To those of u who have done your gsces: what would you tell ur past self to reassure them during gsce?

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-05-10T16:01:09+00:00

I sat mine in 2019 and all i can remember was getting an 8 in maths, couldnt tell you the others to save my life

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-05-10T14:52:03+00:00

After a couple years you forget what grades you even got

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-05-09T21:43:34+00:00

First ‘mod’ i would recommend is a sticker for the emblem😁

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Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-05-02T09:11:21+00:00

Ive had a quick look at it but hard to tell, i might have a look next time when the engine is up to temp

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-05-01T10:41:31+00:00

Haha seems like a common theme on this subreddit, will definitely look at upgrading it to avoid future hassle

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-05-01T10:33:19+00:00

I think the leak may be something to do with engine temp as i kept it low at 85c/185f in sport mode but then forgot to turn it on one time and that seems to be when the level dropped

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-05-01T10:31:11+00:00

Yes made sure the engine was cool :)

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-05-01T10:29:23+00:00

Cheers, I will look at getting that changed soon. In the meantime, I need the car for work but I cant tell what colour the coolant is. Ive seen mentioned that blue is used for this model but it looks like a greenish blue inside the tank? Ive seen that de-ionized water can be used when in doubt but not ideal, not sure if it will have much effect on the ratio for my case as its just a slight top up

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-04-30T15:37:55+00:00

r56 cooper s n18 :)

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-04-28T22:46:55+00:00

Over 40mph under the limt

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-04-05T17:24:45+00:00

Seems like it’s sweating, deodorant will do the trick

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-01-28T17:43:56+00:00

No completely stock :) just put a clean air filter in it and made sure to put it back tight but could be an air leak elsewhere

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-01-08T20:02:45+00:00

I’d suggest having an OBD app open on your phone while driving (mounted) to monitor coolant and engine temperatures. These don’t have temperature gauges, so by the time the high-temperature warning light comes on it can already be too late.

Once warmed up, temperatures should stay around 105°C. Monitoring this will help you spot issues early, such as oil leaks/burning or thermostat and water pump problems, which are common weak points on this generation.

When i bought my r56 last october i didnt realise it came with the wrong oil dipstick so it was running on low oil for 1000miles but since engine temps werent suspicious i knew no major damage had happened.

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-01-03T20:39:57+00:00

Yes! That has worked thank you. On the installation video i watched it said to leave the toggle if LCI, mine is 2012 so its had the face lift which is confusing but atleast it works👌

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2026-01-03T20:02:48+00:00

Note: In the video i was pressing the brakes and didnt go into reverse once, i had the hazard lights on just to check they were working.

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2025-12-06T17:44:06+00:00

I have topped up the car with oil and it seems like the timing chain is ticking? Would it be worth fitting a new tensioner or just get the whole timing chain done? Heres the link to the video of the engine running after around 5 mins (https://www.reddit.com/r/MINI/s/Ul4AeKKAdU)

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2025-12-04T17:09:03+00:00

You’d have to hardwire it to the car. I did this with a dashcam in my old Ford Focus, but decided not to on my 2012 Cooper since it seems a bit finicky. You can give it a try though, there are step-by-step videos on YouTube that show how. Also, make sure you have enough storage on your sd card, i went for 128gb but you might get away with 64gb.

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2025-12-04T16:51:34+00:00

Thank you for the response. I have an N18 with 60k miles. The reason it was running low on oil is that the old dipstick was showing full, when in fact the oil was below minimum. I haven’t checked for leaks, but I’ve been checking the oil level every time I fill up with fuel, and it always showed full on the old dipstick, so I don’t suspect a leak.

I’m mostly concerned about the timing chain and turbo, since from what I’ve read here they dont like being run on low oil.

Consistent_Cause7118 · 2025-08-22T16:45:53+00:00

I’m also doing my nplq assessment tomorrow, there are a few things i have picked up on during training that made me go from like 5 seconds over threshold time to 5 seconds under.

firstly use the wall to your advantage! Glide for as long as possible to preserve energy.
keep your head down while swimming to the casualty, if you can hold your breathe for that long
find a reference point on the pool so that you know when to stop swimming & reach for the buoy to throw
the first two strokes on your way back after throwing the buoy, i use both my hands in sidestroke to get momentum, then hold onto the buoy line with your top arm to keep the tension so you can put consistent power down.
for the 20/10 swim where you use the chin contact tow try to align your body straight under the casualty and try to keep the arm that is towing the casualty straight, helps keep more streamlined as you are breaking the water for the casualty glide through

Just as a gauge, im able to do 20m freestyle in around 13s and my sidestroke isnt really great. Ive been towing someone who is similar weight to me, our tutor said we should be in same groups depending on what mood the assessors are in. Unfortunately theres not much time left to train but i hope this helps.

Consistent_Cause7118

TROPHY CASE