AIR FILTERS
10 DETACH FRONT FEED
To remove the air filter housing and clean inside it, start by undoing two 10mm nuts for the feed to the housing, which is secured to the slam panel. Unclip it from the housing, as shown here, then remove the feed.
11 EXTRACT HOUSING
Undo a single 10mm bolt that secures the nearside front corner of the air filter housing, then manoeuvre the housing out of the engine bay to make it easier to clean out. Refit afterwards.
12 RENEW AIR FILTER
Fit a new air filter into the housing, ensuring the rubber sides of it are correctly seated to achieve an airtight seal when the lid is fitted. Refit the induction feed, followed by the lid of the housing. Reconnect the MAF plug and tighten the Jubilee clip.
13 ENGINE FLUSH
Before the engine oil is drained, it’s worthwhile adding an engine flush and running the engine for the recommended time (according to the engine flush you use). This helps to loosen carbon deposits. Plus, warmer engine oil is easier to drain than cold oil.
14 JACKING POINTS
If you intend to raise the vehicle to make it easier to work underneath it, then there are jacking points with rubber blocks attached to the underside of the bodywork at all four corners of the sills, adjacent to the road wheels. These are easy to spot from underneath.
15 REMOVE UNDERTRAY
There are small access panels in the engine undertray that provide access to the engine oil drain plug and filter, but it’s potentially less messy to remove the undertray (and it helps with further checks), which is secured with 14 8mm bolts.
16 DRAIN OIL
With a suitable container positioned underneath the engine oil sump, remove the 17mm drain plug and leave the oil to drain for several minutes. There should be 5.25 litres to collect, but some of it will be inside the oil filter.
17 TIGHTEN TO 25Nm
Once the oil has finished draining from the sump, fit a new copper washer around the drain plug, then refit it and tighten it to 25Nm (+/- 5Nm). Wipe around the base of the sump to remove any oil and dirt.
18 DRAIN OIL FILTER
The oil filter is forwards of the sump drain plug. Armed with a Torx T55 bit and with a drain bowl underneath the oil filter, remove the plug in the centre of it. A small quantity of oil will drain from it – leave it for a few minutes.
19 RENEW DRAIN PLUG
Once oil has stopped dripping out of the oil filter, fit a new drain plug (usually supplied with a new oil filter) and tighten it to 5Nm (+/2Nm). It’s easier to fit this with the filter in situ.
20 REMOVE OIL FILTER
Using a 32mm socket, unscrew the oil filter housing from the underside of the engine. There shouldn’t be any oil inside it, so it should be straightforward to remove along with the old oil filter.
21 REPLACE O-RING
Pull the old oil filter out of the housing, then check inside for any signs of dirt. Replace the rubber O-ring around the thread of the housing and apply fresh engine oil to it to prevent it dragging and tearing when fitting the housing.
22 FIT NEW FILTER
Push a new filter into the housing until it clicks and locks into it (make sure it’s the correct way round). Refit the oil filter housing on to the underside of the engine, then tighten it to 25Nm with a torque wrench, slacken it 180°, then tighten it again to 25Nm.
23 REFILL ENGINE OIL
Measure 5.25 litres of fully-synthetic engine oil (grades vary, but we’re using 5W-30 here) into a clean jug, then carefully pour this in via the oil filler cap. Refit the cap, run the engine, check for leaks and oil pressure/level warnings on the dashboard. Leave the engine running.
24 CHECK OIL LEVEL
Whilst the engine is running on its fresh oil, operate the dashboard controls to check the oil level (select Start measurement). The vehicle must be on level ground with the gearbox selected in neutral for a manual or Park for an automatic.
25 WAIT FOR A READING
The dashboard display will indicate how far through the engine oil level check is progressing. During this time, do not press the accelerator pedal as the check will have to start again. Eventually, the oil level reading will be displayed. If more oil needs to be added, switch off the engine and then repeat the check. This can take up to one hour to complete!
