General DiscussionUse this forum to discuss MINI topics which are not related to other forums. Posts may be moved from here to alternative forums by the moderators without notice
To all of you who have written, and to you of those who will in the future, I take my hat off and bow to your devotion to this newest of the new !!
I am speculating on the eventual purchase of an entire fleet of customized Mini's, to be used as my company's advertising pedestal.
Several issues are involved:
1) All must be JCW with as many innovations as possible (adding the new JCW caribou seats,18" JCW specialty wheels & tires,extra guages on the dash,etc.)
2) The installation of a tow hitch to the "S" is mandatory. The car will be towing a custom built all aluminum trailer to accentuate the uniqueness of the car,combining a graphics wrap around advertising pkg. to both the car and trailer.Both will look grand together,both will look super apart.
I have been in contact with JC Works factory and am told that they do not custom build cars for the U.S. market. I will have to deal with the local dealer.My concern is what is to be done with the stock seats if I order the JCW, & the same with the stock cyl. head & the supercharger? does the dealer take them back for parts with a cash credit for the purchase & installation of the JCW parts? Or do we have to just pack them away in our garage or try to sell them on the web or E-Bay?
That's about it for now.
I just love the way this site is making all Mini enthusiasts into a world wide family.
Barry Jefferson
The seats are not part of the Works Kit. You pay $4500+tax for the Kit plus the cost of 9-10 hours of labor and the dealer keeps the stock supercharger, cylinder head and (I'm assuming) catback exhaust.
I'm not sure how you're going to mount a trailer hitch with the center exit exhaust.
Sounds like a nice fleet of cars you'll have there.
For more information on the JCW kit in the USA, I would look through and/or search the performance and tuning forum, there are views from 'experienced' JCW owners there.
To the best of my knowledge the wheels and seats are still 'coming soon', although that's been the case for a little while now.
For a tow-hitch, check soon to be MINI2 sponsors: http://www.minifini.com who offer the 'sport link' system.
YO !! I GUARANTEE YOU that the dealer is NOT just taking the removed parts and Keeping them for HIS PROFIT.
I have dealt with this type of arrangement b4, & either the dealer will credit me $$ or I take the parts with me.
done deal. no free rides, right??
also, I have jsut gotten word from JCW factory that the 18" wheels & the seats are in the works, (sorry for the pun).
in regards to the tow hitch, a company in UK, Towsure, makes a towhitch for the mini. & on this forum site a member took his mini s & custom installed the std. hitch. took some customizing, but was not that hard.
I have been dropping hints to companies all over the world, trying to get someone to have the gonads to make one for the "S" and begin to market it.
In the land down under Reese of Australia makes a flat hitch, not a rectangular tow receiver. He said he would write Reese USA & try to get them to undertake the project, but he was not that optimistic.
let's face it you'all, any company that makes one will be the worldwide provider & should experience unlimited orders, at least for a while.
Barry
Noticing you are located in Anaheim, I wish you luck in dealing with any SoCal dealer (with the exception of Long Beach all of whom mark up their MINIs). I believe the dealer is required to return the cylinder head and supercharger and there will be a core charge if you want to keep them.
Hey, Paul,
I see that the tow-link is the answer to the problem. thanks for your info. say, by the way, I just visited Crevier BMW in Santa Ana, they DO have a mark up. it's like, they are "G_D", & they deserve to charge the premium price saying that any few others that do not charge the price have a 14 month waiting period for a car.
what the heck does THAT have to do with a waiting period? while I was there, 2 others walked in ready to buy & the salesman all rebutted with some insane story of their own imagination to support their right to charge extra for a MINI.
I simply said I would talk to the owner if I dicided to buy from them with my company deciding to purchase lots of the cars.
see ya !!
Here's a thought -- go to a reputable East Coast dealer, maybe one in New York or Jersey. Place your order, truck them cross-country, then smirk at that fool dealer in Santa Ana. Hell, pick up a few extra, and resell them. Regarding keeping the pieces from a JCW conversion, please consider that those pieces they keep, plus a reworked hood and air intake, are essentially all it takes to make a Cooper into a Cooper S..
That is an ORIGINAL idea. My company's home office is in Pa., so if I were to order it there, I could fly there, conduct some business, then drive the car back here to Calif. sounds like a super idea to me. "thanx". and you are prob. right on the parts. the dealer told me "we do not set the policies or the prices". and he told me that the core charge for the head is $1000 if I were to keep it instead of letting them have it. maybe I should contact MINIUSA directly to ask them if they think it is ethical for what I am complaining about.
So my Cooper S has around 14000 miles on the clock... if I were to get the WKS package on, would they really want to keep my Supercharger and Head unit?? would not have thought that they would be worth anything.
On the towing hitch question, it clearly states in the handbook that the 'S' hasn't been designed for towing, so I would think that fitting an after market tow hitch would seriously compromise your warranty....?
