Who here owns a Mini?

thewanted · 21 Jul 2017 at 13:09

Mart2912 said:
Well, just installed the Racechip Ultimate. Took an hour to install, mainly due to the fact I forgot to plug one of the cables back in under the air intake other than that, so simple. Haven't had a chance to take it out for a proper drive, but so far driving normally feels the same. Once you put the foot down and hit 3500-4000 RPM, the extra power really kicks in. I'm also noticing a slight increase in noise from the intake/exhaust. Not had any issues with the car. No warning/engine lights or anything.

I really need a dyno, just for curiosity. May look into that.

Hey @Mart2912,

How has the Racechip been performing for you? Have you had a chance to dyno your Mini yet?

Do you have a copy of the installation guide that I could have a look at, please?

Mart2912 · 21 Jul 2017 at 17:29

thewanted said:
Hey @Mart2912,

How has the Racechip been performing for you? Have you had a chance to dyno your Mini yet?

Do you have a copy of the installation guide that I could have a look at, please?

It has been performing great. What I will say though, it that most of the extra power tends to kick in out of nowhere after around 3k rpm. I'm guessing because this is a chip and not a remap. Whereas a remap would offer a smoother power delivery throughout? It's only an issue when you are low rpm/stand still, but it's not noticeable as you are changing gears at higher rpm.

I've also noticed the car sounds louder (Exhaust noise) now when you put the foot down, and the dump valve for the turbo is also louder. Driving it normal however, you would never know it was modified. Also, I seem to be getting around 30-40 miles extra per tank, which surprised me (Same driving style). I'll keep an eye on this and see if it changes.

I was planning to get it on a dyno last month? But things came up and I hadn't found a decent one locally. There is a place I've found now which is like a 40 minute drive. They seem reputable so I will get in touch with them and see what they have got to say.

It's quite simple to install. 3 cables to plug in and the book that comes with is explains step by step. The only issue I had, was that the diagram that they sent only had arrows pointing to where it needed to be plugged into and was missing the corresponding A, B, C which is labelled on the chip cables. I did manage to find the correct diagram however (Near the bottom): http://www.minif56.com/forum/833-engine-powertrain/67025-help-installing-racechip-ultimate.html

thewanted · 24 Jul 2017 at 07:37

Mart2912 said:
Snipl

Thanks for the detailed summary

It certainly sounds like it's made a positive difference, but I don't know if I'm so keen on the sudden kick at 3000 rpm. The Cooper S in standard form has a very linear power delivery which I like.

I really want the official Mini JCW Pro Tuning Kit but you have to take the exhaust too which drives the price up to ~£1600. I don't care much for the exhaust and would prefer just having the remap since the car belongs to my girlfriend and she hates "cars that fart". These guys dyno'd the JCW Pro Tuning Kit, and whilst Mini claim that it raises power to 210BHP, they achieved 231BHP on the dyno. That's a good hike over the standard 189BHP!

Mart2912 · 24 Jul 2017 at 15:04

thewanted said:
Thanks for the detailed summary It certainly sounds like it's made a positive difference, but I don't know if I'm so keen on the sudden kick at 3000 rpm. The Cooper S in standard form has a very linear power delivery which I like.

I really want the official Mini JCW Pro Tuning Kit but you have to take the exhaust too which drives the price up to ~£1600. I don't care much for the exhaust and would prefer just having the remap since the car belongs to my girlfriend and she hates "cars that fart". These guys dyno'd the JCW Pro Tuning Kit, and whilst Mini claim that it raises power to 210BHP, they achieved 231BHP on the dyno. That's a good hike over the standard 189BHP!

I was also looking into it, I just couldn't justify the price vs performance. The extra noise that the JCW exhaust makes just seems ridiculous.

Once I get a dyno run, I will update this thread and then we will see the actual power curve.

Vanquish-Storm · 15 Aug 2017 at 23:27

Sorry if this has already been asked but can you extend the mini warranty outside of the manufacturer warranty?

hurfdurf · 16 Aug 2017 at 01:06

Girlfriend has a 10 plate Cooper S, the orange check engine light came on on our way home from London and we had reduced power, it was the lowest form of warning so we continued to a service station and had food, when the car started up no warning and full power, its been fine for 2 weeks now, no issues, but the Stop/Start function has turned permanently off. Any ideas?

[TW]Fox · 16 Aug 2017 at 07:28

Vanquish-Storm said:
Sorry if this has already been asked but can you extend the mini warranty outside of the manufacturer warranty?

Yes.

Vanquish-Storm · 16 Aug 2017 at 08:46

[TW]Fox said:
Yes.

Excellent - Similar to the BMW product?

My wife is looking at getting a new mini, the last one she had was an older model and the Vanos went outside of warranty so I would extend the warranty this time round.

Will Mini themselves try to sell that to us do you know? The guy has not mentioned it yet but we are in the early stages of buying.

