Redhouse

[redhouse]

Hello All, I am trying to become a Mini owner but I need some help.

I have looked at A Cooper S with A JCW Bodykit on it. What does this bodykit entail? Is there any performance enhancing or is it purely cosmetic? The badge on the engine is " works " It is definatly not a JCW as I have checked with BMW and it is registered as an S.

I love the car but as I dont know what i am buying I cant insure it . Help!!!

[minicore]

The bodykit is just a bodykit... any MINI could have one fitted; it is not indicative of model or specification. What year is the car?

In the case of first gen models, the bodykit is actually called the "Aero" kit, whereas on second gen cars, the comparable kit is indeed the "JCW" bodykit (with the Aero kit being a much less popular "toned down" version). Also, without wanting to sound patronising, "JCW" and "Works" are the same thing... you may well be aware of this, but part of your post sounded slightly unclear.

What info did you request from BMW? In terms of "registered" - my R53 JCW was (and still is) "registered" as a Cooper S with 170bhp when you look up the registration number, despite being a 210bhp JCW. The Works tuning kit was installed by the dealer following delivery, and this information (in terms of non-factory R53s) will never be "registered" as far as I'm aware.

That said, any BMW/MINI dealer would (or certainly should) know if the tuning kit had been fitted, whether they carried out the work or it was done at another dealership. What exactly did they say when you spoke to them?

In terms of insurance, under the circumstances outlined above, it's up to you to TELL the insurance company that you have a Cooper S JCW and not just a regular Cooper S.

Does the car have the JCW exhaust? Badges on the front and rear? Can you take a picture of the engine bay to post? If I remember correctly, there should also be some form of certification with the handbook, assuming the previous owner hasn't lost it.

I'm not convinced that the car in question ISN'T a JCW, but without proper clarification it would be foolish to assume either way based on the limited information.

[MINIAC]

The only "true" JCWs are the 1st Gen MINI Cooper S GP and the 2nd Gen John Cooper Works models.

Dealer fit JCW Engine Tuning Kits were available for 1st and 2nd Gen Cooper S models. The 1st Gen JCW Kit was also a factory option from November 2005. These kits came with a Certificate of Authenticity, and given the VIN a dealer should be able to verify if a car has a kit fitted.

Decoding the VIN will not distinguish a Cooper S model with the kit from one without.

Edit: Oops ... minicore beat me to the punch as I was composing my post.

[redhouse]

Hi minicore, the car in question is RK54 CKV. It is on Autotrader as a Cooper S when we went to view the car we popped the bonnet and found a K&N Air filter upgrade and the engine was badged with a Works logo. We asked the seller if the car was a genuine works and he said that he did not know as he bought the car from his Boss. He has the car insured as a cooper S as he didn’t realise it was anything different ( he had not even spotted the air filter ). We asked to see any paperwork supporting any other modifications to the car, his reply - my boss did all the work himself so there is no paperwork. We have the Vin number and have checked with BMW that there has been no retro upgrade on the car, as I understand it would need to be done by a dealer and there are two sets of paperwork one retained by BMW and the other given to the owner. I would have been happy to just have the body kit with a standard S but as the new owner can't tell me what work has or has not been done I can't inform my insurance company. I would be happy with his approval to take the car to a BMW Dealer as I think that would be the only way to find out what has been done. I have had conflicting information on this as a BMW engineer has said that if the work was carried out by an individual the dashboard would light up like a Christmas tree as the engine would need to be re-programmed. I would love to send you a photo of the engine but I don’t have one. The seller thinks I am being pedantic over details and is looking for another buyer even if this car goes I need to be able to learn as much as I can for future reference.

[MINIAC]

Do you have the number of the JCW Kit? Maybe a dealer can cross-reference it to the car.

[redhouse]

Forgive my naivety, what number would this be?

[MINIAC]

Every JCW Engine Tuning Kit has a number on the cylinder head cover plaque:

On left is 200bhp kit and on right is 210bhp kit.

[redhouse]

Thanks for that, as long as the car is still for sale Monday I will get that reference number and see if it comes up with anything.