[andy_guildford]

I'm eagerly awaiting my MCS (due for delivery beginning of April.... sigh!) and I'm thinking about getting the factory fit driving lights. Question is - are they any good? I think they look cool but have no idea whether they make any kind of difference in practical terms! Incidentally, I'm getting the MCS Chili pack so will have the Xenons.

[obehave]

In a nutshell they're so so.

This has been asked and answered a ton of times so you won't get many responses.Read these threads

[GBMINI]

They look very very cool.
But I almost never turn them on - the Xenons are enough already.

[Jerseygirl]

I've got the xenons as well and honestly don't notice much improvement when I turn the driving lights on so I rarely bother.

But of course they look cool, so that's what counts.

[GAMini]

You can do much better than the factory lights. Plus if you install them your self you can get them much cheaper than the factory kits. I put mine in, brackets, lights, wiring, switch and tools for around $120 american. You can see them in my gallery.

[TMini]

$120 is a geat deal...can I ask where you purchased the lights and did it come as a complete kit?

Thanks...T

[shanemcr]

I've also decided against the factory (actually DIO) lights, which are expensive to begin with plus the dealer install is not cheap. I think the PIAA lights are cool, with the cover/grill (see http://outmotoring.com/piaa_mini_driving_light_kit.html) and much cheaper than MINI's at $260 (or $299 at MiniMania--I haven't checked into whether there's a difference in what's included).

$120 is even better; I'm also curious to hear about these.

[NEMINI]

I think the aux lights from MINI are just fine, I can certainly tell the difference when I use them and when I don't (I have Xenons but that makes absolutely no difference since the Xenons are low beam only) Plus IMO none of the aftermarket lights hold a candle to the look of the MINI lights.

[GBMINI]

Quote: Originally Posted by GMINI03

(I have Xenons but that makes absolutely no difference since the Xenons are low beam only)

I find I normally don't need full beams of any sort with the Xenons?
But then I am not driving the out-of-city roads that you and the other RDR pre-runners drive

Quote: Originally Posted by GMINI03

IMO none of the aftermarket lights hold a candle to the look of the MINI lights.

That is sooo true.
Those PIAAs and GAMinis are OK, but a MINI needs subtle mini lights ... you don't want to get mistaken for a Subaru!

[warped]

The MINI driving lights make a heck of a difference on the open road I have the Xeons (which only work on 'normal' beam) and on unlit open roads my visbility is increased by at least a factor of two when I turn hi-beam on (which includes the MINI spots) ... cats eye markers (reflective lane markers) are illuminated up to 500m away with these guys on

Having driven on the open road with them I would not choose to drive without them if given a choice ... in normal city driving they would never be used (I can't think of anywhere within a 45 minute drive of my place where I need hi-beam) ... but then they do look pretty good too

[plugot]

I got them and think they look great, but in nearly 3 months of driving, I've only turned them on once. Unfortunately they only work with the high beams which I never use in city or even suburban driving. But they do a nice job on dark mountain roads. I could've skipped them, but as already mentioned, they do look cool. Particularly with the black caps over the lens in daylight.

[Smurfn]

They light up the road brilliantly. The difference between with and without the lights is that there is much more of a "fill-in" effect. Saying that, I don't get a chance to do much night driving when they are needed, but they look cool and draw added attention to the car !!!

[CurtP]

I don't like huge aux lights either, but the lights that come in the MINI kit are junk - made in Taiwan by Jute. There are other lights out there that are much nicer that aren't huge.

After seeing some of the self-installed setups, I must say that the extra money for the MINI kit is worth it just for the wiring harness

Here are some pictures of my install: http://www.geek-racing.com/mini/New_MCS/Driving_Lights

[NEMINI]

Quote: Originally Posted by CurtP

I don't like huge aux lights either, but the lights that come in the MINI kit are junk - made in Taiwan by Jute.

No offense Curt but do you wanna actually qualify that statement? I've heard a bunch of people say they are 'junk' but never why. It's really worthless to call something a name without backing it up.

