Why Every Mini Cooper S R53 Owner Should Service Their Supercharger

Hello!! Today, let's dive into an essential piece of your Mini Cooper S R53's heart - the supercharger. It's not just any component; it's the magic wand that waves extra power into your engine. But, like any powerful spell, it needs a bit of care to keep the magic alive. Here’s why servicing your supercharger isn’t just important—it’s crucial.

Avoiding Expensive Repairs: A well-maintained supercharger can prevent the need for costly overhauls. Think of it as dental care for your car; regular check-ups can avoid a hefty bill down the line.

Longevity of Your Mini: Regular servicing of any vehicle component ensures your car lives a long and healthy life. Taking care of your supercharger is exactly the same - it’s about keeping the adventure going for as long as possible.

Time Efficiency at Its Best: The effort to get the supercharger off of the vehicle is pretty drastic - you have to put the car into 'Front End Service Mode' which is essentially: bumper off, intercooler off, crash bar (and crash tubes) off, radiator pack off, air conditioning condenser dropped forwards, alternator off, dipstick tube removed, tensioner arm detached, throttle body and intake horn off. All of this means though, that you can give everything a good check over at the same time. You can hit many birds with one stone on this job!

But What Does Servicing Involve? Supercharger servicing includes checking the pulley and 'nose', inspecting and replacing the auxiliary/drive belt, replacing the oil in the supercharger (yes, it has its own oil!), and ensuring all components are in prime condition. Here at our workshop, we also inspect the supercharger 'ends' - but there are no gaskets here so if you are doing this at home, unless you think there is a problem, we would probably advise against this if you aren't confident about putting them back together. All of the gaskets involved are replaced along the way and, as above, all the separate individual components can be checked as it goes back together.

When to Service? The 'Old Golden Rule' used to be 100,000 miles. Truthfully, we aren't even sure where that number was plucked from as BMW say you never have to and Eaton (the actual manufacturers of the superchargers) say 40,000 miles. If we are honest, even if you have a super low mileage example, these cars are 20 years old now (well, as of 2024!) and if they are on the original oil, you would be very wise in getting it replaced.

In conclusion, ensuring your supercharger is serviced and kept in top condition should be every owner's priority, and your Mini will thank you!

Buy your Supercharger Service Kit here!

(To anyone outside of the UK, we cannot send the oil by air but message us after your purchase and we can send you information about what oil you can buy in your own country!)

Here are a couple of videos that we made MANY years ago!! (Yes, I need to redo these!) They can be followed along if you fancied giving the job a go yourself!! If you do, please let us know how you get on!!

And here is a great video from Stef ABTV who shows what we do - just with a bit more glamour!!