[rasp]

Hi all

Went and spoke to a most helpfull guy Phil today at Birds he assures me that there conversion performs between 212-215 bhp plus another 8bhp if you have there tried and tested exhaust manifold, they have a demo car that unfortunately was not there, however the owner of the car reports that it is just awsome so much so that he keeps a look out now for ( dare I say ) Scoobys, they have a smart workshop at Hartge and everything seems to be done in a profesional way, worth taking a look.

Hope this helps some of you who are looking for a few more horses.

[Bonnie Scotland]

Ok, so can you tell us how much and what bits were changed out or any other info.

Thanks
Alan fae bonnie scotland

[Grinder]

Oh yes, please do fill us in on all the little details, like what the upgrade involves, and all those goodies.

[rasp]

Bonnie scotland.

Rather than me try to explain all this jargen try going to there website. www.birds.uk.com

[rasp]

Bt the way I think the performace figures should reed in kph not mph as we all know 0-60 should reed 6.9 secs

[Grinder]

The little brochure PDF file says 200 hp but the "NEWS" sections says 212-215, and i didn't see anything about an extra 8 hp from the manifold...can someone point me to the right part of the website or wherever it is you got the info?

[rasp]

Grinder.

Aparantly the 200bhp figure they show is the minimum that is achieved at 6000rpm but there testing is said to be at between 212 & 215 bhp. The exhaust manifold was something that we spoke about but is something that is very visable if you know what i mean so i was not very interested, all the development and test bench work has been done in Germany and carries that TUV approval witch again is very interesting, might be worth a read. www.tuvps.co.uk.
Three year warranty can be had for £400.00.
They need your car for two days.
Two week waiting list
The 18 inch wheel package is £1800.00 with pirelli pzero rosso tyres.

Hope this helps,

Rasp.

[Grinder]

You da man... Thanks for the info

Oh, i remember reading before that this will NOT be available for US markets, is that still correct do you know? Since they say they need your car for two days, i suppose unless you wanna ship it, you're outta luck...

[rasp]

Grinder

Not shure about the shipping but it looks like you may be out of luck.

Rasp

[Bonnie Scotland]

Hi, got a quote for the insurance with this upgrade.
Over a year my insurance would increase from £355 to £715.

Almost double, ouch, will i or won't i, hmmm

Alan fae bonnie scotland

[rasp]

Hi. BS

Yes indeed, insurance has increased for me from £550.00 to £716.00. but I think! no! I know it WILL be worth it.

Roll on 25/11/02.


Rasp.

[Bonnie Scotland]

I agree, it's well worth it, am waiting for them to call me so i can order it!!

Alan fae bonnie scotland

[rasp]

BS


The offer of £1499.90 lasts till the end of November 2002, then who knows what might happen.

[Bonnie Scotland]

I phoned Hartge at 5pm and was told that someone would phone me back between 5.30 and 7, no one called.
When i was on the phone i was told that 5 systems had been sold so far.

I'm worried now that i run out of time.

Anyway, i will call back tomorrow and hope that i can place my order.

Alan fae bonnie scotland

[rasp]

Alan.

Phil at bird enginering is a helpful guy, im sure you will be ok, solong as you get your order in before the end of november thats fine.
If your still worried email me and I will ring him tomorrow as I have two cars to be done and told him there might be others from mini2 that would be interested, it realy is a good deal there doing at Birds and if you can, get down there and see for yourself.

Dave.

[Bonnie Scotland]

Rasp,
Thanks for the reply, i'm not particularly worried or complaining, just said what happened. The guy i did speak to was very pleasant.

I don't think a workshop visit is on the cards until the car gose in for the mod, it's an awful long way from bonnie scotland.

Can you give me any rough idea where there place is, is it near a motorway etc, not looking for direct instructions, just if it's near any major roads or attraction.

Will be calling again this morning to set it up.
How long from ordering did you have to wait??

Thanks, alan fae bonnie scotland

[Bonnie Scotland]

Dave,
You are right, the guys at Birds are great, phoned them this morning and asked loads of questions, all of which they answered no problem.
Anyone else thinking about it, Birds say that the upgrade is virtually non detectable, although they wouldn't advise not mentioning it to BMW. The warranty should be ok providing the upgrade cannot be blamed for the "fault", the stock brakes are ok as all engine upgrades must maintain a stock car.
Result is i ordered my kit and have booked my car in for 28th and 29th November.

Asked about an exhaust and they say they are working on one of their own designs, to look like the new M3 dual pipe dual exit, i was concerned about the rear bumper but again i was told it was only a ten pound conversion and no bumper cutting was required, only the rear apron.

So, i have just lumped on another 2k to my already 19k car, ouch, ah well, can't wait for it now.

Speak later

Alan fae bonnie scotland

[PhilClarke]

Hi chaps

Just to clear up a couple of questions on this thread:

The Hartge tuning package is Tuv approved at 200hp - that means every car will develop a minimum of 200hp. Hartge always understate their power claims - it's part of their credidibility.

In the UK people tend to claim crazy power figures as there is no governing body to stop them. Hartge have confirmed that their cars have been developing a genuine 212-215hp so we're happy to pass this information along!

Manifolds have been developed but will take some time to get through production, Tuv approval and so on - early next year I guess. Indications are 6-10hp at this stage, but manifolds are a quite labour-intensive job so I don't think many people will go for them - prove me wrong?!

I am talking to a couple of insurance companies about warranty insurance cover for the whole drivetrain, although we've not yet got a confirmed price. Experience on BMW tuning suggests £400ish but don't hold me to it.

Hartge Classic Wheels are in production for delivery earl next year. I guesstimate £1800, but 18" for BMW are £2200 - I'm hoping Hartge will discount the price because the Mini is more of a volume product. Springs and silencer will be available at a similar time.

Birds is developing it's own M3-style 4 outlet exhaust system for which we'll make no performance claims (again people who claim hp increase for a silencer are usually stretching the truth). This system will be ready as soon as we've finished it! Hopefully within a few weeks.

Export systems are not yet available - we've had lots of enquiries and I hope to get a definitive position on it later in the month and will contact all clients who have enquired.

Hope this helps, and is not considered a promo - just wanted people to know the score. The price will be held until Hartge see fit to increase it. Apparently loads of people in Switzerland are buying the Hartge kit, and given that I took 6 orders yesterday stock levels may take a hit in the next few weeks.

Chrs

Phil

[Bonnie Scotland]

Phil,
Thanks for the input and updates, it's always good to see people like yourselves posting, saves a lot of time and also puts into writing just what you have or have not got.

I'm especially glad i didn't misquote anything i was told over the phone!!

Really hoping the exhaust is finished for my car for the 28th, you can trial it on it if you want.

One small question, do you dyno the car after the upgrade??

Thanks
alan fae bonnie scotland

[PhilClarke]

We don't dyno the cars, as we know that we're fitting Hartge equipment which always does what it says on the packet!

The whole point of TuV is that you know it'll do the same very time. Hartge have dyno'd it at 212-215hp.

hope this helps - am chasing exhaust develepment and will let you know directly.

phil