I've parked my MINI next to another MINI at night. Mine with the 'junk' MINI lights and his with huge PIAA with aftermarket 'Xenonish' lights (matches the color of the Xenons more closely). We both turned on our lights and ya know what the difference was?

Nothing. There may have been a small difference, but neither of us could see it. There certainly was no huge difference the way people seem to indicate.

[Hat]

junk = lights which rust after 12 months.

Yes they do what they'e supposed to in terms of lighting the road but the quality of them for a BMW sourced item is pretty well summed up by the word 'junk'

[CurtP]

Quote: Originally Posted by GMINI03

No offense Curt but do you wanna actually qualify that statement? I've heard a bunch of people say they are 'junk' but never why. It's really worthless to call something a name without backing it up.

It's actually pretty simple to see the issues with the Jute lights - pull up to a wall and look at the light pattern - it's just everywhere with no pattern to it other than being round. Light is scattered randomly to the sides - they leave a "tunnel" of light on the road as well. Not to mention the construction is of poor quality - from the chrome, to the assembly to the glass. They were made to look "cool" more than anything. I have a video clip I took on my website that shows how poorly the Jute lights are made - they vibrate terribly (some of it is in the bracket, but even when holding the bracket steady, the mount on the light itself vibrates). In the video clip, the left side is the Jute, the right side is the Cibie. Unfortunately, my camera only does 1/4 VGA video resolution at 15fps, so it isn't of the highest quality; it doesn't show the light pattern on the garage door very well.

http://www.geek-racing.com/mini/Old_MCS/CibieInstall

As far as what you've been comparing them to - well, PIAA is no better IMO. They cater to a specific crowd who want the look, and looking at the prices they charge, they are taking advantage of it. Compare Jute or PIAA to quality lamps from Bosch (not the cheap junk you find in most automotive stores though), Hella (again, not the cheap junk), Cibie or Marchal and you'll see a noticable difference, both in material quality and usable light output because of better light control. For the price that the dealership charges for the lights, they should be of much better quality; I paid close to $800 for them on my first MCS and I didn't have much of a choice (they were already on the car and I bought the car from their inventory).

Is it worth making the change? I say "yes" if you use the driving lights often. And I personally think a slightly larger lamp looks better, I don't really care for the 180mm ones though (although that is only personal preference). If you like the look and don't use the lights very much, then there is really no reason to change them.

[moorlockx]

I agree with CurtP that there are much better lights to be had for the same price as the ones offered by MINI. Bottom line is if you're actually going to be using the lights and how long you plan on doing so. The Cibie's on my car are 25 years old, been on 4 cars, and are still going strong. I'd like to see a set of the Jutes come anywhere close to that.

To each his own, but, I too believe the MINI lights are a bit on the small side.

[NEMINI]

fair enough, thank you for backing up your statement(s). I'm not taking a side I just wanted more substance .

For my use the jute lights are fine and fit the look of the MINI much better. The cibie lights are too flat. Instead of flowing with the roundness of the MINI, IMO the Cibies (and others) contrast too much.

[obehave]

The MINI lights definitely have the right proportions but I have to agree with the Driving Light twins . The Jute lights just fill in and don't have the reach my older driving lights had.
I used to work for Valeo so we got Cibie and Marchals at just over cost. Yes they were larger but they had reach. At 55, even 70, MPH I felt I had visibility enough to have good stopping distance on a dark country road. Don't feel that way with the OEM lights. Yea I'm older and the ole night vision isn't what it once was but it's still tests fine
But the real test is my 11 year old daughter. She verified that you can't really see much farther with the DLs on as opposed to without.
And mine rusted in 3 months and the dealer wouldn't replace them. Normal wear and tear

[Wobert]

Quote: Originally Posted by obehave

And mine rusted in 3 months and the dealer wouldn't replace them. Normal wear and tear

I've just bought a set of light to DIY fit them.

Before I do anything, I'm gonna dismantle them and give them several coats of clear laquer to protect the metal.

Makes you wonder why they didn't make the lamp bodies out of "plastic" chrome, to save any problems with deterioration of the metal chrome plating?

Robert