26 FIND THE FILTER
Armed with a Torx T20 bit or screwdriver, look inside the driver’s side footwell for a small screw and trim panel attached to the side of the centre tunnel and forwards of the centre console. Undo this screw and prise the trim panel off.
27 EXTRACT FILTERS
Release an oblong-shaped access panel to reveal the cabin filters. Use a pick to extract the first one, then reach inside to retrieve the second one, which is underneath it. They are positioned on top of each other.
28 FIT NEW FILTERS
If there’s a strip of glue along the long edge of one of the new cabin filters, fit this one first with the glue facing underneath. Check the airflow arrows point to the back of the vehicle. When fitting the first filter, ensure it drops down into the housing before fitting the second. Refit the access and trim panels.
29 CHECK BRAKE PADS
The depth of the friction material on the brake pads can be checked with a brake pad gauge manoeuvred through the spokes of the wheels for the outer pad and behind the wheel for the inner pad. Friction material should be at least 2mm thick.
30 MEASURE BRAKE DISCS
Use a pair of Vernier calipers to measure the thickness of each brake disc. There’s space to manoeuvre it through the spokes of the road wheel. The minimum thickness for them depends on their dimensions and whether new pads are being fitted.
31 WIGGLE WHEELS
With a road wheel raised, wiggle it from topto-bottom and side-to-side to check for play in the wheel bearings, steering (front only) and suspension. Should any play be detected, the following steps outline further checks to help identify worn components.
32 CHECK REAR DAMPERS
From the rear underside, visually inspect the suspension dampers for leaks and misting. Use a pry bar to lever against the bottom mounting bush to check for excessive movement (usually a worn bush), which may result in a knocking noise when driving.
33 REAR UPPER ARMS
Use a pry bar to lever against the inner and outer mounts for the rear upper suspension arms, checking for excessive movement. A replacement aftermarket arm costs around £70 or more.
34 REAR LOWER ARMS
The lower suspension arms at the rear can be checked in a similar way to the upper arms, applying leverage to their mounting points to check for excessive movement. Aftermarket lower arms are cheaper at around £30 each.
35 INSPECT SPRINGS
The rear coil springs can be visually inspected from underneath the back of the vehicle. Don’t touch them in case you trap your fingers. The front springs can be inspected over the tops of the tyres. Look for fractured and corroded coils.
36 CHECK FLEXI-HOSES
The rear brake flexi-hoses and brake pipes can be inspected from the underside of the vehicle. Look for perishing, splits and leaks from the rubber flexi-hoses and corrosion/leaks along the pipework. Check the fronts in the same way.
37 FRONT LOWER ARMS
Mad4mini says the rear inner mount on the front lower suspension arms is known to wear, so check it with a pry bar. Try to check the other mounts, although access is restricted. An aftermarket replacement lower arm costs around £110.
38 PINCH GAITERS
Squeeze the driveshaft gaiters to look for cracks and escaping grease, which may allow water and dirt inside and increase wear. Also, pinch the gaiters on the steering track rods and the rubber dust covers around the balljoints on the track rod ends.
39 CHECK LOWER ENGINE MOUNT
There’s a mount on the underside of the engine, which can be checked with a pry bar to look for excessive movement. Mad4mini has found that in some cases, movement of the bush suggests it is loose, but there are no issues such as engine movement when accelerating hard.
40 WIGGLE DROPLINKS
Grab hold of the anti-roll bar droplink found on the inside of each road wheel and give it a shake to check for excessive movement, which can result in a knocking noise when driving the vehicle. An aftermarket replacement costs around £20.
41 CHECK EXHAUST
Mad4mini hasn’t found many problems with the exhaust system, but it’s still worthwhile inspecting it to look for corrosion, split rubber hangers and fouling of the underbody. If it’s safe to run the engine and look underneath, listen for leaks.
42 CHECK TYRES
Pick any stones and debris from between the tread blocks of the tyres whilst checking them for uneven wear and measuring their depths (at least 1.6mm in the UK). Inspect the sidewalls for perishing and damage, along with the rims of the wheels (for kerb damage). Check the wheel bolts are tightened to 140Nm.