[TW]Fox · 16 Aug 2017 at 08:56

It's the same product as the BMW one. Dealers cannot sell it so won't try to sell you it.

It's very good value unless you have a Cooper S or a Cooper SD where it's an absolute ripoff.

Vanquish-Storm · 16 Aug 2017 at 09:01

[TW]Fox said:
It's the same product as the BMW one. Dealers cannot sell it so won't try to sell you it.

It's very good value unless you have a Cooper S or a Cooper SD where it's an absolute ripoff.

It will just be a Cooper (maybe a One but doubt it)

Last question sorry! Is it something you take out after your warranty runs out or is it like the extended warranties you buy for a TV/PC that it runs along side the normal warranty?

[TW]Fox · 16 Aug 2017 at 09:07

You are invited to take it out when your new or used car warranty comes to an end.

Vanquish-Storm · 16 Aug 2017 at 09:16

[TW]Fox said:
You are invited to take it out when your new or used car warranty comes to an end.

Excellent! Thank you very much

blun · 16 Aug 2017 at 15:28

The price for the R56 Cooper warranty has gone up quite a bit recently - it's now £44 with £100 excess and no emergency service. I've decided to just put £50 aside each month rather than continuing with the warranty.

The F56 Cooper warranty is the same £44/month and feels better value given the increased complexity of the newer cars.

EDIT: F56 Cooper S warranty is a painful £80/month !

thewanted · 16 Aug 2017 at 16:36

blun said:
EDIT: F56 Cooper S warranty is a painful £80/month !

The manufacturer's warranty on my girlfriend's Cooper S still has 2 years left, but I fear every day what the price will be when it comes time to extend it

Came really close this week to fitting the JCW Pro Tuning Kit to it, but I'm battling to justify the cost given how often I get to drive the car in a spirited fashion.

Vanquish-Storm · 16 Aug 2017 at 17:00

Well the repair bill on the wife old Mini was over £1000 so it would have covered itself had we had the extended warranty.

[TW]Fox · 16 Aug 2017 at 17:14

thewanted said:
The manufacturer's warranty on my girlfriend's Cooper S still has 2 years left, but I fear every day what the price will be when it comes time to extend it

IMHO it is simply not worth it on the Cooper S with the ridiculous pricing structure they've got in place. They seem to be applying a similar percentage price hike as they do to M cars over the standard BMW's but a Mini Cooper S is not an M car, infact there is nothing special about it in terms of complexity over and above the regular BMW range as it takes its engines from bog standard production model BMW's. The Cooper S has the same engine you'll find in a 1 Series, the Cooper SD has the ever popular 2 litre diesel out of pretty much every other BMW model.

Yet despite this a Mini Cooper S warranty is the same sort of money as a 5 Series - meaning it costs more to warranty a 2 litre diesel Mini than it does a 435d xDrive Convertible with an 8 speed automatic gearbox, 4wd, two turbochargers and a complicated folding metal hardtop roof!!!!....

It's hugely frustrating as it really puts me off a Cooper S. We don't really need one and losing the hassle free good value warranty situation would be a major downside, but were it the same price as the rest of the range I'd probably do it. We've broken even on the warranty on the Cooper but it's worth it mostly for the peace of mind and lack of hassle. It isn't worth double the premium because it says 'S' on the grille.

thewanted · 16 Aug 2017 at 17:23

I agree completely. It's shocking value for money, because as with your 435d xDrive Convertible comparison, the extended warranty for my B9 A4 is roughly the same price as the Cooper S and has far more expensive and complicated things to repair.

I don't regret getting the Cooper S and so far it hasn't had to go back to the dealership for anything which is rare in my experience. Whilst I'm generally risk adverse, it is appealing to see if we can eek out another 2 years of low'ish running costs without extending the warranty when it expires. If the option exists to take the Mini roadside assistance without the warranty, I would buy that in a heartbeat over a new policy with the AA, RAC etc.

[TW]Fox · 16 Aug 2017 at 18:01

The only reason for it I can think of is a 'Because S' premium applied in the same way there is a 'Because M' premium on BMW warranties.

Which makes sense, for all of 5 seconds until you realise M is bespoke and Cooper S is just boggo stuff from the rest of the range..

thewanted · 16 Aug 2017 at 19:53

I could almost understand that logic if the absurb premium applied only to the JCW models, but since they don't have a special engine like the M cars (the M2 doesn't really have a special engine either), then why should the cost be so high?

I'd bet my left nut that BMW will increase their premiums quite dramatically before long.

[TW]Fox · 16 Aug 2017 at 19:57

thewanted said:
I'd bet my left nut that BMW will increase their premiums quite dramatically before long.

To do this on some of the models would surely just lose all the customers - the 5 Series is about as expensive as it can be before its not worth the bother at the moment and, crucially, similarly priced to the E Class.

It strikes me that the 1 3 Series are disproportionately cheap though...