for advice/recommendations on KC-area shops to provide & install.

Any advice would be appreciated. Want to get this resolved before we head off to MINI East Meets West in MN at the end of June.

Thanks!

Greg

[Minidave]

I assume when you say "struts' you really mean just the shocks, right?

Are you thinking this because of a degradation in the handling, or just because of the miles?

The reason I ask this is that my '03 has almost 65k on it and to me the shocks seem as good as new - and still stiff as hell!

You could give KC Autosport a call for a quote, or you could just do them yourself, they're really not hard at all............

That said, you probably need to look at a few other things while "under the hood", things like control arm bushings, tie rod ends, sway bar bushings, motor mounts, power steering pump and fan and such. Once you open that can of worms...............

Are you going back with stock stuff or are you going to use H-sport, Koni or something else?

[IowaM1N1]

Thanks for the quick response Dave!

I'm getting some cupping issues with my new tires. My research has led me to failing shocks/struts. Given the age and mileage, it is a logical choice.

I'm thinking of Koni FSDs.

We are planning on keeping this one for the long haul, so we'll probably need to investigate all the items you mention. Is KC Autosport able to handle all that stuff, too?

-Greg

[Minidave]

They should be able to do just about anything suspension related.

Cupping could be caused by shocks, but I'd also look carefully at the lower control arm bushings too, they've been known to fail........don't take this wrong, but cupping also occurs in "inexpensive" or poorly maintained tires. Just FYI. I'd hate to see you replacing shocks and such unecessarily if it's just down to a bad tire.

Chances are you're right tho, time for shocks. You should be able to tell by doing the old "bounce the fender" routine. It should be solid, and should not bounce even once................

BTW, dimini and I are going to EmW too..............

[IowaM1N1]

Thanks for the advice, Dave! I greatly appreciate it.

I hope to attend the June 11 event -- hopefully we can chat about the EmW.

Greg

[IowaM1N1]

Took the car in to KC Autosport today for oil change and to have them look over the shock situation -- and to look everything over for our upcoming 3,000 mile excursion across the midwest.

They said the shocks looked fine -- no evidence of any problems. Nor did they expect any. It is their experience that MINI shocks last a long time.

OK, so we ruled that out. I guess it means I just need to be extra diligent in rotations and tire pressure.

Thanks to everyone for their input and advice.

[Minidave]

Some tires are just predisposed to doing this, sometimes just changing brands of tire eliminates the problem. But as you said, careful attention to tire pressures and rotation should let you get the miles out of what's left. But if it starts to shake and you can't balance it out, get new tires - you're not doing yourself or the car any favors by driving on bad tires just to use up the remaining tread.