Learn me - 2009 MINI Cooper S

I'm going to be acquiring a 2009 MINI Cooper S, 6 speed. If I recall correctly it has the sport package, but no other options.

It's got approx 20k miles on it and has had the timing chain and HPFP replaced under warranty at the dealer. 

Its currently wearing aftermarket tires and wheels in place of the run flats so it rides better and there's a spare in the cargo area.

This will be a summer driver, probably a couple days commuting (less than 50 mile round trip), occasional beach trips, maybe the occasional weekend trip, and daily use (supermarket, etc). It may make a half dozen trips to NYC this summer as well.

It seems like the timing chain and HPFP are two of the big issues, but I've also read about shock towers mushrooming. 

What do I need to know? I already saw it's in the not desirable years of the R56, but that is about it.

What should I do to increase reliability and avoid future issues?

I was was looking online and wondering if the reinforcement plates and strut brace were beneficial for the strut towers, especially with NE roads. 

Anything else I should be researching?

Anyone have any experience with the MINI roof racks? Apparently their are notches they hook into hiding behind the weather stripping. They would be used for a Yakima Raptor bike rack or carrying a 12' sportspal canoe (35lbs).

Thanks. 

I might be making an offer on a ratty '09 S next week so I am curious.

I have an 08 cooper S clubman with the same style roof rack. I bought the genuine MINI item NOS off eBay. 

The kit comes with a razor blade to cut the rubber trim and 4 pieces to reinsert if you ever remove the rack. It also comes with a neat little torque limiting wrench for installation.  It is a nice kit. I'm glad I bought genuine. 

Other than that, the S suspension is a bit jiggly. The usual Bilstein sport feel. The cars are quicker than they have any right to be. I don't remember which one, but a magazine clocked them under 6 seconds to 60. 

In reply to Trent :

That's good to know about the rack. 

I watched a video of the install and it looks pretty straightforward. What surprised me about it is that it's less than any of the aftermarket, and looks like a cleaner install.

Once it gets up here I'm sure I'll have more questions as I try to figure out it's unique features.  

I had one for about a year. It was fun to drive, but wasn't my cup-o-tea. Annoyances below:

It was a dog in normal mode, sport mode it was fine, but 'sport' mode will not 'latch'. IOW, you must always switch it on when starting the car. I was unable to find a way to make it stay on. IIRC, turning on MAX A/C also fully opened the thermostat, causing the coolant temp to drop. That was a bit counter intuitive. The S doesn't have a spare tire. I was OK with it, but some are not. There are way more warning symbols for the display than I could remember. I printed a cheat sheet and left it in the car. There isn't a water temperature gauge. Purchase an Ultragauge and use that to monitor water tems, another advantage is that you can program it to give you an audible warning at a temperature you select (and more). The sunroof allows a huge amount of heat to build up in the car. I installed a perforated sticker that cut the heat down tremendously. The 'key' fob has an internal battery that cannot be replaced. In the end, the car was more difficult to work on than I was willing to put up with.

Speaking of key fobs, I have one that doesn't work, and in that is iffy. Not very confidence inspiring. 

Have replaced the battery, or found any a reputable site to do it?

I'm going to give the dealer that originally sold the car a call since I'm not too far from them, but figure that is one for the first thing I'll need to address for peace of mind. 

pic for attention:

Battery is just a regular CR2032 coin cell. The back panel snaps off

In reply to Trent :

I was hoping that was the case, but I don't have the trap door. Mine doesn't have the convenience package (no push button on the door handle).

Apparently the convenience package remote used replaceable batteries, but the ones like mine are soldered in.