Torry, I have heard that the works pkg is avail. for existing owners, but have not investigated as to if the price of $4500 is a firm price with a $1000 core charge (on a new engine, parts are considered "core"?) perhaps you need to call a dealer and inquire at the service/parts department.
referencing the tow hitch, this is a widely disputed issue, with different ideas existing as per which country is in question. my research showed that an "official" tow rating is 1110 lbs std hitch, 1430 lbs equalizing hitch with trailer brakes. look up towards the top of this thread to see a msg from Miniac....he shows a web site called minifini.com, which has a hitch platform for all mini's. it is due to be avail. in fall '03. it has 2 hitch points to the frame, is actually a tow bar with the hitch in the center. it would be classified as an equalizing hitch, fue to it's 2 points of support, not just one. it has, or will have, a 250 lb tongue weight rating (can support 250 lbs in a cargo carrier) and will limit the trailer to 1400 lbs weight. I reccommend that if you will have a trailer, equip it with electric brakes (for about $250 + the controller in the car). I say this because I have towed a trailer with an atv with a Mitsubishi Starion (custom hitch at a local dealer)and it was harder on the car brakes. with trailer brakes there is no additional load on the car brakes. from my experience, the car should tow really well, with times that you do not even know a trailer is in tow, providing you load it properly with more weight to the tongue rather most weight to the rear.
I'm not disputing the fact that a tow hitch can be fitted, or that the car can't handle it, just pointing out that the 'S' has not been designed or tested for towing, and that it is clearly stated in the handbook, therefore any problems encountered would not be covered by your warranty...
OK, Tony. you be right, I'll be happy.
I just met a gentleman at my bank who is a personal friend of the web designer for minifini.com, the mfr. of the sports-link (the frame mounted base for a variety of accessories). the accessories include a bike rack,tow hitch,parcel shelf able to hold 250 lbs. these accessories will be on sale at all Mini dealers very soon.
they will all be warranted by BMW as a factory authorized option. so much for your info & source that feels it will void car warranty. as I told you last time, please visit www.minifini.com to see for yourself.
"KEEP ON TRUK'N" my friend.
thanx for your input.
Sorry, Barry-
Perhaps I missed a previous thread. Are you requesting help in "locating" MCS's for a potential business venture? Or looking for "partners" for a venture? Or info on the features and limitations of an upgrade (like the JCW package)?
What is it that you will be "advertising"? The JCW upgrade is alleged to be a very effective product, but it is NOT very flashy, and is not very cost effective. Therefore, if you're trying to attract ATTENTION (usually one goal for an advertising venture), the JCW upgrade is very LOW on the "bang-for-the-buck" scale.
So, in order for us to help you with ideas, could you please explain the USE of the MINI in this particular venture, and WHY it is important that the cars are extensively modified? Several of the "euro-tuner" magazines have had recent articles on MINI's that were modified for the "Tuner Show Circuit", and the kinds of things that are done to these cars are quite different from what one would do on a car that needs to be DRIVEN regularly on real roads (let alone as a Tow Car). As mentioned by another person, 18" or 19" wheels LOOK real great; but 17" (or less) might be an upper limit for cars that see real USE.
Again, if I missed a previous thread, my apology. However, for us to provide really valuable information it might be worthwhile to understand how the car(s) will be USED (ie, how many cars, how many miles/week, are colors important, how much money do you have budgeted per car, are you looking for PERFORMANCE or LOOKS, etc, etc)
...soon-to-be-MINI-Cooper-S-owner-
David G
(by the way; it took me a YEAR to order my MCS, in order to avoid paying a premium in Los Angeles. Today I tried to order the JCW upgrade and was told they were on BACKORDER; so, I'm on ANOTHER waiting list. This is only important to indicate that your business plan has to take delays of this kind into account. Hopefully my JCW kit will be in within 2 months; but if I wanted 15 of them... as YOU might... there might be an additional delay because of the limited availability of the JCW kits (ie, Dealer Allocation))
hey there David. wow, you are very close to me, there in Redondo Bch. well, I am a dreamer. my dream is to pitch a revolutionary concept to a large company here. this involves lots, but an initial starting point is to have a show type car with a similarly looking small trailer to drive to all of my seminars & conventions where I will speak to our clients & prospective clients. One of my ideas is to have a platform that screams "LOOK AT ME", & I believe the MCS will do just that. I looked over all the colors at Crevier BMW 2 days ago & the color most catchy to the eye is "electric Blue". this will work very well with my proposed graphics pkg. for the car & trailer combo. the trailer will be painted as closely matching, with lots of shiney aluminum & wheels to match. the reason for my desire to maximize the custom look is just for that reason. As well as the fact that I will be driving almost daily to the far corners of Calif. If my idea goes over big-time, then this will be just the prototype of enuf pkgs. to cover every state. perhaps enuf to have multi's in every state. the co. is in Europe as well as Asia. a world-wied advertising campaign with tv coverage so that wherever the car is, it is recognized. In regards to the JCW pkg., there is another source for a similar pkg., done locally. a bit of a difference. they have an exhaust system with headers, hi-flow cat, stainless free flow mufflers. ECU upgrade, cold air breathing pkg., supercharger pulley, giving 215 BHP.($2600). Add to that a modified free flowing head for extra 25 BHP ($1900). now it is at about 240-250 BHP. they will soon have a water-to-air intercooler, for an additional jump in BHP. My reasoning again is never too much power when the need arises. try climbing mountains with factory advertised HP, discover the giant letdown. I will be towing about 1400 lbs., so the added HP will make my drive effortless. the company for the upgrades is :new.minimania.com
hope we can continue talking. by the way, I met a guy at my bank that is friends with the guy that made the website for minifini.com they have in the works lots of great accessories for MCS.visit their website: minifini.com
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Customized & Signature Edition JCW Mini 
